Foodstock

Yesterday we made our way to the heart of Ontario farmland to attend Foodstock. It was a marvellous event featuring samples of scrumptious Ontario foods prepared by over 100 Canadian chefs. All the produce and labour was donated; the event itself was located on one of the few remaining farms that wasn't bought up by the group that hopes to develop a Mega Quarry on this wonderfully fertile land.


The estimated attendance of over 28000 included people from all walks of life and it was amazing to see local farmers mingling with foodies, city folk, musicians and chefs, all with one purpose- to keep the land that grows our food intact.


Some random images of the day- sadly not many of the food (because I ate it!)



I spoke with one woman whose family still farms nearby and she was astonished by how many people came to show their support. We talked about the impact the mine would have on the people who live and farm in the area; blasting 24 hours a day, 300 heavy trucks per day barreling through small communities, and the unknown effects on the water table if 600 million litres a day were pumped out of the ground. We talked of how far people had travelled to attend the event and she appeared delighted by the sheer volume of people who had descended, causing traffic to back up and creating parking lots on the side of the road for miles in all directions. The usual big city vs country awkwardness was nowhere to be found; we were united by a cause that affects us all. I was happy to acknowledge that we urban dwellers are becoming more aware that we don't live in a bubble, and if the voices of the 800 local inhabitants weren't loud enough to be heard, then we'll eagerly join in until the powers that be are forced to pay attention. Because it does no good to preach about eating local food while selling out the people who grow it for us!

Michael Stadlander of Eigensinn Farm, seen here speaking to the crowd who stuck it out despite the cold and rain, was the driving force behind Foodstock. It is a testament to his passionate belief in the land that feeds us that he was able to recruit so many people behind this cause. Thanks and praise to all involved with making this day both a fabulous event and a sobering reminder that we all need to work together to keep our farmers and the land doing what they do best- feeding us all!

Food Storage Friday - the Good, the Bad and the Ugly

So it was an up and down kinda week. It started on a high note, being Thanksgiving and the most perfect weather imaginable and it could't help but go downhill from there. My intentions to eat unprocessed were also a bit like a roller coaster- we had some highs, some lows and a bit of inbetween- here's the round up.

The Good:
Preserving continues- this week I did more tomato sauce, tomato salsa, tomato jam (sensing a theme here?) and red onion jam.


Last week's drying experiments all seemed to work out well so there are more trays in the oven and more jars filling out the shelves.
The most fun and interesting projects are the vinegars. I love having science experiments in the kitchen! I used the last of the white grapes, a bag of frozen purple grapes and some homegrown cider (from the apples I picked on Sunday) and set them to ferment on top of the fridge- all are bubbling like mad as the yeasts go to work on them. The screw caps are only loosely on; the gases produced as the sugars ferment into alcohol must be able to escape or they'd blow up!



The bad:
Thanksgiving was a chance to go to two different turkey dinners- one on Sunday and one Monday. I had no say in the preparation of either turkeys (as it should be when one is a guest) and could only contribute sides. For Sunday I prepared two pumpkin pies, made from whole pumpkins which I roasted and pureed, and homemade pastry made from store bought flour and lard- we'll call that one a draw.


For Monday's dinner we shopped at the Sorauren market for local veggies in the afternoon and prepared a roasted cauliflower dish, a root vegetable casserole featuring local carrots, beets and kholrabi, and baked sweet potatoes.


But at the dinner I also indulged in store made veggie and dip platter, cheese and crackers, pumpkin cheese cake, and gravy made from a packaged mix among other things. All of this was lovingly prepared by my sisters who spent the better part of two days preparing to feed a large group of people. In our family of 13 kids, we were brought up to eat what is put in front of us, and it is not good manners to critique someone else's food choices while scarfing them. Count this as a delicious fail.


The Ugly:

The Russian and I both worked a long physical day yesterday. When we got home at 9 pm neither of us felt like cooking. We still had some leftovers we brought home from Monday's dinner and hot turkey sandwiches seemed like the perfect solution, except we had no bread. I sent the Russian to the corner store and this is what he came home with:


Yeah that's Wonderbread. The epitomy of processed food. We weren't even allowed to eat this when we were kids- my mom had the sense to recognize that the amount of sugar and refined flour in it exceeds any possible nutritional value so we never bought it, even on sale. But if you're hungry and this is what's available, you eat it. Which is why things the October Unprocessed kinda bug me sometimes. It's all well and good to talk about eating unprocessed foods but many people just don't have access to these kinds of choices. Did you know if you get your food from a food bank KD (Kraft Dinner mac and cheese) is considered a protein source? And Beefaroni is both a protein and a vegetable source. I'm not suggesting this is a good thing by any means but choosing not to eat those things and then being smug about it seems a bit holier-than-thou sometimes. Most food banks can't provide perishables like fresh vegetables or dairy. And if you have to chose between paying rent or buying fresh veggies, which do you chose? Our weekly Farmer's market is full of locally grown, mostly organic crops but I sometimes can't afford to shop there. I know how lucky I am to have the time and the know how to make much of my food from scratch but if I had kids to think about, I know my priorities would change in a heartbeat. I know at least one participant in this challenge (Canadian Doomer) has small children (and a lean food budget) so her efforts to keep to it are much more impressive than mine.

Today find me in a bit of a riled up mood- this weekend has two major protest events going on in the Toronto area. Tomorrow,Oct 15th, the Occupy Wall St movement moves north to Toronto and Montreal among other Canadian cities. I haven't decided yet if I plan to attend. I support the idea of people making their voices heard and there are certainly many issues in this country that need to be addressed. However the lack of a unified message is troubling and the city as a whole is gearing up for this like it will be a repeat of the disasterous protests that occurred during the G20 summit last year.

Sunday's rally has a much clearer purpose and purposes to be an amazing event- Foodstock is a fundraising gathering to protest the building of a mega quarry in the heart of Ontario farmland and will feature over a hundred of Canada's top chefs serving up local fare accompanied by a program of great Canadian bands- all for a minum donation of $10. This event I'll be attending rain or shine!


But back to Wonderbread-we eat so little bread in this house that I've never bothered to bake our own. Last night made me realize that having a homemade loaf of bread (or even an unbaked one) in the freezer for just such times might not be a bad thing. Anyone have a good beginners recipe for bread?