With only around 700 square kilometers of space, farmland is scarce in Singapore and most of the fruits and vegetables that feed this city-state must be imported from neighboring countries such as Malaysia and Indonesia. However, one of the key attractions of the Dempsey Road area is the Loewen Garden’s Farmers’ Market. With my keen interest in local food, I’d hoped that this market would be a source for some rare freshly grown local fruits and vegetables. What was presented was something a little different. The market, which is held once a month, only hosted two vegetable stands, both of them selling imported produce like baby carrots, ripe avocadoes and tomatoes flown in from the US and Australia.
Nevertheless, although this was not the “local” produce market that I had hoped for, the market does have a quaint charming feel of an English village fair, another rarity in Singapore. Most of the patrons here are expatriates who are drawn by the concept of a Farmer’s market and also the location (the Dempsey area is popular amongst the foreign community). As the result, the products sold here seem to cater to this market.
In the end, although I didn’t find the fresh local vegetables I was looking for, I did manage to get myself a sugary, freshly baked piece of cake. While this may not be a hub for the local food movement but if you are looking for a pleasant way to spend a Saturday morning and some delicious pastries, the Loewen Garden’s Farmers’ Market may be your destination. The Farmers’ Market is held on the 1st Saturday of each month at Loewen’s Garden. The Pantry Cookery School has also started running a market at 60 Robertson Quay. For more information on dates and location here.