Who’s Got Great Growers?

The beautiful vegetables in the photo featured up top are all ones grown from Urban Harvest seeds. Thank you to Colette Murphy for her extraordinary dedication to preserving and celebrating heritage and open-pollinated varieties. No cardboard flavoured tomatoes or boring standard shipment sizes here! Many of these treasures would disappear were it not for seed sources like Urban Harvest who make it possible for small-scale farmers and home gardeners to grow them. And as a market shopper, with each delicious bite of these heirlooms, you’re doing your bit for biological and culinary diversity too!

While we’re bragging about our extraordinary vendors, let’s give a shoutout to Niagara Lavender Farm. We have the best peaches in the province right under our happy noses. I’m sorry to say this will be the last week of a spectacular season. True confession: I always thought Red Havens were my favourites, but the Lorings are superb this year. I have to taste a few more to be sure though. Thank you Debbie!

The wonderful avalanche of seasonal produce continues! Peppers, melons, tomatoes, eggplants and other heat-lovers are at peak right now (get a case or two!) and there is a tremendous variety of other crops available.

A great list from Jenn at Everdale:”Here are all the goodies we’ll be bringing this week to DG:
arugula, basil, beets, rainbow and red carrots, chard, cilantro, cucumber, dill, eggplant, flowers, gai lan (broccolini), kale, head lettuce, onions, leeks, parsley, red peppers, radicchio, potatoes, Radish, salad mix, spinach, summer squash, cherry tomatoes, and a Wolf!
Gai Lan is first picks from our fall planting, super tender tops!”

Take a look at our vendors list, and you’ll see that a few folks have swapped weeks, are absent or unexpectedly present! Stas (the French Fry guy) has moved on to other exciting opportunities, and East (Herbal Ghee) is visiting again.

Looks like a cooler weekend ahead, making it an ideal time to get in the kitchen. Fill that pantry and stuff that freezer! Winter is coming…
See you at the market!
Anne Freeman

P.S. There will be a “Polish Heritage Day” festival at Dufferin Grove this Saturday afternoon. Their poster is on the dufferinpark.ca home page here. There’s some overlap with the musicians who played at the Ukrainian wedding at the park in May 2015. Sounds like the folk dancing is open to anyone, maybe a bit like the Balfolk group that used to play and dance in the park on Monday evenings and danced at the market recently. This one is organized by Ewelina Ferenc, who’s part of the Polky Village Band.

Vendors this week:
Ali Harris: rotis, fritters, sandwiches, drinks
All Sorts Acres: lamb, sheep dairy, wool
Bees Universe: honey, bee products, eggs
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
East Ghee (visiting vendor): spice infused ghee made from Ontario butter
Everdale: fresh organic produce
First Fish: frozen and smoked wild Arctic char
Forbes Wild Foods: wild mushrooms, maple syrup & more
Fressy Bessie: organic unsweetened ice pops
GreenFlorin: Moldovan nuts, oils, and dried fruits
Kind Organics: sprouts and salad mixes
Knuckle Down Farm: organic vegetables
Marvellous Edibles: pastured meats, organic veg. & more
Monforte Dairy: cheeses from many milks
Niagara Lavender Farm: peaches, berries (LAST DAY)
Pine River: organic vegetables
Plan B: local and imported organic produce
Reimer Vineyards: local, organic VQA wines
Shared Harvest Community Farm: fresh organic produce
Sosnicki Organic Produce: organic vegetables
Spade & Spoon: preserves, maple syrup
Sweet Seduction: baked goods of many kinds
TC’s Tibetan Momos: vegetarian and meat fillings
Tapioca Toronto: Brazilian style gluten-free crepes with market fillings
Ted Thorpe: veggies and greens, melons
Urban Harvest: body care, seeds, garden amendments
Waymac: oyster, shiitake and lion’s mane mushrooms