 A mix of Heat, Sun and Rain are all good things for Planting season to begin. It takes many months for all those little seedlings that we (Leigha) started in the greenhouses to get to the point to be ready for planting outside. Now is the time to celebrate planting season.
We are having our Seedling Sunday event this Sunday May 28th. We are happy to say we are offering many more varieties of plants this year. And most of our heritage tomatoes plants are grown from seeds that we saved. There are many, many heritage tomato varieties, and it is so much fun growing new (old) tomatoes. Come and see everything from the Garden Peach to the Green Zebra. Take home something new! And since you can't have tomatoes without basil, pick up a few of those plants too. You will find different varieties of green and red basils, as well as globe basil which makes a nice little bush. This Sunday, we are offering a children's workshop -- and a challenge. Kids can plant their very own tomato plant to take home. Then later in the year, kids bring a sample of one of your tomatoes for our tomato tasting event in September and win a prize. If you are looking for flowers then you are in luck we have a good mix of annuals and perennials to suite your location (sun, shade, wet or dry). We can help you with your gardening questions and keep the fun in gardening. In keeping with the planting theme we will be offering up a very tasty seasonal / wild food lunch. At the same time you can learn more about foraged food by Chef Mark. Plan to come for the day and enjoy the music by Jeff Gaulton while strolling around and visiting the many vendors (artisans, bakers and farmers). I am sure you will find some tasty rhubarb desserts, and if you are gluten and dairy free then we have you covered: RnD bakery will be on site with samples (best allergy free bagels ever). And if we haven't convinced you that we have special, unique things, there will be Donkey Milk Soap from a new vendor. We are also happy to welcome representatives of the Rideau Waterway Land Trust. They will have an information booth on Rock Dunder. Learn more about one of the treasures of the area, pick up your season's pass, and find out why you should support our local Land Trust. We're lucky to have one. So come on out and enjoy a day in the country! Seasonal Recipe of the Week One of spring's first fruit of the season is rhubarb (though botanically it is a vegetable). It possesses a mouth puckering tartness that I love. Al ot of people combine it with lots of sugar, but I like the puckering bite that it has. Mixed with a bit of apple in a crumble it it delicious. Try this tasty crisp with a twist. The surprise is a touch of basil which adds an extraordinary taste and scent to the fruit mixture. Rhubarb Surprise Crisp Serves 6 2/3 cup maple syrup – Antoinne Farm 2 to 3 tsp cornstarch 1/2 tsp cinnamon 2 cups sliced rhubarb – The Farmer's Daughter 2 cups sliced apples – Hall's Apple Market 2 tbsp fresh snipped basil – Wendy's Market 1/2 cup flour – Purest, Ironwood Organics, Sonset Farm 1/2 cup oats – Ironwood Organics 1/3 cup maple sugar – Antoinne Farm 3 tbsp butter melted – Empire 1. Preheat oven to 375 F. In a medium bowl stir maple syrup, cornstarch, and cinnamon. Stir in the rhubarb and apples and basil. Transfer to a 2 quart square baking dish and spread evenly. Set aside. 2. For the topping in a medium bowl toss together flour of choice, oats, brown sugar,. Stir in the melted butter. Sprinkle evenly over fruit mixture. 3. Bake for 30 - 35 minutes or till fruit is tender and topping is golden brown. Yummy! You may want to top with some of Limestone Creamery's Whipping Cream or Slicker's Homemade Rhubarb Ginger Ice Cream ... Enjoy! Have a Great Week. Rick & Wendy & Leigha Thanks for Supporting Local Producers. Visit us at the Market. We're open 7 days a week. Monday - Saturday 11 am – 6 pm, Sunday 'til 5 pm
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 Even though April showers forgot to turn off in May (!!) we do have May flowers and other great plants in our greenhouses, all ready to share with you to brighten even the cloudiest day.
Despite the rain, I love spring. Walking through our greenhouses and seeing all the different plants is a great way to both start and end my day. My love of plants comes naturally: both of my Grandmothers had lots of plants surrounding their houses. One Grandmother had every type of plant you could think of to grow as a houseplant, and was always collecting slips of plants from friends to add to her collection. My other Grandmother taught me a lot about the wild flowers and their names and uses as we walked along the pathways at their cottage. And I remember seeing a picture of myself when I was young surrounded by amazing flower gardens that my Mom made. Over time the flower gardens switched to large vegetable gardens, and then to multiple fields of vegetables and a full blown market garden business (Corn Acre Farms). So began my life long journey and passion with plants. I am so very glad to have been able to share all this with my daughter, and even more excited that she has carried on the love of plants by starting our seeds and nuturing them for all of you to enjoy. With her help, we have been able to expand this year and offer so many more varieties of flowers, herbs, and vegetable plants. We focus on many heritage varieties of tomatoes and look to the past when picking out our selection of seeds for our flowers. A look around our greenhouses will sure to send you on a trip down memory lane with names like larkspur, zinnias and cosmos. If you have never grown any plants before then now is the time. Start with a cherry tomato. A few marigolds and a basil make great companion plants ... and now your off! I think it is also important for all of us to take the time and introduce a child to the amazing world of plants. Even if it starts with picking a bouquet of dandelions. Dandelions are in the recipe of the week. You can eat the leaves, buds and bud stalks, flowers, heart, and the young root of dandelions. The Recipe of the Week Mushrooms Stuffed with Dandelion Hearts Dandelion hearts - In your yard or ours! Cremini mushrooms - Carlton Mushrooms Sunflower oil - Kricklewood Farm Rosemary - Wendys MArket salt and pepper Bring the hearts to a boil and cook for 5 minutes to remove bitterness. Take the Hearts and mix with sunflower oil, rosemary, and salt and pepper. Take mushrooms and fill with the hearts. Bake in oven for 15 - 20 minutes at 350. Enjoy! Have a Great Week. Rick & Wendy & Leigha Thanks for supporting Local Producers. Visit us at the market. We're open Thursday through Saturday, 11 am – 6 pm, Sunday 'til 5 pm (After the long weekend, it will be 7 days a week.)  Our past is important to our future for so many reasons.
I attended a memorial this past Easter weekend for one of our community leaders (who never thought of herself this way). She was a very important fixture in the area and was a force behind many great things in the Seeley's Bay area. It was during her grandson's speech about how his grandmother taught his sister to cook and spent time in the kitchen showing her how to prepare different meals that I was brought back to how important all this knowledge is. The day brought me back as well to all the great times I had with my grandmother and I was so glad I got to have all the time we spent together. And so glad that my parents are around to pass on their knowledge to their grandchildren and great grandchildren. Our ancestors made use of a lot of seasonal produce and preserved, canned and dried. They learned what plants worked well with others, how to make use of space and followed weather patterns and were great at foraging. They really paid attention to their surroundings because they had to. In recent times many of these skills have been lost and forgotten. This brings me to our next step with our new farm. Our focus at Furnace Falls Farm will be connecting people with the countryside again. Teaching others how to use some of the ancient grains that were once used every day. Teaching classes on preserving, foraging, canning and much more. While staying at the farm, people will get a chance to learn how different crops are grown and get a deeper understanding were their food comes from. In our greenhouses at the market we are also focusing a lot on heirloom tomatoes and vegetables, tried and true perennials, and lost or forgotten hardy annuals. Stop by and I am sure you will recognise certain plants from the past. I am very excited to have this chance to connect others to what I feel is a very important part of our future, The PAST! Recipe of the Week: Tasty Wholesome Dessert Spelt Apple Blueberry Crisp Serves 6 1/3 cup melted butter – Stirling Creamy Butter 2/3 cup organic rolled oats – Ironwood Organics 1 cup maple sugar (less if wanted ) – Antoines 1/3 cup spelt flour – Sonset Farm 2 tsp vanilla dash cinnamon Apples – Halls Apple Market Blueberries – Briarlea Blueberry Farm
Spelt is an ancient grain grown as far back as 5000 BC. It has a slight nutty taste with a bit of sweet flavour. It is an easy substitute in recipes that ask for wheat flour. Spelt has slightly less calories then wheat and is also higher in protein then wheat. When working spelt into a recipe use a bit less liguid then regular recipes since it is more soluble then wheat. Enjoy! Have a Great Week. Rick & Wendy & Leigha Thanks for supporting Local Producers. Visit us at the market. We're open Thursday through Saturday 11 am – 6 pm, Sunday 'til 5 pm  April Showers bring May flowers. With all the rain this week might be a good time to start thinking about bog gardens. I am seeing lots of potential in our low spots in our fields for ponds! (Subtle hint to my family). Imagine all of the edible plants we could grow!
There are lots of fun activities for families to enjoy this month. The town of Delta is hosting their annual Maple Syrup Festival on Easter weekend. After you have filled up on pancakes loaded with maple syrup stop by our market and pick out the fixings for your Easter feast. We will have a selection of fresh turkeys, smoked hams, lamb and tasty pies for dessert. Call ahead to reserve so you are not disappointed. The weather is supposed to be mild for Easter weekend so take a sneak peak in our greenhouse and start planning your gardens. We will also have a list of our spring transplants available for you to take home so you will know what to expect in the upcoming months. We are very excited about our new selection of heritage tomato transplants saved from our own seeds. Save This Date on your Calendar: Our first event for the season is on April 30th. It is a Spring Celebration Event. Meet local farmers, artisans, bakers who will be on site selling their wares. We just got word that Jasper Apple Farm will be coming to our event with a selection of their Apple saplings and That Bear Root Gardens will be on site with their organic seeds. Mid to late April is a great time to sow your first cold season plants (spinach, peas, lettuce onion sets, cabbage, radishes). It’s also a great time to plant bareroot perennial fruit – and we will have a good selection. Our Farm Fresh takeout will be serving up a tasty lunch made with local ingredients. Bring the kids for our annual Spring Scavenger Hunt. It is a good time to come out from Hibernation and enjoy a day in the country and help celebrate the beginning of a local food filled year . This Week's Recipe: A Touch of Spring Lamb Souvlaki Serves 12 1 lemon, juiced 1/4 cup sunflower oil – Kricklewood Farm 1/4 cup apple cider – Halls Apple Market 1 tsp oregano – Burt’s Greenhouses 3 cloves garlic, crushed – Forman Farm 4 lbs lamb stew, cut into 1 inch cubes – Mcoll Farm 2 medium onions, cut into 1 inch pieces – Peter Oetelar 2 red sweet peppers cut into 1 inch pieces – Suntec Greenhouses skewers
Serve over a bed of greens of choice. Enjoy! Have a Great Week. Rick & Wendy & Leigha Thanks for supporting Local Producers. Visit us at the market. We're open Thursday through Saturday 11 am – 6 pm, Sunday 'til 5 pm  We're presenting a Local Foods Dinner at the Old Town Hall in Delta on Saturday, April 8, 2017.
Join us for a Maple Inspired Menu featuring Wendy's Country Market and Chef Mark Beacock. Cocktails (cash bar) with local meats and cheese from 6 to 7 pm. Dinner will feature handmade Red Fife pasta (made with Old Stone Mill flour), maple smoked pork loin chop with fresh seasonal accompaniments and a local greens salad with a savoury maple vinaigrette. Desert will be Maple Chocolate Mousse Cake. Celtic music entertainment will be provided by the MacLeod Fiddlers. Tickets are $60/person or $100/couple. Please contact Sharon Okum at 613-928-2228 or by email at dsodelta@gmail.com  Our "night life" goes from dinners at a reasonable hour to "WOW I can't believe how late it is!" Guess this means spring is on its way.
The signs of spring around our farm / market include an abundance of plants in the greenhouse awaiting transplanting. The chicken coop needs a spring cleaning and some work to be done on its fences. And there is some new fencing to be put in for our new spring arrivals (more to come on that later). It's also time for us to be planning for our first event of the season (Spring Celebration on Sunday April 30, 2017). Oh yes, and the addition of another greenhouse – but first we have to dismantle it and move it to its new location. Good thing the days are getting longer: we are going to need it! Over at Furnace Falls Farm the transformation has begun. The kitchen has been framed in and I can't believe how big the window over the sinks is. Now that we can see the space, I can envision the big kitchen table as a focal point, and can't wait till our guests get to enjoy that first meal ... or maybe we will have to have the first meal there ourselves. In busy days ahead, it is always good to have a back up plan to simplify some of your meals. We have put together a meal in a bag to take the thinking and planning out of your day. Stop by Wendy's Country Market and pick up our Meal of the Week Wendy's Market Taco Salad Kit Serves 4 Wendys Country Market Hot Sauce Wendys Country Market Sunflower Apple Mint Vinaigrette Wendys Country Market Tomato Jam Against the Grain Purple Corn Tortilla Chips Bush Gardens Chili Pepper Gouda Eighth Line Farm Ground Beef or Paradise Pork Sausages Burt's Greenhouse Mixed Greens Instructions 1/2 cup Vinaigrette 1/4 cup Tomato Jam 1 tsp Hot Sauce Mix together for the dressing. Add desired amount to greens. Top with crumbled tortilla chips and grated cheese. Add cooked sausages or ground beef. Enjoy! Have a Great Week. Rick & Wendy & Leigha Thanks for supporting Local Producers. Visit us at the market. We're open Thursday through Saturday 11 am – 6 pm, Sunday 'til 5 pm  This week is practically Balmy outside!!! I love it but it is a bit worrisome since it is 15 degrees and it's only the end of February. This warm weather system sent the local Maple Syrup producers into overdrive getting everything prepared for an early syrup season. Ideal temperatures are thawing in the daytime and freezing at night. Let's hope for a long and steady Maple Syrup season.
Maple Syrup is a great natural sweetener in salads, entrees, and desserts, plus it just makes everything so very tasty. It features 54 different antioxidents (the darker the syrup the higher the antioxidents). It also contains a significant amount of calcium, trace B vitamins, and is a good source of 3 essential elements: calcium, iron and thiamin. We really appreciate all the time it takes for the producers to make this tasty liquid gold. Remember that it takes 30-40 gallons of sap to produce a gallon of Maple Syrup. I was digging around in some old recipes and thought it would be fun for people to have glimpse into the past. It is interesting to see how measurements were way back when. I know from looking at some of my grandmother's recipes that none were very exact. It was a pinch of this and a handful of that. Some of the recipes were even missing sections, and if you followed them exactly, you were in trouble. I think my grandmother just made it up as she went along. However she did it, I could not wait to visit and sample her desserts – especially all those sweetened with Maple Syrup, and there were a lot. Here is a recipe from The Every Day Cookbook, circa 1890. Flannel Cakes Beat 6 eggs very light, stir in them 2 lb of flour, one gill of yeast, small spoonful of salt and sufficiant milk to make a thick batter. Make them at night for breakfast, and at ten in the morning for tea. Have your griddle hot, grease it well and bake as buckwheat. Butter and send them hot to the table, commencing after the family has been seated. Have a jug of Maple Syrup on hand at the table for easy access, Pour over the flannel cakes as you wish. Our ingredient list has been added to the original: Eggs – Beking's Flour – Ironwood Organics Yeast Salt Butter – Empire Cheese Company Maple Syrup – Gunnebrooke Farm, Antoine Farm Notice, not a lot of details about amounts or technique in these old recipes. This shows that cooking was a daily thing and that you just went by instinct on what the consistancy was for a lot of things. At Furnace Falls Farm we will be introducing people to some of these old tried and true recipes. Perhaps we can even help you with some of those old time recipes that don't have a lot of instructions, and help you make it LIKE GRANDMA. Have a Great Week. Rick & Wendy & Leigha Thanks for supporting Local Producers. Visit us at the market. We're open Thursday through Saturday 11 am – 6 pm, Sunday 'til 5 pm  It is that time of year that most of us are needing a big boost of vitamin C in our diet, so how about trying some daikon radishes! Thanks to the folks at Roots Down Organic and Patchwork Gardens for storing these relatively unknown gems in their cold storage over the winter.
Daikon Radishes (aka Chinese Radishes) are packed with Vitamin C. They look a bit like a very large carrot in shape with a crisp texture, and are a bit sharp to taste when raw. When cooked, Daikon become sweeter. Diakons are very versatile: they can be prepared raw, cooked, thinly sliced in a salad, shredded or grated in a slaw, pickled, or braised. A little creativity and the options are endless. One of our focusses at Furnace Falls Farm will be introducing people to the many uses of the wonderful produce we have available to us through our cooking classes. Most of our ancestors canned, pickled and preserved a lot in the fall at harvest time. But fall is not the only time for preserving: you can preserve things all year long. Winter is a great time for taking unusual items and coming up with something simple but exciting. Let's add some variety to the winter months, when we are tired of our everyday ideas of what to do with root vegetables. The following recipe will enhance any meal that needs that fresh, salty crunch. Pickled Daikon and Carrot Serves 6 as a side 1/2 cup white vinegar 1/4 cup white sugar 1 Carrot cut into matchsticks – Patchwork Gardens 1 large Daikon Radish peeled and cut into matchsticks – Patchwork Gardens and Root Down Organic 2 tbsp cilantro chopped – Burt's Greenhouses 1 thai pepper chopped – Wendy's Country Market
Enjoy! Have a Great Week. Rick & Wendy & Leigha Thanks for supporting Local Producers. Visit us at the market. We're open Thursday through Saturday 11 am – 6 pm, Sunday 'til 5 pm  It might be dull and dreary outside, but it looks a little like spring in the greenhouse. Since we try to grow a lot of our flowering annuals from seed rather than cuttings, we have to start them extra early. We find when we start from seeds rather than cuttings we can get better varieties with lots of heritage choices. One of the other reasons is this way we have control over the start of their life so to speak. A good start means better success later on. Even after all these years, I never get tired of watching those little sprouts shoot up almost over night.
We have also started lots of veggie and herb plants as well, along with a great selection of heritage tomatoes many from seeds we had saved from last summer. Of course, what are tomatoes with out basil? So we've made sure to have lots of basil varieties to choose from. We will be updating the lists on the Wendy's Country Market website, so you can plan out your gardens as well. What better way to spend a winter evening then planning a garden? Mark Sunday, April 30th on your calendar. It is our first event of the season. Hard to believe it is only a few months away. We will have lots of bare root crops, hardy perennials, herbs, heritage seeds for sale and more. AND down on the farm, the real work has begun. We have the house building permit and can move ahead with our plans for one of the many barn structures! As the layers are removed we've seen history unfold, and got a real insight into a house that was built over 100 years ago. We've found wide wooden boards covering some of the walls, hard wood floors, and a 10 foot ceiling. We've also been exploring our own local history, and have posted some photographs of Furnace Falls on the Farm's Facebook page. Have a look! I find my favourite places to be are all over 100 years old (like our market which is an old school house also over 100 years old.) Can't wait for the rebirth of this wonderful farmhouse as a place for guests to stay, with great kitchen and dining spaces for celebrating local food. Considering I love heritage plants and heritage homes, I think this week's recipe should be heritage sourced. Recipe of the Week Wild Berry Cornmeal Scones Makes 8 servings 1 1/4 cup Red Fife Wheat Flour or Spelt Flour – Ironwood Organics or Sonset Farm 3/4 cup Cornmeal – Against the Grain 1/4 cup Maple Syrup – Gunnebrooke Farm 2 tsp Baking Powder – Purest 1/4 cup Baking Soda – Purest 1/3 cup Whey Butter – Stirling 2/3 cup Milk – Limestone Creamery 1 cup Mixed Berries – Brierlea Farm, Wendy's Country Market 1 tsp Vanilla Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Enjoy! Have a Great Week. Rick & Wendy & Leigha Thanks for supporting Local Producers. Visit us at Wendy's Country Market. We're open Thursday through Saturday 11 am – 6 pm, Sunday 'til 5 pm  It's time to thank all the producers who have been supplying all of us with tasty veggies throughout the winter months.
Two of those hard working people are Brian and Ruth who own and run Burt's Greenhouses in Odessa. Even in the winter this place is a hub of activity. Known for their wonderful spring annual, perennials, vegetables seedlings and shrubs, they have also ventured into supplying many of us with amazing sweet potatoes and tasty tender greens from their greenhouses throughout the winter months. Yeah, no more need for tasteless imported winter salad greens! They grow a variety of herbs, arugula, mizuna, beet greens, lettuce, and mustard – all in trays of earth. With environmental concerns very important to them, they choose biological pest control and also use biomass to heat their greenhouses. Yet another of the out of the box thinkers that make living in Eastern Ontario a great place to be. Their Sweet Potatoes have been so popular though that they are running out of them, so now is the time to enjoy them before they are gone. Try our Roasted Sweet Potatoes yummy! Love all the different coloured ones... Recipe of the week Maple Roasted Sweet Potatoes Serves 6 2 1/2 lb Sweet Potatoes, peeled and cut into 1 inch pieces – Burt's Greenhouses 1/3 cup Maple Syrup – Gunnebrooke Farm 2 tbsp Butter, melted – Stirling Water Buffalo Farm 1 tbsp Lemon Juice Pepper and Salt to taste Preheat oven to 400 degrees F
Enjoy! Have a Great Week! Rick & Wendy & Leigha Thanks for supporting Local Producers. Visit us at the market! We're open Thursday through Saturday 11 am - 6 pm, Sunday 'til 5 pm |
AuthorWendy Banks is a 6th generation farmer from Lyndhurst, Ontario. She runs Wendy's Country Market with her husband, Rick Trudeau. Archives
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