Fans of local, seasonal produce will understand where I’m coming from when I say that there’s nothing better than the first juicy peach of the year. Or the first fragrant strawberry, or the first peas popped from the pod only moments before. The anticipation of what’s coming up, and the sweet thrill of the first bite is what keeps many of us going throughout the summer.

Christina Zeidler and the Gladstone Hotel have taken this theory to the extreme with their second season of Harvest Wednesdays.

In conjunction with Chick-A Biddy Acres CSA (community supported agriculture) farm, where they have 3 shares, Chef Marc Breton will be preparing a weekly feast based around the seasonal items from Chick-A-Biddy as they are harvested.

The events include hors d’oeuvres tastings, buffet dinners, harvest table dinners and one astounding 7-course tasting menu to close the season in mid-September. With prices ranging from $12 for the tasting events (which includes beer and wine samples) to $38 or $48 for the buffet and harvest meals, all are very reasonably priced for the bounty on offer.

Zeidler is intent on ensuring that the experience of enjoying seasonal produce is available to everyone, “The concept of making a variety of events is that we can offer a variety of experiences and price points. To try to make the event as accessible as possible. This is really about offering the farm to table experience to a wide variety of people.”

CSAs provide their own special challenges that make Chef Breton’s job an interesting one. Although he is armed with knowledge of what is in season (and what to expect in coming weeks), as well as information from Chick-A Biddy Acres farmer Sherry Patterson on what she is currently harvesting, CSA memberships work on the premise of “shared bounty, shared risk”, so Chef Breton doesn’t know for sure exactly what he is getting, or exact quantities, until the produce arrives – the day before the event. Sometimes last minute extreme weather can affect the quality of the produce and he’s regularly forced to come up with creative solutions to use everything he receives and avoid waste.

At the first tasting event this past Wednesday, sweet local beet roots showed up as bruscetta, while their greens were cut into a chiffonade and lightly sautéed as an accompaniment to fresh ravioli. It was fantastic to watch people who had never previously thought of eating beet greens register such enjoyment at their taste.

Also on the menu this past week were chicken and broccoli skewers pungent with turmeric, chilled snow pea soup, twice-baked new potatoes, dungeness crab rolls, and raspberry sorbet garnished with candied rhubarb – likely the last of the season. Next week will be something completely different, and Chef Breton admits he’s looking forward to working with peaches and blueberries in the coming weeks.

Besides the great food, many of the events will feature special guests. At the first tasting, various rooms were set up with representatives of groups such as Foodshare, Slow Food Toronto, and Edible Toronto magazine. Honey Pie Hives and Herbals (who supply their fragrant handmade soaps to the Gladstone for use by their guests) were sampling tea, Ruth Klassen of Monforte Dairy brought some of her famous cheddar cheese curds (squeaky!), while John Graham from Church Key Brewing was pouring some of his locally-brewed beers, and folks from The Country Cider Company were offering samples of their Waupoos Cider as well as their wines.

And of course, Chick-A-Biddy farmer Sherry Patterson was on hand with information about her farm and CSAs so everyone could meet and talk with the person who lovingly grew their food.

Besides being a night out and a tasty meal, Harvest Wednesdays do something even more important. The events create a sense of community, allowing like-minded people to talk and share ideas about food and where it comes from. They allow people to not only enjoy the bounty of the season but perhaps to try new foods prepared in exciting and interesting ways. And they allow a sense of connection to the land that we city-dwellers often do not have.

Harvest Wednesdays run weekly until September 19th. A specific schedule can be found at the Gladstone website, and tickets are available over the phone via credit card or at the hotel’s front desk.