Farmers' markets in Toronto are slowly starting to gear up for a new year. Although Toronto has famous year-round markets (St Lawrence, Evergreen Brick Works), the options for buying fresh fruit, vegetables and other local treats really begin to assert themselves as outdoor markets open throughout the city. While the real action doesn't begin until the month of June, here's a look forward to some of the new markets, improvements and other changes in store for the 2012 farmers' markets season in Toronto.
A caveat: Some markets (i.e. The Distillery Farmers' Market) still have not confirmed their 2012 dates and times and therefore info about them has not been included.
MONDAYS
Sorauren Farmer's Market (Sorauren at Wabush)
Open year round, but outdoors May-October. Hours of operation 3pm-7pm.
Local fruit and vegetables, of course, are available here. In addition, this market offers gluten free cookies and baked goods by DeFloured, as well as tofu by Ying Ying soy food and grass fed venison by Deer Valley farms. Angie's Ice Pops will help to cool you down so you can linger as you try to figure out how many ears of corn you can feasibly carry.
TUESDAYS
Ryerson University Farmer's Market (Victoria and Gould)
Opens June 5, closes October 23. Hours of operation 9am-2pm.
There are five markets in the My Market series which means that depending on your availability and location, you will probably catch one of them. Heavy on organic produce, heavy on honey and competing beekeepers.
Sick Kids Hospital Farmer's Market (University and Elm)
Opens June 5, closes October 23. Hours of operation 9am-2pm.
Another one of the My Market series with Montforte Dairy and Kind organics making a welcome appearance.
Stonegate Farmer's Market (St. James Anglican Church on the Queensway)
Opens June 26, closes October 9. Hours of operation 4pm-7pm.
Not only a market, a certifiable social gathering. This market offers entertainment in the form of dancing, music or cooking shows. Schedule to appear shortly on their website.
Trinity Bellwood Farmer's Market (Dundas West at Crawford)
Opens May 8, closes October 30. Hours of operation 3pm-7pm.
Lovell Springs Trout Farm, Matchbox Garden and Seed Company and St John's Bakery will be there this year, along with many other vendors dedicated to food education. On a nice day, it is also a great excuse for people who work in the area to take an extra-long "coffee break."
East York Farmer's Market (front lawn of the Civic Centre)
Opens May 15, closes October 30, 8am-2pm
Along with your fruit and vegetable bounty you can buy artisanal bread, honey and pies to test the durability of your shopping bag. Mission accepted.
WEDNESDAYS
Bloor-Borden Farmer's Market (east of Bathurst)
Opens June 6, closes October 24, Hours of operation 3pm-7pm
Small and accessible for U of T students scrambling to figure out the best way to spend their $5 rather than on yet another pita. Options do abound.
Montgomery's Inn Farmers' Market
Opens May 23, closes December 5. Hours of operation 3pm-7pm.
They bake their own bread at the inn and yes, the best flavours sell out quickly. When the oven baking the bread is older than your great-grandmother, you know that there is history in that loaf. Food history is usually a good thing (unless you count the food at the back of your fridge).
Nathan Philips Square Farmers' Market
Opens June 6, closes October 24 (market closed on June 27 and September 26) Hours of operation 8am-3pm
This market declares summer. Businessmen clutch strawberries alongside their briefcases and Bay street faces are coloured with something other than florescent light. Well attended free concerts play from noon to 2pm to help you forget your day job.
University of Toronto Scarborough Farmer's Market (on Military Trail between Morningside and Ellesmere)
Opens June 6, closes October 3 (winter markets first Wednesday of the month). Hours of operation 3pm-7pm.
Vendors for 2012 are still to be announced, but last year you could buy knitwear, hallumi cheese and homemade kettle corn. Please come back, vendors.
THURSDAYS
East Lynn Farmer's Market (Danforth and Woodbine)
Opens June 7, closes October 25. Hours of operation: 3pm-7pm.
This is one of the My Market series for the East Enders. It shows even more examples of perfectly ripe tomatoes that you would never find in a supermarket.
Metro Hall Farmer's Market (David Pecaut Square, by the former Metro Square)
Opens May 31, closes October 11. Hours of operation 8am-3pm.
Lunchtime concerts play as you shop, and the music may help to taper your impatience if you decide to wait in the long lineup for bacon sandwiches. There is a man dedicated to all things pickled (don't depend on the cucumbers until August - it is all seasonal), homemade butter tarts (not by the pickle man, don't worry) and sunflowers the size of your head. In case you want to make a point about how size does matter.
Toronto Botanical Gardens Organic Farmer's Market
Opens May 24, closes October 4. Hours of operation 3pm-7pm.
This space regularly offers classes on topics from beekeeping to yoga, and therefore a farmer's market is not a far stretch. Located at the entrance to the gardens, this year celebrity chefs will make appearances along with the organic farmers to celebrate all things yummy.
FRIDAYS
Fairview Mall Farmer's Market
Opens June 1, closes September 28. Hours of operation 9am-6pm.
This is a large square, and the space is used well. This market was established in 1994 and is awash with everything fresh. Go to smell the fragrance of basil and peppers lingering in the air, which believe me, is much better than the way the air normally smells in Toronto. Once you are there you may even buy something.
Sherway Farmer's Market (Highway 27 and the Queensway)
Opens May 4, opens October 26. Hours of operation 8am-2pm.
Meat pies, sausage rolls and "Rick's Nut Hut" will join the fruit and veggie filled stands this year. This may keep Sherway shoppers out of the mall a little longer than expected.
SATURDAYS
The Stop Farmer's Market at Wychwood Park
Hours of operation 8am-12pm
This year-round market features lots of local and organic vegetables as well as cheeses, honey and small selection of meats. It's not overtly preachy, but there's also lots of talk about food and where it comes from.
Etobicoke Farmer's Market (Etobicoke Civic Centre, The West Mall)
Opens June 2, closes November 3. Hours of operation 8am-2pm.
Taste test apples or eat your Saturday morning breakfast here to get a true idea of the term "farm fresh."
Weston Farmer's Market (John and Weston)
Opens May 12, closes October 27. Hours of operation 7am-2pm.
This market prides itself on selling spices as well as local fruits and vegetables to reflect the many cultures that make up the area. You can get your dinner ingredients in one place and not have to get frostbite from air conditioning. Bonus.
Withrow Farmer's Market (South of Danforth, between Carlaw and Logan)
Open May 19, closes October 27. Hours of operation 9am-1pm.
This smaller, community run initiative in the Danforth has everything from gluten free waffles to farmers who insist on throwing extra peaches in your cloth bag. Try to say no.
SUNDAYS
Leslieville Farmer's Market (at Jonathan Ashbridge Park)
Opens June 3, closes October 28. Hours of operation 9am-2pm.
Local environmentally friendly producers, local musicians...what's not to like? Oh, and they ask that you arrive hungry; as they have waffles. That is the sign of a good person...I mean market.
Liberty Village Farmer's Market (Green P Hanna Street)
Opens June 3, closes October 31. Hours of operation 9am-2pm.
Mostly organic, seasonal, local produce. Most of us are proud if we get one of those right, but all three? You can gloat a little with your green-ness. It is easy being green.
Writing by Courtney Sunday. Photo by Carly Miller on Flickr.
On Monday night Toronto showed some more love for street eats at 
I had a chance to talk truck politics with Doss, and to hear his thoughts on the ideal situation for Toronto vendors on wheels. Back in 2002, a moratorium was placed on Designated Vending Area permits. Any food trucks already in operation before this time were safe (think the ice cream and poutine guys curbside at Nathan Phillips Square), but they did not, and still don't, have any freedom to change location. So there they sit. They do have the freedom to change their menus, but I wouldn't hold my breath. 
The majority of the vendors I spoke with are satisfied with the status quo - as events such as last nights are so popular - but said they would like the opportunity to have a truck if it wasn't for all the bylaws. Matt Basile, of Fidel Gastro's is happy to be the "pop-up guy" but would love to see the food truck industry take off because not all talented chefs have the funds to start up a restaurant, and good food "shouldn't be pretentious, but it should bring people together". 
Whatever the political future holds for street food in Toronto, one thing is certain - there is a market for it. The people in this city have a love for street food, and it's a powerful love... a love that drives some to do crazy, but very practical, things. I saw folks last night with Tupperware, cutting boards and shears, yes shears, to divvy up their purchases. I learned it's possible to cut a Philly cheesesteak with scissors...but it ain't pretty. I saw one man wearing a plastic lobster bib that I'm pretty sure he stole right off a Rock Lobster's chest. 
On the corner of Adelaide and Portland Streets, there's a nondescript building known to house the Toronto Institute of Bartending. But something new is afoot: head down the stairs and you'll find a new bar devoted to contemporary and classic cocktails, barrel-aged cocktails presented in individual stoppered bottles, and featuring decor best described as culled from your father's study (if your father happens to be a captain of industry). 
Spice shopping in Toronto, to the nonchalant cook, is but a mere trip to the closest mega grocery store. There you'll find plastic re-sealable baggies of nutmeg, and in minutes your sweet curry will be well underway. But for a more sensual experience, a little background information, and quite often, a better price, there are a few specialty markets and bulk stores in Toronto that deliver much better when it comes to dill. 
One of the more rewarding posts that I've put together for our historical Toronto series highlighted 
What was your inspiration for starting the site?
It seems like every time I see an article about Toronto's live music scene, all anyone seems to write about are tribute acts composed of Humber music graduates. Insert SarcMark here. But, more seriously, when I saw 
Their lead singer 
This band is not trying to do the note-for-note thing; they're going for a greater truth.
From the costuming to the arrangements to the guest performers, Purple Revolution are aiming not to mimic the sound or the exact look of Prince & the Revolution. They're aiming higher, trying to channel the spirit of the original.
The same way that people talk about how superheroes are our new Greek Gods and their stories exist as contemporary mythology, entertainment figures have become, in a manner of speaking, messiah-like via their larger than life on and off-stage escapades as well as their fiercely devoted followings. 
So when you're going to stage a revival like Purple Revolution, there's always a risk of dogma: you can follow the original persona and end up doing mere mimicry — idolization, some might call it — or you can bring your own thing to it to try to get at the truth of the thing.
What I love about Purple Revolution is that they offer an authentic tribute without being dogmatic. In deviating from the formula and going their own way, they exceed the expectations most of us have set for tribute bands. Their music is technically derivative to be sure — but not nearly to the extent that one might think. 
Opening act 
Purple Revolution Set list:
Guest contribution by 
Borrowing its name from a Caribbean destination, this basement bar in Chinatown isn't the place to go for Pina Coladas, Mai Tais or other tropical indulgences. Instead, its main attraction just might be its commitment to electronic music and a dance floor that's big enough to get a groove on.