Armadale Canada Day 3rd Annual Strawberry Social

Here in Canada, after many months of winter, the coming of Spring is a very welcome event. Even though Springtime in Toronto can be a little soggy at times, the array of perfumes coming off of the flowers is so lovely to experience! The lilacs, lilies-of-the-valley, peonies all fill the air with intoxicating fragrances that often hit your nostrils long before your eyes, offering you a multi-sensory experience of the beauty of the season. Fruit trees also begin to sprout little buds that carry us along towards the summer months. However, these buds are more potential than actuality, for the time being!

As flowers mark the arrival of Spring, so berries mark the arrival of Summer, with the very first being the strawberry! When people see the colourful, deeply fragrant jewels in green grocers and pick-your-own farms after the long thaw, their minds naturally turn to celebration. This is why strawberry socials have become a part of the Canadian spring landscape in so many schools and neighbourhoods across Toronto – people of all ages just love strawberries and the chance to be celebrate together, outside.

For the past few years, Armadale Avenue in Swansea, home to the Smith Proulx Team, has also hosted a Strawberry Social. On the 1^st of July every year for the past 3 years, neighbours prepare a huge variety of strawberry-based concoctions to share with each other. Participants put out tables and display their offerings. People get to taste strawberry delicacies from each other, and the whole event is mainly an excuse to get together to celebrate the warm weather and Canada Day.

This year, being the first Armadale Strawberry Festival post-COVID, there was a great turnout. There were strawberry-flavoured cookies, muffins, cakes, shortcake, pierogies and even a strawberry lasagna! Intrigued? Here’s the RECIPE!

There really is nothing like fresh, local food to bring people together to celebrate and to enjoy the warm summer weather!

A big thank you to Petra and Anne Marie for bringing the neighbours together and turning the street into a summer celebration. This event was organized for the residents of Armadale Avenue in the Swansea neighbourhood, close to Bloor West Village and High Park.