St. Jacobs is
the farmers' market in SW Ontario. If you've never been, it's definitely worth a visit to see what it's all about!
St. Jacobs Is Open All Year
Open all year 'round on Thursdays and Saturdays from 7:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., this is a farmers' market to visit early in the day as the ample free parking tends to get clogged by noon.
The summer market runs on Tuesdays, from mid-June to about September 1, from 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. The market is about 1.5 hours' drive from Toronto.
St. Jacobs Main Building
St. Jacobs Farmers' Market has everything. There are three free-standing buildings to explore, as well as the outdoor vendors.
Seating Outside Peddler's Market Building
St. Jacobs Market and the next door village of St. Jacobs are the hub of Waterloo's Old Order Mennonites who farm the surrounding land.
You will see Mennonite women and young ladies in their traditional clothing (some with modern sneakers on underneath!) selling their produce, baked goods, and meats in the market, as well as other local farmers.
Grab a Free Trade Coffee to Get Going!
Grab a fair-trade organic coffee at Carole's Coffee in the Peddler's Market to get going as there's a lot to see.
Focaccia at St. Jacobs
All the buildings have a variety of market goods mixed in with bakeries, meat vendors, and fast food. Market goods include decorative items for the home, vintage books and records, jewellery, clothing, etc.
Round Fries with Pulled Chicken
Today I tried round fries with pulled chicken. This was amazing, with a very generous serving of chicken for $7.00.
That is a sausage!
I was thrilled to find super fresh ground turkey as this is a current favourite.
I also found a unique beet bread (quite pink/red in colour!), along with artisan breads, and endless home baked sweets like cinnamon buns, and butter tarts that seem to be very popular.
Swan Pastries
The Peddler's Market has an interesting Egyptian style home decor shop where I found this amazing King Tut reproduction chair.
Reproduction Chair Fit for a King
Outdoors we also find an awesome array of southern Ontario's bountiful produce.
Love the Deep Purples of Autumn
Great for decorating a kitchen centrepiece or for popping into the oven are a variety of squashes.
Gourds at St. Jacobs
There are great flower sellers if you're looking for late season colour decor.
A flower shop at St. Jacobs
St. Jacobs offers horse-drawn tours of Mennonite farms in the area. They run $18.00 per adult, less for Seniors and children. These tours run an hour and fifteen minutes and bring you right to the homes of Mennonite farmers so you get an inside look and meet the family.
Handsome Horses to Guide Your Tour
Visit the
Horse Drawn Tours website to check the schedule for tours which run from April 16 to October 31 annually.
I love all the unique crafts people that come out to sell their creations. Here's a great sample of stone and metal sculpture decor.
Unique Artisan Crafts
Buskers are welcome.
Entrepreneurial Musical Student
For more information, visit
St. Jacobs website. Better yet, organize your next visit to the amazing St. Jacobs Farmers' Market!
