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Taste the Seasons

Year 'round, the Greenbelt offers a smorgasbord of fresh foods. From spring freshness to summer crispness, from fall bounty to winter goodness, it's all good (and tasty)!

It's Time to Enjoy Greenbelt-Grown Produce!

Strawberry Season

From the middle of June through early July. Pick your own strawberries and make them into jam to enjoy for months to come. Or how about a Strawberry Salsa? This deliciously different version is versatile, fresh tasting and colourful. People are surprised to see a salsa made with tomatoes and strawberries, but it is excellent served over chicken and pork. Everyone's favourite - strawberry shortcake using farm-fresh fruit direct from the fields. And you can't go wrong with the fantastic combination of strawberries and chocoloate!

Pea Season

From the middle of June through September

Lettuce Season

From June through October Visit Harvest Ontario (www.harvestontario.com) to find out more about pick-your-own farms and farmers' markets in your area.

The Greenbelt Foundation is

  • Enhancing Farmers’ Markets, increasing sales for farmers in the Greenbelt and beyond

  • Engaged Hamilton schools to switch to Greenbelt food for their students

  • Funding policy changes to encourage more local food to be sold in Durham

  • Hosted the first ever Global Greenbelts Conference in Toronto in March 2011 with speakers and delegates from over nine countries

  • Creating Greenbeltfresh.ca, the leading electronic marketplace to source local, Greenbelt foods from over 600 producers

  • Supporting the creation of new multi-cultural crops and development of ethnic local food guides in Toronto and York Region

  • Supporting tourism initiatives including in the Niagara and Caledon areas

  • Providing grants and support to significantly increase sales at farmers’ markets

  • Supporting development of action plans for a variety of agricultural areas and commodities

  • Funding research and analysis on greenbelts around the globe which concluded that Ontario’s Greenbelt is the most robust in the world, with a strong legal and policy framework

  • Supporting the Ontario Greenbelt Alliance to foster strong Greenbelt Plan implementation at the municipal level

  • Supporting the creation of an award-winning Greenbelt granola bar

  • Identifying barriers to opening markets for Greenbelt farmers and proposing solutions

  • Increasing amount of Greenbelt food in food share program 140%

  • Contributing to greater sales of Greenbelt wines at the LCBO

  • Bringing thousands of Ontarians out into the Greenbelt each year through grantee activities and the Annual Tour de Greenbelt cycling event

  • Building a local food economy from developing new markets to enhancing distribution channels

  • Participating strategically in growing the Greenbelt by working with Toronto, Peel, Halton, and Guelph

  • Funding the Holland Marsh Growers’ transition from an export, commodity focus to one that serves the local market with value- added products

  • Contributing $2.65 million to Greenbelt farmers to improve their operations (leveraging millions of dollars from federal sources), and to employ the opportunities of the Green Energy Act

  • Successfully merging social welfare initiatives with environmental concerns

  • Supporting the development of multi-cultural crops and training new Canadian Farmers

  • Engaging with over 170 million Ontarians directly through our marketing, events and communications activities

  • Supporting interested Greenbelt Farmers to Go Organic

  • Reaching over 75 million by placing 220 permanent highway and regional road signs to ensure Ontarians and visitors know about this valuable protected area

  • Supporting changing the City of Toronto policy to adopt a local food purchasing bylaw for city facilities

  • Bridging farming and hiking interests to acknowledge environmental progress by farmers

  • Assisting in designing new policies to protect Lake Simcoe through timely research

  • Supporting the Credit Valley Conservation Authority to protect and restore wetlands

  • Securing local food procurement commitments for Peel, U of T. City of Toronto Facilities and Markham

  • Creating a network of Farmer’s Markets to help improve our local food economy

  • Funding visionary planning processes such as the new Cootes to Escarpment Park Management Plan, and a massive reforestation plan in Rouge Park

  • Developing a successful culinary tourism platform for Niagara

  • Convincing Peel school boards to buy Greenbelt food for students

  • Hosting the successful Tour de Greenbelt to promote Ontario’s Greenbelt as a tourism destination

  • Supporting food policy council in Durham to create food charter

  • Securing local food procurement commitments for Peel schools, City of Toronto, City of Markham and others

  • Partnering with Harbourfront Centre to tell the story of Ontario’s Greenbelt to 12 million people via a year-long, outdoor photography exhibit

 
Learn more about what the Greenbelt Foundation has done for you »

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Dufferin Wellington Peel: total economic impact of Greenbelt ag, forestry, fishing rec & tourism = +$493M http://t.co/dMqj9cnI @TownofErin about 10 hours ago

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