Your favourite Farmer's Markets and vendors?

[LovelyAsia]

I happened to be in Burlington yesterday and went to a Farmer's market set up in the parking lot of a mall and got some fresh local asparagus! YUM!

I would love to try several over the summer while fresh local produce is available...

What is your favourite Farmer's Market and do you have a favourite vendor there?

[02putt]

The Ottawa Street Market in Hamilton is wonderful. Fresh local produce picked the night before. It is not a huge market but I like the intimacy of it. It is outdoors so you are better off going on a sunny day. I order my tomatoes for canning in the fall. They are picked the night before and are ready for pick up early Saturday morning. I tend to forgo the Hamilton Farmer's market unless I need a specialty item as the products are overpriced and not necessarily local. Do not go on a Saturday, you can't move in the place. They have packed so many vendors with tiny walkways it is a stressful outing. I haven't been yet but have heard from several people that the Brantford market is also very good.

[romanruin]

I'm a big fan of the Weston Farmers Market. It serves an ethnic, low-income clientele who actually cook, so it has very little prepared or packaged foods. Just excellent produce at great prices. Barely a hint of "organic" or "natural" or any other "poseur" foods. Just some farm families (some from as far away as Brampton!) bringing good food to a tough part of the city. You couldn't find a fixed-gear bike within ten kilometers of this place. Hard to find, but easy to park, and not too crowded.

[Yongeman]

Agreed about the Weston Market, RR. I've been many times in the past, but not for a couple of years. I got beautiful corn, $6/dozen, immense romaine lettuce, $2, juicy peaches, etc. It's small but efficient, with several farmers represented. The farm family from the Grimsby/Beamsville area has been bringing produce here for 30 years and has two generations of farmers. There was a scone lady with a tiny table and delicious scones, a West Indian bakery selling everything from already-filled roti, to savoury turnovers (including jerk chicken) and freshly made roti 'skins' to take home and put your own fillings in. There is an egg and cheese vendor Also a smoked meat vendor--sausages and salamis.
And, thankfully, my favourite component of the market, Grandpa Ken's Back Bacon on a Kaiser. $4 for a heaping bun full of well-cooked back bacon. You get to add the tomatoes, onions etc. yourself. Best sandwich in the city.

[lilaki]

i love the mushroom guy at the etobicoke farmers market ... and the strip of farmers at the north end of the market.

[superangela]

Not sure if you're willing to drive, but the farmers market in St. Jacobs near Waterloo is a huge market with an outdoors section in the summer. Don't go Saturday at noon-it's crazy busy and you won't find a parking spot. Try going first thing in the morning, or closer to closing time around 2:00 pm. I can't think of specific names of vendors, but the mennonite vendors with their bottles of maple syrup is a huge favourite of mine!

[Kagemusha]

That's a market I don't bother with any longer until late season, if at all(maple syrup??). It's morphed into a tacky tourist trap--that barn-like building is full of pedestrian schlock--complete with "outlet" stores nearby.

[LovelyAsia]

Thanks for all the suggestions! I am hoping to find fresh local strawberries soon!

[pancake]

St. Lawrence, Saturday early morning, the north market. My faves- the corn sold at the entranceway, and honey from the honey man (located on your left hand side when you enter the north market from the front street entranceway.

[smfan]

Thiessen farms at North York Civic Centre have peaches and habanero.

[Yongeman]

So does No Frills. If they were Ontario peaches, that would be a different matter, not to mention being a Rapturous miracle.

[Herne]

OK I'm a dope. I drive a car. Where do I park it at Wychwood?

[Tatai]

On the side street to the north of the barns or on Wychwood itself. I've never gotten a ticket when parked illegally (although there are also some legal spots on the side street).

[sue49]

They are Ontario peaches, you can only sell Ontario products at that market and many others.

[Yongeman]

That's cool, except that the post was on May 21--I don't know any of our peach varieties that were ripe over 2 months ago.

[Davwud]

I'm not sure if they're still there but back a few years ago when I worked in the area there was a farm at NYCC market that had the best peaches. They wore yellow shirts and were near Yonge St.

I always liked that market

DT

[smfan]

Thiessen farms at NYCC. The peaches should be ready in August. Their Habanero pepper is super hot too.

[aser]

http://akiwenziesfish.blogspot.com/

these guys are dope, big fans of them. They drive pretty far to come here, twice a week too.

the funguy stuff is really really expensive, he's at Wychwood and Dufferin Grove weekly.

[prima]

I like buying Soiled Reputation vegetables and greens at the Covent Garden Market's Farmer's Market in London, open on Thursdays and Saturdays from 8 am to 1 pm. http://www.coventmarket.com/farmers-outdoor-market/

Also like visiting the Slow Food Market in Stratford, that runs on Sundays from 10-2. http://www.slowfoodperthcounty.ca/eve...

[mikefly]

I vist Metro Hall (okay for office lunch) and Wychwood Barns (great!). Ali's Breads (same as at SLM) is my favourite. So delicious.

[mobirose]

Anyone have any experience with the Distillery District market?

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Distillery District
55 Mill St, Toronto, ON M5A, CA

[Otonabee]

My two main haunts are the St. Lawrence and the Brickworks. Here are a few of the spots that I tend to go to..

Brickworks
- Fisherfolk (excellent fish and the person is really lovely!)
- Scotch Mountain Meats (best bacon I have seen)
- Cookstown Greens
- The Fungui (?) the mushroom seller.

I was there last weekend and also tried the caramels from Grant Street Caramels.. excellent!

St Lawrence
Inside - Sovereign Farms for tomatoes and the mushroom lady

Outside - I wish I new the name... there is a fruit merchant on the east side just to the left of the south doors. They always carry the best strawberries and peaches!

Monforte is in both locations, highly recommend Ruth's stuff is always amazing!

[Snarf]

The mushroom dude calls himself the Funguy.
Forbes Wild Foods does an interesting line of prepared foods with wild ingredients, as well as fresh produce that is foraged. Different wild mushrooms are available throughout the season sporadically. They had a good selection of ramps and fiddleheads Saturday. No morels, as they didn't think enough had come through on their sites to be harvested sustainably.
Evelyn's Crackers makes a very nice selection of crackers made from different grains and flours that kick the backsides of Raincoast products.

[Googs]

True, Snarf, though I think the Mushroom Lady Otonabee refers to is W&T Mushroom. Vendor for vendor, Otonabee, those are my faves at the Farmers too.

[Otonabee]

Great minds :)

[bytepusher]

Long timer's will remember Jens and Anse(sp?) who ran Marvelous Edible's restaurant on Laird, they shut down a couple years ago and moved to a farm near Owen Sound. They are now coming to market (alternating weekly between the Brickworks and Wychwood) with fresh farm produce (this week they had aspaagus and lettuce and more) as well as some really nice pork products.

[Tatai]

It's Jens and Ayse. They had the farm while running the sadly missed Marvellous Edibles and were supplying both the restaurant and their market stall at Bloor-Borden Farmers' Market. Happy to hear they're now at Brick Works and Wychwood. Aside from their wonderful produce, they also make great pickles, preserves, and baked goods (Ayse is a pastry chef by trade, Jens a chef).

[Yongeman]

The market at the Brickworks is excellent, but pricey...lots of delicious prepared food too. The Dufferin Grove one is more down-to-earth with nice character. The Market in Weston is a good local market, not a real destination, but it features Grandpa Ken's peameal bacon sandwiches. They are great. It also tends to be a lot cheaper, partly due to its location/neighbourhood.
Here's a link of the current Farmers' Markets for the Toronto area: http://tfmn.ca/?page_id=2

[jlunar]

Great link. Must update my downtown market map for 2011...!

http://www.foodpr0n.com -- food. is. love.

[soytoy]

Ooh, thanks for the link!

[piccola]

I love the Dufferin Grove market. It has such a nice atmosphere, and the selection is great. Plus it runs year-round.