food in the hills - autumn - winter 2011

Red Fife Renaissance

Highland beefApple pie bake-offWonderful winter squash

Midway delightsAUTU

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autumn winter 2011 | food in the hills 3

Canada’s chefs enter the quarry fray

Canadian Chef’s Congress president Michael Stadtländer standing in a Melancthon Township potato fi eld.

We are stardustWe are goldenAnd we’ve got to get ourselvesBack to the garden.

woodstock, by joni mitchell

The garden, in this case, is thousands of acres of prime farmland in Melancthon Township, currently under siege by a Boston-based hedge fund that plans to turn it into the second largest limestone quarry in North America.

By now you’ve probably heard the mind-numbing details: 2,316 acres, 600 million litres of water diverted daily, 300 trucks every hour, the source of fi ve rivers. Maybe you’ve already signed a petition or written your MPP or sent a cheque. Well, now there’s something else you can do to help stop the mega-quarry: Set aside Saturday, October 16 and take the whole family to Foodstock.

The Canadian Chefs’ Congress invites everyone who cares about food and water to attend a mega food festival in Melancthon Township, a day-long event that organizers say will be to local food and water what Woodstock was to rock and roll. CCC president Michael Stadtländer, who lives and works not far from the proposed quarry lands, is hoping as many as 20,000 people will attend Foodstock and lend their support to the cause.

“We want people to taste the bounty of the land that is threatened by the quarry,” says Stadtländer, and to sample the clear, clean water that comes from the farmlands The Highland Companies plans to destroy.

As many as 70 chefs will each create a signature dish for the event. Among those contributing their culinary genius are Jamie Kennedy, Anthony Walsh (Canoe), Donna Dooher (Mildred Pierce), Chris McDonald (Cava), Anthony Rose (Drake Hotel), Paul Boehmer (Boehmer) and, of course, Stadtländer.

“The idea,” says Christian Morrison, one of Foodstock’s organizers, “is to get as many people as possible to show up.” The event is being hosted by the four farm families who held out against Highland’s offers to buy their land. Details were still being worked out at press time, but organizers hope to close Highway 124 for the day so people can move freely from farm to farm, sample some great food and lend their voices to the groundswell of opposition to the quarry. Admission is pay-what-you-can with proceeds going to underwrite the considerable costs of fi ghting the proposed quarry.

“We want this to be a giant food fair,” says Morrison, “bringing together as many people as we can because it’s clear that this is a mad, mad project.”

Seems like we have to do something to ensure all that aggregate needed to pave Paradise isn’t going to come from right here in our own backyard.

For directions and details, go to canadianchefscongress.com.

In the meantime, we hope you enjoy this second issue of Food In The Hills, a meaty one in every way, including Brad Holden’s profi le of some very special cattle, Nicola Ross’s investigation of the plight of small abattoirs, and our pick for this season’s Best Bite, house-made charcuterie from the Hockley Valley Resort. It’s also the baking issue, and wherever possible, we have passed along recipes – for everything from Jean Denison’s prize-winning date squares to Wilma Zeggil’s apple pie – created by people a lot like yourselves: home cooks who care.

I hope you like it. Let us know.

Cecily [email protected]

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26 | Paul Mills’ long-horned

cattle attract a lot of

attention, and it’s not only

because of their good looks.

This grass-fed Highland breed

yields beef that’s as tasty as

it is lean. Brad Holden visits

the farm to hear the ultimate

shaggy-cow story.

38 | The lowly squash hits

new heights. Hardy, versatile

and strangely beautiful, winter

squash lends itself to countless

uses, from spicy hummus to

moist and easy quick breads.

Jennifer Clark reports.

a taste of our autumn|winter issue

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loone fi ne steak

an embarrassmentof squashes


23 | Bakers beware. It takes cold hands and nerves of steel

to produce a winning tart. Cecily Ross fi nds out the hard way

that when it comes to apple pies, practice makes perfect.

Off the Shelf | 9Gadgets and goodies for those on the go.

Digest | 10Food for thought.

Cooking With Rose | 44Chef Rose DuPont unravels the mysteries of potato gnocchi.

Potato Index | 54All about Solanum tuberosum.

What’s Cooking Calendar | 56Food events throughout the fall.

End Note | 61A tribute to Maureen Baufeldt.

Best Bites | 62Hockley Valley Resort’s charcuterie.

The Meaning of Red Fife | 12Monica Duncan follows the trail of a heritage grain from fi eld to mill to the baker’s oven.

Fall Fair Fare | 18Nicola Ross goes to the fair – and it’s mainly because of the French fries.

The Case for Local Meat Processing | 33In the wake of 2008’s listeria outbreak, small abattoirs face an uncertain future. Nicola Ross explains why.

Islands of Calm | 48Cecily Ross gets a cook’s tour of Sara Bellamy’s serenely beautiful kitchen – islands and all.

The Little Project That Grew | 52It takes a village (and a lot of hard work) to nurture a community garden. Palgrave has what it takes.

more seasonal specials always on the menu

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can she make an apple pie?

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volume 1 number 2 | autumn winter 2011

™

contributing

editors

Jennifer ClarkMonica DuncanRose DuPontBrad HoldenDouglas G PearceDyanne RiversNicola Ross

proofreading

Janet Dimond

publisher

Signe Ball

editor

Cecily Ross

operations

manager

Kirsten Ball

art director

Kim van OosteromWallfl ower Design

web manager

Valerie JonesEchohill Inc.

advertising sales

Jennifer PayneRoberta FracassiJulie Lockyer

advertising

production

Marion HodgsonType & Images

to advertise

Jennifer [email protected]

photography

Liz ArmstrongTrina BerloMK LyndePete PatersonAnn SeymourJason van Bruggen

food st yling

Rose DuPont

cover

Red Fife wheat by Pete Paterson

advertising

deadline

The advertising deadline for the Spring|Summer issue is Friday, April 6, 2012.

subscriptions

Subscriptions are $11.30 per year (includes hst).

let ters

Letters to the editor are welcome; email [email protected].

Food In The Hills is an independent, local magazine, published twice yearly in mid May and mid August. It is a sister publication to In The Hills. 10,000 copies are distributed through restaurants, inns, specialty food stores, markets and tourism locations throughout the Headwaters region.

published by

MonoLog Communications IncRR 1, OrangevilleOntario L9W 2Y8519-940-3299519-940-9266 [email protected]

foodinthehills.cainthehills.cakidsinthehills.ca

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off the shelf

Pie for DinnerThe competition for Headwaters’ best chicken pot pie has never been keener. And we think the version made by Pat McArthur of Heatherlea Farm Market in Caledon is right up there with the very best examples of this ultimate comfort food. Baked from frozen, it comes out perfectly every time: golden fl aky crust, chunks of hormone-free, humanely raised local chicken and lots (but not too many) of fresh local vegetables. The sauce is light and unobtrusive, yet smooth as silk. It’s the perfect no-fuss supper for a busy winter weeknight, or a pop-in-the-oven après-ski dinner. We’ve also heard that Pat’s pumpkin pie is to-die-for. Both are available, along with a huge selection of local meats and other products, at Heatherlea Farm Market, 17049 Winston Churchill Blvd. 519-927-5902. www.heatherleafarmmarket.ca �

Stitches of TimeDiane Johnston was going through her mother-in-law’s old linens one day and she thought, “How can I re-purpose all this needlework?” In among the old tablecloths, spreads and curtains, she found fragments of cross-stitch, crochet and tatted lace. “We don’t sit around and do hand-stitching anymore, so I wanted to save what I could.” Diane has always loved to sew and so she created these beautiful aprons as showpieces for what are becoming lost arts. Each apron is one-of-a-kind, most are made from vintage cloth and incorporate a fragment of cross-stitch, lace or crochet in their design. The pocket on the apron above is fashioned from an old crocheted potholder. “I love the old stitching,” says Diane, “but it’s also a form of recycling.” Vintage and Vogue aprons are only available at the Rosemont General Store in Rosemont for $35, or directly from Diane at 519-529-1031. www.stitchesoftime.ca

Our roundup of fabulous quality items produced by local artisans

Booze for Breakfast?Pair this marmalade with home-baked scones and clotted cream for a mid-winter treat that will knock your mukluks off. Wünder baker Sarah Hallett of Roseberry Farm Cakes adds a generous splash of Crown Royal Whiskey to her already superb marmalade. Be sure to stand back when you fi rst open a jar of this heady brew of hand-cut Seville oranges that have been simmered in muscovado sugar. And since Sevilles are only available in February and March, be sure to order a jar early. While you’re at it, you might want to browse Sarah’s scrumptious website, www.roseberryfarmcakes.com. Her ginger cake with lemon icing is the stuff of local legend. Whiskey Marmalade and other Roseberry Farm goodies are available at The Bank Café in Creemore, the Creemore Farmers’ Market from May through October, or by calling Sarah to order. 705-794-8943

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Our roundup


digest c o m p i l e d b y d o u g l a s g p e a r c e

small scale, big results

“Small-scale farmers can double food production within 10 years in critical regions by using ecological methods, a new UN report shows. Based on an extensive review of the recent scientifi c literature, the study calls for a fundamental shift towards agroecology as a way to boost food production and improve the situation of the poorest. “‘To feed 9 billion people in 2050, we urgently need to adopt the most effi cient farming techniques available,’ says Olivier De Schutter, UN Special Rapporteur on the right to food and author of the report. ‘Today’s scientifi c evidence demonstrates that agroecological methods outperform the use of chemical fertilizers in boosting food production where the hungry live – especially in unfavourable environments.’ “‘To date, agroecological projects have shown an average crop yield increase of 80 per cent in 57 developing countries, with an average increase of 116 per cent for all African projects,’ De Schutter says. ‘Recent projects conducted in 20 African countries demonstrated a doubling of crop yields over a period of 3–10 years.’” From a UN news release at www.srfood.org.

alphabet cereal

“ADM, Bunge, Cargill, and Dreyfus, known as the ABCD Four, account for 75 to 90 per cent of the global grain trade.” From The Guardian Weekly, Jun 10/11.

cigar for havana

“‘Over the past 15 years, Cuba has become ‘the world’s largest working model of sustainable agriculture,’ according to U.S. writer and activist Bill McKibben. At least in terms of vegetable and fruit production like the kind I witnessed at Vivero Alamar, Cuba is indeed a model to emulate, demonstrating how an entire society can convert its agriculture to organic methods and thrive.

“Granted, the country of Cuba still imports more than half its food and is far from being food-secure. But in the capital, Havana, nearly all of the vegetables and most fruits now come from within a 30-mile radius, an accomplishment of which few cities in the world can boast.” From Organic Farms Supply Most of Havana’s

Fruits, Vegetables, by Fred Bahnson, CCPA

Monitor, May/10. www.policyalternatives.ca

pumpkin lite

“Pumpkins were likely developed in South America from wild plants that date back from 7000 to 5500 BC. For centuries, aboriginal peoples in North America grew pumpkins with sunfl owers and beans, and later with corn and beans, in the Three Sisters gardens central to First Nations agriculture. Early European settlers to North America depended heavily upon pumpkins as a source of vitamin A and food energy. They also made pumpkin beer by fermenting the fruit with persimmons, hops and maple syrup.”From Pumpkin Passion, by Michelle

Summer Fike, in The Canadian Organic

Grower, Winter/11. www.cog.ca

blue

hubbard

“Although technically a Yankee vegetable – it originally landed in Massachusetts from South America around 1798 – this squash thrives throughout the South, and it’s even developed a reputation as an outstanding substitute for the main ingredient in sweet potato pie. If pie isn’t your thing, you can roast the fl esh with olive oil, salt and pepper, and then combine it with chicken stock and cream to make a delicious winter soup. But while it’s not hard to make good use of the Blue Hubbard, it is hard to

crack one open. Some people have been known to spike it on the driveway. The effort will be well worth it. Just ask any cucurbitacean [squash lover].”From Garden and Gun, Feb-Mar/11.

www.gardenandgun.com

corn walking

“Descendants of the Maya living in Mexico still sometimes refer to themselves as ‘the corn people.’ The phrase is not intended as a metaphor. Rather, it’s meant to acknowledge their abiding dependence on this miraculous grass, the staple of their diet for almost nine thousand years. Forty per cent of the calories a Mexican eats in a day comes directly from corn, most of it in the form of tortillas. So when a Mexican says, ‘I am maize’ or ‘corn walking,’ it is simply a statement of fact…” From The Omnivore’s Dilemma,

by Michael Pollan,

Penguin Press, 2006.

food fight

“For a reminder that the world is in the grip of a food crisis, look no further than this year’s uprisings in Tunisia and Egypt. Both were triggered in part by soaring prices, which are at an all-time high after extreme weather – especially last year’s heat wave in Russia – took its toll on agriculture. “Now the wheat crop in China, the world’s biggest producer, is threatened by drought. If the crop fails, prices will rise further as China imports wheat to make up the shortfall. More plentiful harvests elsewhere might lead to lower prices later in the year, but any such respite will only be temporary as the weather becomes more unpredictable. As the saying goes: ‘Climate trains the boxer, but weather throws the punches.’” From New Scientist, Feb 19/11.

www.newscientist.com


bye-bye

blues

“The bluefi n [tuna] is the zenith of evolution among fi sh – an extraordinary creature that can swim at 40 miles per hour, accelerate faster than a Porsche, produce millions of eggs, and live for 20 years. The secret of its ability to turn on such dazzling bursts of speed is that it warms its blood through a heat exchanger. What matters to the buyers is taste, and the bluefi n – unfortunately for it – happens to be the fi sh equivalent of Aberdeen Angus raised on Argentine pampas. As a result of the demand for its fl esh, the eastern Atlantic bluefi n is now listed as an endangered species and estimated to be equivalent to the giant panda in its closeness to extinction. The western Atlantic bluefi n stock is in even worse shape and is offi cially described as critically endangered. That puts it in the same bracket as the black rhino.”From The End of the Line, by Charles

Clover, The New Press, 2006.

disappearing disease

“Rinderpest, a viral disease, was once endemic across Eurasia and Africa with periodic outbreaks killing calves and devastating herders [sic]. The virus was last detected in 2001 in Kenya.” Rinderpest is the fi rst animal disease to be eradicated.From Science, May 20/11.

www.sciencemag.org

vice

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autumn winter 2011 | food in the hills12

RedFifethemeaning

of


KKaren Hutchinson lets a handful of smooth reddish kernels pour through her fi ngers. “Red Fife wheat is Canadian slow food,” says the Caledon grower. The grains are from the fi rst harvest of Red Fife that she and her husband Rich Miller planted in 2010 on their 100-acre farm. “It’s also a ‘low input’ crop,” she explains, farmer-speak for requiring no fungicides, pesticides or fertilizer.

Named for its ripened colour and for David Fife, the Scot who brought it from the Highlands to Ontario in the early 1800s, Red Fife is making a welcome comeback in the kitchens of artisan bakers and heritage food enthusiasts throughout the province. And farmers like Karen are excited by the heritage grain’s hardiness, its distinctive nutty fl avour and its “genetic mutability,” which means the wheat actually expresses “terroir,” taking on local fl avour characteristics wherever it is grown. “As specifi c as the Peel Plain or the Oak Ridges Moraine,” says Karen.

Once the dominant wheat in Ontario, Red Fife’s vigour gradually declined early in the 20th century as it was hybridized for a short growing season and large yields. The

resulting grain began to require fertilizer, bug spray and fungicide, turning a once hardy staple into a “high input” crop. Fortunately, the original seed had been preserved over time by a few heritage-crop farmers and seed savers who remembered the original Red Fife’s ability to adapt quickly to soil conditions, pests and climate, making it a natural choice for organic farming.

“I have so much respect for the generations before and their incredible knowledge,” says Karen, noting that organic growing has its own challenges. “It’s a completely different process,” she says. She’s contemplating mechanical “scuffl ing” for weed control and pondering the “to till or not to till” debate. While tilling helps keep weeds down, it also kills benefi cial microbes and earthworms, and makes the topsoil prone to picking up and leaving in a dry windy season.

The story of Karen’s land is a microcosm of the history of the Peel Plain, a fertile tract of land in Caledon. After it was cleared in the mid-1800s, the land was depleted by a monoculture wheat boom. By the time Karen’s grandparents acquired the farm in the 1920s, the land needed replenishment. They ran a mixed farm, rotating crops, turning their livestock’s manure back into the soil, and leaving the land fallow to bring the soil back to health. Her parents were dairy farmers and cultivated a spectrum of produce for themselves and their community.

Karen and Rich’s experimental planting of Red Fife continues in this tradition: to provide for their family, to preserve a valuable heritage crop for future generations, and to help reinvent a local agricultural economy. Karen is determined. “This clay soil once yielded up wheat. A grain like Red Fife is going to adapt.”

The couple saved last year’s grain harvest to replant and build up a seed bank. They hope to have enough in the future to send to K2 Milling in Tottenham for milling into fl our. “It’s part of the circle to fi gure out how families can farm again,” says Karen, “and how our kids can make an honest, decent income from the farm.” �

From farm to mill, a heritage

grain makes a remarkable

journey back to the future

by monica duncan

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Fields of gold

Karen Hutchinson in a neighbour’s wheat fi eld: “It is my goal to get conventional wheat fi elds turned into fi fe.”


Miller Mark Hayhoe looks on as his helper, a local baker’s son, piles bags of freshly ground fl our. The fat brown paper bags line up like buns fresh from the oven. “It’s part of a perfect circle,” says the third generation miller, echoing Karen Hutchinson. He sees the future of food as “direct links in close proximity,” from farm to mill to bakery and home. “There were once 2,500 mills in Ontario,” he says. “They were central to the life of every small town.” The local links he espouses yield fresh, fl avourful food that is alive and complex, along with thriving communities and a lowered environmental footprint because there is less gas-guzzling trucking of goods.

Grains like Red Fife are emblematic

of those links. Mark’s inspiration came while working at his father’s huge wheat mill in Woodbridge. In the family since 1935, the old facility once processed all of York Region’s wheat. But customers were looking for something more than the standard offering, Mark says. “Food was changing. People were asking for whole grains and were interested in different types of fl our and healthier options.” Mark also enjoyed the other side of the business, working with farmers and knowing the fi elds where the grain originated. So he started K2 Milling in Tottenham in 2007. Today, 75 per cent of what Mark grinds is grown within 100 kilometres of his mill, and 90 per cent is organic.

“We process over 30 types of grain and we custom blend,” he says, noting his dislike of the term “all-purpose” fl our. He estimates there are about 10 artisanal mills like K2 in Ontario. While several of these mills are still water powered, all use cool processing, which preserves more of the food value of the grain. “Cool milling doesn’t rupture the fat cells of the grain and you get a longer shelf life.”

Working with whole grains requires constant vigilance. “The oil content of a grain, the humidity and heat on a given day… these factors go into grinding,” says Mark. It’s a carefully calibrated milling process that keeps the end product light and not sticky.

While certain grains work well on their own as fl our, others are custom blended for

red fife

Nose to the

grindstone

Miller Mark Hayhoe: “We process over 30 types of grain and we custom blend.”


a baker’s end goal in taste and texture. Some grains yield beautiful cooking oils and fi bres like bran. Mark even mills his products for makers of gourmet pet biscuits.

And the name K2? “I studied economics,” says Mark. “K2 is a symbol for exponential return on capital. There is also a mountain in the Himalayas in the K2 range, lower than Everest, but harder to summit.” That may sound like an uphill climb, but Mark is quick to add, “I believe in the Farmer’s Creed. The one that says that return on investment isn’t just about money. It’s something you can’t calculate. Like a healthy community and environment,” and the glowing satisfaction of responsible stewardship at the journey’s end. �

�Served at Better Cafés,

Restaurants and

Fine Food Retailers

Tel: (519) 940-7081

Fax: (519) 938-5407

PIES . BAKED GOODS . GOURMET FOODS GROCERIES . CATERING

Open 7 Days a Week . Hwy 89, Rosemont . 705-435-6575


ingredients

1 tbsp active dry yeast 2 ½ cups lukewarm water (68°F) ½ cup honey 5 ½ cups Red Fife stone ground fl our 1 cup bread fl our or all-purpose1 tbsp kosher salt

preparation

Add yeast to water and honey, stir to combine. Add fl ours and salt and mix with a wooden spoon until ingredients are combined in a shaggy ball.

Transfer to a lightly fl oured work surface and knead for 12 minutes, or until dough is soft but holds its shape. Form dough into ball and place in a large oiled bowl. Cover bowl with damp cloth. Let rise 1 hour or until doubled in volume.

Tom Wilson’s Red Fife Whole Wheat BreadThe baked goods at Spirit Tree Estate Cidery feature Red Fife. The grain is a natural for Nicole Judge and Tom Wilson’s food emporium in Caledon, where the value is on handmade heritage product in the slow-food tradition. This extends to mornings at the wood-fi red brick oven where Tom fashions loaves, baguettes, cider-tinged rye and more. Using a wild yeast starter, he combines Red Fife in almost half his recipes, blending in proportions ranging from 20 to 80 per cent. Soon after market testing his earliest rustic breads, Tom was gratifi ed. “People love them.”

Spray 2 pans with vegetable oil. Gently transfer dough to fl oured work surface and divide evenly in two. Cover with a tea towel and rest 10 minutes. Uncover and shape each piece into a loaf and place in pan, seam side down. Flour tops and cover with tea towel. Let rise 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until dough has risen 1 inch above pan rim.

Preheat oven to 450ºF.

Place loaves in oven. Bake 5 minutes, reduce heat to 400°F and bake 20 minutes. Turn loaf pans around inside oven and bake an additional 15–20 minutes. Loaves should be deep brown and sound hollow when tapped on the bottom or sides. Cool on a wire rack. Enjoy!

Makes 2 loaves.

Tom Wilson baking in the wood-fi red brick oven at Spirit Tree Estate Cidery.


TermsGluten

The elastic protein component of wheat which determines its effi cacy with leavening agents, or suitability for different uses, from baked goods to pasta.

Hard/soft wheat

Describes hardness of kernel. Hard is best for breads and is higher in protein than soft, which is best for cakes and is higher in starch.

Winter/spring wheat

Describes when a variety is planted. Ninety-fi ve per cent of Ontario wheat is “soft/winter” grain.

Heritage

Transmitted from the past or handed down by tradition.

Red Fife

A hard, red spring wheat suitable for bread.

Sources for Red Fife flour

Ouderkirk & Taylor

3 Wyndham St N, Guelphwww.ouderkirkandtaylor.com

Grassroots Organics

(large bags only)136135 Conc 8 Desborowww.saugeenspecialtygrains.ca

The Bulk Barn

Orangeville and Alliston

baked goods

Spirit Tree Estate Cidery

Various breads1137 Boston Mills Rd, Caledon www.spirittreecider.com

100 Mile Store

176 Mill St, CreemoreChef Michael Stadtländer’s Red Fife sourdough bread www.100milestore.ca �

Monica Duncan is a freelance writer living in the hills.

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The homecraft competitions at agricultural fairs may be a throwback to the “olden days,” but those who enter these annual contests take pride in their entries – and in how they place. And should you be a giant-pumpkin grower, something that Debi Clare, organizer of the Erin Fair competitions, says “takes more work than having a baby,” you pay attention to the prize money too.

If the tradition of the annual agricultural fair seems to have been around forever, that’s because it pretty much has. In the Headwaters region, Erin celebrates its 161st fair this year, Orangeville its 157th, Bolton its 154th, Caledon its 151st, Shelburne its 145th and Grand Valley its 137th. All of them, except Grand Valley, began before Canada became a nation in 1867.

British settlers brought the idea with them to Canada, and these annual gatherings soon became popular social events for Canadian farmers. Associated with agricultural societies, which were supported and fostered by the Canadian government, the fairs helped farmers learn about new techniques that would increase their prosperity. At one time, according to Guy Scott, past president of the Ontario Association of Agricultural Societies, there were more than 500 in the province.

Today, about 230 towns and cities become colourful spectacles for up to four days when their fairgrounds vibrate with Ferris wheels and bumper cars, fi ll the air with the aroma of corn on the cob, baked potatoes and sweet fudge, and wow the crowds with horse pulls, livestock competitions and homecraft contests in which participants show off their home-baking, preserving, quilting, knitting, fl ower-arranging, art and even photography skills. Homecraft classes can number in the hundreds, and for most local agricultural fairs, the entries keep pouring in from long-time regulars who tend to be the prize winners, as well as from newcomers who see these competitions as a way to get involved in their communities.

In terms of food for human consumption, classes range from Sandra Shamas’s garlic category to giant pumpkins (minimum weight 250 pounds) and other fruits and vegetables, to preserves and baked goods. At the Orangeville Fair, for example, cucumbers are judged in four categories (pickling, regular, seedless and English), and despite having eight separate classes for potatoes, Karen McClellan, the Orangeville Fair facilitator says, “Probably, we could add to those [potato classes] these days, given all of the heritage varieties that have come back.” �

What better way to honour the bounty of a Headwaters’ harvest than with a visit to the fair?

by nicola ross

When asked what compels her to enter the garlic she grows at her Glen Williams farm

in the Erin Fall Fair’s annual “homecraft” competition, comedian and playwright Sandra

Shamas deadpans: “It’s for the money!” Her cumulative winnings for taking fi rst place in

2009 and 2010 added up to eight dollars. Then, in a tone fl irting with being serious, she

adds, “I’m very close to wearing the red ribbons that I proudly display on my fridge.”


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With so many classes to choose from, Trudy Burnside, director of the Bolton Fair’s junior division, uses the opportunity to learn to make something new. When she saw a preserved fruit cocktail class, she entered it because she’d never made one before. Trudy, who has won Bolton Fair’s high-point baking cup “at least twice,” makes the competition a family affair. Her daughter Jeanette, 15, has won the junior baking cup three years in a row, and her son Carter, 12, is intent on dethroning his big sis.

Erin’s Denison clan also has multiple entries. John submits his smoky rich maple syrup, and wins prizes sometimes. For years, Jean Denison was the “carrot cake queen.” But when she lost her title, she switched to date squares made from a recipe she borrowed from her mother. “The trick,” says Jean, “is to use margarine.” One year, Jean recalls fi nding her then 20-year-old son John Wesley making chilli sauce in the middle of the night to top up his entries.

Agricultural fairs were helped along by John Graves Simcoe, Upper Canada’s fi rst Lieutenant Governor. In 1792, he helped organize the Agricultural Society of Upper Canada because he believed Canada would be an agricultural nation. These organizations used a variety of means to educate farmers, but, as Guy Scott wrote, “Industrial exhibitions and festivals came and went, but fairs just carried on.” In the 1930s, the Erin Fair, long considered to be the “preview to

The Royal [Winter Fair]” because of its size, age and late date on Thanksgiving weekend, boasted attendance records that exceeded the township’s total population. And it did that even though, in respect for the Sabbath, it shut down on Thanksgiving Sunday.

These days, fairs remain open on Sundays, and have made other concessions to modern times. At some fairs, tractor pulls and demolition derbies have replaced the traditional heavy-horse pull. The Caledon Fair moved to a weekend in June because its small size made it unable to attract a midway on its traditional September weekend. At the Bolton Fair, bread made in a bread-making machine is one of the most popular classes these days, and it’s popular with men as well as women.

Getting kids involved is an ongoing challenge. Junior classes that appeal to children are meant to teach them about food and farming. Orangeville Fair hands out prizes for three cookies or a cake baked in an Easy Bake oven, and toddlers under four can enter a necklace made from edible material. There’s even a peanut butter sandwich class for Erin kids. But juniors beware: one young girl who entered her cornbread on the urging of a fellow contestant, received second prize despite being the only entrant in her class.

June Switzer, a grand dame of the Erin Fair, is a long-time judge (and regular winner, best known for her cinnamon buns). She explains it’s not uncommon for a single

fall fair fare

Jean Denison’sDate SquaresThis recipe for prize-winning squares was handed down to Erin resident Jean Denison by her mother Elizabeth Fisher. Denison and her son, John Wesley, have each won with it once in the Date Square category and placed second another time at the Erin Fair. The secret ingredient is margarine. “Don’t think you can make them better by using butter,” says Jean.

ingredients

2 cups rolled oats 2 cups fl our1 cup brown sugar1 tsp baking soda½ lb (250 g) margarine 1 lb (500 g) chopped dates1 cup white sugar1 tbsp cornstarch1 cup water (approximately)

preparation

Preheat oven to 400°F.

Mix together rolled oats, fl our, brown sugar and baking soda. Cut in margarine until mixture is crumbly. Spread half the mixture in the bottom of a 9" x 13" baking pan.

Combine chopped dates with white sugar and cornstarch. Place in a saucepan and cover with water. Bring to a boil, stirring. Cool slightly.

Spread date mixture on top of the crumble. Top dates with remaining crumb mixture. Bake for approximately 20 minutes until golden. Cool before cutting into squares.


entrant, such as the young cornbread baker, to place second. Sometimes, they don’t place at all since entries have to meet a certain standard to get a ribbon. Baked goods usually make the grade, says June, but preserves can be a problem if they aren’t sealed properly. When asked if she has ever had to spit things out, June says not often, explaining that her nose usually warns her off fi rst.

In addition to being palatable, one of the key rules in the baking classes is that mixes are not to be used unless the class specifi cally calls for one. “It’s not easy to tell if people are using one,” June admits, adding, “It’s amazing how people can ruin a mix.”

Wayne Parkinson, who farms just out side Erin, has a different reason for getting involved in the com petition. In order to encourage more entries, Parkinson recently donated $100 for the Fully Decorated Cherry Pie class, but he made his donation contingent on his getting to keep (and eat) all of the entries.

Proving that everyone loves homebaked goods, the Erin Fair added what is formally referred to as The Café at The General Store, but is best known as “where the ladies make the apple dumplings.” It was June’s sister, Carol Reid, who came up with the idea one year when the Erin Fair theme was apples. Now, over the four-day fair, the ladies sell more than 2,000 apple dumplings, many of them slathered in hot caramel sauce.

“The night is not long enough to tell you how many things I’ve entered in the Erin Fair,” says Jean Denison. And yet, despite 40 years of competition, she’s still con sidered a “ junior” in comparison to people like June Switzer. But these “rules” don’t apply to Jessica Lacombe. Only 29 years old, Jessica says she’s been entering baking contests at the Erin Fair for over 20 of them. �

The food served at agricultural fairs may not be the healthiest, but you won’t fi nd any golden arches on the fairgrounds. Lions Club burgers, Optimist Club French fries and United Church cherry pies are the order of the day. And like me, just about everyone who attends one of these annual events has a favourite fair food – or two.

My annual trip to the Erin Fair isn’t complete until I’ve eaten a batch of French fries sold by the Optimist Club. In their yellow cardboard container, fresh from the fryer, these fi nger-width fries are too hot to eat right away, though I often can’t resist. With tiny beads of still-sizzling oil dotting the surface of the crispy brown potato skin, they absorb the salt that I liberally sprinkle over my obsession. As with all good French fries, I put malt vinegar on them too. Just salt and vinegar, and a warm spot to eat them as I watch the heavy-horse pull. That’s the combo that makes my day at the fair.

Here are the favourites of some other fairgoers:

Sandra Shamas also starts her visit the Erin Fair with fries at the Optimist booth, but she follows up with an apple dumpling, slathered in caramel sauce. “I’m a sauce person,” she explains. Shamas is also a fudge addict, and her favourite is the pumpkin pie fudge from Debora’s Chocolates.

Karen McClellan likes to dive into a bison burger at the Orangeville Fair, courtesy of Deer Valley Farm. Then she picks up a steaming baked potato loaded with sour cream, butter, bacon bits, green onions and cheese.

Jean Denison fi nds the Erin Fair’s Optimist fries hard to resist, but she can’t resist the church pies either. “Doesn’t matter what kind,” says Jean.

For Jeannette Mason, it’s bacon on a bun and a baked potato at the Bolton Fair.

At the Caledon Fair, Betty Brander makes her way to the Presbyterian Church booth for a homemade egg salad sandwich and a piece of raisin pie.

Wayne Parkinson, like his daughter Sara, is partial to the apple dumplings. “It’s not the Erin Fair without an apple dumpling, or hopefully two or three.”

A loaded baked potato is the favourite for Donna Blackwell at the Grand Valley Fair, but, she admits, “I try to patronize all of the booths.”

Though she spends endless hours making apple dumplings at the Erin Fair, June Switzer doesn’t eat them very often. “I like the chocolate milk in the Agricultural Awareness tent, served by the Wellington Dairy Farmers.”

The Burnside family has to cover a lot of ground at the Bolton Fair. Carter says he liked the crêpes they had one year, but a stop for ice cream is on the agenda, as is a cob of hot, buttery corn.

A concession booth at the local agricultural fair is a hot commodity, since it is a major fundraising opportunity for service groups. Paul Kolb, who looks after the concession booths for the Bolton Fair, says, “You get about 500 people calling. We always look after the service groups fi rst [e.g., Lions, Optimists, Rotary, etc…] and we try not to get too many of the same things.”

For a complete listing of fall fairs in Headwaters, see page 59.


fall fair fare

And when she says she enters, Jessica isn’t kidding. This Hillsburgh resident takes three days off work each fall so she can enter all 42 baking categories. When asked what her best result is, she hesitates and then explains, “I generally judge my success by what I don’t place in.” Her skill has been passed down from her grandmother to her

mother to her. “I love to bake,” says Jessica who works full time as, you guessed it, a baker. �

Nicola Ross is author of the books, Caledon and Dufferin. She is editor-in- chief of Alternatives Journal, Canada’s national environmental magazine.

Jessica Lacombe’s Chocolate CakeJessica has been using this recipe for the Erin Fair since 2005, taking fi rst prize three times and third prize once in the Chocolate Layer Cake with Icing competition. She uses the same recipe to enter the Chocolate Cake with Date Filling and Chocolate Icing competition, which she has also won three times, as well as coming in second and third on two other occasions. Jessica started entering the Erin Fair baking contests when she was 10 years old. Now, as an adult baker, she wins 25 to 30 ribbons each year. In 2010, she won the Gladys Keeler Silver Platter for best baker, and has won the Gladys Keeler Queen of the Fair bakers’ plaque for seven years running.

chocolate cake

2 cups brown sugar1 ¾ cups fl our¾ cup cocoa powder2 tsp baking soda1 tsp baking powder¼ tsp salt½ cup vegetable oil2 eggs1 cup buttermilk or soured milk1 cup strong coffee

preparation

Preheat oven to 350ºF. In a large bowl, combine brown sugar, fl our, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Mix together with your hands until all the lumps are out of the sugar and cocoa powder. Set aside. In another bowl mix eggs and oil well. Add the buttermilk, then slowly add the strong coffee. When combined, add to the dry ingredients and mix well. Pour into a 10" springform pan. Bake in the oven for 25 to 30 minutes, or until toothpick inserted comes out clean.

chocolate but ter cream

½ cup butter, softened4 cups icing sugar1⁄3 cup half-and-half cream2⁄3 cup cocoa powder1 tsp vanilla

preparation

In a mixer, cream butter, then add 2 cups of the icing sugar, combine until well mixed and smooth. Add half the cream and blend. Sift the cocoa powder with the remaining 2 cups of icing sugar and add to the mixer. Once combined add the rest of the cream and 1 tsp of vanilla. If you want it a little thinner, add a bit more cream.

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Sara Hershoff licked her plastic fork, sighed and plunged it into another apple pie. Before her on the gingham-covered table, 16 golden tarts shimmered in the October sunshine. It was a dirty job, but someone had to do it. Sara, publisher of the town’s newspaper, was one of four judges at the fourth annual Creemore Heritage Apple Society’s apple-pie contest, held last Thanksgiving weekend at the local farmers’ market. �

Not really, but the author gives it a good try anyway and enters her

dubious effort in the local baking contest | by cecily ross

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apple pie

P“Pie judging is really complex,” Sara said as she and fellow judge, Bill Mann, a retired executive, sampled a forkful of pie No. 2. (This is a small, highly competitive community, so blind judging was a must.)

Each pie was scored out of 25 points (5 for appearance, 5 for crust, 5 for texture and 10 for fl avour).

“Mmm. Very subtle,” said Bill smacking his lips and closing his eyes. The crowd of onlookers gathered around the pie table included many of the pie-makers themselves. And as the judges nibbled and made notes, you could cut the tension with a fork.

I was there covering the event for this magazine, but unbeknownst to the organizers, judges and other competitors, I had an ulterior motive: Pie No. 8 was made by none other than me. What better way to capture the edge and suspense of a rural apple-pie contest than by experiencing it fi rst-hand?

“What,” I asked Pat Prime, an area real-tor, “are your qualifi cations to be a judge?”

“I’ve always had an interest in pies,” said Pat. “I come from a background of great baking. I’m not a pie-baker, I’m a pie-eater.”

“And you?” I queried Sara.“I like pie,” was all she said.But would she like mine? I wasn’t

hopeful. At home, it had seemed like a credible effort, even appetizing, but here lined up beside pies that would have given Martha Stewart pause, it looked amateurish and, well, pathetic.

The judges didn’t seem to notice however, dazzled as they were with pie No. 4, a masterpiece adorned with tiny perfect pastry leaves. I decided to interview my fellow competitors while I waited. Perhaps I might learn something.

Catherine Morrissey, who lives just outside the village, said she has entered the apple-pie contest every year since the event started. She has never won fi rst prize. Her friend, Brian Koturbash, a weekender, took home the red ribbon two years ago and the intensity of their rivalry has blossomed ever since.

“Brian Koturbash and I are rivals,” Catherine told me. “I taught him how to bake pies. Now, whenever I go to his house, he puts on his red ribbon.”

“My secret ingredient is vodka,” Brian said, explaining his theory that the alcohol keeps the pastry ingredients cooler longer. “Catherine is my mentor,” he added with the graciousness of a natural winner, “but she gave away all her best tips.” Brian boasted that his pie contained a combination of Ida Red, Cortland and Royal Gala apples. Still, he was not optimistic about his chances in this event. “I used Smirnoff; it was all I had,” he said. “I made my winning pie with Grey Goose.”

“I think the vodka made the judges a little high,” snarled Catherine.

Back at the pie table, judge Bill Mann

was taking a tentative bite out of pie No. 8. “What did you think of that one?” I asked.“Hmmm,” he frowned and licked a

pastry fl ake from his lips. “Disappointing,” he fi nally said.

Sara Hershoff, perhaps sensing it was my pie, tasted it and, a note of apology in her voice, offered this crumb of consolation: “But I kind of like these burned bits at the edges.”

It wasn’t my fault.Flashback 24 hours. I blame my new

gas oven. That and the fact the only thing I know about pastry is it takes practice, which I haven’t had. My sister Nicola is the pastry-maker in the family. Lately she’d been raving about using a food processor. “Foolproof,” she said.

Apparently not.

Four judges, sixteen apple pies at the Creemore Heritage Apple Society’s 2010 pie contest: “It’s a dirty job but someone has to do it.”


I decided to use butter and lard instead of shortening because they’re supposed to be easier to work with. Then all-purpose fl our, a pinch of salt and some ice water. I pulsed the machine until the ingredients came together in a ball (sort of). The fi rst batch, a crumbly mess that defi ed rolling, ended up in the garbage. The second batch (practice, practice) was marginally better. After patching the tattered-looking disk around the edges, I managed to get it from board to pie pan more or less intact.

I tossed the apple slices (Northern Spy) with a little sugar, layered them in the pastry-lined pan, rolled out a second round of pastry (getting better all the time) to cover the apples, and fi nally I cut an apple-shaped hole in the top.

Now for my secret ingredient: While I was wrestling with the dough, I let the apple parings and a cinnamon stick simmer in a small saucepan on the back of the stove. I poured the resulting liquid, an apple-cheeked pink loaded with pectin, through the hole in the top of my pie, the theory being it would turn the fi lling a lovely rose-coloured hue and improve the fl avour and texture of the apples.

Then I brushed the top with a little milk and baked it for an hour in my new gas oven, whose temperature idiosyncrasies I am still, a year after buying it, only just beginning to understand. The result was defi nitely a pie, an ugly one, but a pie nonetheless.

Needless to say, it didn’t win, didn’t even place in the top fi ve. And I never did get to taste it. I was too embarrassed to claim ownership of my rustic burnt offering. Still, I’m secretly hoping this year they’ll ask me to be a judge.

The winner was veteran pie-maker Wilma Zeggil from Singhampton, who told me she’s been making pies for 50 years. That’s where practice gets you. Here’s how she does it:

For the pastry, Wilma follows the recipe on the Tenderfl ake lard box, but she adds 2 teaspoons of baking powder. This makes enough dough for three 9-inch, double-crust pies. Divide dough into six balls and use two for a single pie. Freeze the rest.

ingredients

½ cup white sugar½ cup brown sugar1⁄8 tsp nutmeg1⁄8 tsp cinnamon¼ cup ClearJel* (or 1⁄8 cup cornstarch)1 tbsp lemon juice4 Spy apples, peeled, cored and sliced4 Cortland apples, peeled, cored and sliced

preparation


Place sugars, spices, ClearJel (or cornstarch) and lemon juice in a large bowl. Mix well. Add apple slices and toss until coated.

Take two balls of dough. Roll out the fi rst on a lightly fl oured surface. Transfer to pie plate. Fill with apple mixture. Roll out the second and fi t over top. Trim and crimp.

Bake 60 to 70 minutes. Serve warm. Makes 1 double-crust pie.

*ClearJel is a modifi ed cornstarch used by commercial bakers as a thickener. It makes a clear (not cloudy) fruit pie fi lling. Wilma learned about it from the Mennonite women in Grey County. She buys hers in bulk at the general store in Badjeros or the Loblaws in Mount Forest. You can substitute half the amount of corn starch or tapioca if you like. �

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Wilma’s Winning Apple Pie

The 2011 Creemore Heritage Apple Society apple pie contest takes place on Saturday, Oct. 8 at the Creemore Farmers’ Market. For information about how to enter, go to www.creemoreheritageapples.ca.

161ST

ERIN FALL FAIRTHANKSGIVING WEEKEND

OCTOBER 7.8.9.10

Continuingthe Traditionwith our

The theme ofthis year’s

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BARNS“Ontario’s Preview to the Royal”

www.erinfair.ca


Paul was looking for a more natural way of farming, after a career that had him caught up in the more industrial way.

“I owned and operated a dairy cattle exporting and consulting business,” explained Mills on an early spring day, sitting with Linda, his wife of 42 years, in their cozy den. Outside the window, the Highlanders braved the elements. “I fl ew cattle – it was literally me and the cattle on the planes – to Europe, Mexico, South America, Central America, Mexico and the United States. I fl ew cattle everywhere.”

Back then, trends in dairy cattle farming would come and go. For years the cows were pastured, eating grass as they had evolved to do. Then, for a while, they were fed grain and corn, for which they hadn’t. Then pasturing was in vogue again. Then all of a sudden, farmers were feeding their cows corn and grain again, this time indoors, on concrete slabs. Nowadays, many cattle on big dairy operations never see the light of day. �

Och, laddie!That is one fi ne steak

Paul Mills’ Highland cattle are tough enough to endure the worst kind of

weather, but their beef is tender, delicious and low in fat | brad holden

There are days when, driving through the hills of Mulmur in the

deep cold of winter, it seems that no living thing could possibly survive if left to the elements.

But travel north from Honeywood to the very top of the township, to the fl at and

windswept land at the brow of the Niagara Escarpment, and chances are you’ll see some very

impressive animals that are surviving just fi ne.

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That’s where Paul Mills has established a herd (or a fold, as they say in the old country) of an ancient breed of cattle, one that has turned its majestic horns into the wind, rain and snow of the Scottish Highlands since the sixth century, whose auburn shag kept it warm when the Vikings fi rst brought it over sea to the land of the Scots, and that originated on the northern steppes of Mongolia, in far bleaker conditions than this, more than 6,000 years ago.

It’s also the breed that, as Paul was once told and has now come to believe, produces the purest, leanest, most fl avourful and – this is the kicker – healthiest steak of all.

Paul didn’t always raise Highland cattle. This is, in fact, one of those “What should I do now that I’m retired?” things. Three years after he established the herd, he became the mayor of Mulmur Township, which is another one of those things, but that’s another story. This story is about how


“Back then, nobody thought anything of it,” said Paul. “I really didn’t, either.”

But as his career wound down and he started to think about something pastoral to do on his own 40 acres (dubbed Quiet Pine Farm) in the Mulmur hills, his son Wade came to him with a bit of research he’d done on the Highland breed. Originally brought to North America by cattlemen in North and South Dakota in response to the cold and harsh weather there, Highland cattle were fi rst imported to Canada from Scotland in the 1880s, and have been a “closed herd” (meaning only purebreds can be registered) since 1964.

With a signifi cantly thicker hide than

other breeds, and not one but two coats (one downy and close to the skin and one long, thick and well oiled to shed rain and snow), the breed can withstand blizzard conditions and temperatures as low as -40ºC. Highlanders are also extremely effi cient foragers and will browse happily on vegetation that other breeds would spurn, making them well suited to pasturing. As do their wide, sharp horns and long hair which have traditionally excluded them from the feedlot, unlike almost all beef steers today, which are force-fed corn in close quarters as a fattening up measure to get them to the supermarket quickly.

All this, Wade told his father, makes

for a steak like no other. Because Highland cattle get most of their warmth from their hide and coat instead of fatty deposits, and because steers that are started and fi nished on pasture take longer to mature and are brought to market at a lighter weight than their corn-fed counterparts, their meat is amazingly lean, and chock full of Omega-3 fatty acids, protein and iron.

After hearing all this, Paul made the leap in 2007, buying seven head that year and eight more the next. His fi rst bull was named Muldonoch; the second, a Reserve Grand Champion at the Royal Winter Fair, was named Thunder (“must have been born in a thunderstorm,” guessed Paul).

highland cat tle

Linda and Paul Mills

Offi cial members of the local ‘foodie’ movement.


As billed, the cattle were independent and gentle, and thrived in a small herd. As a rule, Paul has them out in the pasture about 90 per cent of the time and feeds them nothing but grass and hay in the winter. He also makes sure to have them in the fi elds closest to the road on weekends, as their rugged and unusual appearance makes for good advertising.

The fi rst two steers he brought to Metheral Meats, a family-owned, farm-based processing plant in Dunedin, were 22 and 24 months old, and weighed in at just over 1,000 pounds. By contrast, steers fi nished in feedlots are slaughtered at 15 months, by which time their diet of corn �

How to cook Highland beef

Because it is so lean, Highland beef should be seared fi rst in a little olive oil and then roasted at a low temperature for a longer time than regular beef. “I usually roast it at 175ºF until the meat is cooked to the desired internal temperature,” says Linda Mills. Sometimes she wraps the seared roast in foil fi rst which keeps it moist and yields lots of “jus” for serving. “Always take the meat out of the oven a little before it has fi nished roasting and allow it to rest for 10 to 15 minutes before serving.” Steaks, she says, should be patted dry, brushed with a little oil and seared on both sides over very hot coals. Once they’re seared, she lowers the heat way down. “Low and slow is the best way to cook such lean meat.” Linda uses the touch method to test for doneness. “I started out using my index fi nger, touching the soft area between my thumb and fi nger to see what rare should feel like; the pad below my thumb for medium; the tip of my nose for well done.” For steaks or pot roasts, treat Highland beef as you would any other type of beef.

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(and antibiotics, necessary because cattle’s rumens are not built to digest corn and because cattle living in close quarters tend to get sick) has brought them up to 1,500 pounds or more.

The steaks from those steers, as well as the roasts, ground chuck and stewing beef, were sold at the 100 Mile Store in Creemore and at the Mills’ farm gate starting in the spring of 2009.

“They were good, real good,” said Paul, describing the steaks in the understated way that farmers tend to speak around here. Customers agreed, and the beef fl ew off the shelves. Jackie Durnford, co-owner of the 100 Mile Store, is amazed at how people rave about them. “We have other grass-fed beef,” she said, “but Paul’s tastes different. There’s something really special about it.”

Linda was another quick convert, and has since become the leading authority on how to cook her husband’s product. “Sear it fast, and cook it low and slow,” she says with a glint in her eye. “This beef has turned me into a rare-meat eater.”

At the start of this year, Paul had 37 head of Highland cattle and six ready to go to market, the most he’s had available since he started operating. The meat is currently available at three places – his farm, the 100 Mile Store, and the Creemore Farmers’ Market, where Paul and Linda opened a booth in 2010.

Now that the couple are offi cial members of the local “foodie” movement, they’ve been giving a lot more thought to the differences between the pastoral way they’re raising their livestock and the industrial way �

highland cat tle

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Lavender HighlandBeef Stewingredients

2 lbs (1 kg) Highland stewing beef, cubed1 ½ cups good red wine2 tbsp fl ourSalt and pepper to taste1 tbsp olive oil1 yellow onion, chopped1 large garlic clove, minced2 slices bacon, diced1 cup beef stock2 large carrots, cut in chunksBouquet garni (parsley, thyme, rosemary, bay leaf)

preparation


Place beef in a bowl and cover with red wine to marinate in the refrigerator several hours or overnight.

Reserve marinade. Pat beef dry and dredge with fl our seasoned with salt and pepper.

Sauté onions, garlic and bacon in oil in a heavy casserole. Add beef and brown on all sides. Pour in reserved marinade and stock. Bring to a boil and be sure to scrape up the browned bits from the bottom of the pot.

Add carrots and bouquet garni. Cover casserole and place in oven. Cook for 1 ½ hours, stirring occasionally.

Serves 3 to 4 people.

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that’s dominated the agricultural industry since the rise of fertilizer and the spread of corn across the land, a tale well-told in The Omnivore’s Dilemma. That book, written by Michael Pollan in 2006, was at the vanguard of the recent fl ood of food-related literature.

An avid reader, Paul read The Omnivore’s Dilemma soon after he established his herd, and marvelled at the way the author drew a straight line from fertilizers, created using hydrogen from natural gas, to North America’s vast surplus of cheap corn, to cattle being crammed into vast industrial feedlots and fed corn and antibiotics, to humans, evolutionally designed to be omnivores and instead eating a diet dominated by corn (seeing as it’s also fed to chicken and pigs, and elements of it show up in the contents of all processed foods).

“For my money, grass is nature’s great free lunch,” the author also pointed out in an interview about the book on Salon.com. “When you eat animals at the end of a grass-based food chain, you’re eating food that comes straight from the sun and not from fossil fuel.”

Paul was even more pleased when he came across Steak: One Man’s Search for the World’s Tastiest Beef, a book that came out last year by Globe and Mail columnist and steak-lover Mark Schatzker. The author is told near the start of the book the “perfect steak” no longer exists, and after travelling all over the world, tasting Kobe beef in Japan, grass-fed Argentinean beef, Limousin beef in France and many others, he’s ready to agree. That is, until he visits a farmer named Angus McKay in the Highlands of Scotland, and sits down to a rib-eye that’s, admittedly, cooked in aged pan fat.

“Minutes later,” writes Schatzker, “the three of us sat there in the satisfi ed quiet that follows bouts of extreme physical pleasure. PJ leaned back in his chair and sipped his wine. Charlotte lit a cigarette. After a time, I broke the silence and made a pronouncement that [I had been told] was impossible.

“‘That steak,’ I said, ‘was an A-plus.’” �

Brad Holden is editor of the Creemore Echo.

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Where to buy local beef

Broadway Farms Market

12506 Heart Lake Rd, Caledon905-843-9225www.broadwayfarms.com

Creemore 100 Mile Store

176 Mill St, Creemore705-466-3514www.100milestore.ca

Dave’s Butcher Shop

75 Alder St, Unit 4, Orangeville519-415-6328www.davesbutchershop.ca

Edencrest Farms

2904 Rainbow Valley Rd WMinesing705-737-2491www.edencrestfarms.com

Harmony Whole Foods

163 First St, Orangeville519-941-8961www.harmonymarket.com

Heatherlea Farm Market

17049 Winston Churchill BlvdCaledon519-927-5902www.heatherleafarmmarket.ca

Howard The Butcher

15980 Airport RdCaledon East 905-584-2934

Hereward Farms

Amaranth and East [email protected]

In A Field Farms

Caledon519-927-9915www.inafi eldfarms.com

Quiet Pine Farm

598702 2nd Line West MulmurRR 3, [email protected]

Speers Farms Amaranth

245199 5 Sdrd Amaranth519-941-2708www.speersfarmsamaranth.ca

Twelve Farms Butcher Shop

352 Warrington Rd, Stayner1-877-206-1139www.twelvefarms.ca

� if you are a beef producer in the headwaters region who sells farm gate, let us

know and we will add you to the updated list on our website, www.foodinthehills.ca

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The Case forLocal Meat Processing

In ten years, the number of small- and medium-sized

abattoirs in Ontario has plummeted from 500 to

fewer than 150. Still, for Headwaters farmers and

consumers, the news is not all bad. | by nicola ross �

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Linda Pease, president of Stayner Meat Packers: “People want to be safe. We understand that.”


In the comfortable offi ce of Metheral Meats, located on a rural road near Dunedin, worn chairs sit slightly off-kilter and a well-used coffee pot perches among stacks of mismatched mugs. Rick Metheral’s son, 25-year-old Dane – the eighth generation of Metherals to work the family farm – serves customers at the small retail counter, where lamb is the primary product for sale.

But step next door to Metheral’s process-ing plant, and the contrast is startling. Gone is the impression of casual coziness that pervades the offi ce. The plant, stock pens and hide room are immaculate. The fl oor is spotless, stainless-steel surfaces gleam and the cutting machines and other tools of the trade are squeaky clean and ready to go.

Metheral Meats, founded in 1991, is one of the provincially licensed abattoirs that survived an Ontario government push to beef up meat safety standards in the wake of the 2003 mad cow disease scare and the 2008 listeria crisis, in which more than 20 people died.

Sarah Petrevan, senior communications

adviser to Carol Mitchell, Ontario’s minister of agriculture, food and rural affairs, said the ministry is trying to achieve two goals: make food safe and ensure that local processors survive so people who want to eat local meat can do so.

For consumers, improved meat safety sounds encouraging – but the transition to a more strictly regulated system has not been without casualties.

In Ontario, all meat intended for sale must be slaughtered in an abattoir that is licensed and inspected by either the federal or provincial government. Federally licensed abattoirs are generally large facilities that mass-produce meat, buying and processing animals in huge batches and often exporting their products to other provinces and countries.

Provincially licensed abattoirs such as Metheral Meats can sell their products only within Ontario. This usually means they are smaller, slaughtering and processing fewer animals at a time. They serve small-scale livestock producers who can’t meet – or aren’t interested in meeting – the high-volume demands of most federally licensed

abattoirs. Their products are often sold to consumers, restaurants and retail outlets interested in buying locally produced meat.

But for many provincial abattoirs, the increased emphasis on meat safety became something of a death knell. At the same time as the local food movement was increasing demand for locally produced meat, the Ontario agriculture ministry was clamping down on the way slaughterhouses operate. Many abattoir operators decided the cost of making the changes necessary to meet the standards was prohibitive. So they chose to close their doors.

And the numbers are sobering. Ten years ago, about 500 small- and medium-sized abattoirs dotted the Ontario countryside. Today, this number has plummeted to fewer than 150.

Even Rick Metheral, whose family business has successfully weathered the storm of changing rules, concedes he has felt irritated by the red tape and rules that are sometimes interpreted differently by individual, and sometimes inexperienced, provincial inspectors.

abat toirs

(right) Rick Metheral of Metheral Meats: “We take pride in our shop.” (left) Rick’s son Dane prepares lamb, the abattoir’s primary product.


“They are always wanting something,” he said. But he also acknowledged: “We’ve always kept up on everything. We’re a newer plant and we take pride in our shop.”

As a result, Metheral Meats is going strong, slaughtering, cutting and wrapping about 600 cattle and 3,000 lambs a year. In fact, business is brisk enough that the Metherals plan to shift their focus toward the abattoir end of their farm operation.

“Metheral Meats is by far the best of anyone I’ve ever used, and I’ve had a lot of experience slaughtering lambs,” said Bert Nieuwenhuis, who farms near Orangeville. “They do a bang-up job.”

The outlook is less rosy elsewhere in the province. In some areas, the sharp decline in the number of provincial abattoirs has reduced the options for many small-scale livestock producers. At the very least, they must transport their animals farther, incurring the extra costs that stem from driving longer distances.

The issue has caught the attention of various groups, including the National Farmers Union and the Federated Women’s Institutes of Ontario, which are actively working with the agriculture ministry to fi nd ways to help small abattoirs meet safety standards without drowning them in red tape.

And Sustain Ontario, an alliance of groups that promotes local food, is approaching the issue from a different angle. Concerned that a shortage of abattoirs is impeding people’s ability to buy locally produced meat, the organization has dedicated a section of its website to encouraging consumers to speak out to help curb the loss of these small businesses.

In response to concerns, the Ontario agriculture ministry recently awarded $5.9 million in grants to help small- and medium-sized abattoirs upgrade to meet the changed rules.

But the outlook for these abattoirs is not all doom and gloom. Laurie Nicol, who has headed the Ontario Independent Meat Processors Association for 26 years, believes the closing of older provincial abattoirs that hadn’t kept up with new equipment and procedures may prove to be a boon to the sector. Those that remain open will have a larger client base and a better chance of surviving and thriving. �

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Stayner Meat Packers, a provincially licensed abattoir, is an example. The company also operates a retail outlet, Twelve Farms Butcher Shop, on the outskirts of the town.

When Stayner Meat Packers’ previous owners planned to retire three years ago, 12 operators, mostly farms, became alarmed. They didn’t want to lose their local abattoir, so they joined forces and bought the business. Since then, the new owners have invested about $25,000 to meet the ministry’s safety demands. Most of the renovations involved replacing wooden surfaces, which can harbour pathogens, with stainless steel or aluminum.

“It has been expensive,” said company president Linda Pease, “but people want to be safe, and we understand that.”

The business expects to break even this year, but Pease added it will take longer to recoup the cost of the upgrades. Still, the investment was worth it, she said, because it ensures local livestock producers have a processing plant nearby.

In line with the owners’ beliefs, Stayner Meat Packers processes only livestock raised without growth hormones or antibiotics. Most of the animals are grass fed with a grain supplement. These animals cost more to raise, so retail prices are higher than those found in the meat departments of big supermarket chains that can offer deals like strip-loin steaks for as little as $4.99 a pound.

“We can’t compete with that,” said Don Forget, Stayner’s meat cutter.

But the company can compete for the loyalty of consumers who are concerned about where their meat comes from, what drugs and hormones it contains, whether an animal was force-fed on a feedlot and whether it was batch slaughtered in a huge facility where dozens of minimum-wage employees run a plant that operates 24 hours a day.

The stiffer provincial rules mean consumers can be certain that safety practices in small- and medium-sized abattoirs are as strict as those that govern larger facilities. Provincial inspectors are always on hand to oversee slaughters, and between slaughters, equipment is knocked

down completely and cleaned thoroughly.Still, a shortage of local abattoirs is just

one of several trends that have persuaded some farmers to abandon producing livestock. Ministry statistics show the number of cattle on Ontario farms has dropped by 19 per cent since 2000, while the number of hogs is down by 15 per cent. Prices have also dropped, and fewer animals are being slaughtered. Only lamb is an exception to this trend, but lamb is not as popular with Canadians as beef and pork.

Small abattoirs are also feeling the effects of changes in consumers’ buying habits. Families used to purchase a side of beef and put it in their freezer. Now places like Metheral Meats and Twelve Farms tend to sell meat in smaller batches – a few steaks or a leg of lamb – often to weekenders passing by on their way to a country home, cottage or ski chalet.

Despite the diffi culties, abattoirs and farmers in the Headwaters area seem to be bucking the trend that has been raising alarm bells in other areas of the province. Gord McArthur, for example, is a Caledon

farmer who sells his beef at his farm-gate store, Heatherlea Farm Market. McArthur transports his cattle to an abattoir near Drayton, about an hour away, and though he complains about the expense of the long drive, he also said he continues to use the abattoir because he likes the quality of the work.

Broadway Market on Heart Lake Road north of Brampton uses two abattoirs: one near London and Holly Park Meat Packers near Bolton. Janine Livingston, Broadway’s store manager, said the business now has fewer options, but their abattoirs do a good job.

The transition to new ways of doing things may have been bumpy at times, but abattoirs in the Headwaters area have survived – and are upbeat about their prospects.

“We’re probably doing better as farmers than if we hadn’t bought Stayner Meats,” said Pease.

For consumers interested in supporting the local food movement, a strong local farming system can only be good news. �

Pease in Stayner Meat Packer’s retail outlet, Twelve Farms Butcher Shop.

abat toirs


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The humble squash has as

many culinary uses as it has

sizes, shapes and varieties |

by jennifer clark

Buttercup, Butternut, Delicious, Hercules, Sweet Dumpling, Pumpkin, Golden Nugget – if this is starting to seem like a string of endearing pet names, then you don’t know your winter squash! And that’s not the half of it. There’s Spaghetti, Royal Acorn, Blue Hubbard, White Hubbard, Boston Marrow, and on and on. And just like the wonderful assortment of names, the shapes, sizes and colours of winter squash are varied and plentiful.

There is mild confusion as to the fruit/vegetable status of squash. As it turns out, it is both. In culinary terms, it is a vegetable, but in botanical terms it is a fruit because it contains seeds. Squash is loosely divided into two categories: summer squash and winter squash. Summer squash, such as zucchini and patty

An Embarrassment of Squashes


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pan, are ready to be eaten soon after they develop, and are tastiest when their skins are young and tender. Anyone who has ever experienced the opposite – a giant, tough-skinned zucchini at the end of the season – will wholeheartedly agree.

Winter squash, on the other hand, are meant to be tough-skinned. They mature on the vine throughout the cool days of autumn, lying on the ground for weeks before they are mature and ready for harvesting. There are four main species of winter squash: cucurbita pepo, cucurbita moschata, cucurbita mixta and cucurbita maxima. Winter squash are fi ttingly named because they are ready just in time for winter storage in a cool, dark and dry place, where they should be fi ne for about two to three months. �

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1 golden pumpkin2 buttercup3 turban 4 green hubbard5 butternut6 acorn


I’ve grown squash in my garden with easy success these past few years. Although I reserve a section for squash, I can be sure the vines will carry them to unexpected places, which makes for something of a treasure hunt. Squash seeds need bright sun and warm, well-drained soil. Your best bet is to gather soil into a small hill, about six inches high and one foot wide, and plant a few squash seeds on the top of the mound, at equal distances apart. The mound ensures good drainage. Make sure you leave some space for the spreading vines. Once they start growing, you can direct the vines as you see fi t.

You can also try the traditional Three Sisters method. It was used by Native Americans and capitalizes on a symbiotic relationship between corn, squash and beans. The cornstalk offers support for the climbing beans, the squash vines provide

ground cover to minimize the weeds and conserve soil moisture, and the beans supply nitrogen to the soil for the benefi t of all three.

One bonus about growing squash is that the plant offers an array of edible options beyond just the fl esh of the fruit. I thought I had covered the bases, having had my share of roasted squash seeds, and even tried my hand at battered and fried squash blossoms. Yet while I was on a visit to the African country of Zambia this past spring, I was won over by sautéed squash greens, which I had never before even considered harvesting. Yet another boon of this versatile food.

With its diversity, heartiness and nutri-tional properties, squash can indeed be considered one of fall’s local superfoods. �

Jennifer Clark is co-ordinator of Eat Local Caledon and operates a small catering business.

squashes

Follow The Butter Tart Trail™ to ourdoorstep in beautifulHillsburgh.Enjoy lunch or afternoon tea in the living room of our historic century home.Then cross the hall to our bakery for a collection of homemade treats to take home to the family, like our famous butter tarts and tourtière.

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Pumpkin HummusThe pumpkin gives otherwise ordinary hummus a smoother texture and richer fl avour. It is excellent as an hors d’œuvre with vegetable crudités or crackers, or used as a hearty sandwich spread. And, yes, a pumpkin is a squash.

ingredients

15 oz (450 ml) can garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained well2 cups fresh pumpkin purée2 to 3 tbsp tahini2 tbsp olive oil2 cloves garlic, peeled 1 tsp sea salt2 tsp ground cumin¼ to ½ cup waterJuice of one lemon or two limes

preparation

In food processor, add all ingredients except water. Purée and add water as needed to make light and smooth. Refrigerate until cold. Makes about 3 ½ cups. Keeps well for 3 days .

Squash PuréeThere are so many things you can do with a squash purée: Add it to your batter to make your muffi ns or cake more moist and nutritious, mix in some broth and simmer up some crowd-pleasing squash soup, or make the squash hummus recipe included below. Squash purée also freezes well for later use.

Simply cut your squash of choice in half and scoop out the seeds. Place the halves face down on a baking tray in a 400ºF pre-heated oven until the fl esh is completely soft, usually about 45 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside.

Once it is cool enough to handle, scoop out the fl esh into a bowl and mash it with a fork. For a smoother purée, blend in a food processor.

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squashes

ingredients

for the streusel

2 tbsp granulated sugar1 ¼ cups brown sugar½ cup all-purpose fl our1 tsp cinnamon3 tbsp unsalted butter, softened

In a small bowl, stir sugars, fl our and cinnamon together. Add butter and stir with a fork until butter is distributed. Use hands to thoroughly mix until crumbly. Set aside.

for the bread

3 cups all-purpose fl our ¾ tsp ground cloves 1 tsp ground cinnamon ¾ tsp ground nutmeg½ tsp ground cardamom 1 tsp baking soda ½ tsp salt 1 tsp baking powder1 cup vegetable oil2 ½ cups granulated sugar3 large eggs2 cups squash purée1 ½ cups coarsely chopped toasted pecans

preparation

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Butter and fl our two 9" x 5" x 3" loaf pans and line the bottom of the pans with parchment paper. Sift fl our, cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom, baking soda, baking powder and salt into a medium bowl. In a large bowl, whisk oil, sugar and eggs to blend. Add squash purée and stir well with a wooden spoon. Stir fl our mix into pumpkin mixture in 2 additions, blending well after each addition. Mix in pecans.

Divide batter equally between prepared pans. Divide streusel mixture evenly on top of batter and press down lightly. Bake about 55 to 60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out clean. Transfer to racks and cool 20 minutes. Using knife, cut around edge of loaves. Turn loaves out onto racks and cool completely. Can be wrapped and frozen for 3 months.

Squash Pecan BreadMoist and spicy, this easy quick bread was created by Food In The Hills’ consulting chef Rose DuPont. The recipe makes two large loaves. It freezes beautifully, so make both and put one in the freezer for later.

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Belfountain Blue

One local community places so much value on squash they have made it into a mascot. Every October, the Belfountain community hosts a Squash Growing Contest as part of their annual Salamander Festival. The contest’s categories range from oddest shaped to doggone cutest to most animal-looking. However, the most coveted prize is for The Belfountain Blue category, because each year the winning squash becomes the festival mascot, crown and all.

When the contest began a few years ago, the Belfountain Community Organization ordered rare heritage blue squash seeds online. Shortly thereafter, the likes of Queensland Blue, Guatemalan Blue Banana, Marina di Chioggi and Sibley varieties were growing in gardens throughout Belfountain, and continue to be planted each year. These varieties are all part of the cucurbita maxima species, which has a high chance of cross-pollination when one or more types are planted in the same garden. Through such innocent genetic manipulation, the Belfountain Community Organization is hoping to develop its very own unique breed of blue squash named, of course, The Belfountain Blue. �

The Belfountain Blue

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cooking with Rose b y r o s e d u p o n t

GnocchiPotatoMy friend Albina Mastrangelo learned the secrets to making light and delicate gnocchi when she was a child growing up in a small town in the Calabria region of Italy. Albina’s grandmother, Nonna Maria, owned a popular trattoria in San Teodoro, where she prepared simple rustic dishes, such as freshly made pasta with beans, arancini (risotto balls fi lled with wild mushrooms and cheese) and meat-fi lled calzone.

Maria’s menu contained ingredients that she found as close as her own garden, or delivered by local merchants who supplied her with the cured meats, cheeses and sausages featured on her ever-changing menu. She did not post a menu; this very social woman liked the excuse to step out of the kitchen to greet her customers, gossip a bit, and talk about what was simmering on her back stoves. Local residents stopped by daily for their lunch, happily consuming whatever Maria cooked. Albina remembers that Nonna was famous for two things: her fabulous cooking and her great legs. �

Gnocchi made with love

Chef Rose DuPont and her friend Albina Mastrangelo

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Cook unpeeled potatoes in salted water. Strain potatoes and let sit until cool enough to handle. Peel and mash potatoes by hand or put them through a ricer. Let cool about 5 minutes.

Add the egg and salt and pepper, and stir well. Add the fl our a tablespoon at a time. Stir with a wooden spoon until a smooth, sticky dough is formed.

Cut each ball into smaller pieces and roll these into sausage shapes about 1-inch thick and 10 to 12 inches long. Cut the sausages into ¾- to 1-inch pieces.

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Form dough into 2 or 3 balls, and with lightly fl oured hands knead each ball on very lightly fl oured surface for 3 to 4 minutes using extra fl our as needed.

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A few tips before you startStarchy potatoes, such as Russets,

will produce a fl uffy gnocchi. • Cook the potatoes in their skins, then peel afterwards. This produces a “drier” potato and increases the fl uffi ness of the gnocchi. • To test potatoes for

doneness, stab with a thin paring

knife. The potato should fall off the

knife when pulled up from the water. • Do not poke the potatoes too much as they are cooking or they will become too watery. • Nonna Maria’s secret:

Always cook with love and passion!

Potato Gnocchiingredients for 4 to 5 portions

1 lb (500 g) potatoes (not new potatoes)1 egg, beatenSalt and pepper½ cup all-purpose fl our (approximately)

Roll each piece along the back of a fl oured fork to create a marked gnocchi. Or form into 1-inch balls and press with a fl oured thumb. Place the gnocchi on lightly fl oured baking sheets and cover with a clean tea towel. Chill for 3 hours before cooking. �

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For the shy Albina, Nonna Maria’s kitchen was an inspiration centred around her cooking techniques and her secrets for a happy life. When it was time for the young Albina to make her fi rst gnocchi dough, she recalls struggling with it, unsure about the consistency. Nonna Maria would stand beside her and reassure her: “Life is like that piece of dough; you need to work it until it becomes familiar to you. Just like in life, you will go through mistakes until you know what to do, then you will learn to trust yourself.”

Gnocchi, the Italian version of a dumpling, has been around since the 13th century. Today, it remains one of Italy’s all-time favourite comfort foods. The word gnocchi (pronounced neo-key) means “lump” in Italian, and is created with just a few ingredients found in most household kitchens. If they are prepared correctly, gnocchi will be delicate, toothsome dumplings. At their worst they can be thick and gummy tasting.

One day not long ago, I paid Albina a

visit at her Brampton home. “My Canadian friends all love to eat potato gnocchi,” Albina told me over a lunch featuring freshly made gnocchi with tomato sauce made from tomatoes grown by a neighbour, “but they are so frightened to make it.”

Here are Albina’s secrets “to creating light and delicate gnocchi, just as my own Nonna taught me all of those years ago in Italy,” along with her recipes for potato and spinach gnocchi, and a quick, delicious tomato sauce. Most Italians serve gnocchi with a fresh tomato sauce or sauté the dump-lings in a little olive oil and fresh herbs. The sauce should be as light and delicate as the gnocchi themselves, so they continue to be the star attraction of the dish. �

Rose DuPont is a professional chef based in Caledon. She has cooked at the Windsor Arms, Oliver’s Bistro and Scaramouche in Toronto, and at Ottawa’s Château Laurier. She is also a food stylist, a wedding co-ordinator and owner of Real Love Weddings.

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Remove gnocchi with a slotted spoon, drain well, place on a serving platter and keep warm in the preheated oven. Cook the remaining gnocchi in batches. To serve, top with tomato sauce (recipe at right).

7

Preheat oven to 200ºF. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add a few gnocchi at a time (do not crowd) and bring the water to a boil again. The gnocchi are cooked al dente when they have fl oated to the top.

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Spinach Gnocchiingredients

1 cup ricotta2 eggs, beaten½ cup freshly grated Parmesan2 tbsp soft unsalted butterSprinkle of salt and pepper12 oz (375 g) fresh spinach 3 to 4 tbsp all-purpose fl our

preparation

Place ricotta in a medium bowl and mash until smooth. Add egg, cheese, butter and salt and pepper, mix and set aside. Cook spinach in a small amount of lightly salted water for 1 minute. Drain and cool. Squeeze small handfuls of spinach until all liquid is removed. Finely chop by hand or in a food processor. Add to ricotta mixture. Mix well. Add 3 tablespoons of fl our and mix well. If mixture seems too wet to handle, add 1 more tablespoon of fl our. Prepare in the same manner as potato gnocchi. Omit the fi rst part of step 5. Spinach gnocchi is not rolled on the back of a fork. Makes 4 to 5 portions.

Fresh Tomato Sauceingredients

4 tbsp olive oil1 medium onion, fi nely chopped1 celery stick, fi nely chopped1 carrot, peeled, fi nely chopped1 garlic clove, fi nely chopped2 ¼ cups fresh, ripe tomatoes, choppedFresh basil and parsley, chopped

preparation

Heat olive oil over medium heat in a frying pan. Add the onion, celery and carrot, and cook until translucent, about 8 minutes. Stir in the garlic, tomatoes and about 4 tablespoons of water. Add salt and pepper to taste, along with basil and parsley. Cook for about 30 minutes. If desired, purée in a food processor and cook for another 15 minutes. Serves 4.


A Mulmur country kitchen embodies order and serenity in the midst of a young family’s busy life | by cecily ross

Because her weekends are precious, Sara Bellamy wanted the kitchen at her Mulmur Hills country retreat to more or less take care of itself. The mother of three children, aged 10, 8 and 5, and owner of a spunky Australian terrier named Raffi , would rather be out playing or working in the garden than clearing the breakfast debris left by the friends and family who visit often.

But the grand stone house she and her husband completed in 2009, set high on a hill with magnifi cent views of the surrounding countryside, presented more than a few challenges when it came to kitchen design.

“I wanted everything to be open-concept,” says Sara, who designed the space herself, “but you run into the problem of what to do to hide the kitchen mess.”

Living room, dining area and kitchen in the light-fi lled house co-exist in one long continuous space with a fl oor-to-ceiling stone fi replace at one end, a trestle table and chairs in the middle, and Sara’s dream kitchen at the other end. In most open-concept plans, dinner guests are subjected to the inevitable disorder created by the preparation, serving and cleaning up of a special meal. Sara solved the problem by creating not one, but two kitchen islands.

Sara refers to the centre island nearest the stove as her “prep area.” Covered in Carrara marble that has been pre-treated to give it a distressed or antiqued fi nish, the 8 ½-foot by 4 ½-foot prep island features a single stainless-steel sink for washing produce. “This is where I do my cooking,”

Islands Room to entertain

Two kitchen islands in Sara Bellamy’s open-concept kitchen keep food prep and cleanup separate.


of CalmSara says. Behind her, in a well-lit alcove that is a nod to the walk-in cooking areas of pioneer farm kitchens, is a six-burner Wolf gas stove with a built-in griddle and two – one large and one small – lower ovens.

“Another challenge,” says Sara, “is that because the space is so open the kitchen has no walls, no place for mechanicals or storage.” But the builder, John Gordon (JW Gordon Custom Builders, Creemore), solved the problem by adding generous cabinets fl anking the stove for storing dishes and pantry. To the right of the centre island is a large side-by-side Thermador refrigerator disguised as more cabinetry.

The second island, this one covered in Cambrian black granite that has been honed and antiqued, is Sara’s “wash-up area.” �

A busy family

Sara with her daughter, Fiona, 5, and Raffi : “This is the country, so we’re always casual.”

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Here, hidden by a raised counter facing the dining area, Sara can stack dirty dishes out of sight and out of mind until the party is over. The wash-up island boasts a porcelain under-mounted double farm sink and a built-in dishwasher. In the backside of the prep island, she installed a “dishwasher drawer” for all those extra glasses that need washing when there are lots of people around.

Both islands boast generous drawer and cupboard space so everything is concealed but close at hand.

“When we entertain, it’s fabulous,” she says of the innovative design. “This is the country so we’re always casual. I usually put a buffet out on the centre island and let everyone help themselves.”

And because her guests and family all seem to get up at different times in the morning, Sara has added a small morning coffee pantry just off the main kitchen. “I set up the coffee maker and put out some juice. On the centre island, there’s a toaster, fruit, bread and yogurt.”

For summer entertaining there is another kitchen outside on the wide veranda. It boasts a gas barbecue, built-in cabinets and more Cambrian black granite countertops. The al fresco cooking area is protected from the considerable winds characteristic of this hilltop aerie by glass panels mounted on substantial stone walls.

“Because this is a John Gordon kitchen,” says Sara of the interior’s high ceilings, “we wanted beams.” John Gordon, who is known for his beam work, sourced the beams from a London, Ontario barn. “John has really good taste,” says Sara, who has worked with the Creemore-based builder on other kitchen projects in the area. With its clean lines, Shaker-style cabinetry and soothing palette (the cabinets are Benjamin Moore Sandy Hook Grey – “My secret colour,” says Sara), the kitchen might be described as country contemporary.

“It just works,” Sara says. “It’s functional and fun. Without fail everyone ends up jammed in here. I’ve got those two couches out there,” she says, pointing to the living room, “but they’re usually empty.” �

isl ands in the dream

Storage solutions

Builder John Gordon added generous cabinets fl anking the stove as a pantry and for storing dishes. A large side-by-side Thermador refrigerator is disguised as more cabinetry.


Casual dining

Early rising guests can help themselves to coffee in the small morning coffee pantry (above left) and enjoy it in the light-fi lled breakfast room (top). An under-mounted “farm” sink (above right) makes cleanup a breeze.


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Thelittle project

that grew


If you plant it, they will come. And come they did, in droves. Forty-fi ve dedicated green volunteers dressed to till showed up on a mild and overcast Saturday morning in early May to help launch the new Albion Hills Community Farm near Palgrave.

Men, women and children armed with rakes, hoes and spades dug into the 20 personal plots and four large ones that make up what is known simply as The Farm. Add this to the town’s Community Kitchen, located in the basement of the United Church, and Palgrave stands out in the region as a local-food Mecca.

The Farm, a non-profi t, 37-hectare farm and learning centre, is run by Deanna Coop, who describes the venture as “a destination for local food and farming in Caledon, showcasing innovation in sustainable near-urban agriculture.” She adds, “Our farm will be a working landscape of farmers, community members, educators and youth who demonstrate and learn new ways of producing food using ecological and organic growing methods.”

The Farm is the brainchild of two local foodies: Karen Hutchinson, executive director of the Caledon Countryside Alliance, an organization that promotes local food through Eat Local Caledon, and Barb Imrie, who made Palgrave’s community kitchen a reality.

“The number one thing is having people understand their connection to dirt and their food,” says Barb. “Maybe even more, I want them to understand how much work is involved in farming. People don’t realize how cheap food is.”

That message was brought home at the May launch as volunteers rolled up their sleeves and sowed early crops of potatoes

and traditional knowledge of food crops and garden plants. Its plot is sewn with 24 varieties of potatoes supplied by the Reid family in the Town of Mono. Similarly, The Farm has planted “open-pollinated” (that is, not hybrid) corn (aka maize) that will not only make good eating but will provide seeds for next year’s crop. There will also be a maze where kids visiting The Farm can play while their parents garden.

Of course, all that work deserves a party. On Saturday, September 10, from 1 to 4 pm, The Farm will celebrate its grand opening, dubbed the “A’maizing Harvest Party.” There will be music, refreshments and prizes for the best and biggest veggies. Barb says everyone is welcome and she promises an “a’maizing” time. �

To learn more about The Farm, volunteer

or rent one of the plots, contact Deanna

Coop at the Albion Hills Community Farm,

[email protected].

You can also hook up with The Farm on LinkedIn or Facebook, or stay in touch through Twitter. The Farm is located at 16555 Humber Station Rd, Caledon, in the Albion Hills Conservation Area. Enter from Humber Station Road only.

left to right : Barb Imrie, Karen Hutchinson, Gail Grant of the Ontario Trillium Foundation and MPP Sylvia Jones.

‘The Farm’ in Albion Hills is more than just a vegetable

garden. In the words of one intrepid gardener,

‘It’s community, activity, therapy and food’ | by nicola ross

and peas. They were also able to celebrate the news that the project had received a $300,000, four-year grant from the Ontario Trillium Foundation, enough to cover Deanna’s salary, pay for some farm equipment, and hire a farmer to help tend the vegetable patch over the summer.

Seven of the 20 individual plots have been rented for $25 each by area residents who want fresh vegetables but can’t or don’t want to garden in their own backyards. Palgrave resident Carol Good says she has planted about 40 potato plants in her plot. She wanted to keep them separate from her backyard tomatoes because growing the crops together can make the potatoes more susceptible to blight. “The Farm,” she says, “is community, therapy, activity and food.”

The fi ve large plots are being used by organizations: the Peel 4H Garden Club, Seeds of Diversity, Etobicoke Outdoor Learning Centre/Albion Hills Field Centre, World Crop Learning Garden and the Palgrave Community Kitchen. The Community Kitchen, says Barb, is planning to use much of its harvest in a community dinner in the fall.

On the May long weekend, a “potato mob” returned to the site and planted an additional 10,000 potatoes (Yukon, red, blue and purple). Three thousand pounds of these spuds will be sold at farmers’ markets in Inglewood and Bolton, as well as at an on-farm market. Sunfl owers, greens, beans, peas, carrots, beets and several varieties of squash, including more than 2,000 pumpkins, will also be for sale. In addition, the produce will be used by Albion Hills Conservation Area to feed groups using its facilities.

Seeds of Diversity is a Canadian volun-teer organization that conserves biodiversity


Potaton. a starchy plant tuber which is one of the most important

food crops, cooked and eaten as a vegetable

Oxford English Dictionary

the potato index

tuberous

The potato, a member of the nightshade family (Solanaceae), produces tubers on underground runners.

perennial

The plants are perennial; left in the ground they will come up year after year. However, because they must be dug up to be harvested, they are usually treated as annual.

various

Worldwide, there are more than 4,000 varieties of potatoes. Ontario potatoes are classifi ed as long, round whites, round reds or sweet.

plentiful

Seeds of Diversity’s heritage plant database (seeds.ca) contains 160 potato cultivars, among them Wee MacGregor, Peruvian Blue and Mom’s Old White. Skin and fl esh colours range from red, pink, yellow and white to purple, blue and black.

widespread

Potatoes are the world’s fourth largest food crop. They are the largest vegetable crop in Ontario. Solanum jusepczukii is the highest food plant in the world, growing at over 14,500 feet in the Andes.

local

In 2009 there were 5,430 acres of potatoes in Dufferin County, yielding 15,200 pounds per acre.

south american

Potatoes originated in the Andes Mountains of southern Peru, and were introduced to Europe by Spanish explorers in the second half of the 16th century.

�Solanum tuberosum

Norland, Bauer Grün Rote Auge, Pugh’s Purple, Matsuyama, Belgium and Papa Negra.

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nutritious

Potatoes contain potassium, vitamin C, B vitamins, folate, fi bre and carbohydrates. They are also fat- and cholesterol-free and low in sodium. In fact, they are an excellent diet food, just don’t add butter and sour cream.

essential

Because of a low number of varieties, the European potato suffered from a lack of genetic diversity leaving it vulnerable to diseases like the potato blight in Ireland, from 1845 to 1849, that turned newly harvested potatoes into putrid mush in minutes, leading to a famine that resulted in over a million deaths.

toxic

Potatoes contain a toxin called solanine which develops when they are subjected to light, or very cold or warm temperatures giving the tuber a green tinge. Ingestion of large amounts of green potatoes can cause vomiting, head- aches, diarrhea and cramps. Potatoes, not mayonnaise, are the culprit that can cause foodborne illness from unrefrigerated potato salad. Commercial mayonnaise is pasteurized and has a high acid content that actually slows bacterial growth. Homemade mayonnaise, made with raw eggs, should be avoided.

well travelled

Potatoes were the fi rst vegetable grown in space in 1995. NASA hoped the nutritious and versatile vegetable would feed astronauts on long space voyages.

crunchy

The potato chip was invented in 1853 by chef George Crum in a Saratoga Springs restaurant. Crum fried thin slices in oil and added salt after railway magnate Cornelius Vanderbilt sent his dinner back to the kitchen claiming the spuds were too thick. Potato chips account for more than half the salty, packaged snacks consumed in North America. �


Reid’sFarm Market

& PotatoesDUFFERIN TOWN

& COUNTRY FARM TOURSaturday, October 1

SEE FARMING AS IT HAPPENS!Your passport takes you on a self-guided tour

to working farms in East Luther and Amaranth Townships.

Along the way you’ll visit beef, dairy, horse, sheep

and alpaca farms, as well as the Luther Marsh.

See farm animals, educational displays, demonstrations

and talk to farmers.

On location - food booths and local produce for sale

The tour takes place from 9 am to 4 pm - rain or shine

Pick up your passport from 9 am to 2 pm at

HILLS OF HEADWATERS TOURISM INFORMATION CENTREHwy 10 & Buena Vista Dr, Orangeville

Admission: a non-perishable food bank donation

Tour Information: www.thehillsofheadwaters.com/farmtour

1-800-332-9744 519-942-0984

GROW LOCAL • BUY LOCAL • EAT LOCAL


what’s cooking in the hills

fundraisersaugust 28

The McVean Farm Harvest Table

Celebrate the harvest and help support FarmStart with a locally inspired four-course dinner prepared by eight area chefs from produce grown by 21 new farmers at the McVean Farm near Brampton. FarmStart is a non-profi t organization that provides infrastructure, land and equipment to a new generation of young farmers from all over the world. The event kicks off with an appetizer tour of the farm, followed by a family-style sit-down dinner. 3 to 8pm. Tickets are $100 per person, farmers $50. Children under 12 are free. For information and tickets, visit www.harvesttable.ca or email [email protected].

october 16

Foodstock

Join 70 Canadian chefs, among them Michael Stadtländer, Jamie Kennedy and Anthony Walsh, as well as an expected 20,000 fellow lovers of the land to support the fi ght against the proposed mega-quarry in Melancthon Township. The event, held on the four farms near Honeywood that refused to sell out to The Highland Companies, will feature a taste of the area’s bounty and fresh, clean water. Admission is pay-what-you-can to help defray the cost of stopping the quarry. www.canadianchefscongress.com; www.citizensalliance.ca

november 4

An Evening in Paris

Join host journalist Tom Hayes and chef Michael Smith for an evening of fi ne food and great entertainment in support of the surgical program at the Brampton Civic Hospital. There will be live entertainment, dancing, silent and live auctions. This is a limited seating, black-tie event. The Garden Banquet and Convention Centre, 8 Clipper Court, Brampton. $500 per person. To reserve, 905-494-6556. www.oslerfoundation.org

communityseptember

Eat Local Month in Caledon

This month-long initiative is dedicated to celebrating, supporting and strengthening Caledon’s local-food and farming system. Events are taking place across Caledon to promote eating, cooking and savouring the local harvest. For event listings and more details, visit eatlocalcaledon.org, or contact 905-584-6221; [email protected].

september 10

A’maizing Harvest Party

Drop in to The Farm from 1 to 4pm to partake in Albion Hills Community Farm’s fi rst offi cial harvest. There will be music, refreshments, games and prizes for the best veggies. Located at the Albion Hills Conservation Area, 16555 Humber Station Rd. Admission is free. For more information, email [email protected].

september 11

Salsa Canning Bee

Wondering what to do with all those tomatoes? Learn to make and preserve spicy tomato salsa in a fun group setting. Novice and experienced canners welcome. Take home six jars of salsa when you’re fi nished. 1:30 to 5:30pm. Palgrave Community Kitchen, 34 Pine St. $30. To reserve, contact 905-584-6221; [email protected].

c a l e n d a r o f f o o d h a p p e n i n g s


september 16 – september 22

Seven-Day Eat Local Challenge

Register for the Challenge and use your Challenge Scorecard to keep track of how many of the meals you eat during this week include local food. Submit your completed scorecard to Eat Local Caledon for a chance to win prizes and dinners at Caledon restaurants. To register, [email protected].

october 6

Palgrave Turkey Dinner

Everyone is invited to the Palgrave Community Kitchen’s annual Thanksgiving Dinner to enjoy local turkey, potatoes, peas, corn, rutabaga, coleslaw, rolls, stuffi ng and Palgrave’s famous pies. Palgrave United Church, 34 Pine Ave, Palgrave. Adults $20, seniors $15, takeout $17, family rate (2 adults, 2 children) $50. Advance tickets $50 each ($40 charitable receipt plus reserve your pie and no waiting to eat). 905-880-0303; [email protected]

october 8

Creemore Heritage Apple Society

Apple Pie Contest

Put your baking skills to the test and enter your fl aky best in the 5th annual apple pie contest held Thanksgiving Saturday at the Creemore Farmers’ Market. For details, visit www.creemoreheritageapples.ca and click on “pie contest.”

november 5

Mansfi eld Turkey Supper

Join in on a 100-year-old village tradition: turkey with all the trimmings, homemade pies. Eat in or take out, 4:30 to 8pm. $15, children $5. Mansfi eld Community hall, Airport Road. 705-435-6409; [email protected]



festivalsaugust 16 – september 4

Summerfeast

For 19 mouthwatering days, the fi nest restaurants in the Headwaters region will offer special menus at affordable prices. Three-course prix fi xe menus are $15 – $20 for lunch and $25 – $30 for dinner. Diners also have a chance to win a $100 certifi cate to any Summerfeast restaurant of their choice. For information on participating restaurants, call 519-942-0314 or visit www.thehillsofheadwaters.com. Stay tuned for Winterfeast, February 15 to March 4.

september 11

Feast of Fields

The ultimate organic experience celebrates its 22nd year with celebrity chef Michael Smith. He joins some of Ontario’s top chefs, vintners, brewers and organic farmers in an effort to raise awareness about the environmental and human benefi ts of organic agriculture. Taste fabulous food, talk to farmers, learn about solar energy and sample local wines in a beautiful outdoor setting. Cold Creek Conservation Area, King Township. 1 to 5pm. Tickets $100 ($90 each for groups of 10 or more). To order, 905-859-3609. www.feastoffi elds.org, feastoffi [email protected]

september 17

The New Farm Harvest Festival

Kitchenband Productions presents Petrichor, a play by Erin Brandenburg that tells the story of group of Mennonite migrant labourers from Mexico working on a farm in southern Ontario. Ticket price includes a delicious local, organic dinner prepared by area chefs and the New Farm staff. After dinner and the play, enjoy a rousing concert featuring the Sunparlor Players. Tickets $55 (concert only, $25). Available at ticketscene.ca, the Creemore Echo, Curiosity House and Creemore’s 100 Mile Store. Proceeds to Grow for the Stop. 705-466-9906; [email protected]

september 25

Carrot Fest!

Everdale Farm’s 5th annual fall harvest celebration features lots of local food, farm tours, an artisan marketplace, live music, workshops on local food (including how to make your own soda pop) and a culinary carrot contest. 11am to 5pm at Everdale, an environmental learning centre and organic farm near Hillsburgh. Adults $5, kids are free. For details, 519-855-4859 x101; www.everdale.org.

september 30

Caledon Crunch

Tune into Radio Caledon (Bolton 105.5 FM) at 11am and hear the sound of schoolchildren from Caledon elementary schools bite into a locally grown apple simultaneously. Last year 8,500 students and staff at 17 schools participated. The annual Caledon Crunch is part of an effort to raise food literacy in Ontario. You can also listen live on the internet at www.radiocaledon.com.

october 1

Belfountain Salamander Festival

Lend your support to the plight of the Jefferson salamander, an endangered species found in the Belfountain area and other parts of the Niagara Escarpment. From 10am to 3pm there will be live music by blues singer Randy Benson, nature demonstrations, a silent auction, dog agility trials, bake sale, breakfast, a barbecue lunch featuring squash soup and locally sourced beef, bison and boar burgers, and a squash and pumpkin growing contest. The event takes place in the village at the Belfountain Village Church and the Conservation Area. For information, visit www.belfountain.ca or www.creditvalley.ca.


Inglewood Farmers’ Market

This charming market features local

foods, music, cooking demos, more!

Wednesdays, 3:30-7pm, next to

Inglewood General Store, to Oct. 5.

Who’s Servin’ Local?

A program that recognizes

the Caledon restaurants, shops,

on-farm markets, cafés, and

caterers who include local foods

on their menus and shelves.

Eat Local Dinner Series

Caledon chefs develop 3-course

dinners featuring local ingredients.

At rotating restaurants, last Thursday

each month. Fixed price, $30-35.

Cook Like a (Local) Chef Series

Local chefs teach local-food

inspired, hands-on classes. First

Monday each month, 6:30-9pm,

Palgrave Community Kitchen. $35.

Eat Local Month, September

This month-long celebration of

local food and farming includes

workshops, canning bees, wine

tastings, dinner events, and more!

Canning Bees/Workshops

Learn to how to preserve the

local harvest and to stock your

pantry with your own jams,

chutneys, pickles and sauces.

2011 Farm to Table Directory

Find local farmers, producers,

and micro-processors who are

interested in selling locally.

Celebratinglocal food & farming

For more information,visit www.eatlocalcaledon.org,

find us on facebook & twitter, or contact us at eatlocal@eatlocal

caledon.org, or 905-584-6221.

Supported by

For details, 519-855-4859 verdale.org.

30

unch

dio Caledon 5 FM) at 11am and hear


fall fairsFrom cotton candy to giant pumpkins, food is what the area’s fall fairs are all about. (See story, page 18.)

september 2 – 5

Orangeville Fall Fair

www.orangevillefairgrounds.ca

september 16 – 18

Shelburne Fall Fair

www.shelburnefair.ca

september 23 – 25

Bolton Fall Fair

www.boltonfair.caGrand Valley Fall Fair

519-928-5754

october 7 – 10

Erin Fall Fair

www.erinfair.ca

november 1 – 13

The Royal Winter Fair

Exhibition Place, Toronto; www.royalfair.org

toursoctober 1

Dufferin Town and Country Farm Tour

The best way to learn about where your food comes from is to see agriculture as it happens. This year’s self-guided tour will visit dairy, beef, sheep, horse and alpaca farms in East Luther and Amaranth Townships. The Luther Marsh is also on the tour. You’ll see lots of animals, educational displays and demonstrations. Passports can be picked up the day of the tour at the Hills of Headwaters Information Centre, Hwy 10 and Buena Vista Dr in Orangeville, and at BluWood Canada, Shelburne. Refreshments are available at two farm sites. Admission is free, however organizers are accepting donations of non-perishable food or cash for a local food bank. 9am to 4pm, rain or shine. For information, www.thehillsofheadwaters.com/farmtour.

A Peel Health certified kitchen operated by the

Palgrave United Church

Rent the kitchen for canning, preserving, baking or hosting events

PALGRAVE FAMOUS PIES PIE MAKING BEE

Tues, Oct 4, 9:30am - 12:30pmLearn to make a perfect pie from

scratch with local ingredients from crust to fillings

PALGRAVE’S FAMOUS THANKSGIVING TURKEY DINNER

Thurs, Oct 6, 4pmFeaturing local food and farms

Tickets at the door starting at 3:30pmEat in or take out

CookingCreating CommunityCaring for Creation

Palgrave Community KitchenPalgrave United Church

34 Pine Ave, Palgrave [email protected]

palgravekitchen.org

The GlobeRestaurantFine dining in 19th

century surroundings

*****Lunches • Teas

Dinners

*****Reservations (705) 435-6981

Closed TuesdaysIn Rosemont, Hwy. 89,

east of Airport Rd.

FR IDAY, NOVEMBER 4 TH, 2011

$500 A PERSON

SEATING IS LIMITED,PLEASE BOOKEARLY TO AVOIDDISAPPOINTMENT

R E S E R V E T O D A Y A T905.494.6556

O R O N L I N E ATOSLERFOUNDATION.ORG

YOUR HOST FOR THE EVENING: AWARD WINNING JOURNALIST TOM HAYES

EXCEPTIONAL CUISINE PREPARED BY CHEF CHRISTOPHER WOODS AND HIS SKILLED TEAM

GOURMET CHEESES PRESENTED BY AFRIM PRISTINE, CHEESE BOUTIQUE

LIVE ENTERTAINMENT

DANCING

ELECTRONIC SILENT AUCTION

LIVE AUCTION

RAFFLE

T H I S I SA L I M I T E DS E A T I N G

B L A C K - T I EEXPERIENCE

I N S U P P O RT O F T H E S U R G I C A L P R O G R A MAT B R A M P T O N C I V I C H O S P I TA L

T H E G A R D E N B A N Q U E T & C O N V E N T I O N C E N T R E8 C L I P P E R C O U RT, B R A M P T O N



marketsLocal farmers’ markets are overfl owing with good things from the garden this time of year. Check individual websites for details about special events at each venue throughout the harvest season.

saturdays

Market on Broadway

Weekly until October 6. Second Street and Broadway. 8am to 1pm. Orangeville BIA, 519-942-0087; www.marketonbroadway.ca

Creemore Farmers’ Market

Weekly until October 6. Station on the Green parking lot. 8:30am to 12:30pm. 705-466-3591; www.creemorefarmersmarket.ca

sundays

Hockley Valley Farmers’ Market

Weekly at Hockley Valley Resort, 3rd Line Mono and Hockley Road. 10am to 3pm. 519-942-0754; www.hockley.com

wednesdays

Inglewood Farmers’ Market

Weekly at the Inglewood General Store, McLaughlin Rd. 3:30 to 7pm. 905-584-6221; www.eatlocalcaledon.org

Amaranth Farmers’ Market

Weekly at the Township Municipal Building, 6th Line Amaranth and 10 Sdrd, across from Laurelwoods School. 5 to 8pm. 519-941-1007; www.amaranth.ca

thursdays

Caledon Farmers’ Market

Weekly at the Albion-Bolton Community Centre, 150 Queen St S, Bolton. 905-584-2272; www.caledon.ca/farmersmarket

classesaugust 22

Cook Like Maria Durso

This month, Durso, who owns Flapjack Restaurant in Caledon, will teach participants how to prepare delicious brunch dishes from crêpes to frittatas made with good things from the garden. At the end of the class, everyone gets to sit down and enjoy the feast. Palgrave Community Kitchen, 34 Pine Ave, Palgrave. 6:30 to 9pm. $35. To register, [email protected].

september 15

Cooking Local Italian Style

Warren Gelinas of the Village Bistro in Caledon will give a hands-on lesson on how to turn your tomato harvest into an Italian feast. An ideal chance to perfect your bruschetta. $35. To register, [email protected].

october 13

Making Bread the Old-Fashioned Way

Everdale’s Erika Longman shows you how to make a basic white bread that can be easily customized to individual tastes. You’ll learn the basic principles of bread-making and the infi nite ways to adapt them. You’ll also explore alternatives to baking with yeast, including sourdough. Take home your freshly made bread and sourdough, plus all the recipes. 6 to 9pm at Everdale Farm, near Hillsburgh. $45 plus tax. www.workshops.everdale.org

october 16

Winterizing Your Organic

Vegetable Garden

Find out the importance of winterizing your garden, and how and when to clear beds, mulching, cover cropping and overwintering root vegetables in your garden. There will be plenty of hands-on action, including planting a cover crop and potting out sensitive herbs. Bring your questions and share successes and failures from your own garden. 1 to 4pm at Everdale Farm, near Hillsburgh. $45 plus tax. www.workshops.everdale.org �


At our online home you’ll find recipes, more recipes, details of local food happenings, and plenty of tips from our foodie bloggers on cooking, growing and eating local.

There are also links to other food and farming resources, and any of the restaurants, producers and other advertisers in these pages.

While you’re there, don’t forget to nominate your candidate for Best Bites in the hills (page 62). Or just send us a note. We love to hear from you.

Thanks to the many readers who let us know how much they’re enjoying Food In The Hills!

foodinthehills

We hope this new issue will give you lots of ideas to make the most of the local harvest. And we’ll be back next May to celebrate the new sowing season.

you don’t have to wait for the spring issue. For more news about local food, just visit us at foodinthehills.ca

the harvest season.

B d


I fi rst met Maureen Baufeldt in 1993. I was launching a new magazine called In The Hills, and I timidly spread out the prototype on a table in her already iconic restaurant, Mrs. Mitchell’s, to see if she might be interested in buying an ad. Maureen looked through it all coolly as I waited nervously, well aware of her reputation as an astute business woman. Finally she looked up, and her eyes twinkled into a smile: “I’m in,” she said.

And in she was, every issue for the next 18 years. But through them all, I knew never to take her support for granted. Her business loyalty would be based on her objective assessment of whether the magazine continued to meet her standards. Her vote of confi dence was a kind of bellwether: if Maureen was satisfi ed, we were on the right track.

Her loyalty as a friend was another matter. Once established, it was unshakable. Our friendship grew entirely within the cozy walls of the restaurant. I would drop off magazines during the afternoon lull, and we’d sit down for an inevitable smoke and a good long gossip. And over the years, I came to understand how it was that Maureen had come to create this perfect world-away-from-the-world in the tiny hamlet of Violet Hill. It was a world represented not only by her restaurant, but by her store, Granny Taught Us How, and her own home down the road, all in historic buildings superbly renovated by her husband Jim, a master millworker, and all surrounded by splendid, impeccable gardens.

She had grown up as an “air-force brat,” relocating many times in her childhood. Bright, but shy and diminutive, she invariably felt like a misfi t. She entered university early, but her youth isolated her again. She dropped out, made an unfortunate marriage, and was soon fending alone for herself and her young daughter.

It was after she met and married Jim Baufeldt, and was pregnant with her second daughter, Heidi, that Maureen seized control of her own fate – and never let go. She started a home-based business making calico toys and kitchenware. In the back-to-roots mood of the seventies, the business took off. The family relocated from Toronto to Violet Hill to raise the girls in the country air, and soon enough, they were operating several businesses, including Canadian Country Folk Art, which manufactured pine decor accents, painted by local artists, and sold nationwide.

The couple opened Mrs. Mitchell’s in 1980 in the former schoolhouse (naming it for the school’s last teacher) as a complement to the store, solidifying Violet Hill’s reputation as a destination for day-trippers and locals alike. Like the store, the décor and fare in the restaurant were solidly rooted in tradition, grace, warmth and dependability. No detail was too small for

Maureen’s attention. She set the standards high for her staff, but higher still for herself. Apparently indefatigable, she was in the restaurant ten to twelve hours a day, six days a week. Even when she stared down breast cancer ten years ago, she scheduled her treatments in Toronto for the wee hours of the morning so as not to miss a day of work.

On fi rst encounter, that uncompromising work ethic and fi erce perfectionism could be, well, scary. But it was all rooted in her simple passion for creating a sanctuary where people could relax and be happy. And that’s exactly what the restaurant has been – a place where over three decades literally thousands of guests have celebrated birthdays, anniversaries, weddings and other special occasions – imbuing the very walls with the comforting beat of life’s passages.

Maureen died on June 27 from complications related to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Her daughter, Heidi, who has worked by her mother’s side since she was a child and who, to Maureen’s immense pride, had taken over much of the day-to-day management in recent years, will carry on the restaurant as well as the store.

And so, my friend Maureen, your work is done. May your tireless spirit at last take its well earned rest. �

publisher, food in the hills

end note

Maureen Baufeldt1942 – 2011


best bites

Old world meets new at Hockley Valley Resort’s Salumi Cellar, where we sampled a platter of amazing locally sourced – and in some cases, house-cured – charcuterie, cheeses and homemade bread. For $27 you can mix and match four items (three for $21) from a selection that includes prosciutto, capicola (both cured in-house), salami (from Salumeria Il Tagliere in Caledon), sopressata and pancetta (from Pingue Prosciutto in Niagara), chunks of aged Parmesan and cheeses from Ontario and Quebec. The platter even features a generous dollop of Hockley Valley Honey, which pairs brilliantly with the Parmesan. “It’s very Italian; it’s what I grew up with,” says president and general manager John Paul Adamo. “Every European country has cured meat. We wanted to do the same thing in-house and to showcase local producers who are doing phenomenal stuff.” Adamo boasts the resort’s wild-boar prosciutto (the wild boar comes from Big Tusk near Alliston) is better than Parma prosciutto from Italy. Defi nitely the best bar snack in the hills. �

best bitesWhether it’s veal sandwiches in Bolton, butter tarts in Erin, wings at your local pub or chocolate sundaes at the diner down the street, we want to hear about the Headwater region’s best kept food secrets. You tell us and if we agree, we’ll post them on our website at www.foodinthehills.ca.

John Paul Adamo’s Charcuterie

Salumeria Il Tagliere

16880 Centreville Creek RdCaledon905-584-7458

Pingue Prosciutto

6893 Oakwood DrNiagara Falls1-800-324-2998www.pingueprosciutto.com

Hockley Valley Resort

793522 3rd Line MonoRR1 Orangeville1-866-462-5539www.hockley.com

Platter (clockwise from top left): Salami Feliho from Salumeria Il Tagliere, Lonza di Maiale (pork loin) from Salumeria Il Tagliere, pancetta from Pingue Prosciutto, prosciutto from Pingue Prosciutto, Niagara Gold cheese, smoked salami from Salumeria Il Tagliere.

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food in the hills - autumn - winter 2011

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