Singing in the Heat
Jul 5, 2020
Hello Market Friends: In honour of the exciting produce coming in this week, I have composed a special song (almost certain to be a one-hit wonder on Heat Wave Records). It is meant to be sung to your own tune, at top volume (mask and clothing optional, depending on location). Veggie Medley There’s no peas like snow peas We all clap for sugar snaps, There’s no telling how good shelling peas are….. Holler for collards, Try hard to buy chard and make your escape with some great garlic scapes! Cherries are sweet But don’t... Read More
Canadian Summer
Jun 28, 2020
Hello Market Friends: I felt confused when I came across a huge holiday crossword puzzle in the weekend paper. Holiday? OH, right, it’s almost Canada Day! To us, that means it’s time to plan a local feast! For everyone who has been longing for full-on summer foods, the wait is coming to an end. Local menus are becoming more and more varied, as spring plantings mature and come to the market. We invite you to send us photographs of your favourite local meals! You don’t need a calendar to tell you it’s summer when Ted... Read More
First Official Summer News
Jun 21, 2020
Hello Market Friends: Happy Father’s Day to all the Dads out there, and Happy Solstice Everyone! Hope you did something special for the longest day of this history-altering year. One of the plans on my list this weekend is making strawberry jam. I will let you in on my secret recipe (see below), but it’s no secret that we have the best strawberries in the land for sale right now, thanks to our stellar growers! Get lots, they won’t be around for long. Several people have written to ask if we are opening in the park soon. The... Read More
Something Neat and New and Weird
Jun 13, 2020
Howdy market friends, I think there’s something neat and new and weird going on here. There are other farmers’ markets, and other places to find local food on the web, but I can’t think of another “online” market quite like this one. Maybe it’s a collection of nitty gritty details coming together that makes our Dufferin Grove Farmers’ Market web store a unique sum of its parts. And parsley. Details like: a system that lets you shop for veggies that are still in the ground and bread that hasn’t been baked yet solid plans and practices that... Read More
A Day at the Depot
Jun 7, 2020
Hello Market Friends: After sending out orders for two months now, we have really hit our stride. We have a truly fantastic team of people working together, and this week I want to take you behind the scenes so you know more about what goes into getting market orders out to you. Here’s how it works: Everything begins with Peter Wills, who has worked uncountable hours to create (and continuously enhance) our handsome website. Each week, he adds any new vendors, and all the producers send Peter updates of what they will have available in... Read More
No Fiddleheads, but Plenty of Tales
May 31, 2020
Hello Market Friends: Over the years, many people have suggested that there should be a compilation of Dufferin market stories, including tales of happiness and woe from the farms, accounts of the small dramas that unfold behind the scenes and the unpredictable things that happen during market hours, and especially portraits of the many characters that make up our cast of customers, vendors, staff and volunteers. If there were such a book, last week would provide material for a fat chapter! We were all set up to offer replacements for the... Read More
Spring Celebration News
May 24, 2020
Hello Market Friends: Maybe your home is better organized than ours. We haven’t gotten round to packing away our woolies yet, and now we’re searching for our shorts. In classic Toronto style, a week after griping about the cold, we are starting to complain that it’s too hot. But let’s pause to celebrate this glorious time of year. Have the blossoms ever been more beautiful? And the lean season for local food is officially over! Among many new items coming in from our producers, Liz Foers of Essa Seedlings is offering... Read More
Market News for the week of May 21st
May 17, 2020
Hello Market Friends: Finally, some warmth! The recent frost may have damaged some fruit and berry blossoms. We are holding out hope that these crops have not been harmed too much, but it may be a while before growers can fully assess the impact of the crazy weather we had last week. Although Bob Felhazi up at Pine River is always telling me tales of the cold winds that blow down the Alliston plain, he says he will have the first asparagus this week, and fiddleheads, too!! Now don’t all rush to order at once; the site can’t always... Read More
M-m-m-MAY?
May 11, 2020
Hello Market Friends: Before writing this to you, I took a look at Environment Canada’s weather site, and decided to tell you that the good news is….NO SNOW in the Toronto forecast AFTER TODAY! How’s that for putting a positive spin on this chilly stretch? Farmers report that their early plantings are very slow to grow, the first asparagus was bitten off by frost, and fiddleheads are buried under the white stuff. If there ever was a year to test everyone’s patience, it has to be this one. However, when things do warm... Read More
Sharing Sad News
May 3, 2020
Dear Market Friends, We are sharing this message composed by Lauren Baker: On April 25, 2020, Pablo Reilly unexpectedly died, leaving behind his mother, Colette Murphy. Many of us know Colette and Pablo through Urban Harvest, Colette’s incredible company that provides so many of us with the heirloom seeds and seedlings that enrich our gardens, balconies, and lives. Colette has been a devoted and passionate member of our farmers’ market communities for so long, and Pablo was with her every step of the way. A few of us have set up a GoFundMe... Read More