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All photos by Gigi Griffis
Saskatoon.
When I decided to road-trip across Canada, this small city in the prairie province of Saskatchewan was little more than a stop in between up-and-coming Winnipeg and gateway-to-the-parks Calgary. The prairies of Canada were a necessary evil, something I had to get across in order to get from charming French Canada to the jagged peaks of the national parks.
Little did I know, I’d come to love the prairies for their own sakes. For their vast open spaces. For their bright yellow fields of canola flowers—an industry that contributes $26.7 billion in Canada each year and that makes the prairie fields look like strange, beautiful art pieces. And, perhaps most of all, for their fresh produce.
The town of Saskatoon is actually named after a native berry that looks like a blueberry, is closely related to apples, and tastes mildly nutty. In the U.S., you may know it as the juneberry. But here it’s the saskatoon berry, and the town—a pretty, quiet place built on the banks of a steely blue river—goes by the same name.
You’ll find the famous berries at my favorite place in Saskatoon: the local farmers market. Held in an open-air building, it is, as you’d expect, bursting with produce, handmade goods like soap and baby booties, unusual berries, and even raw chocolate. In the summer, it sprawls beyond the building’s boundaries and onto a back patio area full of local farm goods.
About the author: Gigi Griffis is a world-traveling entrepreneur, writer, and photographer with a special love for inspiring stories, new places, and living in the moment. In May 2012, she sold her stuff and took to the road with a growing business and a pint-size pooch. Follow her adventures at gigigriffis.com.