100 mile eating

Shepherd’s Watch – 100 Mile Market in Arthur

By Sam Mooney ⋅ October 22, 2008 ⋅  Email This Post ⋅  Print This Post ⋅ Post a comment

On Saturday we went to Shepherd’s Watch, the  100 Mile Market in Arthur.  I’ve driven past a couple of times but not had time to stop so this time we made a special trip.  100 Mile Markets are a new phenomenon and as far as I know there are three in this part of Ontario – Shepherd’s Watch, The 100 Mile Market in Meaford, and one in Creemore.  I haven’t been to Creemore yet but it’s on my list.

I love the idea of 100 Mile Markets.  There is so much wonderful food produced in Ontario but I don’t have time to drive around to the sources.  It’s not environmentally friendly either.  It’s funny how things change.  10 years ago I wouldn’t have thought twice about driving miles to find something special.

Shepherd’s Watch is the brainchild of Lynda Sauve and Carol Sampson who run a sheep and dairy farm of the same name.  They initially saw it as a place to sell their products – cheese, milk, lamp, wool, yarn, blankets and sheep skins – but realized that they could use the space to showcase other local products.

There’s a cafe and in nice weather you can sit on the prorch.  The baking is from 4 different local bakers.  It all looked delicious.  There was a nice choice of cheese, meats, and local veggies.

For me the best thing was completely unexpected, a good choice of knitting books and a wonderful choice of wool and yarn.  I’m allergic to wool and have had trouble finding interesting natural yarns and am now lusting after the linen and the cotton yarns at Shepherd’s Watch.

The choice of socks was amazing.  Unfortunately for me they were all wool.  I saw a shepherd’s cloak that was so beautiful I seriously considered a life of antihistamines but sanity prevaled.  If you’re looking for sweaters, socks, or blankets this is the place to go.

Linda and Carol are always looking for local products so if you’re a producer in the area and are looking for somewhere to sell your products give them a call.

Shepherd’s Watch 100 Mile Market and Cafe
211 Smith St, Arthur
519-828-2228

Open Wednesday to Sunday
9 am to 6 pm

Tags: 100 mile market, Butter tarts, knitting