(Organic yellow and red beets, and organic carrots, happily lined up at the Dufferin Grove farmers' market.)

The bellwethers have begun to ring. Last week there were the storms, and sweaters, and grumblings about unseasonable cold. This week there are Labour Day plans, back-to-school sales, and countless news articles announcing - as if we needed the reminders - that autumn is already almost upon us.

And so, to combat the impending sense of doom that such portents create, I have been indulging in an extravaganza of farmers' market visitations. There is nothing so cheering as coming nose-to-muzzle with one of the sheep at Riverdale Farm, or snagging a couple of packs of wild blueberry sausages while making plans for the bagful of heirloom tomatoes cradled in the crook of your arm.


(Some of the friendly Riverdale farm sheep.)

Of course, there are many important reasons to shop at the growing array of farmers' markets in our city: it bolsters the local economy, encourages environmentally sustainable farming practices, lets us meet the wonderfully diverse, engaged and enthusiastic producers of our food, builds community in individual neighbourhoods, and contributes substantially to the livability of the city as a whole. But, on top of all these, there is another thing the markets have going for them: visiting them is an awful lot of fun.

And so, setting aside for a moment the rhetoric and arguments that might convince you that you ought to go to a farmers' market soon, I shall instead leave you with a few snaps of my recent visits, which will hopefully inspire you to really, truly want to go.


(The booths at the Riverdale farmers' market.)




(A line-up of freshly baked breads; the one at the forefront is made with beets.)




(The communal wood-fired baking oven at Dufferin Grove.)




(Overflowing crates of locally grown heirloom tomatoes, Riverdale farmers' market.)




(The sheltered market at the freshly-scrubbed Don Valley Brickworks.)




(Buckets of sunflowers compete for table space with bunches of chard at the Dufferin Grove market.)