Hello Market Friends:
Everybody is grumbling about the rain. My first thought was that a little humour might help, but weather jokes are terrible. You may be relieved to hear that I have decided not to tell you to wear your thunderwear or to watch out for poodles if it’s raining cats and dogs. Really, I would just like you to come on over and get some good food at the market. Support our farmers and vendors. Tell them your worst weather joke if you need to get it out of your system, but please — don’t be grumpy.

Here’s a bit of news:

 Kevin Hamilton of Shared Harvest told me that the most enormous daikon he’s ever seen broke while they were unearthing it. Very disappointing; we could have made a nice addition to our ‘photos of Kevin with absurdly large vegetables’ portfolio. He will have piles of other beautifully grown (but normal size) leeks, squash, winter radishes, beets, parsley, etc.

Ted Thorpe is bringing a mess o’ greens (mizuna, arugula, kale, and more) plus peppers, pears, potatoes, and various other veggies.

From Jenn at Everdale: “Some lovely wet weather we’ve been having at the farm! Hopefully we’ll have clearer skies in Toronto. Here is our list:
Arugula, beets (red/rainbow), bok choi, broccoli, nappa cabbage, carrots (orange and rainbow), cilantro, collards, gai lan, garlic, black/red/green kale, kohlrabi, leeks, onion, red/yellow/shallots, parsley, parsnip, peppers, purple potatoes, radicchio, radish, daikon (specialty and red), salad mix, spicy, spinach, tomatoes, and all these varieties of winter squash: acorn, black futzu, buttercup, butternut, delicata, festival, kabocha, pie, and spaghetti squash.

Andrew McIlymoyle is back with nice big mushrooms on the Waymac table.

Stock up on cheese, Monforte will miss the next two markets while Ruth attends Terra Madre in Italy. (Ask her about it!)

Several of our regular vendors are absent this time due to courses, harvest work, and other obstacles. Check the list below to see who is coming.

Next week we will be celebrating the market’s 16th birthday, and you know what that means….CAKE!
See you at the market!
Anne Freeman

This week’s Vendor List:

Ali Harris: rotis, fritters, sandwiches, drinks
Bees Universe: honey, bee products, eggs
ChocoSol: chocolate and chocolate beverages, coffee
Culture City: fermented condiments and preserves, tempeh
DeFloured: savoury and sweet gluten-free baking
Dufferin Park Bakers: wood-fired oven breads, salads, snacks
Everdale: fresh organic produce
First Fish: frozen and smoked wild Arctic char
Forbes Wild Foods: wild mushrooms, maple syrup & more
Green Florin: Moldovan nuts, oils, and dried fruits
Kind Organics: sprouts, salad mixes, teas, microgreens
Marvellous Edibles: pastured  poultry, organic veg. & more
Monforte Dairy: cheeses from many milks
Plan B:local and imported organic produce
Reimer Vineyards: local, organic VQA wines
Shared Harvest Community Farm: fresh organic produce
Spade & Spoon: preserves, maple syrup
Sweet Seduction: pies and other baking
Ted Thorpe: veggies and greens
Urban Harvest: seeds, soil amendments, body care
Waymac: Oyster, Shiitake and Lion’s Mane mushrooms

We’ll be open from 3 to 7 on the rink (east side of the park building) in the northwest corner of Dufferin Grove Park.

Hello Market Friends:
When his future mother-in-law asked if he liked Brussels sprouts, my now husband replied that he would rather eat pine cones. That was long ago, and the poor misguided fellow didn’t know what he was missing. Never mind how cute they are, Brussels sprouts are delicious flash-fried with garlic, amazing grated in salads, and loaded with Vitamin C. They are like parsnips in being unfairly reviled, and tastier after a frost. Unfortunately, the little devils aren’t easy to grow and they take a long time to mature, so we don’t get many of them at the market. This is your chance, though! Pine cones indeed.

Sosnickis contribution: “We’ve got a stellar selection for market!! Beautiful stalks of mega brussel sprouts!!! Packs of Perogies, vegan Cabbage Rolls too! Last of our red peppers, lots of potatoes, onions, garlic, cabbage! Field fresh broccoli, kale too, naturally!

From Jenn at Everdale: “It’s been a chilly one up at the farm. Here’s the list: I think the only new things are purple potatoes and shallots as well as some specialty radishes. I’ll also be bringing some tomatoes that have been ripening on the vine in the greenhouse, and always a multitude of squash.
Everdale will have arugula, beets (red/rainbow), bok choi, broccoli, nappa cabbage, carrots (orange and rainbow), chard, cilantro, collards, gai lan, garlic, kale (black/red/green), kohlrabi, leeks, onion, red/yellow/shallots, parsley, parsnip, peppers, purple potatoes, radicchio, radish, daikon, specialty and red, salad mix, spicy, spinach, tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, winter squash (acorn, black futzu, buttercup, butternut, delicata, festival, kabocha, pie, spaghetti).

Knuckle Down Farm news: “This will be our last trip to market ’till the Spring so do come by and say hello. We will be bringing as much garlic as I can clean so you can stock up for Winter. We will also have a lovely mix of purple and green kale, baby daikon, a variety of squash and some freshly dug potatoes if I get a chance to dig them. Thanks everyone for your support, we couldn’t do it without you!” Thanks to you, Jenny!

There’s a rumour going around that Ted Thorpe will arrive with lots of pumpkins, along with superb greens of all sorts, cauliflower and more. Don’t forget, Clay and Paper Theatre’s Night of Dread is this Saturday!

Colette from Urban Harvest is happy to be returning to market with body care and a 2 for 1 sale on seeds!

News from Angelos at Country Meadows: “I’m going to Greece a bit early this year, so this is my last week at the market.” He will NOT be gone forever, but stock up on olive oil, cheese, etc. as he may be away for a month or so working on the olive harvest with his brother.

Catalyst Community Herbals will be making the last trip of the year to Dufferin this time, with fresh products at sliding scale prices. Winter Herbshares are available from November to April.

You’ll find ChocoSol at the east end of the rink this week. We don’t want any panicked chocolate lovers thinking they have disappeared.

See you at the market!
Anne Freeman

Vendors this week:
Ali Harris: rotis, fritters, sandwiches, drinks
All Sorts Acres: lamb, sheep dairy, wool
Bees Universe: honey, bee products, eggs
Catalyst Community Herbals: traditional remedies made from local ingredients
ChocoSol: chocolate. chocolate drinks, coffee
Country Meadows: olives, oil, eggs, cheese (last visit for a while!)
Culture City: fermented condiments, tempeh, natto
DeFloured: savoury & sweet gluten-free baking
Dufferin Park Bakers: wood-fired oven breads, snacks
Everdale: fresh organic produce
First Fish: frozen & smoked wild Arctic char
Forbes Wild Foods: wild mushrooms, maple syrup & more
Green Florin: Moldovan nuts, oils, dried fruits
Kind Organics: sprouts, salad mixes, teas, microgreens
Knuckle Down Farm: organic veggies
Marvellous Edibles: pastured  meats, organic veg. & more
Monforte Dairy: cheeses from many milks
Plan B: local and imported organic produce
Robinson Bread: sourdough baking from fresh-milled grains
Shared Harvest Community Farm: fresh organic produce
Sosnicki Organic Produce: organic vegetables
Spade & Spoon: preserves, maple syrup
Tapioca Toronto: Brazilian-style gluten-free crepes with market fillings
TC’s Momos: vegetarian and meat-filled Tibetan dumplings
Ted Thorpe: veggies and greens
Urban Harvest: seeds and body care
Windswept Cider: hard cider, jun and apples from the Bruce Peninsula