BABH Charity Lunch N'Brunch at Niagara College - 12 December 2011

I have been impressed with the work of the students in Niagara College's Bachelor of Business Hospitality (BABH) program as can be seen in this post so when I was told about their upcoming Lunch N'Brunch, I asked if we could purchase a few tickets and attend. The answer was "yes" and so off we went for a lunch.

We had previously asked a BABH student (Stacey) if she would be open and able to take one of our video cams and video some of the goings on in the kitchen. She sought  permission and then agreed. Thanks Stacey for the behind the scene insight.

This was a graded event for the students so I was delighted to see the video showing the students enjoying their activities. In my experience, this is in no small part due to the attitude of their instructors. Good, calm instructors create a good, calm environment and the students echo this.

So we sat down for the luncheon. We were seated with an interesting family of 8 who were there supporting the cause and their daughter / granddaughter / sister / neice. Nice people having a good time.

 It is nice to see students actually doing something with their hands and heads, actually creating something and putting their product out for consumption and criticism. Here is the video and stills from the event. 

Bouche - Smoked Salmon

1st Course - Local Butternut Squash Soup

1st Course - Classic Caesar Salad

 2nd Course - Vegetable Lasagna

2nd Course - Chicken Supreme

2nd Course - Roasted Striploin of Beef

Dessert - Creme Caramel

Dessert - Carrot Cake

Some Attendees, Students and Staff 

 I would like to thank the staff and students at Niagara College for inviting us to the event and for a very enjoyable meal and experience.

The students are welcome to use any of the material in this post to further their culinary careers. I wish them all the best in their professional futures.

Open House at Linda Crago's Tree and Twig - 4 December 2011

It started out cloudy and raining when I left St. Catharines to visit Linda's Open House at her Tree and Twig Farm. I entered the hoop house where the people were gathered and where the temperature was warmer than outdoors.

Then the sky cleared and the sun shone. Outside the temperature quickly rose to 13C (55F) and the hoop house became a summer like 23+C.

There were home made jams, pies and art pieces made by Linda, friends and neighbours. I put a dent in the inventory and I have to tell you, the blueberry pie is fabulous.

Linda took visitors on a tour of part of her farm and explained winter growing in her hoop houses. Joey the pig was in good humour but it is obvious that he doesn't like dieting - at all.

All in all, a good time was had by all. I encourage every one of our readers to get to know the people who grow your food and support them.

Community is not just a word, it is a lifestyle. If you live in the Niagara Region, participate in the community, your life will be much richer for it.

Linda, thanks for the inviting us, see you in February for the seed sale.

Food Day at Niagara College's International Education Week - 14 November 2011

It all started with a tweet by @AwesomeRedhead: "International Buffet today at Niagara College's Niagara on the Lake Campus. If you're around come check it out! Starts at 11:30".

So off we went at 12:30 to the Niagara on the Lake campus of Niagara College. The event was part of the series of events taking place Nov. 14-18, 2011 and is part of Niagara College's Bachelor of Business Hospitality (BABH) program. The college will be hosting a series of events at its Welland and Niagara-on-the-Lake campuses all week long, celebrating the unique cultures and traditions that international students bring to the college’s educational experience. Here is a link for more information.

We arrived and followed the young crowd to what we found to be, and this explains the large number going there, free food. It turned out to be very tasty free food. The student participants acquitted their duties well with confidence and charm.

We thank the students and staff for putting on such a pleasant event. I gather that it was a success and I encourage the Niagara community to support the efforts of the students. 

Please forgive the poor sound quality of the video below. The acoustics were very challenging with the large number of people in such an acoustically lively room.

A Movie about Peak Oil and the Future of Farming

A while back I watched the movie, "A Farm for the Future", a BBC documentary, by Rebecca Hosking. Which is available on YouTube at no cost.

Part 1

The film explores nature film maker Rebecca Hosking's return to the small family farm where she grew up and her search for a post "fossil fuel" era agriculture. Having watched the film, I'd recommend it to anyone who eats, not just farmers and kitchen gardeners.

For those of you without the time or means to watch it, Rebecca has also written an excellent article in the Daily Mail newspaper about her quest for a post peak oil agriculture.
There is no doubt in my mind that Rebecca has opened a lot of minds to the unsustainability of our present food system with this film. Take this excerpt from Rebecca's conversation in the film with permaculturist Patrick Whitefield:

"But it will work only if we have a lot more growers. Some reports estimate it's going to take as many as 12million, although currently we have 11million gardeners. A food-growing system based on natural ecology appeals to my naturalist side. But the farmer's daughter in me needed a bit more convincing. Could permaculture feed Britain? I asked Patrick Whitefield, Britain's leading expert in permaculture.
'Good question,' he said. 'A better question would be, "Can present methods go on feeding Britain?" In the long term, it is certain that present methods can't because they are so entirely dependent on fossil-fuel energy. So we haven't got any choice other than to find something different.'
The more permaculture people I met, the more hopeful I became that we can find a way out of this mess if we start preparing for peak oil now."

Along the way, Rebecca also meets and introduces her audience to Ben and Charlotte Hollins - the brother and sister team who now run the innovative Fordhall Farm in Shropshire - and talks about their native plant based no-till pasture system. She talks with peak oil experts Richard Heinberg and Colin Campbell and visits Martin Crawford of the Agroforestry Research Trust. She also visits the small property of Chris and Lynn Dixon - who have pioneered their low input, bio-diverse permaculture based land management techniques in the hills of their Welsh property for years.
For folks like me who have been following permaculture and other food movements, it's really wonderful to see that Ms. Hosking's film has been greeted by a wide and receptive audience.  
Why can't we start today by just stopping the herbicides and grass lawns and adding in white (Dutch) clover? Clover is a wonderful nitrogen fixer and is known to be involved in the production of glomalin. Glomalin is key to a fertile soil. Here is an informative pamphlet that was sent to me by Joan Gussow on glomalin. If you have want great friable and verdant soil, glomalin is key.  Also, glomalin is believed to be an effective sequesterer of carbon, not an insignificant characteristic. 
Now we just have to see how many of us are willing to roll up their sleeves, get their hands dirty, and start planting.

More about Peak Oil and Agriculture
Jeremy Leggett on Peak Oil and Agriculture
Food and Farming after Peak Oil: BBC Wales Takes a Long Hard Look
BBC's Gardening Guru on Peak Oil and Climate Change
More about Permaculture
Permaculture Activist
Backyard Permaculture in Oregon
Sheet Mulching and More
Bountiful Backyards: Edible Landscape Design
A Permaculture Mini-Movie 
Permablitz: Near Instant Permaculture for the Burbs
More useful links  
Is glomalin holding your farm together? Yes, it is!
 Portland Peak Oil Activists and Local Politicians Work Together
The Greenest Village in Britain? Chew Magna’s Go Zero Project
Community Solutions to Coming Challenges: Peak Moment TV
Transition Town Plants Up Nut Trees for Food Security
The Transition Handbook
The Virtual Orchard Project

The Annual Tomato Fest at Tree and Twig in Wellandport - 4 September 2011

Linda Crago held her annual Tomato Bash at her Tree and Twig Heirloom Vegetable Farm in Wellandport, Ontario on Saturday. The weather was threatening but the rain held off and the breeze was a respite from the warm humidity of the day. A good number of people turned out to the function to enjoy the food, the tour, good conversation and to purchase Tree and Twig harvested and saved seeds.

For those readers who don't know about Linda Crago; she is a local hero. While many of us talk about wanting to grow heirloom vegetables - Linda walks the walk. Tree and Twig is a testament to Linda's remarkably clear vision and the gumption to bring that vision to fruition - annually.

Here is Part 1 of the video - the Tomato Fest

Here is Part 2 of the video - The Garden Tour

Our hostess, Linda Crago, in her normal surroundings!

 

  The sampling table was busy

  The musician, Paul Federici's performance was enjoyed by all.

  Friends came to demonstrate dishes:

Nicole and Jason Sawatsky of Mahtay Cafe

  Scott Hunter of Commisso's Fresh Foods

  Kevin Maniaci from Inn on the Twenty

  Shawn Murphy of The Keefer Inn

  Marlie Centawer

 

  and Linda waving goodbye

 

Thank you Linda, for everything.

Tree & Twig Heirloom Vegetable Farm
84039 Road 45, Wellandport, ON L0R 2J0
Tel  905-386-7388      
www.TreeandTwig.ca

Google Map

 

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A visit to the St. Catharines Farmers' Market - 20 August 2011

It was another sunny and warm Saturday morning so we decided that today would be a great day to visit the Farmers' Market in St. Catharines.

 

A hive of activity

 

Real fresh food

 

More real fresh food

 

It is important that we remember that when we make purchases from local folks that we are helping people in our own communities. The more we can do to keep the velocity of money high in our own communities the better. Think of it as investing in your food supply - which you are.

Don't get me wrong, I am not asking you to spend your money frivolously, just spend it locally on your needs. Preferably on goods grown or made here - not just sold here. The closer to 100% local content, the much more vibrant this community will be.

 

Mavis from Beamers

 

Alexa From Home Town Ice Cream

 

Vanessa from Vanessa's Cupcakery

 

Wouldn't you rather be investing in your neighbours and community than Chile, China or Mexico? I would and I do.

This is a great place to visit and we encourage you to visit and to buy locally. Keep cash moving locally - it benefits everyone.

The St. Catharines Farmers' Market
91 King St. at James St., St. Catharines, Ontario
Google Map

 
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A visit to the Bleu Turtle Breakfast Bistro - 10 August 2011

Today I  visit the Bleu Turtle Breakfast Bistro and it's owner and chef,  Robby Berry.

I have eaten there many times in the past and a few weeks ago I mentioned to Robby that I was thinking about doing a short write up and video about the Turtle and was he alright with that. He was glad to help and suggested the opening as a good time.

The restaurant is located On St. Paul St. West and I arrived in time for the 8 a.m. opening. I had a chance to chat with Robby as he went about his morning preparations, baked bread and served his first customers of the day. As can be seen in the video, there is a lot involved in the morning startup.

Robby tries to buy and use local produce as much as possible. I can see that smoked salmon and lobster can be a problem.

The Bleu Turtle Breakfast Bistro

Video

Owner Chef Robby Berry

 

Is there anything better than an open kitchen?

 

 

 

Here we have a smoked salmon eggs benedict and a lobster benedict - I have enjoyed both on previous occasions - delicious.

 

As the reader can tell from our review, I really like the Turtle and I hope that you will too. The food is delicious, the service excellent and the ambience very pleasant.

 

The Bleu Turtle Breakfast Bistro
215 St Paul Street West, St Catharines, ON L2S 2C9 

Tel 905-688-0330

www.BleuTurtle.com

Google Map
 

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Port Colborne Canal Days Marine Heritage Festival - 30 July 2011

Port Colborne's Canal Days are one of my favourite yearly events. This year the weather is spectacular and there are smiles all around.

For information on Canal Days, here is the info on Concerts, here is the Canal Days' Program.

Video 1

Video 2

 

Video 3

 

  As can be seen from the videos, Port Colborne was the place to be today. It is a beautiful city, come for a visit, you may stay. 

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Food Day Canada in Niagara on the Lake - Flash Food Mob - 30 July 2011

To celebrate Food Day Canada, the folks at Stone Road Grille decided to have a Flash Food Mob at 10:30 p.m. at the clock tower in Niagara on the Lake. How could I not go? 

So off we went with our trusty little camcorder and took a very dark video of the festivities. As you can see in the video, a good time was had by all.

  

Need I mention to our readers that food security is a serious issue and will be much more so in the future? If you want to have food in the future, start buying it from local sources now, and I don't mean supermarkets, I mean from the growers and their coops. Seriously, we must get on top of this issue.

 

Chef Ryan Crawford and team

 

Video

In case you didn't get the memo - in the future the issues of food, community and growers are inextricably linked on local level - the link is survival.

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Glomalin and Soil Remediation

The growing conditions for tender fruits and vegetables in the Niagara Region is exceptional but like all intensively farmed areas it is being degraded. The photo below shows a common method of growing fruits, the soil is completely tilled or sprayed with herbicide.

Why can't we have more of what is in the photo below? Clover is a wonderful nitrogen fixer and is known to be involved in the production of glomalin. Glomalin is key to a fertile soil. Here is an informative pamphlet that was sent to me by Joan Gussow on glomalin. If you have want great friable and verdant soil, glomalin is key.  Also, glomalin is believed to be an effective sequesterer of carbon, not an insignificant characteristic.

For the reader who is concerned with soil depletion issues, I recommend the two classic references on the subject: The One-Straw Revolution: An Introduction to Natural Farming by Masanobu Fukuoka and Gardening Without Work: For the Aging, the Busy & the Indolent by Ruth Stout.  The future of the Niagara Region is very dependant on the quality of the soil and it is about time that we start taking better care of the soil.

I would encourage planting white clover wherever possible as a start. It is good for the soil and the fruit growers friend, the pollinating honeybee.

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Minor Fisheries in Port Colborne

I spent this sunny afternoon in Port Colborne.

It is a picturesque city on Lake Erie. The Welland Canal goes right through the town and is the main reason that the city exists. I followed my nose and a few of the locals into the Minor Fisheries.

By the decor, I quickly realized that the food had to be the draw so I had the fisherman's dinner. 

Wow, what a wonderful meal of perch, shrimp, scallops and calamari. The seafood was accompanied by very tasty French fries, bread, a wonderfully fresh and tasty cole slaw. All that for $10 plus tax. It was delicious.

After my lunch, I walked across the street and walked along the Welland Canal on the Port Promenade.

c

It was a wonderful day for a good meal and a nice walk in a pretty city. I recommend a visit to Port Colborne, I think that you will enjoy the visit. If you have comments or would like to have a review of a feature here in the Niagara Region, please email me at NiagaraWatch (at) gmail dot com.