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stoitffville suntribune b saturday aug 25 2007 5 leslie forsyth and susan finkelstein display the abundant locally grown fruit and vegetables available now staff photosjoerd witteveen farmers markets offer fiealthy options by michael power staff writer like interior design or fash ion those shopping for fruits and vegetables shouldnt be afraid of a little colour health canadas recently revised food guide recom mends you get at least one serving of orange vegetables and one dark green veggie each day and what better place to start looking than a nearby farm market before you go to a farm market people should defi nitely- call the farm to see if they have what youre looking for said susan finkelstein a public health nutritionist with york region health ser vices reduce disease she explained what is available using forsythe family farms at 10539 ken nedy road north of major mackenzie drive in nothern markham as an example- in the orange category produce to look for at this time of year includes carrots and orange squash ms fin kelstein said yams are also a good choice but arent in season now available fruit includes peaches and apri cots as for dark green veg gies beans green peppers and broccoli are currently in season ms finkelstein noted however availability of produce can vary each year depending on factors such as the weather orange and dark green produce contain antioxi dants such as folate and beta carotene that protect the bodys cells from damage in fact the colour in fruits and vegetables such as greens purples reds and blues comes from the anti oxidants and other chemicals vital to good health that in turn can reduce our risk of heart disease dia betes and cancer ms finkel stein said the end message is the more variety and the more brightly coloured the better as well locally grown pro duce doesnt travel as far as imported fare she said fruits or veggies from over seas lose some of their nutri tional value and may have been sprayed with chemicals during the voyage she said and its going to taste better if grown locally she said adding shoppers should wash fruits and vegetables before eating them no matter where they come from and buying farm fresh produce means that what is sprayed onto your food fol lows provincial guidelines said forsythe family farms coowner leslie forsythe ontario farmers must be certified to spray their crops she said you can be more com fortable with how the food is produced instead of from another country where you dont know what their regula tions are she said and an added bonus of buying local is the taste ms forsythe said regular patrons look for the freshness and quality you can only get from local fare were in sort of a niche there she said its taking off like the organic food market took off people are looking for some thing they can relate to farm markets also offer the personal touch shoppers might not get from a large grocery ichain said ms for sytes husband jim the farm uses older vari eties of tomato seeds called heirloom seeds that were developed for taste rather than to survive long trips from other countries he said superior taste the resulting tomatoes arent as red and round as some of their imported cous ins but the superior taste makes up for that he said people come to a farm market because they want freshness mr forsythe said theyre never the prettiest looking things but they have got the taste forsythe family farms is open from 9 am to 6 pm every day of the week for recipes call 18884289668 or visit foodlandgovonca late summer treats here are what fruits and veg etables are fresh in august and september apples green and wax beans blueberries broccoli corn cucumbers garlic leeks mushrooms onions green and cooking peas snow and green peppers green yellow red and hot spinach tomatoes and zucchini evergreen hospice markham and whitchurchstouffville volunteers needed unique opportunities available to make a difference by providing care and support in the home for families dealing with serious illness volunteers live in markham or whitchurchstouffville are proficient in english other languages an asset i make a 1 year commitment receive 35 hours training in hospice palliative care chinese and south asian volunteers are particularly needed call the hospice office at 9054725014 visit our website wwwevergreenhospiceorg for more information are you a community agency serving the residents of york region do you need funding for a community service project for 2008 through the community development and investment fund cdif york region purchases a range of community services from eligible community agencies who provide services to r vulnerable residents across the region the regional municipality of york invites community service agencies to submit funding proposals for 2008 projects that meet one of the following criteria address homelessness support family and childrens services provide employment supports interested agencies can obtain the document psr0701 purchase of service request package by using our new downloading option from the regions web site or by visiting the york region administrative centre supplies and services branch first floor 17250 yonge street newmarket the deadline for proposals is thursday september 13 2007 at 100 pm sharp for more information please visit wwwyorkca click on whats new contact the regions supplies and services branch at 18774649675 x 1669 l wrmregum call 18775105102 and talk to a registered dietitian for free eatright ontario ontariocaeatright paid for by the government of ontario v ontario