 Summer vacations are done for a lot of people. Children and teachers are back in school, and the routine starts again. For a lot of farmers that have their kids or students helping them through the summer this time of year can be a bit of a shock.(Yikes that extra help in the field and at market is gone!)
This is also the time for the field crops to be at their peak, like tomatoes, sweet corn, peppers, zucchini, and beets. Fall is also the time to start planning ahead for the taste of summer in the winter by freezing, preserving or drying excess summer vegetables. Tomatoes are a very versatile crop to put away for the winter time. If you do not have a lot of time to can tomato sauce for the winter, then we have you covered. We have a variety of sauces at the market to provide a quick and tasty meal. For those of you who have a desire to learn about canning, preserving, and savouring the tastes of the summer we will be starting classes soon over at Furnace Falls Farm. We will keep you updated on our Facebook pages: Wendy's Country Market, and Furnace Falls Farm. Make sure to follow us there! Simple Preserving Recipes Tomato Marinara Base
Sweet Corn – Frozen for the Winter This is how we do it. The best corn for freezing we find is Super Sweet (high sugar content that will not be starchy).
Drying Herbs Drying herbs is an easy way to ensure great tasting herbs in those winter stews, soups and also your christmas turkey. We hang herb bundles from the rafters in our shed. (You need a dry and dark spot to eliminate bleaching the colour from the sun). If you do not have a nice breeze, turn a fan on low to help dry the herbs. The best herbs for drying this way are sage, basil, savory, thyme, rosemary and dill. After the herbs are dried we spread them on a newspaper, strip the leaves from the stalk, and put into glass jars. Enjoy! Have a Great Week. Rick & Wendy & Leigha Thanks for supporting Local Producers. Visit us at the market. We're still open 7 days a week. Monday - Saturday 11 am – 6 pm, Sunday 'til 5 pm
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 It’s here – the last long weekend of the summer. I am missing summer already. Oh wait! I think that is because we really did not have a summer.
With all the rain and storms that passed through from early spring 'til now, it has been a challenging summer for a lot of farmers. Some crops did not get planted, and others were a failure. There was lots of strategic planning and planting, and a lot of last minute changes of plans on what to plant. Through the weird weather though, there were other crops like the Brassica family that flourished with the wet conditions. So be prepared for lots of cabbage in the future. Living on a farm requires lots of collaboration to be able to do everything that needs to be done. It is all hands on deck, so to speak. Especially when an emergency happens, everyone is very quick to help out. We are very grateful for all the help after our truck issues this summer that is for sure. I am very grateful for having family close by, and to all our great network of other family farms. A lot of vegetable producers count on a few months of growing to ensure a year's worth of income. Thank goodness farmers are a resilient bunch. Quality food requires a huge effort: time, money for superior seeds, equipment and fair wages for labour, plus more. Importantly, we have to be sustainable farms and to encourage the next generation to try and make a living off the farm so that we can ensure family farms in the future. Even with all the trials and tribulations of farming I would not trade it for anything. I love being able to work alongside family, seeing the next generation appreciate what I have loved for so long. Recipe of the Week A family collaboration of produce grown on our family farms Family Summer Succotash Serves 4 1 tbsp sunflower oil – Kricklewood Farm 3 red onions, halved – Corn Acre Farms 3 green peppers, cut into chunks – Corn Acre Farms 3 small patty pans, cut into ¾ inch pieces – Wendy's Country Market 1 hot pepper – Wendy's Country Market 1 cup fresh corn kernels – Corn Acre Farms 1 cup heritage tomatoes – Wendy's Country Market 3 tbsp mint, coarsely 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 7 days a week. Monday - Saturday 11 am – 6 pm, Sunday 'til 5 pm
 WOW sunshine for more than 2 days in a row! (and then thunderstorms...) This week it officially feels like summer with lots of our summertime customers journeying back to our market on their holidays. It is really great to to see everyone again and I am always amazed on how much the kids have grown, plus it is great to be introduced to the new little additions to the family and get caught up on things.
We certainly have a lot of new things happening this year! The expansion of our greenhouses makes it possible to have flowers, veggie plants and herbs not just for the spring early-birds: we still have a good selection for our summer customers. Plus the extra help in the greenhouse has been a huge boon for Leigha and I. Stop by and say hi to Karen and ask her to show you the Sensitive Plants (great gift for kids). Leigha has been busy planting and adding new gardens – an extra challenge with all the rain. Our Herb Garden has had a face lift, and also is full of new and unusual plants to check out. Our Cooks in the Kitchen have been very busy coming up with lots of preserves to add to the new shelves at our Market. We have even added a tasting event focused on seasonal product tasting and testing. This month Chef Mark will feature some interesting preserves and recipes drawing on produce items available in July. I am sure you will see a variety of things with Scapes as an ingredient. Wondering what to do with an abundance of Scapes? Stop by Saturday July 15th between 11:30 am and 2:00 pm to find out. (Download the Flier.) Now over to Furnace Falls Farm, were its been a hub of activity for the last few months with renos in and around the farmhouse. We're trying to re-use as many of the old materials as possible, while instilling some new life in the old structure. I must say I am loving the repurposed original sheathing boards that are now installed on a number of walls in the farmhouse. It's as if the walls talk and tell the stories of the history in every board when you look at them. In the yard at the farmhouse we have planted a cutting garden with many of the flowers straight from the past. Stop by and let us pick you a bouquet for that someone special. Seasonal Recipe of the Week Since summer time is the time for camping and campfires I thought I would go with a recipe that could be done on an open fire. Wood-Roasted Potato Salad with Pickled Ramps and Chives Serves 4 12 golf ball size potatoes – Corn Acre Farms 2 tbsp sunflower oil – Kricklewood Farm 1/1/2 tsp salt 1/4 tsp pepper 7 ounce cream – Limestone Dairy 2 tbsp chopped chives – Wendys Market 4 tbsp thickly sliced green onions – Corn Acre Farms - Preheat grill over wood fire until coals are glowing. - Place washed potatoes in a mixing bowl. Add oil, and salt, toss to coat. - Place potatoes on grill and roast covered for 35 – 45 minutes or till potatoes are tender, turn occasionally. - Remove potatoes from grill and smash with a spoon. Season with pepper and top with cream and dress with chives and green onions. 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  The official start to Summer is just around the corner. But by the temperatures this week, I would say it is here now. The heat has certainly been great for the strawberries; it has helped ripen them.
Now is the time to indulge in lots of strawberries for breakfast, lunch and supper. Forget those big red but tasteless imports, and go for some fresh picked local strawberries that are oh so juicy and chocked full of vitamins. Be sure to stop by our market this coming Sunday June 25th for our Strawberry Sunday Event. You will be surrounded with a day of strawberry theme local food. We will have a Kids' Table where the kids get to create their own strawberry sundae (remember I said kids – no adults sneaking in line). Enjoy a tasty homemade strawberry lemonade to quench your thirst while having your strawberry theme lunch. Mensen Farm will be on site with a good supply of their fresh picked strawberries. Other vendors and bakers will be sure to sooth your sweet tooth with tasty strawberry pies, jam, chutney, muffins, shortcake, chocolates and more. Kids can enjoy a strawberry theme scavenger hunt. Are you tired of the word strawberry yet? I did not think so! We will also have Slicker's homemade ice cream to put on all those fresh strawberries you buy. We have even got some of our very own organic strawberries, and will have a limited amount for sale (if I dont eat them all ). To top off the fun filled day there will be live music by The Ray Harris Duet. Our friends from Le Saladier woodturning (regular vendors at our market) are going to be making Gigantic Homemade Bubbles with their bubble recipe. These bubbles will be bigger than your kids !! Want to learn more about tea? Visit with Susan Peters who is a tea sommelier and tea blender. Another new vendor to join us Sunday is Paula Lampron from Funked up Fluff with her colourful knit socks. All this and so much more.... For this week's recipe, let the strawberry theme continue Berry Salsa Serves 6 1 and one half cups chopped strawberries – Mensen Farm, Wendy's Market 3 tbsp maple syrup – Antoine's 2 tbsp mint – Wendy's Market Whipping Cream – Limestone Creamery Gently stir the berries, maple syrup and mint together. Just before serving make the whip cream, gently fold into the berry salsa. Serve with your favourite scones or on top of pancakes Have a Great Week. Rick & Wendy & Leigha Thanks for supporting Local Farmers. Visit us at the market. We're open 7 days a week. Monday - Saturday 11 am – 6 pm, Sunday 'til 5 pm -  We're Celebrating Local Food Week. Join Us for a Local Food Recipe Tasting Saturday June 10, 2017 11:00 am - 2:00 pm Wendy's Country Market 408 Fortune Line, Lyndhurst, Ontario Not sure what to do with real, local food? To help bring people back to eating close to home, Wendy’s Country Market and Furnace Falls Farm are creating recipes for the preparation and preservation of local ingredients. Drop by the market to meet chef Mark Beacock, taste the produce, sample the products, and take away the recipes. Learn more about our project supported by the Greenbelt Fund, and help us with your feedback!
Download the Flyer.  For Immediate Release – May 31, 2017 Wendy’s Country Market (aka Wendy’s Mobile Market) and Furnace Falls Farm are working together to improve the year round availability of local food. Their collaboration has received financial support from the Government of Ontario, in partnership with the Greenbelt Fund. “When local food is most plentiful, farmers have the fewest resources available. Much food is un-harvested, wasted, or marked down for quick sale,” says Wendy Banks, owner of Wendy’s Country Market. “Working alongside local producers, we can develop strategies to reduce waste and maximize the value of the harvest.” Wendy’s Country Market is developing a line of prepared foods – jams, jellies, preserves, dried foods, grab-and-go meals, and frozen entrées – tailored to the needs of our restaurant and household delivery clients, and our retail customers. “We are looking forward to working in collaboration with our clientele,” says Chef Mark Beacock. “We want to develop recipes for local foods that meet today’s tastes.” Products and recipes will be tested in each of our communities. The partnership is also developing a local food storage facility in a retrofitted barn on Furnace Falls Farm. There we will offer season-extending, value-added services to local farmers, preserving crops for future processing and sale through flash freezing, drying, and in cold storage. Offering a wider variety of local food year round will maintain the health of our distribution system, enable its growth across the seasons, and ensure customer retention. Our new products and services will add value to farm produce, develop the market for local food, and reduce waste – all while making it easier to eat local, year-round.
 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  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 |
AuthorI am Wendy Banks a 6th generation farmer from Lyndhurst, Ontario. I have been selling farm produce since the wee age of five when my parents first set me up with a corn stand at the end of the driveway. I have always been focused on providing quality products and providing customer service with a smile. Archives
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