The Beach + Forager Foods = one tasty vacation

My family just arrived home after a week at the lake - Lake Huron - where the beaches are sandy, the sunsets are spectacular and the natural scenery is breathtaking.

We rented a cottage in St. Joseph, a little town I hadn't heard of between Bayfield and Grand Bend. It was my son's first time swimming in a lake (last year he was just a few months old and it was too cold for the little monkey) and it was a joy to watch him dipping in and out of the shallow water with sheer delight buried in his giggle. For this reason alone, we spent a lot of our time at the beach.

However, on a rainy day, it was also wonderful to stop into the two neighbouring towns. In Bayfield, I found a fantastic little shop called Forager Foods. This locavore-friendly and environmentally responsible food shop offers natural and family farm raised pork, veal, chicken and grass-fed beef as well as duck, bison, elk and venison, all raised within a short distance of the store.

And if you're a pseudo vegetarian like me, you can also enjoy other local products like fresh produce, cheeses, preserves, pastas, pot pies, soup, sauces, curries and stews and prepared items like salads, sandwiches and even gourmet mac n' cheese.

Forager Foods has partnered with more than two dozen farmers and food producers to offer unique Ontario-centric shopping experience for foodies and fresh junkies alike.

And something about being at the beach makes it taste even better.

That is, if you can keep those little hands out of the sand long enough to savour a few heavenly bites.

The County Food Co: fresh, local, responsible, delicious

My parents own a building downtown Stratford, and one of the tenants in that building is The County Food Co., located at 38 Erie, just south of Ontario Street.

While I had been there a number of times, I found The County Food Co. really came in handy the days and weeks after our son was born. My husband and I were in no mood to cook yet we craved local-fresh, wholesome comfort food to nourish our joyful but exhausted souls.

The County Food Co. offers an extensive menu of a la cart dishes, which allows you to mix and match to create your own meal. It has a gorgeous salad bar, prepared sandwiches, local cheeses, meat and vegetarian dishes, dips, pies, breads, focaccia pizzas and desserts. I particularly love its grilled salmon fillet with lemon and herbs, as well as its sesame and ginger salmon fillet. Cooked to perfection and chalk full of savoury goodness and omega-3s.

The pot pies are known to miraculously cure the blues and the potato pancakes and tomato basil risotto cakes round out any meal, especially for those last-minute dinner drop-ins that your fridge or sanity aren't quite stocked for.

Chef/business owner Janet Ashworth graduated from the Culinary Institute of America in New York and she's built masterpieces in kitchens in Toronto, Denver and England. She's also been a caterer, food stylist for film and television, as well as a restauranteur. Her tasty fare has even gathered attention from Toronto Life Magazine, the Globe and Mail and the Toronto Star.

She's also crackers about local food. You might see her gathering the freshest and brightest produce at the Stratford Farmer's Market on Saturday mornings. She supports local farmers and food producers and proudly displays them on her website.

And when she's not just buying local produce at the Stratford Farmer's Market, she's also selling it. Under the name Starfish, Chef Janet provides quality fresh fish to the Stratford area, complete with point-of-origin information for interested customers. Starfish strives to offer fish that come from sustainable and responsible resources, with an online selection list that's updated every Thursday afternoon.

And the list goes on. The County Food Co. also offers a unique Balance program, which is a line of single-serving meals designed to deliver balanced portions of proteins, carbohydrates and fats (also available in convenient frozen packages).

What's more, The County Food Co. welcomes its customers to bring their own containers, to help with disposable waste.

Fresh, local, responsible and delicious. These are the ingredients for 'real food.'

And really, what more could you ask for?

Small-Mart: go small or go home

I've always cheered for the underdog.

This could be why I find it so refreshing to discover a new local haunt, my favourite new underdog, that represents the antithesis of Walmart in every way.

The name of this place? Small-Mart General Mercantile. And don't you just dig it already?

Located at 121 Ontario Street in Stratford, Small-Mart carries quirky, retro-inspired gifts, unique candy, jewellery, design items and cool Canada-esque paraphernalia.

It proudly displays local goods too, some of which include Red Canoe Heritage Brands, Klockworks, Biko Jewellery, Canada Flip Books and the hot new return of the '70s Solair chair, made in Quebec. Small-Mart even partnered with McCully's Hill Farm to create its very own maple syrup.

Small-Mart owners Carrie and Jeremy Wreford, who also own Bradshaws in Stratford, insist that their hip new haunt isn’t a sneer at the big guy, but a cheer for the small guy, and a modern adaptation of the traditional general store.

Stratford, like many other communities (notably Guelph), has fought for years to keep Walmart out of the city, because of its urban planning issues (often located on the outskirts of town and re-zoned to serve its needs while wreaking havoc on the environment and congesting roads with traffic), global mass produced products that help drive prices down while threatening small business owners trying to make ends meet. Stratford's thriving downtown, which has been praised by planners and environmental groups north and south of the border, is just too important to the city to jeopardize.

Ah, consumerism. Isn't it grand?

At least we all have choices. And Small-Mart has become one of mine.

Get your kicks at The Annex

There's something about the Annex Room Restaurant that just exhales comfort. The menu is elegant but casual with comfort food abound: gourmet pizzas of multiple varieties, dijon-crusted chicken surpreme (one of my favourites), beef tenderloin, Asian mango salmon, pastas like shrimp or chicken linguini, teriyaki chow mein, spinach and ricotta ravioli. Yumm.

Its appetizers are fabulous, and I use that word sparingly. When I was there last Saturday, I ordered its salad special: a Thai-inspired beauty with cabbage and peanut sauce that had me thanking to Buddha for such a delicious gift. I also couldn't pass up the 'Annex Mezze Plate for Two' with a trio of dips and spreads served with warm pita bread. And then I remembered - every meal at The Annex starts with a warm bulb of roasted garlic that spreads on freshly-baked bread "like butta." Let's just say I had to take half of my main course home. My eyes instantly grow bigger than my belly at this place!

And why wouldn't they, especially with so many dishes being inspired by fresher-than-fresh local offerings. Talk to Christine and she'll tell you that many of The Annex's fruits and vegetables come from her father's own garden.

Christine is just one of the members of The Annex who will make your experience first-rate. This place is all about service and extreme hospitality. Last year, my husband and I decided to host our son's post-baptism lunch at The Annex for 30-some family members. I was, and continue to be, amazed by the outstanding - and affordable - food and impeccable service. Each time I go in there I feel like family from the moment I walk through the door.

Cheers to The Annex Restaurant. You've raised the bar on the Stratford dining experience. And that is really something.

Rush to Stratford's Slow Food Sunday Market

As I attended Stratford's first Slow Food Sunday Market on June 6, a Margaret Mead quote kept running through my mind: "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has."

I like to think of these vendors as food whisperers. And what are they whispering to that gorgeous, ethical and socially responsible food? "Good, clean, fair." It's the Slow Food motto, after all.

So what is a Slow Food Market? First and foremost, it's community run, which strengthens local food networks. It provides access to quality food you can trust, bought directly from the producers. It offers fair prices for consumer and producers, fostering local economies, and locally-sourced food that reduces food miles and shortens the food chain. What's different about a Slow Food Market is that consumers become co-producers, learning from producers and educational activities.

Like a well kept secret, it's a bit tricky to find. It's located at 49 Griffith Road at the Monforte Dairy. The market runs Sundays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. through to the end of October.

What the first Sunday market lacked in quantity, it made up for in the quality of vendors, which included Koert Organics, Deeply Rooted Farms, Anything Grows, Kawthoolei Organic Farm, Soiled Reputation, Creton's Garden Fresh Produce & Herbs, Bizjak Farms along with host, Monforte Dairy.

Of course, as the growing season ripens, the market will continue to grow, along with each vendor's offerings. New vendors are also invited to e-mail the Slow Food Perth County Convivium at info@slowfoodperthcounty.ca to learn how to participate.

Sundays often turn into my Slow Food cooking days, and now with a Stratford Slow Food Sunday Market and the "season of fresh" upon us, who knows what sweet or savoury dishes might leisurely emerge from my kitchen.

Hooray for Herrle's!

Imagine my surprise and delight when Herrle's Country Farm Market, intended to open mid-June, opened its doors to aisles of gorgeous seasonal local produce on June 2 instead!

Located at 1243 Erb's Road in St. Agatha, Herrle's is a family-run farm that has been in operation for 152 years. In 1964, Howard and Elsie Herrle started a retail farming business when they grew a few acres of sweet corn and sold it from their garage. The Herrle name soon became known for its fresh-from-the-field sweet corn. And six generations of Herrles later, the sweet corn fields mingled with strawberries, peas, beans and pumpkins too.

In 1988, the Herrles built their Farm Market - what you'll see today - which opens from June until the end of October. Field production expanded to add cucumber, beets, spinach, zucchini and squash. Herrle's also built a bakery that same year, and today customers are greeted with the aroma of freshly baked pies, muffins, butter tarts, chelsea buns, and cookies. And raspberry tarts! Oh, I couldn't keep my eyes off those when I visited last Friday.

Another great feature of Herrle's is its pick-your-own-patch option for customers wishing to foray into the fields for freshly picked berries. Although with a motto like "Freshness Makes the Difference," you're sure to be surrounded by freshly-picked freshness in every aspect of the farm store too.

While I was pressed for time on Friday, I couldn't resist visiting Herrle's for the first time this season. I picked up fresh strawberries, peas in the pod, peppers, cherries, mushrooms and asparagus.

To continue on this local and fresh path, today I think I'll venture over to the new Stratford Sunday Slow Food Market at 49 Griffith Road to enjoy more fruits and vegetables of the season. More on that later.

The season of abundant Ontario farm-fresh produce is officially open! And it tastes spectacular.

Swan Lake

Another Stratford joy: the magestic swans that glide across the Avon like ambassadors to our fair city. Many river walks have been interrupted by a need to stop and marvel at their beauty and elegance. I'm continuously transfixed by the baby cygnets that breathe new life into our waters. It's no surprise that swans are symbols of gracefulness, calmness, sensitivity, love, and beauty.

In fact, swans are revered in many cultures, including Hinduism, where they are compared to saintly persons whose chief characteristic is to be in the world without getting attached to it, just as a swan's feather does not get wet although it is in water. The Sanskrit word for swan is hamsa or hansa, and the vehicle of many deities like the goddess Saraswati. It is mentioned several times in the Vedic literature, and those having attained great spiritual capabilities are sometimes called Paramahamsa ("Great Swan") because of their spiritual grace and ability to travel between various spiritual worlds.

Ironic, in light of recent events. I wouldn't want to be the karmic recipient of this one.

I've been saddened and disturbed by what happened last weekend to Angela, the gentle swan who mothered her eggs in a nest below the William Hutt Bridge. A cruel and unfathomable attack by bullies - human bullies - brought an abrupt end to her life, as well as the lives of her seven babies expected to hatch this week.

It saddens me that kindness and goodness were so far removed from this random act of violence. Many times I've wondered how the attacker(s) felt in the moment. Did regret follow? How are they sleeping at night? My heart sinks a little each time I pass the abandonned nest where Angela's mate, Nick, paces. Most swans mate for life and can grieve the loss of a partner for up to two years.

This post pays tribute to Angela, Nick and the 18 other swans in our local flock that have brought joy to so many. May you find peace, tranquility and security again.

And thank you to all who love and care for these precious animals. Your kindness is noted and appreciated.