Today was the first day of the Ryerson Farmers’ Market, right out in the middle of the pedestrian zone on Gould St.

Ever since they first closed the street off to traffic, I have been hoping there would be a farmers’ market. Only a little bit hampered by the construction happening on Gould right now, the market got off to a great start with a handful of local farmers and producers. I can only imagine how great it will be once the construction is over, and the market is able to flower. So great!

As it is, we were treated to a nice selection of vendors selling some fresh veggies, strawberries, meats, bread and other baked goods, cheese, maple syrup and more! The Ryerson Market is part of the MyMarket group, certifying vendors who only sell what they produce.

I was looking for some asparagus, and was a little disappointed when I couldn’t find any. That dissolved pretty quickly, when I found some green garlic and collard greens from Svetec Farms. YUM!

Of course, I was drawn to the cheese at Monforte Dairy. They weren’t allowed to give any samples (boo!), but I figured I would try some anyway. I got some garlic scape cheese and some kind of goat cheese with the texture of a Manchego. Soooo good! I sampled them as soon as I got home.

I also picked up some maple syrup from Danbrie Farms, and will likely use it in a glaze for some fish soon.

Here is what I made for dinner tonight, using many of the ingredients I bought at the market. Go green garlic!

In case you couldn’t tell, I’m really psyched about this new farmers’ market and hope it continues every year. For that to happen, I’m pretty sure we need to have the pedestrian zone on Gould Street made permanent. If you are a community member (resident, Ryerson student or staff, etc.) please voice your opinion by filling out this survey.

The Ryerson Farmers’ market will continue every Tuesday from 3:30 – 7:30pm, until October 25th. The Grand Opening will be in two weeks, on June 28th, featuring a Strawberry festival!!

Catch them on Twitter @rufarmersmarket.