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The spring-and-ring mechanism on our beautiful Weck Jars is what makes them the choice of serious home canning aficionados but so many customers love them just because they look great. If canned preserve grade food safety isn't an issue and you're just doing basic dry goods storage or even using your Wecks more decoratively, check out the new Acacia wood lids. Beautiful, durable and functional, they bring a whole new look to your favourite storage jars.

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Feeling the chill? Hurry in and get your curry on! While we ADORE Khalid Bukhari's cooking right here in the neighbourhood at Shala-Mar Restaurant (Best. Samosas. Ever.) you might want to try your own hand at curry-making but maybe feel a bit shy about exploring the complex and vast world of Indian cuisine. Fear not! For the first timer we've got great cooking sauces from Shernis Authenic Sauces made here in Toronto. Just add meat or vegetables and serve with basmati rice, naan bread, raita and one (or more) of our delightful chutneys. Feeling more adventurous? We have a full range of all the essential spices - either pre-mixed from Arvinda's and Jaswant's Kitchen, individually packaged, or in our special "Indian Spice Kit". Plus we now carry fair-trade, organic curry leaves and turmeric from Arayuma. Not to mention organic ghee from Lee's Provisions. Throw in some helpful cooking tips from vahrehvah.com and - voilà - winter disappears!

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The key to stress-free cooking at home is to have the right tools and to be organized. The key to JOYOUS cooking at home is to have all of your organizational tools be as beautiful as they are functional. New oven-microwave-freezer-dishwasher safe casseroles and mis-en-place bowls both fit that bill perfectly. Read more... http://themercantile.ca/blogs/news/93650758-the-chefs-motto-be-prepared-and-stylish

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Dining out on Valentine's Day is for amateurs. And with the NBA All-Star game including a half-time performance by the still-tantric Sting, why not use your home court advantage and woo your sweetheart with a home cooked meal. Once again, our friends at Queen's Pasta have supplied us with packages of lovingly made heart-shaped ravioli made with both red and white pasta stuffed with ricotta and other flavours. But this year they packed a new surprise into that familiar shape as well: Ravioli filled with dulce-de-leche and banana! We're recommending you plate with a smear of raspberry purée underneath and a dusting of cocoa powder on top. Positively aphrodisiacal! However you spend this Valentine's Day, we hope you get to share it with someone you care about - romantically or otherwise - and have a safe and happy long weekend. And on that note, a reminder that we are closed Monday for Family Day.

Photos from The Mercantile's post

All you lovers out there - this is not only Valentine's weekend but NBA All-Star weekend - it's time to up your game! And we've got two sweet paths to your sweetheart that are slam dunks: Try the refined and delicately decorative truffles of Odile Chocolat with flowers and a bottle of bubbly or a fanciful hand-painted chocolate frog prince or dulce-de-leche-filled chocolate skulls for the badass lover in your life - both from the remarkable Laura Slack Chocolate Artist. Laura also has a new line of Valentine's Day bars in pink-themed Chiyogami paper. You'll find all these treats on the main table in store. Thanks to our friends at Foodies on Foot for use of the Frog Prince photo!

Baby, It's Cold Outside

Each jar in this great selection of eight different soups from Soup Girl - Spicy Coconut Lentil,Curried Cashew, Smoky Split Pea, Italian Rice & Lentil, Caribbean Rice n’ Peas Soup, The Detox Soup, Moroccan Lentil Soup and the new Za’atar Lentil Soup - includes its own carefully crafted mix of herbs, spices, grains and/or pulses. All you have to do is add heat, water and time. Apparently Wiarton Willy predicted six more weeks of winter earlier this week so come on in and stock up on the heartiest soups in town!

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For extending and enhancing the best of summer's bounty into the winter months, nothing beats a real fermented pickle product. Many cultures developed this technique of preserving foods and they include favourites like kosher dills, sauerkraut and kimchi. We already carry an excellent organic kimchi made by Kyopo Kitchen here in the neighbourhood and we're now very pleased to welcome to the Mercantile shelves another local producer (founded by a transplanted New Yorker) called Mighty Fine Brine with a product line that includes two styles of pickles and two styles of sauerkraut. You'll find all of these excellent, healthful products in the fridge at the back of the shop.

The Mercantile

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Local aficionados of dental care have been asking us to carry this for a while now and we're pleased to announce we now offer the full toothpaste line from Marvis of Florence Italy. That's seven powerful flavours (including Ginger Mint, Cinnamon, Amarelli Licorice and Jasmine Mint) in both regular 75ml and 25ml travel-size tubes. PLUS the Marvis toothbrush. It's a twice daily treat your dentist would actually recommend! Find it at the back of the store with our other personal care and home care products.

The King of Salt Returns

If you've come into the store over the past month looking for Maldon salt, you've either gone away disappointed or left with one of the little travel-size tins (which everyone should have, BTW). And although it was still lurking on a few shop shelves around town it was getting harder and harder to find. As we would have told you at the time, there was an unspecified problem somewhere in the production chain and Maldon advised that they would be back on line by the end of January. True to their word, the salt from Maldon is once again flowing (in a manner of speaking) and is back on our shelves. (We also have a fine selection of wood and ceramic salt cellars!) If you'd like to learn more about Maldon as one of the three salts we think are essential for any pantry, check out the latest edition of the Mercantile blog at our website. http://tinyurl.com/zwdvzps

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We're very excited to announce a brand new addition to the store of something that is one of the most basic items in your fridge: eggs. Now, we don't carry a lot of fresh produce or dairy items because we don't have a ton of space and people don't really expect that kind of thing from us. But they do expect that we'll carry things that are really special and these eggs are really special. Top chefs in Toronto agree that for top quality eggs laid by happy hens without hormones or antibiotics, it just doesn't get any better than eggs from Murray Farms. Murray Allan Thunberg raises heritage breeds of cattle, pigs, turkeys and chickens on his property in Woolwich County, a couple of hours due west of the city. Among the chickens alone there are almost 20 different heritage breeds who spend most of their time outdoors (as long as it's not freezing cold) and enjoy a varied diet - which means the average carton of eggs is a real rainbow of shell colours and the colour of the yolks varies with the seasons depending on what the hens are eating mostly at the time. They're a little more expensive than other eggs available in the neighbourhood but to support happy hens, a dedicated local producer and your own resolutions to treat yourself better, we think you'll find it's worth that little bit extra. Come in today and head to the fridge at the back. Weekend breakfast and brunch plans await!

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We are selling off some glass jars for $5!! (cash only for this item)

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Hey Roncesvalles! You can now find our pickles and kraut at The Mercantile! And who is that I spy on the wall of goodness behind Shannon? It's @localsoupgirl and @no7hotsauceto! There so many great makers located in this great shop. @oslickthecat @thisislesliez #roncey #roncesvalles #torontofood #torontoeats #themercantile #mightyfinebrine #pickles #sauerkraut #fermentedfoods #shoplocal #supportlocal #makers #thesix #the6