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Weekly Market Notes Library

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Weekly Market Notes for February 12, 2009

Hello Market Friends:

At our house we've been enjoying menus based on storage vegetables (roasted root veggies, stews with delicious mashed potatoes, long-simmered soups, great cole slaw and other winter salads, perogies with caramelized onions...) but also appreciating some refreshing tender greens and the variety of fruits and veggies provided by Greenfields and Plan B from local and non-local sources. For anyone who has started coming to market recently, a mention of how we get through the winter at Dufferin:

The farmers' own produce always comes first. We want to build as strong and direct a local supply as possible, but that does run short, so we rely on growers (and only growers) to bring in additional organic produce to keep us healthy and happy through this stretch. They look for local choices whenever possible, and add items from farther away to keep the selection broad enough that you can still depend on the market as your main place to buy fresh food. We want to encourage our customers to remember the importance of winter support for local farmers (who have year-round bills to pay like the rest of us), and to hang onto the market habit all year. The growers are already thinking spring, and will be bringing the earliest harvests they can urge out of the ground. In the meantime, along with the fruits and vegetables, local cheeses and meat, sprouts, honey, bread and all the other good things from our producers will keep you strong.

Here's the news from the vendors:

Chocosol has a Valentine's Special for the Sunshine of Your Life: sunbars (the big ones!) for $10, vanilla, chili or dark chocolate.

For some spicy along with your sweet, check out Flying Fish Shak's hot sauce and tasty hemp-based pesto, too.

"A great selection of produce at Greenfields stand this week. Local veggies available are Red Beets, Carrots, Red Onions, Parsnips, Potatoes, Rutabaga, Winter Squash and Greenfields-grown Celeriac and Sunchokes. Try a nice raw salad this week: mix together grated Beets, Celeriac and Apple. Toss with some nice Olive oil, Lemon juice, salt & pepper, ready to eat! Other fresh produce will be Broccoli, Cauliflower (made a great curried Cauliflower soup the other night), Celery, Red Chard, Garlic, Ginger, Black & Green Kale, Red Leaf & Romaine Lettuce, Parsley, Red Peppers, Spinach and Sweet Potatoes. Get some good sugar in ya with some fruit: Ambrosia & Pink Lady Apples, Avocado, Grapefruit, Lemons, Banana, Anjou Pear and Navel Oranges (particularly nice this week). Always fun at Dufferin Grove." Mark

Late-changing news: Colette (Urban Harvest) has had to cancel for this week, but will be bringing her seeds next week. Time to start dreaming of the beautiful things you'll grow.

Tony of Deer Valley Farm will be at the market this week with some new smoked sausages as well as fresh venison, ground venison and bones for making soup/broth. You will find him in the garage. dvf@venison.ca

The Akiwenzies had a vehicle breakdown on the way last week (with fish on board we would have loved at Dufferin!) but hope to make it this time.

Have a great long weekend, everybody.

See you at the market!

Anne

P.S. Coming up: Canadian Organic Growers Annual (Toronto) Conference, February 21. More info. at: www.cog.ca

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