Riverdale Farm Farmers' Market
One of the many positive things about having been laid off as a Creative Director last year is that I have been fortunate enough to be able to channel my creative interests into other aspects of my life. Much of that has involved traveling, yoga, and discovering new delights at Toronto Farmers' Markets all over the city. For a few usually fabulous months each summer and into fall, weekly and twice-weekly farmers’ markets spring up in pockets all over town. There is huge shopping satisfaction in buying fresh fruit and vegetables from the people who grew them and knowing that the produce was picked when it was ripe, seasonal and local. My favourite market is the Riverdale Farm Farmers' Market located in beautiful Riverdale Park West on the edge of the Don Valley adjacent to Riverdale Farm which is a 19th century farm dedicated to preserving rare breeds of livestock & fowl. The market is located in 'Cabbagetown', a unique, village like neighbourhood where the friendly atmosphere of the Farmer's market synthesizes naturally. Established in May 2001, the market is open every tuesday from 3pm to 7pm from May to the end of October. Product highlights are Ontario heritage vegetables, herbs, garlic, artisanal cheese, organic ice cream, fresh lamb, beef, pork, elk, eggs, fresh caught wild fish from Georgian Bay, pasture raised chicken, ducks, wild edible greens, mushrooms, berries & orchard fruit. A number of downtown chefs have been known to frequent it promptly at 3pm, and one could do worse than follow them around, noticing what they are buying and then experimenting with recipes that hopefully does the produce justice.
The summer of 2009 was a challenging year for most farmer's markets in Toronto due to the six week long City of Toronto strike. The strike not only halted daycare services, city wide garbage pickup and closed city pools but also disrupted markets held on city property such as Riverdale Park West. Undeterred, the Riverdale Farm Farmers' Market continued to set up shop in an adjacent strip of land opposite the park - an affirmation of the increasing strength of the local food movement that so many people came together to work out a temporary solution around the strike.
The recipe I would like to share celebrates the wonderful selection of beets available right now. I have always been mystified as to what to do with the leafy greens of beets which seem to be criminally wasteful to throw out. Or even to compost. This recipe utilizes the entire beet and its greens and was supplied by Martha Rose Shulman for The New York Times. I love it for its rosy colour and subtle roasted beet flavour. If you find that the usual red variety gives the dish too much colour (and it is very pink and 'girly'!) you may use beautiful golden beets or pink-and-white striated Chioggia beets.
