Favourite Things: the January List
Jan 16, 2020
Hello Market Friends: Skiing, or après-skiing? Speed skating, or rapid eye movement during long winter naps? Whatever your winter ‘go-tos’, I am guessing favourite foods are included, and here is a list of outstanding options for you! ChocoSol is back, and they just made a big batch of their amazing Jaguar chocolate, so they will have nice bulk offerings of your favourite Jaguar selections! Heidrun‘s Dufferin Grove Bakers offerings for the week: Sourdoughs: rye, caraway-multigrain, potato-rosemary Artisans: multigrain,... Read More
Starting a Fresh Decade
Jan 9, 2020
Hello Market Friends: It’s about time for a market around here! Our farmers and vendors are getting ready to help you re-stock with healthy and delicious foods for the New Year. We particularly appreciate your winter support, so please make coming often one of your resolutions for 2020! For the next while, quite a few of the regulars will be coming and going, but we’ll have a good balance overall, and some nice additions, too. Damon from Culture City will be at the market, and he has a January special: miso $8/250ml, regularly... Read More
See you on January 9th!
Dec 26, 2019
Hello Market Friends: Hope you are enjoying the holidays. A reminder that there is no market this week or next. See you in the New Year! Anne Freeman Read More
A Wish at Year’s End
Dec 19, 2019
Hello Market Friends: We are coming to the longest night of the year, and it is time for the last market until 2020. To those whose hands have planted, tended, harvested, foraged, cooked, made, served or otherwise contributed to feeding us, and to all who appreciate and support the market, a wish for a peaceful and happy rest from your labours, and for hope and health as we turn towards the light again. It will be a festive market, with extra crafts from some of our vendors and their helpers, and lots of treats to choose from! There will also... Read More
A Welcome Back and a Farewell
Dec 12, 2019
Hello Market Friends: He’s BACK, and there will be olives! Not a week has gone by since Angelos Kapelaris left for Europe without olive and oil seekers asking about his return, and at last, the King of Country Meadows will be in his usual spot once again. Once you have replenished your supply, don’t forget all our other great vendors! Way up near Meaford, the elves at Marvellous Edibles are busy turning out a delicious assortment of treats to go along with their winter vegetables, poultry and greens. Jens has a whole unheated... Read More
The Best Laid Plans
Dec 5, 2019
Hello Market Friends: Sometimes it seems (knock on wood) that the week there is a detailed description of someone’s wonderful food is the one when that vendor gets a flat tire. Call it the curse of the market news, but things like vehicle or power breakdowns, snowstorms or road closures, and sick children, vendors or livestock don’t always cooperate with the news deadline. Thanks for your patience when our list isn’t perfect, and we send the best of luck and our gratitude to our vendors for taking the many challenges of... Read More
In Where it’s Warm
Nov 28, 2019
Hello Market Friends: Last week it was such a pleasure to see Toni Corrado buying provisions at the market for her new kitchen. If you haven’t met Toni, she comes to the market a lot, often with sidewalk chalk to share with kids, and always with a friendly greeting. Toni spent late summer and fall living in the park after giving up on Toronto’s terribly overburdened shelter system, but finally has a place to call home, something no one should have to be without in this country. The rink is flooded in preparation to open for... Read More
Small World
Nov 21, 2019
Hello Market Friends: After many years of weekly market news, we’ve got subscribers in Montreal, Vancouver, Corsica, New York, Stirling, and other national and international destinations, as well as right down the street. Greetings, Earthlings! We’re all in this together. The market is still first and foremost a local one, but we do have some foods from afar, too, brought by vendors with direct connections to their source: Angelos Kapelaris reports a good olive harvest! He’s still in Greece, and the best guess of when... Read More
Ready or Not!
Nov 14, 2019
Hello Market Friends: Depending how you feel about it, we have jumped into winter, or winter has jumped onto us! Last week John (Ionel) and Irina from Bees Universe had to miss the market because they were racing to get their hives ready for the cold, but Irina took a moment to send photos and a note: “It’s a place with only trees and wild where we have these bees, and with the snow, it’s gorgeous!” We’ll be glad to see them with eggs and honey this time. Helga Schulze called to say that Bob at Pine River Organic... Read More
The Market turns 17!
Nov 7, 2019
Hello Market Friends: Happy Birthday to us! This week marks the anniversary of the market at Dufferin Grove. Can you believe we’ve been at it for 17 years? It’s time to celebrate, so inspired baker Leslie Lindsay is making cake for all! We had grand fantasies of a balmy day on the rink, but since checking the forecast, we’ve been figuring out how many vendors you can fit in a Volkswagen. Fortunately the rinkhouse holds more than a Beetle, but there will be vendors both indoors and out. I can’t possibly list all the... Read More