Fruits + Veggies
Meat + Dairy
Preserves + Specialty Foods
Baking + Prepared Food
When you look to the future, what kinds of food and farms do you imagine? Sometimes farmers’ markets seem old-fashioned, but ours is also an incubator for forward-looking businesses.
Continuing our Black History Month series, we asked Cheyenne from Sundance Harvest what she would like to include in the newsletter. She suggested a terrific article which includes a section on the farm, and wrote this to accompany it:
“Sundance Harvest started in September 2019. That winter I became a vendor at Dufferin Grove. I remember my very first booth; no table cloth but those greens sure did move! Anne, Nicole and Dufferin Grove Market made me feel welcome and seen as a new Black business. A couple years later we are at 1.5 acres with staff and I’m very happy I am still a vendor at Dufferin Grove.”
Photo by Roya Delsol |
“About me: I’m the farm director of Sundance Harvest. We are a 1.5 acre farm with two heated greenhouses located right in the north of the city in Downsview Park. We grow many vegetables, mushrooms and soon fruits such as strawberries. I started Sundance Harvest at a time when zero for profit Black owned and operated farms existed at scale with fair employment. Happy to say, Sundance Harvest allowed me to have a future in agriculture and I hope those who are with us on our journey feel the same! I didn’t go to school for anything but with time I grew with the farm.”
The friendly people at West End Phoenix said they would be delighted to have us reprint this recent article by Samantha Edwards, “Farm Team.” We are including the section about Sundance Harvest here, but the rest of the article is well-worth reading too! A big shoutout to the Phoenix!
Photo by Roya Delsol
[products ids=”22029,40924,455,40975″]I bet you are already familiar with the waste problems built into the modern food industry. We love seeing small farms and prepared food businesses take responsibility for their own food waste. If you like to support the harmony of mutually beneficial business models, then join us in welcoming Bruized!
Another visionary, women-run start-up, Bruized is the brainchild of Monique and Justice, two women on a mission to fight food waste through education and by example.
Their vegan, gluten-free, handmade granolas and cookies use ‘rescued’ ingredients, such as pulp from organic juiceries and imperfect fruits from Reye’s, turning edibles that would otherwise be discarded into tasty treats!
Sounds like an idea whose time has come, don’t you think?
Green Florin has a new shipment of walnuts! Act fast before they sell out again. When you are browsing Vasile’s page, maybe think about your spring garden to come. Hazelnut shells, like egg shells, help keep crawling pests away from your plants. They also add a beautiful colour and texture to any mulch mix.
If you celebrate the Jewish holiday of Purim you might have only just started thinking about your plans for this March. You might also remember how Dufferin Grove took part in the festival last year with gifts to those in need and surprise goodie bags. We are just ramping up the festivities and hope you will share online and in conversation. Last year we had folks contributing gifts from across the province, thanks to you all spreading the word!
