Ville’s ECO Market Web Store is Up, In-Person Market to come
FREDERICTON— The Ville’s efforts in community gardening continue to grow through the development of their ECO Market.
The Ville’s ECO Market Web Store offers plants like Dwarf Siberian Kale, Brussels Sprouts, and Broccoli starting at $1 a seedling. Customers pay online and pick up their order at the Ville between 11 am and 2 pm Friday.
The ‘ECO’ in ECO Market stands for Environmentally Conscious Options. Its coordinators this summer are Aaron Peters, who has been involved with the Ville since 2018, and Keisha Njeru, a third-year engineering student at UNB.
“We try to provide local craft vendors and food producers with a consignment model,” said Peters.
The ECO Market works like a retail store where vendors provide products for the Ville to sell. The Ville produces and sells its own food through the ECO Market as well. There are also designated plant beds where those in the community can come and pick free food.
This year, the agriculture team did a lot of planning in advance. On the inside of the Ville’s repurposed schoolhouse, there is a hydroponic gardening system, and outside there is a passive solar greenhouse.
“Both of those facilities are used to grow veggies and fruits and all that fun stuff,” said Peters.
The agriculture team is made up of three employees, but they add on volunteers throughout the summer.
“As part of the ECO Market program we like to pitch in and take care of the produce as well,” said Peters.
Njeru said Frederictonians can look forward to more vendors, crafts, and goods than last summer.
“We definitely have more produce than last year because we got some extra land,” said Njeru. “So right now we are just fertilizing the land by digging trenches and very soon planting the seeds and getting produce.”
An in-person market will start the week of June 15th. Vendors will sell local produce and more on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Fridays from 12 pm to 4 pm and on Thursdays from 12 pm to 6 pm.
“We go for New Brunswick-made honeys and syrups and food preserves,” said Peters. “Then there is a craft component as well.”
The Ville is in the process of recruiting other artists to join the market now. They also hope to bring in local food trucks.
“Just to keep that community feel to people out there shopping in our market,” said Njeru.
The Ville will also be holding an in-person plant sale on June 5.
Rachel Smith is a summer intern for Huddle. Send her story suggestions: [email protected].