A Veggie and Fruit-Full Week

Hello Market Friends:
Life may not always be a bowl of cherries, but this week, get at least two bowls full and leave those concerns aside while the juice runs down your chin. It’s that sweet, short time of the summer.

Connie Wiecha of Niagara Lavender Farms (whose adorable harvester is pictured above) says she is bringing “lots of cherries, red raspberries and maybe just the start of the black raspberries – not too many out there yet – and lavender.”

After several seasons when fruit would sell out about half an hour into the market (and we would get a lot of complaints from eager customers), we knew we needed to add another fruit vendor. Problem: it’s tremendously hard to grow tender fruit like cherries, peaches and apricots organically in Ontario, so certified organic growers of these crops who want to attend markets are scarce as hen’s teeth.

When Reye’s Farms asked to attend, we tried to learn as much as possible about their growing methods, and after careful consideration, decided to invite them to Dufferin, although the farm is not organic.

Mimi and Nacho use many of the same methods as organic growers, including co-planting flowers to lure pests away from the crops, pheromone traps, painting trunks with lime, and constant monitoring, but in our humid, fickle climate, they resort to some conventional interventions as well. They are totally willing to talk about how they do things, so please ask!

They will be at the market with cherries this week, and pies made with their fruit by Prairie Boy. You can order pies for next week at their table.

Forbes Wild Foods gets in on the fruit action with fresh saskatoon berries! Call them service berries if you like, they are delicious just the same. Seth will have salicornia (sea asparagus) and more fresh morels, too.

And whether you think of tomatoes as a fruit or a vegetable, you will want to sink your teeth into Aldergrove Organic Farm‘s beauties. They’ll have lovely blooms, summer onions, loads of lettuce, kohlrabi, carrots and more.

Here’s Parsley Pom Pom Team Leader (aka Nicole) cheering for Shared Harvest’s gorgeous greens:

Knuckle Down Farm news: “Somehow the thunderstorms seem to always threaten on Thursdays! Nevertheless we will be there with so much beautiful lettuce I hope everyone is excited to eat nothing but salad in this heat. We will also bring the last of our garlic scapes, beautiful bunches of Kale and Swiss Chard and maybe even a few tomatoes if I don’t eat them all. Hurray for summer heat, thunderstorms or no!”

The Sosnicki Organic Produce report: “Ellen went through and harvested a few baskets of the first tomatoes today! Those are coming to Dufferin along with fresh Basil plants! Whoohoo!! We also grew various herbs too so bringing bunched thyme, oregano, sage, parsley, cilantro and mint! Still strawberries!! Next week will most likely be the last strawberry harvest – get em’ before they are gone for another year! Zucchini! Lots of long yellows, Patty Pan and Ellen is picking squash blossoms too, so there should be some of those to stuff with cheese, batter and fry. Oh yeah! Kale and Peas! Snow and especially Sugar Snap in abundance. Enjoy summer eating – this will be a good week!”

Insider Tip: To go with your berries, try All Sorts Acre’s Maple-Rhubarb Gelato, or mix a little Bees Universe honey into Monforte’s Lemon Succor (fresh goat cheese). Food of heaven.

A few vendors will be absent; check the list below to plan your shopping.

The Art Hive (run by the Scratch Collective) returns to Dufferin Grove! Treat yourself to some creative time, and try your hand at weaving. It’s free, and no experience is required. All are very welcome.
See you at the market!
Anne Freeman

Who’s Coming This Week:

Aldergrove Organic Farm (veggies and blooms)
Ali Harris (rotis, fish sandwiches, fritters, drinks, pesto)
All Sorts Acre (lamb, wool products, sheep’s milk gelato – every other week)
Bees Universe (honey, eggs, sometimes knife sharpening)
ChocoSol (chocolate and coffee)
Country Meadows (olives, oil, cheeses, herbs)
Culture City (natto, tempeh, fermented condiments)
DeFloured (sweet and savoury gluten-free baking)
Dufferin Park Bakers (wood-fired oven breads, soups & snacks)
Earth & City (snacks, spreads and beverages)
First Fish (wild-caught Arctic fillets and hot or cold smoked fish)
Forbes Wild Foods (fresh and dried mushrooms, syrup, nuts and other wild foods)
Fressy Bessie (organic ice pops)
Green Florin (nuts, oils and dried fruits) & Pine River Organic Farm (veggies)
Kind Organics (sprouts and salad mixes)
Lapapampa (certified organic dried mangoes – monthly visits)
Marvellous Edibles (certified organic chicken, produce, preserves)
Mismak Zena (Ethiopian vegan cuisine)
Monforte Dairy (local cheeses from a variety of milks, tamales)
Niagara Lavender Farm (certified organic berries and tender fruits)
Reimer Vineyards (local organic VQA wines – monthly visits)
Reye’s Farms (berries and tender fruits (not organic))
Shared Harvest (certified organic veggies and herbs)
Sosnicki Organic Produce (certified organic vegetables, strawberries)
Tapioca Toronto (Brazilian-style gluten-free crepes with market fillings)
Thorpe’s Organic Produce (greens)