So many markets to choose from now! Hop on your bike, head on down to the bike path and welcome the farmers to one of Toronto’s new crop of markets at Humber Bay Shores (near Park Lawn Road), opening for the first time on June first and running every Saturday morning all season long!

By mid-month, there will be a market open somewhere in town any day of the week you like, and we hope you’ll plan your schedule around shopping at your favourites. Together we can support a vibrant food and farming community in and around Toronto.

Link here to a list from Toronto4Kids.com of reasons to take your kids along to a farmers’ market!

Please join us!

TFMN presents a Special Screening of a must-see documentary about the earth we live on:

Symphony of the Soil
Wednesday May 29th, 7 pm
Royal Cinema, 608 College Street
Tickets $10 at the door (discount for kids)

www.symphonyofthesoil.com

Please help us spread the word. With plenty of cafes and pubs nearby to stop in afterwards, we encourage you to invite friends along for an interesting evening!

On the same day, from 3 - 7 pm, there will be a one-day Farm Market at Fairmount Park, 1725 Gerrard East. Read all about it on their facebook page!

Have you heard that expression, “like dandelions in May”? We’ve got so much popping up around this town, it’s clear that more and more Torontonians and local food producers want to be a part of the market scene. There are several new farmers’ markets getting ready to launch, out at Humber Bay, down at CityPlace, and over at Regent Park, and many new farmers and vendors joining the teams at established markets. We’ve been in touch with growers from north, south, east and west of Toronto who want to bring more great food in, and also with folks who are growing food within our city limits.

Speaking of growing, this was an inspiring talk:
Monday May 6th:The Pickering Lands:A Breadbasket for Toronto
William Lishman, with Special Guests Donna Tranquata of Food and Water First and David Cohlmeyer

In 1972 Canada’s federal government expropriated 18,600 acres of the richest farmland in Canada for an airport that never got built. It is currently being leased out for industrial farming, but William Lishman has a different vision for the Pickering Lands. Come to this special Green Neighbours meeting to learn about what he has in mind, and help kick-start a movement to set aside these precious lands as a zone for small-scale, sustainably-operated farms serving the city of Toronto.

St. Matthews Church
St. Clair W. at Rushton
7:00-9:00 pm

We’re in the time of year that old-timers knew as ‘the hunger gap’, when stored foods run low and fresh spring crops haven’t had a chance to grow. Luckily, market farmers do all they can to extend our growing season in all directions. We’re starting to see the first lovely greenhouse greens, reports from syrup-makers are good, the chickens are laying more….We’ve got a lot to look forward to!

Behind the scenes, several new markets are in the works for Toronto. It’s too soon for official announcements yet, but we’ll do our best to keep you informed.

Down at St. Lawrence Market this month, you can lend support to an important rally:

Tuesday April 9, noon to 1 pm
Day of Action to Stop GM Alfalfa
Location: outside St. Lawrence Market, 95 Front St. East, Toronto

Info: info@nomoregmos.ca

Bring your banners, your voices and together we can stop the release of GM alfalfa.
Spread the word! Here are the locations of rallies across Ontario: www.cban.ca/april9

Monsanto’s genetically modified (GM) alfalfa could be registered for use in Eastern Canada this April! GM Roundup Ready alfalfa varieties have just been cleared for the last step before they hit the market - all they need now is a final rubber-stamp by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency. Alfalfa is used to produce many of the foods we eat! Alfalfa (commonly harvested as hay) is high-protein feed for animals like dairy cows, beef cattle, lambs, poultry and pigs. It’s also used to build nutrients in the soil and is important for organic farming.

Because alfalfa is a perennial plant that is pollinated by bees, genetically modified alfalfa will inevitably cross-pollinate with non-GM and organic alfalfa, threatening the livelihoods of family farmers across Canada. Prairie farmers have already rejected GM alfalfa because of the threat of contamination, so now the industry is trying to introduce GM alfalfa in Eastern Canada.

This action is hosted by The Big Carrot Natural Food Market, No More GMOs Toronto, Millions Against Monsanto Toronto, Kids Right To Know GMO Rally, Canadian Organic Growers-Toronto, and the Canadian Biotechnology Action Network. This call for a Day of Action to Stop GM Alfalfa was issued by the National Farmers Union-Ontario.

For Toronto Action info and materials: www.cban.ca/april9toronto
For info on the Day of Action April 9: www.cban.ca/april9