The Market this Week: ‘Pressure Cooker’

East Lynn Park Farmers’ Market

All of our friendly farmers and food vendors will be back again this week for a Thursday eventing that promises not to disappoint. The featured winery this week will be Pillitteri Estates Winery.

Our community colleagues from Merrill Dog Park Association will be at the market along with ER Nurses from Toronto East General Hospital with information on staying safe for the summer. Be sure to stop by their community booths!

‘Pressure Cooker’: Are you up to the Jamie Oliver challenge?

Jamie Oliver is looking for home cooks for his new show, Pressure Cooker, and his production company is coming to East Lynn Park Farmers’ Market this week to look for YOU! This new series, set to run on the W Network, will pair home cooks who embody the Jamie Oliver food values (local, fresh) with celebrity chefs in a culinary competition. As reported in the Hollywood Reporter, this will be Jamie’s first Canadian production and will be filming in Toronto. Come by the DECA tent to talk with Shannon and the pop-up casting team to learn more about participating in this exciting new foodie adventure.

Kids Korner: Soli & Rob

Rob Joy of the children’s music duo Soli and Rob is coming back to the market this week for the 4:30 p.m. children’s activity! This is Rob’s fourth year coming to the market, and his concerts are always one of the hits of the season. Kids of all ages love to sing along and dance to his happy tunes. From his website:

Touted by Toronto Life magazine as “One of Toronto’s biggest Names in Pint-sized entertainment” and past winner of the Parent’s Choice Award for Children’s entertainment (City Parent Magazine), Soli & Rob have a knack for putting on that rare show that leaves adults and kids smiling for the same reason – it’s great entertainment.

Wellness Booth

Our featured wellness guest is Leanne Dixon an Energy Practitioner and pilates instructor from bodySHIFT. Come by the wellness table 4 – 7:00 p.m. for free information about energy work and pilates and discover a whole new way of connecting to yourself- body, mind and soul!

The East Lynn Farmers’ Market runs every Thursday from 3-7 p.m. between June 5 – October 9 at East Lynn Park, located on the south side of Danforth Ave, just west of Woodbine Ave. Stay up to date by visiting the East Lynn Market Facebook page.

June 9, 2014

The Market this week: Grand Opening Celebration 2014

market 4

The Guest of Honour

What an amazing first day at the market last Thursday. The weather was perfect and the community vibe was buzzing. A selection of pictures of the day can be found on the market Facebook page.

This week

If you weren’t able to make it last week be sure to mark your calendar for this week as we celebrate with the Grand Opening Celebration. There will be music and circus performers to entertain, in addition to our weekly face painters who will be back in action. Tawse Winery will be on hand to share their goods! Don’t forget to stop by their tent for a sample. Career Fit Mom will also be leading the little ones through a family friendly activity at 4:30 p.m.

Wellness Booth

Our featured wellness guest is Nana Jokura, Naturopathic Doctor of Accept Wellness. She will be back with the ever popular Free Tongue & Pulse Diagnosis. Learn about what might be out of balance with your health and how she helps with stress, digestion and sleep (for babies, new moms and the rest of us). She will be at the market from 4:00-6:30 p.m.

June 2, 2014

Farmers’ Market Opening on Thursday!

The Farmers are Coming! The Farmers are Coming!

Some of our favourites are returning this week and new additions are making their debut! The East Lynn Farmers’ Market is back to start the 2014 season. One important debut to note will be Ontario WINE! It’s true. There will be a rotating selection of Ontario wine available for purchase starting this week with 13th Street Winery. A full list of farmers, wineries and ready-made-food vendors is available on the DECA website. And don’t forget that the market has it’s own Facebook page with more weekly updates of activities and market happenings.

No doubt, it’s the farmers and their produce that are the main event each week. But in order to appeal to residents of all ages and interests we like to feature some diverse weekly offerings and community guests.

Weekly Children’s Activity

Returning again this year will be the weekly 4:30 p.m. children’s activity. Many local volunteers and businesses donate their time and creativity to help create the community vibe at the market each week and for giving the younger market-goers something to look forward to beyond the berries and honey-sticks. In addition to the weekly face painting, there are regular events, such as storytime, arts and crafts and fun physical activities. This week we will be asking children to participate in decorating the new children’s tent. The line-up for June and July can be found below.

Community Booth & Wellness Table

Our first community guest will be students from Monarch Park Collegiate Institute’s Independent Living Program. Look for them right beside the DECA table. They will be selling their handmade wrapping paper and gift bags, so stock up and say hello to some really lovely students. This program is vital to the school and community, and we are happy to have them here for our first market.

New this year will be the addition of a Community Wellness Table. Briar Munro of Fly Girl Fitness will be out first featured wellness guest. Fly Girl Fitness is a health and wellness centre with group and personal training, holistic lifestyle coaching, nutrition and yoga/pilates group classes. She will be offering free success consultation from 3:00-4:00 p.m. (a great incentive to come early if you can). Come and enter a draw for a $50 gift certificate.

Next Week

Our Grand Opening Celebration will be held next week with music and entertainment. Stay tuned for more details.

See you Thursday!

October 15, 2013

Saying Goodbye & THANK YOU to our Farmers!

So long, farewell…

If you’ve ever wondered what it takes to put on the East Lynn Farmers’ Market, here is how our stats for the season break down:

17 market weeks with 85 total hours of vending (farmers standing on their feet with a long drive to and from Toronto before and after)
600 warm meals made with love from 23 of your neighbours to feed the farmers, who otherwise wouldn’t get to eat dinner on Thursday evenings
212 hours donated by dedicated DECA volunteers (including many by ‘Farmerlicious Femme’ Alison McMurray)
16 different groups set up at our Community Table to spread the word about their organization
425 little faces painted by Rebecca and Renee and their team of student volunteers
24 hours donated leading crafts, singing, dancing from our friends at Mrs. Darlings Imaginarium, Silly Goose Kids, Pegasus Studios, Oaks n’ Acorns, Career Fit Mom, Silver Spirit Karate and Sprout Kids

That’s a whole lot of giving from our community!

Why do we do it? Clearly, because of all that the farmers give to us. They give us countless early mornings picking and packaging fruit and veggies, weekends spent turning sap into syrup, late nights making berries into jams and hours raising beautiful animals into healthy, locally raised meat. They also give us the precious time it takes them to drive, set up, and unpack at the park each week, and then to drive home after a long afternoon and evening of work. While we picnic, splash, chase and chat on long, wonderful evenings, the farmers are there too, working, making the whole thing happen for us.

I know that I speak for many when I say, a great big “THANK YOU!” to the farmers!

Make sure to come to the market this Thursday, and while you’re stocking up for the week, buy a few things for your freezer, and take a moment to say thank you and farewell to this year’s farmers.

October 9, 2013

Harvestfest at East Lynn Park Farmers’ Market

This Week: Harvestfest

Come celebrate the harvest with our farmers this week. DECA will be serving up hot apple cider to warm you up. Sprouts Kids will be at the market providing glitter tattoos and putting on a singing and dancing activity at 4:30 p.m.

Winter Market… in your freezer

Fall is a great time to stock up on your favourite fruits and vegetables so you can enjoy local produce all winter long! Peppers, zucchini, squash, berries, spinach, green beans, apples and many more can be frozen! Check out this link for helpful tips on how to best prepare, store and thaw fruit and veggies for your frozen market.

Photo Contest Winner

Congratulations to Jen for her winning submission to the photo contest! You and the mysterious redhead enjoying peas won a $25 gift card to the market!

The East Lynn Farmers’ Market runs every Thursday from 3-7 p.m. between June 6 – October 17 at East Lynn Park, located on the south side of Danforth Ave, just west of Woodbine Ave. Stay up to date by visiting the new East Lynn Market Facebook page.

October 1, 2013

Home Safety Audit & Farmers’ Market

Home Safety Audit this Thursday

Case your own joint! This is a great opportunity to learn how to prevent break-ins at your house.

DECA members are invited to attend a home safety audit on Thursday, October 3rd at 7pm (after the Farmers’ Market). We will visit a home on East Lynn Avenue with Constable Rob McDonald from 55 Division who will offer tips on how to increase security of your homes both inside and out.

We will meet at the DECA booth at the East Lynn Market at 7pm. Please email Diana Gibbs if you are interested. And stay tuned for news about community safety walks this fall.

Farmers’ Market: Photo Contest Voting & This Week’s Fun

market Pic — Mysterious redhead enjoying her peas

Do you remember these beautiful submissions to the East Lynn Park Farmers’ Market photo contest? Well, it’s time to vote for your favourite. Click here to go to our Facebook poll and cast your vote for the winner.

This week, our Silly Goose Kids pals will be at the market with Rooster Tales (stories, songs and circle games) with Sally Jaeger and Erica Webster. Fun starts at 4:30 PM. Naturopathic Doctor Nana Jokura of Accept Wellness will be providing tips on boosting your immune system and breaking the cycle of perpetual colds. She will also be offering free tongue and pulse diagnosis (3:00-5:00 PM).