Local Organic Producers [General]

2008 May 31
It's that time of year -- fresh local food.

I live it, taste it, make my living working with it.

Interested in sharing the inside scoop on what's out there, and hearing from you all about your favourite farmers, which markets you haunt, and if there's something you'd like to find, but haven't. Consider me your "insider".

Likewise, if you've received a bad apple or two, do spill. The joy and sorrow of growing and marketing your own food/prepared products, is that the customer is never far away, and power of word-of-mouth keeps us all honest.

This week's delights have been fresh orange-coloured yolks from Debbie Decooman's organically-fed, freerange chicken eggs, poached and served over her steamed asparagus and sauteed spring garlic (bulb, shoots and all), with a dash of Berhanu's Awazi Ethiopian hot sauce. Oh, and a couple of lightly boiled milkweed shoots from my front yard thrown in.

debbie@connaughtacres.ca for CSA shares (pay now, then pick up food basket from central Ottawa location once a week the entire season), and her schedule at the Ottawa Organic Farmers Market on Saturdays (Bank & Heron behind Cdn. Tire).

Berhanu is at the Ottawa Organic Farmers Market on Saturdays (Bank & Heron behind Cdn. Tire) and Ottawa Farmers Market on Sundays only (Lansdowne Park, Bank St.).

Do share.

Pictured alongside here are a portion of the Four Sisters (Lansdowne Pk., Sundays and Thursdays) and Sebastian, a young organic farmer from the White Lake area. When I get his coordinates, I'll let you know. Last season he had an impressive array of produce, including organically grown apples.

chow time......

2008 Jun 1
I signed up again this year with the Saffire Farms CSA www.saffirefarms.ca - was very happy with them last year for organic veggies. But they are full at the moment and not taking any more members.

I'm embarassed to say that I haven't really been to Parkdale yet this year to see how they are doing for local stuff. But it's my "favorite haunt" because I live right next to it :-) I'm looking forward to when the new rules come in next year and they'll have to be local when it's in season.