With masses of gladioli, dahlias, and sunflowers at its centre, the market at Sick Kids resembles a giant buffet table. Vegetables anchor the ends: purple carrots, artichokes, cabbage, cauliflower, potatoes, tomatoes(yes, I know they are really a fruit), lettuces, herbs. On either side of the flowers, it is almost all fruit: strawberries, apples, crabapples, pears, red raspberries, blackberries, elderberries, plums in many hues, and, of course, peaches, peaches, peaches. But back to the plums: Andrews Scenic Acres has the much prized damsons. I leave with a basket. It is not just the memory of the flavor which fills me with anticipation, it is the memory of the scent, a heady floral sweetness tamed with tartness,that evokes late summer for me almost as much as the smell of my mother's chili sauce simmering on the stove. I can't wait to start cooking though I certainly could forego the endless skimming to capture all the pits.
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