New Faces, “Old” Faces…

I’m sure that many of you would agree that this market season has been truly overwhelming in a number of  ways. For one, our little market persisted right on through, even during an unpredictable and highly-challenging pandemic. And then of course, there were the financial difficulties that the market was facing last month – and again we persevered. And of course, I credit that persistence to most of you – so thanks! 🙂

 

But what I wanted to emphasize in this week’s newsletter was (as I said), new faces and “old” – (and before I get into trouble, by “old”, I mean familiar, or from the past.) But hey, you’re only as old as you feel, right? haha

 

So featured above is “Baby Ben” (as I  call him). Ben’s parents Sonia and Geoff, have been shopping with us since before Ben was born! (During our two years at St Anne’s church. He’s holding on tight to that Aldergrove eggplant – let’s hope he eventually let go of it, to let his parents cook it!

seth baby

Another new face is that of Seth Goering’s daughter, featured here. Yup that’s right – although Seth brings us spectacular maple syrup and wild mushrooms from  Forbes, at market on this Thursday, he brought his own precious bundle of joy – clearly she finds maple syrup and wild mushrooms, just hilarious!

Another new face was a new vendor face! But if you didn’t get a chance to visit Meg Pederson (and crew) of  “Steep & Mellow“, not to worry,! They’ll be back! Their amazing organic teas were a big hit!

Meg (overalls) and crew with some happy customers!

And as for old faces last week, I noticed (and spoke to), quite a few (“past regulars”), who only now happened to now, find themselves at our new/old “in the park market”. Featured below is Nicole with the lovely Paula Stern, who like many of you, connected with us during the pandemic, and have stayed with us ever since – thanks Paula!

Nicole and Paula 🙂

And finally, there’s this little critter – such a cutie huh?! New? Old? Pretty hard to tell with squirrels  – but I would definitely call this one a “market regular”. Nicole says this one can often be seen on market day,, looking around for discarded  treats.

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And in other news, if anyone was wondering about the status of the cob house, it looks just spectacular! Thanks largely to the help of many – including the young and talented, Amelia and River, (featured here), who worked hard painting and beautifying the cob on Thursday. Be sure to take a look on your next visit to the park!

And if some of you were looking for Anarrres Natural Health last week, they send their apologies, but had an emergency to deal with. They will be at market this coming Thursday, to sell their wares, and conduct health-related workshops – don’t miss out!

As a reminder (from Anarres):

Hi folks! We at Anarres are excited to share that on August 18th we will be at Dufferin Grove Market running mini self-spa workshops. That means that you can stop by anytime and learn to make a DIY face mask, body scrub or bath salt. It’s super simple, easy, and educational!

Anarres is a social enterprise storefront and online resource founded 15 years ago. We focus on body care, bulk DIY supplies and environmentally friendly housewares. We’re committed to using ethical resources and supporting projects and initiatives that we believe in. Our goal is to help teach people about natural fair trade ingredients and how to use them and so we hold a variety of workshops in store from lotions to haircare to deodorant. Feel free to come visit us at 1076 Bloor St. W from 12-7pm Tues-Sat.”

Back last week was Jesse of “Starship Experience” who serenaded us with classic songs for almost the entire 4 hour market!

hola alegrias

More exciting news, one of our long time online vendors Hola Alegrias will finally be in person at the park starting next week! He has all your granola and amaranth needs covered and then some, so don’t hesitate to come say hi to Erick and welcome him to the market!

Here is a little introduction from him:

My name is Erick. I am from México City, One of the favourite things in my childhood was food, especially sweet snacks, and my favourites have always been snacks made with Amaranth which are called Alegrias. Amaranth is an ancient grain which is healthy and high in protein, used in traditional Aztec and Mayan Food. Amaranth grows in México, Peru and some areas in the Middle East.

In the last few years, working in kitchens cooking different types of food and desserts gave me the idea to use amaranth mixed with chocolate (70% dark chocolate) and Granola to make healthy and tasty snacks.

I use organic ingredients to make the Granola, and organic Amaranth as well. My products are sugar free and palm oil free to make them healthier and better quality.

hola alegrias

Don’t forget to check out Forbes for their Lobster Mushrooms! A perfect substitute for seafood, but only in season for a short time!

Here’s my news for the news!

We are so excited to be back for a second time in August this week. Out here at the farm we have been experiencing a bit of a drought, so we won’t have the piles of greens we usually bring. The good news is that our field grown heirloom tomatoes are some of the most beautiful we have ever grown. If you haven’t had a chance to try them yet, this is the week to do it! We will also bring lots of garlic, onions and basil, in case you need something to pair them with.

See you on Thursday,

Jenny

Lastly, if you love kombucha or are looking to try some out, Alchemy Pickle Company has a STELLAR Peach Kombucha that you won’t want to miss out on!

Thank you again to everyone for another stellar week,
Izak

Market VENDORS _  (in-person) _ August 25, 2022

Farmers, Dairy & Meats:

  • Reyes Farms
  • Greenhouse Eatery
  • Aldergrove Farm
  • All Sorts Acres
  • Sosnicki Organics
  • Kooner Farms
  • Knuckledown Farms
  • Nith Valley 
  • Nature’s Way
  • Plan B Organics
  • Kind Organics
  • Rogers Ranch
  • Bees Universe
  • Monforte Dairy 
  • First Fish

Prepared Foods:

  • La Mexicana
  • Tapioca Toronto 
  • Magic Oven
  • Earth + City

 

Bakery, Preserves, & Specialty Items:

  • Robinson Bakery 
  • Lev Bakery
  • Forbes Wild Foods
  • Hola Alegrias
  • ChocoSol
  • Fresh Pops

Wine, Cider & Brewery:

  • Harmon’s non-alcoholic Craft Brewery

 

Special Events/Guests:

  • Anarres Health
  • Greenpeace Canada
  • Progress Toronto
  • Community Fridges

 

For a list of online vendors, visit: http://www.dufferingrovemarket.ca/