Welcome to September. Here in Southern Ontario, it definitely arrived with force. The storm that came through on the 2nd held a phenomenal volume of rainwater for some areas. We were lucky to just require a bucket to catch the drips under one section of our roof that was weak. I drove through an area where the water came halfway up my tires to get home. As interesting as that is, it’s not the topic of this post.
My husband subscribes to a weekly publication called Ontario Farmer, and he often shares some of the articles with me. The September 1st edition had an article that stayed with me and made me realize how important it is to know where our food comes from these days. It was titled “Maple Syrup class action lawsuit filed.” The essence is that Loblaws, Sobeys, Metro and Epicia Group demonstrated negligence, recklessness, carelessness or indifference, disregarding the trust of their customers by selling maple syrup for several years that was labelled pure and found to be cut by at least 50% with cane sugar. This is on the tail of learning about fake honey and changes to chocolate products. Both have many reports of being diluted with sugar and added flavourings to counteract the increased costs.
Much like how some of your favourite grocery store ice cream brands can’t be labelled ice-cream, many customers have taken note that popular chocolate brands have changed the verbiage on chocolate-related items. Many labels now say chocolatey, chocolate flavoured or chocolate candy. And some cocoa butter has been switched out for palm oil.
CBC News reported in 2019 that fake honey was still pouring into Canada, and local beekeepers were feeling the sting. Fake honey is cut with corn syrup, rice, beet and other sugars. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency has been zeroing in on fake honey. The positive news is that Canadian honey proved to be authentic, while imported honey had a higher risk factor of being fake.
All this to say that it’s getting trickier out there all the time to trust labels and large corporations. Our health depends on us staying connected to where our food comes from.
For years, there have been certain items that we are fortunate enough to find in abundance locally. I always order my yearly supply of local maple syrup in the spring, and buy my honey from local producers along with eggs, organic sourdough bread and preserves. Throughout the summer, between the bounty of my own vegetable garden and local farmers’ markets, the quality and freshness are unbeatable. This time of year, as we are reaping the rewards of the summer harvest, why not get creative about how to preserve that quality so it lasts as long as possible?
I was gifted a dehydrator last Christmas and have been putting it to use to dry some of my garden herbs to use over the winter. Our Bartlett pear tree is in full supply right now, and I am looking forward to new ways of preserving the pears. The tomatoes are overrunning my windowsill, so it’s time for some pasta and chili sauce. Next will be the apples that get turned into apple sauce.
My husband came up with a brilliant storage idea for our carrot harvest last year with an old chest freezer in the garage. This year, I’ll buy a good stock of local fresh potatoes to add to this storage.
1/ Sharon Creek Farm – honey, eggs, preserves, organic sourdough breads, seasonal fruit and veg. https://sharoncreekfarm.ca/
2/ Wonderview Farm – eggs, honey. http://www.wonderviewfarm.ca/
3/ Elmgrove Organic Cooperative – a full offering of organic produce from the May long weekend to Thanksgiving. https://www.elmgrovecollective.com/
4/ Circling Hawk Mead & Honey – https://www.circlinghawkfarm.com/
5/ Cloverhill Flower Farm – local fresh-cut flowers and events. https://www.cloverhillflowers.ca/
I can be found exploring other farmers’ markets and field-to-table events throughout the summer, adding to my list of favourites. I would love to learn more about your tips for healthy local eating. Feel free to share with the readers here.
Happy harvesting,
Karen
Reiki Master, Biophoton Light Therapist and Enneagram coach, Karen Armstrong has a valuable set of resources to support people on their journey to better understanding themselves and the messages of the mind, body and soul.
