Fredericton Farmer's Market

The Fredericton Farmers’ Market is a big social event every Saturday. It gets quite crowded with people stopping to chat, catch up with each other and admire the produce.

The most popular stall is always Patel’s Samosas. Their samosas are warm and crispy with ample filling. None of those wimpy pastry-heavy samosas with nothing in the middle.

The samosas bring thousands of people every weekend. It got to be so busy the lineups were blocking the other businesses. The market ended up moving Patel’s, along with Samosa Delight, to its own area where the lineups snake outside into the parking lot. It’s orderly samosa mania.

Samosas, FrederictonI’m a sausage on a bun girl myself but the samosas are definitely tasty.

Patel’s has a great selection displayed in glass bowls with handwritten signs like “extra hot veg” or “regular chicken.”

Outside, Kurt’s Sausage grills you up schnitzel or bison sausage on a bun. Other stalls have pretty wildflowers for $5 a bunch and bat houses for $55. Bats eat mosquitoes. I didn’t know that.

You can also browse meat counters, baked goods, fresh veggies, framed local photos and handmade crafts.

W.W. Boyce Farmers’ Market, 665 George St., (at the corner of Regent and George Streets), Fredericton, New Brunswick. Open year-round Saturdays, 6 am to 1 pm.

FEB 2007 UPDATE: Boy would I love to be eavesdropping around the market these days. The great samosa controversy has erupted. Market management kicked Patel’s and Samosa Delight out of the main building because their lineups were still too “disruptive” to the other vendors.

They were told to move their stalls to the outdoor food court outright, which would involve the samosa people buying new equipment. They’ve been on vacation and have not sold any samosas since the controvery erupted.

Finally near the end of February, a compromise of sorts. The market will build a temporary structure to keep the samosa stands under cover until the existing market is renovated.

And who said Fredericton was boring?