Category: farmers market

Every year, among many other things, Catherine Porter, organizes generous community volunteers to cook dinner for the farmers and their helpers at the East Lynn Farmers Market.  She sent along this note of thanks.

The last farmers’ market this year was cold and damp.  The farmers had dwindled down to 14, selling apples and honey and what’s left of the broccoli and lamb. But, at 5:15 p.m. they shovelled in warm bangers and mash and were, as usual, very grateful. I handed a steaming plate to a new farmer, who arrived to the market for the first time with Ruth’s cheese. He was bewildered.

“What is this?” he said. “Our community is grateful you are here. So, we feed you every Thursday so you leave with big, warm bellies,” I answered.

He beamed at me.

It was another great moment of many this summer.

Every Thursday — rain or shine — when you are rushing home, someone is rushing out to the farmers’ market not to pick up supplies (although, maybe that too), but to bring each of them a homemade meal.

Some people cooked once, which was fabulous. Others cooked twice and three times, which was mind-boggling. And every Thursday, the farmers said how grateful they were for the generosity and kindness.

As I’ve said many times here before, the farmers feed us, and we feed the farmers. They have helped make our little pocket of the city more of a community, and we in turn, want to include them in that feeling.

It’s a lot of work, for very little pay. But it was very much appreciated.

So, please, thank with me the following cooks, who arrived on a Thursday with every thing from Morroccan chicken curry to lasagna:

Susan Spratley, Nicola St. John, Susan Cox, Susi Tarleton, Pat Chartier, Kirsten Hurd, Shelley Pogue, Mary Egan, Sara Heinonen, Nicola Yap, Robin Forbes, Susan Crofts, Frances Bartlett, Tanya Geisler, Jessi Schmiedchen, Laurie Smith, Catherine Dorton, Ruth Heathcote, Lorraine Cheng, Alisha Austin, Wayne Chee, Melissa Peritti, and Alison McMurray.

If you want to join us and cook one night — or many — next summer, please let me know: catherine_porter@rogers.com

East Lynn Farmers’ Market

Thursday is the last day of the 2010 East Lynn Farmers’ Market.  What an amazing season this has been.  Nearly every Thursday was blessed with beautiful weather and we had a terrific slate of farmers this year.  Whether you were looking for meat, bread, cheese, fruit or vegetables, it was all there to be had.  We also had fun family activities at 4:30 p.m. all summer long and great music too.

Who Is That Lady In The Pea Costume?

If I’m really being honest here, there was a little part of me that was kind of hoping Mary-Margaret McMahon wouldn’t win as Ward 32 Councillor on Monday night.  It was completely and totally selfish.  You see,  a whole lot of what DECA has achieved over the last three or four years is because of, or has been helped along by Mary-Margaret: whether it was getting trees planted or surveying the tree canopy or organizing the DECA Learns series of re-skilling workshops or helping organize the the DECA Bikes team, or as an ever-energetic member-at-large on the executive committee and of course, as one of the pillars of the East Lynn Farmers’ Market.

Well, we couldn’t let her leave without a little hurrah – so please join us tomorrow at the East Lynn Farmers’ Market at 5:30 p.m. where we’ll raise a metaphorical glass to the wacky lady in the pea suit who’s undeniable energy has helped make the market and our community a much more vibrant place to live.