Local Breakthrough

  My husband came home the other night with a 4L bag of milk from our local grocery store.  Which should be good news. I had requested the local dairy supply bagged milk, as we drink it in these parts, but was told they couldn't carry the stock, so I continued to go to ELS to get my milk every Friday.  Once I am there I chat with April or Jess,  I also get some sour cream, cheese, some meat and large bag of sweet popcorn. In sum, I do the bulk of my groceries- and since I am downtown I'll stop by a local bakery to by bread and some confection I could probably do without.


  My husband thinks we should cancel our milk order at ELS so we can buy our milk at the grocery store so that it will continue to stock locally produced foods- a fair and good point. But what about the ELS? I love the Eat Local Sudbury store. I love the smile and familiar chat with staff, the lovely patch of earth in front of the shop, a bit of urban Eden. The Eat Local Shop, literally saved this project for me, without them I would have given up by the end of June.  The shop is patient with my kids, always informative, and welcoming. 


   I know that the reason I go every week to ELS is because of the milk. I may get lazy, or give in to busyness if not for the milk. I NEED the milk.  So the decision is to half my milk order, support both and hope for  the best, that the grocery will continue to carry local food and ELS will continue to thrive 8)


Shannon D.

The Allen's Came for Supper

       I watched the episode of Oprah with Martha Stewart earlier this fall. I think Martha is awesome because she shamelessly values her domesticity and handles herself like royalty. I like her brand of rigid femininity and capableness. What struck me most was when she said people never invite her to dinner because she intimidates them, hell I wouldn't either, but I would love to have dinner with her. Interview
      
      In desperate need to spend some quality time with the other Shannon, we had her family over to dinner. Now, Mrs Allen, is our own Martha, not anyway uptight, but everything Shannon cooks is perfect. She is generous with recipes, but nothing ever tastes quite as good as when she makes it. This is what makes her Martha-esque, the genuine passion and love with which she makes food renders all her creations absolutely heavenly. The fudge she gave Melanie and I for Christmas two years ago can send us into drooling fits. Melanie and I both made the fudge with less fantastic results.


     But inspired by Martha herself, I figured why not have the Allens' over? I miss her and with enough wine who'll know how my cooking pales. The night had a good share of local foods, chicken from the neighbour, potatoes from our community, frozen beans from the garden, milk and ice cream from the local dairy etc. But what pleased me most was that even the food that wasn't local was still homemade. Shannon brought some pickles, beets, and homemade (by Mr. Allen) tarts (yummy). The leftover tart didn't make it to dawn.  


   I am nearly out of backyard potatoes, green beans and tomatoes, clearly I need to expend the garden next year. Good times were had by all, some preliminary talk of seeds was had, but thought best to leave it to January. 


  As this year draws to its close, I am most grateful for the changes in how we grow, buy and share food. I hope you get a chance to invite your friends over for dinner and enjoy superior foods in the comfort of your home. Nothing warms the heart like local food. 
    

Mrs. Duguay makes bread!

There it is folks, a very nearly local loaf, made with these two hands in my kitchen.  As you can see by the correct date stamp, it was some time ago, but I did it! Since finding my camera I've uploaded some photo's, my chocolate zucchini cake and the granola bars- make sure you take a look.

As for my local eating, things are still pretty good- my daughter and I pick up groceries every Friday at the Eat Local Sudbury store, our meat, cheese, milk and other dairy products are still all local all the time.     Grains and veggies- well, we buy Ontario but I already wish I had more frozen foods. Lessons for next year, I guess. Pick every day!

  

October is Squash

This soup..., seriously. EVERY time I make it, my husband is awestruck, guests marvel and everyone but my kids devour it.


This weekend past, my friend Sarah, who has been shortlisted for the Giller prize for her collection of short stories This Cake is for the Party, came to Sudbury for a book reading. I made this soup and wowed her too. 


My friend Melanie and I used to do a soup swap and she introduced this soup to me, I am forever grateful. Imagine my joy when I discovered a local butternut squash. I've planted three years running and never succeeded - I've saved the seeds from this butternut, hoping to have backyard butternuts next year.




Butternut Cream Soup

2 tbs butter
1 large onion chopped
3 cloves of minced garlic
1 1/2 tsp curry powder
2 tsp minced ginger root
1/2 tsp salt and pepper
5 cups cubed peeled butternut squash 
1 large potato peeled and diced
4 cups veg stock
1/3 cup of milk 
OPTIONAL 2 tbs lemon juice
2 tbs tomato paste-backyard


Saute onion, garlic, ginger, curry powder and s&p until onions are transparent, Stir in squash and potato cook for 1 min add stock lemon juice and tomato paste, bring to a boil and reduce heat and simmer until tender (20 min) Puree and slowly add milk. Taste to adjust seasoning.


This soup is very forgiving, for my guest this weekend, who are vegan, I replaced the butter with olive oil, skipped the milk, couldn't find a potato so subbed in a zucchini, forgot the ginger and tomato paste and still the soup rocked! 


Shannon D.

Reflections On Autumn

The kids have been back in school for three weeks now, dance lessons have started and hockey evaluations start early Sunday morning. Sleeping in is a thing of the past. The first killing frost occurred last Friday, the geese have been flying over the house in flocks for weeks now, and the sandhill cranes are gathering in the farm fields. Dump trucks have been spotted on the highway mounded high with potatoes and the hills around the Valley are quickly becoming more red and orange than green. The Vernal Equinox occurred Tuesday evening and we have begun the three month descent in to darkness. 

Fall has officially arrived but we are still going strong. 

I've often felt sorry for those down South who don't get to experience the seasons the way we do. We all know what the seasons look like, but you have to be here to know what they smell, sound and feel like. The colours are spectacular, the earthy, sweet smell of decaying growth fills the air and the honking of the Flying V's can be heard repeatedly from day break to sun set. It's perfect. Each season has it's pros and cons, but I feel Autumn is perfect. There is absolutely nothing better than a cool, crisp sunny day...the kind of day where I need a sweater and the tip of my nose is cold, but my dark brown hair feels warm to the touch from the sun beating on it. The Farmer's Market tables are weighed down by all the heavy squashes, bags of potatoes, baskets of apples and bottles of cider. I want to make soups, and stews with the bounty from Dalew's and bake bread with the flours from The Flour Mill and Loonsong Farm. Rather than dreading the heat from the canner full of boiling water, I think of it as a good way to warm the kitchen, better than turning the furnace on. The freezer is full and the cupboard is loaded with jars filled with all colours of goodness. It would make absolutely no sense to stop eating locally now that the time frame we gave ourselves has come and gone. We are allowing ourselves to bring in some things we went without this summer, like rice and pre-made pasta, guilt free, and I'm sure more will trickle in as we use up our reserves. And that's fine. Above anything else, what I've learned in this project is that 90% of the stuff in the grocery store is convenience food, meant to be used in a pinch, not as staples. If we all took that approach, what a better world it would be.

Isn't this photograph absolutely stunning? It was published in our newspaper last night, taken by a local woman, Dianne Monette. 

It struck a chord with me.

In our family, Autumn also transforms us in to creatures most like our early ancestors.  We take on the role of Hunters not just Gatherers. We have already spent an afternoon making sausages of the geese and ducks Keith bagged on his first hunting trip of the year. Over the next month or so, we hope to be adding moose and grouse to our freezer....the ultimate in free-range, organic, pastured meat available. I will be joining the crew in the moose hunt this year, for the first time since Sydney was born. I'm not sure how I will feel about the whole experience as I have never been present for the kill of such a large animal, but I am fairly certain that if we are successful, it will bring deeper meaning to our project of examining where our food comes from. It has been suggested in several books and movies that I have taken in lately, that everyone should, at some point, participate in the death of an animal they are going to consume. It sounds brutal, but I can understand how seeing your steak as a majestic animal rather than just, well, a steak, will affect how you treat it and savour it. I foresee this being quite an emotional experience, you just have to look at that photograph to see why, but I understand the circle of life, and I trust in my hunting party's ethics of a clean kill, safety and honouring the animal, so I'm actually looking quite forward to being there. 

And even if we aren't successful, I will have had the opportunity to sit in a forest for three days, simply enjoying nature in all of Autumn's splendour. I just hope it doesn't snow! 

Shannon A.

FALL, now what?

    I should be at ELS watching Fresh tonight, but the stomach flu has gripped my family and it was meet the creature night at my school, so worn out by 7, I came home to rest up for tomorrow.  The Autumn Equinox was yesterday, our project has officially met its deadline. I am forlorn. I don't feel finished. Just today we pulled the last of the potatoes from our garden. With all of its obstacles, my garden gave plenty, a banner year for carrots, and I am so grateful.
   
   I am always surprised at how plentiful my garden is, despite infrequent watering and random weeding- somehow every fall, the garden leaves me with more than I expect. I hate to get all sloppy, but when I bring in food from the garden, or serve it at my table I feel compelled to say grace. 


   When I am planting I say the same fertility prayer I used when I was trying to conceive my kids. My children always feel like a miracle to me, because I know, in the way infertile mothers know, that they could have just as easily not been and my life would have been so different. After I tuck those two beauties in, I pray "thank you, God, for this beautiful child."  


  When I look out at my garden, frost bitten and half turned soil, I have a similar feeling. I have witnessed the miracle of seed to food in my own backyard, shared it with my family and dear friends. I have tended and fussed over it, I have ignored the negative behaviours and praised the positive. I've read blogs, books and brochures, trying to understand the soil, improve my technique. I've learned to cut myself some slack and just let my garden grow along the way. I am thankful for this beautiful food, this blog, and the friendships it has brought into my life.


   So what now?  I am inspired to do better next summer, and to keep track of how local I can keep things in the dark months ahead. I haven't canned any veggies, although I've frozen quite a bit. I want to track my needs so I'll plant more effectively next year and harvest better too. I need to hire a sitter for a week just to get enough strawberries. So for me at least, the blog carries on- with the same objective; to buy local whenever possible and be mindful of the food I'm putting on the plate. I'll be sharing the adventure along the way.


Shannon D.

Granola Bars in the lunchbox

    Fall officially begins this week, which means the end of this project is near. A few friends have already asked "are you still doing that?" and the answer is YES, oh YES! It stopped feeling like a project weeks ago, however with the return of work, school and all the kids programs it began to feel challenging again. There have been more slip ups this week, more than I'd care to mention- many due to my weekend away last weekend which threw off the groceries and routines at a critical time. Either way, I made it to the Eat Local Shop this week, stocked up on many essentials and am feeling renewed.


  J.'s lunch is not as dismal as I thought it would be, milk, jam sandwich (blueberry),  carrots and cucumber coins, homemade oatmeal cookies (local flour, local sugar, local oats), cheese and crackers, and other leftovers. I bought pepperettes this week at ELS but he won't try them, I'll put them in the lunch box and see what happens. I tried to explain what a pepperette is and J looked confused, then I said; "it's like a Hot Rod, like some kids have in their lunch" then he knew what I meant. But he still won't try it.


  This morning I made granola bars, I searched dozens of recipes online and then went my own way. I have a can of condensed milk leftover from last years christmas baking so I went with that over the corn syrup recipes;


EASY GRANOLA BARS


First, grease a 9x13 pan or use parchment- your choice, preheat oven to 350


Mix the following ingredients or be creative:


3 cups oats
1/2 cup bran buds
1 can condensed milk (I'll bet Shannon Allen knows how to do this with local milk)
2 tbsp butter
chocolate chips (dark)
dried cranberries


Bake at 350 for 20 minutes. After 5 minutes cut in to squares and cool completely before enjoying


Alternative additions that I saw but didn't try because they are not school friendly or not in the cupboard :
 coconut, almonds, wheat germ, peanuts, protein powder, flax seeds, marshmallows, raisins, sunflower seeds- really you name it.


I've misplaced my cameras- both of them- September chaos- I'll add photo's when it surfaces.


Shannon D.

Camera found- this inspires me to make them again!

I Have the Balls!

It's been forever since I last posted, and we are still doing really well as far as eating local, but I hit the "why am I doing this to myself? point this week. There is so much going on here lately...Birthday parties, hunting trips, shopping trips, back to school, registrations, cake making, etc., that trying to fit in things like canning and freezing the bounty and then trying to keep up with all the every day stuff like laundry, cooking, and just playing with the kids, have all become too much to juggle. The house is absolutely disgusting, there is stuff piled up every where, I'm in a constant battle with the fruit flies to get to the fruit first, and the laundry keeps growing. The weather changed over night from sweltering to really cold, which also means a change of sheets and clothing for everyone, further compounding the work load. The closets and laundry baskets are filled to capacity waiting for me to sort through the summer stuff and replace with the new winter stuff. I got a text from Keith telling me to be ready to make duck and goose sausages tomorrow. I'm playing chicken with Jack Frost...who's going to get to the tomatoes in the backyard first?


This is why frozen lasagnas, chicken nuggets and fries, and KD were invented. Not to mention Vlassic Pickles and Del Monte canned peaches! 


But I can't do it. And I don't mean I'm not allowed. I simply can't bring myself to buy so many things anymore. The transformation has occurred. 


I keep reminding myself that all the hard work and chaos right now will be appreciated and worth while come winter. I will feel so fantastic in January when I open up that jar of peaches, or pour the raspberry vinaigrette on my salad in February. Those pickles are going to be so crunchy, the salsa so yummy. The frozen green beans so handy. Our bodies and the environment are better for my dedication.


But right now, no visitors are allowed in my house!


I came across this really great article on Punk Domestics that I think I need to print out and post on the front door of my house....sort of a warning explaining why my house looks the way it does. "This is the way we do things around here. I have big balls and chose to focus on clean food instead of clean house." The world will not be a better place, my children will not be more healthy, nor do I want to be remembered when I'm gone, for having a neat and tidy house. 


I want my obituary to read:


"She cared deeply about her family and the world around her. She loved to cook, bake, can, garden and most of all, to eat really good food. Her house was a disaster, but it was full of love." 


Shannon A.

Back in the Saddle

       School's in, and despite all of my anxiety I managed to maintain a local core of foods. On Sunday, we had one of my sister's in law over for dinner. I asked her to bring a salad, and I served; local corn with local butter, local green beans, local chicken roasted, a not local mushroom risotto, and a halfway local Chocolate Zucchini Cake. I used local flour, backyard zucchini, local milk, and half of my sugar was pure granulated maple sugar from Sucrerie Seguin Sugarbush available at Eat Local Sudbury for, in my opinion, a fair price. The wine was from France, but make me a good Bordeaux and I'll gladly switch.
    
     We also had our dear friend Chuck who is brilliant and funny over earlier that day and I was able to crank out a delicious breakfast of eggs, dalew bacon, golden grain bread and homemade strawberry jam. The coffee tasted delicious sweetened with the maple sugar. I took so much pleasure in preparing and serving these dishes, all of which cooperated with me beautifully.  I was happy for the cool weather and a chance to hang around the kitchen table with people dear to my heart and see the empty plates in front of them.


 Making my son's lunch was also better than expected- cheese and crackers, carrots and cucumbers, strawberry jam sandwich, juice, and a slice of chocolate zucchini cake. We'll see what he comes home with in his lunch box


    Being back in the workplace brings its own challenges. People who I have not socialized with all summer but who were aware of my project consistently ask "Is that local?" when I have food in my hands. The answer isn't always yes. I usually reply "Not everything I eat is local, that was never the point. The point is to access as much local food as I could and..." they are no longer listening, and I feel as if I am cheating or something. I've been on enough diets, excuse me lifestyles, to know that food is a sensitive subject. The question "Should you be eating that?" is never welcome. Local food is no different, no different at all.


  The point is, I believe that industrial food and processed foods are having a negative impact on our environment and health. I believe that we live in relationship with our food. I want to know about my food and therefore, I eat local whenever I can. I am not a 100% locavore, but every new discovery brings me closer, every new challenge helps me to understand the food I am eating better and helps me to make an informed choice.  


Shannon D.

happiness is in the harvest

note the accurate date stamp!

     Earlier today my daughter and I went outside to get some air and check on my garden, which had been ignored all week because I had been overwhelmed with back to work angst. My tomato babies had exploded, so many were red and ready. The cold today had me worried about my green tomatoes. I am terrible for forgetting to cover the tomatoes, so I decided to bring them in where I could keep a close eye on them and protect them from the frost.

   You'll notice I did manage one zucchini, tiny carrots, lovely purple onions, four summer squash, two green peppers (a first) and a squat little cuke. A good day. Gardens are so forgiving, despite a few weeks of neglect the harvest is still abundant.

  I feel much better about the days ahead. At Eat Local Sudbury, I discovered Pure Maple Granulated Sugar- seriously, local sugar!! It was pricey for sure, but my coffee this morning was perfection. I am looking forward to trying it out in something for the kids lunches. 

  At ELS I found myself feeling lost again. All summer I have been enjoying smokies, salami, sausages, keilbasa, ground meats but I haven't made a roast in months. I had to ask where to find tenderloin and other roast meats. April at Eat Local is so patient with me, always helpful and willing to answer my ridiculous questions- thanks April. Next week, when I have more time to dig, I'll be cooking a Sunday roast in the slow cooker. 

  I am glad this project is extending into September- we live so differently, eat so differently, that local shopping has new challenges. Tonight it's grill cheese with Niagara peaches for dessert, my kitchen has been working all day to keep up with cleaning veggies and I cannot bear to mess it up further.

Feeling more positive today, Shannon D.

Priorities have shifted and we are getting a little weak.

I am up to my eyeballs in vegetables and in the middle of a pickling/canning marathon this week so I haven't had the chance to post about our meals. It's been so incredibly hot this week (killer when you are standing over pots of boiling liquids, and a hot water canner!) so I haven't wanted to cook, but like Shannon D. mentioned in her last post, because the fridge is full of local stuff, we are still  mostly on track with our project. But I definitely haven't been doing my best. :-( Last night was good. I found a couple cobs of corn that needed eating from last week's CSA box, and I figured "Hey, it's a billion degrees in here already, what's one more pot of  boiling water?", so we had corn and Burt Farms Cheddar Smokies (cooked on the BBQ) on a bun for dinner.


 Monday night was a fail because I decided that despite all the work that needed doing, we needed to go to the beach even more. I had book club that night, a sitter coming, and frankly PB & J sandwiches for the kids (out of local PB and only had store bought bread), and a 2 minutes in the microwave Biryani rice pouch I've had sitting in the basement since the spring, was all I have the time, desire and strength to make. Hanging my head in shame!  At book club however, our host Melanie, a board member of ELS, put out a beautiful spread of Thornloe cheese, Dalew Veggies and Hawberry Jelly from Manitoulin Island along with a few other treats. 


Sunday we ordered in pizza. 


I'm not sure what tonight has in order. It's icky hot again today, we have 2 different kinds of pickles to make and it's CSA pickup day, so we will have veggies to put away tonight. I think maybe we will just suck on ice cubes.


Shannon A.

Locavore in Crisis!

     Things have been a little rough around here. I am in deep denial about the end of summer, I can't seem to come to to terms with the return to work and all the kids programs- I have loved being home and having the time to plan and think at leisure about food, books, my garden, the kids, all of it.  I began to panic a little about how I am going to manage eating local while working.


    While I was pouting and sulking about all this, I made quick work of most meals around here- sandwiches, snacks, etc. All the while feeling control slip from my grasp. Last night my husband made dinner, he sliced some smokies into coins and fried them up in some garlic, butter, yellow zucchini, Ontario red wine, and sour cream. The result was a light creamy sauce over smokies and zucchini, colourful and delicious.


    Half way through my bowl I realized that everything in it was local- except the wine, of course. I had to laugh at myself really, I was so worried that I wouldn't have time to devote to planning ahead that I missed the obvious- the fridge is full of local food- I don't need to do anything differently than I am doing now- continue to shop local and the rest will figure itself out.


    So, in the coming weeks I will be doing my best to send local lunches to school with my kids and I, and meal planning will become more serious. For today, it was enough to drink wine and soak in the sunshine.

Sunny Saturday

Just when I thought the heat was gone, we were treated to a beautiful, warm afternoon. Unfortunately I was committed to the laundry heap, and cleaning out Sydney's closet to make room for her new school clothes, so I didn't get out to enjoy much of it, but I did fire up the BBQ for supper. We ate beautiful pork loin chops from Dalew Farm marinated in rosemary, a honey dijon mustard from ELS, and some EVOO, potatoes with herbs and onions, and steamed broccoli with a homemade cheese sauce. Last time we had broccoli, the kids reluctantly ate their little trees without their beloved Cheez Whiz, but I could tell they weren't very happy about it, so I didn't want to push my luck.  I made a roux out of equal amounts of melted butter and flour, cooked it for a minute or so, whisked it some milk and heated until it thickened and mixed in some shredded cheddar....everything locally sourced!! It was really good. So good Sydney had seconds of her broccoli! Mission accomplished.


For dessert I made a beautiful peach sorbet, the recipe I found at The Food Illusion. I should have chilled the peach puree first because my ice cream maker couldn't keep up with the warmth in the kitchen, so it didn't freeze up properly. It also wasn't ready until after the kids went to bed, so Keith and I indulged in extra large bowls. 


Friday night we had BLT's, the kids had grilled cheese, and we were all treated to the best ears of corn yet. Cameron captured it best when he said "Farmer Dave grows THE BEST corn!". He also said this earlier this week about the cherry tomato he bit in to that burst and blew seeds across the table, in to my hair, and all over my clothes!


Shannon A.

Home

We just spent another few days at the cottage and we are on the home stretch of our eat local project but it feels like Fall has already arrived. Although my kids would say summer ends when school starts in a little over a week, and there are still over 3 weeks until the season officially changes, the nights have been quite cold, and there is a certain smell in the air, so it feels like it's already happened. The weather man says the hot weather isn't gone for good, but when you go to bed every night worried that a frost might show up that night, summer is a good as gone!


We've decided that if we are going to maintain this way of life, taking a holiday at the end of August is not in our best interest. I usually enjoy a week of doing next nothing, but the past four days have been torturous . As I was trying to sit still doing crossword puzzles, reading magazines, or watching the kids play on the beach, all I could think about was the veggies back home I could be putting up. Notice how I didn't say "should" but "could"? I know a lot of people's reaction to that would be "And THAT is why I buy my pickles, relish, and canned fruit at the grocery store!", but I don't find it a chore at all. For me, it's a hobby. It's fun. Something I get to do once a year. There is a time for kicking back and relaxing, and that's in July when the young veggies are holding their own (as long as you have a 10 year old boy in the neighbourhood who will come water your plants for $20 a week!), not in August when the bounty is showing up by the bucket load every week! 


So, we are back home and I can spend the weekend trying to get caught up. We took a detour on our way home last night to go pick up our CSA bin from Dalew's since we were away for pickup night. I noticed there wasn't any pickling cucumbers in it. I hope that doesn't mean the season is already over for those! They usually put them on the side for those that want them on pickup night, but I didn't think of asking Farmer Dave if he could include some in my box. I may have to go on a scavenger hunt at the Farmer's Market tomorrow to get some more. Keith hasn't made his hot pickle mix yet!!


As far as our Eat Local dinners went this week...well, let's just say I wasn't in charge of the menu. I tried to supplement our meals with the green beans, corn, tomatoes, zucchini and cheese that I brought with us, but for the most part, we ate from the grocery store and we had some serious offenders (coconut milk, jasmine rice, jarred pasta sauce, pre-seasoned packaged with a cedar plank shrink sealed pacific salmon, etc). There really wasn't anything I could do or say without offending, so we ate. Sigh. 


On a more enthusiastic note, I hope Shannon D. updates soon. I think she may have gone to the pot luck dinner Eat Local Sudbury was hosting last night to celebrate the end of the Eat Local Thursday Challenge they hosted this summer!


That's all for today. Off to finish our back to school shopping! Woohoo!
Shannon A.

Fantastic Weekend!

     Friends from Toronto came to spend the weekend at the lake with us. The weather was alright, the company lively and the food terrific. I return to work next week, and this was likely the final weekend away of summer. The trip into town to get local groceries on our way to the cottage has become our Friday routine, and this Friday was no different- I purchased the most amazing bread from Regency Bakery, a local business, bread made on site.


    We ate! But of all the food consumed this past weekend, I can't stop thinking about the sandwich I had for lunch today- a classic bacon, cucumber, cheese and lettuce sandwich on buttered multi grain toast. PERFECTION.


  

Local Nutella and Imported Peaches

 I've been trying to find information about the pesticide use on Ontario produce. My counter and fridge are full of the sweetest and juiciest peaches, nectarines and grapes from the Niagara Region right now, and unfortunately none of it is organic. It really makes me wonder. We were able to order organic apples last summer, but that's all we've been able to source so far. On one of the websites I went to, I found this article. Although it makes a valid point that, for the most part, it's the most minute of amounts of pesticides found on our fruit, it still bothers me that we don't know what the impact on human health is, even of the smallest of traces. However, I still want to believe that the benefits of eating these fruits far out-weigh any risks they may pose. I'm not convinced that shipping organic fruit up from the Southern States is any better for us, so until I can find a local organic peach, plum or grape, Ontario's freshest fruit will be in my shopping cart.


On the site I was reading, I also found this interesting little video. My initial reaction was "does that make Ferrero Rocher chocolates and Nutella local foods?"! Too bad they are both highly-refined junk, full of fat and sugar, and the chocolate itself certainly isn't grown around here, or we might have "peanutella sandwiches" for supper with Ferro Rochers for dessert one night! All kidding aside, the notion of trying to grow the hazel nuts close to the Ferrero factory seems a noble idea, but then I got to thinking at what cost does forcing a plant to grow in a climate it wasn't meant to become? Are they going to have to spray the plants heavily with fungicides and pesticides so they don't get sick? Is using "12 to 15 thousand acres" of land to grow a nut that will be processed in to junk food really something to celebrate? Turns out the Government has helped fund the research as well. 


Makes me wonder if the money is really being spend wisely. ConAgra closed their DelMonte canning facility in the Niagara region, drastically reducing the market for fresh peaches and pears two years ago. ConAgra decided it was more cost effective to be growing and canning their fruit over seas. We were supporting local agriculture every time we picked up a can of DelMonte fruit before then...now we are supporting an international company. Farmers in the area had to pull up many of their trees now that they only had the fresh market to sell to. Could that money be better used to help them out some way? Teaching more people to preserve comes to mind. Teaching kids to that peaches are healthier than Nutella is another.


 Shannon A.

A Rainy Saturday Morning Update

I'm beginning to think Mother Nature got things mixed up again. Back in May it was record-shattering hot out, and now we are getting cold wet weather in August! This is quite unfortunate for people on summer holidays right now, and I doubt the farmers are happy about it either. I would think they would be counting on the sun and warmth to ripen the veggies, and fearing the wetness will make mould flourish and rot the plants. I'm betting the turnout at the Farmers Market will be lower that usual as well this morning....definitely not great when we are in the season of plenty!! Cameron (if he ever wakes up) and I however, will be heading out later this morning. Raincoats and boots ready to go.


I've been busy canning the past couple days. We had enough plum tomatoes in our CSA box Wednesday night to put up a 1L jar for the winter. I actually don't mind doing a small batch at a time since I can get them done quickly and without destroying the kitchen! I also strained and processed a batch of raspberry balsamic vinegar I've had steeping in the basement for several weeks. It tastes so bright and fresh, which I'm sure will be fantastic next June when we are up to our ears in lettuce! I also put up a basket of Niagara peaches in a honey and vanilla syrup. I was so happy to find a recipe that would bump up the localness a wee bit....half the sugar that would normally be used was replaced with local honey! The vanilla bean made a big trip, but it will definitely be a flavour that is noticeable and savoured with the peaches. Again, mindfulness is key.


I have pickles to tackle today, herbs to dry and I think I will make some cauliflower soup. My feet are frozen right now! It's definitely soup weather.


Last night was a bit of a fail for me. Sydney is away, Keith was on nights so it was just me and Cameron. I had no energy at all yesterday, and actually had a nap in the afternoon (which doesn't happen that often) after I finished the peaches. Come supper time I was craving something heavy, calorie rich and soothing. I hadn't taken anything out, we were hungry and both getting cranky, so we jumped in the truck and went over to the fry stand, rather than get a pizza (our Friday night tradition). This has happened once before, earlier this summer, and my justification then was that the potatoes were very likely to be locally grown...as in just down the road local. We are surrounded by potato farms here, and I don't think it would make any financial sense to buy anything but local potatoes. But, I still didn't ask. They were also advertising fish last night, which I heard one customer telling another that they were out of the "good fish"....meaning pickerel, which is usually bought on one of the local Native Reservations (which as far as I'm concerned are not caught ethically, but that's another story), so they were definitely serving local food. So, we ordered our fries, went home and ate them. And, they were good. 


And then, we went for a bike ride to work some of them off!


Thursday night however, was much better, and maybe why I let myself slack off. I cooked the last of the homemade fettucini I had dried and put on the shelf and made a lovely pesto from the basil and oregano in my garden. My husband can't eat garlic, so I had to leave that out unfortunately. I used Thornloe Asiago, but store bought EVOO and a walnuts. I have no idea if any nuts grow around here...I really should look in to that. It was REALLY good. My pasta is gone now though, so I better take some time soon to make some more. With the tomatoes coming in now, I think we can take a break from potatoes!!


I also want to share another blog I found the other day. The Food Illusion is the chronicle of a mom who has taken on 100 days of eating nothing but whole foods. They aren't buying any refined or pre-made food (like crackers, bread, breakfast cereal, etc) that have more than 5 ingredients in it, so she is able to buy somethings (Triscuits qualify!) but most of their food is from scratch. She has some wonderful recipes and the site is quite educational. 


I love how eating well takes on so many forms. It doesn't seem to matter if you chose to go organic, local, whole, raw, or some combination. Each one has it's pros and cons, so none is perfect, but they are all significantly better than surviving on "foods" from boxes made in a factory.  


Changing the world...one bite at a time.
Shannon A.

Strawberry Crisp- sweet and local!

    Dinner was great, the company, the corn, all of it; delicious. It was the first time Shannon and I have shared a meal this summer, a testament to the busyness of summer living. I was glad to share the last of my strawberries with those who'd appreciate it as much as I did.

   I have a tendency to hoard things. I very much wanted to make a delicious dessert for our dinner last night, but I had a hard time parting with the last of my frozen strawberries.  We still have some jam but the berries are gone and I confess, I am little sad about it.
     
      I love strawberries, I used to keep a giant bag of strawberries in the freezer, bought at Costco shipped from Peru for smoothies in the morning. I don't feel the same about those Peru berries anymore, especially after delighting in real and fresh strawberries. No doubt I am being petulant, but I don't want peru berries, I want my berries and it's too late.  
   
     The strawberries bring a new question to my thinking- there is no local substitute for sugar, so I buy sugar, but there are local strawberries, I just didn't pick enough. Should I go without? I feel as if I should go without- I feel like doing without is part of the lesson of eating local. Having any food I want, whenever I want, is what makes industrial food production possible. 


   I am not purist by any stretch of the imagination, my rule has been if there is a local option, then I should take it. I feel as though I should follow the seasonal availability of local food, that's part of the adventure right? Maybe the reason I believe that I don't like peaches is because I never had to give them a fair shot, I'd just buy the strawberries.  Next year, I will pick more and freeze more- maybe even grow my own!


As for the Strawberry Crisp, it was delicious. I modified the Strawberry - Rhubarb Crisp recipe from Moosewood Cookbook: 

(ignore the date stamp- I really need to learn how to fix that)

Here's my version:


4 cups of the finest local strawberries
1/3 cup of white sugar
1 cup rolled oats*
1 cup flour- loon song
3 Tbs honey- buzzy bee
cinnamon- be generous
1/2 cup melted Farquar's butter


1. Preheat oven to 375.
2. Slice strawberries in pan and sprinkle with sugar. Let sit.
3. Mix remaining ingredients in a medium sized bowl. Spread over the strawberry
4. Bake uncovered for 35min.
*the rolled oats were in the cupboard from before we started, Quaker Oats from Peterborough, but who knows where the oats were grown.

 

Eat and enjoy!

Celebration Dinner

Shannon D. and her peeps were over last night to celebrate the positive feedback we received from our interview but it also became a bit of a celebration of the kids. The grown ups in this project have had to do the brunt of the work this summer, but the little ones have had their share as well. Not only do they help out in the garden, and in choosing the vegetables at the Farmer's Market and at the CSA pick up, but they've had to accept change, and that's a big job for a child. Kids can be finicky and often texture and appearance are as big a factor as the taste when they decide if they like something. As a lunch supervisor in a Kindergarten class this past year, I can't tell you how many sandwich crusts and speckled bananas were thrown in the garbage! Some of the foods, especially the vegetables we've  been eating are crispier and crunchier than what they've been used to. We've also had to outlaw many of the foods they were happy eating...chicken nuggets, fish sticks, rice and mac n' cheese. Thankfully, I haven't really heard any complaints from my kids but I'm sure they miss them...I know I do. Shannon D. and I have been joking about hot dogs right from the start of this summer, she finally found them at Creative Meats, so last night we treated ourselves!


In the spirit of the project, I also made the buns. I substituted honey for the sugar, so everything but the yeast was local. The rising time was significantly longer, but bread always tastes better when it's had long rising time. I was very happy with the lightness and texture of the buns. They were beautiful! 


So, we gathered round the table and ate our local hot dogs, sliders hamburgers that Shannon D. brought over, my celebration broccoli salad (I actually liked the dressing better with honey than sugar...permanent change will be made to my recipe!!), and fresh corn from Dalew's. The kids ate their fill and then we topped them up with the Shannon D.'s strawberry cobbler from The Moosewood Cookbook (hopefully she will share that recipe on her next post!). We were STUFFED! The meal was so great and once again I am incredibly proud of how we turned what could have been a very unhealthy fast-food meal, in to something worth talking about!


Yesterday was definitely a day to be proud of in so many ways.


Shannon A.

The Interview

Here it is.

Shannon and I have decided it is worth celebrating, so she is coming over for dinner tonight with her kids and we are going to eat our local hot dogs, broccoli salad and what ever other goodie we find in our CSA bin!!

Shannon A.

Family Reunion Flavours

      This past weekend we hosted our annual family reunion. Terry is one of seven siblings and every year as many as can assemble to enjoy each others company.  We all bring our own food, and some to share and I was very pleased that my contributions were largely locally produced.

We BBQ-ed Bison burgers, Burt Smokies and Creative Meats Hot dogs.  I made two salads- a cole slaw and an Asian Peanut Noodle Salad from a recipe I borrowed from my cousin. There is no pleasure quite like watching loved ones enjoy the food you've made for them. Truly.

Here's the recipe, I've italicized the ingredients that are not local:

Cole Slaw- 

Finely chopped carrots and cabbage- thank you Valley Veggies.

Dressing:

1 egg, 

3 tbs cider vinegar 

1/2 tsp salt 

1/2 tsp dry mustard 

11/4 cups canola oil

1 tsp milk

salt and pepper to taste

1 - 2 tsp sugar (to taste)

     Blend in a food processor. Keep separate from the cabbage and onion until you are ready to serve. My husband loved it and so did others. Cole Slaw is not my thing- I barely tasted it.

     My cousin has served the Asian Peanut Noodle Salad at a few family functions in the past and I love, love, love it! It's got a great kick to it! I made a few changes to the dressing, but here's the link to the original: Asian Peanut Noodle Salad.

     I used the ontario peanut butter from ELS, which is not smooth, but provided all the right flavour. I had local honey, garlic, one green pepper, carrots, and but the soy sauce, ginger, pepper flakes, pasta and vinegar were not local, however they have been in the cupboard long enough to be considered family. 

  This was the first time I made the asian salad, and had I not had local peanut butter I may have skipped it. Which got me to thinking about some of the other ingredients- like ginger- is there a local source of ginger? Can we grow ginger? How does ginger grow? Surely it would be worth a try. 


If you have any ginger growing information- please leave a comment or link.


Shannon D.

Broccoli Salad Celebration or Consolation?

Dinner Recap:
Tonight was left over night, so I don't have much to say about that. Monday night we had a beautiful pork roast from Dalew Farms, which Keith encrusted in rosemary from our backyard, and intended to BBQ, until the propane ran out and I didn't answer his phone call to pick up more, because I forgot to turn the ringer back on my cell phone after our CBC interview. Oops! He roasted it in the oven instead and it still turned out succulent. We also had boiled potatoes (have to admit I'm starting to get sick of eating those), a delicious salad made of veggies from our CSA bin, the backyard and a local farmer (buttercrunch lettuce, freshly shelled peas, sunflower sprouts, carrots, green onions) with Thornloe feta and the last of my blueberry basil vinaigrette mixed in, and sauteed zucchini on the side. My Aunt and Cousin were here visiting, so we explained the project and they had so many questions to ask. I think they were genuinely impressed...especially since she isn't a veggie eater at all!! Another very successful dinner.

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Our CBC interview is airing at 7:40 am tomorrow. I'm still not feeling great about it but I'm hoping for the best. To celebrate (or console myself, as the case may be) I'm making my favourite broccoli treat....broccoli salad. I LOVE broccoli salad. I've had it at pot-luck dinners with various things tossed in, like apples, raisins and nuts, but I like mine simple...just broccoli, cheddar cheese, bacon, onions and the wonderful dressing that mixes it all together. Dave and Chantal at Dalew Farms grow kick-ass broccoli which they include it in our CSA bins for several weeks each summer and that is definitely worth celebrating. Since we also get green onions and bacon from them, and are able to buy Thornloe cheese everywhere, broccoli salad has been a no-brainer Eat Local meal for us, even before we took on the project. However, I've never given much thought to the dressing. 

My recipe calls for Miracle Whip, white vinegar, and sugar....one no-no, one Ok, and one so-so on our eating list. I switched to mayonnaise a few years ago and have even been making my own from scratch this summer, and I think it's a good replacement. It isn't the same flavour, but I'm still ok with it. Vinegar, well there is no way around that...that still comes from the grocery store and if we ever intend to put anything up for the winter, vinegar has to be included. Sugar however, is in a grey area. We haven't out-lawed it, although many Locavores do. We decided to not be as hard core as that, so we've been using it in sparingly when there is no alternative. I've used it a couple times, but honey and maple syrup usually do the trick. In this case, I'm thinking honey should work. So, tomorrow night we are going to give it a try with our dinner.

Here is the proposed recipe. An adaptation from my Mother In Law's recipe:

• 1 bunch of broccoli cut in to spears
• 1/2 pound of bacon, cooked and crumbled
• 1 cup of sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
• 4 green onions, chopped
• 1 cup of homemade mayo (see below)
• 1/4 cup honey (or to taste)
• 1 tbsp vinegar

Mix last three ingredients to make dressing. Add to first 4 and toss to coat.

As for the mayo, I tried it earlier this summer using Dalew's eggs and a nice cold-pressed canola oil I bought at ELS. Unfortunately, the oil was of such high quality that it over whelmed the mayo and just tasted thick and oily. It was gross! I was so sad to have wasted the oil (and the money). I tried it again recently with grocery store "product of Canada" canola oil and it turned out so much nicer. My recipe calls for lemon juice but I'm going to give it a try with vinegar tomorrow.

This recipe is from "Jam It, Pickle It, Cure It"

• 1 large egg at room temperature
• 1/2 tsp prepared mustard
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 tsp of lemon juice
• 1 cup neutral oil like canola or sunflower

Combine the first 3 ingredients in a food processor for 30 seconds. Add the vinegar and process for 30 seconds more. Add the lemon juice and process for 30 seconds more. With motor running, slowly spoon 1/2 tsp of the oil and process for 30 seconds. Repeat. The mixture should be emulsified. A spoonful at a time, slowly add about half of the remaining oil and process for for another 30 seconds. Drizzle in the remaining oil until the mayo becomes this and creamy. Refrigerate covered up to 4 days.

This recipe works really well with some basil blended in to it....makes the best BLT's!! (Another meal we'll be eating this week.)

I hope my conversion to almost completely local ingredients works. I'll keep you posted!!

Shannon A.

I think I Billy Bobbed

What a morning.


 We were asked a few weeks ago if we could come in to the CBC Radio studio to be interviewed about our project, and today was the day. I spent a couple hours last night taking notes about what I wanted to say. The ideas behind this movement are so complex and include political, environmental and health issues, as well as so many others, so how can it all be summed up in a few intelligent words?  We got in to the studio and the little red light came on and I felt like my brain shut off! I know why I'm doing this, I know why eating local is important, but I'm not sure I got out what I really wanted to say. 


It's amazing what a little red light can do to a person.


But, what's done is done, and I can just hope that people will come read our blog after the interview airs, to see in more detail what it is that we are doing.


On a positive note, I came across a really neat blog today that made me feel quite at home and gave me a new way of thinking of myself. I'm no longer "Old School"...I'm a Punk Domestic!


Shannon A.

Green Cake and a Sunday Night Update

Another Sunday night already? Seems like this week flew by in a blur of cake, sugar and buttercream icing. I like to decorate cakes as a hobby, so I'm occasionally asked by friends to make something for them for a special occasion. I took on two this week. Thinking back now, I realize that since all of our Birthday's are in the winter, I have very little experience making them in the heat and humidity of the summer. To say that they were a struggle is an understatement, but I so enjoy doing them, that it was worth while.  In the end, they did turn out quite nicely, and I think my customers were happy, and that's what counts.

However, the conditions were not the only things I struggled with. Before this summer, when it came time to making a cake, I would go to the grocery store, buy cheap eggs, vegetable shortening, icing sugar and what ever butter and cake mix was on sale. I walked in to the grocery store this week and didn't know what to do. Most of the people who were going to eat this cake didn't know or likely care where the ingredients came from, but I would....and so would Shannon D. since one of the cakes was going to her house!! I know we've only taken on this project for dinners, but I've done enough reading and research now to fully understand the ramifications of buying processed food and factory farmed animals and their products and I don't want to rely on them anymore.  However, baking from scratch and with local ingredients was just out of the question this week...I didn't want to be experimenting with so much to get accomplished! And besides, sugar isn't grown here and I need a lot of sugar for cake! So, I decided to compromise. I bought the best quality cake mixes I could find, which was from an Organic line that listed only ingredients I could pronounce, free-range organic eggs (though I still couldn't bear to use the good ones from Dalew's. I bought them from the grocery store) and local milk. 


I was really proud of myself for thinking this through and sticking to my values. Yes, I still used a ton of refined sugar and the food-miles were hefty, but they could have been a lot worse. I also sent a message to the grocery store chain saying "Hey! Look, I'm voting for Organic not Duncan Heinz". I'm really curious now to see if I can find a way to do even better....can I figure out a way to make a truly Green Cake?

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Oh, almost forgot...our meals since I last posted....

Thursday was ridiculously hot and my kitchen was a mess, so the kids and I ordered from our favourite local pizza joint and had a picnic in the shade of our backyard. We were incredibly thankful for this really good pizza which is made just a short walk from our house.


Friday, we introduced Keith's Mom to our project and tried out some sausage we were recently given, along side Dalew's corn on the cob, and green beans.


Saturday we brought her to ELS to pick up our groceries. She is now addicted to Nana's Kettle corn (AKA: Crack) just like the rest of us!! We ate onion and pepper burgers we found at ELS with some broccoli on the side for dinner.


Today Keith took his Dad and Brother on a chartered fishing boat on Lake Huron to catch salmon and trout. They came home with a feast of fish for dinner, which we ate very simply with perfectly steamed green beans. My daughter Sydney is out of town for the week, and she was so completely jealous when her brother told her we had fresh salmon for dinner, that I had to promise her there was more in the freezer for another day!


I know I've said this before, but I really marvel every day how simple this has all become. So little cooking is involved anymore, the kids are eating anything and everything I put in front of them and my food shopping time is less than half an hour a week! I'm still hearing "Yeah, squeaky beans!" (what we call green beans) even though we've had them just about every night this week.  And most amazingly of all...they still ate their broccoli even though they couldn't have Cheez Whiz on them! I felt bad for asking them to do this, because even I love that crap on my green trees, but they understood why we couldn't and took one for the team. I love my kids and I love this project!!!


Looking forward to another great week of eating local!


Shannon A.