Wellington Community Market

Village market picking up after slow start

Now in its second year of operation, the Wellington Community Market is beginning to hit its stride. This is a true community market, with a variety of vendors, where visitors can come to shop and catch up with their friends and neighbours over a cup of coffee. The market is in a partnership with the Wellington United Church to offer a diverse selection of products, with much of it locally sourced. “Our mandate is a not-for-profit market, with any additional funds at the end of the year to be donated to deserving community organizations, so we can spread the wealth around,” said market organizer Dave Smythe.

There was no shortage of food offerings at the market. There was oven-baked pizza, fries from Jamie Kennedy, lemonade from Dave’s Lemonade, and the Lions Club had their signature peameal bacon on a bun sandwich dubbed “The Wellington”. Made with peameal bacon from Sprigglen Meat Market right there in Wellington and topped with fried onions, it’s a mouthwatering treat that has become instantly popular. Humble Bread was doing brisk business, with much of the inventory being sold within the first 90 minutes of opening. The ladies from Perfectly Preserved, a fundraising spinoff from the Hospital Auxiliary, had a selection of jams, jellies, preserves and homemade mustard. Thanks to a generous donation from Greenridge Asparagus, they also had pickled asparagus for sale this week. The market also hosts a local musician every week. On July1, Smythe anticipates there will be several additional vendors, and the church will be holding its traditional Canada Day Strawberry Social.

It is early in the growing season, but Cortes-McCaw Farms had some fresh crop strawberries that were soon sold out, as well as a selection of jams and local honey. They will be there every week and will soon have raspberries, blueberries and vegetables as they come in season. Manny Cortes is a third-generation farmer and said that he enjoys being at the market. “We just love to provide food and see people’s smiles when they taste it,” he said. “Farming is very hard and when you’re in the field you start to wonder ‘Why am I doing this?’ You’re picking weeds and making sure there’s enough water, but the end result is what makes it worth it.” This is their second year at the market, and Kelli Miller said it is a bit of a homecoming for her. “This is my home town. I grew up here, there’s the school that I went to, and this is the church that I went to. I love being here.”

The Wellington Community Market is open every Saturday morning.