Local food advocates are making great connections in our region. The Butcher of Kingsville will be a new vendor at the Downtown Windsor Farmers’ Market this summer.
http://www.windsorstar.com/life/food/betweens+Essex+County+products+local+plates/6334297/story.html
100-Mile Diet, Aleksander Estate Winery, Butcher of Kingsville, Kingsville
Decisions, decisions!
We stopped in at Colasanti’s and a stop at the Butcher of Kingsville on the way home is always a must. It was time to stock up on some of our favourites (sausages, tomato sauce) and try a few new things (chicken burgers, hot dogs). It’s always a great experience and the variety is amazing.
The Butcher of Kingsville works with area farmers to bring you all of this great food. They are very knowledgeable about the products and can provide recommendations on how to prepare the dishes too.
Honey garlic sausages made with local honey and garlic are on the list of what to try next time. Celebrate our region, it’s a fantastic one!
The stress of 5 o’ clock traffic; the parking lot melee; the search for the least-squeaky grocery cart. By the time you enter the grocery store you’re blindly grabbing items that you need to make dinner and hardly glancing at the labels. While you may look for words like “organic” or “fair trade” when buying your produce or coffee, do you really know what these terms mean? Here are the “cut ‘n dry” definitions of such food labels to help you become more informed in your meal planning.
Local – Local food is usually defined as food that has been grown within 100 miles from a certain place, without any official certification, inspection, or standards involved. These local foods, which do not have an official local seal, may be found in a specific area of a grocery store. Although some local farm companies are able to pass the inspection exam technically, many lack sufficient funds to get the organic certification.
Organic – Organic food, as described by the USDA, is food “produced without using most conventional pesticides; fertilizers made with synthetic ingredients or sewage sludge; bioengineering; or ionizing radiation.” Food and farm handling companies are inspected by a government approved facility first in order to pass as “organic.” Some certified food labels include “100% organic,” which is made with at least 70% organic ingredients. Another one is “organic” (95% organic ingredients), and “contains organic ingredients” (less than 70% organic ingredients). This is the best food term to look out for as it has passed the necessary inspections.
Fair Trade – Fair trade standards are made to alleviate poverty and are applicable to both producers and traders. Offering better trading conditions, fair trade standards contribute to more effective sustainable development. The FLO-CERT Company is responsible for the “fair trade certification.”
Natural – The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)’s website explains that, “It is difficult to define a food product that is ‘natural’ because the food has probably been processed and is no longer the product of the earth… The agency has not objected to the use of this term if the food does not contain added color, artificial flavours, or synthetic substances.” Therefore, it is best not to rely on this food term. Check the food nutrition facts on the back of the package and decide for yourself whether it is “natural” or not.
Other misleading labels include: “good source of fibre,” “made with real fruit,” and “made with whole grains.” These labels should trigger you to look more closely at the ingredients.
Do not be misled by enticing food labels. Always be informed about where your food is coming from and how it’s produced. After all, “You are what you eat!”
James Kim is a guest writer for foodonthetable.com. Food on the Table is a company that provides online budget meal planning services. Their goal is to help families eat better and save money.
Depending on how fussy you are with your food and what you are willing to give up, the possibility of being 100% locavore in our region is almost there. Other than sourcing a local dairy, I think I am doing alright, but there are some things that I do not want to give up (and I do not think they will ever be available in our area).
My first major thing is tea. I drink about 3 cups of black tea a day. I enjoy the occasional herbal tea but I am not prepared to eliminate the drink entirely. Some locavore blogs have their writers making mint tea or drinking hot water with honey; definitely a nice substitute but I do not think that I could do that on a consistent basis.
To compromise, I have been searching for a fair trade black tea. I was having trouble though as I found fair trade in almost every tea combination except for plain old black tea. I was ecstatic to find Rishi Black Tea with Wildberries at the Gourmet Emporium during Art Walkerville. While it is not exactly what I wanted, it is very tasty and had a reasonable price tag of $9.99 (good price for a large quantity of loose tea and the tin is reusable). I have a few different tea infusers to choose from but you can use so many things (muslin, cheesecloth, fill-your-own teabags, dump into the pot and strain when you pour, etc.); if you’re lucky then your teapot might even have a built in strainer like my lovely pot from a dear friend.
I am not the only person who refuses to give up my tea. Enjoy a laugh while you read Why everything still stops for tea, DJ Taylor’s article for The Independent (London) on how the UK union for subway drivers is negotiating more convenient tea breaks. A bit off topic for me, but entertaining.
“Sixty years ago, George Orwell suggested that our civilisation is founded on coal. He was wrong. Our civilisation is founded on tea.”
In the meantime I am eating chocolate from around the world (oh, the food miles!) and am searching for a fair trade chocolate bar that will not require me to spend two weeks pay just to satisfy the craving. Until that time I grab treats from Enchie Organics on Provincial.
I’m not alone; Christine Sismondo of the Toronto Star has food vices too…she doesn’t want to give up her citrus:
“It’s starting to look personal. They’re coming after my limes. From my cold dead hands, people.”
You can read her book reviews of Animal, Vegetable, Miracle and The 100-Mile Diet here.
100-Mile Diet, Animal Vegetable Miracle, chocolate, fair trade, tea
When reading online articles, sometimes the comments left after a story are more entertaining than the story itself. I always spend time scanning reader input to see what is out there and I love that we have the capability to share and voice our opinions about what we read.
After finishing a news story about the recent tomato woes I was noticing many comments from readers that encouraged local eating to avoid these problems; I laughed when I read this follow up comment:
“The 100 miles diet is just silly, and I bet the people trying to stick to it are simply miserable.”
Miserable? Wait until you read our menu from last night’s dinner…it’s downright depressing! 
The 100-mile Diet is a recommendation and of course it’s relative to where you are located; obviously eating local will be difficult for someone who doesn’t live in any proximity to farmlands or food producers.
But, I live in Essex County, so being a locavore is possible. I’m still trying to source ingredients, so some of our foods are from the Toronto area (230 miles, 370 km) but we’re working on it.
And don’t worry about the winter, we’ve got plans for that!
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