ottawa foodies

This is a small organic farmers market in Ottawa South. The are now located on the grounds of the Community Care building behind the Canadian Tire building at Bank and Heron and they move inside during inclement weather. Vendors to visit are Padgeberry Farms, Ferme La Rosee, and Terre a Terre. Padgeberry Farms sells excellent dairy products. They don't sell their own milk, yogurt, or cheese but the brands they do carry get a thumbs up. They sell Harmony milk and I am so hooked on it I haven't tried any other brands yet... And they also carry L'Ancetre cheese - their old cheddar is to die for. They also sell chicken and beef that they raise themselves. I just started trying their meats this year and have so far tried a t-bone steak and beef stew that I used for a beef bourguignon. Their beef is very tender and juicy and I would definitely recommend it. Ferme La Rosee and Terre a Terre sell organic vegetables and they are very flavourful. La Ferme Rosee is my personal favourite but be prepared to wait in line since this vendor is very popular. Robert, the owner, has the sweetest tomatoes I have ever tasted but I have to wait a few more weeks yet since they won't be ready until the second or third week of July.

Last Saturday I went to the Organic Farmers Market to pick up a steak for our meetup. I also picked up some vegetables for salads and so forth to eat during the week. On this trip I noticed La Ferme Rosée had locally grown globe artichokes. Robert, the owner, assured me they were in fact from his farm and he grew them in the field (as opposed to a greenhouse). I had always thought of artichokes as native to southern climates however I thought I'd pick one up and give it a try. I had it for dinner on Saturday night and it had a very fresh delicate flavour to it - much tastier than any imported artichoke I have ever had. If Robert continues to grow them he has my business.