Local eating early in the growing season

Really, it's been quite the series of food-adventures this spring and summer. It's exciting to watch the seasons change, and the foods change with it. In late spring we started to see diversity in local veggies appear. My husband and I were going to St Jacobs Farmers Market almost weekly, to get the freshest of what the season had to offer. Three of our favourites were asparagus, fiddleheads and morels.

We literally crawled out of bed to get to the market on a Saturday morning by 7am, in order to procure the morels. We have a source (*taps inner arm*) who grows local mushrooms and goes out and picks edible wild local mushrooms and sells them at the market. The one of the first early mornings we ran out there, he'd made a mistake and didn't have my reserved order, and we left without our first taste of the wild seasonal delight. He called us back, long enough to give us a heads up on the first fiddleheads of the year, from one of the local old order Mennonite vendors, Henry. Henry not only sells fiddleheads at that time of year, but maple syrup. In fact, he has light, amber and dark maple syrups for sale. My husband and I highly recommend the dark maple syrup, it is truly an amazing treat.

It started raining when we were off to visit Henry. By the time we were walking away from there (large bag of fiddleheads and container of maple syrup under arm) it started to pour and we sought shelter in one of the market buildings. Eventually the rain stopped but the market was absolutely flooded. We ended up rolling up our pants and, in our sandalled feet, walked through the frigid water up to our knees (note: farmers market - think hay, manure, etc) to finish our shopping.

The funny thing was, it ended up being a phenomenal adventure in the end. Neither of us really minded the rain, much. Wading through the water was funny, and we dried out quickly after. It was a great moment of connection with Mother Nature herself to be out, foraging for food, literally in the elements.

Later that morning, a friend called. She'd secured morels at the same market, having gone late in the day, he had a reserved bag whose owner never showed up. So in the end, our treasures arrived anyways!

Mmmmm.... if you've never had morels, you can probably find the dried versions of them in your local grocery store. But there is something spectacular about the taste of fresh morels that is hard to describe. They aren't cheap, but they are an amazing tasty treat that shows up in Southern Ontario for a few weeks of the year.

One thing about them, those fine little ridges with deep grooves... they hold the sandy soil that they grow in.


What we used, on a tip from a friend, was a salt water soak. I used warm water (in hopes of slightly opening up any pores) with a sea salt and soaked them for an hour or two, stirring them up to loosen the sand now and then.

In terms of cooking them, our favourite method was to sauté them with butter and garlic. They are holy-crap-good.


The food adventures this year have, as always, helped to reinforce our connection to our food, and I appreciate every moment of it. Every adventure has had a unique, happy ending.

Market fun and a Strawberry-Gooseberry Jam

Today we went to the St Jacobs Farmer's Market, the first time I've been to one of their Thursday markets. We wandered in and lunch time and it was crazy busy, I was absolutely taken aback by how *many* people there were. We prayed to the Goddess of Parking, and did a little careful watching for people getting into their car (or minivan in this case) and found an excellent spot close to the vendors.

We did as we usually do, and made a bee-line for our favourite mushroom vendor. We picked up some portabellos (mostly for the BBQ) and crimini. Did I mention we're in a CSA this year (community supported agriculture program) and we're getting veggie baskets weekly? And yet we still need more ;)

Eventually we made our way over to where most of the old-order Mennonites vend and found gooseberries for sale. Being the brave local-food-adventurer that I am, I bought the bigger of the two sizes of baskets. I've been pretty much buying any local foods as they come in season this year, then coming home and doing some research about them, tasting them, and making a recipe out of them.

One of the things I learned about gooseberries is that they are high in pectin. So, I made:

Strawberry-Gooseberry Jam

2 cups Strawberries
2 cups gooseberries (roughly chopped)
1.5 cups of sugar (or to taste, I like a tart flavour)

In a pot, cook fruit on medium until very soft (maybe 10 minutes?)
Note: You can use either fresh or frozen berries. Gooseberries freeze best whole.

As usual with my recipes this is approximate cooking measurements, I did it by taste.

Fabulous, small batch of jam. Yum yum yum.

Incidentally, we got some of the last garlic scapes and asperagus of the season.

Borealis, not so far from home...

A fabulous thing happened recently. On a visit to Guelph to visit my Mom for Mother's day last weekend, she suggested we all go to Borealis. She was sure that I would absolutely love it, and as it seems, mother really does know best.

Borealis is a fantastic new restaurant, which specializes in making local foods. I am hoping that it will be the first of an earth-friendly trend. I could tell you all about the things they are doing to make a difference, but I'd encourage you to check out their website for more information: http://www.borealisgrille.ca

During my visit last Sunday, I started with the Roasted Ignatius Onion Soup. It was a tasty, local version of a French onion soup, topped with a smoked cheddar (that I regularly have on hand at home) and a crostini. A tasty, tasty start. Borealis also carries a list of Flatbreads (or as my Mother put it "Oh, it's a pizza?"). I decided on the True North flatbread, consisting of ground bison, caramelized onion, field mushrooms and a Monforte Baumanís smoked cheese. Yes, it was truly as finger-licking as it actually sounds. The flavours were a perfect blend, and the smoked cheese was a good tie in with the soup. Lastly, I split the Chudley's apple crisp with my Mom, even if we were nearly bursting at the seams. Still, I ended up going home with a third of a flatbread, which made an excellent late night snack ;)

We went back again yesterday. Oh yes, I think this may turn into a favourite new haunt, even if we do need to drive to another city to get there.

Last night we started the meal with the Borealis Tusks. Somehow the description they give, just doesn't do it justice. The menu describes it as "Ground Bison, Tomatoes, Herbs and Mozzarella fried in a Whole Wheat Wrap with Spicy Dipping Sauce". What it was, was 8 pieces of fried heaven. We split this between four people and there was plenty to go around. I could have even passed on the sauce completely, since the Tusks themselves had an excellent flavour. What isn't mentioned above was the addition of green onions.

They also had a draught special, 2-for-1 pints of Amsterdam Two Fisted Stout (Toronto). It was the first time I've had that stout, and if you're a Guiness lover, you'll really appreciate it. No preservatives, great full-bodied taste, distinct taste of barley & malt with hints of a creamy espresso flavour. If you normally find stout to be a bit to strong for you, consider trying this.

Finally, all four of us enjoyed the Prime Rib together. When I say enjoyed, I suppose I should say "drooled on, gobbled up and talked about it for two days." Although I didn't have a chance to ask them about whether their beef is wet or dry aged (or a combination of both) or for how long, it was seriously a fantastic prime rib dinner. The website doesn't do it justice, they only mention that it is "slow cooked". It is actually smoked for hours, and then slow cooked. It was the first time I'd had a smoked prime rib. It is like someone took a great prime rib and asked themselves how they could make it better, and it completely worked. They offer it in two sizes (8oz was more than enough for me), and only on weekends. I'll definitely be going back for it again. To accompany the prime rib (as if it needed more than the smoke?) was a tasty thyme gravy, horseradish, as well as carrots and ramps (spring leeks). I ate enough horseradish to get a high-five from the waitress, although I'll point out that I didn't diminish the taste of the prime rib. For any hot horseradish fans, it was tasty, but not all that hot.

Not sure what the dessert we took home was (it was a special) but it was fabulous.

One fun note for duck lovers: I did notice was that their website advertises a poutine with a duck confit, but the menu gives ground bison or pulled pork as options for that dish. When I asked the waitress about it, she said that they do also offer it with duck confit if you ask.

Yes, Borealis is absolutely my favorite new restaurant find. Thanks Mom!

Adventures in Pancetta

Not as local or organic as I might usually enjoy, but a fabulous meal none the less.

Stuffed Pasta Shells w/ Pancetta & Spinach

At a local European deli I purchased two slices of Pancetta, and asked them to put the meat slicer on the thickest setting possible. At home I cut the pieces up into cubes which I sautéed with onions (note: oil wasn't required because of the fat in the pancetta).

Also prepared a mixture of blanched spinach, which was a local/organic variety I'd frozen last fall. Mix with ricotta cheese. Add the pancetta/onion mixture and season to taste. Fresh parsley can't hurt at this point.

Pre-boiled the extra large pasta shells, but left them very al dente. Not only did it make handling them easier, but they'll cook longer in the oven. Let the shells cool, take your fabulous new ricotta/pancetta/spinach mixture and spoon them into the shells. Don't forget to lick both your fingers and the bowl when done.

Place the filled shells into a casserole dish. I topped mine with homemade herbed local/organic stewed tomatoes, freshed grated mozzerella cheese, and fresh basil leaves. Season to taste.

Baked in the oven around 350*F until the cheese is melted, but before you drool too much from the fabulous smells. I highly recommend eating some of the fried pancetta just on it's own as a reward for your hard work.

The results:



So good.... slightly sinful, but who cares?

I'm back...

After some time of personal illness, not to mention some introspection, I've decided to get back to this blog again. It feels as though I had just barely begun before, and with local growing seasons upon us, I have the inspiration to continue journaling my food adventures.

I'll take some time to chronicle a few of our recent food-related exploits, and look forward to a full, exciting summer of local foods.

Are you in, or near the K-W area? Do you have a great place you get local/all natural foods from? Or even a fabulous restaurant? Let me know! I'm always looking for new places to try, and new foods to eat.

Happy eating.

Crock-pot Yogurt

The first attempt I've ever made at yogurt was this recipe. I am really pleased with the outcome although I'd like to do two things differently next time: (1) add acidophilus to give it an extra boost in good bacterias and (2) not use any milk less then 2%

The yogurt turned out really good. The taste is good, although it's a bit runnier than I expected.

You'll need:
4 cups of organic milk
1/2 cup of organic yogurt for starter
Crock pot

Put milk into crock pot and simmer on low for 2hrs. Unplug, leave the lid on, and let stand another 2hrs. Mix 1 cup of the warm milk with 1/4 - 1/2 cup good quality organic plain yogurt (I used Mapleton's Organic - Cream on top). Pour into the crock pot and stir until yogurt is completely mixed in.

Cover the crock pot in one or two heavy towels and let sit for 8 hrs. Ta Da!! Yogurt!

A quick, tasty dinner

A mostly organic/local meal I made from things out of my fridge.

1 package local/all natural ground pork
1 organic zucchini, diced
1 home-canned jar of local tomatoes
2 large organic, local leeks
dash of Worcestershire
salt & pepper to taste
basil, oregano
basil pesto

I started by sauteing the leeks by themselves, then the zucchini, and adding everything to a large pot when done. Season and cook the ground pork and add to the pot. Add the canned tomatoes, and add herbs and seasoning. Add a dash of Worcestershire sauce, then the remanents of some basil pesto for some body to the flavour. Taste, season, taste....

Serve with 4 cups cooked jasmine rice (admittedly, not local. I haven't figured rice out yet)

A first attempt at Kale

We just tried Kale for the first time, and loved it! It made a fantastic side dish to tonight's meal.

The Meal:
Local/all-natural Pork chops stuffed with Cajun sausage, broiled
Organic baked herb-Parmesan sweet potato fries
Organic lemon garlic Kale

How I made the sweet potato fries: I quickly cut up two sweet potatoes on our mandolin. In a bowl I tossed these with herbs de province, parmesan cheese, finely chopped garlic, olive oil, salt & pepper. Roasted these in an oven, stirring occasionally.

How I made the kale: In a saucepan, I started with butter, garlic and onions. I cut up the kale into 1/4" slices (afte removing the stems). I slowly added it into the saucepan and cooked for approx 10mins. Garnished with lemon juice, and salt & pepper to taste.

Results: Fantastic!! I like a lot of dark greens (chard, beet greens) but kale has a wonderful taste. Definitely a cook-again!

Ice wine, a fairly local treat

I'm very blessed where I live, I completely understand that. I have two fabulous markets (ok, technically three) right next door that I frequent and more in the area. I have a store I buy local meats and dairy through year round. There are organic stores in and around town....

and wine is a short drive away.

We took a tour of the Niagara region for the Ice Wine Festival this past weekend. We each bought a Discovery pass, which gave us tastings at 6 wineries (for half the price it would have cost to pay for each). The lovely man at the tasting bar in the first one said we'd never make all six. We made 9 ;) The wines and food were fantastic, and the ambience was everything you'd hope for in a winery tour.



Tastes and adventures along the way, in order:

• Lakeview Estates: A fabulous start to our trip, it's a pretty building. We bought our discovery passes here, and were shocked to find out we bought the last three. I am still not sure how to buy them online earlier next year. The pass took us upstairs to a separate tasting bar where Hayden walked us through three wine samples and a double-bacon mini quiche. We started with their Brut (a sparkling wine), then the Late Autumn Harvest, then finally the ice wine. To top it off he snuck us an extra sample to show us a tasty treat: sparkling wine + ice wine. Fantastic!
• Cave Springs: Usually one of my favorite wineries. Our pass got us a taste of the Dolomite Reisling and a corkscrew. We were disappointed (we've had the Dolomite before) and we said something and got a complimentary taste of their ice wine. I still bought two Reislings from here, their CSV: Estate bottled Reisling is my favorite.
• Flat Rock Cellars: I can't tell you how beautiful this winery is. The building is mostly window, and with good reason. You are on top of the escarpment here, but you can see everything out to the lake - breathtaking. In a private room with a fabulous view of the vineyards, we tasted two ice wine martinis. They both had vodka, one had mango and apricot juice, the other white cranberry juice. Also, we sampled some frozen red grapes which had been rolled in sugar. Out at the sample bar, we tried ice wines from two different harvests and settled on one (2007) for purchase. We also bought a tasty treat for later: homemade ice wine marshmallows.
• Creekside Estates: At the outdoor patio, a large serving of roasted chestnuts with an orange-garlic butter (the other option was cajun) with an ice wine. Inside we enjoyed some mulled wine. A tasty stop, and a beautiful building.
• 20 Bees: Ok, this one actually suprised me a bit. The building you go into literally looks like an oversized classroom portable. But it's quaint inside and the wine is really good. We got free samples of three wines (a perk of the smaller wineries) and bought a sample of ice wine. We ended up buying the bottle of ice wine and reisling, both of which were incredibly inexpensive.
• Inniskillin: The pictures up above are all from Inniskillin, another of my favorite wineries. First of all, the wine is fantastic! The buildings (the sample bar is in another building separate from the gift shop) are beautiful. Outside they had an ice wine sample bar, carved of ice. It all comes at a cost in the price of the wine, but it's all delectable so who could complain? The discovery pass tasting was fantastic: an ice wine and a truffle cauliflower soup. Mmmmm. See those ice grapes up there? I ate some. So sweet.
• Riverview Cellars: An awkward room full of people, but the discovery pass gave us a very tasty treat: a red ice wine with a plate full of goodies on skewers to put into the chocolate fondue (store bought marshmallows, banana, strawberry, soft fresh biscotti etc). They have a cute gift shop with a lot of wine bags.
• Peller Estates: Probably my most favorite Winery to go to, it's phenomenal. The building is *grand* by definition, I think. Large stairways, a posh room to sample and purchase wine, a fancy restaurant, and I think someone said there were rooms you could stay in. The discovery passes got us ice wine and homemade ice wine marshmallows, outdoors on the patio. We roasted our marshmallows in the open fires, and we were fabulously shaded from the wind. Afterwards, we made our way to the sample bars and had a flight of dry whites.
• Pilletteri Estates: A cute place, it looks like it might have been a veggie stand once upon a time ago. We had some free samples and bought a bottle of wine. It was a cute place.

On the way home the next day, we took a quick detour to one last winery (so, that's 10). Rosewood Estates was my favorite new discovery. It is not only a winery, it is also a MEADERY. Mead is a honey wine, and my husband and I bought have a love for it. We sampled 4 meads and a wine. We bought two meads. Fabulous taste. It is the second meadery we've found in Ontario, and it's only about an hour's drive.

All in all, a great wine-related weekend.

Roasted cauliflower goodness

You have a lovely head of organic cauliflower... what do you do? Roast it.

Why hadn't I thought about roasting a cauliflower before? Maybe I resolved myself to the way we'd eaten it growing up: boiled until slightly mushy, topped with cheddar cheese sauce (or cheese whiz, as it were).

You'll need:
1 head cauliflower
1 medium onion, roughly chopped
4 - 6 whole cloves of garlic (depends how much you like garlic)
herbs de province
good quality olive oil
salt & pepper to taste

Cut the cauliflower into small florets, and cut the stems into 1" pieces. Combine the cauliflower, onion, garlic, herbs de province, olive oil and salt and pepper until well mixed. Spread out onto a large roasting pan and bake at 350 until browned and softened. Enjoy.