 There’s a common assumption that buying local means spending more. Walk through a farmers’ market and it can be easy to look at a basket of produce, a dozen eggs, or a loaf of bread and wonder if your grocery budget would go further at the supermarket. When we actually look at where local food is cheapest, and what we’re getting for the price, the answer is more complicated.
The truth is, local food isn’t automatically more expensive. In some cases, it can actually save you money. In season produce at farmers markets, can be priced at or below supermarket equivalents (Grocery Saver, 2026). Think strawberries in June, corn in August, and apples in September when local growers have plenty of something available, prices can become much more competitive. And that’s the good news, because supporting local doesn't have to mean choosing between your community and your grocery budget.
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 There’s a reason people don’t just shop at the farmers’ market, they come back week after week.
Sure there are fresh vegetables, baked goods, flowers, local meat and dairy, and all the things that make a Saturday morning market trip worthwhile. For many market regulars, the experience goes beyond what ends up in their shopping bags. The market has become a place to see familiar faces, catch up with neighbours, and feel connected to the community.  Fall weather means cooler mornings, crop harvests, and the return of Daisy The Sheep Hats at the Horton Farmers' Market! Owned and operated by Carmen, Daisy The Sheep Hats offers a range of unique, hand knitted hats, headbands, and seasonal accessories in a variety of sizes and colours for everyone to enjoy.
 Have you ever walked past a vegetable simply because it looked a little… different?
Maybe it was a carrot with two legs, a lumpy potato, a strawberry with three heads, or a strange-looking bulb called kohlrabi. It’s easy to overlook produce that doesn’t fit our idea of what a vegetable “should” look like. After all, many of us have grown up seeing rows of nearly identical fruits and vegetables lining grocery store shelves. A trip to the Horton Farmers’ Market is a reminder that nature doesn’t grow in straight lines.  There is something different about shopping at a farmers’ market. You can rush through a grocery store, grab what you need and be home before you have really thought about what you bought. At the market, there is a little more room to slow down. You might stop to chat with a vendor, sample something you have never tried before, notice what is in season or make an unexpected discovery along the way.
That is part of what makes market shopping special. It is not just a way to buy food. It can become a ritual. A trip to the farmers’ market does not have to be something you squeeze into your weekend between everything else on your to-do list. Instead, it can become something you look forward to.  It's on brand for us to love celebrating local food and the people who make it, so we're extra excited that Bridges is just around the corner! This annual evening shines a spotlight on the incredible small businesses of St. Thomas and Elgin County, and this year it's bringing together music, community, and of course, a whole lot of flavour.
 When you hand a vendor a $20 bill at the Horton Farmers’ Market, it can be easy to think of the transaction as simply a purchase. You get something fresh, local, and delicious, and the vendor gets to make a sale - but that $20 does more than buy a basket of tomatoes, a loaf of bread, and some sweet treats for the weekend. It becomes part of a much bigger local food economy - one that connects farmers, food producers, small businesses, and the community around them.
One of the biggest differences between shopping at the farmers’ market and shopping through a traditional retail chain is the direct connection between the person buying the food and the person who grew or made it. There is often no large chain of middlemen between the producer and the customer. Selling directly allows farmers to keep more of the revenue from each sale, while also giving them immediate payment and a chance to learn directly from their customers (Ontario Federation of Agriculture, 2025).  There’s something extra special about pulling a warm, homemade treat out of the oven - especially when you're the one who made it. For Emelya Dore of The Golden Pantry, that feeling inspired a business built around making gluten friendly baking a little easier, more accessible, and (of course) delicious. Established during the summer of 2025, The Golden Pantry brings gluten friendly, ready-made baking mixes to the Horton Farmers' Market and other local St. Thomas, Elgin County, and surrounding area markets.
 For Rachell Samaroo Henry, a love of ice cream has always been about more than simply enjoying a sweet treat. It is about flavour, quality, memories, and most importantly, bringing people together. That passion is at the heart of Samaroo Sweets, a local business established in May 2025 that specializes in handcrafted ice cream and desserts, with a particular focus on ice cream cookie sandwiches.
Rachell’s approach to dessert is rooted in the belief that everyone deserves a sweet treat without having to sacrifice flavour or quality. As someone who grew up loving ice cream and desserts, she wanted to create treats that felt just as indulgent while taking a more natural approach to sweetness. Rachell explained, “Growing up I always loved ice cream and all desserts, but as I got older, my favorite treats began to not align with my health goals.” Today, Samaroo Sweets uses ingredients sourced from local and surrounding businesses whenever possible, including milk from Walkers Dairy Inc. and fruit from nearby farms. Honey and maple syrup sourced from farms in and around the St. Thomas area is also used as natural sweeteners in many of her ice cream recipes.  There is something special about becoming a regular at the farmers’ market. At first, you might come for fresh produce, a favourite baked good, or simply because you have a Saturday morning free. After a number of visits, the market can become something more. A place where you know the faces, recognize the routines, and look forward to seeing what each week brings.
For one Horton Farmers’ Market regular, that sense of community is what keeps her coming back. She has been visiting Horton for 10 years, and her favourite part is seeing what changes from week to week. After a decade of Saturday mornings, she looks forward to seeing the people she has come to know along the way. |
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10 Manitoba Street, 1/2 block North of Talbot Street St. Thomas, Ontario © Horton Farmers' Market 2025
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