'FEEL NORMAL AGAIN' AT THE GEORGINA FARMERS' MARKET

MARKET WILL FEATURE 30-PLUS VENDORS, LIVE MUSIC EVERY SUNDAY, STARTING MAY 22

Good things grow in Georgina.

'Tis the season for farm fresh fruits and vegetables, homemade baked goods and handcrafted crafts found at the farmers' market.

The Georgina Farmers' Market is returning to more normal pace after two seasons of COVID-19 pandemic uncertainty.

And this year's market will

be bountiful, ranging from a full roster of vendors and farmers to live music and yoga in the park every Sunday, May 22 to Oct. 2, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at The Link, 20849 Dalton Rd., Sutton.

"Pre-COVID, the farmers' market used to be a meeting place. During COVID, we had to stop a lot of the wonderful things that make up the farmers' market," said market founder and president Natalia Zammitti.

"It's just an opportunity for us to just feel normal again. We're bringing it all back."

In 2020, the Georgina farmers' market opened later in August for a shortened season and in 2021, the market opened for a full season with limited vendors and capacity limits.

This year - the market's seventh year - market-goers can expect to see more than 30 different vendors each week on a rotating basis including food, coffee, baked goods, fruit and vegetables, herbs, dried and smoked meats, fresh eggs, wine, honey and maple syrup, jams and local artisan crafts.

"We have more farmers this year and we have some very, very local farms," Zammitti said. "I'm so excited. I think everybody's spirits are up and I think we're all excited to get back to normal."

Along with more than 30 vendors, market-goers can also expect to hear live music, grab a bite to eat, sit at picnic tables and participate in yoga sessions in the park.

Back again this year is the weekly bounty bundle draw where one marketgoer will win a bushel of market goodies.

Unlike previous years, market patrons will have access to public washrooms again in The Link and the town recently resurfaced and repaved the northside parking lot of The Link.

Many farmers and vendors are excited about getting back to a more "normal" market, doing away with the one-way shopping setup during the pandemic.

"The one-way highway didn't really work," said Bob Burrows of Zephyr Wild Food, one of more than 30 rotating vendors at the Georgina market.

Along with selling his own collection of foraged wild vegetables, such as leeks, fiddleheads and mushrooms, Burrows also sells certified organic maple syrup on behalf of Pefferlaw Creek Farms and certified organic vegetables on behalf of Zephyr Organic farm.

The farmers' market hasn't been the same over the past couple of years, as a result of the pandemic and additional safety protocols in place, Zammitti added.

Along with signage directing shoppers, vendors were spaced apart from other vendors and from market patrons - ultimately, physical distancing between vendors meant fewer farmers and vendors at the market.

Not to mention, many local farmers struggled to

get help on the farm, or for the market, during the pandemic, further limiting the number of farmer vendors available at the market, she added.

"It was just a completely different vibe," Zammitti said.

The setup, while creating a safe outdoor shopping space during the pandemic, impacted sales, Burrows added.

"People came in with a list or agenda. They had to go there, go there, go there and get out because people

were behind them waiting. There was no impulse buying, no browsing. People did not buy something unexpected.

"That really flies in the face of what a farmers' market is all about."

Burrows also has booth at the Newmarket Farmers' Market, which opened earlier in the month, giving him a taste of what's to come at the Georgina Farmers' market.

"Farmers markets' are where you browse around, encounter something you

didn't know was there, stop, ask questions and schmooze," he said. "It will be really great to see people just walking around again."

For more information, visit the Georgina Farmers' Market page on Facebook or Instagram.

STORY BEHIND THE STORY: Reporter Amanda Persico dug into how the Georgina Farmers' Market was impacted by the pandemic and what the 2022 market season looks like.