The Great Canadian Bacon Festival
The Great Canadian Bacon Festival This is going to cause a stir. It’s bacon, it’s Canadian and it is happening on Canada Day! Oink, snort and grunt your way to this festival which is being held on Friday, July 1st at The Arva Flour Mill. Organizer Sarah Reynolds wants you to know: “Canada’s first ever bacon festival is a showcase of bacon delights to help raise funds towards the Arva Flour Mill Restoration Project. Each bacon enthusiast pays $5 for a wristband at the door (kids enter free) and then has the chance to sample treats directly from local pork producers/butchers. Even though we have the word festival in our title, we’re nothing like other food festivals. Our only focus is to invite bacon lovers to share a great meal with us and celebrate what Canada Day stands for, community culture and great food. Doors open at 11 am . The festival provides free parking, free educational arts & crafts for children, a silent auction table, some fantastic music and a shuttle bus from the Masonville Farmers Market every half hour. We’re also providing a full vegetarian menu with gluten free items for those who want to check things out but may not wish to consume meat products.” Thanks Sarah! I have told you all about The Arva Flour Mill before. It is one of my all time favourite, locavore destinations. If you still have never been – this is the perfect opportunity to go and check it out while the festival is on. If you are an ole’ regular of the mill – it is a great time to go and see some changes that have happened there. For instance, there is a new sign and a super fancy truck (see below), which I was able to snap a photo of one day as I was walking past the Mufflerman in London. The proceeds of this festival are actually going to a Restoration Project for the mill, so I am sure there are big plans to bring this ol’ beauty back to her original glory. I love the mill, I love the mill! You should love the mill too. It is a real gem to have a historic mill that is producing organic, local flour right here in our city, let’s show them we love them (and bacon!). Arva Flour Mill Truck Baconfest, Canada Day. Will you be there? I will. See that poster up at the top? It’s printed on meatpacking paper, how cool is that? I am going to eat bacon, get a t-shirt and love my mill. Will you join me? Read More
Bacon Acre Farms
Bacon and Egg on a Bagel | Photo: Kelly Hunt Breakfast: To break the fast from the previous evening. Breakfast on Saturdays sometimes includes bacon at our house. Sean would eat it every day if he could get away with it, but we all know that is not good for you and since I would like to enjoy breakfast with him for many years to come, I have to keep him in check – which understandably, he does not like too much! Sean is the bacon expert in our house, he loves the stuff and when he cooked this bacon up for the first time from Bacon Acre Farms he stated that it is now “his favourite bacon” and “the best bacon that I ever bought” and of course, “get more of this bacon”. He knows his bacon people, so I have to go with him on this one. Bacon Acre Bacon | Photo: Kelly Hunt I purchased this bacon from Sharon Kodde who is one half of Bacon Acre Farms. Sharon and her husband Gerald run a farm on Elginfield Road/ Hwy 7, just north of London. Sharon can be found selling their delicious pork products on Thursdays at the Exeter Farmer”s Market (3 – 7 pm) and on Fridays at the North London Masonville Farmer”s Market (8 am – 2 pm). You can also purchase their products from the farm gate if you call ahead of time. I loved meeting Sharon, she is so happy and has so much energy and is eager to answer any questions you have about the farm and the piggies. Pork Burgers | Photo: Kelly Hunt I also bought some of Bacon Acre”s pork burgers. These are thinner than I what you expect of a beef burger, but once I tried them, I realized they pack a flavorful porky punch! These are really tasty and I will be adding these to my summer BBQ roster. Bacon Acre product list: Sausage: Farmers Coil, Italian Links, Smoked Links, Precooked Oktoberfest and Breakfast Links Italian Ground Pork, Regular Ground Pork Bacon Pork Burgers Pork Chops Smoked Pork Chops Boneless Ham Roast Boneless Smoked Ham Roast Smoked Pork Hocks Marinated Paprika Steaks Spare Ribs (side) Schnitzel (not breaded) Black Forest Ham Bacon Acre Farms 15429 Elginfield Rd. (Hwy 7) Granton, ON N0M 1V0 519-225-2001 email: gs.kodde@quadro.net Read More
