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Weekly Market Notes Library

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Weekly Market Notes for June 11, 2015

Hello Market Friends:

We've got a very lively market this week, and the local produce supply is really building. A good thing, at the rate our market babies are growing! Here's the news:

A note from Jessie about the Sosnickis' return: "Man, does it feel great to be coming back to Dufferin market! I know everyone has been anxious for organic, local food but please try and remember how cold the winter was and how much snow we had....We were 3-4 weeks late firing the greenhouses this year. Trust us, if we could will the crops to grow faster out in the fields - we would! Plus with the newest baby, my time was limited for the early greenhouse greens growing. We are now back on track and the crops are lookin' good! So for market we will have our gorgeous heads of Romaine, Leaf Lettuces, some early trimmings of Kale, Swiss Chard and Spinach! All field offerings. Sorry folks, no organic Strawberries this season from our land, (winter kill/old patch/very weedy) but we have planted our new patch so 2016 (fingers crossed) should be another Strawberry year for our farm! A lot of berries in our area had their blossoms freeze off due to that late May frost, so I guess we chose a good year to go sans strawberries! Our peas and zucs will be arriving in the next couple of weeks :) See everyone soon!!!" Ben, Jessie, Sadie & Nate.

Don't fret, despite that late frost, we've got strawberries for you! A warm welcome back to Ted Thorpe, with some items from the home farm, and berries from his cousin's. Plan B will have a few of their own strawberries this week too, and more next, and then Pine River's will ripen up towards the end of the month. Pull out those jam recipes!

The cold meant that Afri-Can FoodBasket had to delay their start by a couple of weeks as well, but they are now ready to join us with diverse and delicious varieties of vegetables, grown close by at Black Creek Community Farm and FarmStart's McVean Farm in Brampton.

Waymac Farm Mushrooms will be absent this week. Erika and Andrew (and the babies!) will return.with shiitakes and oyster mushrooms next time.

In their spot we'll have special guests LAS REINAS: Eloisa Bertorelli and Beth Paz introduce their Latin-inspired and healthy delicious “Veggie Arepas”, all natural, colourful, savoury gluten-free South American buns made from non-GMO corn masa, organic vegetables and superfood seeds. Arepas are a versatile treat that can be eaten for breakfast, lunch, dinner or as a snack. They require little preparation; just toast and fill them with your favourite fillings. http://www.lasreinasto.com

Researchers from the University of Toronto's Infant and Child Development Labs will be visiting, looking for parents and children to help them. The lab uses fun games to explore how children 0-12 use language and different types of media to learn about people, objects and events. It is conveniently located near the downtown University of Toronto campus. You can also visit their website:http://www.oise.utoronto.ca/icd/ or call 416-934-4559.

JK Fries will be absent.

From the park gardeners: "Green Thumbs Ahoy! The wonderful folks at Wildlife Gardening have generously offered to donate some plants to the revitalization of the park's Garrison Creek Memorial Garden, and transplanting will take place this Thursday during the market. You're invited to take part! Native plant experts Liam and Crystal will guide the planting and tell us about the plants they've chosen, and why they will thrive in this mini ecosystem. They are mostly using plants that can tolerate wet feet, so come on by to learn about native floodplain plants. Talk and planting will begin at 5:30 pm, at the Garrison Creek Memorial Garden, on the west side of the park by the fountain. Garden gloves and tools will available for those who want to join in."

Note that this will be Wildlife Gardening's last day at the market for this season. With the great rain we've had, it's an excellent time to add to your garden. Lots of beautiful plants from Urban Harvest will be available too.

See you at the market!

Anne Freeman

P.S. Mark your calendars:

On Saturday June 20 there will be a special "Saturday night dinner" at the park to raise some funds for Dufferin Grove bake oven repairs and to remember one of the first cooks who started the community dinners, Dan DeMatteis. Here's the newsletter story: http://www.dufferinpark.ca/newsletter/wiki/wiki.php/#supper. Lea Ambros and Anna Bekerman are coming back to cook this tasty dinner, with help from Matt Leitold and other pioneers. Save the date -- 6 to 7.30 pm as usual, and if it rains, the tents will be up, just like in the old days of the Cooking Fire Theatre Festival (same cooks). And invite your friends.

Vendors this week:

• Afri-Can FoodBasket (organically grown produce)
• Akiwenzies Fish (fresh, smoked and frozen Georgian Bay Fish)
• Alli Harris (fish sandwiches, fritters, hemp pesto, beverages)
• Bees Universe (honey and bee products)
• Beretta Farms (organic and naturally raised meats)
• Best Baa (sheep's milk, cheeses and yogurt)
• Brixton Grill (vegan barbeque and ice cream treats)
• ChocoSol (coffee and chocolate, tortillas)
• Country Meadows (olives, oil, eggs, cheese, vegetable and herb seedlings)
• Culture City (fermented condiments, tempehs, gluten-free pasta)
• DeFloured (gluten-free baking)
• Dufferin Park Bakers (wood-fired oven breads, soups,and snacks)
• Earth and City (raw foods, smoothies, rice bowls)
• Evelyn's Crackers (baking made from ON whole grains)
• Forbes Wild Foods (wild leeks, dried mushrooms, nuts, maple syrup, preserves)
• Kind Organics (sprouts, salad mixes, teas, chocolate)
• Knuckle Down Farm (organic vegetables)
• Marvellous Edibles (organic vegetables, meats, poultry, baking)
• Pine River Organic Farm (organic vegetables)
• Plan B (organic fruits and veggies)
• Prince Edward County Hot Sauce (sauces and rubs from farm-grown ingredients)
• Sosnickis' Organic Produce (organic vegetables)
• Spade & Spoon (jams, pickles, soups, maple syrup)
• Tapioca Gourmet (gluten-free Brazilian pancakes with seasonal fillings)
• Ted Thorpe (berries, veggies and herbs)
• Urban Harvest (plants, seeds, body care, soil amendments)
• VQA Wine (Southbrook this week)
• Wildlife Gardening (native species perennials and shrubs) LAST DAY
• Ying Ying Soy (tofus and miso from ON organic soybeans)
• Knife Sharpening by Mike Fohr the first market of each month.

We're open from 3 to 7 pm every week. Parking is available across from St. Mary's High School (at the north end of the park) from 2:00 pm on Thursdays, and there are stops for north and southbound Dufferin buses at our corner.

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