Farm to city to people

The great thing about summer in Toronto are the Outdoor Farmer's Markets.  Today was the second time this week that I visited a farmer's market in the city.  This time I got as Green as I could get by walking to the market.  What I would really love is a market within walking distance that was 100% organic.  This market is a small one because it's at Mel Lastman Square on Yonge street so there isn't a lot of space for the vendors and trucks but they do have a nice variety of things anyway.    I started my day with my breakfast/lunch of 5 perogies and a cabbage roll for $5.00.  Take that fast food.   It's a little weird being able to see a Russian vendor in the middle of a city farmer's market but that really shows the diversity in this city.  I also picked up some key lime hand soap with no phosphates etc in it.  I also got a clean stick that you rub on clothing to remove stains.

Then of course what I went for were the vegetables.  I have to say that not all things are bargains but you can find decent prices on somethings.  I picked up a romaine salad for $2.   I also picked up some vine ripened tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, fresh peas, asparagus and even some meringues from a lovely bakery vendor.

This is the 1st official week in Toronto that most of the farmer's markets have opened for the summer and there is a different one every week in different locations.  You can find the list on the Toronto Farmers Markets website or on the City of Toronto Special events listings.  The other thing I really love about the farmer's markets is the fact that you can see the farm truck parked next to the vendors in some cases and you know where your food has come from.  If you can walk or bike to a market close to where you live and the farm trucks don't have to drive from outside of GTA then a whole lot more oil/gas isn't being burned in the process and a considerable amount of emissions are being saved from being deposited into the environment.  I was able to walk today.  I am going to try and go to a different farmer's market around the city at least once a week and do a little comparison and also to share the wealth.  We need to support the farmers and the best way is to buy from them directly and not through a huge grocery store that has to add a distributor and warehouse and long distance transport to the mix.  In Canada we can't go to farmer's markets every week but I would suggest that you try and make it to as many of them as you can while they are open.  You thank the farmers and vendors directly with your money and with your presence.   Without them there is no food.  We need to keep this precious resource alive and keep the farms able to be sustainable for years to come.  If you don't want to eat 100% Genetically modified food in the next 10 years then we need to show the people that are responsible for our food that doing the right thing matters.

Milestone's random act of kindness

This is my friend Lynn waiting for her dinner at Milestone's restaurant the other day.   Notice the fact that Lynn's hair is really short.  That's because Lynn has just finished chemotherapy treatments for Breast cancer.  What you can't see from this photo is the fact that she doesn't have eyebrows or eyelashes either.  The reason you can't see that is because I just finished taking photos of Lynn at my apartment for a record of how she looks before surgery and had to paint on her eyebrows and lashes.  Lynn just finished her chemo treatments a couple of weeks ago and will probably be getting a mastectomy next month.  She wanted to document this point in time before her surgery, so I offered to help her with the photos.  What she forgot was the fact that I did makeup for 30 years.   But this was a different makeup job than I would have normally done.  Because Lynn's immune system has been compromised by the chemo I had to be very careful about the makeup and tools I used on her face, so I opted to use a couple of never used brushes and cotton pads, q tips and minimal tugging on the eyes. What does this have to do with food you ask?  Nothing, but the reason we ended up at Milestone's in North York.   Last week Lynn had a post chemo party at her house and friends gave her gift cards.  One of those gift cards was for Milestone's restaurant.  She wanted to thank me for taking her photos of her so she asked me if I wanted to go to Milestone's for dinner with her.  Since the Milestone's is within walking distance of my place and it was just about time for dinner I thought it was a great idea.

When we sat down Lynn told the really nice waiter that we just finished taking photos and then asked if a chicken dish was spicy.  He said it was kind of spicy so she told him that she had to be careful of spicy foods because she just finished chemotherapy.  The manager walked by and he asked for confirmation on how spicy it would be.  They both suggested another chicken dish for her.

As soon as the waiter left the lady at the table beside us came over and said that she noticed her coming in and the cancer haircut.  She said her daughter just went through cancer treatments so she understood that look and what she was going through.  They talked for a bit and I think it made Lynn feel good to be acknowledged and have her share her story.    I snapped this photo while Lynn was sending a text message to someone telling them about doing the photo shoot so i thought it would be fun to take a photo while she was texting that.  That's why she is looking down.

Anyway.. back to the food aspect.   I ordered the original chicken dish she asked about called the Harissa Chicken.  It was on brown rice with a yoghurt sauce and green beans and carrots.   Super healthy and perfectly seasoned.  It did have a bit of heat but not too much for me to handle but might have been different for Lynn's compromised taste buds.  It was delicious and look how beautiful it was presented.

After our chicken entrees we ordered the shooter glass desserts.  They were super rich and Lynn contemplated ordering another dish since she couldn't eat her chick peas that we in her chicken dish, but after having those desserts we were pretty full.

She put down her gift card and a bit of money in case it went over and went to the bathroom.   The waiter came by and cleared the table but didn't take the gift card/money.   At first I thought that was odd and then I though maybe he will just come back to deal with the bill.   Lynn came back to the table a few minutes later and then the manager came over and bent over and quietly told Lynn that since it was her first nice meal out after her treatments that he wanted to comp our meal.  He was really sweet about it and tried to be very discreet and respectful.   A few minutes later the waiter came over and asked if we heard the good news.   We thanked them both for being so kind and generous.  Lynn told them that it made her day.    She still has her gift card and plans to go back again soon.

I have always liked Milestone's because they try and give you great service and try and change up the menus every now and then while keeping a few favourites on the menu.   What I also like about Milestone's is that I used to have monthly sunday brunches and Milestone's was one of the only restaurants that welcomed a big group and didn't rush us out the door but let us enjoy our brunch conversations.   It truly is a great place to celebrate Milestone's even if one of them is finishing chemotherapy.

I really love the decor and atmosphere in most of the Milestone's restaurants.  It's upscale casual and I always feel comfortable there.  I have gone for many birthdays and other occasions but this time their service really excelled and the food matched the service.   This is how restaurants should do it.    We don't expect to get free meals but it's nice when servers and managers listen to their customers needs and try and accommodate to their needs.    If I was a restaurant critic with a star system I would give them 5 stars for this visit. 

Other restaurants could learn from this example.   Lynn had a few rough days of making the big decision between a lumpectomy and a mastectomy so things like someone going out of their way to make her feel good really put her in a good frame of mind.

It's not always about the food.   The service and atmosphere is just as important for the whole experience of dining out.

Thank you Milestone's North York.  We will be back.

Farmer's Market Inspiration

It was a record breaking Hot Day in Toronto today and I wanted to go to a Farmer's market.  When I looked up farmer's markets on the Toronto Farmer's Market list I found a Market I have never been to before.  It's the West End Food Coop.  It's a Market on Saurauren, around the Dundas West area. It was a whim type of decision.  I just thought I want to go to a farmer's market and see if I could get some fresh picked Ontario Strawberries.

 I found my Strawberries and found a lot more inspiration and  a friend to share it with.   As I was walking around checking out the vendors I bump into my friend Nick.  He works from home so you never know what he's up to so I was surprised to run into him there.  Although it was closer to where he lives and nowhere near where I live.  I decided that since I am not working a day job right now I would like to check out farmer's markets that I haven't been to and see if there are any differences between them.  As it turns out it was Nick's first trip to that same market, even though he is close enough to ride his bike there.  I guess this was his first opportunity to check it out too. He picked up a fish sandwich and was about to sit down to eat it and on the way to the bench I spied a popsicle vendor who made all sorts of fresh flavours.  I was going to get a Vietnamese Coffee flavour or maybe a watermelon lime concoction but then she said there were a couple of things that weren't on the menu board.  One of them was a Mojito flavour.  BINGO....she got my attention.  On a day that is over 30 degrees what's better than a lime/mint Mojito.  I grabbed one while my friend parked his bike.  I guess it sounded good to him too so he got one for himself.

What a great day.  Sitting at a picnic table under a tree having some Mojito pops with a friend I just happened to bump in to.  Coincidence is a funny thing.

After having that great Mojito pop we both thought it was a good idea and we should do that at home.   So I decided to pick up some more mint to plant on my balcony.

After I left the market I stopped into Kensington market and even found the popsicle containers to make them with.   HMMM... interesting for an unplanned day.

I think I even spotted Carl from Top Chef Canada at that market doing a bit of shopping.  So if it's good enough for a Top Chef it's good enough for me.

I am now ready to make some homemade mojito pops and it's all because of my Farmer's Market Inspiration today.   That's something you can't get from a supermarket.   I doubt you are going to bump into a friend at a supermarket and then sit and  have Mojito's under a tree in the middle of shopping.   Gotta Love it.   And that's why I love to go to Farmer's Markets.

For directions to this monday market check their website:
http://westendfood.coop/

We also picked up something I have never seen before - Tokyo Radishes.  

What's great about these radishes other than the cool white color is the fact that you can eat the root part as well as the leaves.  It has a peppery taste and would give you a nice crunch in a salad without having to add a lot of seasonings.