What do you love most about your local farmers’ market?

There’s this one cheese I’m absolutely addicted to’a sheep ricotta that I buy at Dufferin Grove Farmers’ Market in downtown Toronto. I can’t buy it too often, because I literally cannot stay away from it when it’s in my fridge. Ricotta is almost a misnomer’it’s a fresh, creamy, subtle-tasting cheese with a gorgeous mouthfeel that tastes amazing but leaves you wanting more.

And at the other market in my general neighbourhood, the newer Green Barn Farmers’ Market, my most regular purchase is the fresh, 100 percent local pasta. (There was even an article about it recently in the Globe & Mail, resulting in it selling out the following day at the market!) I usually buy linguini to eat the same day, and rotini to freeze in single portions so I can turn it into a quick weeknight meal. I also picked up duck eggs last time I made it to the market’they were quite good, not too different from chicken eggs, but slightly bigger and, apparently, with more protein and a slightly higher fat content. (They made fabulous devilled eggs!)

No doubt about it, a visit to a farmers’ market is the quickest way to get close to your food. Last year, in our summer 2008 issue, we profiled 10 of the top farmers’ markets in Canada, one in each province. But our list is incomplete, so we need your help. Tell us: What is your favourite farmers’ market, and why? Your response may be published in an upcoming issue or online. Plus, don’t miss our article on how to get the most of your farmers’ market.

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