Green Belt Farmers Market comes to town
The Greenbelt wraps around the Golden Horseshoe around Toronto and is vital to the quality of life in southern Ontario. There's so much to see and do in the Greenbelt: hiking, biking, camping, canoing, staying at B&Bs, visiting llama farmers, wineries and more.

Where is it? For all your city dwellers, get out there…the Greenbelt forms a green ring around the cities and subdivisions of the Horseshoe, extends up through the Oak Ridges Moraine to Lake Simcoe and Lake Scugog and eastward, and also includes the Niagara Escarpment along the Bruce Trail to Tobermory.

With urban sprawl that keeps extending we need to ensure that the green belt is saved for its environmentally positive effects and also for future generations to enjoy. The mass build up of homes and extension of the city is cutting down all our green land to make cookie-cutter homes, which are ugly and lack character. My advice is, buy a home in the already built up areas and not in new sub-divisions, which are razing down trees and digging up valuable green land!

This Saturday (August 25) there will be a Green Belt farmers market at the Don Valley Brickworks which will celebrate fresh and local produce from the Greenbelt. It will be a family day out with fun stuff for kids, hands on cooking workshops and outdoor performances.

There are other farmers’ markets happening around the city and here are a few that you should check out to support our local farmers and get some Ontario freshness on your table.

Nathan Phillips Square Market (I will be there tomorrow doing some shopping)
Toronto City Hall corner of Bay and Queen Streets.
Open Wednesdays 8 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., June 7 to October 18.
Vendors: 20
905-841-9278

North York Farmers’ Market
Mel Lastman Square, 5100 Yonge Street. Open Thursdays 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., June to October. Vendors: 10-12
905-562-4372

Riverdale Farmers’ Market
Details: Riverdale Park West in front of Simpson House, 201 Winchester Street. Open Tuesdays 3 p.m. to 7 p.m., May to October.
Vendors: 16
416-960-0370

St. Lawrence Market
Front and Jarvis Street, north building. Open Saturdays 5 a.m. to 5 p.m., Open all year.
Vendors: 76

Visit Harvest Ontario (www.harvestontario.com) to find out more about pick-your-own farms and farmers' markets in your area.