An Eventful Week 🎃
Oct 25, 2020
Hello Market Friends: So much can happen in a week! When we put out a call for support, we really didn’t know what would happen, but we are part of a wonderful community, and you didn’t let us down! Many sweet messages of support have come our way, as well as contributions to our costs both small and large, and offers of volunteer help with our upcoming move back to the Parish Hall. The letters which were sent to Councillor Bailao on our behalf resulted in a special exception from PF&R: our unused permit fees will be returned! We are... Read More
A Community Makes a Market
Oct 17, 2020
Hello Market Friends: One of my weekly duties is opening our depot at St. Anne’s so the farmers and vendors can drop off everything that has been ordered for the week. Time is tight on Thursdays, but for a few quiet moments I can think about the day ahead, and admire the morning light. Nacho or Luka from Reyes Farms are first on the dropoff schedule, and always ready to lend a hand, putting up the first tents and hauling out tables. Then Jens arrives with the incredible variety of foods from Marvellous Edibles, Joe pulls up with a big... Read More
What Smells So Good?
Oct 11, 2020
Something about October makes me crave warm and rich aromatics. The sweet relief from my seasonal allergies just demands pies in the oven and soup on the stove. I could eat pumpkin spice for every meal (and I do) but, I want to highlight a few goods from our vendors which really elevate my fall cooking. Vasile Florin brings these beautiful dried pears and jars of hazelnuts to the market. I think the combo makes a sweet and elegant fall flavour and I love hazelnuts and dried pears baked into everything from scones to muffins to galettes. Ying... Read More
A Generous Harvest
Oct 3, 2020
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... Read More
Arugula Fields Forever
Sep 27, 2020
Hello again dear Market Friends, It feels like the weeks are just flying by. I am so grateful for the warm breeze and summer-like weather that seems to have come out of nowhere. I reflect on how I sometimes don’t recognize how much I appreciated something until it goes away. The return of warmer weather is something to cherish while it is here. I am also grateful for this weather as it means that the frost has been kept at bay and our farmers can continue to yield bountiful crops to sustain their businesses and their lives. We say... Read More
Here’s to Local Food Entrepreneurs!
Sep 26, 2020
Hello Market Friends: This week I have been thinking about the market afternoon when I first heard a lineup of customers singing Brazilian songs. Of course, they were eagerly waiting for Tapioca Toronto‘s delicious crepes. A few days ago I visited Anna and Rafael in their sweet new shop just east of Lansdowne on College (the former DeFloured bakery) and chatted with them about how they started out at Dufferin, and the plans they have now. I really liked hearing how much they are thinking of supportive collaborations among market... Read More
Peaches n’ Cream and Butternut Squash
Sep 13, 2020
Just like the months, birthdays, and seasons, Rosh Hashanah has crept up on us this year! I’m so happy to see that Reye’s has multiple varieties of apples just in time for the Jewish holiday. We also have so many beautiful varieties of honey from Bees Universe: buckwheat, cinnamon, wildflower, creamed, and blueberry just to name my top five. Here’s to a sweet (and strange) new year! Sundance Harvest and Motherdough are back. I’d recommend trying Sundance’s Salad Mix on your order this week. If you’re feeling a bit of whiplash as... Read More
Seasons Change
Sep 6, 2020
How do you feel about the changing of the seasons? I was riding my bike by the Humber River last week when it hit me – the summer is coming to a close. Just before 8 PM, I switched on my LED bike lights and sensed a real chill in the air for the first time in what felt like a long time. The bright, blazing, sunshine that seemed to last all day is fading faster lately. The extreme heat on most days makes this season feel longer than it actually is but summers are fleeting here. We are entering a season that calls for layering and turning... Read More
Good Food Helps
Aug 30, 2020
Good Food Helps! Obviously, right? And why not let “good food” help your goodbye to August, be less painful? After all, even though this will be the first market of September, summer is still hanging around for a few more weeks. Try to enjoy the summer flowers around you, while you still can. So yes, we all know that good food is good for us – and if you receive this newsletter regularly, you’re probably uniquely aware of that. Also, thanks for subscribing to our newsletter. So first off, I’ll let you know that another guest “speaker” is... Read More
The Shift
Aug 23, 2020
Hello Market Friends: We’ve come to the last market day in August, and a shift is in the air. I am always shocked when corn season ends, but it has at Sosnicki Organic Produce, and soon other high summer favourites like peaches, basil and summer squash will make way for fall crops. Marvellous Edibles has lowered their prices on tomatoes because Ayse says they have a bumper crop, there are flats of organic Romas on offer from Sosnickis, and better than candy cherry tomatoes from Thorpe’s Organic Produce. Crunchy cucumbers are... Read More