Make Hay When?

On the country road where I grew up, we expected to hear our neighbours’ tractors at all hours during haying season, as they cut, baled and hauled a winter’s worth for their dairy herd. Last year, in the drought, the road was ominously quiet. This year there has been more than enough growth, but the road has been quiet an awful lot again. Over 9 cm of rain landed in parts of Ontario this week, continuing a season when windows of opportunity to get on the fields have been few and far between.

In the city the supermarkets are full of food 24/7 and most of our livelihoods aren’t weather-dependent, at least in the short-term, but if you’re reading this, you probably know a list of both short and long-term reasons to care about local agriculture. Thanks for caring enough to put those reasons into action. If you’re new to the market, please don’t be too shy to ask questions about what it takes to bring us all the products you see. Dufferin vendors are the nicest bunch of people, and wonderfully knowledgeable, too. There’s added flavour when foods come with a connection to the people who produced them.

A big shoutout to all those folks, because we’re going to have a fantastic market! Here’s a sampling of what’s coming:

The Sosnicki Organic Produce contribution: “Garlic harvest time! I don’t know where we are going to rack and hang it all, but its a darn good looking crop this year! At Dufferin Grove we’ll have our fresh garlic, big bunches of rainbow beets, field carrots, cucumbers, sweet onions, potatoes, green beans, basil, heirloom tomatoes, kale and sweet cherry and grape tomatoes! “ Jess, Ben, Joe & crew

From Jenny Cook: “We will have lots of big beautiful beets for you this week, they are just loving the clay soil here at Knuckle Down Farm. There will also be fennel, baby carrots, colourful chard, herbs and hopefully the first of the beans. Lettuce is done for a few weeks, but we will have some tender green cabbages that are perfect for fresh eating. We are two thirds of the way through our garlic harvest and the crop looks beautiful, so we should have lots of fresh garlic for you too!

From Debbie Wiecha of Niagara Lavender Farm: “We have a wonderful load of peaches this week and they are just lovely this year despite all the rain…. It is always a challenge.” [This week’s load is much bigger than the last one, but we still recommend coming as close to start time as possible to avoid disappointment.]

Marvellous Edibles has a Farm Tour coming up on August 7th from 11:30 to 5. Ask Jens for more details. The farm really is marvellous, and the day will be a lot of fun.

We have a special one-time visit from Sweetgale Gardens with summer bouquets of all sizes. Everdale and Knuckle Down Farm will be bringing us blooms soon!

Last call for fresh morels offered by Forbes Wild Foods.

Rotating vendors this time are Robinson Bread, with sourdough baking using local and fresh-milled grains, and Baha’s Food, who have promised another addition to their delicious lineup of samosas, along with their great array of hot sauces.

Here’s a beautiful little video of market bounty to enjoy, made by artist Japneet Kaur after her visit last week.

See you at the market!
Anne Freeman

Vendors This Week:

Ali Harris
All Sorts Acre
Baha’s Food (4th market of each month)
Bees Universe
Chocosol
Country Meadows
Culture City
DeFloured
Dufferin Park Bakers
Earth & City
Everdale
Forbes Wild Foods
Fressy Bessie
Kind Organics
Knuckle Down Farm
Marvellous Edibles
Monforte Dairy
Niagara Lavender Farm
Pine River
Plan B
Robinson Bread (2nd and 4th market of each month)
Shared Harvest
Sosnicki Organic Produce
Spade & Spoon
Stas
Sweetgale Gardens (visiting vendor)
Tapioca Toronto
Ted Thorpe
Waymac