February 2009
Another Event of Interest that’s Coming Right Up:
Seedy Saturday
Great Grassroots Gardening Event and Seed Exchange
February 28, 2009, 2-6 pm
Artscape Wychwood Barns (Covered Street-Barn #2)
601 Christie just south of St. Clair
For more info. visit: www.tcgn.ca
This event is the real start of spring in Toronto!
Nourishing the Future - Canadian Organic Growers Annual Conference, February 21, 2009 (9:00 am to 5:00 pm), 89 Chestnut St.(U of T Conference Centre), Toronto
Details: If you care about the foods you eat, growing for quality, and the larger benefits of organic living, this one-day conference is for you.
Keynote speaker is Carlo Leifert, the project leader of the largest, most comprehensive organic study every undertaken.
Panels include: Growing for Nourishment, Pregnancy and Organic, All About Your Meat, Organic Restaurants, Importing DDT, Preserving and Canning, and more.
Information and registration details at: www.cog.ca/toronto or 416-466-9584
This winter is proving to be a real one! Eating local can be a challenge through the long hungry gap between the last harvests of fall and the first ones of spring. At Toronto’s year-round farmers’ markets, you’ll find quite a few year-round foods, such as meats, cheeses, pickles and preserves, honey and baking.
You’ll also find a range of approaches to keeping committed market-goers supplied with fresh produce through the winter. In some cases, only what producers grow themselves is allowed, in others, farmers bring in some additional fruits and vegetables to keep up an adequate supply. This might be from other farms, local greenhouses, or from farther afield. We need to rebuild a stronger year-round-local supply of produce for Toronto, but this is still a work in progress, and you provide valuable support to local farmers by keeping up a weekly market habit. Don’t be shy about asking questions about what’s left in the local cupboard; the farmers who come to our markets will be happy to answer them.
To find the winter market nearest you, check our List of Markets. 
If you’re a farmer or market organizer visiting our site, welcome! Here’s an article (in pdf format) full of great tips and reminders:
Some Thoughts on Selling at Markets by Nina Planck