You know you’re excited about an event when you circle the surrounding neighbourhood several times over because you’re too early (half an hour early) but know you can’t stray too far for fear that you’ll miss out on the good stuff when said event starts. The event? The return of the outdoor farmers’ market at Trinity Bellwoods Park at Dundas Street West and Shaw, on Tuesday from 3pm-7pm, the first of 2012. I’m not crazy – just highly enthusiastic! I’ve been waiting for the markets to either return or move outdoors for weeks and surprisingly enough, I wasn’t the only one! A number of people were milling around the market as vendors were setting up and displaying their good eats for all to see and devour 15 minutes before the market was set to begin. I was taken aback by this only because I thought I was the only one who showed up abnormally early to things. But there I was amongst other market goers, foodies, cyclists, and mums and kids, ready to pounce on anything and everything.
St. John’s Bakery was there as well as Monforte Dairy, Evelyn’s Crackers, Forbes Wild Foods, Woolerdale Farms, and to my delight, BreadSong Collective! I discovered them during my last visit to Wychwood Barns when I picked up an amazing kale and black bean empanada to take home and I was overjoyed to find out that they would be at at Trinity Bellwoods. We know what that means: picnic lunch in the park! Along with the huge veggie empanadas, quinoa salad, and vegan cookies and brownies, they had some new goodies on Tuesday including some mini stuffed mushroom and onion buns, mini brioche loaves, and some sweet custard-like pastries.
And of course, we can’t forget about the return of seasonal asparagus and fresh rhubarb! Woolerdale Farms was on hand with both along with bags of lettuces, greens, and salad mixes, shallots, and beets. I’m really interested in trying my hand at some rhubarb baked goods this season, so I’m hoping my family will oblige and humour me with this one. I don’t think they’re all too keen on rhubarb, but fresh market produce is so hard to resist, especially ones that are so versatile in baked goods!
Hypothetically, if I could pick up whatever I wanted from the market without taking money into a consideration, I would have grabbed another empanada and a vegan alfajor from BreadSong Collective, some goat cheese from Monforte Dairy, a package of fudge cookies from St. John’s Bakery, and a bag of leafy lettuces and salad mix from Woolerdale Farms. I was just getting warmed up though so I held off on purchases for the time being so I’d know for sure what I wanted to come back for the next time. The season is young so I’m sure I’ll be filling up the tote bags with goodies to bring home in no time!
Coming back to the market at Trinity Bellwoods brought back such a great memories from 2011: chomping on giant vegan coconut oat cookies, bringing my mum and brother to a farmers’ market for the first time, buying my very first bunch of kale, and beginning my whirlwind market adventure last May. Aside from Fresh Wednesdays at Nathan Phillips Square, the market at Trinity Bellwoods was my first in the city and it led to a hunger and thirst for more each and every single week. I know this is going to be an amazing spring and summer season, so here’s to many more outdoor market adventures in the city in 2012!
The farmers’ market at Trinity Bellwoods Park is located at Dundas St. West and Shaw St. every Tuesday from 3pm-7pm.