So on our way back from visiting some friends in London, we stopped by the most amazing place ever. No really, it was like Canada’s Wonderland for foodies.  The place is the Ferket Tomatoes and Vegetable Farm (U-Pick) in Mt. Brydges Ontario. Can you believe we brought home all this wonderful produce for less than $20? What’s even better, is that we picked it ourseleves.  It was such an amazing experience to run through the fields, giggling over which peppers to pick, which eggplants were ours, and which beans would eventually become dinner.  Maybe it’s because I live in a rather large urban center, but the thought of eating produce, that I personally selected earlier that day, for dinner brings me such joy.

Fresh, fresh Vegetables

If you get a chance to get out to Ferket’s (maybe next summer), it is certainly a great place to spend a day. Be prepared to get a little dirty (isn’t that half the fun?).  This was truly local food at it’s core, and it made me really happy.  Now, you can see how there should be a follow-up blog post on what the bleep we did with all this food right? (We’re working our way through the sauces now).  I’ll have to be sure to write that post soon.

Foodie Foodie, Life's little pleasures

I am very excited about all the local eating movements.  Very excited.  It’s something I’ve been thinking a lot about recently, now that the warmer weather is here and the options for local produce are much better.

Could I eat only foods produced from Ontario?  Well, I do support local farmers but I’m not sure if my diet could be 100% local.  It doesn’t mean I’m not considering the shift, it just means I’m looking closely at how practical this lifestyle is for my family.  Yes, I will always buy Ontario peppers before ones from outside of Canada.  If I have the choice between fresh, Ontario asparagus or greens from somewhere in the US, well… it’s asparagus for dinner (even if it’s the third time this week).  But giving up juicy oranges from Florida, amazing sea salts and fresh ground pepper… I’m not sure if it’s a shift I should be making. Or is it?

As better alternatives to my pantry’s essential items become available, of course I’ll consider the switch!  I certainly believe in supporting Ontario workers and the amazing foods we produce here - so if it grows in Ontario, I will make a commitment to purchase the foods available here.  Will I shy away from all other products and eat 100% local? No, not yet.

I read the 100-mile diet book (Disclaimer - Fiance worked on this website) and have been really inspired to be conscious about where my food comes from and think closely about how many food miles my tomatoes have traveled from their farm to my table.  (Speaking of tomatoes, having grown my own successfully last summer, I am a true believer in food TASTING SO MUCH BETTER when it doesn’t have to be ripened on a truck).  It just makes sense that food grown closer to home tastes better.

The 100-mile book was great and the message is inspiring; take a step back and consider what you’re eating and how it got to your table.  Appreciate the work that goes into prepared foods, and if you really want an eye-opening experience (as these writers had), start jarring your own foods to prepare for winter (sounded fun, but ultimately painful).

A small story: Spending the day with my Dad, he leaned over and asked about the “diet” book I was reading (it’s not a weight loss book, but it is about our diets).  I explained that I want to be a better locavore and make an effort to eat more local foods.  His response to my commitment?

Well duh, isn’t that common sense?

Interesting. It seems earlier generations get that this concept of local eating is a simple, easy thing to do.  Why did his comments seem so off-putting?  Maybe it’s because I live in a fast food nation, or maybe it’s because being in the city means being far away from the farms… but is it really common sense to eat local?  For my Dad, it is.

It would be wonderful though, to just eat local, organic foods… but I must acknowledge that the local lifestyle comes at a higher grocery price tag.  Better in the long run, and healthier for you maybe, but paying more for groceries in this economy can be a hard sell for some.

The bottom line:  Eat locally and support local farmers as best you can.  I don’t think it’s reasonable to ask every Canadian family to make a shift to 100% local, but I value the gesture and admire those who live that way.  It’s better for you, it’s better for our community and our environment.  After all, being a locavore “just makes sense”. I’m going to make an effort to do better.  Enjoy your asparagus folks - strawberry season is up next!

Foodie, Media Eating locally, Foodie, locavore

In my latest food trend project, I have been making an effort to cook one amazing meal on the weekend, but include strategic ingredients to facilitate yummy leftovers throughout the week and reduce the amount of cooking I need to do. Now, don’t get me wrong - I LOVE to cook, but my new busy lifestyle makes it a little difficult to make fantastic meals every night of the week.

So, I’ve been approaching weekend cooking in a large-batch-transition-cooking style.  So this doesn’t just mean cook enough food that you’re eating the same thing for 5 days, as that route inevitably gets tiring, boring, and leads to takeout*.  I’ve found success with thinking through the week, buying some extra groceries, but doing the bulk of the quality, preparatory cooking on the weekend.  I have found success making large roasted chicken meals.  Keep in mind that I intentionally bought a bigger chicken that the two of us need for one or two meals (I have also in the past bought two chickens and took the time to roast them together, knowing I’d do something creative with roasted chicken); same goes with the amount of veggies bought / cooked. My transition week looked like this:

• Sunday: Roasted chicken with cranberry red wine glaze, roasted sweet potatoes, arugula salad with pancetta (alternate: with sides of asparagus and Quinoa)
• Monday - Chicken soup with homemade broth (Nonna’s recipe - must include LOTS of parm-reggiano!).  If you make the broth the night before, the soup is as simple as boiling water and adding small noodles and cheese to the broth!
• Tuesday - Cranberry Chicken Salad sandwiches (topped with arugula) and served with leftover sweet potato puree or cous cous.  Basically, I chop up small pieces of leftover chicken, mix with sour cream, Dijon, cumin powder and cranberries.  Serve with whatever bread on hand, or on top of a salad.
• Wednesday - Basil chicken and asparagus penne in a cremini mushroom cream sauce.  You don’t need a ton of leftover chicken, just enough to mix with veggies and add to a cream sauce.  This 30-minute meal will taste like you cooked it for hours (and technically, you did!)
• Thursday: Leftover basil chicken penne (make enough the day before).

What are your large-batch meals?  Is large batch cooking really a trend or is it common practise and something the busy professional in me just figured out?

*note: There are some meals so well made that you’re completely willing to eat the same thing for 5 days straight.  These meals look like contenders for that category - I plan to try them out and report back soon:

Lasagna by Kevin

5 Second Rule’s Ragu

Foodie at Fifteen’s Beer braised Short Ribs

Foodie Foodie, Sunday night cooking

It’s really a random question, but has been on my mind lately; are geeks (i.e the technically inclined) also foodies (i.e lovers of all things food)?

I ask because I’ve noticed some similarities in the two groups recently. Now, I usually shy away from generalizations because I don’t believe in labeling entire groups of people (although one could argue I’m committing the crime by using the labels geek and foodie at all), but I’ll begin this post by saying of course not all geeks are foodies, and not all foodies are technically-minded. However, watching twitter posts, reading blogs and talking with peers and coworkers in the tech industry, I do notice certain affection for food and for the discussion of food - a common foodie characteristic. This affection is not just based on the simple act of eating, but the more about pleasure of consuming interesting, flavourful cuisine. It seems like there is a lot of discussion about really good food and really great cooking happening online, not by cooks and restaurant critics, but by application developers, content producers and software engineers. There are also different social gatherings related to technology that are surrounded by top cuisine. I will use the recent success of Cupcake Camp TO as my primary example; an event that was promoted and discussed online, where many participants were not only cupcake bakers and eaters, but also members of Toronto’s digital community. Is there a link? Many “tweeters” dedicate their 140-character updates to descriptions of yummy dinner menus and pictures of beautiful (and mouth-watering) food they are about to consume. I love it! Maybe it’s just that food is a common element amongst all of us, so it’s a natural topic of conversation, but I believe it goes further than that. The same people that demand quality, local ingredients, creative recipes and amazing culinary experiences also seem to share similarities in social media, web 2.0 and other internet trends. So is it the case that not only are geeks often lovers of technology, but that we’re also dedicated lovers of great food?

Maybe I just see the connection between technology and food because I am passionate about both culinary arts and digital media, but I do think there are some similarities.

I often view cooking as both an art and a science. Cooking can be a very personal, beautiful act and it can also be the product of superb execution of different chemicals and materials. Culinary arts require creativity, as well as on-the-spot thinking and acute problem solving. Wouldn’t you say the same about web production?

I love discovering new restaurants and local eateries from my online community. I also really enjoy reading reviews and discussing food on boards such as Chowhound and restaurantica. In an age of user generated content and a trend towards local food suppliers and farmers, I think the two complement each other quite nicely, don’t you?

Are you a geek, a foodie or someone who doesn’t associate with either group? What do you think?

Foodie, Web 2.0

So I’m spending today researching all the restaurants that I want to attend during Winterlicious. It was recently brought to my attention that Winterlicious, while once a foodie dream, has now become a tired tourist attraction. Can it be? Some of the most popular, fanciest restaurants in Toronto, with price-fixe menus of either $25, $35, or $45 is a BAD IDEA? Obviously I’m new to the city, but it’s sad that such a fun event is something foodies are shying away from. Maybe it’s the newbie in me (and a little left over tourist), but isn’t going out for a fun, cheap dinner a great idea, no matter the reason?

I hear and totally understand the argument; that the menu often includes cheaper ingredients, that the service is rushed, and booze isn’t cheap – so the event can still end up hurting your wallet, and possibly disappoint your date. These points are valid – who wants to get all dressed up and excited to eat at the 5-Star restaurant du jour, only to get there and receive sub-par service? So the secret is out, and maybe the fun is over. But I can’t NOT try it, right?  I admit that will be one of the ones slamming the phone lines tomorrow morning, trying to secure a reservation – I’ll let you know if the meal lives up to my expectations!

Also – in a related reservation question – where is OpenTable and why is every Toronto restaurant not signed up yet? Come on, at least some of the small, cool places should be, instead of just the big famous restaurants? Toronto, you are an awesome tech community – we need the restaurant community to catch up, stat!!

Foodie