Food'n'Around

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Every year we spend time on Lake Huron, Ontario's West Coast, playing in the surf and sitting in the sun. This year we made it our challenge to live on the 100 Mile Diet. Driving past many of the farms along the Kitchener, Stratford, Seaforth route we noticed yellow signs saying "Farm to Table" indicating that the farmer was willing to sell his product directly to the consumer.

Using the map produced by htinfo@hurontourism.on.ca we took the longest grocery shopping effort known to us and found it rewarding.

Of the 60 spots on the map we found our way to six. Off the map we met with a farmer friend of a friend who would sell his eggs fresh plucked from beneath the hen. Rare is the day when we city folk get to see, hear and smell the source of our food. An omelet with zucchini and herbs picked from the garden was a hearty way to start our trek.

The next farm boasted organic beef but the cows had just gone to slaughter and we were two days too early. The next stop (H-34) was Storey's Maple Syrup, Honey and Pork Products were we picked up the best, most lean, maple sausages I have ever eaten and the finest bacon known to us.

Throughout our week we remembered to thank the farmer, John, as we greedily savored his hard work. His chops, Black Forest ham and ribs are likely just as good and the small container of honey that we bought sweetened just about everything that week from tea to salad dressing.

John Storey led us to the Blyth farmers market (H-5) where we picked up our veggies for the week. In season were new red potatoes, onions; crisp and sweet, beets; equally so, baby spinach that was perky yet substantial, peas in the pod, cabbage, zucchini and carrots, crisp and juicy.

All were purchased from a Mennonite couple whose fingers were stained from the effort and whose horse and buggy waited patiently in the shade. How hard these people worked for my dinner. We take for granted our food from the grocery shelves, forgetting the effort involved in planting, growing and getting it there. We often think only of our meager end-user-effort as onerous.

Lastly we ate fish from the source. Bayfield Fish and Seafood (H-2) is a tiny, unassuming shop at the fisherman's wharf that stocks local fresh and smoked fish. Choosing both I was able to have pan fried pickerel for supper that was mild and moist. Tossed with roasted red potatoes (from the Mennonite) with a bit of butter and some fresh picked herbs from our friend's garden, this was my favourite meal of the week. So simple and luscious I was humbled to tears. The smoked fish graced our pasta as well as our appetizer platter.

I did have to pop in to the local grocery store for milk and cheese as well as the bananas that our cereal demands. The bananas stuck out like a sore thumb to me in my new consciousness but we have grown so accustomed to them that the rest of my family hardly blinked. We did not find a dairy farmer on our route but at least the products that I purchased were local.

The whole idea here is to support local growth while cutting down on the polluting ways of shipping foods. In terms of the planet's health I would chose local before organic but if I could find both, happy day. This has to be the most rewarding and virtuous vacation I have had in all my years on this earth.

I hope to continue the path by frequenting the farmers markets at Riverdale Farm and East York Civic Centre throughout the summer. Not quite ready to put up preserves for the winter, I will cross winter's bridge when I get to it.

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Theresa Albert-Ratchford is a personal chef and author of Cook Once and Week Eat Well Every Day and Host of the Food Network's Just One Bite.