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Weekly Market Notes Library

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Weekly Market Notes for July 03, 2014

Hello Market Friends:

We've got produce in many categories this week. Greens, roots, shoots, fruits and berries doesn't cover all you need to know, but these adjectives might help: new, abundant, scarce and sought-after, last-chance, and fresh, fresh, fresh!

Welcome back to Feast of Fields, with Matthew Sabourin and Lucas behind the tables. They will be bringing both sweet and sour cherries, raspberries, strawberries, gooseberries and a few saskatoons.

Last week I spent a great day with fellow market coordinators and friends Carolyn Wong of Trinity-Bellwoods and Roberta Stimac of Withrow Park Farmers' Market. We drove out to Feast of Fields to learn how Laura and Matthew do all the things they do. One thing I can explain is that they have an amazing amount of energy! Organic fruit production can be pretty high-tech, and each crop requires a great deal of specific knowledge. There will be lots to look forward to from their farm(s) as the season unfolds, including figs, Asian pears, blackberries, grapes and more.

Sosnickis' contribution: "Our last week for Strawberries! They were small and tart last week which made Ben almost pull the plug on them but our newest patch produced some decent sized sweet ones in the last few days, so we are out getting all we can find! Not much, so come early if you want the last taste! We've started cutting a new Lettuce patch, so sweet Romaines, Red Leaf and Butterheads and all those awesome Mini-Lettuces will be in abundance. Beets with nice tops from in between the rows of Heirloom Tomatoes in the cold frames. And speaking of Tomatoes, the first, small trickle of Grape and Sun Sugar Cherry Tomatoes, also grown in field soil in the 'ol cold frames. Lots of huge bunches of Swiss Chard and KALE! Field Kale galore in Green Curly and RedBor varieties! And....Peas-In-A-Pod! Lots of those sweet, shelling type trickle out of the fields now too! And, if I remember, a cooler full of the potato/cheddar and vegan Perogies!" Jess, Ben & Sadie

From Kim Dawn of Everdale: We're so grateful this week for the heat and the rain... All our plants are soaking it up and loving it! With all that growth comes fruit, and we're thrilled to have sweet snap peas to share with you this week! The perfect picnic snack is coming your way. See you in the park!

Alvaro from Plan B says they've got hundreds of pounds of peas to harvest for us, too, so they have to be the veggie of the week! When my babies were small enough to put up with it, I used to recite this verse:

• I eat my peas with honey
• I've done it all my life
• It makes the peas taste funny
• but it keeps them on my knife!

The good news is our market peas are absolutely delicious, far better than potato chips for snacking on raw, and since you can eat these peas pod and all, you can save your honey for a better use. Try steaming them ever-so-briefly while lightly sauteeing some chopped green garlic or scapes in a little butter and oil, then tossing in a handful of chopped mint and the steamed peas plus salt and pepper. If you want variations on that, you could use sesame oil and skip the mint, or add either cream or a splash of balsamic vinegar at the end.

Bad news from the Akiwenzies: "Winds didn’t cooperate. They are in the forecast for the remainder of the week so I guess we are on shore and hope next week brings us calmer winds." Natasha

Southbrook Winery will be in the VQA tent this time.

Last week a woman came specially because she was craving Ted Thorpe's dinosaur kale, but it was a bit too small to cut, so Ted didn't come in. This week, I hope she returns, because he'll have kale and basil and lettuce, and maybe some other items, too.

See you at the market!

Anne Freeman

P.S. We've got plenty of dinner options at the market, and here's the

Friday Night Supper Menu for July 4, 2014

• Polenta baked with Blue Cheese and Tomato Sauce (vegan option with *mushrooms)
• White Bean Salad
• Green Salad
• Sour Cream Biscuits with Strawberries and Cream
• (featuring as many market ingredients as possible)

Vendors this week:

• Ali Harris (rotis and fritters, hemp pesto and seeds, beverages),
• Bees Universe (honey and bee products),
• Beretta Farms (organic and naturally raised meats),
• Best Baa (cheeses, yogurt, sheep's milk, ice cream),
• Brixton Grill (vegan barbeque and ice cream cookie bowls),
• Chocosol (coffee and chocolate, tortillas),
• Country Meadows (eggs, cheese, olives, oil),
• DeFloured (gluten-free baking),
• Dufferin Park Bakers (wood-fired oven breads, soups,and snacks),
• Earth and City (raw foods and smoothies)
• Evelyn's Crackers (crackers, granola and other baking from ON grains),
• Everdale Farm (organic vegetables),
• Feast of Fields (organic berries and tender fruits),
• Field Sparrow (pastured meats),
• Forbes Wild Foods (dried mushrooms, nuts, syrup, preserves)
• Kind Organics (sprouts, kombuchas, teas),
• Knuckle Down Farm (organic vegetables),
• Pine River Organic Farm (organic vegetables),
• Plan B (organic produce),
• Shared Harvest (organic vegetables, ferments),
• Sosnickis Organic Produce (organic vegetables, strawberries)
• Spade & Spoon (jams, pickles, soups),
• Tapioca Gourmet (gluten-free tapioca pancakes with seasonal fillings),
• Ted Thorpe (veggies),
• Urban Harvest (seeds, body care, soil amendments),
• VQA Wines (rotating roster of organic wineries, Southbrook Winery this time),
• Waymac Farms (oyster and shiitake mushrooms),
• Wildlife Gardening (native plants),
• Ying Ying Soy (tofus and miso).

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