In Toronto, a Locavore’s Life Made Easy

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The Stop Community Food Centre based in Toronto's Davenport West neighbourhood

In Toronto, a Locavore’s Life Made Easy

Heads UpBy SARAH WILDMANNovember 30, 2013

遍嘗多倫多本地美食指南

旅遊SARAH WILDMAN2013年11月30日

在多倫多堆滿積雪的達夫林林區公園一座戶外磚石烤爐里做披薩。

Laura Berman

對有些人來說，「土食者」（locavore，也譯作「當地膳食主 義者」）這個術語已經從充滿創意變得令人反感。一聽到它，人們就會想到這樣的畫面：精英人士帶着「我比你們高貴」的表情，吃飯時不僅擔憂面前的奶酪在哪裡 製造，還擔憂製造奶酪的人是誰。雖然這種只吃100英里以內農產品的做法很容易被貶為特權階層的可笑做法，但土食主義運動仍然在吸引越來越多的追隨者。

多倫多以獨特的熱情擁抱了這場潮流。在這個冬季來得早卻走得晚的城 市，幾乎每天都會有一家超級本地化的有機農貿市場在社區公園出現。每個市場都以社區所在地命名，社區機構希望通過這個舉措吸引本地人購買本地的食物。這些 市場大部分都全年開放，也給旅行者提供了一個欣賞此地本土生活的機會。

「幾年前，這個城市幾乎沒有任何農貿市場，現在卻呈現出爆炸式發 展。」索勞倫公園農貿市場（Sorauren Park Farmers』 Market；周一下午3至7點；Sorauren Stree大街和Wabash Avenue大道交叉口；westendfood.coop）的負責人約翰·瑞奇里芒德(John RichLeMonde)說道。這個全年營業的市場是四年前開業的。今年春天數十名幼童曾來此參觀，他們在市場中趔趄走動，並隨着當地歌手珍妮·庫德卡 (Jan Kudelka)的歌聲跳舞。小攤檔奧吉美味棒冰(Augie』s Gourmet Ice Pops; augiesicepops.com)的老闆珍妮特·迪蒙德(Janet Dimond在這裡快樂地出售新鮮冰涼的水果甜點（塞有黃瓜和生薑的西瓜；混有紅色芹菜[rhubarb]的草莓），售價每份2.75美元。含有蘆筍、檸 檬和鷹嘴豆的湯羹每碗3美元。「這樣的天氣，」迪蒙德女士指指燦爛的陽光，「人人都會到這裡來。」住在附近街區的阿里·米拉(Alli Millar)在旁邊出售大捆的香蔥、野麥麵包和3美元一隻的甜麵包。一個掛着「土地和城市」(Earth and City；earthandcity.ca)招牌的攤檔上，兩名婦女出售新鮮卷制的蔬菜餡兒春卷。而比茲雅克農場(Bizjak Farms；bizjakfarms.com)則叫賣蘋果酒和蘋果，所有果酒都是在幾英里外的安省尼亞加拉市(Niagara, Ontario)腌制而成。

瑞奇里芒德認為，這些市場之所以能夠出現和繁榮，多倫多的達夫林林 區市場（Dufferin Grove Market；周四下午3至7點；達夫林大街和布羅爾大街交叉口南側；dufferinpark.ca）功不可沒。這個地方以前不過是枯燥的社區里的一個 小樹林，後來經過了大規模的改善。改善的原因，有人認為是十年前出現在這裡的農貿市場。達夫林林區是這個地區最具吸引力的去處：每個星期五晚上，這裡都會 現場烹制公用晚餐。公園裡有兩隻巨大的木柴爐，製作和出售烤麵包。此外還有個免費溜冰場。

但並非所有的農貿市場都設在公園裡。「多倫多農貿市場網絡 (Toronto Farmers』 Market Network)一共包括12個社區市場，但市區還有30多個農貿市場，有些在市中心，有些在停車場。」達夫林林區市場的市場經理安妮·弗里曼(Anne Freeman)說，她同時也是多倫多周邊林帶90個市場的協調者。

其中一個是車站農貿市場(Stop』s Farmers』 Market; Wychwood Barns, 601 Christie Street;thestop.org)，每周六上午8點至12點開放，地點在一個以前的電車倉庫里。這些倉庫現在是藝術家的工作室和農貿市場。

多倫多最古老的市場聖勞倫斯農貿市場(St. Lawrence Farmers』 Market; 93 Front Street)也是周六營業，對面是個小型廣場，廣場上有個同名的美食攤檔（廣場大廳里寂擠滿了長期營業的食品攤和飯館）。在那裡，農夫站成一排出售1美 元一堆的蘆筍，麵包師則叫賣法式脆餅、餡餅和麵包。多倫多人安迪·拉特雷(Andy Rattray)的攤點Sabores Latinos提供不含抗生素和激素的牛肉餡卷餅及黑豆辣味玉米餅（每隻3.5美元）。隔壁的攤檔美雅·羅家族農場(Moyer Rowe Family; rowefarms.ca)讓遊客品嘗新磨的紅麥意大利麵和醬汁，它們的原料都產自多倫多郊區。

「人們喜歡購買更加本土的東西，這已開始成為一種主流趨勢。」索勞倫公園市場的瑞奇里芒德說道。「我覺得我們正在開創一種未來的經濟模式。」

FOR some, the term locavore has gone from revolutionary to groan-worthy, conjuring images of holier-than-thou elites with the means to worry about not just where, but by whom, their cheese is made. And yet, as easy as it might be to dismiss eating from harvests no more than 100 miles from home as a lark of the privileged, the movement is still gaining converts.

Toronto has embraced the trend with particular fervor. In a city where winters begin early and end late, every day of the week a new, or nearly new, ultra-local organic farmers’ market can be found in neighborhood parks; each one named for its barrio in an effort by neighborhood associations to bring local to the locals. The markets, many of them year-round, also offer travelers a glimpse of daily life here.

“Up until a few years ago we had hardly any markets in the city, but it has really exploded,” said John RichLeMonde, the director of Sorauren Park Farmers’ Market (Monday 3 to 7 p.m.; corner of Sorauren Street and Wabash Avenue; westendfood.coop), a year-round operation that opened four years ago. During a visit this spring, dozens of children toddled about the market, dancing to the tunes of Jan Kudelka, a folk singer. Janet Dimond, owner of the stand Augie’s Gourmet Ice Pops (augiesicepops.com) briskly sold fresh icy confections (watermelon infused with cucumber and ginger, strawberry mingled with rhubarb) for $2.75 and bowls of asparagus, lemon and chickpea soup for $3. “On a day like this,” Ms. Dimond said, indicating the brilliant sunshine, “this is where everyone comes.” Alli Millar, who lives down the block, sold loaves of spring onion and wild wheat bread, and sticky buns for $3. Two women sold vegetarian spring rolls, freshly rolled, under a banner labeled Earth and City (earthandcity.ca), and Bizjak Farms sold its cider and apples, picked just a few miles away in Niagara, Ontario (bizjakfarms.com).

Mr. RichLeMonde credits one market with inspiring others to open in Toronto, Dufferin Grove Market (Thursday, 3 to 7 p.m.; just south of the intersection of Dufferin and Bloor Streets; dufferinpark.ca). It is in a park that was once a postage stamp of green in a rough neighborhood that has vastly improved, some say because of the market’s success since its arrival a decade ago. Dufferin Grove is a tremendous draw: on Friday nights, large communal dinners are cooked on site. The park has two giant outdoor wood-fired ovens where bread is baked and sold. It is also the site of a free ice skating rink.

Not all the markets are based in parks. “There are about 12 neighborhood markets in the Toronto Farmers’ Market Network but over 30 markets in the city, some in civic centers, some in parking lots,” said Anne Freeman, market manager at Dufferin Grove Market and a coordinator for the 90 markets in the green belt that hugs Toronto.

One of them is the Stop’s Farmers’ Market (Wychwood Barns, 601 Christie Street; thestop.org), which is held on Saturdays from 8 a.m. to noon in a former streetcar barn. Now the barns are used for artists’ studios and the market.

The oldest market in the city, the St. Lawrence Farmers’ Market (93 Front Street), is also held on Saturdays across a small plaza from the storied food stalls of the same name (the main hall is filled with permanent food vendors and restaurants). There, farmers line one side, peddling piles of asparagus for $1, and bakers sell pretzels, pies and breads. The Torontonian Andy Rattray’s “Sabores Latinos” offers antibiotic- and hormone-free beef empanadas and black bean spicy quesadillas ($3.50 each). At the next stall, Moyer Rowe Family farms (rowefarms.ca) lets visitors taste freshly milled red fife wheat pasta and sauce, harvested and milled just outside of Toronto.

“People are interested in buying more locally, and that’s starting to become mainstream,” said Mr. RichLeMonde of the Sorauren Park market. “There’s a sense that we are building the future economy.”