Georgina Farmers’ Market opens for its ninth season

By Mike Anderson

The Georgina Farmers’ Market, which opened for its ninth season on Sunday, May 19, keeps getting bigger and better, with new vendors, kids’ activities, live music, and more good food.

This year’s market features nearly 40 vendors, including a new artisanal sourdough baker, an Italian cafe, and a cider-tasting bar.

Natalia Zammitti, a local realtor who started the market with her mother, Donna, in 2015, is proud of the market’s growth and looks forward to another great season.

“When we started this, we thought we would maybe do five years. But here we are nine years later, ” Zammitti laughed.

“We have an amazing group of vendors. We are like a family here. I know many of our vendors are at other markets, and they always tell us this is their favourite because we all work together. We all want the same outcome.”

While Zammitti says the market is always a hit with summer cottagers, it has also attracted visitors from surrounding municipalities.

“People will come from Newmarket, Aurora, Richmond Hill. They come, spend time here, and then go to the beach. So it’s like a win-win,” she said.

Zammitti says they are also trying to make the market more family-friendly by adding activities for kids.

“We’ve got a lady making balloons and face painting, and we’re trying to get a jumpy castle, hopefully for every weekend.”

She is also planning a series of special events, including something for dog owners.

“We want a dog event so people can bring their pups. Maybe get their pictures taken or have a session with a trainer or a groomer,” she said.

“We are very pet friendly, and we get a lot of dogs. It’s funny because people tell us their dogs can’t wait to come. As soon as they see the yellow bag, they’re freaking out.”

Akos and Erika Pataki, a husband-and-wife team from Newmarket, are one of the new vendors this season. They operate a Neapolitan pizza truck, but their real passion is artisanal sourdough bread.

“Natural fermentation has always fascinated me because it doesn’t use any baker’s yeast. It’s fermented by natural bacteria culture, slowly, through a long fermentation,” said Pataki, who’s been baking for over 20 years.

“It brings all the health benefits, making it easy to digest—less gluten, less glycemic index,” he said.

“And it has all the nutrition the human body can absorb because of the natural fermentation.”

Pataki says most sourdough bread sold at supermarkets is made with baker’s yeast, which doesn’t provide the health benefits of natural fermentation.

According to Pataki, you can quickly tell the difference by weight. Sourdough bread made with baker’s yeast is light, while a naturally fermented loaf is heavy.

“We want to provide bread that resembles what we had during our childhood in Hungary,” he added.

“When something has been good for thousands of years, you shouldn’t give up on it. “

Tonie Carrero and her friends Jessica Rosa and Amanda Cunha also provide a little taste of Europe at the market this summer.

Their Italian cafe offers double espresso shots and excellent Italian pastries like pistachio-flavoured cannolis.

“We love the locals, and we love being in Georgina. So, we wanted to serve them with some traditional Italian pastries, espressos and lattes,” said Carrero, who joked that people who mispronounce espresso will get instant coffee.

Carrero says the feedback has been great, and people love the coffee.

“We do double shots in all our drinks. Unless they ask us for a single because it’s too much for them,” she laughed.

Another new vendor is Banjo Cider, based in Uxbridge. It produces a variety of dry ciders with an alcohol content between 6.5 and 7.7 percent.

“Our apples are organic, and they are all locally sourced,” said Emily Offenbacker.

“We specialize in traditional cider, a great alternative to beer and wine. We use nine different apple varieties, including Golden Russet and crab apple. But our best seller is the wildflower, which is strawberry and rhubarb-infused cider. We also have a cider made with buckwheat and honey that tastes like an IPA.”

There were also lots of lunch options at the market. Messhall was barbecuing up a storm with its famous peameal sandwiches and smash burgers, while The IRV’s food truck, a new addition to the market, had a variety of tasty poutine options on offer, including smoke meat poutine.

The Georgina Farmers’ Market is open, rain or shine, every Sunday at The Link in Sutton (20849 Dalton Rd) from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. until October 6.

For more info, visit their website: https://www.georginafarmersmarket.ca/ or Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/GeorginaFarmersMarket/.