Printer friendly version | help

Weekly Market Notes Library

< February 23-2006 | Notes Library | March 9-2006 >

Weekly Market Notes for March 2, 2006

Hello Market Friends:

So it's March, the lion's end of the month, and while we enjoy some fresh snow in the city, the farmers are gearing up for spring. Ute Zell reports that about twenty goat kids have been born so far at Stonehenge, just the beginning of a very busy time. Here's what's coming to market:

From the Sosnickis:

"Ben will still be bringing our carrots, potatoes & cabbage to market this week! We've learned a lot this year about 'storing' properly, as this was our first big carrot hold over and we are pleased with how well things are holding on for you folks! This is the last week for perogies. It's greenhouse time, so I'm shutting the kitchen down! So far we've just been cleaning the greenhouses and enjoying the warmth when the sun comes out, but I think we'll wait for this cold spell to break before we decide to do any seeding for now! Lots of seed ordering and paperwork to be done! Can't believe IT'S MARCH! We just love spring...."

From Greenfields:

"Hey, Hey, The seed order is ready and suddenly(we knew it was coming) there is a lot to do; should be a great season! With that said I can tell you what is LOCAL this week; Beets, Carrots, Salad Mix, Shiitake Mushroom, Parsnips, Rutabaga, Squash(Butternut, Orange and Green Kabocha) and Watercress. A great selection coming this week, featuring great prices on Artichokes, Broccoli, Cauliflower, Red Leaf, Romaine, Greens (including Black Kale), Ginger and the list goes on. Also a good variety of fruit available; Tangerines, Plums, Oranges, Mango, Kiwi, Grapefruit, Avocado, Lemons and Pink Lady Apples. Oh yeah, I almost forgot to mention we will have both Rosemary and Sage from B.C. Enjoy, Mark."

Ute(Stonehenge Farms) will have wild boar and fresh lamb this week.

A special treat: Lindsay of Firestoker Foods will be coming with vegan rotis and chutney. This week, she'll be in OhSoy (Maria)'s spot, as Maria is still away.

Colette(Urban Harvest) will also be away because she's so busy getting ready for Canada Blooms(March 8-12).

From Jutta:

"Gita Seaton, the guest chef for this week's Friday Night Supper, will be shopping for the supper at this week's farmers' market. This is the first time Gita will be at the park. She became a park e-mail pen-pal while doing a cooking stint in Japan. She worked there at a high-end restaurant that was so formal that the cooks had to wait until the last guest left and bow them out. Only then could the cooking staff go home to sleep. Gita says that people in Japan don’t seem to sleep much anyway, mostly just work. She’s attracted to cooking a meal at the park because she wants to see if it’s possible to do the work she loves – cooking farmers’ market food – without the high-end fussing. She’ll work with the park cooks and they’ll have some fun, and so will the eaters. We already warned Gita that some of the diners will be wearing skates, possibly a first for her as a chef. The ice on the rink is very good in this cold weather, and we're supposed to stay open until March 19 -- we'll see how we do."

With two mixers working well, the bakers' wrists have recovered from the months of hand-kneading, and the bread is beautiful--and delicious. I enjoy the quietly efficient hum around the ovens when I arrive to set up for the market and find Amy and Matt loading up fragrant racks of hot loaves.

If your market-day bread doesn't last you long enough,wrap a loaf and freeze it (as soon as possible after it has fully cooled),then "refresh" it briefly in your oven for a happy re-run later in the week.

See you at the market!

Anne

hosted by parkcommons.ca | powered by pmwiki-2.2.83. Content last modified on March 02, 2006, at 02:56 AM EST