New farmers, new markets

There's lots of new farmers markets opening in Toronto this year (for a list head over to www.tfmn.ca). And some, like Sorauren Park Farmers Market even have some new farmers, thanks to an innovative program called Farm Start which helps new farmers get started.

Here's views of Beet Street's Hakurei turnips and Cherry Belle radishes, The Cutting Veg's garlic scapes and purple onions, as well as South Etobicoke Organics' very beautiful French Breakfast radishes. These are all grown by first year farmers, though the beauty of their produce shows that they clearly have some previous growing experience.

Mmmmm, strawberries!

There's nothing like strawberries to herald the local food season's in full swing. Here's some of Ted Thorpe's luscious offerings plus flowers from my favorite flower seller, Shane of Underground Organics (more from Shane's farm later) at Toronto's Dufferin Grove organic farmers' market.

If you are looking for a farmers' market near you the Toronto Farmers' Market Network has a great resource. And if you want to venture further from home, Edible Toronto lists more markets in the Golden Horseshoe

It won't be long now...(wishin' and hopin')

Seedy Saturday, the clock change and the vernal equinox are my markers that life will return and that it's only a matter of moments until that first whisper of green will soon be heard, albeit very quietly, on my morning walks. For me, there's nothing as exciting as that very first peak or green, the swelling bud, a bird on it's way north...it can't come soon enough!

But the meantime:

Seedy Saturday (Toronto) 2008

While I wait for my favorite farmers to start growing their own, I'm looking for any sign that spring will return to Toronto (kind of hard when the snow is piled up to record levels here). But at least there's Seedy Saturday--my unofficial sign that spring has returned. Come back soon to see some pix.

Edible Toronto

My cover shot for the premiere issue of Edible Toronto.
Read the magazine here: www.edibletoronto.com/pages/articles.htm

Autumn 2007 at the farmers' markets

Catching up from a few weeks of shooting the harvest:

Welcome to Fresh and Local

I haunt several farmers' markets on a weekly basis, always with camera in hand. I shop too, but mostly I take photos of the incredible, infinite variety on offer at my markets. I first fell in love with photographing food (mostly fruit and vegetables) while working at FoodShare Toronto but it really became a passion (obsession?) when I discovered the Dufferin Grove organic farmers' market 4 years ago. It's been the place to go in Toronto if you want organic local food and want to get on a first name basis with the people who grow it.

The current local food boom now means that there are many, many more farmers markets in Toronto--pretty much one each day of the week. There aren't enough farmers to go around though, so chances are, I'll see some of the same farmers at Trinity-Bellwoods, Riverdale, the Brickworks, or Withrow as I'll see at Dufferin Grove. But Dufferin Grove remains my favorite, and I think it is also the favorite of the farmers.

So this blog will be primarily a photo blog, featuring what I've seen during the week at Dufferin Grove and other markets. The first photos that I post may be from a few weeks (or even months) ago--I have some catching up to do in my photo processing. And occasionally I'll write about something of relevance to food and agriculture but since I'm a photographer first and writer second, it's mostly going to be photos.

Enjoy--and buy local!