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What’s On This Week?

I’ve talked about my son’s interest in Ontario produce here before.  This week he suggested we go forth and get ourselves some Ontario strawberries for dessert.  “Oh sure, we can go get some strawberries,” I innocently reply.  “No, mummy, I said ONTARIO strawberries!”  Seriously – I’ve got to get this kid on the payroll at Foodland Ontario.

Strawberry Canning Workshop Tomorrow 

It’s all about strawberries this week.  If you love local strawberries, then you need to attend the Strawberry Canning Workshop.  It’s tomorrow – Wednesday, June 29th.  Register at melaniej.thompson(at)yahoo.ca or just show up.  The workshops start at 7 p.m. and run about 90 minutes in the basement of the Mennonite Church (north side of Danforth, just east of Woodbine).  Cost is $10/session to cover our costs.  Come one, come all!

World Famous -East Lynn-Canada Day-Farmers’ Market-Square Dance-Strawberry Festival   

It’s the Strawberry Festival!!!  It only happens once a year so we are going to dance about it with a real down-home urban square dance at 5 p.m.  This is our second annual square dance and it is the most fun you can have with your boots on.

At the Kid’s Korner this week we’ve got Melissa doing the up cycling tee shirt Craft at 3:30. There is still space so register at decacrafts@gmail.com.  There is also storytelling and face painting starting at 4 p.m.  And The SPACE dance studio is getting the dancing started at 4:30 p.m.

Stop by the community tent and visit the nurses from Toronto East General Hospital as they dole out advice on how to beat the summer heat.

And when you are finally pooped from doing all this awesome stuff, buy some food, nourish thy selves and stock up for the long weekend.

Friday Canada Day Parade

The East York Canada Day parade is a long-standing tradition and why not?  Shriners, fire trucks and marching bands spell the start of a great weekend if you ask me.  The parade starts at 9 a.m. at Overlea and Thorncliffe Park Dr. and makes its way to Stan Wadlow Park by noon.

In The News

You may have seen DECA quoted in the Toronto Star story about the big hole today, if not, here it is.  Also, this is a link to a good Open File story on Little Ethiopia from a while back.

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Crafts At The Market

It was a great turn out for this year’s first craft at the East Lynn Farmer’s Market.  This week, get ready for some fashion-forward ‘up cycling’.  Turn your old t-shirt into an awesome re-usable grocery bag or an oh-so-chic fringe scarf.  3:30 p.m.
RSVP soon to reserve a spot! decacrafts(at)gmail.com. Participants are asked to bring the t-shirt to re-use. A graphic patterned tee is great for the scarf and a screen printed one looks great turned into the grocery bag. All other necessities will be supplied.
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Yes, Poetry Above a Sports Bar

Catherine Penny sent along this interesting little tidbit of local literary libation locale…

I thought you would like to know that Toronto’s longest running poetry workshop group, Toronto Renaissance Conspiracy, meets the second Thursday of every month in the top room of TKO’s (yes poetry above a sports bar/restaurant).

All are welcome to the workshops.

It has published three anthologies of work and a lot of poets/writers have worked through pieces which have subsequently been published or put to video or to choral work.  The Larkin Singers just did Jim Lanthier’s body of work, Wife in Winter, that was performed on May 28, 2011 at Christ Church Deer Park. Valentino the Toronto Rapper/ Poet workshopped for a TheFullySick Rapper of Australia – a piece which was used for the advertisement promo for Ridley Scott and Kevin MacDonald in Day In The Life of You Tube.  He wasn’t able to present himself so Valentino did it for him.

You can read and workshop, or just read a piece or just have a listen.

The group has had Goran Simac, Alice Major, David Donnel & Roo Borson read and present new work. Numerous chap books, awards and recognitions have been bestowed on poets that have presented work in a raw form and then with feedback altered, adjusted, fine tuned or did nothing to the pieces.

The criticism is constructive and compassionate as we all have a voice that needs to be heard and now I think our commnity needs to know that it exists.

 

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DECA Learns DECA Eats

My five-year-old son should be employed by Foodland Ontario.  “Mummy, I like Ontario food the best.”  “Mummy Ontario strawberries are my favourite.  Let’s always eat food from Ontario o.k. Mummy?”

DECA Learns – Canning Workshops

If you’re like him, you’ll want to bottle up that sweet local flavour and eat it all year long.  And DECA is here to help you do just that.  Our canning workshops are up and running again this year so mark your calendars.  Register early (melaniej.thompson(at)yahoo.ca) because the workshops sometimes fill up.  The workshops start at 7 p.m. and run about 90 minutes.

Wednesday, June 29th – Strawberries

Tuesday, July 26th – Plums

Wednesday, August 17th – Peaches & Pears

Wednesday, September 14th – Tomatoes & Salsa

Wednesday, October 5th – Cranberries, Thanksgiving, Gift giving for the holidays

Workshops will take place in the basement of the Mennonite Church (north side of Danforth, just east of Woodbine).  Cost is $10/session to cover our costs.  Again, space is limited so register in advance if you can and please please let Melanie know if you can’t make it because she’ll keep a waiting list.

DECA Learns – Foraging For Salad Greens

Did you know there is free, delicious, nutritious leaves can be harvested from the plant lamb’s quarters?  Did you know that lamb’s quarters grow wild right here in our neighbourhood?  For tasty greens to supplement your salad or soup, take a local foraging trip with Susan and Melanie.  On this half-hour walk and pick, you will learn to identify lamb’s quarters, harvest it and get tips on how to use it.

Thursday, June 23rd at 7 p.m. – Meet at the DECA table at the East Lynn Farmers’ Market

For more information, call 416-686-9676

East Lynn Farmers’ Market

Localfoody.net is a website about…yes local food.  They recently wrote about our market.  The writer loved it, but was concerned there weren’t enough shoppers to keep the market viable.  Let’s make sure we put our money where our mouth is and support the farmers’ market that we’ve come to love.

Are you on Twitter?  Follow the East Lynn Market at @eastlynnmarket

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To Market, To Market…

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The grand opening of the East Lynn Market was a great success last week.

First, it was sunny! Second, fabulous DECA volunteer, Susan Crofts, unveiled her handy work by way of a new market apple costume and Pria was a sport and showed it off all afternoon long.

Another amazing DECA volunteer, Jon Isaac, spent his winter, not only becoming a father for the second time, but giving birth to two amazing old-fashioned carnival games — a ring toss and bean bag toss.  Bothwere unveiled last week. Judging by the number of kids crowding around them, I’d say they were unanimously considered awesome.

The clown on stilts entertained the other kids by juggling, telling jokes and pulling long strings of ribbon out of his mouth and people’s heads.

Charlie from Columbo’s Pizza’s made swift business selling slices of pizza and rice balls swimming in pasta sauce. Both he and the Cozy Cafe sisters will be selling warm meals at the market every week this month, so arrive hungry.

And the city councillors lined up to cut our ribbon. Thanks to Janet Davis, Mary Fragedakis and Mary-Margaret McMahon for supporting the market!  It was a wonderful kick-off to a wonderful summer of Thursday evenings in the park.

This week – Kids’ Activities at the Market:  More than face painting and honey sticks!

Puppets, crafts, story-telling and more are on the line-up for the “Kids’ Korner” of the East Lynn market this year.  On the (very high) heels of last week’s stilt-walking clown, we have two very special activities this Thursday.  At 3:30, Melissa Peretti will teach kids paper pot planting (register at decacrafts@gmail.com).  At 4:30, Beth Yarzab from CareerFitMom will run a Playfit class with everyone — parents and kids alike will have a chance to play and get fit!

And of course, there will be face painting.  Our hours for now are 4:00-6:30, and may expand when we get more volunteers.

Strawberry Social – Thursday June 30

 

 

At 4:30 , the dancers and singers from the local S.P.A.C.E studio will put on a medley for the crowd. I’m told some Hairspray songs, a hip hop number and a ballet piece from Swan Lake are on the program. A real treat!

Then, at 5 p.m., DECA will host its second square dance in the park. That’s right city slickers, dust off your cowboy hats and overalls! Members of the Kitgut Oldtime Stringband will venture up to East Lynn from their usual haunt at Kensington Market to  play mountain music on their fiddle, banjo and guitar, and singer Ivy Mairi who moonlights as a square dance caller will talk us all through the steps.

Ivy specializes in teaching beginners. So bring your granny and your kids for the evening!

Hope to see you there.