The first farmer's market of the summer season opened in Vancouver on Saturday, and while eager shoppers are flocking back to buy local foods and other goodies, the sellers are also happy.
"It's just like coming home. It's opening day -- oh my God, there's so and so -- it's a great vibe," vendor Mare-Lynn Church said at the Trout Lake Farmers Market in Vancouver.
There are hundreds of open-air weekend happenings like this across the country. Every year, more and more communities are sprouting their own farmers markets.
"We like the scene here on a Saturday morning, we ride down here. We find what we need for the week," one shopper told CTV.
For half the year, fisher Gigi Egan is aboard The Iron Maiden in the waters near the B.C.-Alaska border. The rest of the time, she's a fishmonger, selling her catches in the big city.
"In the old days, we used to ship this to Japan and Germany, but now we keep them local," she said.
"Farmers market customers are not your everyday person. They're so conscientious and they care so much about supporting local food producers. It's an amazing relationship -- it's a good thing."
There is a strong relationship of trust between producers and consumers at farmers markets that you won't find very often in the big grocery chains.
With a report by CTV British Columbia's Peter Grainger.
