Silk Tea and Tin Sandwiches
Sep 21, 2017
Approximately 11 harmonica players from down Dunville way will be entertaining us, and a keen team of urban fruit pickers from Not Far from the Tree will be offering a cider-pressing demo, and that’s just a start on this week’s market. We’ll also have a visit from GreenPAC, a non-partisan group that is working to build environmental leadership in politics, and most importantly, a spectacular selection of local organic food. We are savouring every minute of these sunny market days! A lot of happy people will be going home... Read More
Organic Week News
Sep 14, 2017
Happy Organic Week! And it’s a beauty! Sosnicki Organic Produce will have the first of their corn, with peak hitting next time! Are you wondering why we don’t have piles of corn all summer long? Good question for an Organic Week answer! First of all, you can’t plant corn early unless the seeds are treated with fungicide to prevent them from rotting in the cold ground, so organic corn is always a later crop. Second, corn is a heavy feeder. To keep their soil fertility strong, organic growers have to practice careful crop... Read More
We can fix that! September 7th Market News
Sep 7, 2017
We hope you can join us for the first market of September, and our first-ever Dufferin Grove Repair Café! While the farmers and vendors roll in, a squad of volunteer ‘fixers’ will be preparing to swing into action on the rinkpad, so as well as a hearty appetite, you’re invited to bring along something in need of repair. There will be stations for clothing, bikes, small appliances, computers and more. We’re hoping the weather will be fine, but if the skies open, we’ll have to shut things down. How can you plan... Read More
An Extra Sweet Market, August 31st
Aug 30, 2017
August is such a sweet month that we’re squeezing in a fifth market. It’s a good day to savour, before September routines take over, and it promises to be one of the most delicious markets of the year. Don’t miss the final sweet harvest of Niagara Lavender Farm peaches! Debbie says they taste wonderful, and she is her own toughest critic! It’s another busy week for the team at Sosnicki Organic Produce: Roma tomatoes, three types of zucchini, lots of Red Bell, Shepherd, and Jalapeno peppers and eggplants galore are on... Read More
Still in the Game
Aug 24, 2017
There have been weeks this year when our market vendors may have felt like they accidentally enrolled in one of those ‘extreme challenge’ competitions that are so weirdly popular. Racing against blight in tomato and cucumber fields, attempting to roll huge loads through a construction zone obstacle course, and selling food in torrential rain are some of the events. So far, nobody has yelled ‘I give up’, and we’re all hoping for some easy, breezy market days ahead! There’s plenty of good cheer in the... Read More
August Abundance
Aug 17, 2017
Our growers are bringing bunches, bags or baskets of pretty much everything that grows in this province, and our cooks are preparing sensational summer food. Sink your teeth into all the flavours of August, it’s delicious. Here’s a little news: From Jenny at Knuckle Down Farm: “We have lots and lots of carrots this week, bunched and loose as well as more of those giant beet bunches. There will also be lots of arugula and some spicy salad mix; remember to bring your own bag and help us make bulk greens a market staple! The... Read More
Mini-News for a Mega-Market Week
Aug 10, 2017
I’ve flown the coop for a week, but I’m sending a news brief to help you plan market-inspired menus. Kevin Hamilton is testing the weight-bearing capacity of market tables these days with his weekly piles of produce from Shared Harvest, and look at this list from Wolf Chrapko of Everdale: Basil, beans, bunched beets, rainbow carrots, orange carrots, rainbow chard, cilantro, dill, tart green grapes, bunched kale, lemon balm, head lettuce, mint, green onions, red fresh onion bunches, yellow fresh onion bunches, parsley, radish,... Read More
Small and Mighty
Aug 3, 2017
LATE-BREAKING NEWS: Forbes Wild Foods is bringing wild blueberries! If we tried to provide a full list of the foods coming to market, we’d almost certainly miss a few. Every year, our growers try planting varieties of produce that they’ve never grown before, adding new flavours, and learning about variations in drought or blight-resistance, beauty, yield, and popularity. Small-scale farms such as those that come to Dufferin actually tend to grow more varieties of produce than jumbo ones. While government supports such as crop... Read More
Make Hay When?
Jul 27, 2017
On the country road where I grew up, we expected to hear our neighbours’ tractors at all hours during haying season, as they cut, baled and hauled a winter’s worth for their dairy herd. Last year, in the drought, the road was ominously quiet. This year there has been more than enough growth, but the road has been quiet an awful lot again. Over 9 cm of rain landed in parts of Ontario this week, continuing a season when windows of opportunity to get on the fields have been few and far between. In the city the supermarkets are full... Read More
Linger Longer
Jul 20, 2017
Thursdays at Dufferin Grove are so lovely and lively at this time of year that you may want to plan an extended visit. We suggest arriving in good time to scoop up market treasures such as Niagara Lavender Farm‘s first peaches, which will be making their debut. Then you can do the full circuit to load up on everything else you want to eat for the week. Kids can lounge happily in the StoryTent, and there will be music to enjoy and special info-tables. We’ve got lots to choose from for dinner in the park, and Clay and Paper Theatre... Read More