On Sunday, July 20th I prepared a locavore meal for 9 people to celebrate my mum’s birthday.

Along with the local ingredients, I had to consider making the menu vegetarian and kid-friendly. You can see my original post about shopping for the ingredients here.

I have uploaded a PDF of the menu on my website (1.3MB) here. It includes a shopping list of the items you will need if you prepare the same meal. Hopefully I have included everything.

I look forward to your feedback!
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We are creatures of convenience. We love drive-thrus and fast food and “pay at the pump”. We have cell phones and PDAs to make sure that we stay connected. And when we grocery shop, we want the same instant gratification: everything in one spot, neatly lined up, and the checkout better be empty.

Perhaps your ideal world includes everything being at your fingertips; for me, I do not want to rush through my life. I enjoy not being available to anyone when I am away from home and if I get to explore a new store or location to pick up some of my food, I enjoy the outing.

But I realize that we are all different and I hear a lot from people who express an interest in eating local but find that it is not currently easy or convenient. The people I’ve talked to are not alone according to a recent survey conducted on behalf of Homegrown Ontario:

“According to an Ipsos Reid survey, most Ontarians would buy meat produced in Ontario, if it were identified as such on the package and sold at a comparable price to rival products. In addition, local products have a smaller environmental footprint, an increasing concern for shoppers.”

Look for the Homegrown Ontario sticker when you are purchasing your meats and you will know that some of your money is going to farmers that live in our own province, maybe in our own county.

The goal of Homegrown Ontario (started in 2007) is to make identifying Ontario meats easier. Why would you want to support Ontario meat?

• Keep money and jobs in this province
• Support a quality product that adheres to strict standards
• Reduce the environmental impact of importing meats

You can check out a Toronto Star article, “Eat local, meat lovers” about the initiative or you can visit Homegrown Ontario for facts and recipes.

In Essex County, these participants carry Ontario meats that carry the Homegrown Ontario seal:

• Paesano’s Gourmet Market & Cafe (Tecumseh)
• Sanson Estate Winery (McGregor)
• Schinkel’s Meat Market (Essex)
• Schwabs Select (Lasalle)

Homegrown Ontario, Ontario meat, Paesano's, Sanson Estate Winery, Toronto Star

Aleksander Estate Winery is a family-run winery, hidden away behind the farms that line Highway 3 near Ruthven. Take a little detour on your next trip out that way (or make a special trip, it’s worth it!) and pull into the driveway of this winery where many tasty treats lay just behind the store’s entrance. If you are lucky, you can enjoy a tasting with Izabela, a quiet yet highly knowledgeable wine connoisseur who has years of viticulture education to share.

One of my favourite wines of our region is Baco Noir and Aleksander’s is superb. I also enjoyed the Peach and Cassis (blackcurrant) wines and took them home for my parents who were delighted with the bottles (and finished them promptly).

On Saturday, August 16th, 2008, Aleksander will be host to “The 100km Meal”:

“Chef Vince Galema of ‘3 A Tasting Bar’ will enlighten our senses and delight our palates with culinary creations utilizing Essex County produce.”

To find out more about the event, you can contact Aleksander Estate Winery directly.

The event sounds like a delight but at $200 a couple, I will not be able to attend. If you are serious about wine and food and would like to experience a special event, this would be one that I would definitely recommend. Opportunities like this – that include regional fayre along with the opportunity to meet the winemaker – are spectacular and a delight of our region.
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100km, Aleksander Estate Winery, Baco Noir

Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) is a sustainable food option where participants either pay for (or technically, invest in) a farm’s crops. The membership fee can include the regular delivery of fresh produce as it is harvested by the farmer (usually through a weekly “box” program) or can involve volunteers working the land together in exchange for taking home what they help grow/harvest.

A CSA is beneficial for many reasons but two of the major factors are its focus on quality and its farming methods (usually include natural or organic practices). Other benefits include:
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• get to know the grower or BE the grower
• little to no waste as all produce is distributed
• competitive costs (even with the risk of a small harvest, the price to participate in a CSA is a good investment)

There are CSA’s throughout North America and now Steve Green is bringing one to the citizens of Windsor & Essex County (sidebar: there used to be a CSA in Windsor years ago but we have not heard whether it continues to be utilized).

To find out more about participating you can visit the CSA blog.

Steve’s also become somewhat of a celebrity in the area. Before starting the CSA planning he turned his front yard into a garden to grow his family’s food. In the next few weeks (and hopefully long after that!) you will hear Steve sharing his experiences on Scaledown, AM800, CBC Radio, and more.

A recent Windsor Star article talks to Steve about his garden, the CSA plans, and expands on the locavore movement. I’m quoted in the article too although I wish my complete quote was used to explain what I meant about pricing. I’ll expand on my own feelings later, but for now, you can check out Windsor man goes ‘locavore’.
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CSA, Scaledown, Steve Green, Windsor Star

FoodKM is another website that connects you with fruit and vegetables in your region. Here’s an overview from their homepage:

“Our goal is to try to reduce food miles or kilometers by connecting consumers with the people that grow, produce, retail or serve healthy locally grown food.

Shop at local farms, buy the local food and taste the local freshness. “

Enter your location and you will get a list of local farms that you can explore. These seem to be the larger ones (when I did a search for location near Windsor) so they are usually good for a day trip with the family.

If you are going on vacation this summer or fall, you can still use the locater to find points of interest along the way. Garlic is now in season and you can stop at Duet Farm & Studio in Brechin to stock up. Or try Ocala Orchards Farm Winery where all the fruit for their 30 different wines is grown on site. Need more ideas? Check out the FoodKM website.
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One great thing about the market is that right now, right in the centre, there are lots of amazing vegetables available from Essex County. Today we popped in and got our bargains:

• Green Beans – $4.00 for a large basket (works out to about half a plastic grocery bag!); same price for yellow beans or flat beans
• Peppers – $3.00 for 4 peppers of any colour
• Ancient Sweet Peppers – $1.49 for 2
• Romaine Lettuce – $1.29 ($0.99 for Ontario romaine at A&P right now, but this one was a bit larger so the price is going to work out about the same)

Then we stopped at Delilah’s Kitchen on the way out for 2 packs of pitas and a large hummus ($8.00 grand total!). If you want cucumbers, they’re in right now and they’re everywhere!

All of this is in preparation for tomorrow’s dinner. It is my mum’s birthday and I’m making a buffet using local ingredients. It is a slight challenge as I’m making all of the dressings too so some cheats will have to include Ontario ingredients that I can’t get here. The buffet will also be completely lacto-ovo-vegetarian-friendly which must also include food that will seem palatable to children ranging in ages from 7 to 14. Here’s the menu:

• Strawberry & Feta Salad
• Grilled Pepper & Onion Lettuce Wraps (tied with chives)
• Grilled Cheese Pitas
• Sushi (with blanched romaine in place of nori)
• Salsa, Chipotle Dip & Nachos (thanks to Garden Fresh Gourmet)
• Green Bean Salad
• Veggies & Dip

I will post pictures and recipes soon.
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buffet, green beans, market, peppers, romaine

Pierre’s Baguette is tucked neatly between the LCBO and Ottawa Sausage & Deli at 1320 Walker Road (at the corner of Ottawa Street). We have been visiting this bakery ever since we bought our house six years ago and were looking for new desserts to try. Now we mostly go for our bread but the occasional pastry makes it into my shopping bag now and then.

The prices for their fresh and tasty products are quite comparable to grocery store breads:

Loaf of Bread – $2.35
Hot Dog Buns (8) – $2.35
Hamburger Buns (8) – $2.35
Tea Biscuits (6) – $1.95 Soooo yummy with a cup of tea!

The desserts are delicious and are perfect if you are hosting a small lunch or dinner party. In large quantities the desserts do get pricey; they range from $ 0.75 to over $3.00 each depending on whether you want to try a cookie, brownie, piece of cake, or danish.

On today’s visit the wire rack near the front door – which holds the specialty breads – was filled with goodies that included sunflower bread, english muffins, and lace cookies (one of my personal faves and a steal at just a couple of dollars for a dozen).

If you visit the Market Square you can walk across the road and pick up something fresh and delicious for your next meal.
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Pierre's Baguette, bakery

About.com, eating local, locavore, market

Many people I speak with say that they would like to work on supporting local, but that they just don’t know where to start.

Here are some upcoming events that will make learning about locavorism so much fun. Oh yeah, it will be educational too.

Wine Trail Rides brought to you by WindsorEats and Maximum Edge. Each ride is $20 (super deal!) with the ride going from noon to 4pm and ending with a BBQ.

• Saturday, July 26th – 20 km Colchester Ridge, Erie Shores, Sprucewood
  
• Saturday, August 16 – 25 km Aleksander Estates, Mastronardi, Pelee Island (mainland)
• Saturday, September 20 – tbd km Muscedere Vineyards, D’Angelo, ? (tbd)

Check our WindsorEats for full details and to purchase tickets.

Lakeside Locavore Lunch is an event I may have sadly missed if it wasn’t for the wonderful Candace at Femilicious! The lunch takes place at John R. Park Homestead in Harrow.

• Sunday, July 27th – noon to 2:30 Food, wine and guest speakers introduce you to what our region offers.

You can learn more about the even on Candace’s blog or to reserve your spot (with a credit card), contact the Homestead directly.

When you are finished the lunch, you can drive 6 km down the road to Viewpointe Estate Winery (east of John R., open until 6pm) or Colchester Ridge Estate Winery (west of John R., open until 5pm).
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Colchester Ridge Estate Winery, Essex County, Viewpointe Estate Winery, WinsorEats.com, locavore, wineries

I was extremely excited when I heard that there was an open air market coming to Windsor. Marketown is scheduled to begin shortly and will run every weekend until November 2nd in the parking lot of Windsor Crossing.

Here’s their website blurb:

Marketown! is a relaxed, open-air community market for art, antiques, and fresh local produce.

I spoke with the market’s organizer, Jamie, and she is excited about the idea and introducing the vendors to our city.

More info will be posted as it is received (both here and on their website), but in the meantime, Marketown is looking to expand their vendors list. For only $15/day, vendors have access to the 1,000 daily shoppers at Windsor Crossing as well as the additional visitors that an open air event like this would attract.

If you know of someone who sells art, produce, antiques or vintage goods, send them to the Marketown website to sign up.

Windsorites will finally get the chance to attend a weekly market as is common in so many other cities. We are truly lucky that this event is on its way.

Marketown, open air market