Dartmouth Farmers’ Market

For those who live in Dartmouth, this is a small, but convenient, farmer’s market with a long history. Good for the basics. More chance of bumping into a neighbour. You can get coffee and breakfast (nothing fancy). We bring our egg cartons and plant pots to give to the Mennonites, who re-​use them. In the spring, you can buy transplants for the garden. Free parking.

Located inside Alderney Landing the darthmouth market is a little gem smaller then the halifax market which I don’t mind all fresh products and it’s nice to be able to talk to the vendors I will definitely be back

I enjoy the Dartmouth Market. It’s smaller than the Seaport Market, but I’ve found that gives me a better opportunity to talk to the vendors.
Noggins lets me get my apple fix easily anytime.
Port City Coffee is fantastic! They know their stuff when you talk to them and sustainability is obviously an important consideration in their buying/​roasting choices. I’m down with that.
Soap in your Mouth has some of the best soaps I’ve ever tried and are also committed to local sources and support Hope For Wildlife with an item purchase. They harvest their own seaweed and use a local provider for their tallow — Badass! The mother/​daughter team is always enthusiastic and coming up with new things.
Karyn’s Cookies is so unique. Her flavours are inspired by personal experiences and unique to the market feel. I love that she has a monthly charity that she supports with her sales. She has a heart of gold that is evident in her approach and style.
Faye’s Sweets and Treats makes the best cakes I have ever had. I am drooling slightly thinking about her almond cake which is like fluffy marzipan, and my obsession with marzipan borders on insanity. Talking with her and her husband Ray is always a pleasure and it’s no surprise she often sells out early leaving some of us with a small tear in our eye because we missed out.
Definitely seek out Hardy Wares! They make an amazing Apple Pie jam, and are excited to tell you about their process or ingredients.
Mmmmm, Miller’s Kettle Corn. E cannot pass by without buying a bag, and I’ve seen him go take out extra money at the machine just to buy a bag.
My only real issue with this market is the setup, particularly in the winter when no one can setup outside. It can get extremely crowded and people get pushy! Not cool.

it wasn’t that long ago that the Alderney Market consisted of a few tables of produce, a couple storefronts and maybe a crafter or two. A lot has changed in a short time. It’s pretty awesome now!
Holy produce, Batman. It’s a fresh veggie lover’s dream. Baked goods everywhere. So much variety. It’s a smaller venue than Seaport so it can get crowded quickly, but it’s definitely worth elbowing through the throngs. Even Sweet William’s has a small display case there.
Parking is easier to find than in downtown Halifax, although you may have to troll the parking lot if you don’t wish to find something on a side street. (We trolled.) Better yet, if you’re coming from Halifax, take the ferry. It’s definitely worth the trip!

Always like this place, but I get a litte wiggy with crowds. Appparently, no one told the vendors that the cupcake /​sweet craze is a niche market, as there are more vendors here selling their sugar laden wares than amish vegetable vendors. Among the highlights were five or six random people doing draws for church restorations, bust a move, and my favourite, MAJORETTES! Im all for fundraising, but just for the sake of filling tables makes my newfound social anxiety all the worse. There is a nice man who ties salmon and trout flies there, I like him. You can find a pakastani couple who make the best onion bhajis, but I did have ones of their potato concotions and I didnt really like it. Always a fun spot with great music. However, very difficult to manuever around with kids. They really pack them in here, so be aware. Parking is really challenging, but I suspect that is due to the haunted house which is in the alderney parking lot. Bonus– you may get to see local celebs such as Cyndi Day and her majesty Gloria McCluskey.

Edit: Also check out All Good Things, she sells vegan cookies. And there are a couple vendors with vegan soaps and lotions– The Laughing Pear has all plant based products except their Milk and Honey soap.
A business I was just informed to have vegan products is Dad’s Perogies– has a variety of vegan perogi, cabbage rolls and also soups.
It’s an okay market, wish there were more specialty vegan products offered. Lots of fresh produce and bread though.
Also «In the Raw» makes fresh almond milk which is delicious.
And they always have live entertainment.

One of the best things about living in Downtown Dartmouth is the Alderney Market. We can complain that we don’t have a permanent grocer, but there are now permanent stores in the market that offer fresh produce, meats and fish on a daily basis. Don’t forget that wineries often set up a table, so you can pick up a bottle of Nova Scotia’s finest, or pop right into the NSLC to complement your market-​bought meal.
On Saturday? Get yourself up, stumble down to the market with your cloth bags, and recover with a coffee and a selection of sweet or savory breakfast pastries, or even a cooked breakfast — Canadian style or International — curry, hummous, samosas… Sit down and enjoy your food while taking in live music, or stroll around with your bounty so you don’t miss anything else at the vendor tables; jewellery, preserves, cakes, organics, dips, artisan breads, free-​range eggs, gluten-​free goodies… there is always something new, especially seasonally. However, you can do your weekly good shopping here easily. Fresh produce that doesn’t wilt in your fridge by the next day. The market has announced it’s expansion and now that Holidays are upon us, it’s always more exciting with Christmas craft and gift ideas.
This is truly 100-​mile shopping, and enjoying the process, as opposed to slogging up and down a giant store aisle. Love it!

I needed some fresh produce for my salsa making so we decided to make a trek over to the Seaport Farmers market. As we were heading for the bridge we passed Alderney Landing and decided to turn back and give the Dartmouth Farmer’s Market a try.
We were pleasantly surprised to find everything we needed and more. Lots of tables with fresh produce available, especially this time of year. There is pretty much everything here you can find across the bridge, just not as many vendors. I mean really, it’s got Riverview Herbs, Noggins as well as a few other farms, Meadowbrook Meats, Evans Fish shop, Fox Hill Cheese (and even their delicious gelato!), every kind of pickle, relish, jelly & jam you could want or didn’t even know existed, sweet and savoury treats, and crafts of all kinds. There was live music on this day and a few food vendors that will take care of your hunger pangs.
We did have to make a few circuits around the parking but it’s less of a headache then the parking at the Seaport Market. So we got what we needed, saved ourselves the bridge tolls and it was far less crowded and stressful. I’d say we have a winner, yeah, I’m a fan.

Despite the fact that I live only a few blocks away, I often neglect the Dartmouth Farmer’s Market. Well, lesson learned! My last few visits have reminded me of why this place has such staying power.
Size: small. This is a small farmer’s market. I didn’t count booths but I’d say somewhere between 20 and 30 (more in the summer).
Selection: good and varied. Again, selection is somewhat dependent on the season but you can look forward to pretty much everything you’d find on the other side of the harbour but in smaller doses. Lots of fruits and vegetables, baked goods, pastries, homemade jams and preserves. And crafts — lots of crafts; including knitted things, wood carvings, art, etc.
Prices: very good!
Location: great! There is lots of parking at Alderney Landing, including indoor parking. There is also lots of parking on side streets above Alderney. Alderney is also a hub for transit: both the bus and ferry have stops here. Biking? There are bike racks aplenty.
Crowds: amazing. This, for me, is a key element. I am not a huge fan of crowded spaces. Which is why I’m glad the Dartmouth Farmers’ Market is manageable.
If you’re looking for a quick farmers’ market fix and don’t want to deal with the hassle of parking at Seaport, swing by Dartmouth.

As a proud Dartmouth lady, I love me some D-​town farmer’s market. But it’s not just civic pride that makes this market, that’s for sure, and every year it’s getting better.
A couple of the highlights:
1. German bakery guy! Boyfriend and I used to drive to Wolfville just to visit German bakery and now they’re here! Their turnovers are UNBELIEVABLE. So flaky, so much filling, so worth the mountain of calories you’re ingesting. And they have neat flavours, like gooseberry and plum, along with the more traditional apples and cherries. Such a huge bonus for this market.
2. Noggins farm. A staple at the Halifax market, Noggins has a huge stall over on the Dark Side as well. Great produce, friendly service. J’aime. They usually have late season berries as well, which is lovely. And excellent basil from Taproot Farms as well.
3. New fish stand! I have yet to try their fishcakes (next week), but the new fish joint in Alderney is probably my new mecca. For a mostly meatless household, access to fresh and frozen local fish options is huge. Great great great addition.
4. Pakoras and samosas! There’s a stall run by lovely Indian couple, and their samosas are massive. Like, size of face massive, and are quite delicious. They’ve also got pakoras, butter chicken, rice, and lots of other options for those craving a little Indian takeaway on a Saturday morning. YUMMY.
For the convenience alone I love this market, and I love how it’s growing and improving. Encourage everyone to come check it out, just for a change of pace from the bustle of Halifax. Oh and in August, free pancake breakfast. Need I say more?

Dartmouth Farmers Market is a smaller scale of Halifax’. You will find the friendly people selling their goods, everything from homemade jams, jellies and wonderful foods.
It is smaller than the other side, but it is a nice market.

Compared to the Halifax Farmers Market, this one is very quiet with much fewer vendors. That said, it’s a pleasure to be able to move about and talk to the people selling their wares.
You’ll find lots of home made goodies from breads, cakes, pies and cookies to jams, jellies. I even got to much on some very tasty Indian food, which was supposed to make it home for lunch, but smelled so good, I ended up eating it all before I even got on the ferry back to Halifax.

This morning a few girlfriends and myself took a little jaunt over to the Dartmouth Farmers’ Market to see what marketing is like on the dark side. I speak somewhat in jest, but honestly, for all the cute little stalls and funky shops to check out in the area, I’m amazed that more Haligonians don’t venture across the pond.
The unseasonably nice weather we’ve been having certainly made for a fun ferry ride, and once we arrived, the farmer’s market is right in the ferry terminal. Not nearly the size of the brewery market, but lots of hand knit goods like toques and monster like teddy’s (playing off of the ‘Wild Things’ release it would seem) as well as fresh produce, jewelry, baked goods, seafood, and hand carved sculptures.
I highly recommend you check out the ‘Dartmouth Farmers’ Market.’ I was impressed to see many of the older European stall proprietors haggling fiercely for the price of toques and other trinkets. Far less crowded than the Halifax market as well, so go check it out!