St. Jacob’s Farmer’s Market

Huh? Yes, this is the Roatan Vortex website, the place where I share stories about life on a tropical island, nestled in the Caribbean Sea, off the coast of Honduras, Central America. Thing is, I’m not there right now, I’m in Ontario, Canada for a whole bunch of reasons, but I’ll be back to my home on Roatan by the beginning of August.

Five years ago, July 23, 2006, when I still lived in Ontario, Canada; I had planned to go to the St Jacob’s Farmer’s Market… I never did get there that day.

I always loved going to the Market, the fresh local fruits, veggies, meats, cheeses, baked goods and breads, handicrafts, music, and so much more. I was fortunate to grow up in a community surrounded by family farms and craftspeople. The St. Jacob’s Market was only one of many to choose from (when I was a kid), Saturday was Market Day, we’d usually stop at a few: St. Jacob’s for just picked asparagus, sweet corn and peas in the pod, the Kitchener Market for summer sausage, cheese, and crafts, and the Waterloo Market was my favourite for a big box of broken cookies from the Dare Cookie Company; yeah, sure the cookies were a little uneven around the edges, and they didn’t come in a fancy package… but that just meant I got a lot more cookies for the same price as a store pack.

It wasn’t just what foods we would take home with us, it was also the food we ate while there. Lunch choices included Oktoberfest sausage on a bun (with sauerkraut and fried onions), pork schnitzel, perogies with sour cream, cabbage rolls, fresh cut fries from the chuck wagon; yummy! For dessert: fresh fruit pie, a massive fritter smothered in fresh strawberries and whip cream, homemade fudge, candied apples, or my favourite maple candy. St Jacobs Market on Roatan Vortex Facebook Album

I went to the St. Jacob’s Market today, July 23, 2011, and let memories envelop me. I strolled from one booth to the next (as best as I could, the Market was jamb packed with visitors), marvelling at the selection of goods, the variety of choices, the scent of spicy meats melding with the sweet earthy goodness of fresh maple syrup and homemade apple pie. With every step I took, I was transported back to another era… a former chapter so completely different from my life now.

Going to the Farmer’s Markets was a part of me that I thought I had to give up when I moved on to a different country and culture. And while I love my life on Roatan, I used a lot of my energy missing what was familiar and cherished by me. As time progresses forward (as it will do, whether I want it to or not) it may be another five years before I visit the St. Jacob’s Farmer’s Market again, or perhaps fate will decide that I never physically see it again, but that’s okay—I’ve come to an understanding and acceptance that those experiences, those encounters, those moments in my life are not lost to me—they are tucked snugly in a special place in my heart—ready to be recalled whenever I want.