Stuff I Like: Farmers' Markets

I think it's possible that in another life I lived on a farm. I love farm animals. I enjoy growing my own vegetables. Hell, I'm not even bothered by the smell of cow manure. Yes, I love farmers and I love how hard they work to put GOOD food on the table for all of us.

In an ideal world, we'd go to the grocery store and we'd see the farmer's face on each product we bought. We'd know when it was picked and where it was grown. Sadly, the grocery store isn't the place for farm-to-table. The farmer's market however... now there we're just a little closer to the field.

I have two go-to markets. The Sherway Gardens market on Fridays is good. In addition to the produce stands they have a nice bakery stand that sells really nummy sausage rolls. My number one market however is the Saturday market at the Etobicoke Civic Centre (formerly city hall). Great produce stands, the Mennonite family that makes the fresh apple fritters, the fresh flower guys, the farm-fresh eggs, the honey dude and the family-run meat stand where I get the most delicious bacon and breakfast sausage. Oh, and I almost forgot Ralph. Ralph is a tall, burly man with white hair, a goatee and a loud voice. He's part huckster and all joker. Ralph will not only tell you where your strawberries were grown, he'll tell you who picked them, where they live, and their height, age and weight. I exaggerate, but Ralph knows how to sell some produce, and charm the pants off (figuratively) some women.

The month of August is also my favourite time to go to the farmer's market because they have two of my very favourite things: peaches and sweet corn. Peaches are a baker's dream. There is nothing like a fresh peach pie or cobbler with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. And corn? Shut the front door! Grilled on the bbq with lots of butter and salt? Have mercy! (Check out the farmer girl photobombing my corn shot!)

So the stuff I like today is the farmer's market, and the fresh, delicious food I buy there. HUG A FARMER!