Finally a farmers' market!

I was having a problem finding a farmers market in my area. I've been searching for a long time now, and yes, it was winter and all, but I had to find something that works all year round and has fresh stuff.

Until now, I haven't found anything in that sense, except for a few very yummy shops (but that's another thing).

Here's the deal: they're either closed now (open only during the summer), they operate when it's impossible for me to get there, or they're very far away.

There are numerous lists online with farmers markets around Toronto and Etobicoke, but somehow nothing worked for me.
So in order to find out where am I going to buy apples and stuff, I talked to some Canadians about it and they all said the same thing: "There are some farmers markets around you could go to, but there's nothing there. It's winter!".

So?

Don't cows make milk during the winter? And I mean the real cows. Aren't there foods that are the best in late fall and winter and early spring? Maybe Canada, with the winter so cold, doesn't have seasonal stuff? Maybe the cows are so cold that they strike during the winter. So that felt weird.

But, I found one. Since the summer is getting closer, I guess there will be more of them closer to me, and I'll check them out.

The one that is fairly close to my area just opened the season yesterday - and that's Sorauren Farmers' Market in Parkdale. And I couldn't wait to go and see it for myself.

You see, back home, in Croatia, there are farmers markets everywhere. Of course, it's not like I used them every day. Who does, when there are supermarkets around? But still, I used to go once a week to get some fresh stuff, healthier food and meat that was not fed by the other same kind meat.

I was hoping to find the same thing here. The Sorauren farmers' market looks like something similar, with a few differences.

Back home, we have all kinds of food at the markets. Whether is summer of winter, you'll always find fresh seasonal food, bakeries with fresh baked bread and dairy booths with butter, milk, yogurts and cheese, home made spreads, salads, legumes, spices, eggs, everything from small, independent farmers. In a Croatian farmers market, you'll find Croatian food.

Here, I've seen a lot less products, but also, you could find multicultural food and flavors from different countries. There's Canadian foods and then there's foods from the rest of the world.

However, it was kind of small and I expected it to be bigger. But, I did find some neat stuff, like home made cosmetics, all kinds of honey, awesome chocolates, some real looking potatoes (I'm a sucker for potatoes) and a fresh basil in a pot. I just hope the basil won't die on me like the rest of the plants I've had this year. I'm not much of a plant person.

Must say, it's a bit pricey. I paid 6$ for a half of chocolate bar. But, you get what you pay for. When I'm spending money in Croatian farmers market, I know I'm getting the good stuff. Only there, often the good stuff is cheaper than stuff from supermarket. That's one of the advantages of a economically screwed up country.

I hope that here's the same deal (regarding the food quality), as it should be. I'll know soon enough, when I get those potatoes from the oven later and spice everything up with that sweet basil scent.