All Out!

We have been waiting for this moment, when the market exits the building and takes a deep breath, spreading out on the path. It’s time for the summer setup, and there is so much to get excited about!

Behind the scenes, we’ve been busy planning a great season at the market, with a wonderful selection of local and organic food (including plenty of gluten-free and vegan options) and many special events. Take a look at our NEW week by week Summer Events Calendar! Thanks to our dedicated webmaster Peter Wills for his work on this. There will be lots of music and visits from many non-profit organizations as well. Hey folks, Dufferin Grove Organic Farmers’ Market is the place to be, every Thursday from 3 to 7!

Here’s what’s happening this week:

WILD LEEKS AND FIDDLEHEADS will be abundant on the Forbes Wild Foods table.

Welcome back to Sosnicki Organic Produce! “Ben‘s happy to be back for a new season! This spring we have learned how to operate with 4 little ones and let me tell you — it’s been wild!!! But so much fun too!  We’ll be bringing lots of greenhouse greens like Salad Mix and Spinach, long Pink Radish, White Turnip, Bok Choi, overwintered Kake, Storage Cabbages, Perogies and Sauerkraut! Happy Spring everyone!” Jess, Ben, Sadie, Nathan, Jonah and baby Charlie!!

Keep cool with an all-natural frozen treat from Fressy Bessie, returning as well.

Marvellous Edibles will be absent. Ayse Akoner wrote to say, “We are terribly behind in our field work…. Two sunny days coming up will go a long way with getting caught up. Hope everyone has a great first day out!”

Small Spade will be away too, but here’s a great note from Everdale: “We are very excited to see everyone out in the sunshine this week!  Our loyal customers and soon to be new friends can expect the following items this week at our stall: loose beets, carrots, chives, cilantro, Jerusalem Artichokes, romaine lettuce, green onions, parsnips, red radishes, Easter egg radishes, salad mix, salsify, spinach, tulip bunches, salad turnips.

In other news, we are very excited to report 100% germination in our home-grown peanut seed, which we saved from the fall harvest!  Here is a picture of one of the trays sprouting! Happy spring!” Wolf Chrapko

Pine River Organic Farm is coming, and farmer Bob Felhazi says he’ll be cutting his famously flavourful asparagus to send. Maybe it’s the wind coming down from Georgian Bay that makes it taste so good.

Heidrun and Michael, the Dufferin Park Bakers, will be baking rye bread in the park ovens. Heidrun says, “with a bit more coriander than last week, I am still testing it.” They’ll also make cornmeal, olive-onion and all-time favourite caraway multigrain sourdough bread, as well as 6 different kinds of artisan loaves and the most beloved Italian breads (like rosemary and raisin).”

Jens of Frogpond Farm will be in attendance with a selection of wines from Ontario’s first certified organic vineyard.

Please give a warm welcome to one of the great movers and shakers, Ruth Klassen of Monforte Dairy, who will begin coming to Dufferin herself this week. Having Ruth at the market is an excellent opportunity to learn about cheeses, as well as the intricacies of trying to be a cheesemaker in this country.

Speaking of learning, in one of those instances when the internet links people across the world with common interests, this week I received a note from Jean Miller of Whitianga, New Zealand. Jean liked a newsletter in which I mentioned eggs, and wanted my opinion on a very informative and detailed article she had just finished on their health benefits. If you want to read all about why eating eggs is a good idea, why it matters how they are produced, and try some new egg recipes, too, take a look: www.jenreviews.com/eggs/  The only parts I beg to differ on are a few details describing organic and pastured egg production, which may be done differently here, but I agree with Jean that they are the best eggs to buy.

We’ll have a timely visit from GreenPAC, a non-partisan non-profit organization working to elect and support environmental champions running for office across all major parties.

Last week we celebrated our steadfast customer Stan‘s 93rd birthday in style, with carrot cake from DeFloured and treats from Seth. We asked George, our jovial banjo-player to play Happy Birthday, and he gave Stan his special hat to wear. Then we learned that  George will be 93 himself 5 weeks from now! How about that? 

 

 

 

See you at the summer-path market!
Anne Freeman

 

Vendors this week:

• Ali Harris: rotis, fritters, sandwiches, drinks
• Bees Universe: honey, bee products, eggs, knife-sharpening
  
• ChocoSol: chocolate and chocolate beverages, coffee
• Country Meadows: olives, oil, eggs, cheese
  
• Culture City: fermented condiments and preserves, tempeh
  
• DeFloured: savoury and sweet gluten-free baking
  
• Dufferin Park Bakers: wood-fired oven breads, salads, snacks
  
• Earth & City: salads, snacks and beverages
• Everdale: certified organic produce
• Forbes Wild Foods: wild leeks, fiddleheads, maple syrup, dried mushrooms
  
• Fressy Bessie: organic popsicles made from fruits and veggies
• Frogpond Farm: organic Ontario VQA wines
• Kind Organics: sprouts, salad mixes, teas, microgreens
• Monforte Dairy: cheeses from many milks
• Pine River Organic Farm: asparagus and other produce
• Plan B: local and imported organic produce
• Sosnicki Organic Produce: certified organic vegetables, perogies
  
• Spade & Spoon: pickles, jams, maple syrup, soup
  
• Tapioca Toronto: Brazilian style gluten-free crepes with market fillings
• Ted Thorpe: greens, greens, greens
• Urban Harvest: seeds, garden amendments, body care
• Vasile Florin: walnuts, walnut oil, sunflower oil, dried fruits from Moldova
• Waymac Mushrooms: oyster and shiitake mushrooms