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Weekly Market Notes Library

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Weekly Market Notes for April 27, 2006

Hello Market Friends,

In the news...a mysterious ginger delivery man,a kitchen thief alert,and more...read on for the details.

The weather is tempting more and more vendors to move outside, but a few are still indoors, so be sure to do the whole circuit in, out, and around the buildings; the gang will all be there.

Ben Sosnicki beat last week's rain to get lots of lettuce planted(the better for us to enjoy soon)and should be back with potatoes again.

From Greenfields:

"You'll find lots of our regular offerings this week. Local veggies include Baby Bok Choy, Shiitake and Button Mushrooms, Green Onions and Sunchokes for your stir fry. Lots more local Spinach, Watercress, and Asparagus is almost ready with the first few spears coming out of the ground today. We also just cut the first of the Chives. Hawaiian Ginger from Organic Biker Dude arrived along with his "comic flyer" addressed to president Bush ! (Ask Kaidy)." BC English Cucumbers are on special.

From Berettas':

"This is the last market for the great April specials. We will be sampling again tomorrow. The smells get everyone hungry. See you there", Mary Lou

From Irene of Deer Valley Farm:

We still have a great selection of fresh (aged) cuts of Deer Valley Venison available for Thursday, April 27th. If you are hungry while at the market…try a venison burger on a freshly baked bun or take home (frozen) 100% pure venison burgers, seasoned burgers, mini meatballs, breakfast sausages or venison chili. We also have Elk Velvet Antler & pure Emu Oil available. order@venison.ca | www.venison.ca

From Irene's daughters Sarah & Shania:

How fortunate we are to have clean drinking water so readily available. Not everyone in the world has this basic need met adequately. There are children in countries like Africa that have to walk for miles just to retrieve water for their villages…like the Masai Mara Village in Kenya. At this time they are also experiencing a drought. We thought it would be appropriate to add bottled water to the fundraising efforts to build a well for this village. So…the next time you get thirsty at the market…drop by our table for a drink of water or fresh-pressed apple cider and maybe even an oatmeal cookie.

To read more about Adopt a Village Kenya, go to: www.freethechildren.com/youthzone/campaigns/images/AAV/adoptavillage_kenya.ppt

Another web address, for Mojdeh Sham's great organic take-out food right in the centre of town: (www.camrosorganicfoods.com)

From Jutta:

"Now that spring is here, the birds have returned to the park, but that's not all. When the seasons change, we sometimes get an opportunist with sticky fingers sampling public space -- i.e. a thief who's returned at the same time as the birds. After last Thursday's market, the park's valuable bread scale vanished -- probably someone came into the garage kitchen when no one was looking. And today, a Stonehenge Farms duck breast was cooling on a table inside the rink house, after being roasted in the wood oven --and the next time we looked, the duck breast was gone! So the thief has good instincts for delicious food. In case he or she also has good instincts for your wallet, be a little more careful at the market this week."

I will be away next market day, attending a gathering hosted by Project for Public Spaces in Los Angeles for Farmers' Market Network organizers, along with Foodshare's Jennifer Reynolds. Foodshare is embarking on a project to find more successful ways to get fresh, local produce into communities that need it and to strengthen the network of markets around the city, and I've been asked to participate. Dufferin Grove to Hollywood, you say? Well, not quite, but it should be very interesting. I'm really looking forward to seeing some of L.A.'s famous markets as part of the event.

From the number of inquiries these days, it seems like everybody wants a farmers' market in their neighbourhood here, too! Toronto's future needs to include more strong markets, but there are some challenges in putting all the pieces together. The combination of terrific farmers, great food, and community enthusiasm that we have at Dufferin Grove is something to treasure.

Come enjoy spring at the market!

Anne

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