*Green Day at the Market*

*Green Day at the Market*

We’re looking forward to a superb spring market, and with weather so lovely, the vendors can’t bear to stay indoors. Calls have been coming in to check if we are ‘all out’, and the answer is ‘at least almost’! We’ll have signs up at the market, but be sure to have a good look around to find all the food!

The world outside our doors is getting leafier by the moment, and the surge of spring energy is amazing to observe. It’s wonderful to devour, too! The farmers are bringing in so many kinds of greens that you could try a different selection every day of the week. And so you should; these foods are just what a body needs for spring cleaning and renewal.
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We’ve got sweet pea shoots, spicy mustard and radish greens, tender baby lettuces, deliciously bitter young dandelion leaves, smoky arugula, and wonderful salad blends. We’ve also got excellent accompaniments from other market vendors. Once you’ve piled your favourite plate high with salad, how about adding one or all of these?
  • a handful of toasted nuts,
  • a slice of honeycomb,
  • a piece of sheep’s cheese,
  • a sprinkling of fresh chopped herbs,
  • a spoonful of chutney
  • a few baby radishes

Whatever you choose, be sure to stand back and admire your composition before diving in.

News from Knuckle Down Farm: “We will be back this week and excited to be bringing some rhubarb from our just a little too big to eat it all ourselves rhubarb patch! We will also have spring greens and red radishes. Thanks to everyone for being so enthusiastic about our bagless greens, we encourage everyone to bring their favourite container and fill it up.” Jenny, Peter and Ernest

I spoke too soon last time. The asparagus is a little slower than expected, so Woolerdale is waiting a week to come in to market, and Pine River isn’t able to attend either. In better news, Spade & Spoon will be back, and coming every week now.

The Sosnicki Organic Produce contribution: “We are speeding right along here and a lot of field work, planting and weeding is getting done! Straw on strawberries completed, peas cultivated, etc etc! For Dufferin we are bringing: more of those awesome Ostergruss Radish, fresh Field Kale, Salad Mix galore, beautiful Bok Choy, our storage Carrots and Potatoes. Enjoy our spring harvest! Next week look for Beets and White Turnips!” Jess, Ben & crew  

The extra space outside will mean that Urban Harvest can bring lots of plants, a nice bonus for gardeners.

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A note from the Akiwenzies: “Smoker is on and the winds sound promising. We should be down for sure.” The delicious, top-quality fish Andrew brings is a great feature of the market, and Andrew himself is, too! Over the years he has been coming, there have been many, many times he has come to the aid of other vendors. Last week, when Jackson Kennedy‘s vehicle mysteriously broke down midway through setting up for his first day back, there was some understandable stress in the air. I called on Andrew, who diagnosed the problem and fixed it, restoring the usual good mood around the JK Fries stand in time to get ready for customers. Thank you Andrew! We are very fortunate.

See you at the market!
Anne Freeman

These are the vendors we expect for May 12th:

Akiwenzies  
Ali Harris
Bees Universe
Best Baa
ChocoSol
Country Meadows
Culture City
DeFloured
Dufferin Park Bakers

Earth & City
Floralora Flowers
Forbes Wild Foods
JK Fries
Kind Organics
Knuckle Down Farm
Marvellous Edibles
Plan B
Southbrook Vineyards
Sosnicki Organic Produce
Spade & Spoon
Tapioca Gourmet
Urban Harvest
Ying Ying Soy Food

*Apologies to fans of the band; THAT Green Day wasn’t available this week!