Create the Little Things - Terra Winter Market

If you’ve been following along you know one of my intentions for 2018 was to gain more experiences out of life. If you haven’t been following, first HELLO and thanks for checking out The Basic Bitch Blog, second read here and then come on back! My intention to gain more experience isn't just about me experiencing more out of life but enjoying these experiences with those closest to me and making memories with my loved ones. Big and small, memories and experiences don’t have to be a grand event. I’ve always said it’s the little things in life and that also relates to experiences.

I had been introduced to the Terra Winter Market last year by a dear friend. Actually the same friend who was the inspiration for this post. She's a good friend to have! We went at the end of the season so I knew this winter I wanted to go back. I asked my stepdaughter to go with me the weekend she officially moved out. I thought it would be fun for the two of us to spend some quality time together, which we hadn’t done much since baby was born. Plus who knows when we might get this chance again as life is busy and I'd see less of her now that she's moved. I also had an ulterior motive in inviting her. I wanted her to pick out a succulent or cactus planter as a house warming gift. She's always wanted them in her room but we never bothered because our cat is the serial murder of all plant life.

This lovely little winter farmers market is about 30 mins from my house, and runs from January to March on Saturday's only. There’s actually only 2 Saturday’s left of the market as of this posting. They also have 2 locations, one in Milton and one in Hamilton. We go to the one in Milton. It has an array of mum & pop vendors and local farmers. You'll find everything from artisan cheeses, pepper jellies, naturally homemade beauty products, butcher meats, bake shop vendors, vegan and gluten free oriented vendors, artists, tea and spice vendors, maple syrup... Seriously you name it they probably have it. The best part is this farmers market is set in what is the greenhouse's outdoor garden space in the summer months, so it's all natural light and a pretty backdrop for the market. It's also heated so you aren’t freezing your ass off while enjoying the market, but if you were still freezing your ass off there is a nice little coffee vendor you can warm up with.

My best find this time around was from Culture City Toronto, they make a variety of Tempah’s. Another intention this year for me was to eat less meat and I’m a bit naive to the whole vegan world so had never heard of Tempah. I ended up with a block of Chickpea Tempa and seasoned ground Chickpea Tempah. It’s what they had on sample and oh my goodness so delicious! My stepdaughter's best find was from Thyme after Time. All the vendor sells is a Lebanese spice blend. All you do is add olive oil and dip bread or pita in it. However after chatting with the 2 people who own it you can really use the blend for any type of cooking, the 2 people who run the vendor stand are both high school teachers during the week and just the loveliest people. Really, all the vendors are so friendly and most like to have real engagement with the patrons of the market. I saw a lot of "nice to see you again" between vendors and repeat patrons.

My stepdaughter ended up picking a beautiful round glass planter of succulents in stone as her housewarming gift. I introduced her to my favourite juice vender, The Green Geek and we both enjoyed their Kale Kolada. Not to mention the 2 people who run that vendor station are such positive fun loving souls. It's nice when you can feed of other people's positive energy! We also split a pita sandwich for $5 from Thyme after Time. They toast a pita, spread their spice blend with olive oil on it, add sliced tomatoes and cukes and wrap it up! We were able to enjoy a freshly made lunch and drink of less then $20! We enjoyed great conversation with each other as well as getting to know some of the vendors. When you go to this market you are getting more then just inventory for the fridge or products for your home. You are meeting really interesting hardworking people and having authentic conversations.