40 Years of flavours and people goodness

KAMLOOPS — On Thursday, I was sure my column was to focus on the increased frequency of road accidents, some of which are likely due to distracted driving. A cyclist critically injured in a hit-and-run in Enderby. Deadly head-on collisions on highway 97, 5A, and so on. A couple of close calls in my own neighbourhood with people driving through stop signs and over crosswalks when pedestrians were already engaged in crossing (no, a hand wave and an embarrassed face crunch will not do.) My column was to be a reminder and a nudge: please focus on the road (and lose the phone while driving.)

By Friday, I was ready to start a conversation regarding the new app by Facebook, Messenger Kids. It was launched on June 22 and it is specifically designed for 13-year-olds and under. As if they need that. My column was to be a reminder that before any apps or virtual personal assistants, children need free play, reading, nature immersion and time with their loved ones.

Yet late Friday afternoon while picking some greens and peas from our small garden and wondering once again at how quickly weeds grow after the rain, I knew my column was to be about neither of the above-mentioned subjects but instead, a near-and-dear to my heart topic: our farmer’s market!

I set aside my basket half-full of peas, dill, and baby kale, and got to weeding. The expression ‘growing like weeds’ for whatever grows fast and furious is darn accurate. Given the Lilliputian size of our garden, I weeded half of it in no time, saving the rest for the next day. Then, the thought surfaced! Imagine having to weed and take care of a garden that should yield crops large enough to live off and also sell at the market on Saturdays. That, while also tending to kids, wee ones, let’s say, which is what many of the vendors do. I see them carrying their babies in slings, or asleep in strollers. One parent takes them for a walk while the other tends the table.

This year marks the 40th anniversary of the market. My family and I got to see the last six, and the transformations, some bigger than others (the indoor market was a big one, and so was the addition of local wines – many of them award-winning!) but all beneficial to us Kamloops peeps. Which is why I never balk at the prices there, which do not seem high considering the hard work that goes in, much of it invisible when you just grab a bag of greens or a handful of garlic.

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Plus, you get so much more than what you pay for: exquisite recipes, stories, laughter. Friendship. Inspiration. That makes picking favourites real hard. A good problem to have I’d say. Having just bought yet another bad watermelon from a big grocery store, I know one thing: I never once bought bad produce from the market. It matters.

And yet, the percentage of people shopping at the farmer’s market is below 10. In fact, last year a veteran vendor speculated that it’s no more than 3 to 4 percent of Kamloops people who frequent the market. I hope it’s more this year. If we are to judge by how fast some of the treats are running out, perhaps the numbers have increased. Let’s hope so. A bubbling local economy is what keeps a community alive and well. You can fill your bags on a Saturday after strolling through a tunnel of flavours and colours and have enough fresh ingredients to cook dinners and lunches for a whole week. The 100-mile diet is a tasty reality in Kamloops!

That our friends and relatives who visit Kamloops try to schedule their visit so that it contains at least one day of farmer’s market is no mistake. It’s that good, they say. I agree. It is vibrant, colourful, friendly, and abounding with so many goodies you cannot walk away from. It’s when you find yourself anticipating the flavours of each week, which you now know too well from previous years, that you know you’re hooked forever.

So happy 40th and thank you to all those who make it the magical place that it is!