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Park Activities

Food In The Park

posted July 4, 2006

Pizza days
Dan at the oven

photo by Wallie Seto

12 to 2 Tuesdays and Wednesdays, 1 to 3 Sundays.

From park staff Amy Withers: “Pizza is a make-your-own affair but we cook it for you in the oven and the cost is 2 dollars per pizza for dough, sauce and cheese. You can top your pizza with some of the fresh greens the garden is starting to yield like basil, kale, red chard, dill, and soon tomatoes. Of course feel free to bring extra toppings from home.

On hot pizza days we set out the sprinkler for kids to dash through while you chat and we have a few toys and books for little ones too.”

Groups on pizza days:

Small groups: Amy says, “If you have a group of less than 12 people just call the park and tell us that you would like to come. Since pizza days are quite busy we suggest a less hectic time, for instance if you come late in the session (at 1.30 on Tuesdays and Wednesdays or 2.30 on Sundays) there is more space for a little group.”

Bigger groups: Amy says, "If you want to have a pizza party for a large group, more than 12 people, you must contact the park at 416 392 0913 to book a time separate from, but adjoining, our regular pizza hours (that is, right before or right after the regular pizza day hours). For the extra time and staff required for a scheduled party we charge 60 dollars plus $2 per pizza as usual. If your group has special circumstances and you are willing to make a trade of labour and time or goods for a lowered price discuss it with staff….we like deals."

Amy’s pizza decorating ideas: “July 4th and 5th are the semi-finals between Germany and Italy (Tuesday) and Portugal and France (Wednesday) so we hope to see lots of flag pizza's with fresh greens from the garden, white mozzarella cheese and red tomato sauce though we may need some creative interpretation and perhaps the park garden serviceberries for the blue in the French flag."

posted July 4, 2006

Friday Night Supper:
Every Friday at the big oven, 6 to 7 p.m.
Friday night supper

On the last Friday of June, Yvonne Machado worked with the park cooks to make a Portuguese meal. She showed them how to make leg of lamb braised in beer and port wine, Portuguese corn bread, and orange cake for dessert. Most of the recipes were not in a book but had been taught to Yvonne by her mother. There wasn’t a single scrap of that meal left over.

The park cooks wanted to cook a Portuguese meal because a group planned to show a Portuguese-language film in honour of the first-ever Portuguese-language film festival in Toronto. But there was such a high wind that evening, the screen couldn’t be put up and the outdoor film was cancelled. The food was delicious anyway! Hopefully some other excellent local cooks will share their knowledge with the park cooks too, and Yvonne says she’ll come back again when she has time.

posted July 4, 2006

PARK GARDENS AND TREES


Harvest at the children's garden, Aug.13

From garden support staff Jenny Cook: “Once again, and hopefully for the last time, we are going to switch our official gardening meeting hours at Dufferin Grove Park.

"In an attempt to avoid sun-stroke, from now on we will meet on Sunday evenings at around 5 pm. Thus, not only will we avoid the worst of the heat, we will also be able to make and eat dinner (enjoying some of the fruits of our labour), before tackling the weeds into the wee hours of the night, or at least until it gets too dark to see.

If you have never yet made it out, don't be shy!”

From park neighbour Simon Lepik-Wookey: “I think it would be good to put a French drain at the southeast corner of the park, where all the water runs down from the sand pit. In the meantime, Rebecca and I have been doing a little gardening in the back there. We have established a good violet patch along with some day lilies and other flowers to hide that steel car barrier. We plan to transplant some irises in the fall along with some other hearty annuals that we have in our garden.”

Simon says they’d like to work with other park friends to “establish a nice little shade garden with a bench in that back corner. It could be a good project for children to learn about gardening... or just a nice place for parents to sit and rest in the shade while watching their kids having fun and getting very dirty.... “

If anyone has wet-loving, shade-loving plants to donate, Simon will plant them down there. Contact Simon at swookey@rogers.com.

The City Forestry Department has not been able to plant the promised 25 trees (yet), but the 8 trees and many bushes planted by park friends within the past year are all thriving. Park friends have been planting trees in the park since 1995, and some of those early plantings are getting very big. The black walnut trees in the “Remembering Garrison Creek” gardens in the southwest corner are at least fifteen feet tall now, and they’ve got a bumper crop of walnuts ripening on them.

posted July 4, 2006

COMMUNITY SPORTS

Saturday at 2 p.m. to Sunday night

As in other years, the soccer field is available for free community permits from Saturday at 2 p.m. to Sunday night. The permits are available from park staff Mayssan Shuja. You can contact her by e-mailing mayssan@dufferinpark.ca or by leaving a message for her at the park: 416 392-0913.

ULTIMATE FRISBEE:
Saturdays 2-4 p.m.

Contact: Matt Price, matt.price@utoronto.ca The same is true of the Ultimate Frisbee game, and of the Sunday cricket game.

SOCCER:
Co-ed Soccer Saturdays 4 to 6 p.m.

Neighbourhood soccer games all accept drop-in players – just talk to the players and join the game. Saturdays 4 to 6 p.m. – co-ed soccer.

New: women’s soccer, Sunday mornings 10am to 12noon.

Contact: Sarah Hutton, sarah.huitton@sympatico.ca. They play for fun, at a beginner/intermediate recreational level. Women are a priority but men are also welcome.

CRICKET:
Sundays 4 to 6 p.m.

From cricket organizer Hasanka: “On Sundays we play an informal game of cricket at the park, on the soccer field. We play with a tennis ball, so no protective equipment is required. If you'd like to join us, just walk up and introduce yourself. This is not a club with membership fees, just a group of amateur cricket enthusiasts. Beginners (and spectators) are welcome. We hope to see you there.”

posted July 4, 2006

DUFFERIN GROVE FARMERS’ MARKET

EVERY THURSDAY 3 TO 7 P.M.

Farmers’ markets, including this one, have been getting a lot of press in the past few weeks. So has organic food. Some people say that organic food will soon become so multi-national there will be nothing local about it anymore. But for now, at this market we can get to know the people who grow our food – what a pleasure.

And it’s possible to join the other side, and work on the farms too. From farmer Jessie Sosnicki: “We are ready to take on a few people interested in the whole experience on our organic farm. Weeding, picking, grading, selling, as well as fun: BBQ's, camping, horseriding, fishing etc. One week, two weeks, a month, up to them and how everything is working out. I have accommodation for two folks in our home. All meals included of course! It's hard work, but a good experience for anyone that wants to learn how we do things around here. I can only handle two at a time, but we're going until frost, so many different folks can share in the experience thoughout the months!”

To find out more about working with the farmers who come to the market, contact market manager Anne Freeman at market@dufferinpark.ca.


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