Inside this
issue:
WHAT’S IN SEASON: CHRISTMAS
TREATS AND DECORATIONS
It’s December
and the Saturday market is looking festive with Christmas trees, evergreen
wreathes, seasonal decorations, home-made goodies and imaginative
stocking stuffers. The following is a guide to what’s available from
now until Christmas.
Diana
Coutts, of Maple Products in Perth, sells attractive gift
baskets of maple candy, maple butter, and maple syrup.
Joyce Olsen
and Robert Garven have unusual stocking stuffers such as Rose
Petal Vinegar. A delicate pink liquid presented in an elegant bottle,
Robert says this recipe dates back to the 1600s and then became popular
again in Victorian times as a medicinal vinegar "for whatever
ails you." It’s good on fresh fruit and has the same effect as
champagne on strawberries: it gives a fizz and sparkle to the fruit.
Robert picks the roses petals just at the end of their blooming by
gently pulling off the petals. He then steeps the petals in vinegar
for several months. In contrast to this delicate flavour is a recipe
for pickled garlic that originated 1,000 years B.C. in Persia. "They
still make it in Iran to this day. Each family has their own preserves
in the basement and it can keep for 15 years." The ingredients
are garlic, red wine vinegar, sugar, peppercorns and cloves. It can
be eaten as a pickle or spread on crackers as an hors d’oeuvre. Another
unusual gift is their Grand Marnier Marmalade that is packaged in
special jars from Germany, decorated with a golden braid around the
neck and a couple of pink rosebuds. Joyce and Robert also have Mint
Jelly and a wide selection of jams, relishes and pickles.
Lisa Davis,
Simple Country Pleasures, has paperwhites and soft evergreens growing
in moss. There are rosemary topiaries; miniature pine trees in pots;
fresh cut cedar wreathes decorated with juniper berries and rosehips;
decorative twigs of brown curly willow, red willow, and sumac. Lisa
also sells home-made jams, chili sauce and pickles.
Ruth Miller’s
stall, Knee Deep in June, overflows with evergreen wreathes and swags
decorated with pinecones, ribbons and coloured balls. Ruth and her
daughters make Christmas ornaments of painted birds, bird houses,
bird feeders, folk art wooden angels and snow men, centerpieces of
candles nestled in a circle of evergreens with dried apple and orange
slices, cinnamon sticks and walnuts. She also sells shortbreads, sugar
cookies, mincemeat walnut drop cookies and Christmas fruitcakes. Lavender
sachets are a popular stocking stuffer.
Dianne
and Gonzalo Wilson are selling Christmas trees for the first
time this year. They recently bought a new property with more space
for their growing family and Gonzalo is cutting wood for their new
home. He is pruning and cleaning the woods that are filled with pine,
cedar and balsam. The Wilsons are also selling pinecones, fresh boughs,
dried flowers, honey, and beeswax hand cream.
Eggs are always
in season and if you want fresh eggs from free-run chickens, then
visit the stall of Hank-John and Janet Reinink who will be
at the market every Saturday throughout the winter.
Finally, there
is Guy Gariepy who will be at the market
all winter long and he is featured in this month’s profile.
Meet Market
Vendor: Guy Gariepy
On some weekday
mornings Guy Gariepy is the only vendor at the market. He says he
is never alone for long because people stop and chat about the weather
and how their day is going. "A lot of customers know their vendors
by name. This market is a meeting place and in that way it hasn’t
changed for 200 years," he explains. "People like the idea
of meeting the people they buy products from and this is a perfect
location for the market. A clean downtown near the lake with a lot
of other stores around. Tourists get off the bus and walk around the
market and buy a little of this and that. All over the world tourists
like to shop at markets."
Guy will be coming
to market three days a week throughout the winter selling the jams
and preserves made by his wife, Elaine. The jams are made from flash
frozen fruit and are always fresh. Guy describes the merits of each
type of preserve. He explains that the Citron Preserve is good with
ham; it contains lemon, raisins and citron. Citron is a lemon-like
fruit, but larger, thicker-skinned and less acidic. Seville Oranges
are in season and the orange marmalade is popular at this time of
year. Red Currant jelly goes well with wild meats such as deer, and
the crabapple jelly is commonly used in the Christmas season for jam
filled cookies. Gooseberry Jam is popular with some Europeans to accompany
turkey instead of cranberries. For parties, Guy says that the hot
red pepper jelly goes well with blue cheese and crackers. It’s also
being used more with bacon and eggs instead of ketchup.
Guy lives in Kingston
and has been coming to market for four years. He used to have a nursery
and garden center in the St. Catharines area where he sold flowers,
trees and shrubs and did landscaping. He’s a propagator by trade and
skilled in the grafting of trees and shrubs. After selling his operation
in St. Catharines, Guy came to work in a greenhouse in Kingston. After
three years he started his stall at the market.
At this time of
year he is busy making wreathes. They are a mixture of evergreens
attached to a grapevine and are decorated with chestnuts and pine
cones. The wreathes are displayed on rustic twig chairs made of ash
and birch. Guy made these chairs ten years ago. They have been outside
every winter and have withstood the weather very well. He no longer
makes twig furniture but spends hours making wreathes of many varieties
of nuts and pinecones. "It’s a hobby," he explains. "They
take hours to make." The wreathes are made of walnuts, brazilian
walnuts, chestnuts, peach nuts, jack pine and scotch pinecones.
Kingston Market News
Published by
Kingston Public
Market Vendors’ Association
Editor &
Writer
Donna James
How to Contact
Us
E-mail the Editor:
[email protected]
Write to: T. Posthuma,
RR #2, Maberly, On, K0H 2B0
Market website
www.geocities.com/kingstonmarket
Kingston Market
News appears bi-weekly from May to October with one issue in the months
of March, April, November and December.
WATCH FOR THE
NEXT
KINGSTON MARKET
NEWS IN MARCH, 2002
1801-2001 Commemorative Market
Bag
As
the end of 2001 approaches, this is your last chance to buy a commemorative
market bag that was made to celebrate our 200th anniversary,
1801-2001. Kingston’s public market is the oldest one in Canada and
we marked this important milestone on July 14th with festivities in
Market Square. More than 600 commemorative bags have been sold since
the summer and there are a few left. Made of 100% cotton, this sturdy
and stylish bag is environmentally-friendly and attractively designed
with the market logo in black on a cream background.
It’s an over-the-shoulder shopping
bag with room to hold a 3 litre basket as well as fresh fruits and
vegetables. You might even see it on the streets of Europe: one of
our shoppers bought five bags to send to relatives in Germany. There
are many vendors who might be putting them under the tree this Christmas.
The bags can be purchased from Janet Reinink or Dianne Wilson at a
cost of $8.00. Proceeds from sales support ongoing activities of the
Kingston Public Market Vendors’ Association, including the production
of this newsletter
Thanks To Our
Sponsors
The City of
Kingston & Farmers’ Markets Ontario
You may have wondered
why this logo has appeared in all our newsletters. It’s because the
newsletter is sponsored by Farmers’ Markets Ontario (FMO) that has
been matching newsletter expenses, dollar for dollar, through their
program "Project Impact". The Kingston Public Market Vendors’
Association would like to express gratitude to both the City of Kingston
and Farmers’ Markets Ontario for their very generous financial support.
The FMO was established
in 1991 with financial help from OMAFRA, Ontario Ministry of Agriculture,
Food and Rural Affairs, to assist communities in fostering the resurgence
of Farmers’ Markets across Ontario. Bob Chorney, Director of the FMO,
has kindly provided us with ongoing logistical support and advice.
The Foodland Ontario
logo has also appeared regularly in this newsletter in recognition
of their broad-based public promotion of Ontario agricultural products.
Letters
Dear Vendors:
Thank you to all
who took part in the free draw on October 27th for the Market Bag
that was filled with donated gifts of food, clothing and crafts. Your
participation was wonderful and I’d like to thank all the vendors
for their generosity:
Donna Marie
from C.P. Gourmet; Titia Posthuma; Corinna Wagner; Gary Powley; Dorothy
Mills and Betty Spindler; Joyce Olsen and Robert Garven; Don and Wilma
(Ma) Miller; Guy and Elaine Gariepy; Margie Potter; Iggy Jerebic;
Marilyn Moss and Lisa Davis; Hank-John and Janet Reinink; Ziggy and
Gerda Mainz; Betty Berghout; Ruth Miller; Frank and Dot Stevenson;
and Peter Carr.
Special thanks
to Lisa Davis and Marilyn Moss for decorating the Bag and to Pearl
Davy for drawing the winner. If I’ve omitted anyone, please accept
my apologies.
Dianne C. Wilson,
Chair, K.P.M.V.A.
Seeking New
Vendors for 2002
The City and the
Kingston Public Market Vendors’ Association welcomes new vendors for
the crafts and produce sections for Spring, 2002. We are also seeking
individuals to sell home-made snacks and beverages for customers to
eat at picnic tables in Market Square. We are considering plans to
reorganize the market to create a gathering place with picnic tables,
an information booth for questions and answers about gardening, and
a demonstration area for crafts.
If you are interested
in running a food and drink stand, or producing and selling hand-made
crafts or home-grown food and flowers, we would like to hear from
you.
Think about the
rewards…. If you take pride in what you produce and enjoy the benefits
of working in a close-knit community with loyal customers, perhaps
this is the place for you.
For more information
Contact Wayne
Hawley, Market Clerk, 384-1770
ext. 155, Monday
to Friday during office hours.
Best Wishes
For The Holiday Season
This is the last
newsletter of the season and we’d like to take this opportunity to
express appreciation to all our loyal customers who have supported
us during the past year. We’d also like to thank local restaurants
for their ongoing patronage: Clark’s On King; Sleepless Goat; Chez
Piggy; Pan Chancho; Chien Noir; Upstream; Ramada Inn; Curry Original;
and Coffee & Co. If we have left you out, please make yourself
known to the vendors you buy from. We do appreciate your business
and we like working with chefs from various establishments to provide
you with exactly what you’re looking for.
Condolences
We were very sorry
to hear of the passing of Jim Deschenes on Friday, November 23rd
at the age of 48. The entire market and the Vendors’ Association
express our deepest sympathy to Jim’s wife, Gaetes. Jim and Gaetes
have been a cornerstone at the market where they sold jewelry for
more than 20 years.
Keeping Warm
In Winter
Have you ever
wondered what it might be like to stand outside for eight hours a
day, exposed to rain, wind and snow? How do market vendors stay warm?
I spoke to several "winter regulars" and all were stoical.
"It goes with the territory", said Lisa Davis. "In
summer it’s in the 90s; your body acclimatizes."
Dianne Wilson
agreed: "I remember chipping ice and snow away from the stalls
in the morning and wondering how I’d last all day, but your body acclimatizes.
Dress in layers, keep dry, wear a hat, good boots and wool socks,
and stay elevated above the cement by standing on rubber mats. It
keeps the frost from coming off the pavement. When I go home to a
warm place I get tired and have pins and needles in my hands."
Everyone spoke
about dressing in layers and drinking coffee and hot apple cider,
but the topic of hats allowed for some disagreement. "I hate
hats, so if you see me in a hat you know it’s cold," said Ruth
Miller. Although hatless, Ruth can be found wearing wind pants, coveralls,
thick boots, gloves and "layers, layers, layers." She also
has a propane heater in her truck that she retreats to whenever she
can. Janet Reinink agreed with that strategy, "I hole
up in my van with the propane heater and make sure I have ventilation.
People visit to stay warm." Some of those people are Joyce
Olsen and Robert Garven who wear lots of layers and good
boots, but also like to "hang out with the vendors who have heaters."
"I like winter
better than most people," said Chris Ackerman. "I
drink hot cider and wear coveralls, but I never wear a hat, I hate
hats, and I don’t wear gloves either." Chris has a propane heater
in his truck, as does Peter Carr. Peter enjoys the cool weather
but admits it’s hard to leave the heater sometimes. Dale Davy,
son of Pearl and Claude, is taking care of the family business while
Mum and Dad have gone south (now there’s a way to keep warm!). Dale
has a kerosene heater in his truck and dresses warmly. He doesn’t
like rainy days because it’s not busy. "People don’t come out
in that type of weather," he said.
But at the end
of the day, the big reward for many of the vendors I spoke to is going
home and jumping into a hot bath.
