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Weekly Market Notes Library

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Weekly Market Notes for April 14, 2011

Hello Market Friends:

I just got back from a full day spent with market organizers from throughout the region, and found some correspondence to share with you from vendors at my Very Favourite Farmers' Market. We're not the newest/oldest/biggest or fanciest, but we hope you enjoy the friendly habit of coming to market, sharing a connection with the good people who grow and prepare food for Dufferin Grove throughout the seasons, and being a part of their success.
Several of this week's messages mention FLOWERS (hurray!) and we have a rare spring specialty to feature, salsify. Here's the news:

Blythe Weber of Growing Spaces has been working with local greenhouse growers Andria and Jeremy Braun and will be bringing some of their beautiful pansies (grown chemical-free) for the next couple of weeks. She should have a variety of colours, and will be selling them in 4 packs, trays, and a few decorative baskets. These little beauties are tough enough to go right into your garden or containers.

Shane Eby (back from winter adventures learning about organic hops production in New Zealand) will keep us posted as the tulips and daffodils come along at Under Ground Organics and bring us bunches the moment they're ready. Something to look forward to!

"Just as the last few stubborn patches of snow have melted at the farm, the garlic greens are pushing through the mulch, the first field is being cultivated and the transplants are growing in the greenhouse. Greenfields is a busy place again. Carrots are done but freshly dug Sunchokes and bunches of just harvested Salsify are taking their place. Also still lots of Beets, Parsnips, Black Radishes and Celeriac. To brighten things up we'll also be bringing a bucket of flowering Forsythia branches." Lorenz Eppinger

Editor's note: I thought about inserting salsify cooking instructions here, but found the very British Hugh Fearnley-Whittingsall's recipes for salsify and related veg so edifying, and the prose so entertaining, that I'll just direct you to this site: http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2010/jan/09/salsify-recipes-hugh-fearnley-whittingstall

From Kind Organics: "We will have limited quantities of Kale and Hearty Salad Blend (arrive early!) and lots of microgreens, micro kale and micro broccoli." Sandra Dambi

One (temporary) disappointment, on the fishing front:

"We really had hoped to be down but the winds are to pick up and continue for a few days. So delayed yet again. Andrew is finishing the last few things that needed doing on the boat and I have just finished cleaning and preparing the main processing area. We are so close but feel yet so far. We will be down sooner than later I hope. I hope market is nice with the change in weather." Natasha and Andrew Akiwenzie

Sosnickis' Farm update: "What a busy but awesome time of year!! The paperwork is all sent in. Along with having our vegetables, grains & greenhouses certified we are also getting all our food certified along with chickens, eggs & Berkshire pigs! We're growing our own chicken feed and using our own spelt wheat for flour to create the perogies come fall! The farm is coming together full circle now. 2 of the 3 greenhouses are packed with beautiful plants (herbs, veg, edible flowers!) and we are busily shredding our horse compost to till into greenhouse #1 where our heirloom tomatoes will be rooting down shortly. We are unable to offer our compost for gardens this year as we need it all to amend this newly rotated 'covered field'. Next year we'll have it available again! Greenhouse #3 is now a sea of green radishes growing awesome in this cooler weather. Field work is a tad slow but this gives us time to do barn and building repairs and upgrades. And I still managed to squeak in time to make Ukrainian Easter Eggs!! We miss all the fellow vendors and the food and hope to be back as soon as feasibly possible for us to make the trip in!" Jessie and Ben

Spring delights ahead,

See you at the market!

Anne Freeman

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