Frugal Kitchens 101 - Ten Benets of Eating Foods Grown and Produced Locally

A couple of weeks ago I discussed a few ways to be a locavore even if you don't have your own transportation other than walking or biking.  With a bit of ingenuity it is quite possible to eat foods grown and produced within a 100 mile radius of your home without necessarily traveling that distance.  One of the best reasons for becoming a locavore is getting a higher quality of food with a lower environmental impact that costs less. 

Ten benefits of eating foods grown organically and produced locally:

1. Focusing on locally grown and produced foods brings a greater awareness to what you are consuming.
2. Locally grown and produced foods tend to be less expensive than those foods that are imported.
3. Locally grown produce ripen naturally rather than being forced and is picked at the peak of freshness so it tastes better.
4. Produce grown close to home is fresher (aka taste better) with a higher nutritional content than imported produce that has traveled a considerable distance to reach your table.
5. Supporting local growers encourages sustainable growing practices that minimize the environmental impact of food production.
6. Buying from local growers promotes variety since local growers are more apt to grow heirloom varieties and other varieties not available in the grocery stores.
7. Buying from local growers strengthens the local economy as the money those growers earn in turn goes back into the local economy in the form of community support, taxes, and supporting other local businesses.
8. The risk of exposure to well-traveled pathogens and possibly antibiotic-resistant bacteria is minimized.
9. Buying from local growers is eco-friendly, reducing your total carbon footprint in food acquisition. 
10. Being a locavore promotes a healthy lifestyle.

Frugal Kitchens 101 - Point of Origin

We are very much local food consumers (locavores) choosing to buy local foods grown and produced within a 100 mile radius of our home or when at our vacation home within the same distance.  Surprisingly, this actually saves us a considerable amount of money while making our local economy stronger.  We also buy very little in the way of commercially prepared foods (eg. canned or boxed or frozen foods).  When we buy any commercially prepared food, we look for the origin of that food.  By law in Canada the origin of food must be included on the label for all foods sold in the grocery stores.  When we are shopping at the grocery store we choose Ontario grown and produced foods first, followed by Canadian grown and produced with imported foods the last choice.  Don't get me wrong.  It's not like we don't use imported foods but rather the imported foods we use tend to be specialty foods like sea salts, olive oils, seasonings, anchovies, Pomona's pectin and those types of ingredients as well as fruits and vegetables not grown in Canada.

In Canada, two types of wording can be found on food packaging.  The first and best is 'made in Canada' or 'grown in Canada' or 'product of Canada'.  The label may also indicate 'grown in Canada' by using the Province of origin (eg. grown in Ontario).  This is quite helpful when deciding which produce to buy.  For example, if I have a choice between potatoes grown in Ontario and those grown in Nova Scotia, I will choose the Ontario grown because they have had to travel a much shorter distance to reach the grocery stores in our little corner of Ontario.  That means they are fresher, higher in nutrition and have a lower carbon footprint.  The second is 'packaged in Canada', 'packaged for' or 'imported food' meaning the food originated from outside of Canada but was packaged in Canada.  The 'packaged in Canada' is often found on frozen fish products, rices and dried beans even though there are some of Canadian origin.  The third type of label found on foods sold in Canada is 'made using origin ingredient' (eg. made using Belgian chocolate).  All the other ingredients in the product are usually of Canadian origin except that one ingredient.  It then becomes a matter of choice for the consumer as to whether they want these types of foods grown or produced in Canada or grown elsewhere and simply packaged in Canada.

All food sold in Canada must meet the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) requirements still I am leery of buying foods like canned mushrooms which in most of North America are imported from China.  I can buy locally grown mushrooms and can them myself rather than buy an import and besides, cooking locally grown mushrooms from scratch give a superior product to even home canned mushrooms.  We aren't food snobs but I will admit to not buying any food grown or produced in China as much of it is contaminated with radiation or chemicals like melamine and arsenic.  We don't buy fish or seafood imported from Vietnam because it has been packed with ice made from unsafe water laden with bacteria making it unsafe to consume.  At certain times it has been necessary to avoid buying spinach and lettuce of US or Canadian origin due to E. coli, Salmonella, or Listeria contamination.

If you travel between Canada and the US as we, when entering either country any food must be clearly labeled as to point of origin.  We buy certain groceries in the US on a fairly regular basis and our vacation home is in the US.  Some foods are not allowed into either country based on their point of origin.  It may be due a particular problem with that food (eg. an E. coli outbreak in beef) where the food is restricted from entering for a temporary period of time or it could be due to a long term ban of that particular food any number of reasons.  In particular, fruits and vegetables must be in their original packaging that shows point of origin.  You are not allowed to bring loose fruits or vegetables (eg. washed grapes, prepared vegetable salads) into either country.  Restrictions can change daily so it best to check ahead before bringing any food especially dairy, produce, meat, poultry or fish into either country.  In general, there are no restrictions on commercially canned or boxed food other than the amount and some may be restricted based on point of origin.  We have not had any problem bringing in home canned foods to either country.  Of note, while Kinder Surprise (a chocolate egg with small toy inside) is sold in Canada, it is not allowed to enter the US because the FDA views it as a choking hazard.  Typically, it is this type of treat Grandparents may be bring home from their visit so while point of origin may or may not be of concern, other factors may restrict it from entering either country.  Be warned that if you are entering either country then flying inter-province or interstate there will be airline restrictions as to the size of container you can bring in your carry-on and certain items like white powders (eg. Morton's Tender Quick) and dried herbs will likely undergo drug testing.  From experience, Morton's Tender Quick did get a drug testing on our October 2012 vacation.  There are specialty food shops at some airports but before buying anything to bring back into Canada or the US, be sure to check if there are restrictions based on point of origin or type of food.  If you try to bring a restricted food item into either country, the food will be confiscated (and destroyed), you may be assessed penalties such as fines, seizure of your vehicle and/or being barred from entering the country again.  None of these are frugal so don't take the chance.

Quite often larger recalls of contaminated food products are announced in the media but in our global marketplace, it has now become very important to subscribe to advisories, warnings and food recall notices released by CFIA (Canada) and the FDA (USA).  I recommend following both if you spend anytime in either country.  Country of origin, manufacturer or supplier along with the reason for the recall will be noted in the warning.  Both of these government agencies can be followed on Twitter and Facebook.  Both have mobile apps:  CFIA (Android, iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch, Blackberry); FDA (Android, iPhone, Blackberry).

The bottom line is paying attention to the point of origin for the foods you purchase can save you money and prevent you from being affected by food borne illnesses.  It is a way of you, the frugal consumer, of being able to identify those food products that have the potential to cause illness via contamination.  It is also a way to identify those foods that you may for whatever reason (eg. ethics, food safety) choose not to purchase based on the point of origin.  Finally, it is a way of being able to support those points of origin (eg. local, provincial, state, country) that you choose to support.  Always, look for the point of origin for the food you are purchasing if you want to be an informed, frugal consumer.

Frugal Kitchens 101 - The 100 Mile Challenge

Eating locally is one way to save on food dollars while getting healthier, more nutritious foods and  stimulating the local economy.  The 100 Mile Challenge was a Canadian reality television series that aired on Food Network Canada.  It followed the eating habits of six Canadian families living in Mission, British Columbia for 100 days who agreed to only consume food and drink that was grown, raised and produced within a 100 mile (160 km) radius of their home.  I watched the series for awhile.  Some of the participants found the change difficult yet others embraced the lifestyle change.  Mission, BC is located on the north bank of the Fraser River, and along with the City of Abbotsford is part of the Central Fraser Valley, home to dairy farms, vineyards,  and wonderful agriculture production.  The final result was eating local require more time and planning as well as being more expensive but they had experienced positive health changes like weight loss and increased energy.

We live in beautiful southwestern Ontario, home to some of the finest produce, local grower and producers.  Most of the foods we consume are grown, raised or produced within a 100 mile (160 km) radius of our home.  This has been the norm for us well before The 100 Mile Challenge aired on April 5 of 2009.  In fact, eating locally has been the norm since early childhood days.  Even when traveling, we tend to choose local foods from that area.  In addition to Ontario grown, raised or produced foods we use Ontario produce hydro and natural gas to cook that food.  I'm still using mason jars to put up our preserved foods that were produced at glass factories in Ontario within 100 miles of our home.  There are also a few food processing plants within 100 miles of our house so we can easily buy locally produced, commercially canned foods using local produce if we desire. 

We can buy the following all grown, raised or produced within a 100 mile (160 km) radius of our home:

• dairy - This includes Ontario milk, cheeses made with Ontario milk, eggs, butter, sour cream, yogurt; there are several cheese factories that will deliver to your door using overnight delivery
• produce - a wide range of fruits and vegetables including a few Ontario seed catalogues and local nurseries to get the seeds to grow your own; the are a multitude of orchards, roadside stands and farmer's markets all featuring produce grown within 100 mile; fresh locally grown within a 100 mile radius produce is available year round, even cranberries are grown within 100 miles of our home
• commercially produced foods using Ontario produce - the list is extensive including a wide range of tomato products, a wide range of cucumber products, a wide range of canned vegetable products, commercially canned soups using produce grown within 100 miles of our home
• Ontario grains - soybean, hard and soft wheat, corn are all grown locally
• wild rice - grown within just a few miles of our home
• mushroom farms - there are three mushroom farms within a 40 mile radius of our home
• herbs - a wide range of fresh, locally grown herbs including a few Ontario seed catalogues to get the seeds to grow your own
• meats - beef, lamb, mutton, rabbit, moose, elk, venison, pork
• poultry - chicken, turkey, goose, duck, emu, wild waterfowl, duck eggs
• fish - local fresh fish (bass, pickerel, perch) is readily available in local waters and the shores of the Great Lakes bordering Ontario have a multitude of fisheries specializing in local fish
• salt - The largest Canadian salt mine is in Amherstberg, Ontario within 100 mile radius of our home.
• sugar and sweeteners - Sugar beets are grown and processed into sugar within a 100 mile radius of our home.  Local honey and maple syrup are produced within a couple of miles of our home.
• miscellaneous - locally grown ethnic foods (Chinese, South Asian, Middle Eastern, and African foods are available locally just within the 100 mile radius of our home
• alcoholic beverages - wines from Ontario vineyards in the Niagara region and along the shores of Lake Erie, beer (Sleemans in Guelph, Ontario) and other Ontario micro-breweries, whiskey (Hiram-Walker in Windsor, Ontario)

What isn't grown locally is imported.  This includes: black pepper, tea, coffee, citrus fruit, tropic fruit and spices.  Although Canada does not grow coffee, several firms import the raw materials for processing.  This is not within the ideals of The 100 Mile Challenge which really seeks to avoid imported foods.  Tea and coffee can easily be replaced with locally grown herbal teas.  Imported spices can be eliminated or greatly reduced. We don't follow a strict eating within a 100 Mile radius of our home because we do enjoy the aforementioned food items.  However, those foods make up less than 5% of our foods consumed so we aren't doing too bad!

Canning Peaches

I am in high gear doing a lot of home canning.  The produce is coming in fast, back to back right now.  I just finished up doing cucumbers just in time to start peaches.  I'm a bit disappointed this year in that we have two peach trees and a pear tree at our new home but due to a very abnormal heat wave back in March followed by heavy frosts, we won't see much in the way of fruit.  Local peaches are very small because of the adverse weather.

The kids went to the Niagara area so picked me up a bushel of peaches.  These were gorgeous looking peaches but a bit pricey ($45 per bushel) and they weren't cling free.  A cling free variety like Red Haven is a lot easier for pitting and less time consuming when home canning a lot of peaches.  However, beggars can't be choosers so I was happy to get these lovely peaches to work with.  The price simply meant making a few products that would ensure I recouped the cost and then some.  That's always the way it goes when buying produce.  In all honesty, there are some foods that you will just break even if home canning but others end up being almost free.  So, in the big picture over a year's worth of home canning there is no doubt that the savings are substantial.  Rest assured you are getting a better product than store bought, free of preservatives and artificial flavours and/or colourants.

Quite often when I am switching produce for home canning I start with something simple.  That is because I tend to work from the easiest to most complex when home canning.  I started the peaches by canning 7 - 500 ml jars of sliced peaches in a light syrup.  Don't they look gorgeous?  Now, when canning plain peaches there is a very low margin of cost savings over store bought but again you end up with a superior product.  Watch for all the nice home canned peach products I made coming up this week.  It's a peachy time...

Oak Grove Cheese Factory Limited, New Hamburg, Ontario

Southwestern Ontario is sprinkled heavily with various food venues well worth the visit.  These include roadside stands, orchards, mushroom farms, farmer's markets, vineyards, fisheries and cheese factories.  At one time the large commercial food manufacturing  plants like Dare, McCormick's and Libby's had little factory outlets on site where both their employees and the general public could get fabulous deals on foods produced at the plant.  While some of the factory outlets are no more, other factories like the cheese factories and some chicken processing plants (eg. Maple Lodge Farms) still have small on site shops open to the general public.  During a recent visit to the kids in the GTA, we made a side trip to Oak Grove Cheese Factory Limited.

Oak Grove Cheese Factory Limited is located at 29 Bleams Road East in New Hamburg, Ontario.  This is a family owned and operated business.  It was established in 1879 by the Langenegger family.  There are currently fourth and fifth generation family members working within the business that continues to manufacture cheese the same was as it was when the business was first established.  The building itself is quite large but that is because the cheese is being manufactured on site using Ontario milk.  Unlike some cheese factories, there is no viewing window in the retain store to see the cheese being made but you can take a virtual photo tour of their cheese making process on their website.

The on site retail stores of most food manufacturing factories have two things in common.  They are small, bordering on tiny and they are not fancy.  In most cases they have enough room behind the counter for one or two wait staff and room for about four customers on the other side of the counter.  Signage is generally simple, often hand written.  The staff is generally very friendly and knowledgeable about their product.

The retail outlet at Oak Grove Cheese Factory Limited is small and well organized.  A neatly organized, easy to read price list hangs on the wall facing you as you enter the store.  The price is per pound (lb) not kilograms.  The counter is simply a raised closed front counter without a display where the cheese is cut, weighed and wrapped.  The staff will cut and wrap you cheese as desired, either chunk or sliced.  Our grandkids love going to this cheese factory because they always get a free sample of cheese.  

The cheese is arranged in neatly lined rows of block cheese.  Cheeses available are:  Borgonzola, brick, brie, caraway, cheddar (medium, extra old), Swiss, Colby, cook cheese (available fall to spring), havarti (plain, dill), hot pepper, Limburger, marble, Monterrey jack, mozzarella, new bra, onion & garlic, Parmesan, Romano, cheese curd, smoked old cheddar and black pepper.  They also offer cheese trays, cheese balls and gift baskets.

We had a lot of fun making our cheese choices.  Our grandkids were beyond excited.  This is one of their favourite places to visit!  I definitely share their excitement.  All that cheese just gets the creative culinary juices flowing.  Of course I overspent a bit but this is high quality cheese well worth that little extra cost!