Farmers' Market

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The Farmers' Market: vegetables, fruit, meat, fish, fowl, cheeses, breads, prepared foods, and specialty foods. Mainly organic.

Market Vendors

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Local Marketplace

For a listing of neighbourhood services, see our neighbourhood Marketplace page.

Related websites

Toronto Farmers' Market Network website tfmn.ca

eat-local.ca is a recently launched Toronto project to connect people with local food sources.

Small Farm Canada promotes small-scale farming as a legitimate and viable endeavour.

Local Flavour Plus, Promoting the use of local food

London (England) Farmers' Markets

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About Dufferin Grove Farmers' Market

See the Weekly Market Notes for a summary of the current week's offerings and events at the market.

Every Thursday 3:00-7:00 all year around

Outdoors around the rinkhouse in summer; in and around the rinkhouse in winter.

Location

Click here to view a map. Dufferin Grove Park rink house (875 Dufferin, S of Bloor), across from the Dufferin Mall. The rink house is in the northwest corner of the park, just off Dufferin. The closest subway stop is Dufferin Station (one block north). The Dufferin buses, both northbound and southbound, stop every three minutes right outside the rink house.

Contact

Phone: 416-392-0913 | email market@dufferinpark.ca

Parking

posted February 25, 2007

You are very likely to get a ticket if you park illegally on Dufferin Park Ave., the little street leading into the park. Please obey the signs. Just a short walk away, across from St. Mary's High School on the north side of the park, there are special signs allowing parking on Thursdays for market hours. Please use those spots or other legal ones in the area. See satellite image.

Map of Farms

See our map of farms that come to the Dufferin Grove Farmers' Market.

Email Subscription

Anyone who wants to be on the weekly market notes e-mail list can subscribe here:

For some views of the market, see the Berman Photo Gallery , Pinkus Gallery.

See the Toronto Farmers' Market Network website: tfmn.ca

Latest Market News 2010

Shane Eby’s Nuffield Agricultural Scholarship for 2010 has begun

March 30, 2010

At the beginning of March market farmer Shane Eby of Under Ground Organics headed down to Washington DC and Pennsylvania for the first part of his year long farming scholarship. He sent this account of the experience to share with market readers.

The Nuffield group brought together all the scholars for 2010 for a week long conference addressing the question of how to appropriately work towards feeding a world with a growing population that is estimated to rise towards 9 billion people.

53 farmers from eight countries; Australia, New Zealand, England, Ireland, Scotland, Wales, France, Canada and the United States came together to share and to learn from each other. Almost all the farmers are involved in different forms of agriculture including dairy, poultry, hog, goat and cattle farmers, bee keepers, foresters, greenhouse operators, vegetable growers, cotton farmers and heaps of farmers tending to large field crops of grains and pulses. There were also academics, educators and agricultural policy people involved for the week.

It was a busy and focused week with a very intense schedule. We received lectures from around a dozen world wide agricultural experts that had us discussing everything from climate concerns to world trade and political issues to small scale technology and knowledge transfer.

We were also lucky enough to be able to tour around a dozen farms and farming facilities around Pennsylvania including a large dairy operation that has been developing leading edge technology since the 1970s, a mushroom farm, the biggest compost making facility I’ve ever seen, a horse racing track (no big winners that nite), a manufacturing plant which makes New Holland farm machinery (which made me glad I work in the fields and not in the factory) an Amish farm that was located on Eby Road which is my family name (I can tell you a story about that), and a fruit tree research station where just by coincidence Under Ground Organics happened to buy our fruit trees from several years ago! I was able to learn a few inside tips that should help bring loads of fruit to the markets in the next couple of years – I hope!

The conference was the only time the 2010 Nuffield scholars will be getting together as one group with everyone now out on their own exploring their personal agricultural agenda. The conference was really great for connections for scholarship touring and for future trips away from the farm during the winter months. Actually, I was really happy about our Canadian winters on the trip because I realized that those few precious moments of rest aren’t available to many of the growers from more southern climates – a lot of them don’t get any breaks throughout the year at all.

Next up for is a trip to Wisconsin at the end of April for a technical seminar on Hop growing – that’s the focus for my scholarship. And just in case you didn’t know hops are one of the main ingredients in beer and although I’m not planning on brewing any beer any time soon, I’m hoping to supply some of our local brewers with some of the farm fresh hops that they’d like to be using.

More updates about Shane’s Nuffield Scholarship to come.

U.S. Judge Bans Planting Of Genetically Engineered Beets

By: Dan Levine
Published: 16-Aug-10
Source: reuters

A federal judge on Friday banned the planting of genetically modified sugar beets engineered by Monsanto Co in a ruling that marks a major setback for the biotech giant.

U.S. District Judge Jeffrey White ruled in 2009 that the U.S. Department of Agriculture had approved Monsanto's genetically modified sugar beets without adequate environmental study.

Sugar beets account for over half of the nation's sugar supply. But conventional sugar beet seeds remain widely available and environmentalists filing suit said the judge's decision should not significantly affect sugar production.

White's decision on Friday to impose the ban did not apply to crops already planted or harvested. It stems from a lawsuit brought by environmentalists over Monsanto sugar beets engineered to be resistant to the weed-killer Roundup. Read more >>

posted on July 19, 2010

Homemade foods for sale? 2 bills to OK it today

By: CHRISTINA HALL
Published: July 12, 2010
Source: FREE PRESS STAFF WRITER

Do you get raving reviews from teachers and other parents about that homemade cake you provided for the school bake sale?

Are family and friends who have tasted your raspberry jam always asking when you are going to make some more?

You might want to consider selling your homemade goods for profit.

This afternoon, Gov. Jennifer Granholm is to sign into law two cottage food operation bills that will allow individuals to make or package certain foods in their kitchens instead of having to use a commercial food operation as they do now.

Read more >>

posted on June 28, 2010

Milk: Processed to Death?

The U.S. dairy industry is pasteurizing the life out of the milk supply, says one engineer turned 'dairy evangelist.' Could Snowville Creamery's minimal processing approach hold the key to reversing the white stuff's 30-year market decline?

By: Bob Sperber
Published: 05/21/2010
Source: www.foodprocessing.com

You wouldn't drop an extra couple ounces of breakfast cereal into each box just to make sure you meet the minimum package weight. You wouldn't set a filler to give away six extra ounces of milk with every gallon. So why are dairy plants pasteurizing milk far in excess of sterilization requirements, in the process wasting energy and degrading the taste of the finished product?

So asks Warren Taylor, a process engineer turned self-proclaimed "dairy evangelist" preaching the gospel of minimal processing. His small Snowville Creamery in Pomeroy, Ohio, pasteurizes milk at 165°F for less than 20 seconds, far below what conventional dairies do but safely above the FDA's Grade A Pasteurized Milk Ordinance (PMO) minimum requirement of 161°F for 15 seconds.

Why?

Read more >>

A Taste of the Market -- Every Week

posted February 2, 2010

Hungry? There's always a bit of food to try or snack on at the market. Menus vary according to the season, but here are some examples:

Venison kofta from Deer Valley
Sweet or Savoury Crepes or burritos from Clement's Crepes
Sandwiches and Rotis from Fish Shak
Ice Cream cones from Best Baa
Park oven focaccia and cinnamon buns
Hot dogs and tofu dogs
Hearty soups and salads with slices of park bread
Treats from Alli's Bakery including samosas, sugar-free cookies, and spicy buns
Chocolate drinks from Chocosol

See the Tasting Fair Photo Gallery.

Vendor Listing

Akiwenzie's Fish: Andrew and Natasha Akiwenzie bring fresh & Smoked Georgian Bay Fish. They have a blog to keep you up to date on fishing conditions and what's new: akiwenziesfish.blogspot.com Contact: Phone:

Alli's: Organic breads include Sweet Potato, 5-Grain, Potato-Rosemary and Foccacia. Gluten-free products and small edibles, including Jalapeno Screamers, are also available. See Alli's vendor notebook entry Contact: Phone: | Email: allifreshbaked@bellnet.ca

Bees Universe : John and Irina Alecu keep bees in 10 different yards close to wild flower fields and conservation areas, between Toronto and Barrie. They sell honey, honey comb, bee pollen, propolis (raw and tincture), fresh frozen royal jelly, beeswax candles and also live bees. See the vendor notebook entry

Contact: Phone: | Email: office@beesuniverse.com | Website: www.beesuniverse.com

Beretta Organics (certified organic): Mike and Cynthia Beretta farm in King township, an hour north of Toronto. They bring beef, pork, turkey, chicken and deli items to the market. Pre-orders are accepted up to 1:00 Tuesday. See the vendor notebook entry

Contact: Phone: | Website: www.berettaorganics.com | This month's order form: Order Form

Bestbaa Farm: Peter and Nicole Bzikot offer Plain Yogourt, Maple Yogourt, Feta, Ramembert, Brebettes, Eweda & other cheeses, of course all from sheep milk. Lamb, too. Best Baa will also be scooping many flavours of sheep's milk ice cream throughout the summer.

Contact: Phone: |Email: Nicole at nicole.bestbaa@hotmail.com

ChocoSol : Michael Sacco and Mathieu are horizontal traders and chocolatiers, who bring cacao beans, coffee and more from Oaxaca. See the vendor notebook entry

Contact: Phone: | Website: www.chocosoltraders.com | Email: Michael Sacco at chocosol01@yahoo.ca

Clement's Crepes : Tim Clément's crépes are hand-spun with organic whole wheat flour, organic free-range eggs, whole milk, sea salt, and ingredients from the market farmers. Both sweet and savoury crépes are served piping hot, with ever-changing seasonal fruit and vegetable fillings, and now there are burritos, too.

Contact: Email: Tim Clement of Clement's Crepes tmaclement@gmail.com

Country Meadows Gardens (certified organic): Angelos Kapelaris grows heirloom tomatoes, keeps laying hens, presses goat cheese, and brings olives and oil from his family's farm in Greece. See the vendor notebook entry and a Picture Gallery >>

Contact: Phone: | Website: www.countrymeadowsorganics.com

Deer Valley (Venison) Farm: a family-operated farm surrounded by Grand River Conservation Authority, in Amaranth Township, Ontario. Irene and Tony Taylor's red deer are free to roam year-round where they graze on organic pastures seasonally. In winter they are fed hay, grain & minerals. No genetically modified organisms, chemicals or growth promoters are used in rearing the animals or on the land. They offer a variety of venison cuts including breakfast & bbq sausages, and grill koftas at the market.

Contact: Email: dvf@venison.ca (including special orders) | Website: www.venison.ca See the vendor notebook entry

deFloured: Krista Tobias and Chris Brown make 100% gluten-free galettes, loaves, quiches, cookies and brownies that are delicious enough for everyone, featuring a seasonal selection of local and mainly organic ingredients. Contact: deFloured@gmail.com

Dufferin Grove Bakers community oven bread: (not certified: all flour and seeds and grains are certified organic but the oven is not certified). Breads include: grapeskin-sourdough, rye sourdough, Italian rosemary, Italian olive, artisan 6-grain, artisan pumpkinseed-sesame, raisin and others, along with cinnamon buns and pizzas with market toppings.

Contact: To contact the bakers: dufferinpark@dufferinpark.ca

Earthly Paradise:(Fall and Winter) Each plant used in earthly Paradise's products is organically grown by us or sourced from ethical companies that share our vision of a beautiful and bountiful planet. Nourish your skin and your spirit with our products: Creams, Salves, Products for the Face, Teas. Contact Colette Murphy.

Contact: Phone: 416-504-1653 | Email: earthlyparadise@ca.inter.net | Website: www.earthlyparadise.ca

Feast of Fields Farm: near Jordan ON, Demeter-certified since 1996, and now also Local Flavour Plus certified. Laura Sabourin grows grapes, pears, peaches, raspberries, and blackberries. She also makes grape juice and preserves.

Contact: Website: www.feast-of-fields.ca

Fish Shak: Alli Harris makes wild fish sandwiches and rotis, using many of farmer Ted Thorpe's vegetables throughout the summer. He also blends fresh and healthy juices and other cold drinks.

Contact: Phone: 647-884-7425

Forbes Wild Foods: (natural wild foods from Canadian sources) -- Jonathan Forbes offers dried wild mushrooms, wild rice, maple sugar, preserved wild foods, jams, mustards, chestnut flour, and more.

Contact: Website: www.wildfoods.ca

Fun Guy Farms: Bruno Pretti and Paula Vopni are mushroom growers. They have many varieties of fresh mushrooms including shiitake and oyster, as well as mushroom pesto, crackers and Kombucha beverage. All their mushrooms grow on or are cultivated on wood, never on composted animal manures. Contact: Phone: 416-402-9755/416-963-5521 | Email:office@mycosource.com | Website: www.mycosource.com.

Greenfields Farms (certified organic): Lorenz Eppinger has a farm near Guelph which includes a 25-acre market garden. The farm also includes ecologically protected areas and is Local Food Plus certified. In addition to their own produce, Greenfields works with Pfennings, a local, farm-based distributor, to supply the winter market with a selection of imports and produce from other regional farms. See the vendor notebook entry

Contact: To place a special order, Email: greenfields@interhop.net. | Website: www.greenfieldsfarm.ca

Growing Spaces is owned and operated by Blythe Weber and Adam Smith. Blythe grew up farming with her family near Ayton. The farm is a mixed operation, currently in transition to organic certification. They grow vegetables and fruits on the farm to make the many varieties of chutneys, pickles, jams and other preserves which they bring to the market. Blythe and Adam also help urban dwellers create edible gardens in Toronto.

Contact: Email:info@growingspaces.ca. | Website: www.growingspaces.ca

Kind Organics: Tamas Dombi, Sandra Dombi and Amber Malek are partners in the co-creation of Kind Organics, originally formed in the year 1999 as a Demeter Certified Bio-Dynamic/Organic Farm in King Township. They are now located 40 minutes north of Toronto in the Holland Marsh. Kind Organics uses organic farming techniques only and is moving towards bio-dynamic farming. They grow Salad Blends, Sprouts, Wheat Grass, Micro Greens, Fine Culinary Herbs, Edible Flowers and various kinds of Baby Greens. Contact: Phone: 416-992-1444 | Email:kindorganics@gmail.com | Website and blog signup: www.kindorganics.ca

(Colette) Murphy: Spring and Summer, see Urban Harvest. Fall and Winter, see Earthly Paradise

Contact: Phone: 416-504-1653 | Email: earthlyparadise@ca.inter.net | Websites: www.uharvest.ca, www.earthlyparadise.ca.

Niagara Lavender Farms: Debbie Wiecha is a third-generation fruit farmer who produces a wide variety of tender tree fruits, berries, and lavender. Most crops are certified organic; some peaches are low-spray. Contact: Phone: 905-468-7482 | Email: mailto:niagaralavender@hotmail.com

Nujima Living Foods: Purveyor of living, raw, functional foods from Ontario and around the world. Current selection includes, Organic cold pressed extra virgin coconut oil, Raw wild Agave nectar, Raw organic cocoa seeds (raw chocolate), Raw one of a kind freeze dried Organic shredded coconut (with no sulphites), coconut milk, and Water and Raw and roasted chicory (a pre-biotic). Call or email the owner James with questions or to receive info on these health products.

Contact: Phone: 416-761-5111 | Email: info@nujima.com

Pine River Organic Farm: Bob Felhazi has a large asparagus planting, greenhouses, raspberries, and many varieties of certified organic vegetables on his farm near Alliston. His helper Helga represents him at the market. Contact: Phone: 705-424-0917

Plan B Organics: in West Flamborough, ON. Melanie Golba and brothers Alvaro and Rodrigo Venturelli have a fifty-acre farm of which 18 -20 acres are used to grow mixed organic vegetables to supply their CSA and markets. Another part of their land is a reforestation project. See the vendor notebook entry

Contact: Phone: 905-659-2572 | Email: planbof@execulink.com | Website: www.planborganicfarms.ca

Sosnickis Organic Produce, Waterford, ON (south of Brantford): Ben and Jessie Sosnicki grow certified organic wheat, cabbages, corn, potatoes, tomatoes, and more. Jessie's family is Ukrainian and Ben's is Polish, so they also sell sauerkraut, perogies, cabbage rolls, and tomato sauce, made with their certified produce. Visit their blog for regular news from the farm: sosnickiorganicproduce.blogspot.com

See the vendor notebook entry | See the picture gallery from June, 2004>> | See the picture gallery from September, 2004>>

Contact: Phone: 519-443-5903 | Email: jb@sosnickiorganics.com | Website: www.sosnickiorganics.com

Thorpe's Organic Produce: near Millgrove, ON. Ted Thorpe, a fourth-generation Ontario vegetable-farmer, has a 32 acre-farm, of which 20 acres is a market garden. He grows all kinds of vegetables and herbs.

See the vendor notebook entry

Contact: Phone: 905-689-2114.

Under Ground Organics: Shane Eby, Julia Hitchcock and Dan Riegler grow many herbs and over 100 varieties of cutflowers, from spectacular spring tulips through lupines, foxgloves, sunflowers and others. Great vegetables, too!

Contact: Phone: 905-659-6267 | Email: ugo@gofairtrade.net | Website: www.undergroundorganics.net

Urban Harvest:(Spring and Summer) Urban Harvest is dedicated to providing its customers with seedlings and garden supplies that promote ecological diversity and preserve the health of our planet. Our plant seeds and garden supplies are specially chosen for their qualities by seasoned urban gardeners. All of our seedlings are grown in or near the greater Toronto area to support our local economy. Contact Colette Murphy.

Contact: Phone: 416-504-1653 | Email: earthlyparadise@ca.inter.net | Website: www.uharvest.ca

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