Posted by Sheryl Kirby in announcements, market basket, politics on June 23, 2009 at 12:09 pm

In all of the coverage about the services affected by the current City of Toronto strike, the one thing we've all forgotten about is the Farmers' Markets. More concerned about daycare and garbage pickup, no one, including the City, has put much thought into events being held on city property.

We contacted Access Toronto this morning and here's what they could tell us.

City-run markets are definitely not running during the strike. This includes the Wednesday morning market at Nathan Phillips Square and the Thursday morning market at Metro Hall.

St. Lawrence Farmers' Market will definitely be running on Saturday, as it is an independently-run facility.

The rest of the markets on city property are a bit of a grey area. These are not "city-run" but are held in public parks, which are city property, and thus are subject to the standard permit requirements. Lists of affected services for parks don't mention markets, but simply say that no permits will be issued. However, markets generally apply for a permit for the whole season, not on a weekly basis.

Basically, the folks from Access Toronto have told me that the decision to open the market is pretty much at the discretion of the individual market organizers. Technically, the permits are revoked during the strike, but there are also no inspectors on duty to check for permits - the same way that you need a permit to have a BBQ in a park, but there's no one on duty right now to stop you from having a BBQ if you don't have a permit.

Posted by Katie Rabinowicz in market basket, organizations, politics on December 4, 2008 at 8:00 am

It's an early Saturday morning in November and it feels like I'm in an urban village, albeit one that is covered, jam-packed and well-heeled. It's the launch of the Green Barn Market at the Artscape Wychwood Barns, a new community centre uniting environmental, cultural and arts space and affordable housing for artists. Under the Covered Barn, one of 4 converted TTC streetcar barns onsite, excited local residents are chatting over stone ground, fair trade hot chocolate while shopping from over forty year-round market stalls.

A selection of teas, fruit preserves, smoked fish, even candles and wool, help shoppers beat the chill of late Fall. There's birch syrup and dried mushrooms from Forbe's Wild Foods and a selection of meat from Stoddart Farm and Naturally Raised Beef. For those lucky enough to snag a seat at one of the tiny, coveted tables, there's food hot off the grill like polenta cakes with local leeks, mushrooms and cheese from Chez Vous and sweet potato, corn and sage empanadas from Surkls. Others have gone straight for the Paradiso sheep milk's cheese at Monforte Dairy, the addictive cinnamon buns and potato-rosemary bread from Alli's Bread, or the seasonal, organic produce from Ted Thorpe and Plan B.

Posted by Sheryl Kirby in market basket on August 25, 2008 at 8:10 am

East Lynn Park Farmers Market
East Lynn Park, Danforth Avenue at Woodbine Avenue
Thursdays, 3pm – 7pm
June 5th – October 30th

Another new market that has started up this year is the East Lynn Park Farmers Market. Located in East Lynn Park, which is just south of Danforth Avenue at Woodbine, this market takes place on Thursday afternoons, offering folks in the Danforth area the opportunity to stop by after work and pick up some fresh veggies, eggs and cheese for dinner.

Posted by Sheryl Kirby in market basket on August 19, 2008 at 7:41 am

The Village Market
Toronto Waldorf School
9100 Bathurst Street, Thornhill
Saturdays, 8:30am – 1:30pm
Open year-round

The market as community hub is a goal for all farmers market organizers – they want their market to be where neighbours come together in the name of good food.

Founded in 1991 by two teachers as a fundraising initiative for the Toronto Waldorf School and as a way of encouraging the growth of organic and biodynamic agriculture, the Saturday morning market has become a year-round fixture for the people of Thornhill, as well as the occasional visiting celebrity.

Posted by Sheryl Kirby in market basket on August 11, 2008 at 7:38 am

St. Lawrence Farmers Market
92 Front Street East
Saturdays, year-round
5am - 2pm

When it comes to farmers markets, St. Lawrence in the Granddaddy of them all. The oldest, biggest and most raucous; if it grows in Ontario, it’s probably here. For the sake of space and topicality, I’m keeping just to the north building of the complex for this article, where every Saturday morning since, oh, 1803 or so, farmers have gathered to sell their goods. The south market building, which is full of permanent vendors open from Tuesday to Saturday, is also fun to explore, but is more like a collection of cool food shops, as opposed to farmers and food producers selling their own wares.

Posted by Sheryl Kirby in market basket on August 4, 2008 at 7:25 am

Stonegate Farmer’s Market
194 Park Lawn Road (parking lot of St. James’ Humber Bay Anglican Church)
Tuesdays 4pm – 7pm
June 24th – September 30th

With the concentration of farmers markets popping up in the downtown core, it’s important to remember that residents of the suburbs should have access to fresh local produce as well. For the past four years, Stonegate Farmers Market has been serving the south Etobicoke community with a variety of offerings every Tuesday afternoon.

Posted by Sheryl Kirby in market basket on July 28, 2008 at 7:29 am

Nathan Phillips Square Farmers Market
100 Queen Street West
Wednesdays, 8:30am - 2pm
June 4th - October 15th

I've got to admit that the Wednesday morning market at Nathan Phillips Square is still my favourite of all the farmers markets in the city. There is no face-painting, no snack stalls, no fun activities for the kids. Heck, usually there are no kids. And while there are "Fresh Wednesdays" concerts from noon to 1pm, it's mostly just farmers and customers who are serious about their produce.

Posted by Sheryl Kirby in market basket on July 21, 2008 at 8:09 am

Sunshine Garden Market
1001 Queen Street West at Ossington Avenue
Mondays and Thursdays, 10:30am - 12:30pm
July 7th - October 13th (note - on holiday Mondays the market will take on the Tuesday)

When people say they want the produce at their farmers market to be local, what they generally mean is from an area somewhere within a hundred miles or so of the city. But what they don’t realize is that one local market offers a selection of items grown in the city, specifically right downtown.

Posted by Sheryl Kirby in market basket on July 14, 2008 at 7:32 am

Metro Hall Farmers Market
55 John Street
Thursdays, 8:30am – 2pm
May 29th – October 16th

One thing we know about farmers markets is that people want them to be accessible. We tend to go to the ones closest to us, as opposed to travelling across town. In the downtown core, more and more markets have popped up, not to serve people near where they live, but to attract office workers who will do their market shopping at lunchtime or during a coffee break.

The Metro Hall Farmers Market fills that niche exactly.

Posted by Sheryl Kirby in market basket on July 7, 2008 at 7:19 am

Liberty Village MyMarket
Green P Parking lot, corner of Liberty Street and Atlantic Avenue
Sundays, 9am - 2pm
June 1st - November 2nd

In the summer months, our Sunday morning ritual almost always includes a walk over to Liberty and Atlantic for the Liberty Village Farmers market. Started last year as one of a few certified markets (in which all vendors must also be the producers of the goods they sell), it’s become one of our favourites not just because of the close proximity to home, but because of the great cross-section of vendors and items for sale.

Posted by Sheryl Kirby in market basket on June 30, 2008 at 7:51 am

Sorauren Park Farmers Market
Sorauren Park, Sorauren Avenue south of Dundas street West
Mondays, 3pm - 7pm
May 26th to October 27th

The key to a successful farmers market? Ensuring that the community is onboard and that there will be enough customers to make it worthwhile. So the idea of setting up a market at Sorauren Park on Monday afternoons, when 300 kids (and their parents!) are in the park for soccer was a truly brilliant bit of marketing.

The Sorauren Farmers Market is another of the newbies this year, having held their first market day on May 26th. Prior to that, organizers had a couple of prepared food vendors set up in the park on Mondays to create a buzz with the soccer families. The close proximity of the Wabash fieldhouse provides washroom facilities as well as kitchen and dishwashing facilities, a boon for any market with the goal of being zero-waste, as this one is.

Posted by Sheryl Kirby in market basket on June 23, 2008 at 8:12 am

Green Barns Farmers Market
St. Michael's and All Angels Church, 611 St. Clair Avenue West
Saturdays, 2pm - 5pm
May 24th - late October, reopening year-round in the Wychwood Carbarns in November

One of the most exciting things about the recent spate of new farmers markets is how quickly they’ve caught on. The Green Barn Farmers Market was started last year at St Michael and All Angels Church at the corner of Wychwood and St. Clair Avenue West, and by the end of the planned market season, demand was so great that it was held over for an additional month.

Posted by Sheryl Kirby in market basket on June 16, 2008 at 7:36 am

BirchCliff Village Farmers Market
St. Nicholas Church garden, 1512 Kingston Road
Fridays, 3pm - 7pm
June 13th - October 10th

Handmade, homemade, earthmade. A good philosophy for life and an even better philosophy for a farmers market. Now in its 5th year, the BirchCliff Village Farmer’s Market does just that.

“We have a number of certified organic farms,” says market organizer Gail Ross. “Those vendors who are not yet certified are using earth friendly processes which are respectful to the land, and the workers. We ask all our vendors to commit to learning the importance of the organic process and work towards certification where available. We currently are at about 75%. As a collective we are working to educate our market vendors and community to make our food safe.”

Posted by Sheryl Kirby in market basket on May 25, 2008 at 5:57 pm

Withrow Park Farmers Market
Withrow Park (1 block south of Danforth Avenue, between Logan and Carlaw)
Saturdays, 9am - 1pm
May 24th – October 25th

A relative newcomer to the market scene, the market at Withrow Park, now in its second year has quickly become a favourite of Riverdale area residents. With 16 vendors at peak season, the focus at this market is on organic.

Posted by Sheryl Kirby in market basket on May 19, 2008 at 1:42 pm

Dufferin Grove Farmers Market
Dufferin Grove Park, 875 Dufferin Street
Thursdays, year round
3pm – 7pm

For the past five years, Torontonians in the west end have had the benefit of not just a year-round market but also an organic one. Thursdays at Dufferin Grove are a regular meeting place for local foodies, farmers and chefs, where they can check out what’s new in local and organic produce.

Market organizer Anne Freeman explains how the market got started, “community members and the recreation staff at the park were interested in having a market, and three farmers who were coming into the city (to the Riverdale Farm market) were interested in a location that could host a market year-round, so our park (rinkhouse) buildings were an asset. The market grew from there.”