Good morning! It's Saturday, December 8th and there are 17 days till Christmas! It is not just morning - it is 5 AM in the morning. Toronto's downtown core is quiet, with neither streetcar or people around. Just an empty taxi going up and down Queen Street like a shark looking for food. Old City Hall just rang the hour and the sound reverberates through the empty streets as a stray pedestrian scurries across, heading to the Sheraton or up Young Street. No one watches the elves or Santa in the Hudson Bay windows nor does the emergency room look busy at St. Mike's hospital.
The Metropolitan Church sits in quiet solitude with a few hearty souls camped in sleeping bags around it. St. James' spire reaches to the sky through the darkness straining to see the first hint of dawn. St. Lawrence Market is awake and welcoming. Walk into the North Farmer's Market and there will be more than a few people to greet you. Mind you, they'll be half asleep after driving from surrounding Ontario farms into the city. Yet their produce will be neatly stacked on the tables in the large hall, coffee will be held in one hand while change is made for your purchase in another.
Take home some winter root vegetables; like squash, carrots, parsnips and beets. Visit the potato man and buy some unique spud with a fancy name for $4 bucks a generous pint. He sells flowers too, somehow managing to find affordable roses in the depth of winter. While you are there, pick up some organic sweet potatoes and Ontario maple syrup for a sweet and savory side dish. Visit any of the meat and sausage vendors for the main course and finish off with fresh herbs like rosemary as a garnish. Don't forget your sweet tooth. Buy a pie or bring back a strudel for your second cup of Joe at home. Speaking of coffee, drop over to chat with the knowledgeable people brewing freshly ground coffee near the south door. They'll tell you about their latest varietals while grinding you a pound or two to take home for Sunday morning brunch. Don't forget the freshest eggs, just laid on Friday! Before you know it, you've made a few friends and brought home the week's bounty.
If you're still up for another adventure, head to the South Market and search for that perfect Lobster, creamiest cheese or stellar homemade pasta. Have a peameal sandwich, big enough for two. Give a twoony to one of the guys selling Street News. Pick up a Saturday paper from downstairs while you snatch some perfectly made mole and salsa from the vendor across the way. Find honey that will keep a cold away from the vendor that sells over 50 varieties while snatching still warm baked goods before heading home. Your arms are full, the bags overflow and there is no need to visit Loblows now. Not until you need toilet paper or dish detergent.
St. Lawrence Market is a unique food destination distinct to Toronto. It ebbs and flows with the energy of Ontario farmers and small food marketeers whose lives are focused on feeding you and me. Some say it is expensive - and I'll counter by telling you to go after 1P and before 5 PM any Saturday. The market is winding down and prices drop as the farmers and fishmonger have fresh product that has to go. The downstairs bakery bundles the last of the fresh bread and pastry as well and sells to move them out the door. Suddenly your loony stretches a little farther.
Go again next Saturday and the next. The St. Lawrence vendors will start to recognize you and begin to tell you about their week, save the ripest brie for you or offer the Sunday New York Times newspaper to a homesick New Yorker (me!). The many farmers and different vendors are warm and welcoming to repeat Market offenders and you learn so much about how Toronto eats. Make sure to keep an eye out for me and say hello. I'll be talking with the potato man about his week or choosing the freshest eggs while sharing a joke or two with gentleman behind that counter. It is just past 6 AM and I've got a few more farmers to speak with and there is the South Market yet to visit. Why aren't you here? It's the best party in Toronto's downtown core on a Saturday morning.
