By Kellah Lavoie

Farmers’ market serves up fresh and local products

May 24, 2011 | 6:19 AM

Fresh and local food is now downtown, two days a week.

The Prince Albert Farmers’ Market opened for their first day of the season on Saturday.

“So far, there’s more vendors than we thought and the customers have been quite well,” said Shauna St. Amand, farmers’ market president.

While there were only a handful of vendors in attendance on the weekend, there are 42 signed up.

“Some will come regularly, some will come only Wednesdays, some will only come Saturdays – so it should be a pretty filled market,” she said.

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There are about 10 new vendors who signed up. They are mostly bakers and crafts people.

In the coming weeks more and more booths are expected to be popping up as vegetables start growing.

“Most of my vendors that I have talked to, their gardens are in. They are starting to come very well –compared to last year it was a late start, we are hoping this year will be an earlier start,” she said, explaining in about three weeks there should be lettuce and spinach and at the end of June potatoes and carrots should start showing up.

In the meantime there is an abundance of locally raised meat, baking, canning and greenhouse produce.

For vendors it’s not all about the sale.

Sheila Boettcher has been a part of the farmers’ market for the past eight years.

The honey producer from north of Prince Albert said the outlet is great, but it’s not the main reason she enjoys it.

“Since I retired I don’t see people as I used to when I worked, so it’s kind of pleasant to see them all again,” she said, adding it’s a community atmosphere among the vendors.

The farmers’ market is open from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Wednesdays and Saturdays. On Saturday they can be found in the City Hall parking lot, while on Wednesdays they are in Memorial Square. The first week of July their Wednesday location will change to Central Avenue.

klavoie@panow.com