Where can you find crisp lettuce, savoury dumplings, cold apple cider, raw milk cheeses, bison steaks, up-cycled jewelry, and much more, in one location? The Memorial Centre Farmers’ Market in Kingston! This year-round, producer-run market is home to growers and artists who live in Kingston or within 100 kilometres of the city. Every Sunday, the market takes over the Memorial Centre lawn for shopping, free yoga (at 10 am), and live music.
Read further to discover a few of the 30+ vendors you’ll be able to meet at the market. Visit the Memorial Centre Farmers’ Market website for update-to-date weekly vendor lists.
Fresh vegetables
Main Street Urban Farm
Did you know downtown Kingston is home to an urban farmstead? Main Street Urban Farm grows organic vegetables, such as potatoes, garlic, asparagus, and lettuce, in downtown Kingston. You can find them at the market, selling their veggie baskets or serving up ready-to-eat food such as savoury pancakes called Japanese Okonomiyaki, hummuses, and sauces. If you can’t visit the market, they also do bicycle delivery!
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The Fungi Connection
Discover high-quality, gourmet mushrooms grown by The Fungi Connection. With Darin and Deb’s expertise in mushroom cultivation dating back 10 years, they have skillfully honed the craft of growing mushrooms. Situated near Kingston in Yarker, they offer a range of fungi species including blue and pink oyster, shiitake, chestnut, and lion’s mane. You can also find their mushrooms on several Kingston menus, including Chez Piggy, Baja Craft Kitchen, and Days on Front.
Ready-to-enjoy bites
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Long Road Ecological Farm (Farm Sum)
Visit the Farm Sum stand at the market for the most delectable Chinese peasant food. Farm Sum offers freshly cooked steamed buns and dumplings, made from pork, eggs, vegetables, and herbs from their farm, Long Road Ecological Farm. Xiaobing, owner of Long Road Ecological Farm and chef extraordinaire, also sells common garden and Asian variety vegetables, and fresh ginger. You can also visit Long Road Ecological Farm, in Harrowsmith, on a guided farm tour on September 9 for Open Farm Days 2023.
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Knifey Spooney
Looking for sustainable, plant-based bites in Kingston? Check out Knifey Spooney for their famous vegan lobster rolls, breakfast sandwiches, Korean barbeque sandwiches, baked goods, and much more. Rad and Christina’s rotating menu uses seasonal and local ingredients to help make plant-based food more accessible and delicious in the Kingston region. They also offer a selection of frozen meals, perfect for dinners throughout your week.
Collective Joy Farm
Experience the joy of fresh microgreens and veggie-filled food at Collective Joy Farm. Tammara, owner of Collective Joy Farm, grows microgreens, lettuces, and herbs at her urban farm on Macdonnell Street. She offers a line of ready-to-eat foods and juices, such as Eat Local bowls, cold-pressed juice, crackers and flatbread, salad dressings, dips, and desserts. Tammara believes in increasing access to nourishing food and loves seeing new faces at the market every Sunday.
Skilled artisans
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Bee-Youtiful Beads
Lynn-Marie of Bee-Youtiful Beads is one of the many skilled artisans at the market. She repurposes beads and glass to make one-of-a-kind jewelry, such as bracelets, earrings, necklaces, and ornaments. Visit Bee-Youtiful Beads to find a gift for someone special or to buy new accessories to elevate your style.
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Carolina Rojas Photography
Carolina’s artist photos make a perfect souvenir for your visit to Kingston. Carolina is a photographer, known for her brightly coloured photos of Kingston landscapes and nature, as well as her abstract art of local Kingston sites. Visit Carolina at the market to browse her stunning photo cards, large prints, and tote bags.
Freshly baked goods
Grains & Goods Farmstead (& Fat Chance Farmstead)
Who doesn’t love a freshly baked loaf of bread? Prepare to be amazed by Grains & Goods Bakery’s artisanal bread and baked goods. They use freshly milled flours, made from their farm’s (Fat Chance Farmstead) organic grains, to create their delicious goodies. Also, you can find their baked goods at their Sydenham bakery and experience their farm September 9 and 30 on an Open Farm Days 2023 farm tour.
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Zia Rita’s Gluten-Free
Find the best gluten-free baked products at Zia Rita’s Gluten-Free stand. Market regulars will know that Zia Rita, the original baker of Zia Rita’s Gluten-Free, retired in 2022. Luckily, Mona has taken over the business and continues to sell gluten-free baking, bread, desserts, pizza crusts, fruit desserts, and more. Whether you are gluten-free or not, you will love this local baking.
Nutritious cheese and eggs
Bushgarden Farmstead Cheese
Take home some organic raw milk cheese from Bushgarden Farmstead Cheese. Their cheese is made on the farmstead in Rideau Lakes by Nigel Smith, a fifth-generation farmer. They use milk from their certified-organic cows to hand-make a variety of cheeses. Their number one selling cheese is Pilgrimage, a gouda-style cheese.
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Reinink Family Farms
No breakfast would be complete without eggs from Reinink Family Farms on Varty Lake. After many years of selling at markets and supplying Kingston establishments, Hank-John and Janet now sell eggs exclusively at the Memorial Centre Farmers’ Market every Sunday. Produced by chickens on their farm, their eggs are certified organic and full of essential nutrients.
High-quality meats
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Featherstone Farm
Indulge in the delicious taste of bison meat, a flavourful choice high in natural minerals and low in fat. Try grass-fed bison meat steaks, burgers, salami, pepperettes, jerky, and more from Harald from Featherstone Farm. With over 25 years of dedicated care for a small herd of bison Gananoque, you can trust the meat is local and high quality.
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Haanover View Farms
Pick up some ecologically raised meats from Haanover View Farms, a family farm in Marysville. Oliver, Renate, and family are proud to run their sustainable farm and contribute to the food security of the region. They offer meats such as pork, beef, rabbit, chicken at the market. You can also try their meat at Bella Bistro and Northside Espresso + Kitchen in Kingston.
Boozy beverages & caffeinated drinks
Haymakers Coffee Co.
Slow down at the market with a cup of microlot coffee from Haymakers Coffee Co. Owners Alix and Sietse get their beans from organic coffee producers around the world and roast the beans on a small-batch roaster on Wolfe Island. You can grab a cup of coffee or a whole bag of beans at the market. You can also visit Haymakers Coffee Co. on various dates throughout Open Farm Days 2023 for a tour to learn more about their roasting process.
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Hard Way Cider Co.
At the market, you have the opportunity to purchase locally made cider from Hard Way Cider Co., Kingston’s one and only cidery. Their cider is made with Ontario apples and is infused with flavours such as peach, raspberry, and cherry. Cider crafters Lisa and Steve are committed to creating the most dry and flavourful ciders. When they’re not at the market, you can visit them at their taproom in Kingston’s west end or participate in their upcoming event, Open Farm Days 2023 brunch, in collaboration with Otter Creek Kitchen on October 1.
Sweet treats
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23 & Co.
Krista Gill, the baker behind 23 & Co., used to make chocolate chip cookies as game-day snacks for her husband Todd, a former hockey player in the NHL. Now, Krista sells her gourmet cookies at the Memorial Centre Farmers’ Market and through her online store. Her flavours, such the Top Shelf (chocolate fudge dough with peanut butter chips and chopped peanuts, topped with a peanut butter cup) and the S’coreo (chocolate chip cookie dough with an Oreo cookie) are equally creative and delicious. Try a cookie or take a sampler box home to share.
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CocoaBistro
CocoaBistro is a local artisan chocolate shop in Kingston. Audrey, chocolatier and owner of CocoaBistro, creates delicious creations using quality chocolate, locally sourced cream and butter, and natural flavours. For every new season, Audrey develops a new collection of chocolates and treats, with varieties of vegan, non-dairy, and gluten-free options. You can also visit Audrey at her storefront location on 840 Development Drive.
Visit the Memorial Centre Farmers’ Market at the Memorial Centre, open every Sunday from 9 am to 2 pm for the spring and summer season.
Looking for more ways to experience the local Kingston and region farming scene? Visit the 5th annual Night Market on Thursday, August 24 from 6 to 10 pm, featuring live music, farm fresh food, and an alcohol garden, and participate in Open Farm Days 2023 events in Kingston and the surrounding Frontenac region from September 1 to October 15.
