Hello dear Market Friend! We have so much to tell you...

You’ve had this conversation undoubtedly before, but it was a cold long winter & we’re so glad it’s over! A late spring leaves marks, & in our case it’s the slow return of farmers & their goodies to market. And how much we’ve missed them & their fresh local produce! (Can’t wait to get that first local asparagus spear on the grill? It's coming...)
 
There are some changes (not one market season has gone by without one yet), & we are excited to welcome a few new vendors & introducing you to our 2 (yes, 2) new staff members.
 
While there are changes, we are also continuing with some traditions, like a load of free City compost, courtesy of Ward 30 councillor Paula Fletcher. It’s all yours for the taking, so bring shovels, bags, bins, wheelbarrows…
 
We introduced BUFCO to you last spring with a wide selection of seedlings. Arlene & Mark are back this year with seeds, an even bigger selection of seedlings, & flowers later on throughout the season.
 
Cookstown Greens is truly greening things up with “mixed lettuces, baby salad greens, Jerusalem artichokes, beets, carrots, radishes, roast veggie mixes, smoked and dried tomatoes and, hopefully, asparagus (depending on whether there is enough to harvest this week).”
 
Haystrom Farm is starting off the season with Jim’s preserves (made with his own farm produce), wild leeks, storage garlic, & maybe some rhubarb (weather depending).
 
“Field Sparrow Farms is looking forward to being back at Withrow this year. We'll be bringing our tasty grass-finished beef and pastured pork sausages this Saturday, and we'll have free-range chicken available starting in June. We are in the midst of scaling up production for this year and are a little behind. The animals spent this extremely cold winter putting their feed into warmth instead of weight, so we hope you'll be patient as we get everyone back out on the pasture again.”
 
Tiffinday returns with some old faves (like Timpa wheels & vegetarian curries – the curries will also be available in jars!) & some new items: kachori (a flaky gluten-free deep fried appetizer), & chaas, a traditional Indian cold (in Seema's version coconut-based) drink for when the hot weather arrives. (We don’t think the market will need to serve fruit water this year, since there will be great refreshment options available from our vendors.)
 
Sweet Sammies will sweeten things up with some “old-time” favourites: chocolate & vanilla ice-cream sandwiches. Sanober will also have some yum ice-pops, so bring on the sunshine!
 
“At Eudora Foods we make handmade sauces, marinades and chutney in Toronto using organic ingredients as well as local produce when in season. This year we are also using organic spices! The sauces are a great way to help you make delicious and nutritious meals in minutes. They are high in flavour but low in sodium and most are low in fat as well. Try a sample and see for yourself!”
 
Monforte will be back with a diverse batch of cheeses & other dairy products. Best to come & have a nibble to help you make a choice.
 
St. John’s Bakery is back with wonderful organic sourdough breads, scones & cookies! We heard they’ve been doing some product development, too, & will be bringing brioche (loaves & jam-filled morsels) to market.
 
Remember that ice storm last winter? Danbrie Farms’ maple trees sustained quite a bit of damage, but Jay is coming to market with bells on & bottles of the amber syrup, of course.
 
Manning Canning is back this season with more of her wonderful preserves, but will be on a bi-weekly schedule starting May 24. Brian Hamlin returns also on May 24 with his urban & flavoured honey selection. Bee die-off was significant this past winter, says Brian, but the bees are working to re-establish their hives. Brian is also expanding his urban hives, so we’ll see him at market less often this season. We’ll share his attendance dates in future newsletters.
 
Fiddlehead Farm has been sending reports on how things are growing along, & will likely rejoin us on May 24. FarmStart farmers Healthy Choice & Potager du Kanada might not be ready until some time in June, when we’ll also expect the return of Feast of Fields with organic & biodynamic certified fruits. (Laura has installed polytunnels for strawberries; we think it’s a nice move!)
 
Bob won’t be returning this season with his Fresh Veggies farm produce due to illness in his family; we wish him all the best. Also not returning is Hooked, but we think there are many wonderful ready to eat options at the market this season, so we hope you won't miss fish tacos too much. You can always find a fine selection of sustainably caught or farmed fish at their Queen St. E. store. Although the Webers (natural meats & eggs) said they’d be retiring from attending farmers’ markets full time, we are waiting to hear whether they will come back on at least a monthly basis. We should have their answer for you in next week’s newsletter.
 
Another vendor not returning is Colleen from Coffeecology, but do not fear, coffee will be here, because we’ll be brewing & serving Coffeecology fair-trade organic coffee right at the market. Hope you’ll be patient with us while we try out our new role as baristas.
 
INTRODUCING NEW VENDORS
 “Earth & City is thrilled to be joining the Withrow Farmers' Market family this season. We are a prepared foods vendor, creating delicious, local, and seasonal offerings. Come sample our seasonal dips such as kale pesto and dill hummus, our sweet and savoury flatbreads, our fresh collard wraps, and our delicious desserts. We also make refreshing seasonal smoothies and lemonades. We are so excited to meet you and to get to know the amazing Withrow community. See you soon!”
 
The Local Café is also known as the Bus Kitchen, which is a school bus converted to mobile kitchen (but not food truck) by owner Carole Ferrari. Carole is bringing croissants back to our market (very much missed since chef Roger’s departure), & has a lot of other sweet & savoury baked goods, including tarts & fantastic bean empanadas (missed much since the departure of Preston Empanadas).
 
As you very well know, when you come to Withrow, you are not only supporting your community farmers’ market, but the farmers & vendors who have chosen to be a member of this community. Thank you very much for supporting all of us!
 
At last, but by no means least, let me introduce you to our new market staff: John "Zeus" Tokatlidis is taking on the role of market manager (& will bring you future editions of our market newsletter), while Lauren Bishop is going to be our market assistant & kids’ crafts coordinator. You can meet them both this first market day. I will still spend quite a bit of time at the market, but will shift focus towards the organizational development of our nonprofit the Centre for Local Food Initiatives.
 
All of us at the Withrow Park Farmers’ Market look forward to eating our way through another local food season with you! Happy Victoria Day long weekend!

See you at market, rain or shine!
 
Roberta
market founder