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Get your copy of Norfolk’s Official Map & Local Food Guide

Cherry tomatoes that are so sweet, you can just pop them in your mouth as a snack.

Texas Long-horn cattle from YURanch.

Ad featured in September edition of LCBO Food & Drink publication. 

Visit www.norfolkfarms.com to enter to win a fall package to Norfolk County.

Enjoy local Norfolk County foods at The Blue Elephant with owner Heather Pond-Manorome.

Virtual Food Festival

September 2010

Norfolk County is proud to be Canada’s most diverse agricultural areas and one of Ontario’s largest growing regions of many of your favorite foods.  Norfolk County has such an abundance of locally-grown and produced foods - you’ll be amazed at the selection.

How can you find the farms? 

Call or email us for a copy of the Norfolk County Map & Local Food Guide.

  www.norfolkfarms.com

WHAT’S IN SEASON:

September: apples, pears, plums, peaches, grapes, cantaloupe, bok choy, tomatoes (field), sweet corn, cucumber (field), snow peas, green/yellow beans, cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, brussel sprouts, carrots, parsnips, turnips, beets, radishes, onions, green onions, celery, lettuce, spinach, peppers (field), squash/pumpkin, potatoes, leeks, zucchini, eggplant, swiss chard, basil, garlic, mushrooms

October: apples, pears, plums, bok choy, sweet corn, tomatoes (field), cucumber (field), green beans, cabbage,  cauliflower, broccoli, brussel sprouts, carrots, parsnips, turnips, beets, radishes, onions, green onions, celery, lettuce, spinach, peppers (field), squash/pumpkin, potatoes, leeks, sweet potatoes, zucchini, eggplant, mushrooms

ALWAYS IN SEASON:

beef, pork, poultry, Lake Erie fish, home baking, preserves, honey, herbs, mushrooms, maple syrup, cheese, peanuts, popping corn, apple cider, wine

Norfolk County foods - from A to Z.

Article - as it appeared in The Silo

As the promotions coordinator of Norfolk County tourism and local foods, I often get asked by city folks about our farmer’s markets.  This year, with the warmer weather and early summer, our crops seemed to just pop out of the ground and it “hit me” – our whole county is one big farmer’s market. 

What can be better than stopping by a road-side stand to buy a dozen cobs of freshly –picked corn to eat only an hour later?  Or to take your kids to the local cherry farm, climb a ladder and pick your own cherries right off the tree? 

Norfolk County is Canada’s most diverse agriculture area and is home to Canada’s and Ontario’s largest growers of some of your favorite foods.   Sweet potatoes, popping corn, peanuts, asparagus, apples, pumpkins and strawberries are only a selection.  But our local foods also include Lake Erie perch, cheese, honey, Texas Longhorn cattle, a variety of meat products, maple syrup – even wine.  People talk a lot about the “100-mile Diet” in other regions and large cities but can they truly get the variety and year-round selection that is found right here?

 Norfolk County promotes its local foods with a campaign “Direct From Norfolk – Know Where your Food Comes From” and it is important for all of us to look for these labels and support the local growers and producers.   You can find over 50 farm gates, pick-your-own, markets, retail stores and restaurants , all growing and supporting the “local movement” , in the official map and local food guide published each year by the tourism and economic development department.  

Local foods can be a lot of fun and a great learning experience.  With the popularity of television food channels and celebrity chefs, cooking and local foods have become “cool”.   New terms like “agri-tourism” and “culinary tourism” have emerged as reasons to travel.   If you think about a trip to Italy, what would be your one thing to try?  Pizza? Wine?    Travellers seek out these unique agri-tourism experiences and local food establishments.  If they can “walk the crop” at a nearby strawberry field and learn about the many varieties and differences of strawberries, then purchase their own basket to snack on – they’ve had a great Norfolk County food experience.  If they can horseback ride through a shitake mushroom  farm, then enjoy a western-style barbecue on a picnic table in the woods, served with their own hand-picked mushrooms – they’ve had a great Norfolk County food experience.  The popular coined phrase “field to fork” becomes reality.

It’s an exciting time with local foods as we think more about health benefits, great-taste and helping the environment.  Norfolk County continues to attract new types of crops, such as the Goji Berry and ginseng and to appeal to more businesses joining the “culinary” trend.  You can visit www.norfolkfarms.com to find local foods, recipes and stay current with events and food festivals.  Whether you’re a resident of Norfolk County or just visiting, enjoy our county-wide farmer’s market.  Great flavours, great fun and experiences you’ll never forget.  

 Cindy Vanderstar

Promotions Coordinator - Norfolk County Tourism

It’s Still Barbecuing Season!

It’s been a hot summer - as the season winds down and the weather gets a bit more comfortable, it’s the perfect time for barbecuing.  Give this one a try…

Pork Tenderloin with Grilled Cantaloupe

Courtesy of The Canadian Living Test Kitchen

http://www.canadianliving.com

 1 pork tenderloin

1/4 tsp. pepper

1/4 tsp. salt

2tbsp. hot pepper jelly

2 tsp. orange juice

1/2 tsp. dijon mustard

1/2 cantaloupe

Trim any fat and membranes from pork tenderloin; tuck thin end under and secure with wooden skewer.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper. 

Place pork on greased grill over medium heat; close lid and grill for 15 minutes, turning to brown all over.

Meanwhile, is a small bowl, stir together hot pepper jelly, orange juice and mustard; brush over pork.  Grill, covered, until glazed and just a hint of pink remains inside, about 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, seed cantaloupe; cut into 1/2″ thick half moons.  Add to grill and grill, turning once, until well marked, about 5 minutes.  This makes 4 serving.

 Back-to-School

Tasty lunch and snack ideas to send your kids back-to-school while eating healthy AND local…

1. Jensen cheese and crackers
2. apples, peaches, pears
3. cherry tomatoes, beans, carrots with caesar dip
4. peanut hummus with crackers
5. sweet potato chips
6. add Stonkus honey to a Kernal peanut butter sandwich
7. a mini deli platter using local meats, keilbassa and cheese
8. a thermos full of homemade soup using local vegetables
9. dill pickles you have canned yourself
10. make your own salsa (see recipe below)- send with tortilla chips

Join us for a local food event…

Watch for more details about the upcoming

FlavourFest event at the

Norfolk County Fair & Horse Show.- October 5-11.  Visit many of our local farmers under one roof and watch cooking demonstrations featuring The Food Network celebrity chefs and our very own Norfolk County chefs.  You can get your copy of the latest edition of the FlavourFest Recipe Book with a minimum purchase* of local foods.

*call for details

From Our Field to Your Fork

Chunky Tomato Salsa

-courtesy of www.norfolkfarms.com

4 Ontario tomatoes

1/2 Ontario cucumbers, chopped

2 Ontario green onions, chopped

1 Ontario green or red pepper, chopped

1 clove garlic, crushed

2 tbsp. vegetable oil

1 tbsp. red wine vinegar

1 tbsp. lemon juice

1 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. pepper

2 drops hot pepper sauce

1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

In medium bowl, combine tomatoes, cucumbers, onions, peppers and garlic.  Whisk together oil, vinegar, lemon juice, salt, pepper and hot pepper sauce.  Pour over vegetable mixture and combine gently.  At serving time, add parsley.  Can be stored in refrigerator for up to 4 days.

Longhorn Pepper Stew

-courtesy of YURanch

2 lbs. Longhorn stew or Longhorn sirloin steak cut into bite-sized pieces

1 tbsp. salt

1 tbsp. Vegeta

1 tbsp. Hungarian hot paprika

1 medium onion chopped

1 tbsp. Pristine Gourmet canola oil

2 tomatoes, skin removed then diced

2-3 red and green peppers, quartered

450ml beef broth

Cook onions in oil until clear.  Add meat and brown.  Add seasonings, stir in tomatoes.  Bring to a boil.  Add beed broth, bring to a boil again, then simer for 4-5 hours stirring frequently, adding more broth if necessary.  Add peppers then simmer another 30 minutes.  Serve over mashed potatoes.

For more information on Norfolk Farms, recipes and restaurants serving local foods, visit www.norfolkfarms.com.  For information on visiting Norfolk County - www.norfolktourism.ca

Get your copy of Norfolk’s Official Map & Local Food Guide

Norfolk County farmers are the largest growers of strawberries in Ontario.

Spectacular Strawberry Festival at

The Cider Keg, Vittoria

Saturday, July 3rd

10am-4pm

Virtual Food Festival

June/July 2010

Norfolk County is proud to be one of Ontario’s largest growing regions of many of your favorite foods. 

The area has such an abundance of locally-grown and produced foods that you’ll be amazed at the diversity and selection.

How can you find the farms? 

Call or email us for a copy of the Norfolk County Map & Local Food Guide.

 www.norfolkfarms.com

WHAT’S IN SEASON:

June: strawberries, peas, field cucumbers, green onions,  radishes, green and yellow zucchini

July: raspberries, strawberries, sweet cherries, blueberries, beans, beets, tomatoes

August: sweet corn, peaches, cantaloupe, apples, potatoes, tomatoes, English cucumbers

ALWAYS IN SEASON:

beef, pork, poultry, Lake Erie fish, home baking, preserves, honey, herbs, mushrooms, maple syrup, cheese, peanuts, popping corn, apple cider, wine

Norfolk County foods - from A to Z.

Varieties of Strawberries

Did you know that there a many different varieties of strawberries - each with different flavours, color and time-of-year? Some examples are Veestar, Wendy, Sparkle, Jewel, Honeoye, Governor Simcoe and Cavendish.  

• The Governor Simcoe variety was developed locally in Norfolk County and is among one of the favorites due to its sweetness
• Honeoye and Jewel are what usually appear in grocery stores because of their firmness, glossy texture and longer shelf-life
• Meadow Lynn Farms in Simcoe grows at least 10 varieties of strawberries each year

 *information provided by Meadow Lynn Farms in Simcoe

Strawberries are available at...

Kent Kreek Berries, Simcoe

Meadow Lynn Farms, Simcoe

Dumanski Market Garden, Simcoe

Naturally Norfolk, Delhi

Wholesome Pickins, Delhi

Magalas Produce Ltd, Waterford

The Market Garden, Courtland

Heritage Lane Produce, Langton

Austin’s Pick Your Own Strawberries, Waterford

Simcoe Farmers’ Market (Thursdays), Simcoe

Port Dover Lion’s Silver Lake Market (Saturdays), Port Dover

visit www.norfolkfarms.com for contact information

Join us for a local food event…

Spectacular Strawberry Festival

The Cider Keg, Vittoria

Saturday, July 3rd  10am-4pm

Kudos to Norfolk County foods...

The Cider Keg’s Apple Strawberry-Rhubarb Sparkling Cider

is being featured at the G20 Summit

From Our Field to Your Fork - Recipes

SPICED PORK TENDERLOIN WITH GINGER STRAWBERRY SAUCE*

The hint of mid-Eastern flavours complement both the succulent pork and the sweet strawberries.

1 tbsp. vegetable oil

1 1/2 tsp. each of ground cumin & coriander

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

pinch cayenne pepper

1 1/2 lbs. Ontario pork tenderloin

Sauce:

3/4 cup Cider Keg apple jelly

2 tbsp. lemon juice

1 1/2 tsp. grated fresh gingeroot or 1/2 tsp ground ginger

2 cup sliced hulled Norfolk County strawberries

In a small bowl, mix together oil, cumin, coriander, cinnamon and cayenne - brush all over pork tenderloin.  Let stand for 20 minutes. Then place on grill over medium heat; close lid and cook for 18-255 minutes or until just a hint of pink remains, turning halfway through.  Remove to cutting board; let stand tented with foil for 10-15 minutes before diagonally slicing into 1/2″ slices. 

Meanwhile in medium saucepan, heat jelly, lemon juice and giner; stirring to melt jelly.  Turn off heat; stir in strawberries.  Spoon some sauce onto plates; arrange meat slices over top.  Drizzle remaining sauce over meat.

*recipe from Foodland Ontario

CHEESE FONDUE - CANADIAN STYLE*

A great local dish to serve to company at the cottage.

2 cups Florence Estate vidal wine

1 clove garlic, minced

5 1/2 cups Jensen Oka cheese, shredded

3 cups Jensen Extra Old Chedder, shredded

2 tbsp. cornstarch

1 1/2 tsp. dijon mustard

1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce

1/4 tsp. black pepper, ground

1/8 tsp. nutmeg, ground

1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper

1 tbsp. Canadian whiskey

2 loaves of crusty bread

1 apple, cored & sliced

1 pear, cored & sliced

Pour most of the wine into a saucepan or fondue post, reserving 2 tbsp. of the wine.  Add garlic and bring to a simmer over medium heat.  Add both cheeses and stir until melted using a wooden spoon.  In a bowl, dissolve the cornstarch into the reserved 2 tbsp. white wine.  Stir in the mustard, Worchestershire sauce, pepper, nutmeg and cayenne pepper.  Add to the saucepan and bring to a simmer while stirring.  Simmer for 1 minute then stir in the whiskey.  Place the mixture over the fondue burner and set it to medium-low heat.  Adjust the accordingly in order to maintain a constant simmer.  Serve with bread, apples and pears.

*recipe from Jensen Cheese

For more information on Norfolk Farms, recipes and restaurants serving local foods, visit www.norfolkfarms.com.  For information on visiting Norfolk County - www.norfolktourism.ca