Well Preserved

I am wishing you all a very Happy Holiday and asking you to head on over to check out an amazing blog about preserving. This blog is run by Joel and Dana and is filled to the brim with wonderful content for people who are new to preserving foods and for people who are old pros as well. I entered their Pimp My Preserve Contest, and it is a great idea generator for Christmas gifts if you need some inspiration– I am number #11 if you feel generous to cast a vote my way! Enjoy!  Read More

Carrot & Cardamom Preserve

Carrot Cardamom Chutney I just wanted to say that this is simply, fantastic. I bought this in the spring from Stefanie at Bake*well. Let”s just say she is a little baking genius. I ate this on top of some stinky Quebec soft cheese, (which was in itself to die for) I added this on top and it sweetened up that stinky cheese just the right way. Sweet and savoury, savoury and sweet, love! I think I would even eat this preserve on its own, atop toast. You see, it possesses this marmalade-like citrus zing, which I think would be just perfect for sleepy weekend mornings. Stefanie can be found on Saturdays (and I think Thursdays) at The Covent Garden Farmers Market. She always has a variety of mouthwatering baked goods, quiches and she does some preserves as the seasons change. Go get some, tell her I say hi! Stefanie Bake*well Pastry & Preserves Covent Garden Market  Read More

Bock Bock Bock..Cluck! Duenk Farms Chicken Sale

photo: unicornretreat from morgeFile.com If you are like me, you cracked open your freezer when barbecue season opened up, you stuck your head in there and you took a good look around. Then, with great dismay you concluded it was getting far too empty, I mean, come on now, you should not be able to stick your head in there, it should be jam-packed full to the brim! Well, I have some very good news for you if you are a chicken fan – Duenk Farms in Denfield is having their twice annual chicken sale! Yippee! I don”t know if I could fit a whole chicken on my bbq at once, but I will give it a try! Just kidding, I am roasted chicken fan, it is one of the good things in life. Here is the deal for this sale,you can call Karen directly and arrange ahead of time to pick up a chicken or two or three! Duenk”s farms is a small chicken operation that raises chickens for eggs mostly. They have about 65 chickens that lay daily. I have also been told and will report with great glee (yes I am a bonafide food nerd) that they have fresh turkeys around Thanksgiving time! Count me in Karen! This deal gets even better,the Duenk Farm chicken is ecologically raised (meaning indoor outdoor pens) and they mix their own seed blend on site out of flax and some other grains so I am pretty sure that increases the omegas in it (but I am no expert!) and of course the processing is government inspected (in case you like to know such things). Farm Fresh Chicken Saturday, June 20th, 2009. Pick up between 10 am and 5 pm Whole chickens $3.oo/pound Phone Karen Eatwell: 519-232-4105 Karen Eatwell Duenk Farms 25425 New Ontario Rd Today Karen emailed me some more info on another event that is taking place this month at the farm. She is involved with putting on a Jam Session. No, no no peoples! You do not have to know how to play the guitar, its a STRAWBERRY JAM session. This mini course will teach you how to make the jam yourself with local berries and then can/jar it up for some serious jam enjoyment later on in the winter. This course is only $10 plus the cost of the berries (approx. $4). Just bring 4 1/2 pint jars and your smile – everything else is taken care of. Call her very soon – it happens on Wednesday, June 24th in the evening. See you at the sale! kelly  Read More

Pantry Reserves Getting Low!

photo: kelly hunt If you, (like me) are new to this whole “eating a little more locally” concept – than that may mean that you (just like me) were not as well prepared for eating locally throughout this long, and what seemed like a never ending winter. At the end of the summer last year, I had my most treasured cousin come over and we “put up” some veggies – which basically means that we did some canning, also known as preserving to some folk, or storing local, fresh food for the winter. We spent a whole day chopping, peeling boiling, stirring, sterilizing,bonding,and eventually canning all kinds of things. It was very long work and not easy by any means, but it is true what all of those old farm wives say, it was so rewarding at the end, and absolutely worth all of the sweat time. I felt I had accomplished a great many things and was simply amazed at how much food we had chopped and bottled up. That is of course, until recently, when my husband proclaimed that he has just polished off the last jar of beets, which made me go wandering into my happy place (the pantry) for a peek at what was left. We are now in the middle of April, and basically are down to a few bottles of barbeque relish, and one lonely jar of delicious tomato chutney, eek! Not much, but asparagus and lettuce are just around the fresh and locally grown corner. I am making a mental note to make even more food next year as I now know the basics and won”t be doing it all in one day. I will spread out the “putting up”. Thank you Nicole, as I have told you before, you are the best country cousin ever and I had a great time. To my readers that may be reading all the way to the end, there is an amazing recipe that that calls for tons of tomatoes and peaches and all kinds of other summer goodies that will yield 3 seperate delicious recipes as the end product, that I will be posting in the recipe section.  Read More