Food In The Hills | Spring-Summer 2013
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Transcript of Food In The Hills | Spring-Summer 2013
Rhapsody in Rhubarb
SPR
ING|
SUM
MER
201
3 Sharing the harvestFarmgate chickenA Caledon weddingOde to a kitchen
On-site organic garden
spring summer 2013 | food in the hills 5
And the conversation begins
If you live in the Headwaters region, you know all about the surprise capitulation last fall of the Highland Companies’ proposal to build a 2,316-acre quarry in Melancthon Township. As good as this news was to opponents of the plan, the anti-quarry forces have no intention of laying down their arms in the battle to preserve the prime farmland still under siege by Ontario’s voracious and ongoing demands for aggregate.
Without missing a beat NDACT (North Dufferin Agricultural and Community Taskforce) relaunched its highly effective Stop the Quarry movement under the Food and Water First banner. You may have already noticed the signature red and white lawn signs popping up in your area.
It goes without saying that we here at Food In The Hills are committed to the idea that food and water are of primary importance, and that their preservation should be high on any locavore’s agenda. More than half of Canada’s scarce Class 1 farmland is located here in Southern Ontario. And it is rapidly being paved over. As freelance writer Tim Shuff notes in his thoroughly researched article, “The Battle Shifts Gears” (In The Hills, Spring 2013), Ontario’s $33 billion agri-food sector is dependent on a tiny and rapidly shrinking land base. Indeed, between 1996 and 2001, 16 per cent of Southern Ontario’s farmland was swallowed by urban development. If, as Abra Brynne, a researcher with Food Secure Canada contends, it takes anywhere from 160 to 200 years to build an inch of topsoil, then our policy makers are frittering away a resource that cannot be readily replaced.
Still, unless urban growth is radically curtailed, the demand for the aggregate needed to satisfy the insatiable demands of growth in the province will have to be met somehow. NDACT’s proposed changes to the Aggregate Resources Act, which would make farmland off limits to aggregate development, could have dire consequences for an industry already facing severe supply shortages.
There are no easy answers. But whatever comes to pass, NDACT’s successful (for now) routing of the Melancthon mega quarry proposal is indisputable evidence that our collective relationship with food has changed forever – and, we believe, it is a change for the better. More than ever, Canadians care about their food and where it comes from. And premier Kathleen Wynne’s promise to introduce a Local Food Act, which would make locally produced food available in markets, schools, cafeterias and grocery stores, is one more indication that the tide has turned. In our view, one of the most encouraging outcomes of the mega quarry battle is that it has started a conversation between farmers and consumers that is going to be heard in Queen’s Park and beyond now and for years to come.
Food In The Hills editor
Cecily Ross is the
former food and wine
editor of The Globe and
Mail and author of Love
in the Time of Cholesterol,
a memoir with recipes.
“There is a wave building of a food culture in this country that links urban peopleto the farm, and this is an example of how that’s going to drive legislation.”
Rene Van Acker, professor of agriculture, University of Guelph speaking at the Taters not Craters party, February 2013
spring summer 2013 | food in the hills 6
33 | Sweet and Sour
The fi rst vegetable
to appear in your
spring garden makes
a perfect companion
for pork or pie. Jennifer
Clark has the lowdown
on versatile rhubarb
– where it came from,
how to grow it, and
why we love it so.
49 | Under the Caledon Sun
At Renae and Darren’s hilltop
wedding, guests could easily
imagine they were gazing out
over the fertile vistas of Tuscany.
And then there was the food –
true Italian with a twist, from
their favourite Bolton caterer.
a taste of our spring|summer issue
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esh
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rhubarb for dinnerpete pater
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country wedding
spring summer 2013 | food in the hills 7
44 | The Love Song of Eddie Corners
What better way to measure out your life than with coffee spoons?
An Erin barista’s dream kitchen is pure poetry. By Nicola Ross.
Off the Shelf | 10Goodies and gadgets for cooks on the go.
Onion Index | 54All about Allium cepa.
What’s Cooking Calendar | 56Food events this spring and summer.
End Note | 61Dan Needles’ lament for local abattoirs.
Best Bites | 62Reggae wraps at Soulyve.
Where’s the Chicken? | 12All around Headwaters region small producers are raising happy birds that taste better than anything you’ll ever buy in a supermarket. Tim Shuff reports.
The Kohlrabi Challenge | 16Become a Community Shared Agriculture member and learn about veggies you never knew existed. Jeff Rollings did.
Art and Soul Food | 25Monica Duncan offers up a taste of the action at Cuisine-Art, the Alton Mill’s summer culinary/culture extravaganza.
Here’s the Scoop | 29Impress your friends and family this summer with homemade ice cream. It’s easier than you think. By Jennifer Clark.
Cooking With Caesar | 38Who doesn’t love doughnuts? Creemore Kitchen’s Chef Caesar Guinto walks you through his surprisingly easy variations on a deep-fried delight.
more seasonal specials always on the menu
pete pater
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café kitchen
spring summer 2013 | food in the hills 8
volume 3 number 1 | spring summer 2013
™
Food In The Hills is an independent local magazine published twice yearly in mid May and mid August. It is a sister publication to In The Hills. 10,000 copies are distributed through restaurants, inns, specialty food stores, markets and tourism locations throughout the Headwaters region.
Wednesday, June 5 - Albion Hills Community Farm AGMJoin Sarah Elton CBC locavore who will be selling and signing copies of her book
“Consumed: Sustainable Food for a Finite Planet”Credit card or cash $27, Locavore $16, 6:30 pm book signing, 7:00 pm Sarah Elton & AGM, refreshments
Palgrave United Church Community Kitchen, 34 Pine Avenue www.albionhillscommunityfarm.org
Summer Camp 9 to 12 years - “From Dirt to Delicious”Fun with local food at Palgrave Kitchen and Albion Hills Community Farm
$150, July 22 to 26www.palgravekitchen.org 905-880-0303
editorial
Jennifer ClarkMonica DuncanCaesar GuintoSam HolwellDan NeedlesJeff RollingsNicola RossTim Shuff
copy editor
Janet Dimond
events editor
Janet Dimond
publisher
Signe Ball
editor
Cecily Ross
operations
manager
Kirsten Ball
art director
Kim van OosteromWallfl ower Design
web manager
Valerie JonesEchohill Inc.
advertising sales
Sarah AstonRoberta Fracassi
advertising
production
Marion HodgsonType & Images
to advertise
Erin [email protected]
let ters
Letters to the editor are welcome; email [email protected]
photographers
fresh images photography
MK LyndePete Paterson
food st ylist
Jane Fellowes
cover
Fresh rhubarb by Jane Fellowes andPete Paterson
advertising
deadline
The advertising deadline for the Autumn|Winter issue is Friday, July 13, 2013.
subscriptions
Subscriptions are $11.30 per year (includes hst).
published by
MonoLog Communications IncRR 1, OrangevilleOntario L9W 2Y8519-940-3299519-940-9266 [email protected]
www.foodinthehills.cawww.inthehills.cawww.kidsinthehills.ca
We acknowledge the assistance of the OMDC Magazine Fund, an initiative of Ontario Media Development Corporation.
spring summer 2013 | food in the hills 9
off the shelf
A Taste of GreeceYou will never buy commercial yogurt again after you’ve tasted Sheldon Creek Dairy’s rich and creamy Greek-style BONJON yogurt. We particularly love the chocolate fl avour made from non-homogenized whole milk, dark cocoa, cane sugar and sea salt. It’s so decadent you’ll be serving it for dessert at your next dinner party. Sheldon Creek yogurt also comes in chocolate-mocha, raspberry, vanilla and plain fl avours. And besides enjoying the superlative taste, you can rest assured it’s all local, made at the den Haan family farm near Alliston from milk produced by their happy grass-fed Holstein cows. You can buy BONJON yogurt at the Sheldon Creek Dairy, the Rosemont General Store, Hockley General Store, Dave’s Butcher Shop in Orangeville, Garden Foods in Bolton, Howard the Butcher in Caledon East, Broadway Farm’s Market in Caledon, the 100 Mile Store in Creemore and many other Headwaters locations. For details visit www.sheldoncreekdairy.ca.
Currying FlavourAll you add is meat, fi sh, tofu or veggies and Eudora’s does the rest. The Brampton-based purveyor of sauces and chutneys has been bottling the fresh tastes of India since 2008. Our favourite is Khaldin, a heady blend of coconut, cilantro, green chilies, ginger and garlic that’s sweet and spicy with just the right amount of heat. Eudora’s uses only the freshest ingredients (no additives) and simmers them slowly for an authentic homemade taste. Sauté some shrimp or chicken, add the sauce, and serve with rice or naan and a dollop of Eudora’s mango chutney on the side. It’s that easy. Other delicious sauces include tomato chutney, carrot pickle, coconut curry, green curry, vindaloo, kofta curry and butter chicken. Gift baskets are also available. All Eudora’s Fine Foods products are available online (www.eudorafoods.com) or at Harmony Whole Foods, Dave’s Butcher Shop and the Orangeville Farmers’ Market.
Our roundup of fabulous quality items produced by local artisans
Sweet SagaEvery Icelandic-Canadian household has its own recipe for vinarterta, a jam-fi lled, multilayered cake traditionally served on special holidays and at Christmas. And while the merits of one fi lling or fl avouring over another can be the subject of vigorous debate in Canada’s Icelandic community, Icelanders in the know say Alton resident Arden Jackson’s version is the best they’ve ever tasted. We would have to agree the recipe her amma (grandmother) brought to Riverton, Manitoba in 1876 is irresistible. The seven-layer white cake, cardamom-laced prune fi lling and thick buttercream icing infused with Madagascar vanilla and Reyka vodka is not just delicious, it’s beautiful to look at as well. Oddly, the vinarterta tradition has all but died out in Iceland itself, but thanks to pioneer-minded bakers like Arden, the so-called striped cake is alive and well in the New World. You can order one of these extraordinary cakes for your next holiday celebration (or maybe just for fun) in four different sizes at www.vinarterta.ca. Skol!
vin
ar
ter
ta im
ag
esb
ypau
lo
.c
om
spring summer 2013 | food in the hills 10
Our roundup of fabulous quality items produce
Sweet Saga
spring summer 2013 | food in the hills 11
Eat Local. Buy Local.Naturally!Fostering a sustainable food system by bringing
you healthy foods from family farms close to home.
Get your grill on and satisfy the cravings of summer with Ontario Natural’s 100% organically raised all-natural beef. Available in ready to grill patty format (packs of 4) or lean ground beef (1 lb packages), you can turn your family BBQ recipes into the star of the summer grill season.
Top off summer entertaining with Ontario Natural’s flash frozen fruits. Vine ripened Ontario Strawberries,Saskatoon Berries and Rhubarb are ready to eat out of the package and let you enjoy the goodness of Home Grown in your seasonal drink and dessert recipes. And, they are a good source of source of Vitamin C, fibre and antioxidants!
Grill some Ontario Goodness...and savour the sweetness of the season!
Visit OntarioNatural.ca for full product listing and great recipe ideas.
spring summer 2013 | food in the hills 12
where’s the chicken?
Sourcing local, sustainably raised chicken is a lot harder than it should be | by tim shuff
Maximum number of chickens non-quota producers are allowed to raise: 300
Minimum number of chickens quota producers must raise: 90,000
spring summer 2013 | food in the hills 13
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Gerald Donnelly produces a capon out of the freezer in the garage, and two-dozen brown eggs from his mixture of heritage breed layers. The capon lived and ran about these hills alongside Donnelly’s New Hampshire and barred rock hens, scratching in the grass and eating bugs, and generally being a chicken for a good fi ve-and-a-half months before making its way into the freezer. That’s 23 long weeks of exercise and sunshine to the conventional bird’s 8 to 14 in a cramped, dark barn.
Donnelly, who has been raising chickens for most of his 75 years, insists the slower growth imparts a fl avour and texture most consumers today have never had the pleasure of tasting. “I’ve only had one customer in all these years who said they couldn’t eat it – it just tastes too much like chicken.”
As for those “non-tasty things” raised in long barns, he says, “I don’t care how many herbs you put on, it’s still not good meat. If the public found out there’s a real tasty bird that might be available, they’d never sell any of that crap.”
We are on the road hunting for such tasty things, my family and I, because these chickens will not – legally cannot – come to us, or a store near us, or even a farmers’ market.
Chicken production, like milk, is a supply-managed commodity, a quota system managed by the Chicken Farmers of Ontario. Started in the 1970s to ensure price stability for farmers, somewhere along the way the system began to favour large-scale, established producers. With few exceptions, farmers who want to raise chickens must buy a minimum quota equivalent to about 90,000 birds a year – an expensive initiation that makes the enterprise
industrial scale from the get-go. There are only 1,000 commercial chicken farms in Ontario producing an average of 200,000 birds a year each – 30,000-plus at a time, over and over again.
But there is a loophole. Since 2007 the CFO has allowed anyone to raise up to 300 chickens a year without quota. However, the birds can only be sold from the farm gate – not through any store or farmers’ market – and they can’t be advertised. (Similar arcane rules govern the sale of eggs, which is why I seize the chance to pick up fresh ones from Donnelly.) Nearly 10,000 people in Ontario take advantage of this small fl ock exemption to raise about 700,000 chickens a year, a mere blip in the industry’s 200 million, but enough to provide an alternative for consumers willing to seek them out.
Through word of mouth and the Eat Local Caledon website (eatlocalcaledon.org), I quickly fi nd several farmers who will sell me whole chickens for $3.50 to $5 a pound, well below grocery store prices for “naturally raised” or organic chicken.
None are certifi ed organic, but some could be. Their methods could be billed as permaculture or biodynamic, “beyond organic” or just plain old school. Some, like Jamie Richards of Hockley Valley’s Am Braigh Farm and Amy Ouchterlony and Graham Corbett of Fiddle Foot Farm in Mulmur, supplement vegetable businesses with chickens raised in movable coops or “chicken tractors.” These “pastured chickens” are always rotating onto fresh grass and get 20 to 30 per cent of their diet from plants and bugs.
Richards raises white rocks – the standard fast-growing breed – using conventional feed. Ouchterlony and Corbett have opted for heavy reds,
We crunch up a gravel driveway near Mono Mills where Donnyweir
Poultry Farm sits tidily folded into the Niagara Escarpment, and spill out of the
minivan to be greeted, to the delight of my preschool-aged children, by farm dogs
and peacocks and a gaggling fl ock of orange-footed Aylesbury ducks.
continued on next page
spring summer 2013 | food in the hills 14
a slower-growing heritage breed, and use only organic feed.
There is decent chicken to be found in stores – for a price – depending what you’re looking for. Broadway Farm’s Market (www.broadwayfarms.com) and Heatherlea Farm Market (www.heatherleafarmmarket.ca) in Caledon source their birds fresh and direct from local quota farmers they’ve met. Heatherlea proprietor Pat McArthur ensures the chickens they sell have been raised free range, without antibiotics or animal byproducts, and with high-quality feed including fl ax for omega-3s. Like Donnelly, McArthur selects slower growing chickens and says hers are “a different product altogether” compared to grocery store birds.
Harmony Whole Foods (harmonymarket.com) in Orangeville recently decided to sell only organic chicken, with certifi cation that ensures certain nutrition and living standards are met – organic birds require more space and light, as well as outdoor access. Prices range from about $5.50 to over $8 a pound.
Similarly the Creemore 100 Mile Store
(www.100milestore.ca) buys chicken from Wellington County Mennonite farms that co-owner Jackie Durnford deems to be on the “smaller end of large.” It’s the next best thing to what she would really like to sell but can’t, birds raised very locally in a fashion that can’t be summed up by any grocery store label.
“The ones that I want to buy are from really small farms,” says Durnford. “There’s no overcrowding, there’s no bad conditions. It’s a lower volume. To me, it’s more in tune ecologically. You can go to the end of the farmer’s driveway and buy it from them and that’s legal, but they can’t sell it here. It’s exactly the same chicken. It’s ridiculous.”
Since 2004 farming organizations have continually lobbied the CFO to increase the small fl ock exemption from 300 to 2,000, and to slacken marketing and sales restrictions. Most other provinces allow this – in Nova Scotia, for example, farmers can raise up to 10,000 birds without quota; in Saskatchewan, 4,000.
Repeatedly the CFO has declined, most recently in a decision handed down to the Practical
where’s the chicken?
Some of the places (at least the ones we know about) where you can buy farmgate chicken in the Headwaters region.
Donnyweir Poultry Farm
19353 Glen Haffy RdCaledon905-584-2470 Amaranth Springs
554090 Mono-Amaranth Townline519-942-4716www.amaranthsprings.ca
Am Braigh Farm
873393 5th LineMono519-941-9089www.ambraighfarm.com Knollbrook Farms
142239 Dufferin Rd 5Grand Valley519-928-3354www.knollbrookfarms.blogspot.com
Stone Valley Springs
142360 15 SideroadEast Garafraxa519-546-3382 Mansfi eld Heritage Farm
588383 County Rd 17Mansfi eld705-434-2461www.mansfi eldheritagefarm.ca
Fiddle Foot Farm
796530 3rd Line EHSMulmur519-925-3225www.fi ddlefootfarm.com
Willowlane Farm
587499 County Rd 17Mulmur519-925-2887www.willowlanefarm.ca
Gerald Donnelly with one of his prized Brahma chickens: “A fl avour and texture most consumers have never had the pleasure of tasting.”
spring summer 2013 | food in the hills 15
Farmers of Ontario in January. PFO president Sean McGivern vows to appeal to a government tribunal, so stay tuned. (Visit www.fl ockingoptions.ca for more information.)
Foodies hastily slam supply management for its failure to respond to slow-food trends. Globe and Mail writer Mark Schatzker, who buys chicken from Gerald Donnelly, calls supply management “the enemy of deliciousness.” But according to National Farmers Union – Ontario president John Sutherland, the system just needs to be reformed to fi t its original purpose – to “give the best chance to the most farmers.”
Changing the rules to allow farmers to raise more chickens outside the quota system and market them through local stores and farmers’ markets would be good not only for small-farm incomes, but also for consumers’ access to local food. It’s unsustainable for everyone to have to drive to a farm to buy a chicken, or to raise their own – where it’s actually permitted, that is.
But if the CFO’s current tight rules have a bright side, it’s that they encourage consumers like me to seek out farmers fi rsthand – and their stories hold more power to change the way we eat than any grocery store label. I now think of free-range Ontario chicken as a seasonal product, hatched in spring and ready for market in summer and fall.
“I like to encourage people not to think of chicken as something they need to eat as often as they do,” says Ouchterlony, pointing out that chickens are less effi cient feed converters than her farm’s pigs and cows. “Unfortunately in our industrial system, it has ended up being really cheap. Well-raised chicken should be more expensive. Our ideal customer might get fi ve or ten and keep them in the freezer.”
From now on, that’s the kind of customer I want to be.
We leave Donnelly’s farm with mud on our boots and the kids tickling our necks with fi stfuls of peacock feathers. Three days later we roast the capon and watch it disappear. My fi nicky four-year-old surprises us by demanding “chicken on the bone” and picking the wings clean. The bird is as richly textured and fl avourful as Donnelly promised, but we knew we’d be going back for more even before we left the farm. � DINE IN TAKE OUT I WE N DY ’ S D E S S E RTS I PICK- UP CATERING
OPEN FOR LUNCH AND DINNER MONDAY TO SATURDAY
163 First St, Orangeville 519.942.3388 www.eatatforage.com
COOK UP SOME FUN!AFTER WORKING UP A HEALTHY APPETITE—REFUEL WITH BERETTATT
BBQ season is upon us and our Organic, Grass Fed and naturally raised meat selectionsare prime for the grill. Keep an eye out for our Long Weekend BBQ Offers
throughout the summer. Because we believe you’re worth it.
spring summer 2013 | food in the hills 16
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Down to earth
Plowshare Farm’s Yehuda Nestel works his land with the help of Millie and Sally.
spring summer 2013 | food in the hills 17
Last summer my wife and I became members of a community supported agriculture program, or CSA, for the fi rst time. Every week from mid-June on, anywhere from a dozen to 15 different kinds of vegetables would land on our kitchen table. Suddenly the daily “What’s for dinner?” debate at our house was all about vegetables. Would it be kale or turnips? Caulifl ower or beans?
Many of the veggies, such as bok choi and kohlrabi, were new to us and we had to learn how to prepare and serve them. We also rediscovered some old favourites, such as beets and turnips, that had somehow fallen off our menu over the years. It was a challenge, but on the bright side it forced us to eat many more vegetables than usual to ensure we fi nished everything before the next shipment arrived.
When Jeff Rollings became a
Community Supported Agriculture
member, he got more than he
bargained for
… more vegetables, that is
theKohlrabi Challenge
continued on next page
spring summer 2013 | food in the hills 18
As a CSA member you buy a share of all the products generated by a participating farm in a season. Most often this means fresh vegetables, but depending on the farm it can also include eggs, meat, poultry or fruit. Members have the benefi t of knowing where their food comes from, how it’s grown, and that their food dollars are going to support a local farmer.
Farmers meanwhile receive a set fee prior to the start of the growing season, which enables them to better plan what they grow, fi nance the cost of running the farm, and share the risks of weather or other factors beyond their control.
CSAs are often referred to as “relationship farming” because there’s a direct connection between the producer and the consumer,
in contrast to the industrial model of “commodity farming” in which consumers have no idea where their food originated.
The CSA concept began in Europe and spread to North America in the 1980s. While growth in the number of CSAs here was slow at fi rst, in the last decade the idea has taken off. Currently a dozen or more are operating in the Headwaters region and more are planned.
While virtually all CSAs follow organic farming standards, each operates in its own way. We chose Plowshare Farm near Elora, in part for the convenience of being able to pick up our weekly allotment every Saturday at the Orangeville Farmers’ Market a couple of blocks from our home. We also liked the fact that Plowshare uses
horses rather than tractors to carry out farm work. Though the horses seem quaint and eco-friendly, Yehuda Nestel, owner of Plowshare, says that Sally, an eight-year-old Suffolk Punch, and Millie, a 12-year-old Belgian, bring brains to his operation as well as brawn. “When I fi rst started,” he says, “the horses were training me.”
Apparently Sally and Millie have trained Nestel to grow more than 65 different vegetable, herb and fl ower crops in a four-acre garden, serving a 75-member CSA program. He also operates a vegetable stand at the Orangeville Farmers’ Market and supplies several local restaurants.
The volume and makeup of CSA food boxes vary from farm to farm. Most provide a range of sizes, from large shares suitable
the kohlrabi challenge
spring summer 2013 | food in the hills 19
for a family, small shares suitable for a couple, and mini shares suitable for singles. Different types of specialty shares are also available. Fiddle Foot Farm in Mulmur, for example, offers a “greens share” for salad lovers, a “freezer share” suitable for preserving, and “winter shares” of storable and root vegetables.
The cost ranges from $200 for Fiddle Foot Farm’s greens share, to $800 for a large share. The season usually begins in mid-June and lasts 20 weeks. Compared with the price of organic supermarket produce, we felt the cost was reasonable and delivered good value for the money.
One drawback we noted was that while there was a wide variety of vegetables, there was never a large amount of any one thing.
As a result we still had to make regular trips to the supermarket, particularly for seasonal favourites such as tomatoes and corn. Amy Ouchterlony of Fiddle Foot Farm says they’ve heard this concern from some of their CSA participants and are trying to adjust the contents of their baskets accordingly.
Fiddle Foot Farm also accepts donations and then pools the money, turning it into the equivalent number of CSA shares. Ouchterlony says, “Some people give $20, some give $300. Then we partner with community organizations to make that good food available to people with lower incomes.”
At Caledon’s Peace Ranch the connection between local food and social well-being
continued on next page
Sharing the bounty
Far left, Schirin Oeding and Yehuda Nestel harvesting beets. Centre, the gardens at Fiddle Foot Farm. Above, Fiddle Foot’s Graham Corbett bagging potatoes.
spring summer 2013 | food in the hills 20
goes even further. Peace Ranch provides supportive housing and rehabilitation for adults with mental illness, and part of its program includes a market garden enterprise that provides paid work and a learning opportunity for its clients, funded by the sale of CSA shares to the public.
Perhaps not surprisingly the “bigger is better” mantra is not part of the CSA model. Neither Plowshare nor Fiddle Foot Farm seek to signifi cantly expand their memberships. Instead, both aim to increase the number of products they provide to a limited number of participants. “People in Ontario think it’s only vegetables,” says Fiddle Foot’s Graham Corbett, “but in the West it’s grain, fruit, cheese – it can be any food product.”
Both Plowshare and Fiddle Foot have ambitions to evolve into a year-round, full-diet CSA that could include such products as eggs, chicken, pork, beef, fl our and lard. Such an arrangement would allow them to spread their labour more evenly over the year, and their cash fl ow along with it.
Though it remains to be seen if CSAs will help save the family farm, they are fast becoming a central element of the local food movement. Our experience was positive, introduced us to a healthier diet, and allowed us to direct a portion of our food dollars to producers close to home. We’ll be doing it again this year. �
Jeff Rollings is an Orangeville-based writer.
the kohlrabi challenge
In the garden
Top right, Amy Ouchterlony divides carrots into CSA boxes. Bottom left, Rob Day in the bean patch. Lower right, Trevor Zurowski picks carrots with a friend.
spring summer 2013 | food in the hills 21
vinaigret te
ingredients
1 garlic clove, minced1 tsp fresh ginger, grated1 green onion, chopped, including greens3 tbsp rice vinegar1 tsp soy sauce4½ tsp toasted sesame oil ½ tsp chili oil (or ½ tsp dried chili fl akes)
continued on next page
Kohlrabi Slawwith Sesame Vinaigrette
This recipe is adapted from Daphne Randall’s Edible Tulip salad blog. For more of her creative salad recipes go to foodinthehills.ca and click on blogs.
slaw
ingredients
2 raw kohlrabies, peeled and grated2 raw carrots, peeled and grated2 tbsp fresh cilantro, or mint, or basil (or combination), fi nely choppedSea salt
preparation
Toss kohlrabi, carrots and herbs in a salad bowl. Add salt. Whisk together garlic, ginger, green onion, vinegar, soy sauce, sesame oil and chili oil. Pour over vegetables. Mix well and serve. Serves 2–4.
spring summer 2013 | food in the hills 22
the kohlrabi challenge
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CSAs in Caledon, Dufferin and Wellington
The Edge Wine Bar & Grille is Orangeville’s newest choice
for casual fine dining.Located within
The Headwaters Racquet Club,we are open to the public.
Where great food and music meet!
Live Music EveryFRIDAY, SATURDAYfeaturing various local artists
starting at 8:30pm
Open for dinner 6 days a week.Reservations recommended.
Lounge is available for private functions for up to 80 people.
205467 County Rd 109Orangeville
(inside Headwaters Racquet Club)
519-940-1111theedgewinebarandgrill.com
Caledon
1 The Albion Hills
Community Farm
16555 Humber Station Rdwww.albionhillscommunityfarm.org
2 Peace Ranch
19179 Centreville Creek Rd905-584-9156www.peachranch.com
3 Whole Village
20725 Shaws Creek Rd519-941-1099www.wholevillage.org
Dufferin
4 Amaranth Springs
554090 Mono-Amaranth Townline519-942-4716www.amaranthsprings.ca
5 Breaking Ground CSA
424108 25 SideroadAmaranth519-939-6875www.breakinggroundcsa.com
Wellington
10 Arthur
Greenhouses
7470 2nd LineWest Garafraxa519-848-6816www.arthurgreenhouses.ca
11 Everdale
Organic Farm
and Environmental
Learning Centre
5812 6th LineHillsburghwww.everdale.org
12 Heritage Hollow
5972 2nd LineErin519-278-5413www.heritagehollow.ca/csa
13 Plowshare Farm
456 Wellington Rd 7Salem519-731-4437www.plowsharefarm.wordpress.com
Dufferin
6 Fiddle Foot Farm
796530 3rd Line EHSMulmur519-925-3225www.fi ddlefootfarm.com
7 Landman Gardens
and Bakery
322345 Concession 6-7Grand Valley 519-938-6163www.landmangardens.ca
8 Mansfi eld Heritage
Farm
588383 County Rd 17Mansfi eld705-434-2461416-432-4934www.mansfi eldheritagefarm.ca
9 Islandview
Community Gardens
633520 Hwy 10Mono519-941-9098
spring summer 2013 | food in the hills 23
Spiced Beet Salad Adapted from Nourishing Traditions by Mary G. Enig (Newtrends Publishing, 2003).
ingredients
6 medium beets3 tbsp apple cider vinegar4 tbsp olive oil1 tbsp orange juicePinch of saltPinch of cayenne pepper (optional)1 tsp caraway seedsPinch of ground clovesPinch of cinnamon½ tsp lemon zest½ tsp orange zest½ lb (250g) salad greens, arugula, spinach or a mix of all three3 tbsp goat cheese, crumbled (or to taste)Chopped walnuts
preparation
Preheat oven to 350ºF. Bake whole beets for 1 hour or until tender. Peel and chop fi nely.
Combine vinegar, oil, orange juice, seasonings and zest in a bowl. Add beets and toss well. Serve warm (or refrigerate until later) on a bed of salad greens garnished with crumbled goat cheese and chopped walnuts. Serves 4–6. �
Where Cajun Meets ItalianPastas | Panko Crusted Shrimp | Spicy Marinara Mussels | Stone Baked PizzasBlackened Catfish/Chicken | Veal Scallopini | Cajun Dusted Sweet Potato Fries
12612 Hwy 50, Unit 26 Bolton | 9058570802 | theangrytomato.com
spring summer 2013 | food in the hills 24
519·925·3627 MRSMITCHEL L S .COM / VIOLET H ILL ON H W Y 89 BE T W EEN H W Y 10 A ND A IR PO R T R D
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F INE D IN ING. C A SUAL ELEGANCE. H IS TORIC CHARM.
spring summer 2013 | food in the hills 25
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Owen Vulpe of What’s Cookin’ in Erin demonstrates the art of salad making.
spring summer 2013 | food in the hills 26
The barbeques are fi red up. The pressure is on in the courtyard at the Alton Mill on a sizzling hot July afternoon. Chefs Owen Vulpe of Erin’s What’s Cookin’ and Josh Blake of Soulyve Caribbean Foods in Orangeville examine the ingredients in the mystery black boxes before them – garlic, baby leeks, heirloom cherry tomatoes, red mountain spinach, raspberries, lavender and chicken.
Their challenge in the annual Cuisine-Art local food faceoff is to create an original dish from these disparate parts. The assembled audience will decide whose ingenuity wins.
The next hour is a whirlwind of slicing, dicing, sautéing and stirring, the watching foodies salivating and sighing as the smokey aroma of charred chicken and crushed berries fi lls the air.
“You have to be tough not to let the pressure get to you,” says Owen, refl ecting on the contest months later. He and Josh were just two of the 15 local chefs who took part in one of many performances and displays at last summer’s fourth annual Cuisine-Art, an event that brings artists and food lovers together for a weekend-long culinary cultural carnival.
Twenty-fi ve resident artists showed and demonstrated their work while visitors sipped and supped at tasting stations featuring local wine, beer, cider, and delicious food for as little as a toonie a taste. There were painting workshops, cooking demonstrations, live music, an evening performance of As You Like It and, of course, the celebrity cook-off sponsored by Eat Local Caledon.
Alton Mill developer Jeremy Grant sees the festival as a marriage of true minds. He thinks of food as both art and the inspiration for art, so when they were brainstorming a few years ago for a summer
Every summer for the last four years, artists and chefs have come together at the historic
spring summer 2013 | food in the hills 27
event, it seemed obvious to link artists together with the many chefs and food producers in the area. “Cuisine-Art was a natural fi t,” he says.
In the end, Owen’s sweet and silky sauce redolent of lavender and garlic edged out Josh’s pan-seared chicken roll. “It was a crazy game,” says the winner of his experience, “but the best part is Josh and I have become good friends.” �
The Players:Cuisine-Art 2013
Chef Thorntin MacdonaldBelfountain InnBistro Riviere
Chef John FlemmingBreadalbane Inn
Chef Gilles RocheGourmandissimo
Chef Erik KjaerMarket Hill Café
Chef James BuderMillcroft Inn
Chef Adam RyanOne99
Chef Jason PerkinsRay’s Bistro Bakery
Chef Robin PradhanRocky Raccoon Café
Chef Shannon FitzgeraldShaw’s Creek Café
Jennifer ClarkSoup Girl
Chef Sarah VisheauSpirit Tree Estate Cidery
Chef Phil DewarSoulyve Caribbean Kitchen
Chef Owen VulpeWhat’s Cookin’
Chef Patrick VenablesThe Devil’s Pulpit
Dolores SmithOlivar Corp.
drink
Churchill Cellars
The Wine Coaches
Spirit Tree Estate Cidery
Pommies Dry Cider
F&M Brewery
The Good Earth Food and Wine Co.
King Brewery
Wellington Brewery
Thornbury Cider
Lighthouse Lemonade
Meredith’s Ginger Syrup
Alton Mill in a feast for the eyes and appetites | by monica duncan
Clockwise from top left: Meredith Cowan, Meredith’s Ginger Syrup; Nick Sutcliffe, Pommies; Gilles Roche and assistant, Gourmandissimo; Richard Kitowski and Jocelyn Klemm, The Wine Coaches; Jill Fisher, Lighthouse Lemonade; Dolores Smith, Olivar Corp.; Thorntin Macdonald (sunglasses), Belfountain Inn and Bistro Riviere; behind the scenes at the cook-off.
Cuisine-Art 2013 opens on the evening of Friday, July 19, and continues through the weekend featuring celebrity chef cook-offs and Toonie Tastings. $20 admission includes $10 in tasting tickets. Alton Mill Arts Centre in the village of Alton. For ticket information, 519-941-9300, www.altonmill.ca. The Humber River Shakespeare Company presents As You Like It on Friday and Saturday at 7pm. www.humberrivershakespeare.ca
spring summer 2013 | food in the hills 28
Come in and get your May discount on the new Emile Henry items.
Thank you for 15 years on Broadway,We could not have done it without your support!
125 Broadway, in historic downtown Orangeville 519-942-5908 www.kitchentotable.com
spring summer 2013 | food in the hills 29
Impress your friends and family this summer with homemade
ice cream. It’s easier than you think | by jennifer clark �
Scooop!
“Ice cream is exquisite. What a pity it isn’t illegal.”
voltaire
Here’sthe
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spring summer 2013 | food in the hills 30
Last summer I discovered how fun and easy it is to make ice cream. I started simply with a strawberry sorbet, blending fresh local strawberries with sugar and water, and popping the mixture into my new ice cream maker. From there I stepped it up a notch – strawberry sorbet with wild mint, then strawberry wine sorbet. As the summer went on, I turned to creamier
here’s the scoop
inventions. I made apple streusel ice cream with toasted pecans, peach and jalapeno ice cream with Niagara peaches, and honey lavender ice cream with edible lavender from my garden. I was on a roll.
Choosing an ice cream maker was relatively straightforward. They essentially all work on the same principle – simultaneously freezing and churning the
“My advice to you is not to inquire why or whither, but just enjoy your ice cream while it’s on your plate.”thornton wilder
ingredients
¾ cup honey8 egg yolks3⁄8 cup sugar1 tsp salt2 cups 2% milk2 tbsp ground Hockley Valley Coffee Roasters coffee
preparation
Whisk all ingredients together in a saucepan over medium heat and cook, stirring often with a rubber spatula until the mixture is thick enough to coat the spatula.
Strain mixture through a fi ne mesh strainer and refrigerate overnight.
The next day put mixture in the freezer for an hour. Then blend using an immersion blender or in a stand-up blender.
Freeze in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s directions. Store in the freezer. Makes 1 quart.
Adam Ryan, executive chef at One99 in Orangeville, regularly makes ice creams for the restaurant menu. He starts with his basic recipe, which uses local honey, and then adds local ingredients and fl avours. Here are two of his favourites (Raspberry Beet on page 32).
Hockley Valley Coffee Ice Cream
spring summer 2013 | food in the hills 31
Want healthyfood choices?
163 First Street Orangeville519-941-8961
www.harmonymarket.com
Servedat some of the bestrestaurants inHeadwaters
Preferredby award-winningchefs
Come see us at thefarmers’ marketsWednesday . Inglewood3:30 to 7:00 . June to Oct
Friday . Sherway Gardens8:00 to 2:00 . May to Oct
Saturday . Orangeville8:00 to 1:00 . May to Oct
Also available at the farmby appointment.
No Sunday calls, please.
Bert NieuwenhuisLamb & Wool Producer
Amaranth [email protected]
Find us on Facebook
continued on next page
mixture. This aerates the ice cream as it freezes, and prevents the formation of ice crystals. You want to end up with something scoopable, rather than just a big chunk of fl avoured ice.
One common complaint is that home-made ice cream doesn’t stay as soft in the freezer as the store-bought kind. Commer-cial ice cream manufacturers use a variety of techniques – high-powered churners, and various chemical additives and stabilizers – to keep their ice cream smooth. But don’t worry. Here are a few simple things you can do to improve the “scoopability” of your homemade frozen treat:
•Add a touch of alcohol to your sorbet or ice cream just prior to churning it. The alcohol will not freeze, so your fi nished batch will be a bit softer. About one ounce of 40 per cent alcohol (vodka, rum or liqueurs) to one litre of ice cream will do the trick. Don’t add more, or the mix may not freeze at all. Keep in mind that alcohol does not freeze out, so these batches will be not suitable for children or anyone avoiding alcohol.
•Fat does not freeze very well, so your ice cream will be smoother if you substitute some of the milk with cream. High-fat ingredients such as egg yolks or avocado will also increase the fat content.
•The faster your mixture freezes while being churned, the less chance of ice crystals forming. So be sure to chill it in the freezer for an hour prior to churning. The ice cream maker tub should also be as cold as possible. Most manufacturers recommend keeping the tub in the freezer for 24 hours before using. I simply store mine in the freezer so it’s always ready to use.
•Last and simplest of all, let your ice cream soften at room temperature for about 15 minutes before serving. �
spring summer 2013 | food in the hills 32
Raspberry Beet Ice Creamingredients
¾ cup honey8 egg yolks3⁄8 cup sugar1 tsp salt2 cups 2% milk3 cups raw red beets, peeled and grated (roughly 2 large beets)3 cups raspberries
preparation
Whisk all ingredients together in a saucepan over medium heat and cook, stirring often and crushing the raspberries to squeeze and infuse the juice into the mixture as it cooks. Use a rubber spatula on the sides of the pan to keep the mixture from burning. Cook until mixture coats the spatula. Strain mixture through a fi ne mesh strainer, pushing hard with a whisk to get as much through as possible. Refrigerate overnight.
The next day put mixture in the freezer for an hour. Then blend using an immersion blender or in a stand-up blender. Freeze in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s directions. Store in the freezer. Makes 1 quart. �
here’s the scoop
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two great reasons to dine with us
792 forks of the credit road, belfountainphone 519.927.9219
www.belfountaininn.com
Photo Credit: Carolyn Doukas
ORANGEVILLE FARMERS’ MARKET
KNOW WHERE IT GROWS
orangevillefarmersmarket.ca
Saturdays 8am to 1pmMay 11th
to October 26thOrangeville Town Hall
“Age does not diminish the extreme disappointment of having a scoop of ice cream fall from the cone.”jim fiebig
spring summer 2013 | food in the hills 33
Nothing says spring like the tart taste of rhubarbby jennifer cl ark
Even though it is not a native plant, rhubarb is somehow evocative
of traditional rural Ontario. The rhubarb patch and stewed rhubarb I remember on my
grandparents’ farm and in their kitchen was one of the fi rst edible delights of spring,
appearing at least a month before anything else in the garden. continued on next page
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spring summer 2013 | food in the hills 34
Although we tend to think of rhubarb as a fruit, it is actually a vegetable. It was brought to North America by European settlers who valued it for its medicinal properties, but was not used in cooking until the Caribbean sugar trade made it possible to sweeten the tart stems. Still, it fares just as well in savoury dishes as in pies and crumbles. A traditional Polish dish, for instance, pairs rhubarb with potatoes and mushrooms in a delicious gratin. The vegetable also works nicely with fi sh and meats, and can be added to soups and stews to impart a tart fl avour.
Rhubarb season stretches from mid-May to early July. During that time you can fi nd rhubarb at a number of farms and farmers’ markets in the Headwaters region. But it’s also available in winter at Lennox Farm near Shelburne, where owners Bill and Diane French harvest more than 250,000 pounds of rhubarb per year, with over 30 acres in production. From February to mid-May they also produce about 60,000 pounds of indoor rhubarb. Lennox Farm is one of only
two indoor rhubarb producers in Ontario, and between the two of them they provide nearly all the province’s demand for indoor rhubarb. Now into their fi fth generation on the farm, the French family has been growing rhubarb since 1883.
Bill grows a German Wine variety in his fi elds, which yields stalks that are redder, more tender and sweeter than the traditional English varieties of Sutton and Victoria that most likely grow in your backyard patch. Lennox’s indoor rhubarb is even sweeter still, although Bill is quick to point out, “When it comes to rhubarb, you don’t really say sweeter, you say less tart.”
Starting your own rhubarb patch is a worthwhile investment. It is a perennial, and a single plant could yield as much as 10 pounds annually for up to 10 years. Rhubarb root stocks are available at garden centres in the spring. Be prepared to wait two years before harvesting as the root systems need time to become properly established. And remember, never eat the leaves – they are toxic.
sweet and sour
Pork Tenderloin with Rhubarb SaucePork pairs beautifully with this savoury/sweet sauce from Lucy Waverman’s Home For Dinner (Random House, 2002).
ingredients
1 tbsp olive oil½ tsp dried or 1 tsp fresh rosemary, choppedSalt and freshly ground pepper to taste1½ lb (750g) pork tenderloin2 cups rhubarb, chopped½ cup red wine1⁄3 cup granulated sugar¼ cup Dijon mustard
preparation
Preheat oven to 400°F
Combine oil, rosemary, salt and pepper. Rub over pork.
Heat oven-proof skillet on medium heat. Add pork and brown on all sides, about 5 minutes.
Transfer skillet to oven and bake for 15 minutes or until pork is just cooked through.
Remove pork from skillet and keep warm.
Add rhubarb, wine, sugar and mustard to skillet. Bring to boil, reduce heat and simmer for 5–7 minutes or until thickened.
Slice pork and serve with rhubarb sauce.
Serves 4. recipes on next page
sweet and sour
spring summer 2013 | food in the hills 35
Freezing rhubarb
At the end of every rhubarb season,
I make sure to pick up several
bundles to put away for the off-
season. Simply wash and chop the
stalks, place on a cookie sheet, and
freeze for at least two hours so the
pieces freeze individually rather
than in a big clump. Then place in
airtight containers and back in the
freezer. Easy as (rhubarb) pie!
Rhubarb producers
Lennox Farm
518024 County Rd 124, MelancthonThe farm stand opens in June. Prior to June you can buy fresh or frozen rhubarb year-round if you call ahead. 519-925-6444.
Reid’s Farm Market
833153 4th Line, MonoSelf-serve 24/7519-940-4096www.reidspotatoes.com
The GlobeRestaurantFine dining in 19th
century surroundings
*****Lunches • Teas
Dinners
*****Reservations (705) 435-6981
Closed TuesdaysIn Rosemont, Hwy. 89,
east of Airport Rd.
Wicked Shortbread is open in OrangevilleFeaturing the finest local desserts and ingredients
of the Headwaters regionHandmade ~ Artisan ~ Local
96 Broadway, Orangeville 519-307-5000wickedshortbread.com Facebook/Twitter
Rhubarb producers
Lennox Farm
518024 County Rd 124, MelancthoTh f t d i J P i
spring summer 2013 | food in the hills 36
ingredients
4 cups rhubarb, chopped½ cup maple syrup1⁄8 cup water1 tsp cornstarch
preparation
Combine ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a light boil over medium heat, stirring frequently. Lower heat and simmer until rhubarb is tender, approximately 10 minutes. Sweeten to taste with more maple syrup or sugar if desired. �
crust
ingredients
1½ cups ginger cookie crumbs2 tbsp sugar¼ cup melted butter
preparation
Preheat oven to 350°F. In a mixing bowl combine cookie crumbs, sugar and melted butter.
Grease a 9-inch springform pan and pour cookie mixture into the bottom and part way up the sides of the pan, pressing down tightly.
Bake for 10 minutes. Let cool.
Rhubarb wine
Rhubarb has
long been used
to produce a tart,
crisp wine.
Try a local version:
Downey’s Estate
Winery Unfi ltered
Rhubarb Wine.
Or for something
sweeter, try their
Strawberry-
Rhubarb Wine.
www.downeysfarm.com
filling
ingredients
preparation
In a mixer, using the paddle attachment, combine cream cheese, goat cheese, sour cream, maple syrup and vanilla on slow speed. One at a time, add the eggs to the mixer, making sure to scrape down the sides with a rubber spatula after each addition.
Pour mixture into prepared crust. Place pan on a cookie sheet (to catch any liquid that may seep from the bottom) and bake for 1 hour at 350°F. Cool at room temperature for 35 minutes, then chill completely in the refrigerator for several hours. To serve, dip a knife in hot water to cut clean slices. Serve topped with rhubarb compote.
Rhubarb and Goat-Cheese Cake
3½ cups cream cheese1½ cups goat cheese1 cup sour cream
¾ cup maple syrup1½ tsp vanilla4 whole eggs
sweet and sour
Rhubarb Compote
spring summer 2013 | food in the hills 37
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LUNCH AND DINNER 11.30 AM – 9.00 PMWEDNESDAY – SUNDAY AND HOLIDAY MONDAYS
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519 941 5109WWW.MONOCLIFFSINN.CA | SPECIALIZING IN AUSTRALIAN WINESMeet our chef extraordinaire, Jason Reiner
spring summer 2013 | food in the hills 38
cooking with Caesar
Caesar Guinto
The chef/owner at Creemore Kitchen is an expert doughnut maker.
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Almost everyone eats doughnuts. But few of us actually think of making them at home. Mostly we go into a doughnut shop, scan all the fl avours offered, then choose our usual standby. If only you knew how simple and easy it is to make this timeless treat yourselves.
Doughnuts were brought to North America by Dutch settlers, and named for the walnuts or hazelnuts baked into the mostly uncooked centre. In 1847, an American ship’s captain solved the problem of the gooey middle by punching a hole in the ball of dough, thereby creating the fi rst “ring” doughnut. Today, most countries in the world have their own delicious version of deep-fried dough.
The two types we are preparing here are yeast doughnuts and cake doughnuts. A yeast doughnut is a sweet bread dough enriched with fats such as milk, eggs and shortening,
whereas a cake doughnut is simply a dense cake batter leavened with baking powder instead of yeast.
I started making doughnuts when I had a summer job at an Italian bakery in Mississauga. They sold simple glazed yeast doughnuts fresh every day, and making, frying and glazing the doughnuts was part of my routine.
Later, when I trained as a pastry chef in college, I learned about beignets, a deep-fried French choux pastry dough. This is the same dough used in traditional éclairs, cream puffs and profi teroles.
After graduating from culinary school, I worked as a pastry chef at various fi ne dining establishments where I experimented with these doughs for my dessert menus. One of my favourite creations was sugared beignets accompanied by a chocolate coffee ganache in an espresso cup. I called it Coffee and Doughnuts.
dOughnuts
b y c a e s a r g u i n t o ( w i t h s a m h o l w e l l )
spring summer 2013 | food in the hills 39
Miller’sDairy Day
Saturday, July 1311am–4pm
Meet the ‘girls’.Take a tour.And enjoy
refreshments atJalon Farms,
7280 Cty Rd #9just east of Creemore.
www.millersdairy.com
Last summer The New Farm in Creemore asked me to take part in their annual Grow for The Stop fundraiser, a partnership between The New Farm and The Stop Community Food Centre in Toronto. Participating chefs were asked to use local, seasonal produce to create a signature dish. Knowing that most chefs shy away from preparing a dessert for these events, I decided to take the opportunity as a challenge and make an easy cake doughnut using fresh beets from Fiddle Foot Farm, a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) farm near Mansfi eld.
The beet doughnut recipe below is the result, except that instead of a traditional “ring” doughnut, which requires purchasing a professional doughnut dropper, I used an ice cream scoop to make a “Timbit”-style doughnut hole.
I have also provided step-by-step instructions for basic yeast doughnuts, plus suggestions for chocolate or lemon glazes and a lemon cream fi lling.
At Creemore Kitchen we plan to offer fresh doughnuts at least once a week (usually Saturdays), using local, seasonal ingredients. As much as I would like you to come and taste one of ours after reading this, I really hope you are inspired by the simplicity of making your own. �
Caesar Guinto and Sam Holwell are chef/owner and manager/owner respectively of Creemore Kitchen, opening in Creemore this spring.
ingredients
24 yeast doughnuts with holes(recipe on page 40)Chocolate glaze (recipe below)Chopped toasted almonds
preparation
Spread chocolate glaze on cooled doughnuts and sprinkle with almonds.
Chocolate Glazeingredients
1 cup milk2 cups icing sugar1 cup cocoa powder4 tbsp unsalted butter, cut into cubes (at room temperature)
preparation
Combine icing sugar and cocoa powder in a large bowl. Bring milk to a boil and pour over the sugar and cocoa powder, whisking until combined.
While mixture is still warm, whisk in the soft butter a little at a time until smooth.
Cover bowl with plastic wrap and set aside until ready to use. Makes about 2 cups.
recipes on next page
Toasted Almond and Chocolate Doughnuts
spring summer 2013 | food in the hills 40
cooking with caesar
Place shortening in a bowl of warm milk to melt. Set aside until lukewarm. In another bowl sprinkle yeast over warm water to dissolve.
Pour milk mixture and yeast mixture into the bowl of a stand mixer. Add eggs, sugar, salt and half the fl our. Using the paddle attachment, combine on low speed until fl our is incorporated. Turn speed to medium and beat well. Add remaining fl our at low speed, turn to medium and beat well again.
Transfer dough to a well-oiled bowl, cover and let rise for 1 hour or until doubled in size.
1 2
4
On a fl oured surface, roll out dough to 3⁄8-inch thick. Cut out dough using a 2½-inch round cookie cutter and a 7⁄8 inch round cookie cutter for the hole (if making “ring” doughnuts).
5
Set doughnuts on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Cover lightly with a towel and let rise for 30 minutes.
6
Basic Yeast Doughnuts
ingredients
1½ cups warm milk1⁄3 cup vegetable shortening3½ tsp instant yeast1⁄3 cup warm water2 eggs, beaten¼ cup sugar1½ tsp salt5¼ cups all-purpose fl ourVegetable oil for frying
Yield 2 dozen doughnuts
preparation �
Variation: Boston Lemon Cream doughnuts follow on the next page.
spring summer 2013 | food in the hills 41
Change to dough hook and beat on medium speed until dough pulls away from the bowl and becomes smooth.
3
Preheat oil in a Dutch over to 365°F. Gently place doughnuts in oil, 3 to 4 at a time. Cook 1 minute per side. Transfer to a rack. Let cool. Glaze and serve. �
7
more recipes on next page
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spring summer 2013 | food in the hills 42
Beet & Cream Cheese Glazeingredients
½ cup cream cheese4 cups plus 1 tbsp icing sugar1 egg whiteJuice from 4 medium-sized beets (¼ cup plus 1 tbsp)
preparation
In a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, beat cream cheese and icing sugar until smooth. Add egg white and beat until smooth. While mixer is still running on low speed, gradually pour in beet juice until smooth. Store in an airtight container until ready to use. �
ingredients
24 2½-inch yeast doughnuts (no holes)Lemon cream (store-bought or recipe below)Lemon glaze (recipe below)Lemon zest
cooking with caesar Beet Doughnut Holes
ingredients
3 tbsp unsalted butter¾ cup sugar3 eggs1 cup grated beets with juice1 tsp vanilla4½ cups all-purpose fl our3½ tsp baking powder1 tsp salt½ tsp ground cinnamon¼ tsp ground nutmeg2 tbsp sour cream2 tbsp milkVegetable oil for fryingSugar for dustingBeet and cream cheese glaze (recipe below)
preparation
In a stand mixer with paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar until light and fl uffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in beets, beet juice and vanilla.
Combine fl our, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg in a bowl. In another bowl, combine sour cream and milk. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the creamed butter and sugar alternately with the milk mixture.
In a Dutch oven preheat oil to 365°F. Drop batter by teaspoon or ice cream scoop, a few at a time, into the hot oil. Fry until golden brown on all sides. Drain on paper towels. Roll in sugar or glaze.
Boston Lemon Cream Doughnutspreparation
Cut cooled doughnuts in half horizontally. Place lemon curd into a piping bag fi tted with a star tip. Pipe lemon curd onto the bottom half of the doughnut and set aside. Place the top half of the doughnut on top of the lemon curd and press lightly to ensure the top half is levelled onto the curd.
Place lemon glaze into a piping bag fi tted with a plain tip. Pipe lemon glaze onto the centre of the top of the doughnut allowing the glaze to spread evenly onto the doughnut and down the sides. Sprinkle with grated lemon zest.
ingredients
1 cup lemon juice12 ⁄3 cups unsalted butter8 egg yolks¾ cup sugar4 eggs1¾ cup sugar3¾ tbsp cornstarch
Lemon Creampreparation
Combine lemon juice and butter in a pot and boil, and set aside. In a bowl, whisk egg yolks and ¾ cup sugar until light and fl uffy. Add 4 whole eggs and whisk until combined. Set aside.
Combine 1¾ cup sugar and cornstarch in a bowl and add to egg mixture. Whisk until light and fl uffy. Pour lemon and butter mixture over the egg mixture and whisk until combined.
Pour into a clean stainless steel pot and whisk constantly on medium-low heat until mixture thickens and resembles a thick custard. Make sure to keep the mixture moving so it does not stick to the bottom of the pan. Strain mixture through a fi ne sieve into a bowl and allow to cool. Store in an airtight container and refrigerate until ready to use. Makes 2 cups.
ingredients
3 cups icing sugar3¾ – 4½ tbsp lemon juice, freshly squeezedLemon zest
Lemon Glazepreparation
Combine icing sugar and lemon juice in a bowl and stir until smooth. Glaze should be about the consistency of ketchup. If glaze is too thin, add more icing sugar. If too thick, add more lemon juice until you have desired consistency.
spring summer 2013 | food in the hills 43
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Mercato Fine Foods turns 10 this year and we’d love for you to celebrate with us!
Please join us on Saturday, June 29th from 9am to 3pm for free espresso, cannoli and cake.
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‘Our Cream Rises to the Top’Sheldon Creek Dairy crafts pasteurized, non-homogenized whole milk products.
Day on the Farm!10am–4pm JUNE 15th 2013
YOU’RE INVITED!Come to Sheldon Creek Dairy and meet the cows, tour the farm, check out the farmers’
market, cooking demonstrations, pancake breakfast, live music
and much more!
Sheldon Creek Dairy
spring summer 2013 | food in the hills 44
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spring summer 2013 | food in the hills 45
MMeasuring out her life in coffee spoons comes naturally to Eddie Corner. As co-owner (with her husband Dave) of Erin’s The Shed Coffee Bar, she doesn’t like to bring her work home with her, but it’s hard not to. Everything in the kitchen of the couple’s Caledon home, from the framed T.S. Eliot quote on the wall to the open shelving fi lled with coffee cups, is a celebration of café culture. Two years ago Eddie and David decided to renovate the kitchen of their nine-year-old house, and coffee and its accoutrements just naturally became a major theme in the inviting new space.
On a counter that opens to the living room sit an enormous coffee grinder and a portable espresso maker called The Rocket. Beside the kitchen window there is a French press, a percolator, a drip coffee machine and a smaller grinder. Mugs and coffee pots line the shelves. It’s a place to cook and entertain and – clearly – to drink coffee with friends and family.
“We wanted the space to be rustic and natural combined with a contemporary edge,” says Eddie. But it also had to be functional. “I really wanted my kitchen to work like a restaurant.”
continued on next page
Eddie Corner “I really wanted my kitchen to work like a restaurant.”
A Caledon kitchen celebrates café
culture and contemporary design
by nicola ross
‘I have measured out my life with coffee spoons.’TS Eliot, from The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock
spring summer 2013 | food in the hills 46
Compact yet comfortable, Eddie Corner’s kitchen is a place where form meets function every day.
spring summer 2013 | food in the hills 47
The reclaimed fl ooring of four-inch-wide chestnut-brown fi r provides a rustic touch, as do the honed granite counters and the old barn beams opening onto the main living area. Shaker-style cabinets in maple and stainless steel, plus streamlined open shelving lend a contemporary edge. The Corners’ kitchen has all the trappings of an upscale home kitchen – Thermador appliances, including a four-burner gas range with centre grill, refrigerator and dishwasher, as well as microwave, convection and warming ovens. “I wish I had a dozen warming ovens,” says Eddie.
But the pièce de résistance, the feature that gives the kitchen the feel of a real working kitchen, is the oversized industrial-style sink, which makes cleanup a breeze. “When we’re entertaining,” says Eddie, “we have big trays and other things the sinks can handle easily.” A second prep sink overlooks the living area within easy reach of the main work area – a granite and butcher-block island in the middle of the room.
“The island is my favourite feature,” says Eddie. This is where she and David do most of their food preparation. Although her heritage is Portuguese, Eddie’s preferred palate is Italian. “I make all of my own soups and sauces,” she says, “and we use the same recipes at The Shed.”
An accomplished cook Eddie is also no stranger to design. Before moving to Caledon, where her two daughters Lauren, 8 and Victoria, 5 were born, she studied visual merchandizing and worked as a display designer at Simpsons and a retail designer at Banana Republic, eventually getting a job at the Art Gallery of Ontario retail store. The kitchen concept and layout are her own vision. Karry Kitchens of Brampton gave her the technical help to realize her dream, as well as sourcing such materials as the reclaimed fl ooring and barn beams.
“We shape our dwellings, and afterwards our dwellings shape us,” reads another framed quotation on the kitchen wall, this one from Winston Churchill. And it’s easy to see how the words sum up the Corners’ kitchen.
“David and I see food as much as an art form as something you consume,” says Eddie, and indeed this is a place where form meets function every day. �
corner kitchen
recipes on next page
millcroft.com 1-800-383-3976 Caledon, Ontario
Executive Chef James Buder and his team offer an array of skillfully prepared delights, all day, every day:
Fresh, organic and local at Headwaters RestaurantSoak up the best of summer on our Millpond Patio
Light and tasty fare at the Spa CaféOld favourites with a new twist, ‘pub grub’ in the Lounge
Traditional elegant Sunday brunches
Millcroft Inn & Spa has you covered for every occasion!
With one in-store start of any Eclipse Wine kit at regular price,
receive one free Magic Decanter.Retail value $39.95 (taxes extra).
Only one offer per customer. Expires May 31, 2013.Each kit makes approximately 30 bottles (750ml).
Wine you can trustat a price you’ll love.
www.winexpertorangeville.com
519-940-411141Broadway
Did you know? You can make wine of award-winning quality at a fraction of the cost of premium store bought wines. Over one million Canadians now enjoy consumer-made wines at home. Our 100% satisfaction guarantee ensures you enjoy a great quality wine every time.Only 5 minutes to start a kit!
Always made-from-scratch delicious: the Veggie Sandwich
Open Breakfast and LunchMonday to Saturday
LLBO 177 Broadway, Orangeville519-307-1258 piasonbroadway.com
spring summer 2013 | food in the hills 48
Shed b52 Specialty CoffeeInto a stemmed, clear glass mug, preferably with a handle, slowly pour in this order equal parts (1⁄3 oz) Kahlúa liqueur, Baileys Irish Cream and Grand Marnier to create a layered effect.
Slowly top with a layer of freshly brewed strong coffee. Top that with fresh whipped cream and sprinkle with grated chocolate. �
corner kitchen
Banana Chocolate Chip Loaf
This moist quick bread is a favourite at The Shed Coffee Bar in Erin.
ingredients
2 cups plain all-purpose fl our2 tsp baking powder½ cup unsalted butter, softened1 cup sugar4 ripe bananas, mashed2 eggs, lightly beaten1 tsp vanilla extract1 cup dark or milk chocolate chips
preparation
Preheat oven to 350°F. Sift fl our and baking powder into a large bowl.
Mix the butter, sugar, bananas, eggs, vanilla extract and chocolate chips in a separate bowl. Add to the dry ingredients and stir to combine.
Pour the batter into a non-stick or lightly greased and fl oured (7½ x 4½ inch) loaf tin and bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes, or until the loaf is cooked when tested with a skewer.
Let rest in tin for 5 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack to cool.
Makes 8 to 10 slices.
Bringing you the best that Ontariohas to offer, with fruits and vegetables arriving daily.
We have our own line of preservesand fresh baking made on our farm.
OPEN: 8am to 6pm, daily from July until Labour Day.
518024 County Rd 124, north of Shelburne519-925-6444 [email protected]
spring summer 2013 | food in the hills 49
Tradition takes a twist at a Tuscan-style
summer ceremony | by cecily ross
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spring summer 2013 | food in the hills 50
On a sultry afternoon last August, Renae Cristello and Darren Glennon were married in the stadium jumping ring at the Caledon Riding and Hunt Club. The bride wore white, the groom sported a black Stetson, and horses grazed happily in a nearby pasture as the couple said their vows. As wedding venues go, it was, to say the least, unconventional.
And yet, for the most part tradition ruled at the Caledon couple’s nuptials. “My family is very Italian,” says Renae, “so they preferred to view the horses from afar.” Indeed, this was the fi rst outdoor wedding many of her relatives had ever attended. But Renae, who works at Woodbine Racetrack, and Darren, who is a thoroughbred trainer, have horses in their blood, so the riding club
was a perfect choice for them. “It suited both our personalities in a very classy manner,” says Renae. “Upscale, but casual country.”
And although the day was as hot as anything Tuscany could deliver, guests stayed cool in the shade of a marquis surrounded by sweeping views of the Caledon countryside. “There was a lovely breeze,” says Renae, “and everything glowed in the beautiful light.”
Despite the unusual setting, there was never any doubt in Renae’s mind about what to serve the 120 family and friends. True to her Italian roots, she had her heart set on a traditional fi ve-course sit-down dinner. Appetizer, pasta, meat/seafood, salad, dessert. And she knew where to get it – or so she thought.
continued on next page
the Menuappetizers
mushroom frittatas, beef tenderloin on crostini, bocconcini-wrapped zucchini,
cocktail sausages, bruschetta, spinach phyllo triangles, Swedish meatballs
antipasto plateprosciutto, melon, marinated vegetables,
tomato bocconcini, salami, olives
pastapenne alla vodka (recipe at right)
meatgrilled chicken Marsala with roast potatoes
and steamed veggies (recipe next page)
seafoodtomato seafood bouillabaisse
saladgarden salad
dessertfruit platter
under the caledon sun
Renae Cristello and Darren Glennon make their vows surrounded by friends and family… in the middle of a stadium jumping ring.
spring summer 2013 | food in the hills 51
Penne Alla Vodka
ingredients
2 tbsp vegetable oil1 Spanish onion, fi nely chopped4 oz (100g) pancetta, diced4 garlic cloves, peeled and fi nely chopped1½ oz (45ml) vodka1 cup canned tomatoes, crushed2 cups 35% cream ¼ cup parsley, choppedSalt and pepper1 lb (450g) penne rigate
preparation
In a heavy saucepan large enough to hold the sauce and pasta, add vegetable oil.
Sauté onion and diced pancetta for 3–5 minutes, or until onions are translucent and pancetta is cooked. Add garlic and cook for one more minute, making sure it doesn’t burn.
At this point add the vodka. This will produce a small fl ame, which will disappear once the alcohol is cooked out. Add crushed tomatoes and cook for 10 minutes.
Add cream, stirring constantly, and simmer for 5 minutes or until cream has thickened.
Add chopped parsley, and salt and pepper to taste. Keep sauce on a low simmer while cooking the penne in a separate pot. Cook penne until al dente.
Add cooked penne to sauce, stir well and serve.
Serves 6 to 8.
Food In The Hills is pleased to introduce
a new online advertising feature for diners who want to explore and savour the very best that Headwaters restaurants have to offer.
Just click on the Dining Out link at foodinthehills.ca to view a region-wide map of select area restaurants, each linked to its own listing page.
While you’re on the site, check out new recipes from our bloggers, up-to-the-minute listings of local food events, profiles of local producers, and stories and recipes from past issues.
Don’t forget to nominate your candidate for Best Bites in the hills. Or just send us a note – we love to hear from you!
The next issue of Food In The Hills magazine is coming in August. Watch for it at restaurants, specialty food stores and markets throughout the hills.
For print and online advertising information, contact Erin Woodley at 519-307-0769, [email protected]
foodinthehills.ca
p
spring summer 2013 | food in the hills 52
Every Valentine’s Day Renae and Darren treated themselves to dinner at Chef Talk Bistro in Bolton where chef Fabrizio Natale had been wowing guests since 2005. “We were long-time lovers of his food,” says Renae. So she was more than a little dismayed when she learned the restaurant had closed early last year. But after a few calls, she discovered her favourite chef was still in the catering business.
Renae trusted Fabrizio so completely that she let him set the menu for the wedding. “‘I don’t care what you serve,’ I said. ‘This is my budget. Go for it.’”
Renae’s grandparents and their four
eldest children came to Canada in the 1940s. Her father, the fi fth child, was born here. And the menu Chef came up with was typical of Italian feasts the family had enjoyed for generations.
“I received endless compliments on the food,” says Renae of the menu which began with an antipasto plate of prosciutto, melon, marinated vegetables, tomato bocconcini, salami and olives. The pasta was penne alla vodka, followed by chicken Marsala and seafood bouillabaisse, and fi nishing with a garden salad. Dessert was fresh fruit and, of course, the cake – lemon with a buttercream icing.
under the caledon sun
“There was perfectly too much food,” says the bride.
After dinner the couple, who as tradition would have it, were prevented from eating much of anything thanks to the persistent tinkling of spoons on glasses, performed their fi rst dance as man and wife to “Wanted” by country star Hunter Hayes. And as the sun went down over the Escarpment, it was replaced by a gibbous moon and the light of countless candles.
“Everyone,” says the happy bride, “was overwhelmed by how perfect it was.” �
Clockwise from top left: dinner’s aftermath; antipasto; chicken Marsala; Renae and Darren’s engagement photo; two young guests play as dusk settles over the Caledon Hills.
spring summer 2013 | food in the hills 53
Dredge chicken in fl our until coated on both sides. Heat vegetable oil in skillet, sauté garlic for 30 seconds. Add chicken breasts and cook about 3 minutes on each side, then remove from skillet and place into ovenproof casserole dish.
Deglaze skillet with Marsala wine, making sure to scrape the bottom, loosening all brown bits. Add mushrooms and sauté quickly. Add chicken stock and simmer until sauce begins to thicken.
Pour mushrooms and sauce over chicken breasts in casserole dish. Bake uncovered for 20 minutes. Sauce will thicken and reduce a little more.
Serve with pasta or potatoes. Serves 4.
Chicken Marsala
ingredients
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts5 tsp all-purpose fl our2 tbsp vegetable oil4 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped1 cup Marsala wine10 oz (280g) mushrooms, sliced (white or portobello)2 cups chicken stockSalt and pepper
preparation
Preheat oven to 350°F.
Place chicken breasts between sheets of plastic wrap and, with kitchen mallet, carefully pound chicken breast until thin (about ¼ inch thick)
Weddings & Special EventsSweets & Fine Chocolate
Artisanal CheeseTake Out Dinners & Lunch
The Bartlett RoomWine Dinner Club
Locally Made DelicaciesGourmet Imports
Catering all of life’s special occasions.
905.584.000516023 Airport Rd, Caledon East
www.gourmandissimo.com
Best Customer ServiceHills of Headwaters 2011
Chef Gilles RocheCaledon Culinary Challenge Winner 2011
Enjoy our services at the award winning Best Western PLUS Orangeville Inn & Suites
spring summer 2013 | food in the hills 54
medieval
In the Middle Ages people paid their rent with onions. And doctors prescribed onions to facilitate bowel movements and erections, and to relieve headaches, coughs, snakebites and hair loss.
modern
The fi rst settlers brought onions to the New World only to discover native people were already using wild onions, eating them raw and cooked.
seasonal
Onions harvested after bulbing has begun, but before the plant is mature, are called summer onions. The usual time to harvest is in the fall, when the leaves die back and the skin of the onion turns brown and brittle.
healthful
Onions contain quercetin, an antioxidant that helps prevent atherosclerosis and coronary heart disease, and regenerates vitamin E. High in vitamin C, onions are a good source of dietary fi bre and folic acid.
They also contain calcium, iron, are low in sodium and contain no fat.
toxic
Onions are toxic to dogs, cats, guinea pigs and many other animals.
useful
The juice of onions can be used as a moth repellent and rubbed on the skin to prevent insect bites. It is also said to promote hair growth and reduce freckling. It has been used to polish glass and copperware, and prevent rust. A spray made of boiled water and chopped onions can be used as a plant pesticide. Onion skins produce a yellow-brown dye.
irritating
Chopping an onion releases syn-Propanethial-S-oxide, a volatile gas that causes a stinging sensation in the eyes. Tears fl ush out the irritant. To avoid the problem try cutting onions under cold water. Or do not cut into the root end as it has a higher concentration of the compound. �
plentiful
Worldwide, about 9 million acres of onions are cultivated annually in more than 170,000 countries; 92 per cent are for domestic use only.
colourful
Onions come in three colours: yellow, red and white. Green onions (scallions) are young plants harvested before bulbing occurs in the fall. Yellow onions turn a rich dark brown when caramelized. Red onions brighten up salads and grilled food. White onions are used in traditional Mexican cooking for their sweet fl avour when cooked.
symbolic
Ancient Egyptians believed the onion’s spherical shape and concen-tric rings symbolized eternal life.
ancient
The slaves who built the pyramids in Egypt were fed radishes and onions. Ancient Greek athletes ate onions because they were believed to balance the blood. Roman gladiators rubbed their bodies with onions to fi rm up their muscles.
the onion indexOnion
n. a swollen edible bulb used as a vegetable, having a pungent taste and smell and composed of several concentric layers; the plant that produces the onion
Oxford English Dictionary
The onion (Allium cepa) is the most widely cultivated species of the genus Allium. It is most frequently a biennial or a perennial, but is usually treated as an annual and harvested in its fi rst growing season. �
spring summer 2013 | food in the hills 55
CULTIVATE YOUR LIFE
iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiinnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn ttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttthhhhhhhhe Villages of
FARMERS’ MARKET May through OctoberMAYOR’S BREAKFAST May 8
MUSIC ON MAIN May 10-12ART ON MAIN May 25-June 12
BATTLE OF THE BRUSHES June 8SUMMER SOLSTICE June 18
POTATO FESTIVAL August 9-11BANTING DAYS November 12-17
HOMETOWN CHRISTMAS November 30
Share in the weekend fun
at our many events and festivals!
Every Saturday (May through Oct)Mill St. & Victoria St 8:00 am - 2:00 pm
Celebrating our 25th AnniversaryHeartfelt Thank You to Our Loyal Customers for Supporting Local and Ontario Farmers
Eat Local and Taste the Difference!Ontario Grown Produce as in Season
Offering you a large variety of annuals, perennials, hanging baskets, herbs, vegetable plants, fresh cut flowers,
fresh fruits and vegetables, free range farm eggs, preserves, maple syrup, home baked pies and bread daily
U-Pick and Pick Your Own Strawberries (Approx. June 20th)
Farmer Fresh Produce:from our table to yours
www.rockgardenfarms.ca
Open Everyday!April to November, Including Holidays, 8am to 7pm
905-584-9461 16930 Airport Road, 2.5 km North of Caledon East
WeekendMarketcorner of AirportRoad andMansfield (site ofDowney poutine and burger stand)
SummerEvents (so far)• Art Show - Kai-Liis McInnes
June 22 and 23 (reception June 22, 6pm to 8pm)
• Kids Cooking Camp day campAugust 19 to 23 ($350)
CSAs (share program)sign-up
Contactwww.mansfieldheritagefarm.caor 416-432-4934
spring summer 2013 | food in the hills 56
what’s cooking in the hills
fundraisersmay 18, june 15
Pancake Breakfasts
The Caledon Navy league is serving up mouth watering breakfasts of pancakes, sausages, tea, coffee and juice at the Bolton United Church at King and Nancy Streets. All proceeds support the Bolton Sea Cadet program. $5; seniors and children $3. 9–11am. 905-533-1960, [email protected]
may 19
CRAvening
Join us for a seasonal, multi-course meal rooted in the fi ne tradition of community dinners and created by several well known local chefs including Caesar Guinto and Leona Nyman. Proceeds to the Avening Community Centre. 6:30pm. $85. Avening community Centre, Airport Rd, Avening (just south of Creemore). 705-466-9906, www.aveninghall.com
may 25
Palgrave United
Church Plant and Bake Sale
Come early for an amazing selection of baked goods and perennials, and don’t forget the back bacon on a bun barbeque. 8am–noon. 34 Pine Ave, Palgrave. 905-880-0303, [email protected]
may 25
Perfect Pairing presented by
Topac Express
Caledon Community Services hosts an exquisite gourmet meal perfectly paired with excellent wines. Proceeds to the Transportation Program, providing more than 35,000 rides annually to seniors and those with disabilities. 6–11pm. $125. Glen Eagle Golf Club, 15731 Hwy 50, Caledon. 905-584-2300 x260, www.ccs4u.org
june 15
Country Traditions Barbeque
and Dance
Wear your jeans and boots and bring your hat and lawn chair for a Western barbeque, followed by an evening of dancing to country music by Kent Tocher. Proceeds go to the Lymphedema Compassion Fund. 5–11pm. $20. Orangeville Seniors’ Centre, 26 Bythia St. Valley Chapter OES. 519-938-8457, [email protected]
july 13
Avening Annual Beef Barbeque
Beef roasted over an open fi re, new potatoes, beans, coleslaw, homemade pie. Hungry yet? Help raise funds for the $70,000 needed to bring the beloved community centre up to fi re and electrical codes. 5–7:30pm. Avening Community Centre, Airport Rd, Avening. 705-466-3024, www.aveninghall.com
july 27
Honeywood Beef Barbeque
This annual barbeque features a delicious outdoor fi re-roasted beef dinner with all the trimmings and tasty homemade treats that have been bringing the community together for 48 years. Proceeds support the North Dufferin Community Recreation Centre where the event takes place at 706114 County Rd 21, Honeywood. 5–8pm. 705-466-3341 x223, www.mulmurtownship.ca
august 18
Food & Water First
The citizens’ group that helped stop the mega quarry invites you to Honeywood for a day of local food, live music and great art. Kids’ activities, a farmers’ market and tractor rides to a beautiful lookout over the hills of Headwaters. Proceeds go to the Food & Water First campaign to protect Ontario’s prime farmland and source water regions. $5, children under 5 free. Honeywood Arena, 706114 County Rd 21. www.Ndact.com
august 25
McVean Harvest Table
Dine family-style on handcrafted harvest tables surrounded by a picturesque patchwork of small farms. Freshly harvested McVean Farm organic vegetables are cooked onsite over a charcoal fi re. Local biodynamic wines and organic brews complement the meal, along with local meats and cheeses. 3–9pm. $100. McVean Farm, west side of McVean Drive at Dunegrass Way, Brampton. Proceeds to FarmStart. 519-836-7046 x103, www.harvesttable.ca
communitynow – may 19
Albion Hills Community Farm
CSA Registration
How about a weekly supply of fresh, local and naturally grown vegetables? Sign up online. Spaces are fi lling fast. The program runs from late June until the end of October. $600 gets you a full share; $325 a half share. What better way to get your 10 a day? 16555 Humber Station Rd, Caledon, L7E 3A5. 647-981-6281, www.albionhillscommunityfarm.org
may 25
Grand Valley Lions
Free Community Breakfast
Join the Lions on Duck Race Day for sausages, eggs, pancakes, toast, juice and coffee. Ducks drop in the river at 2pm. The breakfast runs from 8–11am. Other events, such as garage and plant sales, happen all day throughout the town.
Grand Valley Community Centre, 90 Main St N. 519-928-5470, www.grandvalleylions.com
c a l e n d a r o f f o o d h a p p e n i n g s
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spring summer 2013 | food in the hills 57
june 1
Palgrave United Church
Barbeque Pork Chop Dinner
There’ll be lots of pork chops, baked potatoes, a large variety of salads, baked beans and – the best part – cake and ice cream for dessert! You can even buy fresh chops to take home. 5–7pm. $15. 34 Pine Ave, Palgrave. 905-880-0303, [email protected]
june 5
Albion Hills Community Farm
AGM with Sarah Elton
Get an update on the farm’s future plans for providing locally grown food to the area. Author/CBC journalist Sarah Elton will discuss local food issues. Pick up her bestselling books Consumed and Locavore. 6:30–8:30pm. Free. Palgrave United Church Community Kitchen, 34 Pine Ave. 647-981-6281, www.albionhillscommunityfarm.org
june 6 – november 2
Everdale Harvest Share
What’s better than fresh, local, organic vegetables you can pick up yourself? Sign up and choose what you take home, your share size, and the number of weeks. Pick Thurs-days (3–8pm) or Saturdays (8:30–11:30am). Everdale Organic Farm and Environmental Learning Centre, 5812 6th Line, Hillsburgh. 519-855-4859 x170, www.everdale.org
june 7
WOW! Wines of the World
Sample from over 60 brands of wine, beer, and local cider while savouring oven-roasted sirloin roast beef sliders, plus assorted sandwiches. Enjoy live music with door prizes including a free motor home for a weekend. And don’t worry – Home James offers a limited designated driver service. 6–8:30pm. Caledon Equestrian Park, 200 Pine Ave, Palgrave. Tickets $40, for purchase locations, contact Palgrave Rotary Club, 905-583-0200, www.rotaryclubofpalgrave.com
june 15
A Day on the Farm at
Sheldon Creek Dairy
Enjoy a delicious pancake breakfast, watch the cooking demos, stroll through the farmers’ market, listen to live music and meet the cows. Join us in celebrating local foods. 10am–4pm. Free. Sheldon Creek Dairy Farm, 4316 RR #2 Loretto. 705-434-0404, www.sheldoncreekdairy.ca
june 22
St. Andrew’s Stone Church
Scottish Afternoon
Join the Friends of St. Andrew’s Stone Church for an afternoon of everything Scottish, including a barbeque lunch, Chanda Leahy’s step dancers, piper Joe Thompson, fi ddlers, Scottish folk singers, historical artifacts and information, and more. Noon–4:30pm. $10; children $5. 17621 St. Andrew’s Rd, Caledon. 905-584-5001, [email protected]
june 22
Hockley United
Church’s Strawberry
Pancake Breakfast
Great food. Great fun. Great deals. Scrump-tious pancakes, sausages, strawberries, whipped cream, tea and coffee. 8–11am. $6; children 10 and under $4. Hockley Seniors & Community Hall, 994174 Mono-Adjala Town Line, Hockley Village. 905-729-2887, [email protected]
july 1
Knox United Church
Strawberry Supper
How about a strawberry supper? Enjoy juicy berries and an assortment of great cakes. 4–7pm. $12; children 5–10 $6; pre-school free. Knox United Church, 2976 Charleston Sdrd, Caledon Village. 519-927-3320, [email protected]
continued on next page
Fine DiningCasual Atmosphere
on Hockley Road
307388 Hockley Rd • Orangeville519 938 2333
spring summer 2013 | food in the hills 58
what’s cooking in the hills
festivalsmay 25
2nd Annual Garlic Mustard Pull
Pull invasive garlic mustard in the morning, then enjoy a free barbeque and games. You can also pull it at home the week before, bring it to the CVC drop-off zone to enter your name in a draw. Free yard bags at Belfountain Public School and Credit Valley Conservation. Get a raffl e ticket for each fi lled bag. 10am–1pm. Belfountain Conservation Area. 519-927-5212, www.garlicmustardbusters.ca
july 1
Caledon
Canada Day
Strawberry Festival
Start the day with a melt-in-your-mouth strawberry pancake breakfast with all the trimmings. Then celebrate Canada’s 146th birthday with a car show, dog demonstrations, “Christmas in July” craft and artisan sale, magic show, petting zoo and more. Relax during the festivities at the Bavarian garden or tea room. 9am–4pm. Caledon Agricultural Society Fairgrounds, Caledon Village. www.caledonfairgrounds.ca
july 1
Downey’s Canada Day
Strawberry Festival
The strawberry pancake breakfast begins at 9am, $7 per person. Then pick your own strawberries, or buy fresh-picked ones and strawberry treats in the bakery. The day includes live entertainment. 9am–5pm. Downey’s Farm Market, 13682 Heart Lake Rd, Caledon. 905-838-2990, www.downeysfarm.com
july 6
Orangeville’s 150th Birthday Bash!
Orange Lawrence would be so proud! Join in the free community breakfast and lunch, horse-drawn wagon rides, heritage walking tours, demonstrations, vendors, a juried art show and buskers. Afternoon and evening entertainment, including Hannah Chapplain and Campfi re Poets. 8am–10pm. Downtown Orangeville. 519-941-0440 x2252, www.orangeville150.ca
july 12 – 14
Bolton Rotary Ribfest
Three days of family fun, food and entertainment. Award-winning ribbers, farmers’ market, 10 live bands including Tia Brazda and Larry Berrio, mechanical bull, classic cars and motorcycles, midway. Free. Friday and Saturday noon–11pm. Sunday noon–6pm. Albion Bolton Community Centre, 150 Queen St S, Bolton. 416-949-8304, www.boltonrotaryribfest.ca
july 19 – 21
Orangeville
Rotary Ribfest
Vote for your favourite of six world-famous ribbers during this weekend of fantastic food and great music. Enjoy the beer tent, vendors, midway and continuous entertainment. It’s all part of a $250,000 fundraising campaign to bring a splashpad and other improvements to Fendley Park. Free, donations appreciated. Fri 4–10pm. Sat 11am–10pm. Sun 11am–6pm. Alder Street Recreation Centre, Orangeville. 519-942-0267, www.orangevilleribfest.com
july 19 – 21
Cuisine-Art at the Alton Mill
The Alton Mill’s studios and galleries host food and beverage tasting stations, special art showings and collaborative food-art activities, including hourly chef demonstrations, a daily cook-off with duelling chefs, and a fi ne-food marketplace. Get a sneak peek of the weekend on Friday evening: enjoy dinner and a cash bar al frescofollowed by the Humber River Shakespeare Company’s presentation of As You Like It under the tent in the Annex Courtyard. Dinner options $10 and up from 5:30pm. Theatre begins 7pm. Advance tickets $20 at www.humberrivershakespeare.ca. Saturday noon–9pm. Sunday noon–5pm. Advance tickets $20 ($30 at the gate) includes $10 in sampling tickets. Alton Mill Arts Centre, 1402 Queen St, Alton. 519-941-9300, www.altonmill.ca
august 13 – september 1
SummerFeast
Experience delectable culinary creations at excellent prices at some of the fi nest restaurants in Headwaters. Each offers a dinner menu, and in many cases also a lunch menu, at “prix fi xe” rates. The Hills of Headwaters Tourism Association, 519-942-0314, www.thehillsofheadwaters.com
august 25
A Taste of Dufferin
Show the kids where their food comes from. Sample fresh, delicious food grown and raised in Dufferin. Local restaurants pair with local farmers to produce delicious creations. Rebecca Landman’s lovely farm features large gardens, beautiful dry stone walls and an authentic blackhouse. 2–5pm. Landman Gardens and Bakery, 322345 Concession 6-7, Grand Valley. 519-938-6163, www.landmangardens.ca
c a l e n d a r o f f o o d h a p p e n i n g s
bfest.ca
l
spring summer 2013 | food in the hills 59
fairsjune 7 – 9
153rd Caledon Fair
New meets old at one of Ontario’s oldest agricultural fairs, with dairy and beef contests, home baking and crafts, beer garden, plus agricultural “know-how.” Over a thousand competitions including a truck and tractor pull, lawn tractor challenge , country hoedown barbeque, Muir Family concert, all-breeds horse show, the Agricultural Awareness Pavilion and draft horse pull. $10 Friday. $8 Saturday and Sunday. $15 per car. $2 children under 14. Caledon Fairgrounds, Caledon Village. www.caledonfairgrounds.ca
toursjune 8
Edible Wild
Lisa Yates, Dufferin County’s master herbalist and folklorist, leads a walk to identify edible and medicinal wild plants. Everything you need to know when you forget your GPS and get lost in the woods. 9:30am–noon. $10; children free, register. Mansfi eld Outdoor Centre, 937365 Regional Rd 18, Mansfi eld. Dufferin South Simcoe Land Stewardship Network, 705-435-1881 x23, www.dufferinmuseum.com
june 15
More Edible Wild
Join Lisa Yates again to explore the forest and fi elds in east Caledon. Discover numerous edible and medicinal wild plants and enjoy a wild lunch in a rustic forest cabin. 10am–2:30pm. $60, register. 16962 Mountainview Rd, Caledon East. 519-216-7816, [email protected]
kidsmay 22
Baby Steps with Nutritionist
Karen Wismer
From starting solids, to making baby food, to ideas for picky eaters, Karen answers your infant nutritional concerns and questions. 1:30–3pm. Free, register online. All Saints Anglican Church, 81 Main St,
Erin. 519-833-9696 x227. www.meetup.com/EWCS-
childrens-programs
july 8 – 12, 15 – 19, 22 – 26
Everdale Farm Camp
Let your child be a real farmer for a week! Campers participate in daily farm chores, help care for the livestock and work in the market garden. At the end of each day they’ll come home loaded with goodies from the farm, smiling and brimming with stories about their day. $200/week. 9:30am–3:30pm. Everdale, 5812 6th Line, Hillsburgh. 519-855-4859, www.farmkids.everdale.org/kids-farm-camp
july 22 – july 26
From Dirt to Delicious Summer Camp
Kids 9 to 12 will be harvesting, cooking and eating local, seasonal food and having loads of fun as they cook their way through the week. 9am–4pm. $150, includes food. Palgrave Community Kitchen, 34 Pine Ave, Palgrave. Albion Hills Community Farm, 905-880-0303, www.palgravekitchen.org
continued on next page
s about their day. 3:30pm. ne, 4859, ale.org AT THE ANNUAL
ORANGEVILLEROTARY RIBFEST
www.orangevilleribfest.com
JULY 19, 20 & 21 2013
N IS FREEADMISSIONBUT DONATIONS FORBUT DONATIONS FORTHE FENDLEY PARK SPLASHPAD WILL BE
GRATEFULLY ACCEPTEDTHE ROTARY CLUB OF
ORANGEVILLE
Get Saucy!
ALDER STREETREC CENTRE
s7 – 9
c
spring summer 2013 | food in the hills 60
what’s cooking in the hills
coursesEverdale Organic Farm
Everdale courses are held at Everdale from 9am–noon and cost $45, unless otherwise noted. 5812 6th Line Erin, near Hillsburgh. 519-855-4859, www.everdale.org
may 24
Harvesting Techniques for Vegetables
may 24
Planting a Pollinator Garden (held at Black Creek Community Farm, 4929 Jane St, Toronto)
june 1
Food Forest Theory and Practice
june 5
Drip Irrigation for the Market Garden
june 21
Introduction to Beekeeping
july 12
Pigs on Pasture
august 10
Canning and Preserving ($85, 10am–4pm)
farmers’ markets may 11 – october 26
Orangeville Farmers’ Market
Saturdays, 8am–1pm. Second St & Broadway. Orangeville BIA, 519-942-0087, www.orangevillefarmersmarket.ca
may 18 – october 12
Creemore Farmers’ Market
Saturdays, 8:30am–12:30pm. Station on the Green. 705-794-8943; www.creemorefarmersmarket.ca
june 8 – october 12
Caledon Farmers’ Market
Saturdays, 9am–2pm. Albion Bolton Community Centre, 150 Queen St S, Bolton. 905-584-2272 x4286; www.caledon.ca/farmersmarket
may 4 – october 26
Alliston Farmers’ Market
Saturdays, 8am–2pm. Mill St & Victoria St. 705-435-1787, www.allistonbia.com
june 5 – october 9
Amaranth Farmers’ Market
Wednesdays, 4:30–8pm. Amaranth Municipal Offi ce, 374028 6th Line. 519-941-1007, [email protected]
june 12 – october 9
Inglewood Farmers’ Market
Wednesdays, 3:30–7pm. Village of Inglewood. 905-584-6221; www.eatlocalcaledon.org
may 30 – october 17
Shelburne Farmers’ Market
Thursdays, 3 – 7pm. Besley Country Market, Victoria St. [email protected]
june 14 – september 27
Erin Farmers’ Market
Fridays, 3–7pm. Erin Agricultural Society Fairgrounds. 519-833-2808; www.erinfair.ca
june 21 – october 11
Rosemont Farmers’ Market
Fridays, 3–7pm. Orange Hall parking lot, Hwy 89, Rosemont. [email protected] �
c a l e n d a r o f f o o d h a p p e n i n g s
We serve and sell premium, top-quality,great-tasting beef. Always tender and juicy. Always hormone and antibiotic-free.Try our new line of delicious gluten-free pork and poultry products.Call or e-mail to order. Our mobile kitchen serves smokedbeef, all-beef franks, sausage, peamealand egg & cheese on a bun. Find us at your local farmers’ market.
Wayne Speers Orangeville [email protected]
keeping
ing
spring summer 2013 | food in the hills 61
end note
The rapid decline of the small abattoir poses a threat to the future of farmland and local food that is every bit as serious as a mega quarry or urban sprawl. At the present rate of closure, the small plants that give residents the option of buying meat direct from a farm will disappear entirely from Ontario agriculture by the end of this decade.
About two years ago, Food In The Hills visited local abattoirs and reported that, in spite of the challenges presented by regulations and a diffi cult economy, the small plants were holding their own and the future for locally sourced meat looked bright. Since then, of the three plants featured in that story, Holly Park in Bolton and Metheral Meats in Dunedin have closed their doors. Only Stayner Meat Packers remains in business.
Metheral’s was widely regarded as one of the best-run small abattoirs in the province. Family owned and built new in 1991, it has been upgraded regularly as standards change. Until last December it processed 600 beef cattle and 3,000 lambs a year. Small plants have several real advantages over industrial plants – employee morale is higher and staff turnover much lower. Workers who enjoy their jobs tend to treat animals humanely and take pride in the fi nished product. And they all work in plain view of the same community where they live, which gives them added incentive to do good work. It is signifi cant that the meat recalls of the past decade have rarely involved small plants.
To listen to the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture and Food, we live in the best of all possible worlds. Local meat, they say, is freely available, carefully regulated and completely safe. Safe it may be, but availability is another matter. Small-scale livestock production is in free fall in Ontario. Rising grain and hay prices, sharply higher processing costs, and competition from box store meat retailers have reduced profi t margins and put producers at a crossroads.
It is significant that the meat recalls of the
past decade have rarely involved small plants.
Meat inspection in Canada is divided between the Federal Government and the provinces. Any meat that crosses a provincial border for sale must be inspected in a federal plant. These are the high-volume factories run by Maple Leaf Foods, XL and Cargill, and they supply the grocery and restaurant chains of the nation, with most of the meat consumed in Canada. The small producer who wants to sell to his own customers must fi nd a provincially inspected plant. Until a decade ago they dotted the landscape – more than 800 in Ontario in the 1970s, dropping to 500 in the 1990s, down to fewer than 130 today.
The provincial regulations were origin-ally put in place to get farmers to stop slaughtering animals on the farm and take them to clean, professional and humane
plants. For decades it was considered a duty of the provincial ministry to ensure farm communities had access to well-run local kill plants. But that has changed.
As an inspector told me when I picked up a few boxes of my own meat for a freezer order customer, “The system wasn’t meant to allow you to sell your own meat. It’s supposed to be just for your personal use.” That is not true, but it is becoming more the case as the attitude of regulators hardens toward the small producer.
They are making it clear that, in their view, consumers should buy their meat in a grocery store or restaurant, but nowhere else. They are tolerating farm sales of meat for the moment in Ontario, but every year there is an expensive new ear tag, a new transport rule, or a costly new packaging requirement. Regulators are slowly shutting the door on local meat processing and the way of life that once supported it.
A turning point for Neil Metheral happened when he phoned an inspector’s supervisor in Guelph to question one of the new rules. The reply he got was, “You don’t ask questions. You do what you are told.”
That attitude and the expense of the regulations wore him out. Now the plant sits empty, its 15 employees looking for work and some livestock producers in the community wondering if they should bother with farm sales.
“It’s a broken system and I don’t even know if you can fi x it,” says Neil. “They don’t look at the plant itself. They just look at their regulation book.” �
Dan Needles is a writer who raises freezer-order lamb, beef, chicken and pork on his farm near Collingwood.
Regulators closing the door on local meat | by dan needles
spring summer 2013 | food in the hills 62
best bites
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best bitesWhether it’s a veal sandwich in Bolton, a butter tart in Erin, wings at your local pub, or a chocolate sundae at the diner down the street, we want to hear about the best kept food secrets in the hills. You tell us and if we agree, we’ll reveal them right here. Submit your nominations at www.foodinthehills.ca.
Soulyve Caribbean Kitchen
19 Mill StreetOrangeville519-307-5983www.soulyve.ca
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We proudly carry antibiotic- and hormone-free meats.
Come in for our famous fresh produce, wide selection of organic meats, specialty foods and organic products, and visit our garden centre with its extensive selection of hanging baskets, annuals, perennials and shrubs.
Eat Fresh for Better Health!
Owned and Operated for 30 Years
We proudly carry fresh, certified organic produce.
We carry frozen organic meats. We also have a selection of fresh antibiotic and hormone free beef, pork, lamb and chicken from Liberterre and Beretta Family Farms and fresh organic chicken from Yorkshire Valley Farms.
Livestock raised within Canada. Canadian Angus Rancher endorsed.
501 Queen Street South in Bolton | www.gardenfoodsmarket.com | 905-857-1227
Saturdays 8am - 1pmMay 11th - October 26th
Next to Town Hall, Downtown Orangeville
orangevillefarmersmarket.ca
Saturdays 9am - 2pmJune 8th - October 12th
150 Queen Street South, Bolton
caledon.ca/farmersmarket
Saturdays 8am - 2pmMay through October
Mill Street, Alliston
www.allistonbia.com
Wednesdays 4:30pm - 8pmJune 5th - October 9th
Amaranth Municipal Office 374028 6th Line
Creemore
Orangeville
Caledon
Inglewood
Alliston
Amaranth
Farmers’ Market
Farmers’ Market
Farmers’ Market
Farmers’ Market
Farmers’ Market
Saturdays 8:30am - 12:30pmVictoria Day to Thanksgiving
The Station on the Green, 10 Caroline St East
creemorefarmersmarket.ca
Wednesdays 3:30pm - 7pmJune 12th - October 9th
Village of Inglewood, 15596 McLaughlin Rd.
eatlocalcaledon.org/farmers-markets/inglewood-farmers-market
Farmers’ Market
Thursdays 3pm - 7pmMay 30th - October 17th
Besley Country Market, Victoria St.
Shelburne Farmers’ Market
Fridays 3pm - 7pmJune 21st - October 11th
Next to Globe Restaurant Hwy 89
Rosemont Farmers’ Market