The Farmers’ Market blessed by the “Hand of God”

BY HRISHIKESH DAS GUPTA

As summer trails away, the harvest from the season might just be the best part of welcoming winter. It is a time to stock up with as much food as you can for our Toronto long winters. What better way to do it, then by visiting Scarborough Farmers’ Market, located at the Hand of God Dog Par, 185 Borough Drive.

The farmers’ market has been in operation since June 2020, and the sad news is October was the last month that you were able to pick up goodies from some of Toronto’s most sought out vendors. What is that? Do you need something a little more tempting? Let’s take a look at our list of vendors. They include: Albion Hills Farm, Barry’s Gardens, Wiff Restaurant, Mama Winnies, Mama Sue Skin Care, Tej Essentials, The Paleo Palate Café, Country Corner Buns, McCamus Maple Syrup, Regal Canin, and Eastend Vegan.

Jennifer (the iron lady) is the founder of Scarborough Farmers’ Market. The market offers: organic vegetables and herbs, fruits, baked goods and sweets, smoked meat, natural dog food, organic body care, environmentally responsible life choices, honey, hot sauce, and preserve pickles and fermented foods.

Jennifer and her dedicated vendors were interested in bringing affordable, culturally diverse products to the east. Their mission and vision is to bring nutrient-dense, fairly priced, culturally appropriate, farm-fresh fruits, vegetables, sweet/savoury treats and health essential, as well as lifestyle products to the stellar people of Scarborough.

The challenge was how to organize the market and help the consumers during COVID-19. The strong determination of Jennifer, amazing products from the local vendors, and unconditional support from the clients, made this year a great success. Jennifer ensured all vendors and customers were strictly maintaining safety guidelines. The vendors were providing gloves to the customers before they touched any products. To prevent cash handling and coronavirus spread, vendors started to adopt the use of payment pads and square readers.

The word of mouth from the neighbourhood was super strong from day one. Jennifer and all the vendors welcomed the neighbourhood with their positive vibe. The neighbourhood was amazed by the variety of products in one farmers’ market. Almost all vendors sold their products in the first few hours. The customers requested the vendors to bring more products on the same day. People were calling their Scarborough family and friends on spot to visit the marketplace and to buy the amazing products.

On the last day, all consumers were requesting Jennifer to extend the timeline. A lot of customers promised to the vendors that they would continue to order the products regularly and to support small businesses.

Jennifer and all the local vendors are forever grateful to the neighbourhood for allowing Scarborough Farmers’ Market the opportunity to bring Ontario produce to their families. Jennifer and all the vendors are requesting the Scarborough community to share their positive feedback to the City of Toronto and the Councillor, so the Farmers’ Market can reopen next year with more vendors and local produce.