Once a week, shoppers get the opportunity to purchase the freshest goods from the people who raise and harvest them. The quality is unsurpassed. At the height of summer, Ontario produce is so bountiful that the building cannot possibly hold it all, so stalls spill out onto Jarvis and Front streets. Baskets overflow with luscious purple and white cherries, strawberries and raspberries, massive cauliflowers, piles of golden corn and bouquets of basil. Inside, stalls of meats, dairy products, baked goods and prepared foods do a brisk business. Signboards usually announce the grower’s home base. Arrive early because favourites sell out quickly, and the pace is more leisurely before the crowds descend. Eyes, nose and imagination are truly the best guides, but here are some favoured spots to visit.

Clement Poultry

For grain-fed, organic chickens (not to mention organic apples and juicy berries in season), this is definitely the spot to visit. Clement Poultry offers beautiful packages of all cuts of meat, as well as organic muscovy duck and turkey for the holiday season. 905-987-7239.

El Gaucho Chorizos

Choosing only one or two from the more than 50 types of sausage on display—among them Macedonian with leeks, chorizo (medium, hot, red hot or smoked) and a low-sodium number—can be a rather overwhelming experience. All are preservative- and additive-free. 905-689-0950.

Esther Gould’s Finest

The mandelbroit cookies (they’re really more like biscotti) at Esther Gould’s Finest are made according to Gould’s original recipe and tricked out in nine different flavours by daughter Corinne. Terrific thin cheesecakes, which use the mandelbroit as a base, fly from the countertops. 416-787-3107.

Ewenity Dairy Co-op

Peter Bzikot still comes from Arthur to Ewenity Dairy Co-op every week, almost always accompanied by his mother, Elisabeth, who is a cheesemaker and has been shepherding the flocks for nearly 30 years. After trying his gorgeous tangy-creamy brebis, a soft sheep’s milk cheese, you may never go back to regular cream cheese. Bzikot also sells Best Baa lamb, which is GMO-, hormone- and antibiotic-free, of course, because “if you give the lambs the right conditions to live, they don’t need any of that.” 519-848-5694.

Monforte Dairy

Ruth Klahsen draws dairy lovers with her sheep and goat’s milk cheeses. Her toscano has a wickedly good saltiness and a tempting, creamy crumble. She also carries specialty aged cheddars and small-batch Stirling butter, and monitors Ontario’s artisanal cheese-making closely for products to feature alongside her own. 1-877-437-5553.

Raani Foods

Addictive personalities should be wary of the mouth-watering masala-spiced cashews at Raani Foods. Nupur Gogia doles out baked or fried samosas and convenient heat-and-eat naan stuffed with lovely curried vegetables. She’s also expanded into fresh curries (12 different kinds) for takeout. 416-536-8273.

Rowe Farm Meats

There is always a bustle at Rowe Farm Meats. Each customer takes a number, and the service is speedy. The antibiotic- and hormone-free meats (try sweet bacon and deliciously smoky ham) are becoming a standard in the city. 519-822-8794.

Sabores Latinos

The samples here are very good bait indeed. While you’ve got your chip in a dip, Andy Rattray expounds poetically about the mangoes in his wife Maria’s seasonal salsa, “heavenly” cilantro pebre and delicious silky-smooth guacamole. The chancho en piedra, a Chilean-style pepper salsa, is a hit. New this year: frozen rice and quinoa salad. 905-333-5377.

Second Wind Elk Farm This farm continues to furnish Toronto with quality organic elk, wild boar and caribou, and uses the meats wisely in such items as prepared elk and venison pâté and über-Canadian elk tourtière. 519-856-9023.

Stephanie Evanoff

This is the place to find sheep, goat and cow’s milk fetas, as well as cow’s milk yogurt and cottage cheese. “I’ve been at the market since…1958 or 1959,” Evanoff muses distractedly. Garlic scapes are a welcome seasonal bonus. 519-927-5057.