Sourdough Crackers

Sourdough discard is inevitable with maintaining a sourdough starter.  It is never ending but can be controlled or reduced if necessary.  There are a lot of great ways to use up sourdough dough discard.  Basically work it into any recipe using water and flour.  I don't even measure when using in certain recipes but others are a bit more precise.

Sourdough crackers are a perfect way to use up sourdough discard.  This recipe only takes three ingredients, has no rise time and the dough will keep for up to 4 days in the refrigerator.  So you can always have a ball of dough ready for another batch.  It is also very, very versatile in that you can use any seasoning desired on top or simply sprinkle on a little sea salt.  We prefer these sourdough crackers topped with Za'tar seasoning and just a wee sprinkle of sea salt.

The secret to a good soughdough cracker is to roll the dough out to the thickness of a sesame seed.  One half of the dough will be enough to cover a 13" x 18" cookie sheet.  It's best to roll out the dough on a Silpat or parchment paper.  Once rolled, the dough is cut into the desired size.  I like using a pizza cutter for this purpose.  I also use a straight edge but that isn't necessary.  

These crackers are beyond delicious!  Don't let the thinness fool you as they are very filling.  They are a perfect snack tray item that pair nicely with a multitude of other offerings.  I made a quick snack tray using peameal bacon , freezer pickles and smoked chipotle cheese from Stonetown Artisan Cheese.  Delicious!

Peaches, Pears & Mushrooms - Oh My!

No, I haven't forgotten that I was telling you all about our great road trip/camping adventure.  As life goes, the busy canning season is upon me and for whatever reason it is proving difficult to juggle the many demands on my time.  At any rate, I shall finish the story of our road trip/camping adventure shortly but here are just a few things that has side tracked me :)

I had to drop of my husband at a golf course near one of the mushroom farms so stopped in.  I reasoned that we were having an end of summer party featuring steak, lobster, scallops and shrimp so stuffed mushrooms would be a nice appetizer.  I made my standard purchase of 20 lb of mushrooms, 2 boxes each of firsts and seconds (left).  A little further down the road I stopped for large peaches (right, black bin) despite the fact we had just finished picking over 3 hampers of pears and two good sized boxes of small peaches from our trees (right).  Only some of the fruit from our trees are pictured as I gave some to our neighbour and an couple of friends.

When we moved into this house in 2011, I was ecstatic to discover 3 peach trees, a pear tree, a gooseberry bush and several herbs.  Imagine my dismay when two of the peach trees had to be removed as they were damaged enough that last year's frost that resulted in almost no fruit also was the last straw for those trees.  So we are left with a peach tree and a pear tree for fruit trees.  This year, the peach tree looked to be doing quite good then all of a sudden, the branches drooped heavily to the ground.  The tree is over laden with small fruit and we don't know if it can be saved with a good pruning or not.  The pear tree definitely needs pruning but the fruit is large and abundant!  Both the peaches and pears are deliciously juicy.   I don't use any pesticides or synthetic fertilizers on foods I grow so this is just one example of how I save on the cost of organic foods.  Of note, one of our kids lives in the GTA with a postage stamp size front lawn about 7' x 7' if that.  They planted a small peach tree instead of the normal ornamental tree and it produced nicely this year too.  They also grow a few potted edible plants on their small balcony.  This is proof positive that it doesn't take much space or effort to grow a few fruits, vegetables or herbs to supplement your grocery purchases.

At any rate, I've been busy quite busy in the kitchen...

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!

Frugal Kitchens 101 - The $10 Challenge

One sure fire way to save on your food dollar is to eat local, in season produce.  The Ontario Table has a $10 Challenge: a year of eating local, an incentive by Lynn Ogryzlo, author of The Ontario Table Cookbook.  I highly recommend this wonderful cookbook!  The $10 Challenge ezine is available on her website and you can download the $10 Challenge magazine in pdf format for reading off line.   Her premise is that if every household in Ontario spent $10 a week on local food, we would have an additional $2.4 billion in our local economy at the end of the year.  Keeping our money circulating in Ontario raised those dollars to $3.6 billion and creates 10,000 new jobs.  Now this is a win/win for everyone in Ontario.

This challenge helps the average household save money by buying local.  Why buy imported apples when Ontario apples are available?  They are higher in nutrition and fresher because they have not had to travel the long distances of imported.  Buying local supports our local growers and producers, helping them stay in business and providing a good life for their families.  This in turn results in a stronger community.  Buying local means you get to meet the local growers and producers providing a stronger appreciation from where your food comes from.  It makes us less dependent on imported foods as well.

We have taken the $10 Challenge, have you?

Vacation Home Tomatoes

We are extremely blessed and very much spoiled living in an area of Ontario where tomatoes rein supreme!  We are very much accustomed to enjoying some of the very best tomatoes you can ever taste.  They are rich, full of flavour and have a depth of colour not readily available in other parts of the country.  We came down to our vacation home right in the midst of the heavy tomato season last year.  Silly me, I thought tomatoes there would be pretty much the same.  My gosh was I wrong!

Pictured are two tomatoes I bought while there.  Both were very good size with the largest one being almost 5 inches at its widest.  The first thing I noticed is compared to my home grown or locally grown tomatoes, these tomatoes were downright anemic looking!  I had been canning tomatoes and my garden was overflowing with beautiful tomatoes when we left on vacation.  I took one look at these tomato-wanta-bes and immediately wanted to go home!

Notice the tags on the tomatoes?  I hate those stupid little stick on tags on every piece of produce bought in a grocery store!  What I found very interesting though was on the larger tomato if you look close you can see the words uglyripe and heirloom.  Why anyone would call a tomato ugly ripe is beyond me but that is indeed its name.  The ugly ripe tomato developed by Joe Procacci is named for the deep wrinkles in its shoulder and misshapen shape.  The ugly ripe does have a lovely tomato flavour despite its appearance.  It is an heirloom tomato which means you can collect the seeds from this tomato to grow in your garden the following year.  What is interesting is Florida Agriculture will not let this tomato be sold outside of Florida because it is too ugly!  Being a home gardener, I diligently fermented then collected seeds from the ugly ripe tomato and brought them home.  I won't know how well this tomato will perform until next growing season but here's hoping it does perform nicely for me. 

President's Choice - Grown Close to Home - Ontario

Ontario is home to many farms like the one in the video owned by Phil Tregunno of Tregunno Farms from Niagara-on-the-Lake in Ontario. Phil is one of five growers featured in a national broadcast campaign with Galen G. Weston Jr. executive chairman and spokesperon for Loblaw Companies. Galen great grandson of George Weston, founder of George Weston Bakeries Limited. Loblaw Companies is the parent company to the following grocery store chains in Canada: no frills, Real Canadian SuperStore, Zehrs, President's Choice, President's Choice Financial, maxi & cie, maxi, independent, Fortino's, and Dominion®.

Loblaw Companies has started a campaign for grown close to home aka buying locally. Buying locally is less expensive and eco-friendly. It reduces the transportation costs by reducing the distance food has to travel from the farmer to the consumer. The produce is fresher, picked when ripe rather than underripe that happens when produce must travel a longer distance. Local produce is more nutritious. From the moment produce is picked it begins losing nutrition. The shorter travel distance ensures greater nutrition. Buying locally is socially responsible as well by supporting local growers in your community. It is nice to see larger corporations practicing eco-friendly, socially responsible practices like buying local produce. Here is one of the commercials Loblaw Companies have been running, encourganing buying locally.

Bon Appétit!

Garden Gnome
©2006-2010

Frugal Kitchens 101 - Quality Counts

When it comes to frugal cooking food quality is very important. Lower quality foods are often high is sodium, sugar and preservatives as well as being lower in nutritional value. Buying quality foods does not mean you have to break the bank either. Quality foods can be quite inexpensive. I want to stress that inexpensive doesn't mean cheap when it comes to foods. Inexpensive quality foods can easily be purchased whereas cheap foods are seldom quality foods.  Focus on buying foods with the highest nutritional value for your food dollars.  This week's Frugal Kitchens 101 will focus on choosing quality foods to help you get the best value for your food dollars.

• buy locally - This is an excellent way of ensuring you are getting quality produce that has not spent a vast amount of time traveling from the farmer to your table. Local produce is fresher and higher in nutrients than imported produce. Imported produce is often picked when it is under ripe so they are not at their peak of nutritional value and they continue to lose nutrients as soon as they are picked.
  
• buy in season - The best example of quality is comparing a store bought in season tomato to one that is a hot house off season tomato. Hands down the in season tomato has more flavour, more nutrients and is less expensive. The only tomato that will beat a store bought in season tomato is a home grown one picked moments before use. Be aware of the produce seasonal trends in your area then plan your menus with this in mind.
• preserve your own - Preserving in season, locally grown foods makes good frugal sense and it allows you to avoid the problems and concerns associated with commercially canned, frozen and dried foods.
• fresh produce - When buying produce look for firm, fresh, ripe produce free from bruising that will cause the produce to spoil faster.  Avoid buy under ripe, over ripe produce or produce with any signs of spoilage.   Smell the produce and avoid any produce with an off smell.
  
• brand name vs store brand - In most cases the quality of the brand name may be just slightly higher than the store brand.  Many food processing plants process both brand and store brands with the higher quality produce going to the brand name and seconds (eg. smaller size) going to the store brands.  However, this is not always the case so this becomes a trial and error thing.  The problem is if you try a store brand and no one will eat it then both food and money are wasted.  When it comes to store brands it is best to buy a small amount (eg. one can), try it first and then if it meets your requirements buy more.
• cooking - The frugal approach for a large variety of produce is to serve raw.  This ensures no nutrients are lost through the cooking process giving you the best value for your food dollar.  When cooking choose a method such as steaming or baking rather than boiling which leaches nutrients out of the vegetables.
• meats - There is a myth that ground beef is a good bargain but in my experience it isn't.  In terms of price it may be but there is also a greater surface area that leads to flavour loss, quicker spoilage and contamination (eg. E. coli).  A meat grinder is quite inexpensive and can be used for grinding a wide variety of meats and used for making sausage.  Grinding your own meat allows you to trim as much fat as desired.  The important thing is you are getting a fresher, higher quality ground meat which is reflected in the taste of the cooked meat.
• cheeses - Cheeses bring up two quality issues both centred on flavour.  Commercially shredded cheese is not a good value for your food dollar on several levels.  In terms of quality the greater surface area means flavour loss so you end up using more to try and make up for flavour loss.  It is cheaper to buy a block of quality cheese (not store brand) and shred it your self in the amount you will use for that particular dish.  That way you get the best flavour and can get away with using a bit less.  My experience has been that store brand brick cheeses while often on sale are sadly lacking in flavour.  If you go with a quality cheese from a cheese factory it will cost slight more but again you can use less so in the end you save money.  The exception is cream cheese must meet a certain criteria (eg. same quality) so quite often there is no noticeable difference between store brand and brand name.
• bread products - If you have the option either make your own bread products or buy them from a bakery.  These are higher quality breads that are not full of a lot of excess fats, sugars and preservatives.  Of growing concern is the impact of high fructose corn syrup something is often found in packaged breads.   Making grocery stores now offer fresh baked breads without all the preservatives and homemade bread products eliminates both high fructose corn syrup and preservatives while giving you a high quality product often cheaper than packaged breads.
  

Local Food Event - Chicken BBQ Dinner

Quite often when making the choice to eat out it is either at a sit down restaurant, a fast food restaurant or take-out. What many overlook is the wide variety of local food events throughout the year. These range from competition food events like cook-off and ribfests to fish fries to charity food events to socials to street vendors and everything in between. Local food events tend to serve good, old fashioned home cooking at well under the going rate for a comparable meal in a restaurant but they offer so much more. There is the social aspect of these events that make them even more special.

Chicken BBQ Dinner

As you know our kitchen is not quite functional right now so when my husband suggested eating at a local food event on Friday I sure wasn't going to decline. Two local charities were running barbeques, one a steak dinner and the other a chicken dinner. Well we have gone to this particular chicken dinner for years so we chose it again. We support them because the proceeds go back into helping the community. They put on a lovely meal consisting of a barbequed half of chicken, cob of corn, coleslaw, potato, roll and local grown tomatoes (not shown) all for $11.

What is even more impressive is watch how this group of volunteers barbeque the chicken! Sorry the picture I took didn't come out well so I will have to describe it. Each barbeque is about a 8 ft long half barrel on a metal stand with a diameter of about 4 feet. They are prepped early in the day for the event
that serves upwards of 750 hungry folk for the event. Corn is prepared onsite as are the potatoes. Both are wrapped in foil then put into foil lined containers to keep warm. It really is a lovely meal for the price plus you get to visit will all those community members you don't always get a chance to see :)

Mackinac Straits Fish Company

Note: This is the last entry for our road trip foods. I hope you have enjoyed reading about some of the foods we ate on this road trip. Please continue reading as I move back into my normal blogging about home cooking. Cauliflower is next on the adgenda as I start restocking the freezers. And yes (heavy sigh) my countertops are not finished yet but we are getting closer. Oh the joys of DIY renovations!

We are not big into bringing home souvenirs from our many travels. The reason being is they add to every one's clutter. Not everyone appreciates that! What we are big into when traveling is bringing home foods from that region. Not only can we enjoy a nice meal we can reminisce about our travels. The Michigan Upper Peninsula is dotted with several places to buy whitefish and smoked fish. Both are a must bring some home so when visiting Michigan's Upper Peninsula be sure to bring a cooler.

Mackinac Straits Fish Company Store

The Mackinac Straits Fish Company store is conveniently located just after the first exit on M-75 after the Mackinac bridge, turn right onto Bus - 75 then right again onto Ferry Lane. The store is on the left hand side. The Mackinac Straits Fish Company process the fish as soon as they receive then. Quite often this is less than an hour from being taken from the nets. That means the fish is about as fresh as you can get unless you catch them yourself.

The store itself is quite small, basically the size under the "A" entrance. There likely isn't much more room than for about 5 customers at a time. Upon entering you face the fish counter. There is a fish freezer to the immediate left that holds not only fish but buffalo. They also sell wild fruit preserves, buffalo and beef jerky, smoked fish, fresh eggs and maple syrup.

Whitefish & Perch

We bought four packages of whitefish, two packages of perch and smoked salmon (see below). I really wanted to buy more but honestly with the cheese our cooler was stuffed! The total cost came to $46.89 which sounds high but consider this is enough fish for at least 6 meals so under the $5 per person meat cost and whitefish is not so easily found fresh where we are even though we live on the Great Lakes waterways. The perch really was just a whim. Given we catch perch ourselves and are often gifted with it from friends buying it seems a bit silly. You really can't have too much perch! It is so quick and easy to lightly coat and pan fry. Perch is a must have staple!

Whitefish (Coregonus clupeaformis) is a member of the trout/salmon family Salmonidae. It is the mainstay of the commercial fishing industry in the Great Lakes because of its exceptional yet delicate flavour, large size and schooling habits. Anglers have discovered it takes special techniques when fishing for whitefish because they swim in the cool, gloomy water of the Great Lakes at depths of 200 ft and deeper in warmer weather. Their mouth is small presenting another challenge for anglers.

A 3 - oz piece of whitefish has 146 calories, 20.8 gr protein and 65 mg cholesterol compared to a 3 oz piece of broiled sirloin that has 177 calories, 25.9 g protein and 76 mg of cholesterol. Broiling with a little butter will of course increase the calorie content but not by much. Consider though that each whitefish fillet is about a foot long so you will be over 3 oz but still it is a good value nutritionally. The flavour of the whitefish should shine through in the dish so keep it simple. Neither seasonings or sides should be overpowering.

Smoked Salmon

Smoking is an age old method of preserving meats and fish. The Mackinac Straits Fishing company smokes fish using wood from local forests, a blend of indigenous hardwoods, primarily sugar maple. Sugar maple adds a light, sweet flavour to the meat or fish. I only bought a small piece of smoked salmon. This was a impulse purchase. My husband's dad loved smoked fish and absolutely adored smoked salmon. He would simply eat it as is. I like the flavour as is as well. They kids enjoy smoked salmon too but then they will eat any fish. Unfortunately as far as I can tell my husband does not but perhaps he will try it again since a smoker is on my next to purchase list. I'm really not sure what I am going to do with this piece of smoked salmon. Off the top of my head I'm thinking of using some for a smoked salmon dip. I also have a couple of ideas for appetizers.

Bread & Maple Syrup

You know when you are traveling there are always neat food items to buy. Even though we have an abundance of Ontario maple syrup we bought a 32 oz (946 ml) jug of maple syrup from Wisconsin. Why? This jug cost $11.99, the same price we pay for a 500 ml bottle of Canada No. 1 maple syrup so almost half price. We love maple syrup and not just for pancakes!

I could not resist buying the Up North beer bread in a bottle. The bottle is larger than an actual beer bottle even though it resembles one. This is just a cute presentation and would make a cute gift. At $5.99 plus having to provide your own beer it is not going to be a very frugal loaf of bread! I'll report back on how it tastes :)