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Weekly Market Notes Library

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Weekly Market Notes for June 04, 2015

Hello Market Friends:

Come on down and eat something, it's Local Food Week! Good things do grow in Ontario, and some of the very best are on our market tables.

For the occasion, we've got a beautiful batch of "I heart T.O. markets" buttons to give away. All over town, market organizers are asking people to wear their hearts on their sleeves, and tell the world why Toronto's markets matter to them. We're celebrating what community-based markets contribute to urban life, and we're also working together to ask the City for positive, supportive policies and procedures for markets.

On another topic.... What's your mental image of a gambler? Chances are, you're not picturing someone who gets up very early, works very hard, rarely takes a vacation, and falls into bed bone-tired most evenings. But with weather as erratic as we've been experiencing, more than ever farming is a high-stakes roll of the dice. Just as spring optimism returned after a brutally cold winter, many growers in our part of the province lost early plantings on that crazy cold night we had about ten days ago, and some are still assessing how their fruit harvests will be affected. I checked in with our tender fruit growers this week:

Laura Sabourin from Feast of Fields says, "Strawberries , raspberries and cherries look good. Grapes...not so good, lots of winter damage. The fruit trees are harder to tell yet. I will keep you posted, but right now I am still estimating the last week of June."

And from Debbie Wiecha of Niagara Lavender Farm: "Well the winter was cold that is for sure and I hoped it killed some overwintering pests….I know the blackberries got hit hard but the peaches so far look good and also the raspberries look fantastic. We replanted the lavender again and it will be a while before it matures. Things look not too bad, and I am excited to go to market soon...but we have a long way to go before we see fruit."

Some of our vegetable growers have had to push back their start dates at the market because crops aren't ready as soon as expected. We'll have a lot of hungry, happy eaters ready to welcome them when they arrive! For several farmers, that will probably be next week. Fortunately, Pine River, Kind Organics, Marvellous Edibles, Knuckle Down and Plan B are all bringing lovely veggies and greens for us, and we've got a great array of other foods, too.

"Knuckle Down Farm will be back with our first little head lettuces this week. We are also excited to introduce our new Peacock Salad Mix, named in honour of High Park's recent escapee. We will also have spicy salad mix, radishes and likely the last of the rhubarb. The harvests are getting a little bigger so we hope to be there for more than an hour!"

Don't forget to bring your knives for expert sharpening by Mike Fohr.

Absent this week: Akiwenzies Fish and Floralora Flower Farm.

From Urban Harvest: "Hi all on this gorgeous spring day. Hope you are planning to plant your garden if you haven't already done so. Or perhaps you need a few things to fill it out. A perfect time to plant squash, cucumbers and beans all of which like warm soil. Pablo will be bringing a nice selection to market. See you all there."

Be sure to check out Earth and City's new expanded menu. The rice bowls are delicious, and their pwyc 'Scrap Salad' is a hit!

Car troubles at Reimer Vineyardsthis week, so Frogpond Farm Organic Winery will be in our VQA wine tent instead. Did you know that Frogpond was Ontario's first certified organic vineyard?

We're expecting a visit from staff of The Gladstone Library, and music by Andrea Kuzmich.

See you at the market!

Anne Freeman

Vendors this week:

• 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)
• JK Fries (freshly made french fries with assorted mayos)
• 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)
• Spade & Spoon (jams, pickles, soups, maple syrup)
• Tapioca Gourmet (gluten-free Brazilian pancakes with seasonal fillings)
• Urban Harvest (plants, seeds, body care, soil amendments)
• VQA Wine (Frogpond Farm this week)
• Waymac Farms (oyster and shiitake mushrooms)
• Wildlife Gardening (native species perennials and shrubs)
• Ying Ying Soy (tofus and miso from ON organic soybeans)
• Knife Sharpening by Mike Fohr the first market of each month.

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