For all of us who has a vested interest in the future of our Riverdale Farm and in our neighbourhood, this grassroots event demonstrates another importance of the farm, beyond the obvious. The farm programs enable local groups, like the Toronto Guild of Spinners and Weavers, to have a viable place to come together and in return, the Guild’s efforts enable a wider audience to connect with the farm and with our community in a meaningful way.

SAVE THE DATE: Sunday Dec 4th, 2011 – 1pm & 3pm

CREATIVE SPIN – TEXTILE ART SHOW & SALE

KENDALL & Co. and the Toronto Guild of Spinners & Weavers cordially invite you to our “Promote Our Local” in-store event – Creative SPIN aims to promote the craft of textile art and the Riverdale Farm programs.

Event details, directions and info about the Guild are available online at http://kendallandco.ca/fyi/promote-our-local/creative-spin/  

RSVP: creativespin@kendallandco.ca

From Farm to Fibre, please come for a good cause and a merry ole time at KENDALL & Co. 541 Parliament St on Winchester St, in the heart of Cabbagetown.

Toronto— From Friday’s Globe and Mail
Published Thursday, Jul. 28, 2011 11:27AM EDT

TREB move to neighbourhood names draws flak

Toronto area house hunters conducting their search online can now search for neighbourhoods by name, as in Roncesvalles or Rosedale.

The names are catchier than their previous designations – W01 and C09 respectively – on the real estate map.

Toronto Real Estate Board president Richard Silver says the overhaul is aimed at making searches easier for members of the public, who often found the zones mystifying.

“It allows you or your agent to search by neighbourhood.”

The changes appear on the website realtor.ca, which displays the Canadian Real Estate Association’s multiple listings service for the public. Real estate boards from across the country contribute listings for realtor.ca.

The geographical areas covered by TREB expand beyond the Greater Toronto Area to include Orangeville to the north, Newcastle to the east and Burlington to the west.

The district names and boundaries coincide with those used by the city and provincial governments, says Mr. Silver.

The names coincide with those used on the city of Toronto website. The recently-launched Wellbeing Toronto hub lets users look for demographic information and services in the city’s 140 neighbourhoods.

The city’s interactive map lets users compare neighbourhoods with data on average family income, crime rates, the number of daycare centres and the location of bus stops, for example.

“It gives you much richer data,” Mr. Silver says. “It will be great for us in the future.”

But some real estate agents say the new method of searching is more confusing for the buyers and sellers they represent.

The long-established name Cabbagetown, for example, doesn’t appear on map to describe the area surrounding Carlton and Parliament. Some homeowners who previously thought their house was in South Riverdale will now find it in Blake-Jones.

Patrick Rocca, an agent with Bosley Real Estate Ltd., says he thinks the idea behind the facelift is very good but there have been glitches.

For example, Mr. Rocca has an automated e-mail sent out each morning to prospective buyers notifying them of the new listings that have come up in their chosen neighbourhoods.

Mr. Rocca received assurances from TREB that the search parameters would remain in place and that automatic emails would still be generated but that wasn’t the case, he says. After the overhaul, the client names were still in place but he had to spend several hours going through his files and setting up the automated searches again.

He adds that some agents are complaining about a shift in boundaries along with the name changes. One loft located near Parliament Street is set in the trendy Distillery District, for example, but on the map it appears in the area called Moss Park, which has less cachet.

Nellie Czopyk, an agent with Royal LePage Supreme Realty says she is working with one buyer who is looking for houses near St. Clair and Dufferin. On the map, some properties appear to be in the area labelled Corso Italia, which sounds too bustling to the client who prefers a quiet setting such as Regal Heights or Hillcrest Village.

“For the consumer who really knows the marketplace, all of a sudden they are questioning me,” she says.

Mr. Silver says TREB has been sending out information to agents for months but he acknowledges that some members have been taken aback.

But he says buyers can now make their search more specific and spend less time looking at superfluous properties. He says it makes sense to keep labels consistent with those assigned by City Hall.

“The one thing I know after 32 years in the business is no one likes change,” says Mr. Silver.

Another sign of Spring is the Hidden Gardens and Private Spaces Tour hosted by the Cabbagetown Preservation Association….and this year, our garden will be one of the gardens visited. We will be working hard over the next 6 weeks and are presently just relaying our Patio…there is sand everywhere. I feel like we are at the Beach the past few days but the only water is our little fish pond… However with determination and power washing we hope to pull it off for June 5th and hope that you will join us.

Of course, Realtors who encourage their Sellers to list during this really busy period are looked on as being self-serving. However, when you look at the yearly stats in Central Toronto you will see that January, February and March are the hottest times.

The old adage “Sell when no one else is Selling and Buy when no one else is Buying” seldom is acted upon in the Toronto market, then April comes, the flowers bloom and so do the “For Sale” signs.
If you are thinking about selling, get your home on the market quickly and be ahead of the Spring flowers.

If you are market-priced you will be happy with the results. Over-priced homes will seldom sell in any market so don’t be cavalier.

Check my web site for new listings as they happen and check out the TorontoMLS IDX Search on this site or below for Statistics from the Toronto Real Estate Board. Happy to help anytime.

Turkey in a Bag

1. Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Generously grease a large brown paper bag inside or out with butter or margarine.
3. Stuff the turkey with your favourite stuffing, either bread or rice…mine is a rice pilaf stuffing but any will do….You can also rub the outside of the turkey with some great spices.
4. Place the turkey in the bag and tie the bag closed.
5. Pour 2-2 1/2 cups of water in the Roasting pan.
6. Place the bagged turkey in the roasting pan and cook uncovered(bag acts as a lid).
7. No need to baste turkey.
8. Cooking Times:

8-10 lbs.  2-2 1/4 hours

12-14 lbs  2 1/2-3 hours

16-18 lbs. 3 1/2-4 hours

20-22 lbs  4 1/2-5 hours

24-26 lbs. 5 1/2-6 hours

Pull the Turkey out of the oven, let it sit for about 15 minutes, carve, serve and enjoy. It will be moist, not dry, and best of all….you will be the star of the Thanksgiving Dinner. 

Try it and let us know how it works below. Make sure you visit Mark Michelin at the St. Jamestown Steaks & Chops . He can be found at the south west corner of Winchester and Parliament Street in Cabbagetown and they can supply the meat and all the fixings.

Come and cheer the runners on and support the Cabbagetown Youth Centre!