Shopping at Old Country Market in Coombs

Last week my friend Colleen and I went to Old Country Market in Coombs. Coombs is about an hour's drive north of where I live. It's a popular tourist destination. I've written about the market before but this time I wanted to share its atmosphere at the height of the busy season

The Old Country Market has changed a lot over the years.  Originally its focus was primarily on fresh produce, then for quite a while it was the place to go for quirky and/or unusual, gifts and home decor.  Now, in addition to those things, they have a huge selection of international foods, an excellent deli, and a bakery.  Here on the island, OCM is the go-to place for ingredients not found elsewhere.  I know that the internet has opened international shopping to all of us but I still prefer to make the drive and support our island's local economy.

One of the market's big draws is the goats that graze on its grass roof.  Unfortunately when we were there the goats were all in their house or sleeping under the trees behind the market, hiding from the mid-day sun.  I suspect they're more sensible than we are!  Since goat viewing was not on the agenda, we followed the crowds into the store.

I came home with a pretty eclectic variety of items:  Saskatoon berry jam made here in Canada, pastas from Italy, za'atar, sriracha salt, hot German mustard, Lyle's Golden Syrup from England, tiny anniseed candies from Greece, Canadian-made Indian seasoning blends, some printed paper napkins, and - of course- a couple of "goats on the roof" souvenirs. Mostly, though, I just took it all in.  Visiting the market in the summertime is rather like attending a fair or a carnival:  some of the best entertainment is to be found in people watching.  It's endlessly entertaining even if you don't buy a single thing.

Rather than go on at length about our trip through the market, I've shared some pictures below, taken as we wandered around the store.  You can view them as a slide show by clicking on the first one and then scrolling through,  Enjoy.