Mindful Gratitude

Hmm.. That phrase can mean many things, no? And honestly, I’m not sure that I even know  what it actually means to be mindful – so I think I’ll first take a stab at the “gratitude” part. So last week, (if you read), my dear colleague, Izak, generously sang my praises, and gave me a real confidence booster – how could I not be grateful for that? Thanks Izak! xo

Now as for the term “mindful”, I suppose I use it in reference to the type of gratitude I try to extend to the park we are using, (that being Dufferin Grove of course.) This lovely park has been hosting us, and our dear market for almost two decades now. And with us having been away from the park since 2019, it’s really nice to be so graciously welcomed back!

For me it’s an absolute joy being in a park that I love, doing a job that I love, and not to mention, being around my favourite tree-dwelling mammals – squirrels! (Hence the photo.) But some of you already knew that about me – and may have seen me throw them a little treat every now and then. Yes, guilty – I do love those critters!

But going back to mindful gratitude, perhaps I’m calling it that, because we may not always think of saying thank you, to animals that live in a park – or just saying thank you to a park itself, including the trees in it, along with the nourishing soil in that park.

But yes, the squirrels, robins, cardinals, butterflies (and other insects), living in this park, have all been quite accommodating to us as we impose ourselves, each week. Increasing our foot (and vehicular) traffic within the park, noise levels, and even sadly, waste. So if you now feel encouraged to hug a tree, and say “Thank you, Dufferin Grove”, then by all means!

And along the theme of gratitude, lastly, I wanted to also thank all the new folks that are reading our newsletter for the very first time – amazing! But this wouldn’t have happened without the help of our wonderful, brand new volunteer, Quinton! Quinton is a young high school student, eager to give back to his community, by helping out at the market. So thank you to all of you who engaged with him, and signed up to receive this publication each week – and there were quite a few of you, (wow! 🙂

Now before I go on to vendor and product information, I also wanted to share with you a list of events that are happening in the park, being hosted by the City of Toronto – all free of charge!

Or click here for more information: www.toronto.ca/dufferingrove

And as featured (below in photo), all of the events are family friendly! Featured are some City staff with community members, Natalie, Kai, and Emily, “getting crafty”!

And now for food stuff – yay!

So some of you have been enjoying the delicious popcorn of Nature’s Way, along with their wonderful selection of veggies. Well among those veggies, are these (featured) sweet black bell peppers, whose seed comes from the Ukraine. Holly and Ed tell me that they are very pleased with this crop, as not only is it delicious, but it allows them to support Ukrainian farmers. I didn’t get to try one last week, but this week, I definitely plan to!

And in “new vendor news”, we will now have a meat vendor! Rogers Ranch will be joining us this week, with a fine selection of “grass-fed, grass-finished” beef – www.rogersranch.farm. Some of you may have seen Dave (Rogers), at the Trinity Bellwoods Market – and if not, do feel free to give him a warm welcome to Dufferin.

Last week, you may have noticed that Kind Organics is also now among our vendors. Sandra (and company) will happily provide you with a healthy selection of salad mixes and micro greens, (on the weeks that Essa Seedlings is away.) Essa is back this week, fyi.

Also back this week is Knuckledown Farms, with a fresh and fabulous selection of amazing greens – gooo Jenny!

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Also, as you saw the feature photo of tomatoes, we’ve got em! Stop

by Aldergrove’s table and Fraser (and the gang) will set you up!

And for some “grab and go” options that weren’t there last week, but will be there this week, we’ve got momos for you, from TC Tibetan Momos. And to compliment that, how about Heartwood Cider and their refreshingly delicious cider beverages? Yum!

Looking for something even smaller in size, but still big in flavour? Well Jiggy Popz is sure to please! A great choice on these hot summer days.

And a couple things to be aware of. First, sadly, All Sorts Acres will not be at market this week. Worried about where you get your lamb fixins? Well no need for that! Nathan of Nith Valley will be bringing FRESH lamb to market this week – so (if that’s your thing), don’t miss out!

Also, please be aware that for Country Meadows, this will be their last week at Dufferin, “for now”. So get your fill of their olives and olive oil, while you still can. Angelos will be a bit short staffed with his partner away, but we hope to have him return in September.

And lastly, I know we have been a bit back and forth about Plan B, and their status at market (specifically, how long) – well it turns out, they have decided to stay for the entire season! So feel free to stop by and say hi to Rodrigo, if you missed him before. He now promises to stay put! Haha

Ok thanks for reading folks, and thanks for supporting the market!

-Nicole

And here is your List of (in-person) Vendors for July 21st, 2022:

Farmers, Dairy & Meats:

  • Reyes Farms
  • Greenhouse Eatery
  • Aldergrove Farm
  • Kooner Farms
  • Nith Valley
  • Nature’s Way
  • Plan B Organics
  • Essa Seedlings
  • Summergreen
  • Bees Universe
  • Monforte Dairy
  • Country Meadow
  • First Fish
  • Rogers Ranch
  • Knuckle Down Farm

Prepared Foods:

  • La Mexicana
  • Tapioca Toronto
  • TC Tibetan Momos
  • Magic Oven
  • Earth + City

Bakery, Preserves, & Specialty Items:

  • Robinson Bakery
  • Lev Bakery
  • Forbes Wild Foods
  • ChocoSol
  • Jiggy Popz

Wine, Cider & Brewery:

  • Heartwood Cider

Special Events/Guests:

  • Community Fridges

(*for a list of online vendors, please visit the web shop at www.dufferingrovemarket.ca)