“Ground Beef Recall at Safeway”
“Kroger Ground Beef is Recalled”
“E. Coli Ground Beef Recall Affects M&M Burgers in B.C.”

Yet again, we are hearing of more problems with our food sources! This time E. coli makes it’s way into ground beef and into every news cast for the past few days. If you’ve seen “Fast Food Nation” then you have seen one of the ways that this is possible. It’s sickening…literally!

Just avoiding certain ground beef isn’t going to keep you safe either; M&M (in B.C.) have recalled their burgers too. Just as with other food scandals we’ve been hearing about, this isn’t the first time that M&M has had to pull products. Sometimes that M&M worker is just a bit too chatty… I stopped buying there after the last recall.

So what do you do now? It’s time to explore your alternatives!

Visit an independent butcher (there are many throughout Windsor and Essex County) and have a chat about where your meat is coming from and who prepares it. Along with the personal experience and great service, you will probably realize that the taste is unbeatable. It’s not about the cheapest price per pound anymore, it’s about eating food that’s not going to harm you! When visiting a butcher or farmer you can also inquire about how the animals are raised and whether they are given anything like growth hormones and other things that should not be in what we are feeding our children.

If you really want to feel safe when you feed your family, you should consider purchasing local natural meats. These two reputable locations stand behind their local products and are dedicated to offering hormone- and antibiotic-free meats:

• Sanson Estate Winery (McGregor) offers AAA Ontario grain finished beef! Sanson is home to a herd of purebred Limousin beef cattle raised on an all natural diet without growth promotants, antibiotics, or chemicals of any kind. Stop in for New York strip loin steaks, rib eyes, filet mignon, roasts, burgers and more. The ground beef is 100% beef with no additional water, colour or additives. When you stop in, you can also check out their selection of Berkshire pork that they are now carrying (ribs, chops, sausages, bacon). The pigs are not fed corn or animal byproducts and the use of antibiotics and growth hormones are prohibited.
• Paesano’s Gourmet Market & Cafe (Tecumseh) has always provided top-quality Ontario meats and is now happy to add local naturally raised, hormone- and antibiotic-free beef. Jamie Waldron of Paesano’s writes on his blog, “I’ve personally tasted the rib steaks and was very impressed. It offered a very nice marbling as well as a tenderness and flavor that you just won’t find at the big retailers.” Stop in to get some great beef cuts (rib steaks, prime rib roasts, kabobs, hamburgers), or try some of their other Essex County offerings including “Berkshire pork and Ewe Dell lamb, both local and both hormone and antibiotic free animals.”

Keep unwanted dinner guests at bay by talking to your butcher and finding out just where your meals are coming from. When you buy local you not only support your community, but you are usually able to find out more about what goes into your food.

No commercial is ever going to tout, “E. coli – It’s What’s For Dinner”, but if you are not buying from a small producer, then that might just be what you are serving up.

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Check out Ted Whipp’s (Windsor Star) article entitled, E is For Edible Essex County.

He describes his ABC’s as:

“…a culinary guide, an alphabet-sized menu of items that can make city, county and our country’s cuisine unique.”

The focus is local food and when you can find it. Take note of the items so you will remember what to look (or remember what is in season) the next time that you are in the grocery store.

He’s also got suggestions for farms to visit so while your kids are enjoying their summer vacation, why not take a trip out to one of the farms and show them where their food comes from.

Essex County, Ted Whipp, Windsor Star

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!

• Asparagus Soup
• organic asparagus (Chatham), yogurt from Western Creamery (Brampton)
• Pizza Pitas (pressed on the George Foreman Grill)
• bread from Royal Pita (Windsor), mozzarella and Salami from Galati (Windsor), pureed tomatoes from Red Zoo (Leamington)

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!

100-Mile Diet, Essex County, eating local, locavore

A note from Dennis Sanson of Sanson Estate Winery (SEW) about their event this Saturday, June 21st:

“The longest day of the year and a fitting day to celebrate the start of a season at Sanson. Come gather with us and the Essex County Stewardship group this Saturday for our third annual event dedicated to enhancing our knowledge and awareness of the great outdoors. Join local experts under the tent for food, wine, and a view of the outdoors. A great family event!”

I’m looking forward to trying their new wines:

• Amazing Baco Noir from 2006 – another winner at the 2008 All Canadian Wine Championships! Perfect for sipping with friends yet sturdy enough to stand up to the most assertive foods from the grill.
• First Try Reisling – A Lake Erie North Shore Reisling with 2007 fruit from the Smith & Wilson Vineyard (Blenheim), crafted in a food-friendly Sanson style.

You can this information and more by reading SEW’s latest newsletter.

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In my last post I talked about my experience with markets in Europe. I wanted to contrast that experience with the markets that are found in Windsor.

On a tip, I went to Joseph’s; a local blog I remembered reading had a lady raving that it was close to the Toronto markets that she was used to. I was immediately disappointed when I stepped through the door to find what seemed to be nothing more than a very unorganized grocery store. Here are the positives: cheap prices, friendly staff, lots of parking, option to box your food instead of using plastic bags, bread and cookies from local bakery. But here’s where the disappointment sets in: the majority of the produce is not local (even with asparagus in season here, theirs was from Washington!) and most things had a sign saying, “Product of California”, it’s very dirty, the aisles are too narrow for the shopping carts, and you have to check the expiry dates on everything (the “fresh” baked cookies were 2 weeks past their freshness date!).

I like to go to the Market Square at Walker and Ottawa, but even it has it’s quirks. Their slogan is “Farm Fresh in the City” but I guess that depends on how you define farm and fresh. Just because these businesses are in the market, it doesn’t mean that they have to sell local produce. The fruits and vegetables at the furthest vendor are products of the U.S. (so they’re not from any farm around here and compared to local produce, they aren’t really as fresh). You have to go closer to the middle to find local produce and be able to chat with the vendors about where your food is coming from. Also, the market is open until 6 but if you go at 5:30 after work you get a lot of huffy service from vendors who want to pack up (and that’s just from the ones that actually stayed open; many are packed up and gone home before 5:30). I’m sorry that my custom is an inconvenience to you!

I do have my favourite locals in the market: Brennan Eggs (Alvinston), the bakery in the middle (can’t remember the name!) and my vegetables I buy from about 3 different stalls depending on what they have available that week. I also enjoy getting fresh hummus and local pitas from the northeast corner stall.

I was hoping to visit the Downtown market but I can’t find information on it. Does it even exist anymore? I can’t find a website (I’m sure they used to have one) and I can’t find any info on the city’s website.

I would love to shop at any market on a regular basis but for me to commit, I would need the following:

• produce from the area or at least Ontario
• friendly service and knowledge of what is being sold
• organic or pesticide-free if possible
• clean, clean, clean!

So that’s my opinion, what’s yours?

market, produce, windsor

In the summer of 1995 I set off for Europe with someone that I had only just met. Our trip would take us to 12 countries in five months and make us the best of friends. We toured mostly by bicycle and then by train as the days grew colder and our return trip loomed.

On the days that we cycled we stopped in small towns to visit the local shops and buy fruit, vegetables, slices of meat, a wedge of cheese, warm bread and cold drinks. If we found an outdoor market, even better! With limited storage space we couldn’t pack a lot of food so fresh and local was the only way to go. Being a locavore in many European cities isn’t something new, it’s just a way of life.

My favourite city was Salzburg, Austria and my favourite market was here too. It was Halloween and a bit chilly with snow falling lightly on the gorgeous city. We went out to buy lunch and discovered a delightful market had appeared in the square where there had been nothing the night before. With my broken German and the Austrians amazing English we chatted about the weather as we bought cinnamon twists, warm pretzels and fresh apples (which the vendor told me were local, just picked and had an amazing taste). We ate as we walked and tried to enjoyed our purchases, but mostly we just devoured everything because it was tasty and fresh.

So now, when I hear people rave about a market I envision my days in Europe and my numerous visits to Wales and the Cardiff market. I picture rows of pleasant vendors selling fresh produce to families carrying bags or baskets brimming with local fayre. Maybe I’m being dramatic, but even in Barbara Kingsolver’s Animal, Vegetable, Miracle she talks about going to the local market in winter and having delightful discussions with the farmers as she shopped.

So why can’t we have that experience in Windsor?

Austria, Europe, Salzburg, locavore, market

Pick your own strawberries are now available at the following fruit farms:

• Meleg’s (Kingsville) http://www.melegpyofruit.com/
• Raymont’s Berry Farm (Cottam)
• McLeod’s (Essex)

We visited Raymont’s a couple of weeks back and purchased some pre-picked early strawberries that were plump and red and just tart enough.

There’s a handy website called Ontario Farm Visit that helps you find farms in your area (it even tells you what’s in season!). Although it’s not complete with all the farms in our area, hopefully it will catch on and people will help populate it with more information to help plan your outings.

McLeod's, Meleg's, PYO, Raymont's, strawberries

“Outbreaks of Salmonella”
“Chains Pull Tomatoes from Shelves Amid Salmonella Scare”
“McDonald’s Removes Tomatoes from Menu”

Scary headlines like these ones have made their way through all media streams this week. But this isn’t the first outbreak of problematic tomatoes, it’s just the first time that the media has made it a full-blown awareness campaign. News like this should make you think.

• How often does this occur and we don’t hear about it?
• What other issues can there be with my food?
• What can I do to ensure my safety?

Message boards are now filled with Canadians shouting for restaurants to use local produce and families threatening to take on the 100-Mile-Diet. Naysayers think this isn’t a solution, but I think it’s the only solution.

Buy local from a farmer you trust or grow some of your own produce. My tomato plant is growing like mad and it’s content to be in the window box; what could be easier? I also stopped in at Sanson Estate Winery this week where they had some local tomatoes available.

The Windsor Star reported yesterday that Leamington tomato growers are now inundated with call and inquiries (see Demand Soaring for Local Tomatoes). At the end of the article, one businessman actually complains about the additional workload to keep abreast of the tomato news. Here was my reply:

Hi. I work at a tool and die shop. We’d love to be run off of our feet with work and speaking to new and potential customers. If keeping tabs on the daily developments of our industry was important to handle the workload, then we’d do it. Hopefully the quote was a little off and maybe they just weren’t prepared for the deluge. Hire someone on a contract, I can direct you to lots of unemployed people…even PR specialists and marketers.

Another comment after mine has a lady whining because Subway isn’t serving tomatoes right now and she lives in Canada. Guess what, Subway doesn’t buy local produce anyway. Don’t you ever wonder why your tomatoes are green and crunchy?

I have a theory that Subway employees see me coming and try to use up their crappy veggies on my sub, thinking that I won’t complain. But I refuse to eat the ass-end of a tomato and will ask them to replace it. Some happily make the swap, others question me. I even refuse tomatoes at times if they look tremendously sad; one employee pleaded with me to call headquarters and request local tomatoes as customers complain to her continuously about freshness. This is why we don’t go to Subway anymore…that and the fact that we spend about $20 on two combos so we might as well go to an actual restaurant.

Buy local tomatoes. “Leamington Fresh” has never sounded more appealing.

Leamington, Sanson Estate Winery, salmonella, tomatoes

In my previous post I mentioned our two-week cook.

A while ago I was visiting a friend and his wife was in the kitchen making pancakes. I made a comment that pancakes for dinner would be fun but he said that she was doing their once-a-month cook which included blueberry pancakes from scratch.

Intrigued, I went online and looked up more information. Basically you plan your meals for one month, pick a day to prepare those meals, and cook your heart out. You freeze the meals and pull out a different dish before bed each night. You reheat the food for dinner and prepare a side (salads are best for time and health purposes!).

You can do a search for “month long cooking” or “once a month cooking” to get more information on how to plan and suggested recipes for food that freezes well.

Our house is small and we don’t have room to store a month’s worth of meals so we do a two-week cook and that happened to be today. So, from 2:30pm to 9:00pm I was in the kitchen (this included time to eat dinner and do dishes).

As a result of the time in the kitchen, we now have:

• Taco Lime Chicken (BBQ)
• Chicken Vindaloo (stovetop)
• Zesty Burgers (BBQ) 2 nights
• Baked Spaghetti (stovetop to oven) 2 nights
• Chili (crock pot) 2 nights
• Asparagus Soup (stovetop)
• Mushroom Porkchops (stovetop)
• Taco Meat (stovetop) 2 nights

I also precooked 2 lbs of bacon (for BLTs) and a package of sausages. While I cleaned up, I decided to can some vegetables and now have 5 jars of pickled asparagus, carrots, and cucumbers.

Depending on what we put on our menu, we also make use of our George Foreman grill. The kitchen is a disaster but it’s only for one day. You can cook alone, but having someone to help will cut your time down by quite a bit.

The cook saves us time, saves us money and we rarely go out to eat. When we get home from work we don’t have to think about what’s for dinner and we can plate everything in about 10 minutes. Since we make most of our sauces and marinades from scratch during the process, we’ve also lost weight; what a great side effect!

dinner ideas, month long cooking

Do you know what I love about spring? EVERYTHING! I love the colours and the maple keys and the birds singing and sorting cupboards and watching the rain showers from my porch. But most of all, I love that the little vegetable stands that I pass by are now open and brimming with local produce. This definitely makes being a locavore easier so please consider participating!

My favourite convenience spot is at the corner of Walker Road and County Road 42. The white tent has been up for a bit and I eagerly awaited the day that it would be filled with fresh fruits and vegetables. Imagine my delight when that day finally came at the end of May.

Last week I stopped in and got 3.5 lbs of tomatoes (1.6kg/16 tomatoes), 3.5 lbs of potatoes (1.5kg/22 potatoes), 4 peppers and a bundle of local certified organic asparagus. Fresh and abundant, $15 even. There were some deals too; $3 for 4 peppers or 4 cukes or bundle all 8 for only $5.

Cooking this week with the freshest veggies has been fun: pork and pepper fajitas with rice and tomato salad and hot beef sandwiches (the roast was from Sanson Estate Winery in McGregor) with baked potatoes. Tomorrow we’ll get more veggies and do our big cook (I’ll write about our two-week batch cooking in the near future).

Just because it’s a produce stand though, that doesn’t meant that all of the food is local. Feel free to ask the vendor. If you see limes, they’re probably not from around here (and if you do find a local source for citrus (unlikely?), let me know!)

So, if you’re out and see a produce stand, stop in for fresh ingredients. In the southern end of the county this weekend? Consider making the drive from Harrow to Kingsville and you can stop at countless farmer stands along the way. Most are named for the family who owns the property but one that really made my day was called “Adam’s Garden of Eatin’”.

Sanson Estate Winery, asparagus, fruit stand, locavore, spring vegetables, veggie stand