 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
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 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  Who doesn't like the smell of fresh ground coffee? Over the Christmas holidays we had the pleasure of introducing coffee roasted locally by a small artisanal roastery in Seeleys Bay: Rideau Coffee Roastery.
Mary Whitney and her husband John Barker roast and sell Fair Trade Organic Coffee. This coffee has been a big hit at our market. We buy it from them in small amounts at a time, so it is roasted fresh. Since their coffee is so good, we thought we had better do it justice by getting a coffee grinder so our customers could grind their own at our market. That and we just want to smell the fresh ground coffee! If you ever can nab John to talk about coffee it is worth it. He is a walking encyclopedia of coffee knowledge. Mary and John are very consientious of what beans they use. I have already asked them if they could set aside some time when we have Furnace Falls Farm open this summer to host a coffee-inspired workshop. They can share their knowledge and we can supply the tasty treats to accompany the coffee. We will keep you posted on updates and scheduling through our weekly emails. This week's recipe: a tasty afternoon bar to be served with a fresh cup of coffee and a good book. Maple Coffee Glazed Apple Crumb Bars Serves 9 (an 8 x 8 in pan) 4 cup apples, peeled thinly sliced - Halls Orchard 1 tsp lemon juice 1 tsp cinnamon 1/4 nutmeg 1/8 tsp ginger 6 tbsp maple syrup - Gunnebrook Farm 2 tbsp cornstarch 1 cup spelt flour - Sonset Farm 1 cup oats - Ironwood Organic 1/2 cup sunflower oil - Kricklewood Farm Maple Coffee Glaze 1/2 cup fresh brewed coffee - Rideau Coffee Roastery 2 tbsp maple syrup - Gunnebrook Farm 1/2 cup raw nuts Salt to taste Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line an 8 by 8 inch dish with parchment paper.
Glaze
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  Welcome to Eastern Ontario winter and a new weather system. Word of the week "Freezing Fog"! Not only can't you see the road, but you get to have everything coated in ice!
To distract me from the weather and the fact the market is kind of quiet these days I turn my thoughts to Flowers – in lots and lots of colours. We are expanding our selection of flowers at the market this year. Since it is Canada's 150th, there will also be a focus on more heritage plants, and a variety of plants with a red-and-white theme. No worries though for those of you that favour hot pinks, purple and orange; since these are my favourite colours, we won't leave them out! We also carry a long list of herbs and vegetable plants, and I will have more about them in future notes. Today its all about Flowers . Along with heritage plants for sale in our greenhouses, we will have a selection of bee-friendly annuals and perennials, and a kid's area with a focus on attracting butterflies (we like to encourage kids in the garden). We have a great culinary selection of edible flowers, and of course the tried-and-true drought resistant, and favourite low maintenance. Have you got any favourites we should start for you? Let us know in a comment. The hard part for us is to limit ourselves, because when you start looking at all the great reasons to have flowers in your life (aside from the obvious that they are just good for the soul) it is hard not to go overboard. I think part of our solution for that is that we grow them for multiple uses: culinary, customers, market, and the farm. Across the road form the market at Furnace Falls Farm everyone will be able to enjoy a kalaidescope of colours in our cutting garden. There, you will be able to sit back and smell the flowers. The Furnace Falls Farm Garden will also showcase perennials so you will be able to see first hand how they grow and what they look like in a garden. The gardens will also provide fresh-picked, colourful bouquets for that someone special. Can't wait for planting season to be started! But for now I have to be patient and dream. The recipe of the week is full of colour and a bit of zip to brighten up any day – even one with Feezing Fog! . This is not a slaw and not your typical salad. Fire and Ice Salad Serves 6 people 1/3 lb of mixed greens – Burt's Greenhouse 1 cup baby kale – Forman Farms 1 cup micro greens – Patchwork Gardens 2 cups carrots, cut into matchsticks – Patchwork Gardens 3 cups mix watermelon and daikon radish, cut into matchsticks – Patchwork Gardens 1/2 tsp salt Jalapeno Cilantro Dressing 1 tsp jalapeno paste (or more if you dare) – Wendy's Country Market 1/4 cup chopped cilantro – Burt's Greenhouse 3 tbsp lemon juice 3 tbsp apple cider vinegar – Hall's Market 1/4 cup sunflower oil – Kricklewood Farm Directions 1. Make the dressing by mixing ingredients together in a small bowl. Set aside. 2. For the salad, put all the greens mix in a large bowl. Combine with veggies and toss. 3. Toss with dressing just before serving Enjoy! Have a Great Week! Rick & Wendy & Leigha Thanks for supporting Local Producers Stop by Wendy's Country Market. We're open Thurs - Sat 11am - 6pm; Sun 'til 5pm  Local food is featured in the current issue of Kingston Life, and they came to see us! See the article online at http://eedition.kingstonlife.ca/doc/kingston-life/kingston-life-january-2017/2017011201/30.html
 Unpredictable January weather! One day it's minus 20 C and the next it's plus 8 C and in between snow, ice, and rain. Oh yes – forgot the wind, which brings me to thoughts of the power outages which are always in the back of our minds. It makes for a few sleepless nights for the midnight shift (Rick). This is after a long day on some very nasty roads to make sure all of our producers products arrived safely, so that we could put orders together for next day's deliveries. THROUGH SLEET, RAIN, AND SNOW, LOCAL FOOD MUST BE DELIVERED. There is a silver lining to the winter weather, though. It gets us a bit more organized for the upcoming year. And now that we have the addition of Furnace Falls Farm, there has definitely been a lot of planning (very exciting planning). Yes folks, Wendy has been actually planning ahead. (I know this suprises some of you – haha!). But this is what happens when others are involved. We are working on Furnace Falls Farm with another couple: Jennifer Trant and David Bearman. They shifted their focus at the start of this century, and now call Grindstone Island in Big Rideau Lake "home" – that is, when they can get to it! Thank goodness for partners to help keep me in line and focused. There is exciting news for the beginning of the New Year on the Furnace Falls Farm front: we have received the Building Permit for the farmhouse renovation from the Township of Leeds and Thousand Islands. Now the real work starts: Let the Building Begin! January is also prep time for our greenhouses. Heating systems have been upgraded, new plastic added for some, and grow rooms cleaned. Plus we have inventory done on all the seeds we had saved. Funny how we say we will clean out the greenhouses every June for the following year and it never happens. This is why we have January! Winter is also a good time to enjoy those winter stored root crops in a tasty casserole. The Recipe of the Week: Roast Root Vegetable Medley Serves 6 7 cups assorted mix of root crops, cubed Carrots -- Patchwork Gardens Beets – Patchwork Gardens Celeriac – Roots Down Organic Sweet Potatoes – Burts Greenhouses 1 Butterkin Squash cubed – Corn Acre Farms 1 Onion sliced – Patchwork Gardens 1/4 cup Sunflower oil – Kricklewood Farm 4 Sage leaves – crushed – Wendy's Country Market 4 Thyme sprigs chopped – Wendy's CountryMarket Maple Syrup to taste – Gunnebrook Farm 1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees 2. Cut all root vegetables into cubes of equal size 3. Put root vegetables, squash and onion in a large bowl 4. Add oil, herbs and toss well. 5. Spread vegetables out in a casserole dish bake for about 40 minutes. Check if they are done with a fork. 6. Drizzle with maple syrup if you like. Enjoy! If you have never had celeriac give it a try it is chock full of vitamins and minerals: K, C, B6, potassium and more, plus its very tasty. Have a Great Week, Rick, Wendy & Leigha Thanks for supporting Local Farmers Drop by Wendy's Country Market – We're open all winter. Thursday through Saturday: 11 am - 6 pm, Sunday: 11 am - 5 pm  Welcome to 2017, our tenth anniversary as a local food distribution business.
The availability of local food has come along way in the past 10 years. It has been a pleasure working with the many dedicatied producers who work extremely hard trying to make a difference in their community, supplying healthy susatainable food. We look forward to continuing and expanding on this effort. But none of this is possible without all of you who are taking the effort, time and believe buying local does make a difference. This is also the start of an exciting new venture with the addition of Furnace Falls Farm. Furnace Falls Farm is a picturesque farm that is located right across the road from our market. It consist of an historic farmhouse built in the early 1900s, various out buildings and a wonderfull large white barn, plus great land for vegetable gardens. Why the Name you may ask? It is a fititng name which connects my ancestors on both sides of my family. Furnace Falls used to be the name for the neighbouring town now known as Lyndurst. It was the site of the first iron smelter in Upper Canada and also the home to grist, saw, flour, and carding mills, and hotels. My ancestors on my Mom's side were instrumental in establishing business in the town of Furnace Falls, while back on the farm my Dad's ancestors farmed land adjacent to the town. One of the original properties was this piece of property we are calling Furnace Falls Farm. I like to think this is the beginning of a life-long building of our local food system from my past. Now you know why I am so rooted in agriculture and keeping communities alive: it is a big part of my past. I am so excited about this addition it is hard to contain myself from spilling everything now. But I am going to contain the excitment and lead you through our plans as things develop. You will just have to look forward to the next update . So, back to work I go... It is the first week of January and so begins the cycle of planning, ordering, planting and growing. I must admit I look forward to the dreaming stage, though others in my family fear the ratio of seeds to greenhouse space is sometimes a bit off (sorry Rick). Another greenhouse perhaps is the solution! so let the planning continue !! With all this talk about history and local food, it is time to start the year off with a recipe from the past and all local ingredients. The pea shoots are a replacement for the greens that were in the original recipe, which called for lambs quarters . CHICKEN & PEA SHOOT FARMHOUSE PIE 1 onion , chopped - Patchwork Gardens 1 garlic clove, chopped - Patchwork Gardens 1 lb boneless chicken breast, diced - Mensen |Farm 4 medium potatoes - Corn Acre Farms 1/4 cup butter - Stirling Butter 2 1/2 cup milk - Limestone Creamery 1/4 cup flour - Ironwood Organics, Against the Grain, Sonset Farm 1/2 cup pea shoots , finally chopped - Patchwork Gardens Instructions
Mashed potato topping
Bake for 20 minutes Serves 6 Enjoy! Have a Great Week. Rick & Wendy & Leigha Thanks for supporting Local Producers
Once you try them I am sure you will be hooked!
Have a Great Week. Rick & Wendy & Leigha Thanks for Supporting Local Farmers Recipe of the Week Watermelon Radish & Goat Cheese Salad Serves 4. 2 Watermelon Radishes (8 1/2 oz peeled, quartered, sliced) – Roots Down Organic, Patchwork Garden 2 Mini Cucumbers sliced – SunTech Greenhouses 1 Shallot thinly sliced – Patchwork Gardens 2 large Empire Apples, cored and sliced – Halls Apple Orchard 1/4 cup lemon juice 1/3 cup Sunflower Oil – Kricklewood Farm 1/2 lb bag Mixed Greens – Roots Down Organic 4 ounces of Sheep Feta – The Milkhouse Put all ingedients in a large bowl (except the cheese). Toss gently until combined. Assemble onto 4 plates and top with crumbled Feta. Enjoy! |
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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