Guide to Ottawa's best farmers markets

Here's the best spots throughout the city

Author

Ralf Joneikies
June 22, 2023

Supporting local farmers is in all our interests. We eat better, we become less reliant on supermarket chains and we forge new relationships with people who are like minded.

Over the next few weeks I’ll be highlighting some of the farmers’ markets in our neighbourhoods.

To start, let’s take a trip to the four markets make up the Ottawa Farmers’ Market brand:

This is perhaps the best known and most visited with more than 75 vendors selling fabulous goods. The market is held on Sundays from 9 am to 3 pm and runs from May 7 to Oct. 29.

Personal favourites from this market include:

  • Terraform Farm for their incredible pasture raised pork and grass fed lamb as well as their regenerative farming practices. Milkhouse Farm and Dairy is a husband and wife run creamery, crafting delicious and healthy raw milk sheep's cheese. They also offer body care and wool products for sale.

This on is held at Byron Linear Park on Saturdays from 9 am to 3 pm and runs from May 20 to Oct. 28.

  • Here you’ll find Bearbrook Game Meats one of my favourite producers of cured German style charcuterie and sausages. Visit their website for recipes and a selection of game meats such as wild boar, elk and venison.

This market in the east end takes place on Thursdays from 11 am to 4 pm in the parking lot of the Ray Friel Recreation Complex. It runs from May 25 to Oct. 26.

  • You’ll find Pure Bread at this market. They produce my favourite sourdough breads in Ottawa and that includes their incredible baguettes which, unsurprisingly, sell out quickly.

It’s a smaller market but here you’ll find fine traditional British fare courtesy of The Great British Pasty and Pie Co. Everything here is made from scratch and they do a great job of all their savouries. A lovely trip down memory lane of my time in northern England.

This market has been a part of the Ottawa landscape since 1989 and is open year round on Saturdays from 10 am-2 pm at the Riverside United Church, just south of Mooney’s Bay. It features farmers from both Ontario and Quebec such as Aman Farms and Ferme Celine Tremblay that produces not only a variety of meats and eggs but both foraged and cultivated mushrooms.

This is the umbrella organization for the following markets:

  • Beechwood Market: Held every Saturday in Stanley Park from 9 am-1 pm until Oct. 7. Vendors include: Bicycle Craft Brewery, Baccanalle Caribbean Foods, Cloudforest Coffee.

  • Altavista Market: Held on Saturdays at St. Thomas Church, 2345 Alta Vista Dr., from 9 am-1 pm. In addition to food and drink, live music will be on hand and beginning July 1, early morning yoga from 8:15-9 am.

  • Elgin St. Market - Opening day is July 9. This market operates on Sundays from 9 am-1pm at Boushey Sq., 211-A Waverley St.

Ottawa Street Markets also offers an online market with various pick-up locations or delivery for a fee. They have a farm store located in Manor Park at 1805 Gaspé Ave. featuring natural body care products, prepared meals and baked goods.

This market began life in 2006 and now has both indoor and outdoor venues. It operates on Saturdays from 9 am-1pm at the R.J Kennedy Community Centre at 1115 Dunning Rd.

It’s a lovely market with baked goods, fresh fruit and vegetables, body care products and prepared meals.

This one is at the Log Farm, 670 Cedarview Rd. is a charming setting for this market which has been operating since 2016. It runs on Saturdays from 9 am-2 pm until the end of October.

Vendors (among many others) include: