Downtown on the farm with Mayor Deb (15 photos)

Sault Ste. Marie Mayor Debbie Amaroso loves her veggies!

The Mayor cut the ribbon and blew the candles on a birthday cake at the Algoma’s Farmers Market Wednesday afternoon, as part of Sault Ste. Marie’s ongoing Celebrate 100! Ceremonies, adjacent to the Roberta Pavilion.

Mayor Amaroso told Soo Today “I appreciate everything they do, I came out here in celebration of them.”

“This is a great venue.”

“What’s better than fresh fruit and vegetables, there’s nothing better than that.”

Mayor Amaroso said, in praise of those who grow and sell their own produce in our area, “it’s a hard, hard life, and my hat is off to everyone who does this, we have to support them, and give them opportunity to expand.”

The Algoma Farmers' Market shows off its healthy produce just north of the Bondar Pavilion Saturday 8am-12pm and Wednesday 2pm-6pm

Amaroso told Soo Today the concept of a permanent farmers market for Sault Ste. Marie is still definitely on the radar.

“The concept is incorporated into the Gateway Site, but it is sitting on the back burner right now, because we have new players on the table right now, with the OLG modernization, with the new owners of St. Mary’s Paper, we want to see their vision…do they want to partner with us on that property?”

“Once we have had discussions on that opportunity, this will certainly be a great venue for Sault Ste. Marie.”

And, by the way, Mayor Amaroso said “eat your veggies, they’ll make you strong!”

“I love squash, zucchini and snow peas.”

Vendor Shawn Spurway from the Thessalon area, one of the vendors at today’s event, told Soo Today “I find there is definitely a trend toward eating locally and organic.”

Helped out at the Farmers Market by his enthusiastic, energetic 7-year-old son Luke, Shawn exclaimed “I love it!”

Meat farmer Jack Tindall, whose home base is near Desbarats, told Soo Today “I used to sell cattle commercially, but I got off that bus, and everything we feed now is fed naturally.”

“In 24 months, I have a 750 pound carcass, and the extra age gives you more flavour in the meat, and business is booming!”

“I originally forecast a 30 percent growth in business, but we have a 70 to 80 percent growth, so things are really going well here at here at the Farmers Market here in Sault Ste. Marie!”

“Its basic food, like what the farmer would eat, and that’s what we’re selling.”

“Natural.”

For those of us “sweet tooths” who may have felt guilty browsing through the various green vegetables at the booths at the Farmers Market, take heart,

Sault native Jennifer Wilding was showing off her Chocolate Zucchini Cake, among other delicacies.

Chocolate Zucchini Cake?

Really?

“My mom has used zucchini all the time in all her cakes.”

“You hide the veggies in it, its hidden by all the chocolate, like a brownie, and the zucchini she uses is straight from the garden, we always try to make something new, you wouldn’t know the difference, we’ve always had a vegetable garden and we’ve always tried to combine that with things like chocolate.”

“It’s pretty much guilt free!”

View Photo Gallery for this Story

Tweet