The January Thaw

Even those who do not fret about Thursday weather have noticed that we don’t always get the lucky breaks, but this week, market day is the warmest one on the chart! To repeat my favourite old timer quotation, as I like to do about this time each year: “I’ve seen t’ousands and t’ousands of Januarys, and I’ve never seen a January without a t’aw.” Yippee!

Last week’s outline of who’ll be at market when has changed, so here’s an updated version:

Shared Harvest and Plan B are coming in again, and Everdale will return on January 18th.

We thought we’d have trout, but Sean Lowell wrote to explain: “When it gets to a certain temperature, the metabolism of the fish pretty much shuts down and they don’t feed. I have to take this week to feed them and get them get back to normal.  Normally these temps don’t hit till February. I’m sorry for this, I’m at the mercy of mother nature as you know.”

Luckily, Jennifer Osborn of All Sorts Acre is happy to come because she missed last week. She will be bringing “ground and stewing lamb, lamb bacon, shepherd’s pies, and yarn at the very least. Anything else will be a bonus!”

Culture City will also be in the garage.

Forbes Wild Foods squirrelled away an exceptional assortment of nuts in the fall, and Seth will have dried and preserved foods of all sorts, from weird (Hairy Skunk Cabbage?) to  divine (Wild Strawberry Jam!) with many delights in between.

Monforte returns, and Blythe of Spade & Spoon will be back, too. She’ll be buried under all the soup and jam bottles that loyal fans returned last time. Way to go, waste-conscious eaters!!

DeFloured is going to move back to the great outdoors. It’s a point of honour; they’d never be caught inside when the temperature is above freezing. Buy lots, Chris and Krista will be away for the next three markets! They can give you instructions about which things freeze well.

Kind Organics will have lovely greens and sprouts in many varieties.

Round all these choices out with bread, eggs, meats, olives and honey and there’s a great week of eating ahead.

See you at the market!
Anne Freeman

 

 

This Week’s Vendors:

Ali Harris: rotis, fritters, beverages
All Sorts Acre: lamb, wool, and related products
Bees Universe: honey, beeswax candles, eggs, bee products
Country Meadows: olives, oil, eggs, cheeses
Culture City: fermented condiments and preserves, tempeh
DeFloured: gluten-free baking
Dufferin Park Bakers: wood-fired oven breads, salads, snacks
Forbes Wild Foods: nuts, mushrooms & other wild foods
Kind Organics: sprouts, salad mixes, teas
Marvellous Edibles: pastured poultry, meats, organic vegetables
Monforte Dairy: cheeses from many milks
Plan B Organic Farm: organic produce
Shared Harvest: fresh organic vegetables, herbs
Spade & Spoon: pickles, jams, maple syrup, soup