T Riman
, ,

10 Best Montreal Farmers Markets

10 Best Montreal Farmers Markets
Montreal is not only famous for its fast-food scene but also for its farmers’ markets with fresh produce at reasonable prices. Read Here!

Best Montreal Farmers Markets

Farmers’ markets are the most widely visited places for people to purchase fresh produce, including vegetables, fruits, plants, and flowers. Unlike grocery stores, Montreal farmers’ markets are lively and festive, thanks to the affordable seasonable produce and related products. Today’s article will list the ten best Montreal farmers’ markets. Read on!

1. Concordia Farmers’ Market

Concordia farmers’ market drives hundreds of people during the winter season. The market opens every Wednesday between September and April, allowing people of all ages and walks of life to buy fresh produce. In addition to veggies and fruits, this farmers’ market also has various food establishments to taste the most delectable food made from organic greens. We recommend eating vegan desserts.

2.  Marche Jean-Brilliant

Marche Jean-Brilliant is near the Cote-des-Neiges, boasting a comfortable environment, thanks to the white-and-green striped canopy and tents. Here, you can find and purchase fresh produce, including green veggies, fruits, and flowers. The best thing about this farmers’ market is buying apples sourced directly from the orchard. It is one of Montreal’s oldest farmers’ markets, serving the community for decades. It also has kiosks to enjoy delicious food made of pumpkins and try the maple syrup. Don’t forget to buy homemade honey.

3. Marché Solidaire Frontenac

Marche Solidaire Frontenac is a community farmers’ market in Montreal, boasting a wide range of items, including fresh produce like fruits and green veggies, seasonal products, food establishments, and workshops, such as pizza making, gardening, and food-centric essentials. The best thing about these workshops is that they are free to join.

4. Marche Saint-Jacques

Marche Saint-Jacques is a crowded place that drives people from all over Montreal and nearby regions to shop for groceries and fresh produce, including veggies, fruits, flowers, and plants for gardening. You will interact with vendors in their shops set up under the canopies. We recommend visiting the market’s official website to know details of unique festivals and events.

5. Lachine Market

Lachine Market is famous for fresh vegetables, fruits, and flower blooms. Visiting this market is the best thing to do during the summer season because you will see different floral arrangements and flowers hanging from low-roofed spaces.

6. Maisonneuve Market

Maisonneuve market is the best place to buy fresh fruits, such as cherries, plums, and peaches. You will also find cucumbers, tomatoes, and peppers. All these items are ripe, field-grown, and fresh. Don’t forget to pick up cinnamon and vanilla at Merci and cheeses at Aux Champetreries.

7. Atwater Market

Atwater Market is a versatile place to visit in Montreal. It is the oldest market in the city and has been operating for more than nine decades. Visiting the market allows you to relish the picturesque views of the Lachine Canal and shop for offal, wild tuna, and yellowfins. You can also find fresh produce at affordable prices, including seasonal veggies and fruits.

8. Marche des Possible

Marche des Possible is another market to visit in Montreal. Unlike other farmers’ markets in Montreal, this one is slightly different because it offers culturally diverse weekend events with food stalls, vegetable and fruit shops, and local musicians playing live music. You will also find artisan and movie stalls.

9. Jean Talon Market

Jean Talon Market is the best place in Montreal to shop for artisanal Quebec Cheese and honey, olive oil, and wine. The place has numerous stalls and shops, allowing visitors to buy seasonal fruits and vegetables.

10. Birri

Birri is a family-owned farmers’ market in Montreal. It has been serving the local community for more than five decades, offering a wide range of local products, including fresh vegetables and fruits. In addition, you can shop for plants, seeds, flowers, etc. Visiting Birri is a must-go for everyone, including locals and tourists.

Final Words

Farmers’ markets have fresh veggies and fruits at the peak of the growing season. So, if you want to buy and taste something fresh, visiting these markets in Montreal is worth your time and money. Until Next Time!
  • Article based on personal opinion, experience and research.
  • Photos from Unsplash & canva.
/by
T Riman
,

Robotic Farming – The Future in Action in Montreal | A Feature on AquaVerti Farms

AquaVerti Farms
The evidence is as clear as the increasingly extreme weather conditions all over the world: we need to get serious about changing the way we do things if we’re going leave behind a livable planet. It’s a scary truth, but there’s also a lot to be optimistic about because there are so many initiatives working to do just that. One such initiative is a unique company in Ville St Laurent that’s blending technology from the automotive industry with Dutch agricultural practices to significantly reduce the carbon footprint of lettuce – a crop that typically requires a lot of land, water and pesticides to produce, and experiences a great deal of waste simply due to the delicacy of lettuce leaves and how easily they can be damaged in harvesting, packaging and transporting. Aquaverti Farms has developed a lettuce growing method that produces 0 greenhouse gases, uses 0 pesticides, and requires 95% less water than traditional farming methods. Housed in what is essentially a large factory, Aquaverti makes use of the vertical space with hydroponic ponds! How do the farmers get up there to tend to their crops? They don’t! The robots do. This is where automotive technology comes into play. Robotic machines set the ponds into place, monitor conditions and even harvest the crops. Aquaverti uses custom-designed LED lights and nutrients are fed directly into the pools growing the lettuce. It’s an incredibly efficiently process with just 35 days from seed to harvest. The picture in your mind right now (and in reality) is probably a far cry from that picturesque vision we have of rows of crops growing from the earth, bathed in the natural sunlight. It’s reasonable to wonder if crops grown in a factory can really be as nutritious as those grown traditionally. The answer is, even more so. Canada is the world’s largest importer of lettuce in the world (way to go on eating your leafy greens, folks!). That’s no surprise though, since our climate makes it a difficult crop to grow locally, and impossible to grow outdoors year round. If we want it, we have to import it. Unfortunately, from the moment most produce is harvested, it begins to gradually lose nutritional value. If it takes several days after harvesting for lettuce to reach your plate, it simply isn’t as nutrient-rich as it was straight from the farm. By producing locally, lettuce can reach your plate literally hours after harvesting, ensuring a fresher, crisper, more nutritious salad. Aquaverti has set of goal of producing up to 2000 heads of lettuce each day, year round. They are currently focused on growing curly lettuce as it is so easily damaged in transport. Growing it locally mean less transportation, which means less waste. As a bonus, curly lettuce is delicious and makes for beautifully instagrammable salads. Looks pretty good on a bacon double cheeseburger too. Can other vegetables be grown this way? Some, but not most. The conditions lettuce needs to grow well makes it uniquely suited for this type of farming, so while we likely won’t be seeing carrots or potatoes grown on hydroponic structures, it’s initiatives like Aquaverti that drive the innovation, creativity and passion we need to take our planet in a new, sustainable direction. Want to know more about Aquaverti Farms? Check out their website or follow them on Facebook.
/by