Farmers' markets across Durham Region have opened for the season, and for the vendors who set up their stalls each week, the markets are far more than a place to sell goods — they are the backbone of family businesses and a linchpin of the local farm economy.

According to The Chronicle, which profiled vendors at the north Oshawa market at Delpark Homes Centre, the market has drawn farmers and makers since it opened in 2010.

A family affair

Among the regulars is Wanda Geissberger of Geissberger Farmhouse Cider, a multi-generation operation run by her husband Gord Geissberger and his brother Garry. The farm has been in business for 50 years, located five minutes from the north Oshawa market.

"We're really like a family here," she told The Chronicle, while arranging bottles of sparkling cider on her table. "Our regulars come almost every Saturday. They know who made it and how it was made."

Geissberger said a regular customer once told her, "'You won't find this at the grocery store.' 'I can't find your cider anywhere else.' It's really a good feeling. It's really humbling."

Livelihoods built on market days

A few booths away, beekeeper Victoria Shaw of Victoria Grace & Honey Co. in Blackstock was setting out jars of golden honey. Her interest in bees began years ago watching bumblebees gather around a trumpet vine outside her home, and grew into a decade-long passion and a business that depends on market days.

"I make a good income from the farmers' market," she said. "If I wasn't here, it would be a loss."

"Some days run smooth, some days get hectic," Shaw added. "But a successful day? Very busy."

For Erik Snowden of Snowden Farms in Enniskillen, the market is central to selling the beef and chicken he raises with his father. The farm has been part of Durham's farming landscape for nearly two decades.

"Our bulk of our business is these markets because we don't have a storefront," he told The Chronicle.

Snowden said shoppers follow the seasons — asparagus early in the year, cherries by midsummer and corn in the fall.

"People come out for whatever's in season," he said. "That's what brings them to the market."

Markets matter to the local economy

Despite challenges such as weather and fluctuating crowds, all three vendors described the market as a place where community and economy meet.

Durham Region's agricultural strategy emphasizes that farmers' markets are essential to the future of local food, supporting sustainability, reducing environmental impact by shortening supply chains and helping preserve farmland by making small-scale agriculture economically viable.

Farmers' Markets Ontario notes that every dollar spent at a market can generate up to three dollars in local economic activity. Over the past ten years, farmers' market sales across the province have increased by about 10 to 12 per cent annually, reaching roughly $800 million.

"People really enjoy knowing who made their food," Geissberger said. "That's what keeps them coming back."