Private: Blog & Recipes Archive

Chef Anna from Growing Chefs joined us last Thursday for our second cooking class of the Thursday Market season! Using fresh cucumbers from Ray Janssens, fresh eggs and smoked trout from Den Bensten Trout Farm, and many other fresh ingredients from the Thursday Farmers’ Market, Chef Anna whipped up Gazpacho and a Nicoise Salad. They were delicious! Drinking Gazpacho felt like summer in a glass!

We loved having Chef Anna, and learned so much from all the fun tips she shared with us. When making a Gazpacho in the blender, Chef Anna reminded us to be patient with our blender, start slow and work your way up for the smoothest of soups. For the Nicoise Salad, Chef Anna recommended marinating the onions in dressing before adding them to your salad; marinating them will help to tame the flavour of the onion and take out that sting! One of my favourite tips she shared was to give your basil a good smack before using it as a topping, to release all the good flavours and oils.

Come out to the Thursday Farmers’ Market this week for a Honey Workshop with Becky from Entangled Roots at 5pm!

This Thursday our cooking demonstration will be a Honey Workshop led by Becky Ellis from Entangled Roots. Becky will be using her own honey from her apiary to make (and sample) rose-infused honey, hot honey, and fermented garlic honey.

Becky’s roots are on a small family ‘livestock’ farm in Southwestern Ontario. She has an M.A in Anthropology (2010) and has a PhD in Geography (2021) from Western University. Her academic work has focused on community gardening, urban commoning, urban beekeeping and pollinator gardening. She received her Permaculture Design Certificate from Earth Activist Training in 2010.

We are so excited to have Becky and to learn more about urban beekeeping and about our favourite pollinating insect, BEES!

Our Thursday Market will also be featuring local musician Chris Casserly! Chris’ approach to music is all about having fun, the perfect vibes for a Thursday Night!

This Saturday, come check out London’s own visual artist Hattie Benjamin, who will be showcasing her speciality of Paper Quilling! (See photo for a sneak peak at her work!) Leanne Mayer, a cabaret style pop-singer, and Mike Trudgen, a fingerstyle guitarist, will also be performing on Saturday from 10AM to 1PM.

I always know when we are reaching the peak of summer produce when I see those beautiful, colourful, flavourful heirloom tomatoes roll into the Farmers’ Market!

Much like your grandfather’s watch or your great-aunt’s favourite necklace, heirloom tomatoes are passed down from generation to generation. Each year, farmers grow their tomato plants from saved seeds from last year’s plants, meaning that the heirloom tomatoes you get to enjoy this year, are direct descendants of plants that produce the most flavourful fruit. Heirloom tomatoes are openly pollinated, meaning that they are pollinated in the wide open air by bees, insects, and by how the wind blows.

The possibilities with heirloom tomatoes are endless, but because of their amazing flavour and beautiful colours, my favourite way to enjoy them is in a Caprese Salad. Slice some tomatoes and mozzarella, top generously with basil, some salt and pepper and drizzle some olive oil or balsamic vinegar on top, and voila!

You can find heirloom tomatoes at many of our farmers’ booths on both Thursday evenings and Saturday mornings!

Here’s a great salad using tomatoes and another newly in season fruit: watermelons! Definitely give this a try!

This Saturday, we are so excited to welcome ReForest London to the Farmers’ Market!

ReForest London is a small but mighty non-profit organization with a vision to see our community thriving in a healthy urban forest.

Their mission is to enhance environmental and human health in the Forest City by inspiring, educating and empowering Londoners to plant and care for trees and to be part of a sustainability-focused future for our community. They have programs to help get trees planted on all types of land in every corner of the city!

ReForest London is the founding partner with the City of London of the Million Tree Challenge – a community-wide initiative to plant one million new trees in the Forest City for a healthier future for everyone.

On Saturday, you will have an opportunity to sign up as volunteers for tree planting events, and get all your tree questions answered!

This is the list, folks! See who you can find at the Farmers’ Market this Thursday, July 29th! Click on their names to find information on pre-orders and to learn more about their farms and businesses!

• Janssens Farm Fresh Produce, fresh produce
• Greystead Gardens, fresh produce
• Thames River Melons, fresh produce
• Berrylicious Fruit Farm, blueberries, raspberries, baked goods, and more!
• Blanbrook Bison Farm, bison products
• Helm Baked, gluten free baked goods
• Elgin Harvest, woodfired pizzas, frozen for convenience
• London Sandwich Co, handcrafted gourmet sandwiches
• Polina’s Nostalgic Treats, traditional Persian treats
• Nightingale Pie Co., variety of pies
• Da Costa, hand made stone and leather jewelry
• Pillitteri Estates Winery, VQA Ontario Wines
• Proper Heathen Hot Sauce, small batch hot sauces
• Wandering Bee Flowers, fresh cut flowers
• Harvest Moon Trading Co., preserves, jams, jellies, granola

Check out their websites for more information about their products and to see what’s in season/currently available!

• Cooking Demonstration: Becky Ellis 5 to 6
• Live Music: Chris Casserly 4pm to 7pm
• Museum London Walking Tours: 5:30pm to 6:30pm *Sold Out*
• Beer (including non-alcoholic option): London Brewing Co. 4pm to 7pm
• Food: London Sandwich Co. 4pm to 7pm

This is the list, folks! See who you can find at the Farmers’ Market this Saturday, July 31st! Click on their names to find information on pre-orders and to learn more about their farms and businesses!

• Greystead Gardens, fresh produce
• Orchard Hill Farm, fresh produce
• Sungold Market Garden, fresh produce
• Thames River Melons, fresh produce
• Joyce Farms, fresh produce
• Entangled Roots, honey, microgreens, salves, fresh produce
• Berrylicious Fruit Farm, blueberries, raspberries, baked goods, and more!
• The Corn Crib, fresh sweet corn
• Blanbrook Bison Farm, bison products
• Den Besten’s Rainbow Trout Farm, fresh smoked trout products, and fresh eggs
• Carver’s Natural Farm, chicken and pork products
• Lynch Maple Farm, maple syrup and products
• Monforte Dairy, locally produced cheeses
• Morsels, fresh baked goods
• The Whole Grain Hearth, fresh baked goods
• La Houlette de Vie, fresh baked goods
• Helm Baked, gluten free baked goods
• Pillitteri Estates Winery, VQA Ontario Wines
• London Brewing Co-Operative, organic craft beer
• Elgin Harvest, woodfired pizzas, frozen for convenience
• Wandering Bee Flowers, fresh cut flowers
• Da Costa, hand made stone and leather jewelry
• London Sandwich Co, handcrafted gourmet sandwiches
• Cora and Co., clay handmade jewelry

Check out their websites for more information about their products and to see what’s in season/currently available!

Live Music: 10am to 1pm: Leanne Mayer and Mike Trudgen

Visual Artist: 10am to 1pm: Hattie Benjamin

Community Event: Reforest London: 8am to 1pm