Taste Real providing passports to local food

WELLINGTON COUNTY - Though pandemic restrictions are easing, many will still be spending summertime exploring their own backyards.

Taste Real, an official County of Wellington group connecting residents to local food, is providing a fun way of doing just that though its “Farmers’ Market Trail Passport” marketing initiative.

At each farmers’ market visited, stickers can be collected; once you have three stickers, fill out the “Tour and Win” page and fire off a photo of the stickers and page by October 11 to ecdev@wellington.ca for a chance to win one of seven market prizes.

Sharing photos from market visits on social media with the hashtag #tasterealmarkets can also earn you a prize.

The “passports” are available at any of the markets or from the Taste Real office (74 Woolwich St, Guelph).

All eight farmers’ markets across the county are running this season. On Saturdays, you can check out vendors in Aberfoyle, Elora, Guelph, Minto (in Palmerston) and Wellington North (in Mount Forest). For a mid-week top-up there’s the market in Rockwood on Wednesdays, along with Mapleton’s market (in Drayton on the third Wednesday each month) and if you simply can’t wait until the weekend, the market in Erin has Fridays covered.

Chair of the county’s economic development committee George Bridge said in a press release, “Each market showcases the unique tastes and flavours of our communities and offers visitors a gateway to explore our beautiful towns and rural destinations.”

On social media, Canadian Senator Rob Black said the passports are a “wonderful initiative” and he's looking forward to “travelling the market trail and trying all the delicious products and produce along the way.”

For more visit: tastereal.ca.