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Weekly Market Notes Library

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Weekly Market Notes for September 20, 2007

Hello Market Friends:

So, we approach autumn, and the equinox. A new season, and we're launching it in our RINK location. Around the summer market area, the big piles of soil amendments are ready, and once Parks staff aerates the compacted ground, we'll be looking for help from market friends to spread compost and plant seed and shrubs. For little ones who'd like to join in, there's a bag of daffodil bulbs, too. Please join us on Saturday, September 29th from 10 am- 2 pm to help a little or a lot. There will be some good campfire cooking to share with helpers. Rsvps (or offers of help for other times) to market@dufferinpark.ca are appreciated, but drop-ins are most welcome too. Bring along some gloves and a shovel or rake if you have them. Just think of the good appetite you can work up for the Tasting Fair on Sunday, September 30 from 1-4. (Time to mark your calendar!)

The first frost at two of our produce farms last weekend officially signals fall. Luckily some had picked tender crops ahead, and there are plenty more still going strong:

From Plan B:

We'll be coming to market with lots of delicious goods this week... And fresh apple cider! plus arugula! salad mix! green beans! beets, rainbow chard, garlic, onions, apples, lots of heirloom, grape, slicing, and roma tomatoes. Also be bringing concord grapes, bosc pears, cilantro & dill, collards, mizuna, some zucchini, watermelon, small sugar pumpkins and several more delicious treats! Alas, the frost has hurt the more beautiful of the Plant Kingdoms' bounty and the flowers are slowing, so we'll bring some of the few blooms left from Underground Organics gardeners, who are busy planting future flowers. See you there! Alvaro

From Greenfields:

The crew has been super-busy pulling onions from the fields and setting them in the greenhouse to cure so that we have lots stored for the winter. We're also preparing the greenhouse for seeding the winter greens. Fresh offerings this week include Bright Purple, and 'Green Spike' Cauliflower, Fennel, big beautiful Nappa Cabbages- great for chopping into a fresh salad or throwing into a stir-fry, Leeks, and Daikon Radishes. We also have the first of our delicious Pie Pumpkins and Squash! The Salad Mix is getting nice and sweet with the cooler weather, and baby Spinach is available too. Lots of Shallots, Spanish Onions, Yellow Onions and Scallions. The Curly and Rainbow Kales, Chard, Dandelion, Collards, and herbs are doing great too. Monika

From the Sosnickis:

Sweet Corn, Green & Yellow Beans, Red Peppers, Sweet Onions, Apples (Macs) to name a few of the things Ben, his mom and I mass harvested fresh for you Dufferin Grove folks! This summer of 2007 is not stopping, and the fields are full! Beautiful red raspberry "Brandywines" along with very unique "Polish Linguisa" heirloom tomatoes will be plentiful along with other favourites and field reds -tomatoes still going; huge cabbage, broccoli, still fresh dug potatoes, Red Chard, first of our salad mix, fresh crop of Beets, carrots, and I'm bound to forget something! Hot peppers(banana & crimson), purple peppers, sweet yellow banana peppers, red onions etc, etc, I'm tired. See everyone behind the rinkhouse with our new "build", a shelf made by my dad, to house all this stuff for ease selecting your favourites! Jess & Ben

Some tasty specials from Beretta this week: Bison Sausage, Ground Pork and Texas Ribs. There will be lots of other delicious selections, too! Also look for new Beretta Cooler Bags and prepared entrees.

From Jonathan Forbes and his helper Seth:

We will have some fresh Matsutake (pine mushroom), fresh Hedgehog (mushrooms!), a few chanterelles and, at this point, one puffball, along with a good selection of dried wild mushrooms.

We welcome guest vendors at the market this week, a group of students from Ursula Franklin Academy and their volunteer (neighbourhood) helper, Bill Howson. Here's some information about their project:

The students involved in "Guatemala Project" are learning about social justice in Guatemala through regular classroom learning units as well as by linking directly with social justice organizations in Guatemala. One of the organizations we are linked with is the Highland Peasants Committee (known as the CCDA for its Spanish name), whose members grow Cafe Justicia. Profits from the sale of Cafe Justicia are being used to sponsor a student trip to Guatemala in July 2008. The purpose of the trip is to learn first hand about progressive organizations struggling for social justice in Guatemala. During the trip we will be visiting CCDA headquarters and spending several days working on a rural development project for an indigenous women's collective in a remote village. Funds from the sale of Cafe Justicia are being used to buy building supplies for this project as well covering part of our travel costs.

Café Justicia is called Fair Trade Plus because the producers are paid a living wage that is approximately 60% higher than standard fair trade. It is made from 100% organically grown arabica beans of the highest quality and is available in whole beans or ground coffee, medium or dark roast. In addition to paying the farmers a living wage, Cafe Justicia supports the work of the CCDA's other social justice projects, including technical training for farmers, human rights and access to land for indigenous Mayan families. For more information about CCDA projects, please check their web page at ccda.galeon.com/about.htm

All your regular favourite folks will be there, too.

See you at the market!

Anne

Dufferin Grove Organic Farmers' Market
Thursdays, 3-7 pm, year-round
www.dufferinpark.ca

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