Sweet, Scary and Surprising

 

It’s hard to know what to wish for with this weather, isn’t it? I can’t help feeling thrilled to see snowdrops in bloom, but I was worried about the maple syrup season after speaking with Jonathan Forbes last week. Cold nights are very important right now, so the trees don’t go into bud too soon. I took a look at the Farmers’ Almanac to see if I could find any old time wisdom that might address current uncertainties, but I came away with more charm than knowledge.

I think I’ll keep these March sayings in mind anyway and observe what happens:

A dry March and a wet May? Fill barns and bays with corn and hay.
As it rains in March so it rains in June.

Of course, it also remains to be seen whether winter will prove this old rule true:

In like a lamb, out like a lion.

Since predictable weather does not seem to be in the cards, here’s one more, a sentence from Ellis Peters that I like better still:

Every spring is the only spring – a perpetual astonishment.

May it always be so.

So what’s good to eat this week? There’s perpetual astonishment in that, too!  Here’s the news from Everdale: “This week we have loads of winter spinach, dry beans, leeks, yellow onions, rainbow carrots and beets, parsnip, rutabaga, celeriac and winter radish.”

THREE CHEERS for this impressive MARCH list and the great variety of foods our producers bring us, four seasons a year!

Kyle continues, “I took a walk in the fields yesterday and there is lots of spinach and parsley coming back which should be available for a super early spring harvest. It seems that our garlic is starting to pop out of the ground as well :/ We tried planting our garlic in a living stand of oats and peas last fall in the hope that these would become the mulch after being winter-killed. Seems to be working so far, but the inevitable frost heave that’s coming will be the real test! Fingers crossed for a blanket of snow.”

Jens and Ayse of Marvellous Edibles are travelling to see family this week, returning next time.

Pine River will have more scrumptious and tender kale, sweet carrots, and other good veg.

When a friend heard about Angelos’ thick Goat’s Milk yogurt she cancelled all other plans to come get this food of her childhood. I am hoping it will be plentiful so you can get some too!

Forget the stock market and the real estate market and come to the real market, where Monforte Dairy has the best investment opportunity around. $100 gets you $150 in cheese bucks, to spend at any of the markets Monforte attends, or at their Toronto store or Stratford restaurant. Julia can tell you all about it.

There’s sweet, salty, spicy, sour– but nothing scary on Blythe‘s tables! Take your pick from Spade & Spoon’s excellent selection of ferments, chutneys, pickles and jams. Don’t forget some maple butter, too.

Our wonderful volunteer from last summer, Malwina, will be helping out this week, with a little show and tell and taste about winter pestos. The spiralizer will be back in action making tasty samples to share.
See you at the market!
Anne Freeman

Our vendors this week:

Ali Harris
Bees Universe
ChocoSol
Country Meadows
Culture City
DeFloured
Dufferin Park Bakers
Everdale
Forbes Wild Foods
Kind Organics
Monforte Dairy
Pine River
Plan B
Spade & Spoon