Since walking out of the theatre after viewing “An Inconvenient Truth”, with that 8 1/2” x 11” sheet of paper in hand suggesting ten things that I could do to stave off the doom, I have tried to be a better person. Really. The light bulbs have been changed, the washing machine is running on cold water and I’ve complained to Loblaws about all that plastic packaging on their organic cookies. I’m even looking to sell the gas-guzzler for something more environmentally – friendly. But there’s only so much I can do, and this business of buying carbon offsets confuses me.
I found an answer to my angst last week, touring the countryside. This is the year I make a serious effort to eat locally. And if that sounds stoic and virtuous, then that’s me. But really I think it’s going to be fun. I’ve been farmer’s marketing since high school, when we used to bike down to the St. Lawrence Market on a Saturday morning, and give Mum a night off by turning our fresh-from-the-farm purchases into dinner.
The path of produce from farmer’s field to dining room table is often tortuous, but can be refreshingly direct. Consumers in our little corner of the world are blessed. Whether you are actively seeking ways to reduce you carbon footprint on the home front, to improve the quality of your dining out experiences, or are a purveyor to the public palate intent on providing locally sourced products of outstanding quality, you need look only a little further than your own doorstep.
And there are lots of people that are more than happy to show you the way, groups that are actively engaged in promoting area producers, and trying to not only smooth the path from our farms to our kitchens, but to increase traffic on that path. The Internet is a great start your search, or drop into your local tourism office. Many local tourist boards provide maps or at least listings of area markets and producers. The Stratford Tourism Alliance recently rolled out their guides for ‘Epicurean Treks’.
Even a cursory look around will make astoundingly clear a couple of points: the bounty of our countryside, and the number of skilled, caring and impassioned people who work around us, producing our food. Within a day’s drive of Toronto, London, Stratford, Niagara, Windsor – wherever you are – you’ll find (reusable) bags full of good things to eat, and meet some very interesting and nice people.
Last Wednesday morning I was in Luke Sheepers’ Breadworks in Stratford, watching him kneading, shaping and baking the daily breads. At lunch a few hours later some of that bread was on my plate at Bijou, along with roasted Berkshire pork loin from Fred de Martines’ farm, and a puree of locally foraged wild leeks. All washed down with a very drinkable pilsner from craft microbrewer Joe Tuer’s Stratford Brewing Company. Hundred-mile diet? More like a few kilometers.
You’ll find small dairies and cheese producers all over southwestern Ontario. Some fine ones are in the middle of Amish and Mennonite communities. And one of these is Monforte Dairy, an artisanal cheese company in Millbank. It is owned and operated by Ruth Klahssen, an early alumna of the Stratford Chef School. Ruth left a career as a highly regarded chef to pursue cheese-making. Monforte specializes in sheep and goat milk products and their output includes both traditional and innovative cheeses.
Spend a bit of time talking with Ruth and you’ll learn not only about the cheese-making process, but also, perhaps, some facts about the basic foodstuffs in your fridge, and how they got there. I was more than slightly discomfited to discover what your average dairy cow is subjected to in her too brief life, in order to provide the milk my family currently consumes.
But onto happier pastures… With or without children, visiting a farm where livestock is raised the old-fashioned way is both relaxing and revivifying. For me it’s a return to childhood, recalling summer mornings collecting the eggs from the hen-house, hot afternoons weeding the vegetable garden that provided salads, beans, potatoes and more for the farm family and workers, and calling the cows in for milking. Farms like this still exist, just a drive away. And their fruit, their greens and vegetables, their pork and beef and eggs all find their way to your local markets and restaurants.
Visit Sunnivue Farm near Ailsa Craig, and you will find milk cows whose every comfort is of concern to owners Alex and Ellinor Nurnberg. Their award-winning Holsteins are living proof that contented cows really do give better milk. And while you’re there you can visit the farm store for fresh home-baking, seasonally available fruits and vegetables, eggs, maple syrup and more
At Perth Pork Products in Sebringville Fred de Martines has been raising hogs since 1979. When his son expressed a desire to raise some himself, loose on the pasture, it was the beginning of what is proving to be a highly successful venture into the world of heritage breeds. The farm is now home to Tamworths, Berkshires, and out a ways from the main barns, near the bush lot, wild boars.
Compared to the hybrids, commonly reared in confinement, these breeds offer a different texture and more flavourful taste. The qualities stem partly from the breeds themselves, but also are due to such things as feed, soil quality, and other characteristics of their environment. Restaurateurs in the region can’t get enough of Fred’s pork: chefs love to work with it, and diners love to eat it.
If you’re a high-end diner-out you’ve probably come across menus that identify their greens by source. If they come from a farm called Soiled Reputation, that is. Soiled Reputation is Antony John and his wife Tina Vandenheuval. What started out as a bit of a gamble has become a huge success in the world of organic gardening (although it sidelined John’s artistic career). The 80-acre farm provisions restaurants, homes and retail customers from Stratford, London, Toronto and Niagara with custom salad mixes, greens, and over 50 varieties of vegetables.
These producers, farmers and gardeners amongst whom we live have not just recently jumped onto the bandwagon of ‘fresh, local, organic, seasonal and sustainable.’ They’ve been at it for years, perhaps taking over the family business, or coming to it from related backgrounds. Their livelihoods are their passion.
If you’re wondering why you should bother to get on this wagon yourself, here a just a few reasons:
v it sets an good example
v it supports our neighbours (yes, those producers are our neighbours)
v it’s earth-friendly
v it contributes to economic sustainability
v it’s virtuous and enjoyable
v it tastes better, much better.
So toss that Mexican tomato, abandon that apple from Chile. Go to market!
Go for a drive! Heck, go out for dinner.