There is a good reason that Garden Fresh Gourmet’s salsa is “America’s #1 Award-Winning Salsa” as well as being my absolute favourite.

Since Garden Fresh Gourmet products are made in Michigan I include them in my locavore diet. I would much rather eat products that did not travel too far to get here over an item that may be from Ontario, but 10 hours away. But that debate is for another day…

My absolute favourite salsa is from Garden Fresh Gourmet. Made in Ferndale, Michigan, Jack’s Special Salsa (available in Mild, Medium, or Hot) is all-natural and uses recognizable ingredients. Every batch is consistent and has chunks of fresh veggies and herbs.

Look for the salsa in the deli section of your grocery store. Check the “sell by” date as they have a limited shelf life due to the fresh ingredients and some stores do not pay attention to this. If there are a lot of salsa tubs available, you might want to buy more than one… they are pricier than the average salsa at $4.99, but you will finish the tub so quickly!

After eating this stuff it is very hard to go back to salsa in a jar.
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Garden Fresh Gourmet, salsa

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My favourite grocery / market store in the area is Remark Farms. For a small store they carry a wide variety of products and if you check the fruits and veg, they carry a lot of local things, especially in the height of this region’s growing season.

I have a few favourites at this store (how about those garlic twists?!?) but one that I pick up a lot is the Remark salsa. I am only guessing but the salsa is probably made from the produce they cannot sell (now you know where grocery store pizzas come from, sorry). You cannot put the good side of a tomato for sale by its lonesome but you can make a darned good salsa with that same half.

The price of the salsa varies as Remark sells a lot of their items by weight or volume. But, on average, the small tub of salsa that I pick up is usually somewhere around $3.99.

The ingredients are items that you would use at home: tomatoes, onions, fresh cilantro. This is fresh salsa and the taste is enough to make you never want to buy jarred salsa again.

The only downside of the salsa is that different people make it so some weeks it’s chunky and perfect and other weeks it is has too much liquid and is more of a soup.

I have saved my favourite salsa for last so that post will be coming soon. I bet you can hardly wait!
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Remark Farms, salsa

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I have discovered that there are a few options for salsa available to me and I thought that I would share them this month. In a previous post I offered a quick and easy salsa recipe but there are some great salsas that you can easily find in Windsor if you do not have the right ingredients on hand to make your own.

On a visit to Jeff’s Fresh Meats on Walker Road I found a jar of Lakeside Packing Medium Salsa for $3.69. Based in Harrow, Lakeside offers a variety of products and are quite well-known for their excellent pickles. The salsa is thick and tasty and is a star at sticking to your nachos.

One of the things that I am finding about eating local is that a lot of products have natural ingredients or very limited additives; it is so refreshing to see. This salsa’s label lists recognizable ingredients with no additives or preservatives.

To learn more about their products you can visit Lakeside’s website for recipe ideas or add it to a favourite dish:
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“Mix this one into your pasta dishes, put it on a Hot Dog or lay it on your Eggs Rancheros! You will love it!”

While the salsa is quite pleasant as well as reasonably priced, it is not my favourite. I will be adding my other salsa reviews this month, saving my favourite for last. The Lakeside Packing salsa is definitely worth trying though as it is comporable to (if not better than) many other salsas on the market.

If you are not stopping in at Jeff’s for a while, look for the yellow label at Zehrs and large fruit stands. I will keep an eye out for their other products and will post more information as I get it (as I EAT it!).
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Jeff's Fresh Meats, Lakeside Packing, salsa recipe

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I spend a lot of time in Old Walkerville because I like the atmosphere, boutique shops, funky cafes, and friendly people. With a fall as beautiful as ours, it is such a nice feeling to stroll through the town shopping or sightseeing.

One of my favourite places to visit is the Kildare House. Rich with history, this is the only place in our city that represents a true country pub. The Kildare is different to other bars and restaurants; there are no pretenses and like their slogan says, “You are only a stranger once.”

The Kildare uses seasonal vegetables when they are available, shopping locally and visiting the market for special ingredients. In the summer, there’s even a farmer who knocks on the kitchen door to offering his fresh field tomatoes for sale! Guests can enjoy wines from Pelee Island Winery and Colio Estate Winery with other local wines on the menu based on their availability.

Recently I heard that the pub might be sold and I was saddened by the reality that my favourite haunt might leave as other businesses have. I needed to act! I joined the “SAVE THE KILDARE HOUSE” Facebook group and offered to help with fundraising. Now the “Friends of the Kildare House” are working hard to support our favourite local and you can too!

Here is what we have planned:
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• FRIDAY, Oct 10 – Starts @ 8pm, Opening Ceremonies, Live Music from Rovin’ Trade
• SATURDAY, Oct 11 – Open @ 11 for Breakfast, Live Entertainment ALL DAY/ALL NIGHT (children welcome from 11am to 9pm)
• SUNDAY, Oct 12 – Pig Roast, Telecast of CFL Games, $3 Red Cap Stubbies

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Join us for 3 days of great events on the Thanksgiving weekend. Bring your friends and relatives with you for great food and drink specials (imagine not having to host the meal this year…just bring your group in!).

There will be a $2 donation at the door for each day; a $30 donation will get you a free Kildare/Save The Pub t-shirt.

Shop early for Christmas (only 12 weeks away!): $100 gets you $120 in gift certificates (6 x $20, certificates applicable towards food only).

Raffles and more specialty events will be announced as we finalize details.

Visit www.savethekildare.com for more details.
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Kildare House, Walkerivlle, pub