Evergreen Brick Works Farmers’ Market
Saturdays, 8am–1pm
Every Saturday throughout the summer, the Farmers’ Market features a fabulous assortment of fruits, vegetables, wild fish, meat, cheese, milled flours, eggs and oils—all from local farmers.
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Bus. Bike. Walk. Very limited parking due to construction. Take our shuttle bus or the TTC and leave your car and cares behind. |
Participating vendors include:
Cookstown Greens · Everdale Organic Farm and Learning Centre · Forbes Wild Foods · Fun Guy Farm · Monforte Dairy · Oikos Teas · Scotch Mountain Meats · Sosnicki Organic Produce · Thorpe’s Organic Farm · Quinte Organic Farmers Co-operative · Aboriginal Art of Canada & Digital Wilderness Canada · Toorshi Foods · Rolling Hills Organics · Evelyn’s Crackers · McCutcheon’s Maple Syrup · Auntie Gin
Bee’s Universe – Toronto, Ontario
“We explain our products, and customers appreciate this”
The office of this family business is in Toronto, but the beehives, of course, are elsewhere – clustered near a series of conservation areas in the Innisfil area south of Barrie. Founded by Irina and Ionel Alecu in 2005, Bee’s Universe offers its market customers three varieties of honey (clover, wildflower and buckwheat), plus honeycomb, fresh frozen royal jelly, bee pollen granules, propolis (a resinous substance believed to stimulate the immune system), beeswax candles, and a honey-based face cream. “We sell at farmers’ markets because then we can deal directly with customers and explain our products to people who are interested in what we have,” says Irina. “They appreciate this very much.”
Contact: 416-924-3633; office@beesuniverse.com; www.beesuniverse.com
Cookstown Greens – Egbert, Ontario
“Brick Works is a fantastic place for us”
Sally Wente leans across the pouches of baby salad greens and explains that David Cohlmeyer started his farm (just north of Cookstown) more than 20 years ago, because he couldn’t find organic produce that met his standards as a restaurant owner and chef. His renown and his farm both grew, and today Cookstown Greens supplies a solid list of high-end restaurants, the House of Commons, and the Evergreen Brick Works Farmers’ Market. They offer baby salad greens (drawing on a seasonal assortment of 35 ingredients, including edible flowers); root vegetables, all grown from heirloom seeds and many featuring a range of colours (e.g. four colours of beet, six colours of carrot); seedlings (e.g. sunflower, fennel, chickpea, amaranth); edible flowers (e.g. naturtiums, marigolds, mustard blossoms); and seasonal vegetables. “Evergreen Brick Works is our only farmers’ market,” says Sally, “and we think this is a fantastic place for us. It’s another way to ensure that everything we grow is consumed, and nothing is wasted.”
Contact: 705-458-9077; info@cookstowngreens.com; www.cookstowngreens.com
Everdale Organic Farm and Learning Centre – Hillsburgh, Ontario
“We’re here to sell our produce, and to engage people in community activism”
The farm was started in 1997, and now works 150 acres, all certified organic. It is successor to the earlier Everdale Place, founded in the 1960s as Canada’s first “free school,” and it still reflects that heritage of community-focused activism. People are welcome to tour the farm, and to sign up for any of the Centre’s workshops and programs (e.g. straw bale construction, wind power, organic gardening, young farmer internships). Much of the produce is sold on-site, or to a membership list – but it appears each Saturday at Evergreen Brick Works as well. Over the season, they’ll bring some three dozen types of vegetables to the market (e.g. kale, spinach, beets, lettuce, chard, green onions, snow peas), along with a range of culinary herbs. “We come here for two reasons,” adds Gavin Dandy, farm manager. “First, to sell our produce directly to customers. Second, to publicize our educational work, because we’d like people to engage in community activism about farming.”
Contact: 519-855-4859; info@everdale.org; www.everdale.org
Forbes Wild Foods – Toronto, Ontario
“Wild foods are the most natural foods”
Toronto-based Forbes doesn’t grow a thing. It forages. As the company name suggests, it creates products from the “wild foods” that are gathered nation-wide by pickers who have been trained in sustainable harvesting techniques. Founded by Jonathon Forbes a decade ago, the company now offers some 90 items. They include fruit jellies and compotes (e.g. blueberry, chokecherry, Saskatoon berry, high bush cranberry, plum, etc), more than a dozen types of wild mushrooms, vegetables (e.g. milkweed pods, cattail hearts), syrups (e.g. birch, maple, rose), and dry goods (e.g. maple sugar, black walnuts, wild rice, etc). Forbes sells to restaurants, hotels, and gift and health food stores, says General Manager Meaghan Lynch, but they are also very committed to farmers’ markets. “Farmer’s markets are an important part of our business, where we get a chance to meet other people who are interested in their community, the environment, and especially delicious foods.”
Contact: 1-877-354-9453; forbes@wildfoods.ca; www.wildfoods.ca
Fun Guy Farm – Goodwood, Ontario
“We can experiment, and customers really enjoy it”
Fun Guy Farm’s product is mushrooms, and founder Bruno Pretto lets you work out the joke for yourself (fun guy… funghi… hah! got it!). Initially, he and his wife and partner Paula Vopni focused on the wholesale trade, but now, he says, their main interest is farmers’ markets. On a typical day he’ll offer a variety of mushrooms (primarily Shiitake and Oyster), Shiitake mushroom stock, and polenta “con funghi,” all from their farm. He also brings in miso produced by another local farmer, and some imported cheeses and dried seaweed. “We’ve shifted focus to farmers’ markets because they allow us to experiment. We can bring in whatever we want, not just a few items dictated by a middleman, and customers really enjoy it. It’s such a pleasure to be here, dealing with people who are curious and adventurous, and want to know more and try more.”
Contact: 905-642-3014; office@mycosource.com; www.mycosource.com
Monforte Dairy – Stratford, Ontario
“I always wanted to be the lady selling the cheeses”
Though Ruth Klahsen didn’t grow up with sheep and goats, she still brought considerable expertise to the founding of Monforte Dairy in 2005. With her background as a chef, and also as an instructor at the Stratford Chefs’ School, she knew what exacting professionals demand in cheese products. Today half the business done by her Dairy is with restaurants and wineries – but the other half is with the people she meets at farmers’ markets. She brings some 25 cheeses, cream cheeses, curds and yogurts to market, all produced at Monforte from the milk she buys from 19 area shepherds, who in total own some 600 ewes. “Whenever I visited farmers’ markets in Europe,” she says, “I always wanted to be the lady selling the cheeses.” She smiles. “And here I am.”
Contact: 519-595-7920; monfortedairy@cyg.com; www.monfortedairy.com
Oikos Teas – Toronto, Ontario
“At Evergreen Brick Works, I can make these teas available to the public”
Ronald Francis comes from a tea-growing family – they have been in the business in Sri Lanka for 30 years – but he trained as a landscape architect and made that his career here in Canada. Then, six years ago, he entered the tea business himself as an importer. His teas are all certified organic, all from Sri Lanka, and all exclusive to him in Canada. Initially he was strictly a supplier to discerning professionals (such as restaurateur Jamie Kennedy), but for the last few years he has also been a regular vendor at the Evergreen Brick Works market. “Here I can make these teas available to the public,” he explains, gesturing to his stock of white, green, and black loose teas, plus the white-green mix called Extra Special Golden Tips. “Everybody has a chance to taste them, and to buy them. Customers appreciate this, and it gives me great pleasure.”
Contact: Ronald Francis – 416-733-0200; oikosteas@sympatico.ca
Scotch Mountain Meats – Meaford, Ontario
“Premium meats, direct to the customer”
While this farmers’ co-operative is just 3 years old, some of the families involved are descendents of the area’s original settlers, who cleared the land in the 1840s and immediately established their farms. Today’s co-op members raise and sell Angus beef, Suffolk lamb and some pork, and are committed to healthy and environmentally-friendly methods and products. (They even grow their own, GMO-free, cattle feed.) Some product goes to restaurants and butcher shops, but their primary focus is direct-to-customer sales. “When we come to the Brick Works market, we can offer our premium meats – steaks, chops, sausages, ground meat – straight to the customer. There’s no middleman involved,” says James McIntosh. “People love it. In fact, we’re buying larger trailers so we can bring more to market, to meet the growing demand.”
Contact: 519-538-2489; inquiries@scotchmountainmeats.com; www.scotchmountainmeats.com
Sosnicki Organic Produce – Waterford, Ontario
“Harvest one day, sell the next”
Jessie Sosnicki and husband Ben have been running their certified organic farm since 2003. Now they grow some 30 different crops over the season, offering market customers everything from heritage tomatoes (50 varieties!) to potatoes, sweet corn, root crops, peppers, onions, broccoli, herbs, and salad greens. “We’re a small operation, so farmers markets are the right scale for us,” says Jessie. There are non-financial reasons as well. “I love the markets! We can harvest one day and sell the next. Plus… everyone is smiling and complimentary. It really recharges my batteries.”
Contact: 519-443-5903; www.sosnickiorganics.com
Thorpe’s Organic Farm – Millgrove, Ontario
“We like dealing with the public”
Ted Thorpe, a fourth-generation Ontario vegetable farmer, was one of the pioneers of the Toronto-area farmers’ markets – he’s been supplying them with fruits and vegetables since 1990. The bounty ranges from cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli and zucchini, to melons, potatoes, tomatoes, strawberries and raspberries. Son Carson (working the Evergreen Brick Works stand one Saturday with sisters Leah and Maya) explains that Ted used to focus on store deliveries, but found he likes dealing directly with the public. “So do we,” says Carson with a grin, as his sisters nod agreement.
Contact: 905-689-2114
Quinte Organic Farmers Co-operative – Picton, Ontario
This co-op of 12 certified organic family farms began operations in 2005. They now provide organic produce and meats to farmers’ markets across the Toronto area—a wide variety of salad greens (your choice, spicy or mild), fruits and vegetables (including heritage tomatoes), and lamb, beef and pork.
Contact: Didi Curry – 613-478-6078; hilltop@reach.net
Aboriginal Art of Canada & Digital Wilderness Canada – Toronto, Ontario
Fine artwork, original paintings, archival prints, photography, art cards and hand crafted jewellery by Joanne Victoria Larkman, Status Aboriginal and Professional Woodland Artist, born in Cabbagetown, Toronto, and Dave Larkman, Professional Wildlife Photographer and Artist, born in Hawkestone, Ontario.
Contact: Dave & Joanne Larkman, Toronto: 416-752-5307; jlarkman@digitalwilderness.ca; www.digitalwilderness.ca
Toorshi Foods – Toronto, Ontario
The Vartanian family has been making many great tasting naturally preserved toorshi for over 50 years. (Toorshi is the Armenian word for pickles). They now produce their array of pickled products in larger quantities for all to enjoy from their local pickling facility in Scarborough.
Visit Hratch at the Toorshi booth and try a sample of their flavoursome products, including their popular Savoury Garlic or Hot and Savoury pickles. While there, don’t pass up the opportunity to also try their delicious Tangy Turnips, Savoury Beets, Hot & Savoury Green Beans or Hot & Savoury Mixed vegetables.
Contact: Hratch Vartanian – 416-916-6880; hratch@toorshifoods.com; www.toorshifoods.com
Rolling Hills Organics – Roseneath, Ontario
From their mineral-rich glacial till soils, they produce the freshest in succulent local, premium organic salad greens (including arugula, mescluns, lettuces, spinach, chards, kales) as well as a range of certified organic vegetables, fresh herbs, cut flowers, grass-fed and grass-finished small breed Dexter beef. They also make pestos, pickles, jams, salad oils and vinegars, dried herbs using our produce. Farmers Peter and Peter bring it all to market.
Contact: Peter Finch – 705-924-1933, herbs@rollinghillsorganics.com
Evelyn’s Crackers – Toronto, Ontario
Handmade crackers from local certified organic grains and artisanal ingredients, like Monforte sheep’s milk cheddar. We are committed to using heritage varieties of Red Fife whole wheat, spelt, barley and other local grains. The crackers can be enjoyed with all cheese-styles, charcuterie, dips and even on their own.
They are sophisticated crackers with kid appeal. A real conversation stopper!
Contact: Dawn Woodward – 647-448-0731; evelynscrackers@gmail.com; www.dawnsdinnerparty.com
McCutcheon’s Maple Syrup – Oro-Medonte, Ontario
Producing high-quality Maple Syrup is an inspiring art that is learned only through extensive practice. McCutcheon’s Maple Syrup has been committed to perfecting this Canadian tradition since 1972. Their products have earned numerous first place ribbons at The Royal Winter Fair in Toronto—Canada’s premier maple competition—and they have twice been awarded the World Championship trophy. Their farm is located in
picturesque Oro-Medonte Township, and each Saturday they bring their delicious Maple Syrup, Maple Butter, and Maple Sugar to the Brick Works.
Contact: 705-835-5780; carley@mccmaple.com; www.mccmaple.com
Auntie Gin – Toronto, Ontario
Virginia Dineen is Auntie Gin. She works out of her Toronto home, hand-making hats and accessories in sizes from newborn to adult, in a variety of colours and styles. “I take great pride and care in every piece I make and use only quality materials such as organic cotton.”
Contact: Virginia Dineen – 416-752-4237; auntiegin@gmail.com; www.auntiegin.com
The Brick Works Farmers’ Market is a partner of Greenbeltfresh.ca, a network of farmers’ markets in and around Ontario’s Greenbelt. Visit their site for a market near you, recipes and contests, restaurants that serve Ontario-grown food, what’s in season now, and more great reasons to eat local.