My first 6 months of moving to Canada, and every weekend I did exactly what Canadians do- go to a supermarket, grab a cart and buy groceries for a week, a mix of vegetables and fruits, but mostly meat and chicken that can be stored in the freezer. But here are the things that surprised me the most- unusual size of onions, the spinach and coriander came without roots and were surprisingly clean, and nothing tasted right. You know, that taste you call "authentic".
I couldn't pinpoint the right word for it. But just knew something was off. Fast forward to 6-months, I came across the farmer's market and visited over the weekend. And that was what I would like to call- my EUREKA moment! The first time I wandered into a Saturday farmers' market, I was just curious. I wasn't expecting much. But there was something about the energy of it. Vendors who actually knew their products, produce that still had soil on it, bread that was warm and smelled like it had been pulled out of an oven that morning.
I picked up a bunch of heirloom tomatoes on a whim. Took a bite at home with nothing but a little salt. That was it. That was the taste I had been chasing for months.
What started as an occasional visit turned into a ritual. I started going back every week. First for the produce, then for the fresh flowers (there is genuinely nothing better for your mental state than having fresh flowers in your home), then for the baked goods, and eventually for the plants. I built little corners of green in my home. I started buying produce that I'd never seen in a supermarket and learning how to cook with it. The market gave me back the tactile, sensory relationship with food that I didn't even realise I had lost.
Fresh Produce vs Supermarket Buys: I don't think we talk about it enough!
I come from India, where vendors deliver fresh produce to your door, almost every day. And let me tell you, there's something extremely grounding about buying food that looks like it came from the earth. About knowing the person who grew it. About eating a pepper that's in season rather than one that's been refrigerated and trucked across three provinces. Does the produce taste any different? Honestly, better! There is a freshness and that "authentic" taste in things. And interacting with the farmer's there does something to me that I come home from a Saturday market in a completely different headspace. It's slower. More intentional.
Cooking with fresh ingredients has also quietly improved how I feel physically. I'm not making grand health claims here, but the difference between cooking with produce that's been sitting in cold storage for two weeks vs something picked days ago is something your gut notices.
I Have A Way With The Spices I Use For Cooking!
And that's coming from my mom!
For the longest time, I judged my mom for the extra work she put in buying all the whole raw spices, roasting them, sun-drying them, and then grinding them. I am not sure when and how, but I became "that" person as well! So now I buy raw cumin, coriander seeds, dried red chillies, black pepper, etc, in small batches, so they don't lose their potency. The aroma when a fresh batch of masalas hits a hot pan is something no store-bought powder will ever come close to.
It sounds like extra work. But it takes just half an hour in total. And the difference is significant. This is very much an Indian food principle that I think often gets lost in translation when our cuisine migrates. Freshness applies to everything. Not just vegetables, not just meat, but spices, herbs, and the process of cooking itself.
St. Lawrence Market North Is My Saviour!
And I can't stress it enough! The St. Lawrence farmers' market brought a lot of this back for me. It reminded me that the Indian obsession with freshness, the daily market runs, the resistance to over-stocking, and the preference for buying just what you'll use is not inconvenient; it's intelligence. It's a food culture built on the understanding that fresh food is better food, and that the gap between the farm and your plate should be as small as possible.
Canada has given me a lot, and the farmer's market is one of them.
If you are in Toronto or visiting Toronto, do not miss visiting St. Lawrence Market.
St. Lawrence Market- Operating Hours
1. South Market (Main Building)
Monday: Closed
Tuesday - Friday: 9:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m.
Saturday: 7:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Sunday: 10:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
2. Saturday Farmers Market (North Building):
Saturday: 5:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.