Dear market friends,

From Mark of Greenfields:

"Fresh herbs coming to market this week are Basil, Cilantro, dill and both Italian and Curly Parsley. All three varieties of Beets are looking great (Red, Golden and Candy Cane). Yellow Beans and Green Beans are a good price this week, Lots of tasty and firm Green and Yellow Zucchini available. Fresh Garlic is always a treat, and the first of our Eggplant will be there. Greens are looking good, Red and Rainbow Chard, lots of Green and Savoy Cabbage and yes our freshly picked Lettuce mix is back. In the Fruit aisle we will have our first Watermelons, looking extremely mouthwatering, as well as Braeburn Apples, Valencia Oranges, Ruby Red Grapefruit, Lemons, Bananas and Grapes."

From Jessie Sosnicki:

"Ben's coming tomorrow with his first load of Sweet Corn & New Potatoes (whites & golds)! These crops have turned out spectacular this year, and there will be lots, lots, lots!! Also coming are more carrots (the first patch is soon to be finished), beets, big sweet spanish onions, field pickles and slicing cucumbers, zuchinni, broccoli & tomatoes (slicing and some roma). Our spelt has been combined now, straw has been bailed, irrigation continues, weeding never ends! See everyone at market!"

The others don't write. But now we're at the peak of a very fine farming year, and the market will no doubt be overflowing with all good things. If we're lucky it will rain a bit during the market to cool everyone off. And even you're too hot to eat, remember the temperature's going down again on Friday (to a chilly 28) so you'll need some food in your larder for those cooler days when hunger will return.

Friday Night supper will be plentiful as it was last week, and will include Dan Malloy's steak/wild boar pies and more collard greens (we hope) from Alvaro at Plan B. Eating those beautiful dark greens MUST help with the heat.

The food cart will be well stocked all weekend, with any Friday night supper leftovers going to the cobbers by the wading pool (there have been plenty of people trampling clay and straw into bricks, but don't worry, they can always accomodate more). www.dufferinpark.ca/cobcourtyard

For this week only, the smaller food cart will also be out in the park -- at the Dufferin Groove concert that's down in the Garrison Creek hollow on Saturday afternoon and evening (because the sound of those electric guitars doesn't spread all over the park from the hollow). Dufferin Groove is the yearly concert put on by our regular Monday night shinny hockey players from the winter -- many of them are also musicians. This is the fourth year. So this weekend at the park -- sunshine, music, farmers' market food, cobbing -- aah, summertime.

See you at the market!

Market web page:www.dufferinpark.ca/market

Park phone number: 416 392-0913.