Sunshine is Sweeter after Rain

I’m sure many of you breathed a sigh of relief along with the farmers when the rain came down at last. Here are notes from a couple of our growers:

From Jenny (and Ernest) at Knuckle Down Farm: “We tried to get a very scientific reading for you of how deep the rain has percolated into the soil. I’m gonna say at least six inches! The garden (and farmer) is much happier. We hope this means we will be back at market soon!”

Kyle from Everdale writes: “We’ve got 2.5 inches of rain in the last few days which is going to really help all of our Fall plantings continue to size up! Also a much needed rest for our well.

We’ve got lots of greens, beans, cukes, zukes, fennel, green and fresh onions, radish, cherry tomatoes, salad turnips, herbs and sweet carrots and beets for market! New crops this week include callaloo, kohlrabi, shallots and collards.”

Sosnicki Organic Produce news: “We are full swing into Romas for sauce making. All info at our blog: sosnickiorganicproduce.blogspot.ca
You can email an order, go to our booth to put in an order or take a chance and see if we have bulk at the booth. We’ll send a sensible amount each week to the markets. They are very nice this season. Also, bulk field beefsteak too. Email me if you want a case or two of these more juicy red gems!
Big blocky Green Bells and Yellow Peppers along with Sweet Onions, fresh dug Potatoes, Cabbages and Kale along with Cherry and Grape Tomatoes and Heirlooms to round out our tables. We’ll send as much corn as we can, but it’s pretty much a lost cause out there with all the critter damage. So, unfortunately our sweet corn is one of our biggest crop failures of the year. Thank goodness for amazing tomatoes!!” Jess, Ben & crew

Ujamaa Farm Collective will have more of their gorgeous greens (there’s a glimpse of those in the photo up top) this week, and also some veggies with looks—and taste–that might surprise you. They’re lumpy and they’re bitter. What a sales pitch! But Bitter Melon is a sought-after ingredient in Asian and Caribbean cuisine, and it’s got a list of health benefits as long as your arm. These gourds are eaten when they are immature. When ripe, the melons explode, revealing unbelievably red seeds in jammy pulp. Last week, Anan Lololi gave one that ‘got away’ to Colette Murphy from Urban Harvest so she could save the seeds for next year.

Mushrooms don’t grow much in very hot weather, and to make matters worse, Erika and Andrew from Waymac lost their cooler to the heat wave, so they’ll be absent this week.

We’re hoping for lots more peaches, and we know there will be plenty of meals ready to enjoy in the park or take home, sheep cheeses, flowers, olive oil, fresh eggs, meats for the barbeque, local organic wine, freshly made jams, and much, much more.

See you at the market!
Anne Freeman

Vendors this week:

Ali Harris
Bees Universe
Best Baa
Chocosol
Country Meadows
Culture City
DeFloured
Dufferin Park Bakers
Earth & City
Everdale Organic Farm
Evelyn’s Crackers
Floralora Flowers
Forbes Wild Foods
Hungry Vegan
Jackie Kwitko (Fressy Bessie) ice pops
JK Fries
Kind Organics
Marvellous Edibles
Mike the Knife Guy
Niagara Lavender
Pine River Organic Farm
Plan B
Shared Harvest Community Farm
Sosnicki Organic Produce
Spade & Spoon
Tapioca Gourmet
Thorpe’s Organic Produce
Ujamaa Farm
Urban Harvest
VQA Wines: Frogpond Farm
Ying Ying Soy Food