Local Food Stories
As you walk up to the Celista Farmers’ Market, the first thing you notice isn’t just the rows of colorful tents or the aroma of fresh food — it’s the feeling. Kids laughing, neighbors chatting, music drifting gently through the air. This isn’t just a market — it’s a gathering place rooted in community and care.
The market opens to a wide variety of vendors, each bringing their own story and passion.
One of the first stalls that catches your eye belongs to Ikigai Farms, a Certified Organic farm from Chase, BC.
It’s a snapshot that perfectly reflects what farmers’ markets are all about — connection, trust, and shared values around food and sustainability.
Among the shoppers enjoying their stroll through the market, many pause to cool off with a sweet treat from ShuPops, a local frozen popsicle vendor. More than just delicious, ShuPops uses locally sourced ingredients and sustainable packaging — a perfect example of the kind of mindful food choices farmers’ markets make possible.
A little further down the path, the Hunting Season Spice Company draws in home cooks and BBQ lovers alike with bold, locally blended seasonings that spark inspiration for the grill.
Markets like Celista give you something grocery stores can’t: a chance to meet the people who grow, raise, or make your food.
At one stall, MACA Ranch and Shuswap Cider Company chat with customers — sharing not just products, but stories. These conversations turn simple transactions into relationships, ones that support local business and help keep our food systems more resilient.
Eating local also means eating seasonally — and that’s part of the joy.
This week’s vegetables at Ikigai Farms are a testament to what’s thriving right now in the Shuswap: crisp greens, summer squash, and root vegetables.
Eating with the seasons is not just delicious, it’s nourishing for both our bodies and the land.
One of our favorite photos captures a wide-angle view of the market in full swing. Shoppers meander with coffee in hand, chatting with vendors, sampling products, and soaking in the laid-back pace.
It’s a Wednesday rhythm that feels restorative — a midweek pause that reconnects us to the land and to each other.
Before you leave, you pass by Mayfair Farms of Salmon Arm, another vendor proudly representing the agricultural richness of our region.
The whole morning feels like a love letter to local food — and to the people who make it possible.
At a time when it’s easy to feel disconnected from where our food comes from, markets like Celista are more important than ever. They give us a place to reconnect: with our neighbors, with nature, and with the hands that feed us.
Whether you’re grabbing your weekly groceries, discovering a new favorite snack, or simply enjoying the sunshine, farmers’ markets offer more than food — they offer community. And that’s something worth celebrating every season.
Blog Written by William Miller
Photos by Hazel Gamble-fell
