Strawberry Black Pepper Sorbet
Strawberry Sorbet | Photo: Kelly Hunt Maybe you still have some strawberries in your freezer because you went a little crazy buying them up at the market last year and maybe you did not eat them all up by the time the next strawberry season came in. It”s just a guess, but maybe you want to use up those berries so you can buy fresh berries before the season is over for this year. Okay, you caught me, it”s me! I bought way too many berries last year and I needed to justify buying some fresh ones, so I hauled these out of the freezer and make this lovely creature (look at that hue!). A bit sweet, a bit puckery” and a whole lot refreshing, all rolled into one fantastic strawberry sorbet. It is very hot today, actually it is very hot these past few days and this is the perfect treat for a little July cool down. Do not be afraid of the pepper (I actually think it could use some more) but the pepper taste is there – so slight, you only taste it after two spoonfulls, it just lingers there on the tongue. Lovely. I doubled this recipe and it turned out just great. Of course it is probably even better with fresh strawberries which only have about one more week until they are gone. You can find them at Heemans, Trails End Market, Masonville Farmer”s Market, Western Fair Market, Covent Garden Farmer”s Market, O”Sheas Farm Market and many other places, but only for a short time. Spiced Strawberry Sorbet from Gourmet Magazine, August, 1995 full recipe found here For the sorbet: 2/3 cup sugar 2/3 cup water 3 tablespoons black peppercorns, crushed coarse 1 quart strawberries (preferably local), hulled 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar, or to taste To make the spiced strawberry sorbet: In a saucepan combine sugar and water and bring to a boil, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Stir in peppercorns and remove pan from heat. Cover pan and let syrup stand 1 hour. Strain syrup through a fine sieve into a food processor or blender and discard peppercorns. Purée hulled strawberries with syrup until very smooth and force though sieve into a bowl, discarding seeds and other solids. Stir in vinegar and chill, covered, until cold. Freeze mixture in an ice-cream maker. 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
The North End Masonville Friday Market
Sara Griffin from Green Door Gardens – Organically Grown Heirloom Tomato Plants, Herbs, Preserves and Herb Mixes In case you have not been yet, the Friday North End Farmer”s Market is back into swing for the year. It has been up and running since May 7th and will run every Friday from now until October 8th, it is open from 8 am – 2 pm and is located in the Masonville Parking lot. Yesterday I went over with my friend and work colleague Carolyn who wanted to buy some worms that are available there from Annelid Cycle. The worms are special warm blooded critters that are said to be excellent in helping with your compost pile. I will find out some more about how this works and post here a bit later because it looks pretty cool! Some things I saw at the market: Andy Devries is there from Concreations – he sells concrete statues and little gnomes to watch over your garden. Dolway Organics (who are a real favourite of mine) and sell at Covent Garden Market on Saturdays are there, so I was happy to see there are now two places that I can buy produce from them. Bayfield Berry Farms is there with their meat pies, berry pies, preserves, veggies, breads and all kinds of other goodies. There is a local cheese vendor there selling fresh curds and white cheddar and he has samples! Bacon Acre's Product List Sharon Kodde from Bacon Acre Farms is there. Bacon Acre (don”t you love that name?!) sell all cuts of pork and I will highlight these guys for a bit later as I was invited out to the farm. I will report back as I know quite a few of you have emailed me in the past looking for places to get meat through the year. Joyce Farms is there, they have a variety of vegetables that they grow on their own and they also bring in a lot from other local farmers as well. Right now they are bringing in some greenhouse grown peppers from Leamington for those of you (like me) who cannot wait! There were many other vendors there, I just did not get all of their names and I know there are many more vendors to come as the season picks up. I saw mounds of asparagus, I spied purple white and green varieties of the little green soldiers. Strawberries are fully going now, although perhaps as I was late in visiting the market, as I only saw a few pints for sale. You can still get plenty of rhubarb and there is a lovely woman there named Sara Griffin who is selling Heirloom tomato plants for you to plant at home. Sara runs a business called Green Door Gardens which provides Heirloom tomato plants, herbs, preserves and herb mixes. Sara says because of the rain, many people are a little behind on planting this year. It is still not too late as the plants are a really good size. Sara will be there next Friday if you want to try your luck at growing your own this year. Market season is well on, and I can”t tell you how happy I am to get right back to it! See you there. Read More
