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Weekly Market Notes Library

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Weekly Market Notes for October 24, 2013

Hello Market Friends:

Pull out your woolies, eat your greens and make a nice big batch of soup, it's getting chilly out there!

Thinking about how to keep strong and healthy reminds me of a favourite market tale, passed on from our jam maker Blythe's Dad. I'll leave it to you to decide if this one goes in the category of 'rural legend'....

Anyway, there was this young farmer, and he wanted to get really strong, so he went out to the field and found a newborn calf, and decided that if he just picked up that calf every single day without fail, well it stood to reason that the bigger the calf grew, the stronger he would get. And sure enough, by the time that cow was full grown, the young farmer was mighty strong!

(The reason I love this story is not thinking about the farmer, it's imagining what must have been going through that cow's mind day after day....)

Getting to our strong and healthy vendor news of the week, as you will see from Jessie's list below we're at a delicious point in the fall: the final warm-season crops like peppers, cool weather growers like those fresh dark leafy greens, and all the storage crops are available for you to enjoy. Each of our growers has great specialties, adding up to a rainbow of choices!

Sosnickis' contribution: "We are squirrelling away the field veg so we can offer lots if our own home grown this winter at Dufferin! Weather has been cooperating and the bins, hampers, bushels and crates are filling up! Still coming field fresh are Peppers. Lots of beautiful variety on the Pepper front this week again! Sweet, sweet Carrots! Leeks! Cabbages (all kinds now: Reds, Savoy, Winter), Sweet Spinach, our massive bunches of Swiss Chard and Kale. From storage now all our Potatoes, Red, Sweet and Cooking Onions, Garlic and Beets. I'll check the status of the Brussel Sprouts as they are sure to arrive soon as well! Still out in the field waiting for a nice frost to sweeten up. Organizing the dates to begin cooking....Almost time for Vegan Cabbage Rolls AND Perogies, Organic Cheesy Perogies.....raw sauerkraut.... :)) I think Sadie is waiting to sample her first perogie - ever!" Jess, Ben & Sadie

Field Sparrow Farms will continue to have pasture-raised chicken for a good while yet, excellent news as this is also a seasonal food. For amazing value and flavour, ask Henry for a bag of chicken backs and use them to make that big pot of soup.

Hail and wind are keeping the Akiwenzies on shore, so no fish this time. They're hoping for better weather next week.

October is a particularly rich month for wild foods. Stop by Seth's table and see what Forbes Wild Foods has in the way of fresh and dried mushrooms, chestnuts, and maybe even Ontario pawpaws.

Nothing like a good cup of tea on a fall afternoon. Irene of Tibo Teas has all sorts of teas made from herbs and foraged wild ingredients that are good for what ails you, plus fun and tasty mixtures such as our very own “Dufferin Groove” blend, and even a special Hallowe'en tea.

See you at the market!

Anne Freeman

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