A Generous Harvest

A Generous Harvest

Hello Market Friends:

Along with familiar favourites we have many wonderful new items this week:

Seth from Forbes Wild Foods let us know that a load of wild cranberries has just rolled in. Plenty of wild rice is available too, for delicious autumn stuffings, soups and side dishes.

Vasile treated me to an advance tasting of Green Florin‘s fresh shipment of hazelnuts. Toast them and taste them, and you will discover that you want to add them to everything from salads to baking to green beans and more. SO GOOD!

Take the full farm tour to before you decide which of our impressive varieties of glorious greens to get.

We’ve still got Bartletts, but Bosc Pears are making an appearance from Reyes Farms too, and a bountiful crop of sweet potatoes.

Ben says Sosnicki Organics has their best crop of carrots ever–and if you’ve tasted a Sosnicki carrot, you will know that is really saying something!

Bobby from Kawartha Broom Co proudly told me that he has finished painting the handles of their Witch and Wizard Brooms shiny black. They are ready for test flights in both adult and kid sizes.

I could go on and on and on, but I will let you enjoy exploring everything on the site, and save room for a lovely tribute to a dear person in our market community, written by her special friend Lang Liu.

Maricela Valadez Hernandez, January 15, 1968 – September 29, 2020

It is with a heavy heart that we announce the passing of Maricela Valadez, a well-loved Dufferin Grove Park staff member.  She passed away during the night of September 28 after a battle with cancer.  

I first met Maricela at the Dufferin Grove Market several years ago on my weekly pilgrimage. That easy smile, that soft Mexican accent… they felt like a warm embrace.  Being in Maricela’s presence transported me to another time and place – a small town, perhaps, where friendship, love and laughter are the founding values of life.

Over the years, as our friendship deepened, Maricela shared stories about her life in Mexico, her arrival in Canada and the struggles that had followed.  She spoke often of her four children with a love that made her eyes shine.  Despite many hardships, a sense of peace and joy pervaded her.  We shared many laughs.  There were visits to each other’s homes, but those weekly meetings as the market bustled around us are forever etched in my memory.  Maricela would wink, pour me a mug of steaming coffee and press a cookie into my hands before rushing off on some task. 

Last year, when the cancer returned, I saw fear and determination in Maricela’s eyes.  A woman of strong faith, she showed a humbling courage as she grappled with the meaning of her illness.  Her primary concern was her children – the thought of leaving them behind filled her with deep sadness – and her large family in Mexico who adored her.  That year, my brother was away.  It was a hard year for me.  I felt lost, unsure about my next steps.  It was Maricela who sat with me, week after week at the market.  Her sweet, simple friendship reminded me to live in the moment – to be grateful for the sunshine and the trees, the smell of the wood oven and the easy conversation between us.

Time flies too quickly. Her passing took us all by surprise. But if we are lucky, when it is our time to go, a part of us will remain in the hearts of those who loved us, just as Maricela remains in ours.

Thank you Lang. We hope we can gather in Dufferin Grove in the spring to honour Maricela.

Wishing you all time with loved ones in the coming days.

Anne and the Market Crew