Finding a Roaming Buffalo

I was in Buffalo with a friend last Thursday, and he mentioned that we'd be stopping by a local food truck.  That sounded great to my ears.  So shortly after The Roaming Buffalo food truck opened for business we made our way to the window.

My friend was all about trying the WTF Burger he'd heard so much about. The WTF boasts a burger dressed with peanut butter and bacon jam.  Yes, you read that right: peanut butter and bacon jam.  While I remained skeptical, he raved, giving it a 10/10.  You can read his WTF Ode here.

While there wasn't as much choice for this mushroom-hating vegetarian, I wasn't at all sad to settle on the BBQ fries with a Lake Effect ice cream chaser.  The fries were great, the ice cream too.  I was excited to find Lake Effect represented on the truck.  It's made in Lockport, and they are always adding new flavours.  I had the Salted Caramel.  Delicious, as evidenced by the empty container below.

I love that The Roaming Buffalo features local flavours and products.  I am a huge fan of food trucks creating interesting menus from fresh and local produce.  But I have to admit that there is something to be said for finding all the hometown comfort foods available in one spot.  It makes it even better that the view changes with every visit.

The Roaming Buffalo website here.
Lake Effect Ice Cream website here.

Edible City - The Documentary

Beautiful, encouraging, challenging documentary about urban agriculture and food justice. I'm giving a standing round of applause for every one of you in this world who are investing their life in growing good food in unlikely places. Thank you.

'Niagara in Jars' Swap

In case you missed out on the Niagara in Jars canning swap on Sunday afternoon, and wondered what you might have missed...  you missed a really great time.

As I've been meeting people involved in local food here in Niagara, often growing and preserving their own food, I have found them to be overwhelmingly kind, generous and friendly.  The folks I met at the swap certainly proved this out again.

Planned and hosted by Tiffany Mayer (my go-to expert on all things local-food), and held at Rise Above Bakery, it was the kind of sunny event that adds a shine to a dull February day.  The restaurant tables were pushed together in on long row to accommodate the beautifully coloured jars.  The range of preserves was impressive, including fruit, jams, pickles, sauces, relishes... just about anything you can imagine.  There were a few really fabulous extras on the table too, like bread and hand-knit dish cloths.

I swapped my own offerings (more on that later) for a jar each of crushed tomatoes with basil (which I'm really, really enjoying right now!), apple sauce, granola, and fiery hot sauce.

Rumor has it that there might be plans in the works to hold future swaps.  Follow Tiffany's blog Eating Niagara to keep up on the news.

Wanted to give a big thanks to Tiffany for her hard work, Rise Above Bakery for the great space, @BorrowedEarthMG & @AlienAlien117 for the great conversation, and for the folks who worked hard to preserve the tasty food I get to enjoy!

The Eat Local Niagara Christmas Gift Guide

I've been so looking forward to Tree and Twig's Christmas Open House tomorrow, that it got me thinking about all the ways there are to give meaningful gifts that also support local food producers.

I'm not a fan of the commercialization of Christmas.  But I am a fan of showing those we love that we care.  If you have food lovers on your gift list, I can't imagine a better way to give them something they'll love and support local.  Consider this a starting point.  Feel free to make suggestions in the comments.

1) Hyper local:  shop at home.  Do you make your own preserves, can veg, or save you seeds?  Consider sharing your bounty.  You know how hard you worked to prepare these items, so make sure you give them to someone who will appreciate it.  If you need ideas for dressing up your jars, check out Well Preserved's past posts for Pimp that Preserve.

2) Support the folks you count on all year round.  If you have a particular farmer that you support, ask them what they've still got for sale.  Check our their seasonal open houses (like Tree and Twig's tomorrow) If they offer a CSA, consider buying a share as a gift to your family.  Don't forget to shop at your farmer's market.  You'll find maple syrup, preserves, nuts, seeds and flour, depending on your market.

3) Make up a gift basket of great food from local producers.  Consider foods that don't have to be consumed right away.  No need to add 'food gift management' to the number of things to think about over the holidays.  There are dozens of themes you can choose from to put together something entirely custom.  Consider:

Cheese, from Upper Canada Cheese in Jordon Station.
Cherry juice or dried cherries from Cherry Lane.
Juice from the Niagara Juice Company.
Fruit vinegars from Aceto Niagara.
Maple products from White Meadow Farms in Pelham.
Nuts from Picard's Peanuts in Niagara-on-the-Lake or Fonthill.
Pear Cider from Puddicome Cider Company in Winona.

As well, stores like Chez Fromage in Fonthill carry a variety of local products, so you can see a lot of variety in one spot.

4) Frequent a restaurant that serves food from local producers?  Consider gift certificates.

5) Many folks think to give cookbooks, but you might want to consider giving subscriptions to Edible Toronto magazine or Edible Buffalo magazine.  Or for someone who preserves food, Well Preserved's super cool The Periodic Table of Waterbath Preserving poster.  If there are any left.

 There are so many great options for memorable gift giving.  Also great options for your own holiday dining.  Who's going to argue if you pick up a few things for yourself?!

By the way... none of the producers paid me to make these recommendations.  I love to live somewhere there is so much choice, and this is one way I have to thank them for that.

Sexsmith Farm CSA - Week 17

Second last week for this year's CSA.  I'm sure that everyone who's been working hard at the Sexsmith Farm are looking forward to having a break, but I must confess...  I'll be very sad to see this season over.  Being away for so much of the harvest season this year made it feel extra short! Boo!  But I remain ever grateful for every person who is involved in the process that allows me to eat such wonderfully fresh food.

There are a few items from today's basket pictured above.  Here's the whole list:

green beans
purple + green bell pepper
radishes
kale
cucumber
tomatoes
potatoes
beets
yellow + red onion
apples
pears
squash

A Pear-fect Evening

Can't imagine a better way to spend a Monday night!  Do you know about Garden of Eating - Niagara?

A team of volunteers harvest fruit from urban yards when the home owners don't want the fruit.  Instead of edible fruit falling to the ground and rotting, it is picked and taken to food banks!

I've loved the work that GoEN has been doing, but it's taken until tonight for me to be able to join in on a harvest.  For my inaugural outing... pears in St. Catharines.

Tiffany estimates we managed to get 150 lbs. of fruit from the branches our ladders would reach.  Feels amazing to know that 150 lbs of food will go into the hands (and stomachs) of those who need it.

If you're interested in volunteering, or have fruit trees in your yard that you no longer harvest, click here.

Sexsmith Farm CSA - Week 16

I'm back in the country, and was so excited to see what I'd find in my CSA box this week.  Part of the reason was that my fridge was entirely empty, cleaned out before I went to Iraq.  And part of the reason was the time I spent in the veg section at the Sulaymaniyah bazaar.  While I loved seeing the fruit and veg that showed up at market there (particularly the pomegranates, which were in season), I was reminded about the rich farm land I'd left behind.

This corn + black bean salad was made almost entirely with the produce from my basket.  The only extra things I added were the black beans and seasonings.  The corn, tomatoes, parsley, red pepper, hot pepper, red onion, garlic (from earlier in the season) all came my weekly basket!  How amazing is that?!

After I cut the corn off the cob, I cooked the cobs in the corn water a second time, strained the stock (there was some silk that came off in the cooking process) and have tucked it in the fridge for later in the week.  It's an easy, cheap and flavourful way to start a pot of soup or lentils.

Here's the full list of what I found in my basket this week:

corn
tomatoes
beans
potatoes
red + yellow onions
squash
hot + red peppers
parsley
apples
pears
plums