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Weekly Market Notes Library

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Weekly Market Notes for April 03, 2014

Hello Market Friends:

Salad is such a treat at this time of year, when we're all craving the return of GREEN, so I was delighted to get a note from Sandra at Kind Organics announcing new baby salad mix coming in! My favourite lunch right now is a big bowl of any of Kind's mixes, with a sliced carrot, a handful of trail mix, and whatever other salad-worthy items I find about the place. This week, there was the special delicacy of fresh, living basil that Plan B brought in for us from Sleger's greenhouses. Sitting by a sunny window and tasting that makes it possible to believe that spring is really coming.

Here's one thing we won't be seeing this season, as reported by Lucy Sharratt of the Canadian Biotechnology Action Network:

"Your actions are working! Thanks to all your protest, we have kept GM alfalfa off the market this spring! The company Forage Genetics International will not release genetically modified (GM) alfalfa this spring, thanks to farmer and consumer opposition. Your continued protest, culminating in last year’s national Day of Action to Stop GM Alfalfa, has delayed the release of GM alfalfa in Canada."

We often ask you to sign petitions via the news or at the market, and it's encouraging when we can see results of this activism. The fight isn't over on (really stupid and unnecessary) GM alfalfa, but this reprieve allows organic farmers to heave a sigh of relief for now.

I guess bees and butterflies don't sigh, but they sure could use a break from all the "Roundup-Ready" crops out there as well. If you're not familiar with Roundup, it's the herbicide that most genetically modified crops in cultivation are bred to tolerate. It might sound nice in theory to have no weeds to worry about, but there is a terrible price to pay when milkweed and many other wild, pollinator-friendly plants are wiped out. This spring, the market will be a fantastic place to find plants and seeds to make your tiny bit of habitat a haven for pollinators. Stay tuned....

While we're on the subject of bees, stock up on honey when you see John (Ionel) from Bees Universe. He has a tremendous amount of work to do in the coming weeks getting hives ready for spring, and though he'll do his best, he may miss some markets.

Woolerdale Organic Farm will be absent this week, and Blythe of Spade and Spoon will be back.

The List:

• Ali Harris (rotis and fritters, hemp pesto and seeds),
• Bees Universe (honey and bee products),
• Beretta Farms (organic and naturally raised meats),
• Best Baa (cheeses, yogurt, sheep's milk),
• Chocosol (coffee and chocolate),
• Country Meadows (eggs, cheese, olives, oil),
• DeFloured (gluten-free baking),
• Dufferin Park Bakers (wood-fired oven breads, soups,and snacks),
• Field Sparrow (pastured meats),
• Forbes Wild Foods (dried mushrooms, nuts, syrup, preserves)
• Kind Organics (sprouts, kombuchas, teas),
• Plan B Organic Farm (local and imported organic produce),
• Spade & Spoon (jams, pickles, soups),
• Urban Harvest (seeds, body care, soil amendments),
• Ying Ying Soy (tofus and miso).

See you at the market!

Anne Freeman

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