Do you CSA?

Photo from plan b organic farms - a CSA in Flamborough, ON.

Winter stinks.

There are no ifs, ands or buts about it.  It's cold, my skin is terrible, the carpet makes my hair crackly with static, and there is nary a piece of homegrown produce to be found.  If 'eating local' is of interest to you, the snow-covered months can certainly be a challenge... the garden is frozen, the farmer's markets are closed, the roadside stands are barren and icy, and the supermarket is chalk-full of tasteless orbs flown from Peru, Spain and Ecuador.  What's a locavore to do?

Enter your friendly neighbourhood CSA farmer!  What is a CSA?  Good question!  CSA stands for 'Community Supported Agriculture' and it's getting more popular every season.  While each CSA program can differ, the basic premise is generally the same and is pretty simple - members of the community buy shares of the farmers' crop in advance of the season.  This gives the grower some funds to use to start the crop, as well as a bit of assurance that the foods that are grown will be sold.  When the harvest starts rolling in, shareholders start to reap the benefits!  Weekly (or bi-weekly) baskets of farm-fresh produce are delivered to drop-off points and are collected by shareholders.  It's truly win-win.

So why go to the trouble of paying for your groceries in advance?  For me, it's first and foremost about supporting local farmers and knowing where, when and how my food was produced.  If I can't grow it myself, I'd certainly prefer to be able to shake the hand of the person who did.  If this isn't a major priority for you, a CSA still offers major benefits.  Farm-fresh produce is more nutritious and fresh than anything you'll find in a grocery store, guaranteed.  It also tastes better!  Further, getting a mixed basket of seasonal fruits and vegetables is a great way to introduce your family to new varieties and to truly embed in your children the link between farm and table.  Many CSA farms also operate farm stands, so in the season, you can choose to hop in the car and head out to the farm... talk about a kick-ass day trip for the kiddies!

While the winter pickings are a little slimmer, many CSA farms also offer winter season shares.  Some provide eggs and preserves in their shares as well as stored root crops and fresh greens, and a few even offer meat.  Others subsidize their own home-produced items with carefully selected imports from producers who embody similar growing philosophies.  Whether 100% local or partially imported, investing in shares helps to support the important work that our local farmers do all year round.  Despite what the food marketers would have you think, local growers don't disappear when the snow flies! 

Building connections with eachother and with our food is something our society is seriously lacking, and we have the opportunity as a new generation of parents to change that.  The options are there - we just have to use them! 

To find out more about Ontario CSAs and to find a farm in your area, you can click here.    

Tree & Twig - A Tomato Tour

Isn't it great when you fit in with strangers?


Last Sunday, my husband and I drove out to Wellandport to visit Tree & Twig Heirloom Vegetable Farm for a Tomato Tour.  That's right... a TOMATO TOUR!  Imagine my bliss.  It seems I'm not the only one enraptured with the charms of the tomato, because the farm was packed with like-minded folks, smiling, sipping wine and chatting despite the grim weather. 

The afternoon began with a walk through the gardens of our gracious host and inspirational farmer, Linda.  Donning an 'I heart Tomatoes' tee (which I now passionately covet) and ankle-deep in the sticky clay of her land, Linda guided us along, providing candid stories of her growing season and her favourite (and less-than-favourite) varieties. Here are a few highlights from the garden...

Linda in her element.

Fantastic peppers! Gorgeous!

Blooming eggplant.

Cool pepper!  I'm sorry, I can't remember any variety names!

Fresh.

Amazing marigolds (above) and zinnias (below) from Linda's 'Organic Gardening' magazine trial gardens.

Beautiful basil.

We escaped the mud, and stomped back into the grassy yard to start the main event - time to taste the tomatoes!  I was shocked at the depth of variety - with so many types and sizes and colours to taste, it was impossible to choose where to begin.  I decided that my best bet was to work systematically and try them all.  After all, it's a unique experience to have so many beautiful flavours together at once!

Just 1 of 2 tasting tables.  Wow!

Linda talking tomatoes.

Some of these beauties came home with me.

The culinary delights didn't stop at the tomato tasting.  The group was also treated to some seriously creative and unexpected treats.  Delectable tomato cake, savoury tomato muffins and, if you can imagine it, tomato-basil-mascarpone ice cream were available for sampling too.  Mmmmmm! 

Tomato, basil & mascarpone combine to make a creamy, dreamy treat.

Local Chef Mark Picone created sweet, fresh sips of delight using tomatoes, watermelon, honey, sunberries and basil that danced over our tongues with a bouquet of summer flavours.

 

Chef Mark Picone

Tomato shooters.  So delish!

 With soaked clothes and arms laden with quarts of purchased tomato favourites, we said farewell to the farm for the day.  I've seldom been so inspired and satisfied while so wretchedly uncomfortable! 

 

Thanks for the great afternoon, Linda.  We'll definitely be back!

Black Krim - The Queen of the Heirlooms?

Do you suppose it's possible to fall in love with a tomato?  This is the culmination of the gardening/farming season - the moment that growers and eaters of fresh food most anticipate.  Yes, folks, it's officially tomato season, and you'll be hearing much about mine in the coming weeks.  On Monday, I picked and ate my very first 'Black Krim' heirloom tomato, and I'm trying to find a way to describe the experience without sounding absolutely nuts.

I think this tomato just changed my life.

It's bulky and surprisingly heavy for it's size.  It's beautiful in an ugly kind of way.  It's perfect.

There is a very good reason why gardeners and growers so highly covet these prized fruits.  Of all the edibles that you can grow in your backyard, the tomato by far offers the most exceptionally rewarding harvest.  If you've never grown your own tomatoes, I have to insist that you try.  Even just one.

For weeks on end, you watch carefully as the smallest plant begins to grow and change.  You can't help but giggle with excitement  when you glimpse the first, tiny yellow blooms that appear - a hint of the glorious fruits to come.  Finally, little green globes begin to form, and you know you're in the home stretch.  They swell, blush and ripen, twisting on their vines.

You've made tomatoes.  You.  All by yourself.  Congratulations.

It's difficult to explain the first bite of a homegrown tomato.  It's warm in your hands, full of sunshine and sweetness, a miraculous and compact package.  Biting into it, the flavour rushes throughout your mouth, juices running down your chin and arm.  It's impossible not to smile as you savour this reward for your efforts - this remarkably delicious fruit that was alive and breathing just a moment before.  Everything you once thought you knew about a tomato was wrong.  This is what makes life worth living.

My 'Black Krim' became the ultimate toasted tomato sandwich, but only after I ate half of it while standing on the warm deck with the summer sun on my hair.  I'll never again be without this variety.  She's the Queen of the Heirlooms.  But that's just my opinion... what's yours?

Anatomy of a Local Dinner

It started with a small inspiration.  I was wandering through the garden in the golden hour of the evening, absentmindedly pulling a few weeds, munching a few peas, when I spotted it... the telltale rounded crescent of the top of a Golden Detroit beet, the first of the season, peeking from the surface of the soil.  I crouched down and prodded it with my finger, making sure it was loose enough to pull.  It was.  With a gentle tug, it popped out of the earth, and I literally gasped - it was so pretty!  Bright orange and perfectly round, it demanded to be turned into something special.  The wheels in my head started turning...

I foraged around the rest of the garden, looking for more ingredients that were ripe or big enough to consider harvesting.  I managed a bowl of crisp baby greens, a small handful of carrots, and a giant of a green onion, curved and beautiful.     

After a quick consultation with Jamie, I set to work washing and chopping, seasoning, wrapping, heating, and singing, filled with the simple joy of cooking for myself and my husband with fresh, delicious ingredients that promised to nourish our bodies and delight our palates.  Here is the result:

Fresh, roasted veggies in olive oil with sea salt, pepper, garlic and a splash of balsamic vinegar.

Local chicken from Fenwood Farms, buttered sugar snap peas and roasted peppers, zucchini and mushrooms from Hildreth Farm Market, and Mo Farm baby greens, beets, green onions and carrots.

Good food = good marriage.  The math is simple.

Say CHEESE!

While patiently waiting for my garden to grow and produce some substantial food, I'm exploring the region in search of local farmers and vendors who are already accomplishing the life I dream about.  Last weekend, I made a few stops in St. Catharines and then wound my way through the sunny escarpment road to Vineland, and the Upper Canada Cheese Company.  

There are some things that I can't grow in the backyard, and CHEESE is one of them.  Is there anything in the world better than cheese?  Inevitably, when someone says, "Oh wow, this is soooo good!  What's in it?"  The answer is always cheese.  And LOCAL cheese?  Well, friends, this is what dreams are made of.  

I spent some time with Susan, an employee of the company who is clearly passionate about her work.  She talked me through the signature cheeses of Upper Canada, all crafted from the milk of a single herd of Guernsey cows:  Niagara Gold, Comfort Cream, and Guernsey Girl.  Ohhh my my!  

Guernsey Girl is interesting, as it's actually recommended to be served grilled.  Susan said to slice it, and drop it into a hot pan or even roast it on the barbeque.  This is on my 'to do' list for this fall, for sure!  Comfort Cream is a soft cheese, like a brie or camembert, and it is amazing.  It's unbelievably silky and rich, and I had to talk myself out of buying a wheel... I know myself too well, and would surely have spent my next five evenings at home in front of the television, gorging on cheese and crusty bread.  Yikes!  Niagara Gold (pictured) is a beautiful, sharp cheese that you slice and eat like a cheddar or a gouda.  It's pungent, but smooth and tasty, and surprisingly beautiful to look at!  This one, I could definitely justify, and I bought a big chunk to bring home with me.