8 ways to shop smarter at farmers markets

May 17th, 2013

 

Photo: Kristopher Fritters, from Flickr

Shopping at farmers markets is one of the joys of the Ottawa growing season. Just-picked produce, newly baked bread, homemade preserves, cooking demonstrations, specialty festivals and fairs: what’s not to love?

You can enjoy the experience even more and shop smarter at the same time by following a few simple steps, says Andy Terauds of Acorn Creek Garden Farm in Carp.  A regular presence at the Ottawa Farmers Market and the Carp Farmers Market, Terauds and his wife, Cindy, grow over 2,000 varieties of fruits and vegetables, as well as flowering and vegetable plants. They also sell Cindy’s preserves under the Naturally Cindy’s label.

  1. Buy what you like and what looks good.

It may sound obvious, but Terauds says many customers come to the market with a specific recipe and are disappointed if the ingredients they want aren’t in season.  Instead, it works better to buy good-looking produce you know you’ll enjoy and then look for a recipe to go with it.  Most vendors can offer suggestions on how to prepare their produce.

  1. Sample the food.

If five vendors are selling asparagus, which one do you buy from? According to Terauds, taste should be the clincher. “Try the samples vendors provide. That’s true for corn, too. If it’s not good raw, it’s not good. Better taste is why people buy local food.”

  1. Don’t buy from the cheapest vendor.

Selling cheap can be a sign that the taste or quality isn’t up to snuff. What’s more, when you pay better prices, you reward farmers for their hard work and motivate them to keep improving.

  1. Come early.

Fruit and veg that sit out in the weather deteriorate through the day, so come early for the freshest, most varied selection. If the market opens at 8 a.m., be there at 8 a.m., Terauds counsels. But don’t come earlier because vendors will be setting up and won’t be able give you their full attention. Besides, every vendor has something that’s in short supply; having to sell it before the market opens means less for people who come during business hours.

  1. Call ahead for big orders.

Need bushels of produce for canning or preserves? Don’t try to buy them at the market. Call the farmer ahead of time to negotiate a price and arrange for delivery.

  1. Bring bags and pay cash.

Depending on the weather, bring waterproof bags for breads and cheeses, or a cooler for anything that deteriorates in warm temperatures, such as soft fruit, dairy or meat.

Since most vendors don’t take credit or debit cards, bring cash, preferably small bills and change.

  1. Dress for the weather.

You’ll have a better time if you’re dressed for the weather so make sure you have the proper gear, including suitable footwear.

  1. Make the market an event.

Shopping at a farmers market is a social experience and one that appeals directly to the senses. Soak it all in. Make your market visit into an event. Have a snack, talk to the vendors, watch a chef demonstrate a new recipe. “It’s a different experience to shopping at a supermarket chain,” Terauds says. “Take advantage of the differences and enjoy them.”

The May 16 Ottawa Citizen offers a rundown of what’s new and exciting at area markets this season. To find the market nearest you, check the Ottawa Farmers Market Guide.

What’s your favourite farmers market in the Ottawa area? What do you enjoy about it most?

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CSA Ferme Lève-tôt: Showing that small family farms can succeed

May 13th, 2013

Ferme Léve-tôt’s Richard Williams transplanting seedlings in the greenhouse. Photo: Brian Kinzie

Charlotte Scott and Richard Williams are part of a new crop of young, idealistic family farmers dedicated to high-quality food, eco-friendly cultivation, and doing the right thing for their customers and community. “We want to do our best and show that small-scale, sustainable family farming is a viable business,” says Charlotte.

The couple own and operate Ferme Lève-tôt, a certified-organic CSA farm in Low, Québec, where they grow 150 vegetable varieties for their CSA members, as well as for farmers markets (Ottawa Farmers Market Byron Park in Westboro and the Wakefield Market) and eateries such as 42 Crichton Fine Foods, Union 613, Stone Soup Foodworks and others.

Here are highlights from my interview with Charlotte.

You and Richard lived in Montréal for 10 years and have backgrounds in media and culture. What sparked your desire to become farmers?

Richard wasn’t satisfied with his career at an independent record company and decided to apprentice with Tourne-Sol Co-operative Farm near Montréal.  After two hours, he knew this was what he wanted to do with his life. Farming connects with his love of nature while the planning that’s required to farm successfully taps into his analytical, engineering mind. I’d been involved in community gardens and community radio in Montréal and had become aware of the food system’s social and political issues.

Starting a farm can be a struggle financially. How did Ferme Lève-tôt manage?

For our first two seasons, we rented land at the Plate-forme agricole de l’Ange-Gardien, an incubator farm run by the Centre de recherche et de développement technologique agricole de l’Outaouais (CREDETAO) and the Municipality of l’Ange-Gardien. The incubation was essential to our success and made it possible for us to buy our own land and launch an independent business.

Why did you choose the CSA model?

All of our farm education has taken place on CSA farms. It’s a very efficient way of getting food to people. For example, because CSA members pay for their vegetable share at the beginning of the season, we know exactly how much to grow. And having a CSA allows us to connect directly with our members and educate them about food and farming.

Charlotte and Richard’s son, Emmett, in the greenhouse next to chard, arugula and onion seedlings. Photo: Ferme Lève-tôt

What’s your long-term vision?

There are many things we want to do, from increasing our local presence to building the viability of the farm as a business. Our big dream is to farm with horses – not only for basic cultivation but eventually for mowing and other farming tasks in summer and for logging in winter.

Why horses?

Farming with animals is a more holistic way of doing things because you don’t have to bring in external nutrients to fertilize the soil. Instead you recycle them within the farm. Working with horses also requires you to use all your faculties and to be a better human being. There’s been a renaissance of interest in horse farming among small farmers — publications such as Small Farmer’s Journal feature the practice and there are workshops on farming with draft horses. Last month, I attended one of these workshops at Orchard Hill Farm near London, Ontario.

What do you see as the challenges and rewards of small farming?

You need lots of physical and emotional endurance.  It’s not a life for everyone, but the rewards are great. There’s a profound sense of accomplishment and you’re always learning new things. There’s also a meditative quality to the work and a feeling of independence that comes from making all your food from scratch and maintaining your own life.

Do you think that policy changes are needed to promote a healthier, more sustainable food system?

We’d like to see more businesses offering incentives for people to eat better. For example, one of our members receives a break from her employer on the cost of CSA sign-up because the company sees organic food as a way to improve health. At a government level, major policies are still focused on export rather than on growing food for local consumption and that needs to change.

Find out more about Ferme Lève-tôt on their website or Facebook page, or sign up for one of 20 new CSA spots they’ve added this year.

 

Have you joined a CSA this year? What prompted you to sign up?

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Food Read Round-up: Ontario re-introduces Local Food Act, and more on how pharmaceuticals, pesticides and superbugs have made our food system toxic

April 6th, 2013

Photo: Flickr, thornypup

 

Earthward is on hiatus for a few weeks due to a family emergency but Tweets will continue at vw_ward

Local Food Act called “stepping stone”.  On March 25, 2013, the Ontario government re-introduced a local food bill that bit the dust last fall when former premier Dalton McGuinty decided to prorogue the legislature. Welcomed as an important first step by local food advocates and food and farm workers, the proposed act aims to build food security and boost jobs in the province.

If the act is passed, the Canadian Environmental Law Association says it will strengthen the local food economy by:

  • making the Minister of Agriculture and Food – who happens to be Premier Kathleen Wynne –responsible for implementing the act and advising the government on local food issues
  • requiring the minister to prepare an Ontario local food strategy
  • providing funding to develop the distribution system for local food
  • requiring the public sector to procure more local, local sustainable, or local organic food
  • encouraging eco-friendly practices farming, goods and services for farmers, and production and processing of healthy food
  • promoting food, agriculture and garden-based educational activities in schools.

Read the draft bill online.

OMA wants ban on antibiotics in livestock feed.  The Ontario Medical Association has called for a ban on the use of antibiotics in livestock feed, citing the worldwide increase in antibiotic-resistant strains of pneumonia, tuberculosis, staphylococcus and other pathogens.

An estimated 80% of all antibiotics solid in the U.S. are added to feed to keep factory farm animals free of illnesses that can slow their growth and reduce their market weights.  (It’s likely the percentage is similar in Canada but no comparable statistics are available.) Poultry, beef, pigs and other animals raised on factory farms live in crowded conditions, close to, or on top of, one another’s waste. The drugs used in feed are similar enough to those prescribed for humans that their overuse can result in “cross-over bacteria” with resistance to human medicines. A wide variety of medical and scientific organizations have expressed concerns on the issue and in the EU, antibiotics in animal feed have been banned since 2006.

In a related story, scientists have found conclusive proof that a drug-resistant superbug (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus , or MRSA) that caused human infections in Denmark actually came from livestock. The findings provide further evidence that routine use of antibiotics in meat and poultry leads to development of superbugs.

Ottawa refuses to say whether drug-tainted horse meat entered food chain. In a March post, I wrote about a scandal in the European Union (EU) which involved the adulteration of beef and beef products with horse meat. Now it appears that Canada has its own horse meat problems. An investigation by The Toronto Star has uncovered major gaps in the country’s system for inspecting horse meat –specifically, meat from the many racehorses sent to slaughter each year.  Racehorses are given performance-enhancing drugs that can be toxic to people who consume the meat, yet Canada has no reliable way to keep the drug-tainted meat out of the food chain. To boot, Canada is a major processor of horse meat, supplying thousands of tonnes of it to Europe and Asia, as well as to Quebec and some Toronto restaurants. As part of the investigation, The Star learned that a former racehorse of Magna’s Frank Stronach had been slaughtered and packaged for human food, despite having recently been injected with a drug linked with bone marrow disease in humans. Neither the slaughterhouse nor the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) would say whether the meat had entered the food system.

Lawsuit seeks to address bee Colony Collapse Disorder and demands EPA protect livelihoods, rural economies and environment. No bees, no food. We all rely on bees to pollinate crops and produce honey but bee colonies are declining thanks to routine use of pesticides on food crops. On March 21, 2013, four beekeepers and five environmental and consumer groups in the U.S. filed a lawsuit in Federal District Court against the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for its failure to protect pollinators such as bees from dangerous pesticides.  The coalition wants to suspend use of insecticides that have been demonstrated as toxic to honey bees and major contributors to colony collapse disorder (CCD). 

The pesticides involved — clothianidin and thiamethoxam — are “neonicotinoids,” a newer class of systemic insecticides that are absorbed by all parts of a plant. Neonicotinoids have been used heavily since the mid-2000s, at the same time as beekeepers started observing widespread cases of CCD.  

What food stories have you been reading?

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Seasonal eats: Winter kale stir-fry & celery root purée

March 23rd, 2013

Photo of kale: Flickr, cJw314′s photostream

My March 16 post featured Chef Ben Baird’s recipes for coconut-crusted cod and tomato broth from Chef Ben Baird of the Urban Pear. While those dishes can be served on their own, Chef Baird paired them with two comforting winter vegetable concoctions: celery root purée and winter kale, mushroom and green onion stir-fry.  If you’re preparing the four dishes together, give yourself about 1.5 hours from start to finish. Quantities will serve two people.

About the chef

Ben Baird is chef and co-owner at The Urban Pear restaurant on Second Avenue and the Ottawa STREAT Gourmet food truck, one of 18 new food trucks and carts approved by the City of Ottawa last month. Starting in May, Ottawa STREAT Gourmet will serve fresh, local, seasonal fare on the north side of Queen, west of O’Connor.

About the ingredients

Baird notes that the celery root and garlic he used in the purée came from Rideau Pines Farm and have been in his cold storage since November (he perked up the celery root by putting it in ice water for 20 minutes before cooking).  “The kale came from my local grocer – Nicastro — but could have been grown locally.  I source my mushrooms from Le Coprin which grows them year-round in Chelsea. “

Benefits of celery root and kale

Celery root, also called celeriac, is a knobby, hairy vegetable with a mild celery flavour and a potato-like texture. You can roast, stew, blanch or mash it, or add it, sliced, to soups and casseroles.  As a root vegetable, it stores well, making it an ideal choice for fall and winter eating. Celery root is a good source of dietary fibre, Vitamin B6, magnesium and manganese, and an excellent source of Vitamins C and K, phosphorus and potassium.

Kale is trendy these days and it’s easy to understand why. Not only is it simple to prepare –  just blanch and steam, or stir-fry – it’s a milder tasting, super-nutritious alternative to spinach. A member of the cabbage family, kale is low in saturated fat and cholesterol and a good source of fibre, protein, thiamin, folate and iron. It’s also packed with Vitamins A, C, K and B6, as well as calcium, potassium and other minerals.

Celery root purée

celery root

4 cloves of garlic, peeled

1 tbsp butter (optional)

2 tbsp milk or cream (for dairy-free, use vegetable broth)

salt and pepper

Peel and wash celery root and cut into 1-inch pieces.

Put celery root and garlic cloves in salted boiling water and gently simmer until celery root is fork- tender. Strain and put in food processor (garlic included).

While the processor is running, add butter and milk or cream and purée until very smooth (5-10 minutes). 

Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Return purée to pot, cover and leave in a warm place until ready to plate.  If needed, put it over low heat for a few minutes, stirring occasionally.

Winter kale, mushroom and green onion stir-fry

½ bunch kale, washed and stem removed

2 cups mushrooms

1 bunch green onion, cut in 1-inch lengths

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

2 tbsp ginger, finely chopped

2 tbsp preserved lemon, skins only, finely chopped (available at most Middle Eastern grocery stores, or but make them yourself,* but allow about 2 months for the lemons to ripen)

oil for sautéing

*There are lots of resources online, including YouTube videos.

In a large hot frying pan or wok, pour in enough cooking oil to just grease the bottom of the pan.  Add mushrooms and cook until golden.

Add green onion, garlic, ginger and preserved lemon and cook for about a minute.

Add kale and toss well.  Put a lid on pan and let the kale steam itself.  Season and set aside until ready to serve.

Celery root  photo: Flickr, Mel Green

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Seasonal eats: Late winter comfort food from Chef Ben Baird

March 16th, 2013

 

 

By mid-March, winter in Ottawa can feel like an endurance contest. An advantage to the length of the season is that you get more time to savour fall and winter foods.  And there are a lot more of them than we think, from Brussels sprouts and squash to beef, venison and game.

The next two Earthward posts will feature recipes from Chef Ben Baird of the Urban Pear for a variety of late-fall produce — celery root, kale, fennel, tomatoes – that he brings together with coconut-crusted cod. The result is a delicious, comforting late-winter meal for two that takes about 1.5 hours to prepare, start to finish.

Rather than having all four recipes in one post, I’m including two this week: for the cod and for the tomato fennel broth. The final two – celery root purée and winter kale, mushroom and green onion stir-fry – will follow next week.  

About the recipes

Chef Baird designed the four dishes to be served together, but points out that they’re versatile enough to go with many other things. For example, the celery root purée and the kale stir-fry would work well with any grilled protein, he says, even “some nicely marinated tofu.”

About the chef

Ben Baird is chef and co-owner at The Urban Pear restaurant on Second Avenue and the Ottawa STREAT Gourmet food truck, one of 18 new food trucks and carts approved by the City of Ottawa last month. Starting in May, Ottawa STREAT Gourmet will serve fresh, local, seasonal fare on the north side of Queen, west of O’Connor.

Baird was trained at the Stratford Chefs School and won bronze at the Gold Medal Plates competition in 2009 and 2007.

About the ingredients

The cod Chef Baird used in his recipe was sustainably caught, frozen at sea and purchased from the Whalesbone Sustainable Oyster & Fish Supply.  For the broth, he used tomatoes that he stewed and jarred last fall, but says any canned Canadian tomatoes would do.  

Coconut crusted cod

8 oz cod, fresh or thawed from frozen

1 egg

2 tbsp milk

½ cup unsweetened coconut

¼ cup bread crumb (panko is ideal)

¼ cup all purpose flour

salt and pepper

oil for frying

Cut cod into about pieces of about 2 oz each and keep on paper towel in fridge so that fish is nice and dry.  Beat milk and egg and season with salt and pepper. Mix bread crumb, coconut, salt and pepper. Add salt and pepper to the flour as well.

If you’re preparing other dishes to go with this, make sure you’ve finished them before frying the fish.

Heat 2 inches of oil to 350°F in a large, fairly deep pan. Dredge cod pieces in seasoned flour to coat, dip them into the egg and then into the coconut mix.  Gently place the fish in the hot oil and fry in small batches. When the fish is a dark golden color on one side, turn it and fry on the other side.  Place cooked fish in a 200°F degree oven while you fry more.

Remove fish from the oil, place on fresh paper towel and season with salt and pepper.  Serve immediately. 

Tomato fennel broth

500 ml can of Canadian tomatoes or equivalent, with juice

½ onion, chopped

3 cloves garlic, chopped

2 tbsp whole fennel seed

3 whole star anise

dash of chili flakes

1 cup dry white wine

3 tbsp cold butter

1 tsp fresh grated horseradish

¼ lemon

In a medium saucepan, sauté the chopped onion until lightly colored. Add garlic, fennel seed, star anise and chili flakes and lightly until aromatic. Deglaze pan with white wine and reduce fluid by half before adding the tomatoes.  Bring to a simmer and turn off.  Taste your broth; if it’s too acidic, add a small amount of sugar or honey.

Using a hand blender, pulse to break up the tomatoes (this will affect the amount of broth you get).   Strain broth into a small sauce pan using a fine mesh strainer or clean cheese cloth.  Return broth to medium heat and reduce further.

When you’re happy with the broth, slowly add butter, whisking constantly.  Finish with fresh grated horseradish and a squeeze of fresh lemon juice.  Season with salt and pepper. 

What are your favourite late-winter dishes?

 

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8 reasons to grow your own food

March 9th, 2013

 

Photo: Brian Everett, EVRT Studio

If you’re thinking about starting a vegetable garden, you’re not alone. According to an October 2012 report on garden trends, 53% to 54% of U.S. households with a yard or garden report growing fruit and vegetables – a figure that’s remained constant over the past three years. Although there are no comparable figures for Canada, the consensus is that food gardening is as popular here as it is south of the border. In addition, Canadian retailers of heritage seeds – that is, seeds from plant varieties introduced pre-World War II, before the era of mass-produced fruit and vegetables – are noting increased demand for their products.

Growing some of your own food is a simple way to:

  1. Save money.

Whether you buy a packet of seeds or a flat of plants, what you harvest will cost a fraction of the price you’d pay a retailer for the same foods.

  1. Eat more, tastier produce.

With the many varietals available as seeds and seedlings, you have the chance to sample produce you won’t find at the grocery store. And it will taste better. It’s hard to beat the flavour of beans you’ve just picked from the vine or the aroma of fresh-snipped basil leaves in a pasta sauce.

  1. Shrink your carbon footprint.

Instead of schlepping to the neighbourhood retailer to buy California lettuce or Chinese garlic, collect fresh food from your balcony or backyard. Food miles?  What food miles?

  1. Know what’s in your food.

You grew it yourself, so you know that you didn’t use GMO seeds, load the soil with synthetic fertilizer or spray the plants with pesticides.

  1. Teach your kids about food.

Let them plant a row of carrots or water the blueberry bushes. They’ll have fun and learn that food doesn’t really come from a supermarket or fast food outlet.

  1. Improve your health.

For one thing, gardening gets you outside. For another, whether you’re standing, stooping, kneeling or digging, gardening can burn anywhere from 120 to more than 300 calories an hour, depending on the task. There’s also evidence to suggest that connecting with nature – in particular, with the smells of nature – lowers blood pressure and increases anti-cancer molecules in the bloodstream.

  1. Learn about seasonal eating.

We’re so used to eating whatever we want whenever we want it that most of us no longer recognize that food is seasonal. When you grow your own food, you see that each fruit and vegetable grows at its own rate and is ready for harvest at a particular time: asparagus in June, tomatoes and corn in August, beets and squash in the fall. If you grow enough food, you’ll also be motivated to learn about food preservation techniques like canning, freezing, dry and storing.

  1. Benefit from an activity that doesn’t require a lot of space or pricey equipment.

If you have a back yard, great. But all you really need is a sunny windowsill, a few containers,  and some seeds to get started. If you want to grow more than you have space for, consider growing vertically, or find out if there’s a community garden in your neighbourhood. And remember that there are lots of resources available in the community and online to get you started. Here are a few:

What food do you plan to grow this summer?

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The Food Read Round-up: What are we really eating?

March 3rd, 2013

The Food Read Round-up curates media stories about food and farming in Ottawa, across Canada, and around the world.

If there’s a theme to the food news of the past few weeks, it’s that what you see is not what you get when it comes to processed food.

In Canada, it turns out that the nutrition labels we count on to make informed food choices are based on information that’s decades out of date. In Europe, more products advertised as beef have been found to contain horsemeat, pork, and other undeclared meats. In the U.S., former officials of the Peanut Corporation of America were charged with 76 counts of fraud and conspiracy for their role in the 2009 Salmonella peanut butter outbreak. To cap it off, two new food industry exposés hit the market: Pandora’s Lunchbox: How Processed Food Took Over the American Meal by food safety journalist Melanie Warner, and Salt Sugar Fat: How the Food Giants Hooked Us  by Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter Michael Moss.

While there are no easy fixes for an industrial food system that’s spiraling out of control, there are two things we can do as consumers. One is to eat fewer processed products and more real, whole foods. The other is to support a shorter, more transparent food supply chain by buying from local producers whenever possible.

Take food labels with a grain of salt.  Dietician and cookbook author Rosie Schwartz took aim at the accuracy of Canadian nutrition labels in February 22 op-ed piece in The Ottawa Citizen. When Canadians read food labels, Schwartz wrote, most of us don’t know that the information on daily recommended values, or % DV, is 30 years old and seriously out-of-step with recommendations Canada and the U.S. developed in the mid-2000s based on age, sex, and life stage.

Here’s just one example of how the outdated information gap affects consumers. Although the current recommendation for sodium is 1,500 mg per day, the figures on food labels are based on the old recommended limit of 2,400 milligrams per day. So if you eat two cups of soup with 650 mg of sodium in each, you may think you’re slightly over half of your daily sodium quota but in fact you’re close to the maximum of 1,500 mg.

Health Canada is looking to update its nutrition figures, a process that will take two to three years. But that hasn’t stopped them from launching a Nutrition Facts Education Campaign based on the old figures.  If – as the department claims – it wants to educate Canadians about the Nutrition Facts table and % DV, why not use the latest information? As Rosie Schwartz says: “Congratulations Health Canada.”

“Sh*t, Just Ship it”: Felony Prosecution for Salmonella-Peanut Executives.  In 2009, peanuts contaminated with Salmonella sickened 714 people in 46 U.S. states; one quarter of them were hospitalized and nine died. On February 24, 2013, former executives of the Peanut Corporation of America (PCA) were charged with 76 counts of fraud and conspiracy for knowingly distributing the contaminated nuts. Prosecution doesn’t happen in many cases of foodborne-illness. Why here? Part of the reason, says food safety journalist Maryn McKenna, is that the behaviour of PCA’s officials was so flagrant. In addition to being negligent, they were responsible for deliberate deception, including falsifying origin labeling and lab results. According to the indictment, PCA president Stewart Parnell instructed an employee who warned that a product would be delayed until the results of Salmonella testing were available: “Sh*t, just ship it. I cannot afford to loose (sic) another customer.”

Horsemeat Scandal. The scandal that erupted January 15 shows no sign of fading, with horsemeat having now been found in beef and beef products in at least 14 European Union (EU) countries. Brands such as Ikea (their signature Swedish meatballs), Burger King, Nestle, Bird’s Eye, and many others have been affected. Criminal activity is believed to be behind the fraud, with the perpetrators taking advantage of global food’s long, complex supply chains that make it difficult to trace ingredients to their source. This infographic published in Food Safety News, shows the scandal at a glance.

Big Food exposés. Melanie Warner’s Pandora’s Lunchbox: How Processed Food Took Over the American Meal goes behind the scenes in the $1 trillion-a-year industry to learn more about really goes into what we eat and how we’ve developed such an appetite for foods that are cheap, addictive and nutritionally empty.  Salt Sugar Fat: How the Food Giants Hooked Us by Michael Moss argues that food company scientists work hard to get people addicted to inexpensive convenience foods; our soaring rates of diabetes and obesity are among the consequences. You can find reviews and discussions with the authors at Huffington Post, NPR’s The Diane Rehm Show, and Democracy Now!, among other sources.

What food and farming stories have you been reading?

Photo: J.P. Goguen, Flickr

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Seasonal eats: Brussels sprouts with dried cranberries in a walnut caramel sauce

February 27th, 2013

 

Chef Judi Varga-Toth

If you’re finding it tough to eat seasonally at the end of a long Ottawa winter, take heart. “There are still plenty of seasonal ingredients out there,” says Chef Judi Varga-Toth of Credible Edibles, an eco-catering service that prepares tasty, healthy, plant-based meals for meetings, schools,  daycare, and soon, for take-home.

Varga-Toth showcases two winter ingredients — Brussels sprouts and cranberries – in this nutrition-packed recipe. Brussels sprouts belong to the brassicacea family, which also includes cabbage, collard greens, broccoli, kale, and kohlrabi. They can be steamed, roasted or sautéed, and pair well with salmon, chicken, pork, and even pasta. Brussels sprouts contain vitamin A, vitamin C, folic acid and dietary fibre and are believed to protect against colon cancer.

Cranberries also contain vitamin C and fibre, along with essential micronutrients. In addition, they’re a source of the compounds called polyphenol antioxidants, shown to play a role in preventing cancer and cardiovascular disease.  

About the chef

Judi Varga-Toth has been involved in the environmental and social justice movement for nearly 20 years, focusing in particular on the connection between our food choices, and our own health and the health of the planet.

 She opened Credible Edibles in 2006 to share her knowledge of and passion for delicious, healthy, sustainably produced food.  Through school and day care lunches, catering, employee health and wellness programs, cooking workshops, presentations and private consultations, Credible Edibles works to create simple solutions that improve health and respect the environment.

Note: Credible-Edibles has two cooking workshops coming up next week: Eat from Crete on Monday, March 4, and Spice it Up! on Thursday, March 7, 2013. See the complete workshop schedule here.

Brussels sprouts with dried cranberries in a walnut caramel sauce

Serving size: 2

 12-14 per person Brussels sprouts per person

10 walnuts, ground

2 tbs safflower or sunflower oil

1 tbs brown sugar

1 tbs maple syrup

1/2 tsp salt

pinch of cayenne

1/4 cup soy cream or soy milk

walnuts, chopped

dried cranberries for garnish

 Directions

1. Place the oil in a small saucepan.

2. Grind the 10 walnuts to a powder using a coffee grinder.

3. Put the ground walnuts in the oil, and bring to low heat.

4. Add the brown sugar, maple syrup and salt.

5. Heat until the mixture becomes smooth.

6. Add the soy cream or milk and mix well.

7. Season to taste with additional salt or brown sugar and a pinch of cayenne.

 Meanwhile:

 1. Clean the Brussels sprouts and cut an X on the bottom stem part.

2. Steam the Brussels sprouts for 5-7 minutes until they are soft, but still bright green.

3. Put them in a bowl and drizzle them with the caramel sauce.

4. Garnish with the chopped walnuts and dried cranberries.

5. Serve warm.

What seasonal dishes are you cooking?

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Let’s start planning for food

February 23rd, 2013

Photo: Flickr tcd123usa

The way governments plan — or don’t – for food affects everything fromfarming and economic development to health and the environment.

 The importance of planning for food is one of the key themes to emerge from Policies from the Field, a series of working papers released last week by local food advocacy group Sustain Ontario. The papers discuss ways that governments can use policy to support a healthier, more sustainable food system. An earlier Earthward post looked at the new papers on food policy councils, local food procurement, and planning among different government sectors.  In this post, I’ll cover the fourth paper in the series, which focuses on the role of land use planning in making local food more accessible.

What’s land use planning?

Land use planning refers to the way land and resources are managed. It sounds pretty abstract but it has a big effect on our communities. For example, it shapes things like neighbourhood design; the location of homes, businesses, roads and public transportation; how open spaces can be used; and to what extent farm land is protected.

So what’s in the Sustain Ontario paper on land use?

Called Increasing Land Access to Local Food, the paper was put together by Burgundy Dunn from the Canadian Environmental Law Association. It looks at land use planning strategies in support of a healthier food system that’s structured to:

  • provide space and infrastructure for local food activities such as farming, processing, distribution and retailing
  • be economically sustainable for small- and medium-sized farmers and local food businesses
  • make healthy food available to all communities, including low-income and remote communities, and
  • operate in environmentally sustainable ways.

The paper provides examples of what other cities in North America have done to plan more effectively for healthy food.

What changes does the paper recommend?

  1. Plan for food. Unlike issues such as health, water and housing, only food has been sidelined as a planning issue, seen as a private sector activity rather than an essential community need. This has to change, the paper argues. Besides preserving farm land, local food production and infrastructure should be integrated into provincial and municipal policy, plans and legislation. More mixed use zoning should be encouraged to ensure that food sources like supermarkets, farmers’ markets, community gardens and restaurants are integrated into or near residential areas. Food and transit planning should also be integrated to improve food access.
  2. Increase the availability of healthy food in all neighbourhoods. Change policies and regulations to encourage retail food sources – farmers’ markets, small processing facilities, distribution centres for regionally produced foods. Municipal governments could recognize farm stands and markets, and urban agriculture as desirable land uses by providing space and transit and offering incentives for infrastructure.
  3. Create more opportunities for urban and peri-urban (land that adjoins urban land) farming. Farming should be formally recognized as an appropriate use of urban land. Governments should create and protect urban farm lands, offer up lands they own for urban farming and support urban agriculture as an economic venture.

Where can I find out about land use in Ottawa?

As with many things in Canada, jurisdiction is split among different levels of government. For example, as part of the National Capital Region, certain spaces in Ottawa come under federal/National Capital Commission jurisdiction.

The Ontario government Planning Act provides a land use planning system that’s intended to promote sustainable economic development and a healthy natural environment throughout the province. Within that framework, municipalities have leeway to tailor their decisions to local needs.

The City of Ottawa Official Plan outlines broad land use policies, as well as land use designations that specify what is or isn’t permitted in a given area. The City has designations for urban, expanding urban, rural, Greenbelt, open space and other land types, which are implemented through detailed zoning by-laws.

Is Ottawa doing any of the things Sustain Ontario paper suggests?

The City of Ottawa helps to support the work of Just Food which covers a variety of local food initiatives, including new farmer training, community gardens and development of a food hub. The city will also be represented on the soon-to-be-launched Ottawa Food Policy Council. However, at this point, the Official Plan does not explicitly plan for food.

What changes to Ottawa land use policies would you like to see to improve access to local food?

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4 ways Ottawa’s new food trucks can boost sustainability

February 17th, 2013

Ottawa is set to get 11 new food trucks and 7 food carts in May.

Ottawa’s street food scene will soon start to sizzle, thanks to the City’s Friday announcement that 18 new food trucks and carts with creative menus had the green light to start serving customers in May. Instead of having to settle for fries and dogs, Ottawans will now have the chance to sample fresh seasonal dishes, seafood, Southeast Asian snacks and Cajun specialties from 11 trucks and 7 carts in dedicated spots across town. The new vendors will bring the total number of licensed food trucks and carts in the city to 62.

 A cult following for food trucks

In recent years, food trucks have developed a cult following in North America, with devotees using smartphone apps such as Eat Street, Roaming Hunger and Food Truck Fiesta to track down their favourites. In this city, aficionados stay up-to-date with Street Food Ottawa. But are these kitchens on wheels eco-friendly? After all, we’re talking about vehicles that often rely on some form of fossil fuel to get around and to run their onboard stoves and generators.

A lot depends on the choices vendors make about the type of energy to use (gasoline, propane, biodiesel, solar, etc.), as well as whether to source ingredients locally, and use recyclable or compostable packaging and utensils. But the consensus seems to be that — besides spicing up the urban foodscape — food trucks have the potential to contribute to sustainable communities and neighbourhoods. Here’s how.

  1. They support the local economy. When you buy from a locally owned truck or cart, you’re putting money into a small business in your community, not into the pockets of a national or international fast food chain.  A local owner may also be more likely to spend money locally and purchase local ingredients.
  2. They offer some environmental pluses over the bricks-and-mortar restaurant. For example, they use less water and don’t need to light, heat, cool or ventilate a full-service dining area.  In Ottawa’s case, the new trucks and carts will have assigned spots so they won’t be on the move.
  3. Local ingredients are showing up on more and more food truck menus, meaning fewer food miles, more support for local farmers and fresher, more seasonal food. Of the 18 new vendors approved by the City of Ottawa, at least five will create their menus around local ingredients. They include:
  • Benjamin Baird (of the Urban Pear restaurant): OttawaStreatGourmet – fresh, local, seasonal and ever-changing menu; to be located north side of Queen, west of O’Connor
  • Peter G. Bowen: Epicurean Munchie Truck — health-conscious, foodie-friendly, locally sourced cuisine; east side of Olmstead, south of Montreal Road
  • Jacqueline Jolliffe: Stone Soup Foodworks — local soups, tacos and sandwiches; east side of Spadina, north of Wellington. (Check out Chef Jacqueline’s recipe for potato and leek soup on Earthward.)
  • Tim Van Dyke: LUNCH – fresh, local ingredients in wholesome soups, salads and sandwiches; north side of Albert, east of Lyon
  • Gavin Hall: BOBITES – Best Organic Bites – organic baked potatoes with seasonal toppings; east side of Metcalfe, south of Sparks
  1. Customers can enjoy more diverse cuisine, better quality and healthier choices as street food continues to reinvent itself.  In the case of Ottawa’s new food truck vendors, the priority placed on quality cuisine and healthy ingredients is reflected in the makeup of the volunteer panel that chose the winning applicants. The panel represented Savour Ottawa, which promotes Ottawa as a culinary destination with an emphasis on local foods;  the sustainable food advocacy group Just Food; Ottawa Public Health; the Canadian Culinary Federation, a national association for cooks and chefs, and;  the Ontario Restaurant Hotel & Motel Association, a hospitality industry group.

 You can find a list of Ottawa’s new food truck vendors on the City’s website.

What do you think of Ottawa’s decision to let new food truck vendors in on the action?

 

 

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Smart ideas for Ontario food policy

February 13th, 2013

Sustainable food systems can get a boost from innovative policies and programs.
Photo: USDAGov

They may not be sexy, but smart, well-crafted food policies, rules and programs play a big part in building a more sustainable food system.

On February 11 and 12, Sustain Ontario unveiled Policies from the Field, a series of working papers on policies to boost healthy eating and local food production. Sustain Ontario is an alliance of provincial stakeholders – including Ottawa’s Just Food — that advocates for healthy, sustainable food and farming.

The first four papers in the series consider national and international food policies that Ontario’s municipal and provincial governments could adopt in areas such as:

  1. food policy councils
  2. local food procurement
  3. inter-sectoral food agendas, and
  4. land planning to improve local food access

A paper about food hubs will come out February 19, 2013.

In this post, I’ll cover the highlights from the first three papers. Next week, I’ll look at the reports on land use planning and food hubs. Sustain Ontario has posted Policies from the Field online.

Ontario: The Case for a Provincial Food Policy Council

Authored by U.S. community food activist and writer Mark Winne, this paper argues that there’s a lack of common focus to food policy at the provincial and state government levels in North America. While for-profit and non-profit groups have stepped into the void, they may lack the capacity or clout to deal with challenges such as food insecurity, rising obesity rates, and the decline in family farms.  Food policy councils can help bridge the gap by bringing citizens, stakeholders and governments together to actively plan and manage food systems. Examples of successful food policy planning include Toronto and Edmonton at the city level and Nova Scotia, Connecticut, Michigan and New Mexico at the provincial/state level. Given the uncertain future of global food, Winne concludes that cities, provinces and countries that don’t actively shape their own food systems will be at the mercy of forces they can’t control.

As far as Ottawa is concerned, we will soon have our own food policy council.  Slated for launch in the near future, the council will include representatives from the City of Ottawa, citizens and other food system stakeholders.

Possibilities for Local Food Procurement in Ontario

Procurement policy is key to a thriving local food system. As the U.K., Italy and the U.S. have learned, when governments and publicly-funded organizations (e.g., school boards, hospitals, universities) start sourcing local food, it ramps up supply, along with the infrastructure to process and distribute it.  But there’s a stumbling block. Ontario’s ability to procure local food is restricted by a slew of trade agreements – NAFTA, the agreements Canada is negotiating with the European Union (CETA) and Pacific nations (TPP), and others. These agreements prohibit the countries involved from choosing suppliers based on geographic location.  As a result, limiting bids on a food contract to local suppliers would be seen as discriminatory. That said, there may be some wiggle room, according to the Canadian Environmental Law Association (CELA).  For example, following the lead of several EU nations, Ontario could craft requests for proposal with “technical specifications” to favour foods based on seasonality, freshness or local organic certification.  It might also be possible to set policies that are exempt from trade agreements altogether, such as measures that would apply to contracts below a certain dollar value or that would support non-profit organizations.

Health in All Policies

This paper from food policy analyst Wayne Roberts describes a strategy called Health in All Policies (HiAP) that’s endorsed by the World Health Organization and has been adopted in Finland, the EU and South Australia. In a nutshell, HiAP is an inter-sectoral approach to health issues that connects them to all government agencies instead of just health departments. Roberts suggests that Ontario could implement a HiAP approach to food issues instead of scattering responsibility for them among different bureaucracies such as employment, the environment, health, agriculture and fisheries. This approach would allow people from the various food sectors to understand how interconnected their issues are and what they could achieve by collaborating on an integrated agenda.

What municipal or provincial policy would you change to make local food more widely accessible?

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Celebrate Valentine’s with local bean-to-bar chocolate

February 9th, 2013

If you’re buying chocolate for Valentine’s, why not try some small-batch artisanal chocolate made here in Ottawa?  Hummingbird Chocolate Maker handcrafts its dark, organic chocolate bars from single-origin Latin American and Caribbean cocoa beans and uses 19th century methods to bring out their unique flavours.

Hummingbird is a labour of love for owners Erica and Drew Gilmour. It fuses their passion for chocolate with a commitment to social justice that’s rooted in years of aid work with farmers in developing countries. Not only does the couple strive to produce exceptional chocolate, they insist on buying cocoa beans that have been sourced ethically to ensure that the farmers who grow them receive a fair price.

Hummingbird chocolate has become a hit since its launch in June 2012. In fact, the Gilmours have had to buy more equipment to keep up with demand, and have moved the chocolate workshop out of their Stittsville home and into commercial space at Alice’s Village Cafe in Carp. “With our old equipment, we could only make 50 bars at a time,” Erica says. “Now we have two larger machines that can each produce 200 bars at a time.”

How does the chocolate taste?

Wonderful.  Depending on the origin of the cocoa, you can detect flavour notes of fruit, honey, toffee and whisky to name just a few. I sampled several bars at Hummingbird earlier this week, including their delicious Bolivia and Cumboto lines.  My very favourite was the deliciously spiced Patanemo bar, made from Venezuelan cocoa beans.

How is it made?

Making the chocolate is a 10-step process that takes about a month from start to finish. When the Gilmours receive the dried, fermented beans from the wholesaler, they: 

  1. sort the beans to remove twigs and debris
  2. slow-roast them
  3. crack them into bits called nibs
  4. sort the nibs by size
  5. winnow the nibs to remove the shells
  6. grind the beans into a moist paste called liqueur
  7. conche the beans. This is done by running the liqueur for 3 days, non-stop, through a machine that rotates grinding stones to develop taste. Organic sugar is added (the only other ingredient in Hummingbird chocolate) at this stage.
  8. let the mixture rest for 3 weeks to 30 days so the flavours can settle
  9. temper the chocolate in a special machine that adds sheen and rounds out flavours. Then the chocolate is poured into decorative molds.
  10. wrap the finished bars

How does the long process improve the flavour?

Like wine, coffee and tea, the taste of chocolate is a matter of terroir – the interaction between a given plant (the cacao tree, in this case) and the geography, climate and harvesting methods of the place where it’s grown. With chocolate, the longer production time expresses the unique flavours of the cocoa origin, offering more complex, layered tastes. It also gets rid of off-flavours, such as acidity. By comparison, mass-produced chocolate tends to have a uniform taste with more sweetness than character.  Acidity doesn’t burn off naturally, but is masked by adding other ingredients such as vanilla extract.

How much do the bars cost?

They retail at $6.50 each. The higher price reflects the higher quality cocoa beans, the labour-intensive production and the deeper flavours.

Who’s buying Hummingbird bars?

The bars appeal to different people for different reasons. Besides enjoying the taste, there are customers who may appreciate that Hummingbird is a local business, or that the chocolate is small-batch, or that it’s ethically traded. Others are drawn to the health benefits of cocoa. In addition to its following in the Ottawa area, the chocolate is sparking interest elsewhere in North America and in Europe, Erica Gilmour says.

Will the business stick with chocolate bars or branch out with other products?

The plans are to try darker and lighter chocolate and to sell cocoa nibs, Erica says. “The nibs are crunchy pieces of pure cocoa that taste very good sprinkled on oatmeal, for example.” In the long term, she’d also like to do some hot chocolate.

Where can I find Hummingbird chocolate?

It’s available at the Ottawa Farmers Market, Thyme & Again Catering and Food Shop, Coco Jojo, Gaia Java, Alice’s Village Café and Pêches & Poivres. You can also order it online from Foodie Pages.

What’s your favourite chocolate and where do you buy it?

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Seasonal eats: Potato & leek soup from Stone Soup Foodworks

February 5th, 2013

Chef Jacqueline Jolliffe, Stone Soup Foodworks

Spring will be early this year if you believe the various groundhogs that saw their shadows February 2.  But you don’t need to wait for warmer weather to enjoy some seasonal local vegetables.   Those still available in Ottawa include potatoes and leeks, both of which are featured in this comforting winter soup from Chef Jacqueline Jolliffe.

Jolliffe is the owner of Stone Soup Foodworks, a food truck that specializes in fresh, healthy lunches and sustainable catering. An avid cook and environmentalist since she was a child, Jolliffe taught high school before realizing that the only truly sensible career path for her was to open a soup truck and teach the lost skills of chopping, cooking and preserving real food grown in real soil by real people.

“At Stone Soup Foodworks, we believe that food can be good for people and good for the earth as well as being delicious,” Jolliffe says. “We also believe that local and organic foods should be affordable for all, and that convenience does not mean that we have to forego taste and ethics. Our mission is to connect people with one another and with the land through a rich and healthy relationship with food.”

 Potato & leek soup

Prep time 20 minutes, cooking time 35 minutes (if you have vegetable stock on hand).  Serves 12 as an appetizer.

1/4 cup unsalted butter

6 large white leeks, sliced and well-washed

2 tsp salt

8 large russet potatoes, peeled and cubed

enough vegetable stock* to cover, plus two inches.

1 cup whipping cream (or reserve for garnish)

*You can find simple recipes for homemade vegetable stock at sites such as Canadian Living and Allrecipes.com

Melt butter on medium heat in a heavy saucepan. Add leeks and salt and cook for 10-15 minutes until softened and nearly melted.

Add potatoes and cover them with stock to one inch above the potatoes.  Bring to a boil and cook until potatoes are very soft.

Blend using hand blender until very smooth. Stir in cream and heat gently.

 Garnish with chives or cream.

What’s your favourite winter soup recipe?

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Food read round-up: Connecting food, water, energy and climate

February 2nd, 2013

 

Photo: AgriLife Today

Food read round-up is a semi-regular post that highlights food/farming stories from around the world to add perspective on Ottawa’s sustainable local food scene.

You don’t think of institutions like the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank as big sustainability advocates. But unlikely as it seems, the heads of these two organizations recently linked future prosperity to environmental sustainability and urged swift action on climate change. In particular,

IMF managing director Christine Lagarde noted that “good ecology is good economics” and made headlines with her statement that “unless we take action…future generations will be roasted, toasted, fried and grilled.”

 It’s anyone’s guess whether or what action will be taken. But it’s encouraging to see some economic bigwigs acknowledge the ecology-economy connection. Interestingly, the connection theme cropped up in several food and farming stories in the past few weeks.

 Knowing the nexus.  Two reports released in January highlight the interplay among food production, water and energy. Using – or misusing – one affects all the others, often in ways that can’t be foreseen. Add climate change and population growth to the mix and the uncertainties are magnified. The draft National Climate Assessment focuses on extreme weather events and their impact on human health, ecosystems, water supplies, energy facilities and our ability to produce a stable, adequate supply of food. Food, Water, Energy: Know the Nexus, a publication of the GRACE Communications Foundation, argues that, to create a more sustainable future, we need to understand the nexus – in other words, the point at which food, water and energy intersect. For commentary on these reports, try The Agricultural Fulcrum: Better Food, Better Climate and Climate Science Watch.

 Food + fracking. Recent media stories have uncovered the links between hydraulic fracturing – “fracking” – and the food we eat. Fracking is a technique used to extract natural gas from rock by injecting it with pressurized chemicals.  Practised across Canada and in the U.S., fracking has come under fire for contaminating groundwater and drinking water and boosting carbon emissions. In The Surprising Connection between Food and Fracking, Mother Jones columnist Tom Philpott examines another aspect of the process: more natural gas from fracking will supply more of the nitrogen used in conventional farm fertilizers.  As Philpott points out:  “If Big Ag becomes hooked on cheap fracked gas to meet its fertilizer needs, then the fossil fuel industry will have gained a powerful ally in its effort to steamroll regulation and fight back opposition to fracking projects.”

 Also worth reading:

 Top source of food poisoning? Leafy greens. Great – just what we wanted to hear. According to a study released by U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about one in five foodborne illnesses are attributable to leafy greens – more than red meat, poultry, fruits or dairy. The good news is that these illnesses were not the most dangerous (that distinction went to poultry).  Also that, as long as we handle (i.e., wash or cook) our greens properly, we shouldn’t stop eating them. Figures from the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) show that there are about 11 million cases of food-borne illnesses each year in this country.

 Can small farms benefit from Wal-Mart’s push into local foods?  Vowing to double its local produce sales by 2015, Walmart has moved aggressively to get local farmers on board in Canada and the U.S. This story from Harvest Public Media doesn’t investigate the situation in Canada, but for the moment it looks as if the main beneficiaries of the retail giant’s local food strategy are a small number of producers who’ve changed their business model to suit Walmart, and of course, Walmart itself.

What have you been reading about food and farming? 

 

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Community Harvest grows fresh local produce for Ottawa’s hungry

January 31st, 2013

Community Harvest volunteers at work.
Photo: Jason Gray

What comes to mind when you think of food bank food? Canned goods, probably. Processed foods high in salt, sugar and fat.

The Ottawa Food Bank and Community Harvest Ontario are challenging that stereotype. Together, they’re transforming emergency food relief in this city by making fresh, local fruit and vegetables available to those in need.  In 2012 — its third year of operation –Community Harvest grew and sourced 56,130 lbs of fresh produce for the Ottawa Food Bank to distribute to its 140 member agencies.  The goal for 2013 is even higher, at 75,000 lbs.

The Community Harvest program gives the estimated 48,000 people (37% of them children) who use Ottawa Food Bank services each month the chance to eat more nutritiously.  At the same time, it helps strengthen community by building relationships with local farmers, recruiting local volunteers and soliciting in-kind support from local businesses.

“The whole program is very rewarding,” says Jason Gray, Community Harvest coordinator for the Ottawa Food Bank. “The community benefit gives you a real sense of wellbeing.”

 Ontario Association of Food Banks

An initiative of the Ontario Association of Food Banks, Community Harvest Ontario got started in 2009 in response to the global recession, declines in Ontario’s food manufacturing sector, and rising demand for food bank services.  Successful pilot projects in the Toronto area led to expanded programs in partnership with regional food banks in Ottawa, Hamilton, London and Thunder Bay the following year.

The push to provide nutritious fresh food is consistent with other Ottawa Food Bank practices, Jason points out. “Many people aren’t aware, but we distribute a lot of fresh food, and for after-school programs it’s all fresh.  Through our annual Food Aid event, we raise money to purchase beef from a local sale barn that we can process locally, freeze, and supply to our member agencies.” 

 Grow, glean, give

To provide fresh local fruit and vegetables, Community Harvest uses three main strategies:

  1. It grows its own crops at local farms, using organic methods.
  2. It gleans unpicked produce that would otherwise be disposed of or ploughed back into the soil at the end of the season, and
  3. It promotes giving – that is, donations of produce from partner farms and farmers’ markets (in Ottawa’s case, from the Ottawa Farmers’ Market).

These strategies are clearly working. For example, last year’s growing projects at Black Farm in Stittsville and Roots and Shoots Farm near Manotick Station yielded a total of 15,017 lbs of vegetables, up 83% from 2011. Gleaning from partner farms yielded nearly 17,000 lbs, while produce donations added more than 24,000 lbs. As the program grows, so does the variety of produce; in 2012, it included potatoes, carrots, corn, squash, beets and apples, as well as small crops of broccoli, sweet potatoes, tomatillos, Swiss chard and other vegetables.

To meet its 2013 goal of 75,000 lbs of fresh produce, Community Harvest plans to consolidate its growing projects and search for a new one closer to Ottawa Food Bank’s warehouse in Gloucester. There are also opportunities to add new crops, depending on the needs of member agencies.

 Volunteers at the heart of Community Harvest

None of these successes would have been possible without the hard work of volunteers, Jason Gray notes. “They’re at the heart of what we do.” In 2012, 285 individual volunteers and 10 corporate groups spent 1,219 hours planting, weeding and harvesting.

 Jason says he’s always interested in signing up new volunteers, and wants to engage more corporate groups this year. He’s also looking for donations of equipment to streamline the farm work and money to expand the program. Contact him if you’d like to help.

 What other ways can Ottawa make fresh local food available to those in need?

 

 

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How to choose a CSA

January 26th, 2013

Photo: Lenna Young Andrews

 

If you want to join a Community Supported Agriculture, or CSA, farm this year, now is the time find out what’s available in the Ottawa region. Some CSAs have begun accepting applications for the 2013 season (VegetablePatch.ca is already sold out), so don’t leave it until March or April to purchase your share.

As a CSA member, you pay a flat rate for a share of what the farm produces that year. In return, you receive a weekly basket of the farm’s freshest seasonal produce.  CSAs are becoming more popular across North America. With food safety a hot-button issue these days (think the XL Foods recalls in 2012 or the 2008 listeria scare), consumers want more information about where their food comes from and how it’s produced. Belonging to a CSA offers the kind of transparency people are looking for, as well as a chance to support family farming and the local economy.    

To choose the CSA that’s the right fit, you’ll need to do a bit of homework.

Consult the Buy Local Guide

Find out what CSAs serve the Ottawa region by consulting Just Food’s Buy Local Guide. In most cases, there’s a link to the farm’s website so you can click through for more information. Call the CSAs you’re interested in, and consider arranging an in-person visit as well as speaking to current members.  

Compare CSA features

Take note of:

  • pick-up/delivery arrangements. CSAs are usually located outside the city, but most will have drop-off spots in town, and a small number do home delivery.  Others ask members to collect their baskets from the farm gate.
  • types of products. Vegetable CSAs dominate, but some supply additional products — preserves, flowers, honey, eggs, pastured meat and poultry — that can be added to the weekly basket or purchased at the farm. Several CSAs provide meat and poultry only, such as Grazing Days (beef), Natural Lamb (lamb, turkey, chicken) and Upper Canada Heritage Meat (pork).
  • season length. The typical season runs 16 to 18 weeks, from June to October. However, several farms extend the season by growing in greenhouses or hoop houses; others offer one or more winter storage baskets (e.g., Ferme Lève-tôt, Rainbow Heritage Garden) stocked with root vegetables and greens.  Bryson Farms, a large non-standard CSA, grows and delivers food year-round.
  • price. Traditional CSAs charge a flat rate per share for the season that varies according to share size (different shares are available based on household size), product types and season length.  Non-standard CSAs charge per weekly box rather than per seasonal share.
  • member involvement. If being part of a community is important to you, look for a CSA that organizes educational workshops, volunteer workdays or seasonal potlucks.

Match CSA features with household needs

The CSA that suits a single person living in downtown Ottawa may not be the best fit for a 4-person household in the suburbs, so set clear priorities (flexible share sizes? home delivery? winter baskets?) and pick your CSA accordingly.  And don’t choose based on price alone: consider the total value the farm offers, including additional products and services and on-farm activities.

Make the most of the experience

To get the most from CSA membership, remember that it’s a very different experience from grocery shopping in a big-box outlet.  For example, as a CSA member, you:

  • share the benefits and risks of CSA farming. The goal of CSAs is to bring farmers and eaters into mutually supportive relationships in which they share the benefits and risks of growing food.  In other words, with good weather and good harvests, weekly baskets are plentiful; when poor weather or pests reduce crop yields, weekly baskets will be smaller and less varied.
  • become a seasonal eater. CSAs don’t offer the same foods year-round as supermarkets do. Instead, they bring you the best of the season. This may include items you’re not familiar with, so be willing to experiment. And while many CSAs provide members with recipes with each week’s basket, it makes sense to think ahead: learn what’s in season when, and make sure you have a supply of recipes on hand.

Are you a CSA member? How did you choose your CSA?

Related posts: 5 easy steps to seasonal eating, Join a CSA farm in 2013

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10 ways to cut household food waste

January 22nd, 2013

Photo: Nick Saltmarsh

When it comes to wasting food, I’m as guilty as anyone. My weakness is to forget about odds and ends in the fridge: half a lemon, say, or a nob of cucumber.  Months later, I find them again, wizened or semi-liquid, and very, very nasty.

One way or another, most of us waste food. A study released earlier this month by the Institution of Mechanical Engineers made headlines with its estimate that 30%-50% of the world’s food never makes it to our plates because it’s damaged or discarded somewhere along the food chain.  In Canada, about 40% of the food we produce each year  – some $27 billion worth – winds up in the garbage bin, says a November 2012 report from the George Morris Centre in Guelph, Ontario.  To boot, more than half of this waste takes place in our homes. 

While waste happens for different reasons in different parts of the world, the studies say that in North America, it stems mainly from consumers who demand cosmetically perfect produce, misunderstand best-before dates, and get carried away buying in bulk.

But whatever the reasons, when we waste food, we waste money and reduce what’s available for people in need.  We also squander the land, water, and energy resources required to grow, harvest, pack, ship and sell food. We can’t afford waste on this scale — especially in the face of climate change and a world population that could reach 9.5 billion by 2075, according to mid-range UN projections.

Since so much food waste occurs at home, here are 10 ways to start paring it down.

  1. Plan your menus ahead of time. Take stock of what you already have. Pick recipes that you’ll have time to prepare and will use up leftovers and perishables. Make a shopping list and stick to it.
  2. Use common sense about best-before dates. Most of us believe we should throw out anything that has reached its best-before date because it’s no longer safe to eat. But we’re wrong. According to the Canada Food Inspection Agency (CFIA), the best-before date on a Canadian product is the date before which it’s freshest and most nutritious. That’s different from the expiry date some foods carry. Items that have passed the expiry date should be discarded, the CFIA says.
  3. Buy produce that doesn’t look perfect. It may not be the standard size or shape or have a uniform colour, but it will taste fine.
  4. Don’t buy in bulk unless you’re certain the food will get eaten. Otherwise you’ll end up throwing it away, along with the money you think you saved.
  5. Pre-portion foods sold in quantities larger than you need. Most foods – including herbs, bread and milk — can be frozen, so package your purchases into smaller servings and freeze them.
  6. Use up as much of a food item as you can. Instead of pitching those broccoli stalks, slice them for a stir fry; prepare stock from chicken bones; enhance the flavour of a tomato sauce by adding Parmesan cheese rind.
  7. Be creative with leftovers. If you’re not going to eat it in the next 4 days, freeze it. Otherwise, think outside the box: toss over-ripe fruit into a smoothie or stir wilted veggies into soups and stews. Find recipes for specific ingredients by checking out online resources such as Love Food Hate Waste or Love your leftovers.
  8. Be mindful when dining out. Restaurants often serve more than we can eat, so ask for a half portion or bring leftovers home for the next day.
  9. Donate non-perishable items to your local food bank, shelter or pantry (some organizations may accept perishable foods).
  10. Compost. The City of Ottawa provides a green bin program that collects and composts all types of household food waste.  If there’s no program where you live, consider composting your own food scraps to return nutrients to the soil and divert organic waste from landfill.

How do you reduce your home food waste?

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Food read roundup: Marion Nestle, Mark Bittman and more

January 19th, 2013

Marion Nestle
Photo by Ian Martens

As you’d expect at this time of year, most media coverage of food issues has centred on reviews of last year’s trends or forecasts for 2013. In that category, I’ve picked two opinion pieces that I think offer particular insight. The past few weeks have also seen the issue of food waste finally get attention, while an unexpected controversy has emerged about soaring consumer demand for quinoa, the Andean super-grain.

Marion Nestle on food policy in 2013. She’s talking about U.S. food policy here, but since what happens south of the border often affects Canadian industry, consumers and policymakers, it’s worth including. Besides, this is Marion Nestle, author of What to Eat, and Food Politics: How the Food Industry Influences Nutrition and Health. A professor of nutrition and food studies at New York University, she has become one of the most respected and independent commentators on food safety. Nestle calls it as she sees it, and in The Potentially Transformative Year Ahead in Food Policy, she predicts a more eventful 2013 now that the U.S. is out of election mode. Among other things, she predicts: FDA approval of genetically modified salmon (these salmon are raised in Canada and Panama); more pressure to label genetically modified foods; continued efforts to control childhood obesity through size caps and taxes on soda, and; a bigger push from grassroots groups to “create systems of food production and consumption that are healthier for people and the planet.”

Mark Bittman on priorities and patience. Among the opinions on how to fix the food system this year, Mark Bittman’s January 1 column in the New York Times stands out for me. In it, the well-known journalist, author, and sustainable food champion counsels anyone who wants to reinvent the way we produce and consume food to set clear goals, accept failures as part of progress, and above all, to recognize that meaningful change takes time. A long time. Civil rights, the vote for women and other major social advances have taken decades, even centuries, to fully accomplish. By the same token, it will take time to dismantle the current, complex industrial food system and replace it with one that’s better for our physical, social and environmental health. “Nothing affects public health…more than food,” says Bittman. (Let’s just hope that we have the time that’s required and don’t get pre-empted by climate change.)

Billions of tons of food waste. Thanks to an early January report from the Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IME) in the U.K., the massive scale of the world’s food waste has become a hot topic. According to the report, anywhere from 30% to 50%, or about 2 billion tons, of food gets tossed out before it reaches our plates. The IME report attributes global food waste to factors such as Western consumers’ insistence that food look perfect, as well as BOGO promotions and overly strict best-before dates. These practices keep food from the hungry, use up significant natural resources, and jeopardize our ability to feed the world’s steadily growing population, the IME says. The waste theme was echoed in a Globe and Mail story on possible food price hikes in 2013, which concludes that readers need to become more aware of their food-waste habits and find more creative ways to use leftovers.

The quinoa controversy. There really is one. And it’s noteworthy because it underscores the potential for conflict between the demands of consumers in affluent countries and the needs of people in developing countries. In a nutshell, super-nutritious quinoa has become so popular in North America and the UK that its price has tripled, making the grain unaffordable for low-income people in Peru, Bolivia and Ecuador — the countries that grow it and rely on it as a dietary staple. The issue has quickly become polarizing. For example, the past week saw the Guardian’s Joanna Blythman claim that quinoa has become a “troubling example of a damaging north-south exchange” while others, such as the Ottawa Citizen’s Elizabeth Payne, argued that all the angst is misplaced and that Andean farmers will benefit in the long run.

What have you been reading  about food lately? 

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Chef Justin Faubert’s confit of chicken with Castor River grain spaetzle

January 16th, 2013

 

Add this recipe to your collection if you’re looking for a new way to prepare leftover turkey or another seasonal bird. Although this calls for chicken, contributing chef Justin Faubert says you can substitute turkey, duck or goose.

 To prepare the recipe, Faubert uses poultry from James Haven Farms, and flour from Castor River Farm for the spaetzle. He suggests serving the finished dish with seasonal sides of roasted brussel sprouts and maple-glazed carrots.

A graduate of Vancouver’s Pacific Institute of Culinary Arts, and holder of the Red Seal Chef designation, Justin Faubert has worked in several well-known Vancouver restaurants, including C Restaurant, Provence Mediterranean Grill and Provence Marinaside. During the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics, he was hired by NBC Universal Sports as part of the culinary team at the Richmond Oval speed skating venue, providing food service to athletes, dignitaries, media and event staff. He recently moved to Ottawa, where he is a chef for Thyme and Again Catering and for his own private chef and consulting company, Landwaterfork Foods. He is also the local auditor for Leaders in Environmentally Accountable Foodservice (LEAF), a national sustainable foodservice standards organization.

 Confit of Chicken

Prep time: about 20 minutes

 4 chicken legs

1 tbsp salt

½ tbsp. sugar

½ tbsp chopped herbs – e.g., parsley, thyme, rosemary

¼ tsp powdered chili

¼ tsp lemon zest

2   cups rendered chicken fat* or olive oil

 *Rendering fat is a great way to use parts of the bird that would otherwise be thrown out. Remove the skin and fatty pieces and cover them with water in a stock pan or dutch oven. Cook over medium heat until the water has evaporated and the fat starts to turn colour. Strain off liquified fat.  Store rendered fat in the fridge and use in other dishes, such as roast potatoes.

 Combine all dry ingredients in a bowl. Set aside.

Rinse chicken legs under cold water and pat dry with a paper towel. Sprinkle legs on both sides with seasoning mixture and place in a single layer in a dish or pan. Refrigerate overnight or up to 24 hrs.

Preheat oven to 300˚F. Rinse seasoning mixture off the chicken with cold water and pat dry. Place chicken in a baking dish in a single layer. Cover completely with rendered fat or olive oil (this may take more or less than the 2 cups depending on the size of the chicken legs and the baking dish). Cook in the oven for about 3 hours or until the meat falls from the bone.

Let meat cool completely in the fat. (It can be kept in the fridge for several weeks, covered in the rendered fat or olive oil.)

To serve, remove the legs and excess fat. Place them leg skin side down in a medium-hot pan and cook 3-4 minutes or until the skin is golden brown. Turn the legs over and continue to cook until warmed through.

The meat can also be removed from the leg, shredded and used in pastas, pot pies and stews.

 Castor River Grain Spaetzle

Serves 3-4 as a side dish

Prep time: about 10 minutes

 1 cup spelt flour

1/3 cup whole wheat flour

2 eggs

2/3 cup milk

1 ½ tsp salt

¼ tsp nutmeg – optional

 In a bowl, combine spelt, wheat flour, salt and nutmeg. Whisk eggs in a separate mixing bowl. Alternately whisk flours and milk into the eggs to avoid lumps. When all ingredients are combined, allow mixture to rest for at least 20 minutes. The finished dough should be smooth and thick, like a thickened pancake batter.

Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Using a spaetzle press or colander, press a ladleful of dough through the holes into the boiling water. Once the dough rises to the top, remove it with a slotted spoon and place it in a bowl of cold water. When it has cooled, remove it from the water and dry. Reserve.

To finish the spaetzle, heat a pan with a splash of oil and/or butter over medium-high heat. Add the spaetzle and fry until browned and crispy, stirring occasionally to avoid sticking. Season with salt, pepper and a pinch of fresh herbs.

Tip: This recipe is a great base; feel free to add herbs, mustard, spices and other flavours.

What’s your favourite recipe for leftover poultry or game birds?

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Aubin Farm on their non-standard CSA, no-waste policy and the future of family farms

January 11th, 2013

 

Photo: Aubin Farm

Like many family farmers in the Ottawa region,   Tim Aubin and his wife Roshan are hard- working, innovative DIYers.  And like most local food advocates, they’re committed to producing food in ways that minimize waste, protect soil and water, and reconnect people with good-tasting, healthy food.

A certified organic operation, Aubin Farm grows vegetables and raises grass-fed beef and lamb, as well as chickens, turkeys and ducks on 160 acres near Spencerville, south of Ottawa. Besides selling at the farm gate and local farmers’ markets, the Aubins offer a non-standard CSA program which provides 30 to 35 members in Ottawa and across the region with regular home delivery of fresh produce. In 2013, the Aubins hope to expand the program to about 60 members.

Tim Aubin talked to Earthward about his and Roshan’s farm practices and their concerns about the future of family farming.

How did you and Roshan start farming?

I was born in England and farmed in Australia, western Canada and Africa before settling here in 1997 with Roshan, a former teacher and a native of Tanzania. Having seen big commercial farms up close, we knew we wanted to farm organically. We started out growing flowers, but kept an organic vegetable garden for ourselves, partly because we’d had one in Africa, but also because we hated the taste of supermarket produce. When we took our surplus garden vegetables to market with the flowers, we watched demand for them take off. This turned us toward full-time food production, although we still grow roses, mostly as a hobby.

How does Aubin Farm’s box delivery program work?

Beginning in early May, program members receive a weekly box with 10 to 12 items of the farm’s best seasonal produce, much of it heirloom varieties.  Because we use naturally heated greenhouses to extend the season, we can deliver well into the fall. For example, in 2012, we delivered the last boxes in early November, and in 2013, we plan to continue into December. Customers can add other farm products to their boxes, such as eggs, chicken or Roshan’s preserves. There’s more information about the program on our website and, starting this year, we’ll provide updates on our Facebook page.

 Are you a standard CSA?

Unlike traditional CSAs, we don’t ask for payment at the beginning of the season.  Instead, we charge a flat rate of $40 per box delivered. This offers flexibility for subscribers who go on holiday and evens out our cash flow.

Tell me about Aubin Farm’s no-waste policy and why it’s important to you.

It’s strenuous to produce whatever you produce so why throw it away? In fact, not wasting what you grow can be as important to revenues as growing more.

Everything we produce is sold or made into something else or we use it ourselves.  For example, Roshan makes her specialty chutneys, pickles and cooked-to-order Indian cuisine with unsold farm food. If we have surpluses, we provide them to The Branch Restaurant and Texas Grill or donate them to local fundraisers such as MarketPlates.

We compost vegetable remnants to fertilize the soil or feed them to our animals.  Every year, we take wool sheared from our mixed breed sheep to PEI for processing into yarn and blankets. After our sheep go to the butcher, their skins are processed for sale. Customers can order blankets and sheepskins by contacting Roshan or me.

What challenges do you see for small-scale, family farms these days?

One issue is the many rules and regulations to follow, a number of which favour the big players.  For example, a small chicken farmer in Ontario can’t have a flock larger than 300 birds. If you want more, you have to buy quota, which is 14,000 birds. There’s nothing in between. 

Another challenge is that there are fewer and fewer abattoirs left in Ontario. Mobile abattoirs have been under discussion for some time. They’d offer a sensible, fuel-efficient solution that would save farmers long trips to the nearest facility.

For all farmers there’s a legacy problem. Many of us are in our 50s and 60s: who’s going to replace us when they retire? Young people are interested in farming but money remains an real obstacle: the capital requirements are huge. We must all pay more attention to the future of our food system. As a society, we tend to look at health at the level of hospitals and drugs, but health really starts with food.

Photo: V.Ward

 

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