Home-grown apricots
Last Friday my sister dropped by the Borden Farmers’ Market on her way back from North Battleford to Saskatoon. The most exciting discovery at this excellent weekly market was the locally-grown apricots for sale. Grown just over the south side of the Borden Bridge, these baby-sized apricots have amazing flavour and the most incredible aroma (I would actually describe it as perfume). My four-year-old declared, wide-eyed, after his fourth or fifth, “I have NEVER eaten anything like this in my entire life!” Me neither–but you can bet I’ll do whatever it takes to track some more down soon. The thought of jam made with these little guys almost sends me into a Homer Simpson-style drooling trance.
Borden Farmer’s Market
- Fridays 1-7pm (May to October)
- Borden Fire Hall
- Borden, SK (40 minutes north of Saskatoon on Highway 16)
August 20th, 2008 at 8:06 pm
oh, those little paws holding the bowl of apricots. Those sound delicious! I have apricot envy.
August 21st, 2008 at 1:04 pm
I highly recommend the Borden market. I was on my way back to the city from North Battleford for a work trip, so decided to do some community outreach and be a hero by bringing some baking back to the office.
I also got tri-colour beans (which I’ve just been eating raw as a snack) and some spinach (mine having turned up its toes a couple weeks ago). There were also local apples, lots of other veggies you’d expect, eggs ($1.75/dozen), and lots of baking. I chose a wonderfully cinnamony apple bundt cake and was truly a hero upon my return - it was huge and delicious and was only $6!
So there are nice options for city dwelling market visitors if you’re out for work like I was or on your way to the lake. I saw that there was a market in Radisson on that Friday, too. They’re also on the east side of highway #16. Keep a sharp eye out (especially if you’re heading south), the signs aren’t as prominent as in Borden.
August 25th, 2008 at 3:05 pm
You’re right that it’s a great option for picking up stuff on the way to the lake; the selection at the ‘resort’ convenience stores are often rather sadly limited to mass-produced, pre-packaged food, with very little decent produce. Yet another example of the rural ‘food desert’ problem that we need to deal with in this province. Thanks for the great tip!