​As the summer winds down and we start to stock up on school supplies, the question for market goers now turns to what to pack in school lunchboxes. Instead of always feeling like you need to default to pre-packaged granola bars and fruit snacks, why not build your snack stash around the fresh local finds of the market?

The Horton Farmers' Market was founded in 1878, named after former mayor Ed Horton, who generously donated the land for its site - positioned strategically near Talbot Street and the CASO railway station, cementing its role as a regional hub for fresh and local goods. Even before its formal establishment, St. Thomas served as a natural gathering point for farmers by the 1830s, thanks to its location at key road and rail intersections.

Historically, farmers' markets were essential community hubs for buying, selling, and trading goods, where country farmers would bring their goods into populated urban areas for city customers to come and buy. Preceding modern-day grocery stores and markets, farmers' markets were often the only places where people could go to purchase livestock, produce, and goods of different varieties in one location. If you have ever attended a local Renaissance fair, you may have seen displays showing how different bartering and buying of livestock, produce, and goods were done. 

For many market goers, Abby Mae's Gluten Free Bakery is a weekly staple. From fresh baked goods like decadent brownies, breads, cookies, squares, cupcakes, and bars, to scones, waffles, granola, and much more (all gluten-free, but you wouldn't know it by the delicious taste). Each week, their stand at Horton is filled with fresh, made-from-scratch goods, but make sure you get to the market early to get a pick of the whole assortment; their products go quick - a further testament to their quality and taste. 

As August winds down and September peeks around the corner, the farmers’ market is at its most abundant. Baskets brim with tomatoes, berries, peppers, and herbs, while sunflowers and dahlias stretch toward the sun. It’s a time of gathering, celebrating, and savoring the last golden bites of summer.

​So why not let the market inspire not just what you eat—but how you gather? Whether you’re hosting a backyard dinner, a sunset picnic, or a weekend brunch, here’s how to set a beautiful, seasonal table that captures the spirit of late summer.

It's long been said that where cooking is an art, baking is a science. Requiring precise measurements, watchful eyes, and exact temperatures and times, good baking needs love, attention to detail, practice, care, and time; all things that Jessica, owner of Cheffy's Culinary Creations, finds joy in. Any given Saturday at Horton you can find Jessica happily chatting away with customers, surrounded by her impressive array of pies, breads, cake pops, cookies, and other baked delights.