Picnic at the Brick Works '10

I am very excited because I have purchased my tickets for this year's Picnic at the Brick Works. I have gone to this event for the past two years and it is always a fantastic time. The Picnic is a joint venture by Slow Food Toronto and The Evergreen Brickworks. Every year the best chefs in Toronto pair with local farmers, cheese makers, chocolatiers, bakers and butchers, to create a slow food extravaganza!!

Here is a link to more information about the event: Brick Works Picnic Site. You can also purchase tickets online. Get your tickets early as they sell out fast.

Here are some pics from last years event:

St. Lawrence Market - Toronto

On a recent weekend visit with my friend Sarah we let loose in one of my favourite places, the St. Lawrence Market. We had no plans, just visions of beautiful fresh spring produce. As Sarah was one of my partner's in crime when I lived in Italy for the summer semester in 2006, I had a feeling the meal that night would be have an Italian slant. We wandered around the market for a couple of hours, tasting cheese, adoring fresh meat, seafood and produce. We found marrow bones and decided to roast them as a fatty start to our dinner. We made a grown-up mac & cheese for our main and a rhubarb souffle for desert. I will include the recipes for all of these in later posts.

Although I realize St. Lawrence market is likely not as popular of an attraction for the average Toronto visitor as say, the Sky Dome (I know, to me it will always be the Sky Dome!), the CN Tower, the Distillery District or the Theatre, however, when I return to the city there is no place I would rather wander on a Saturday morning. St. Lawrence is over 120 years old, the oldest market in Canada. If you can't find it at the market, it is likely you won't be able to find it anywhere.

Goat Butter Tarts = delicious!

I am a big fan of goat cheese. I could eat Chevre on my cereal. So, imagine my surprise when traveling home from Markham on Friday evening, on a road that has not been uncommon to me over the past few years, that I should happen to notice a sign for a farm store advertising fresh goat milk and cheese ... and it was open!!! I slammed on the brakes, pulled over to the side, turned the car around and pulled into the drive. I was met by two sweet little pups making my arrival known to the owner of the farm Ms. Wilman.

River's Edge Goat Dairy, located just East of Arthur, Ontario, is a working goat farm that produces the most beautiful fresh goat cheese (Mediterranean and Chevre), goat milk yogurt, fresh goat milk, goat meat, farm raised free range eggs, and, yes, goat butter tarts. They also produce a line of home-made goat milk soaps and moisturizing creams, including a fragrance free line for those of us with sensitive skin.
The farm is pesticide free and the goats are pasture raised with no growth hormones. They are beautiful little darlings. After purchasing my goods, about half of the store, I went out to the side barn to meet the baby goats. Most of them were only a few days old, and they were so cute.

The farm won the blue ribbon for their cheeses this year at the Royal Winter Fair and their accolades are well deserved as their Chevre is one of the best I have ever tasted: creamy, slightly sour, a little bit salty and incredibly smooth. I have to stop day-dreaming and driving ... I wonder what else I have missed?

Seasonal Ingredient Map

Interactive map allows users to view what produce is fresh in their area, by season!
(Unfortunately it's an American map, but I think it is a useful tool as some Canadian growing seasons are similar to the Northern States).

St. Jacobs Farmer's Market ...

St. Jacobs Farmer's Market, has always been one of my favourite markets in the province. It's open year round on Thursdays and Saturdays, as well as Tuesdays from June to Labour Day (7:00 AM - 3:00 PM). Located in the community of St. Jacobs, about 10 minutes north of Waterloo, it showcases local produce, meats, cheeses, baking and food staples such as local maple syrup, honey and canned goods. It's also a great place to purchase locally made arts and crafts such as quilts, knit clothing and Mennonite furniture. The majority of the produce, baking and craft items come from local Mennonite farmers, however there are non-Mennonite farmers that travel from as far as the Niagara region, to showcase their items. In the warmer months, there are many more vendors who set up stands in the parking areas that surround the main market building, expanding choices for fresh produce. Inside the market are many permanent stalls that have been there for generations.

Some of my favourite places include:

Hilltop Acres poultry products http://www.hilltopacrespoultry.com:

Specializing in Free-Run, no growth hormone poultry products, this family run business produces beautiful farm fresh eggs, chickens, capons, turkey, geese and duck. You may also special order partridge, quail and cornish hens. We have purchased our Thanksgiving and Christmas Turkeys from this location for many years.

Charles Quality Meats:

An abattoir out of St. Agatha, Ontario, Charles Quality produces gorgeous naturally raised lamb, beef, pork, veal, goat and rabbit. The butcher is also one of only two abattoirs in Ontario that raises the meat that it processes. They also grow their own hay, pesticide and chemical free, which they use to feed their animals.

Cinnamon buns, made fresh throughout the morning by Mennonite ladies, sweet, warm and melty!

Beautiful local produce:

Maple Syrup:

Honey:

Market goodies: