This past week I was proud to participate in a series of guest blog posts over at the Fait Ici blog. (Fait Ici is a store on the edge of Little Burgundy that focuses on organic and sustainable products. They sell more than just food and a lot of their stuff comes from Quebec.)
My post went up today and it gives some information from a recent UN report that ranked modern agriculture and food production processes as the main source of concern for overall negative effect on the environment, surpassing even fossil fuels. I also offer seven tips for treading lightly with our food choices. Check it out!
Other guest posts this week included:
I encourage you to check out their posts and their respective blogs. Enjoy!
Photo credit: Ivan Prole
Posted in Articles, Montreal, Quebec, Various.
Tagged with blogs, local food, local initiatives, veg*n.
By Amanda S.
– September 3, 2010
I finally got around to taking a look at the contest that Cadbury Dairy Milk is doing to promote its new fair trade certification. It’s an interesting contest. (Obviously, otherwise I wouldn’t be talking about it here.)
In a nutshell, Cadbury is sending four people to Ghana for 10 days (that’s where their fair trade cocoa is from), but to win the prize you have to do more than send them your contact information and register for the draw. Cadbury actually wants you to work for your prize. How? Well, that’s up to you. You decide on a product or a service that you’d be willing to give or do if you won the contest. Cadbury lists it on the contest site and visitors can vote if your offer is a ‘fair trade’ for winning the prize.
It’s a neat idea on a couple of levels, including its play on the words ‘fair’ and ‘trade’, both individually and collectively, but what I like most about it are the community-minded ideas that are coming out of the contest. For example:
- “Parrainner une famille de nouveaux arrivants à leur installation au Québec. Leurs montrer les ressources disponibles et les ouvrir à la culture québécoise!” (Emilie; Translation: Help a family of new immigrants get settled in Quebec by helping them find resources and integrate into Quebec culture.)
- “I’ll take all money I was going to spend on a vacation this December and instead donate it to TransFair Canada.” (Shar K)
- “‘I am a professional bookkeeper, and I will trade my services to a young entrepreneur who is beginning their own business, and needs help to set up a set of books. The youth of today is our future.” (Lynne D)
- “I will trade 35 days to a local soup kitchen feeding the hungry. I am a mother of two so one week a month is all I can do. Starting Aug the 10th until the end of February. And vow to do so 3 days a month for the rest of 2011!” (Ashley M)
Of course, some of the ideas aren’t quite so charitable or altruistic: Dan A is willing to trade his “personal toothbrush,” and Ashley M is offering his 1995 Jaguar XJ6 VDP.
What I find interesting is how most of the ‘trades’ are charitable in nature. It also challenges me, as a potential contestant, to consider the value of the prize and what I can give in exchange. For me, value isn’t just its monetary cost, it also implies its level of importance to me. What would be a fair trade? Is it giving something up? Is it getting involved in a cause to raise awareness or funds? Or is it a simple monetary/product exchange or perhaps a publicity stunt? If it’s giving time to a cause, do I have the time to give? How can I make the time, what would I have to sacrifice and would the opportunity ultimately be worth the sacrifice?
Suddenly a contest from a chocolate bar has got me all philosophical.
Posted in Various.
Tagged with contests, fair trade.
By Amanda S.
– September 2, 2010
I love gazpacho. Whether it’s a more traditional peasant recipe of tomatoes, peppers and garlic mixed in a mortar with a pestle and combined with olive oil, crushed ice and herbs, or one of the fancier modern versions inspired by the Spanish original, gazpacho is a perfect meal for a hot summers day.
This recipe is from my brother and is close to a traditional gazpacho, although the ingredient prep is a bit more on the ‘gourmet’ side that the ‘peasant’ side of the scale and it doesn’t call for stale bread, which is a staple in the more authentic recipes. Because of the red peppers in this recipe, I consider it more of an end-of-summer recipe since garden-grown peppers really only come into season in mid-August (unless they got a real head-start indoors or it was a hot and sunny summer). As usual, try to use fresh, local ingredients, preferably grown without pesticides.
Tim’s Roasted Red Pepper Gazpacho
4 tomatoes, peeled and seeds removed
8 red peppers, stems and seed removed
1 cucumber, peeled and deseeded
4 cloves garlic (or to taste), minced
1 cup chilled vegetable broth
1/2 cup olive oil
salt and pepper
Char the red peppers: Slice the peppers into quarters and place the slices flesh-side down on a baking sheet. You may need to score the tops and bottoms of each slice so that they lie flat. Then place the rack under a preheated, red-hot broiling grill for a few minutes until they start the blacken. Remove the baking sheet and quickly cover it with aluminum foil to allow the peppers to steam as they cool. After 15 minutes they should be cool enough to handle. Remove the foil and push back the peel on the peppers. Discard the charred peel. Keep the juicy flesh.
Cut about a dozen thin slices of cucumber and set them aside. These will be the garnish for the soup. Coarsely chop the rest of the cucumber. Also coarsely chop the red peppers and quarter the tomatoes.
Put the red peppers, tomatoes and cucumbers in a food processor and process them to a fine chop. Transfer to a bowl. Add the garlic, vegetable broth, salt and pepper. Chill overnight or for at least 4 hours.
When you’re ready to serve, add the olive oil and mix well. Adjust the seasonings. Ladle into bowls. Garnish with sliced cucumber and a dusting of freshly ground black pepper. Serve!
Posted in Recipes.
Tagged with Recipes, seasonal.
By Amanda S.
– August 31, 2010
Well my mad whirlwind of summer travel across Canada has come to an end and my feet are firmly planted back in Montreal for the next little while. The various trips were combinations of work and pleasure; but you know sustainable food was never far from my mind; and a girl has got to eat, you know.
I discovered a few restaurants in my travels that I really want to share with everyone, and I don’t think I can wait until my full reviews are written and posted. So here they are: My top three places I enjoyed eating at across Canada this summer.
1. The Hoof Café, Toronto
The little sister of The Black Hoof (across the street), I fell in love this place the moment I walked through the door. The vibe is informal, the prices are reasonable, the food is sourced from local family farms (mostly organic), the menu items are innovative and the staff are fantastic. Then there are the jars of infusions behind the bar: pepper-infused vodka, homemade limoncello, and other great stuff. They also made the best Bloody Caesar that I’ve ever tasted. What isn’t there to love?
The Black Hoof, 928 Dundas Street West, Toronto, ON 416-551-8854 Blog: Charcuterie Sundays
2.The Gratitude Cafe, Calgary
This little place is a gem in the Kensington district of Calgary. It’s completely vegetarian (and you’ll never miss the meat) with a mostly organic wine list (the only non-organic wine is vegan) and menu items like “I am Filled” (chili, greens and garlic bread), “I am creating” (chickpea curry, rice and greens), or “I am sharing” (whole wheat or gluten-free pizza). And while you’re waiting for your food to arrive, grab a deck of cards, a barrel of monkeys, or any of the other table toys supplied for your amusement and pleasure.
The Gratitude Cafe, #101, 227 10th St NW, Calgary, AB 403-984-4433
3. La Taqueria, Vancouver
The edge of Gastown almost adjacent to the Downtown Eastside is hardly a location where you’d expect to find mindfully-minded eats, but there it is: An authentic Mexican taco shop that uses local, organic and sustainable-sourced ingredients. Popular too, judging by the line-up and standing room only when I visited recently. You can’t blame folks, open-faced tacos (pictured above) are $2.50 each or 4 for $9.50, your choice of any of a dozen toppings (or fillings). They’re incredibly tasty too. I could have happily eaten here all week.
La Taqueria, 322 W. Hastings, Vancouver, BC 604-568-4406
Posted in British Columbia, Calgary, Canadian Regions, Ontario, Prairies, Toronto, Vancouver.
Tagged with restaurants, wine.
By Amanda S.
– August 25, 2010
As I’ve been catching up from being mostly away for two weeks, all sorts of farming news shinies have been catching my attention. Some of them are pretty inspiring. (And one really isn’t.) The running thread seems to be that there is more awareness over where our food comes from and people are requesting change. A lot of the change is in the hands of the government, and they may just be listening.
Over the next four years Quebec wants to increase the amount of agricultural land dedicated to organic farming by 20%. They also want to increase the number of businesses making and selling organic products. Apparently this lofty goal is being driven by consumer demand for more local and organic products as well as increased public interest in more sustainable farming practice. Yes! we have the power!
Meanwhile, over in Ohio, farmers and animal rights activists have come to agreement that will restrict the close confinement of hens, hogs and veal calves. Some people are calling the agreement the beginning of the end of factory farming. Once again, concerns over environmental issues around large livestock farms and consumer demand for more local and natural products is cited as the driving force behind the agreement. It follows a similar limits imposed by California in 2008. Really,we do have the power!
(If you’re wondering what it’s like for food animals in Canada, check out this documentary from Global in Winnipeg: “Revealed: No Country for Animals examines Canada’s deplorable record on animal welfare and looks at the people who are fighting to bring about much-needed change.” People often don’t believe me when I say that we lag behind many US states, but we do. Come on guys and gals, we’ve got the power, remember? (Thanks to Penser Avant D’ouvrir La Bouche for passing this along.))
Back close to home again, the environmental sustainability group CRAPAUD (Collectif en Amenagement Paysager et en Agriculture Urbaine Durable) has launched a petition to allow backyard chickens in Montreal. If they’re successful, Montreal will join cities like Vancouver, Los Angeles and New York who already allow residents to keep chickens within city limits. Yay for fresh eggs! You can sign the petition here: www.mapouleamontreal.com.
And it’s not just chickens. Honey bees could soon be arriving in town too! Montreal is expecting to launch a pilot project next year in the Plateau district with the Union Paysanne. Other cities that have urban honey bees include Toronto, Paris, Chicago and Seattle.
Photo credit: Dan Hankins (Creative Commons License)
Posted in Articles, Montreal, News, Quebec, Weekly Link Roundup.
Tagged with farming, food journalism, local food.
By Amanda S.
– August 13, 2010
