This month Eva Fisher celebrates local food month, checks in to Chasing the Cheese’s new location, and finds some convenient ways to incorporate good local food into your life with Locavorest and The Little Apron Company.
September is Local Food Month in Peterborough
September has been officially sanctioned as Local Food Month in Peterborough. With over 25 local food themed events organized by community organizations and businesses throughout the region, there are plenty of opportunities to try something new and delicious in your community.
The annual event is coordinated by Transition Town Peterborough and Farms at Work. Pat Learmonth, director of Farms at Work, says there is a lot of interest in local food in the Kawarthas.
“There’s been a growing interest in supporting our local farmers. People want to know where our food comes from, how to find food in our local community and how to prepare food.”
Local Food Month provides many opportunities to learn about, taste, and celebrate food in our community. Here are just a few of the many events happening this month:
Learn to cut a steak with the Community Butcher Shop
On Thursday, September 15th, the Community Butcher Shop (372 George St. N., Peterborough, 705-874-7921) is offering a demonstration on cutting your own steak from a long loin and a rib primal. Participants will enjoy crusty bread from Two Dishes Cookshop, beer from the Publican House Brewery, and each participant will go home with a steak. There is a maximum of 10 participants, and tickets are available at the Community Butcher Shop.
Indigenous corn, squash and beans open house at The Mount Community Centre
On Sunday, September 18th between 2 and 4 p.m., there is a free open house at The Mount Community Centre (1545 Monaghan Rd., Peterborough, 705-875-5095) where you can learn about traditional growing, harvesting, and cooking techniques for the three sisters: corn, beans and squash. You can also taste traditional three sisters soup and corn bread.
Selling Food to Ontario Workshop at the Cavan Monaghan Township Office
This free full-day workshop on Monday, September 19th, put on by Peterborough Economic Development and OMAFRA, is targeted toward farmers and producers. Learn about topics such as business planning, food safety requirements and labelling at the Cavan Monaghan Township office (988 County Road 10, Millbrook, 705-932-2929). There will also be representatives from Peterborough Public Health and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency on hand to answer questions. You can register at eventbrite.ca.
Butter Tart Taste Off at the Peterborough Farmers’ Market
On Saturday, September 24th from 9:30 to 12:30 p.m., Kawarthas Northumberland Tourism is hosting a butter tart taste-off event at the Peterborough Farmer’s Market (Morrow Building, just beside the Peterborough Memorial Centre). Local judges will choose the best tarts in the region, and visitors can vote for the People’s Choice Award.
The Purple Onion Festival at Millennium Park
This annual festival is a chance to meet local farmers, taste food prepared by local chefs, enjoy craft beer at The Canoe and Paddle’s craft beer tent, commit to the Eat Local Challenge and more. It takes place from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday, September 25th at Millennium Park in downtown Peterborough.
For a list of all the events, visit localfoodmonthptbo.ca.
Goodnight little shop: Chasing the Cheese is moving
Chasing the Cheese (371 Water St., Peterborough, 705-775-0525) is moving to a new space at the corner of Charlotte and Reid Street in Peterborough.
Owner Julie Austin says she will miss her Water Street location.
“I have this corny thing at night when I leave I say ‘goodnight little shop.’ I’ll be sad to leave it.”
The new space at 334 1/2 Charlotte Street is roughly double the size.
“We’re really pumped about this,” Julie says. “It’s daunting, it’s overwhelming, there are days I have to remind myself to take a deep breath.”
The larger location will allow Julie to expand the business’s offerings. She is planning to offer gift baskets, tasting events, and maybe even a delivery service.
“We actually already kind of do it for some of our customers. Today I delivered six loaves of bread. And we have other customers who maybe aren’t feeling as well. ‘Can you drop something off?’ Absolutely! That’s what Chasing the Cheese is.”
The Water Street location will be open until Sunday, September 24th. Julie plans to be operating in the new space by Thursday, September 29th, just in time for Chasing the Cheese’s 6th anniversary on October 1st.
As a thank you to their customers, Chasing the Cheese is currently offering discounted gift certificates for use at the new location.
Locavorest brings the farmer’s market to you
Megan Boyles and the team at Locavorest built their business to address a common problem: “A lot of people want to eat locally but are busy and don’t have time to go to the market to access local food.”
That’s why she, along with Vinay Viswanathan and Mark Kirton, created Locavorest, an online farmers’ market based out of Peterborough.
Currently, Locavorest offers vegetables, meat, dairy, bread and even handmade chocolates and roasted crickets to their users. All products are sourced within 50 kilometres of Peterborough.
Locavorest delivers to an expanding list of pickup locations across the city. Megan says that it was important to them that the pickup locations be convenient for the users.
“Pickup locations are ideally places you already go: gyms, community centres, businesses.”
They would like to expand to service more rural locations, and they invite people to sign up to host a pickup location from across the region.
Visit their website at www.locavorest.com to shop Locavorest’s virtual farmers’ market.
The Little Apron Company makes convenience food with love
For Kellie McKenty, meal ideas often start in the garden. The coordinator of the Bonaccord Community Garden, Kellie has brought her love of homegrown and local vegetables and herbs into her new meal delivery service, The Little Apron Company.
Kellie offers weekly delivery of fresh and frozen home cooked meals. “Italian food is my favourite. A lot of my recipes and a lot of the things I cook have a lot of garlic and a lot of fresh herbs, basil and thyme.”
Her current menu includes a pasta salad made with blistered cherry tomatoes and parmesan cheese, lemon bars, vegan shepherd’s pie and more. The menu will change seasonally.
Kellie doesn’t want people to think of her service as a luxury. “I really want people to know that they can incorporate this into their weekly grocery shop.”
This service provides a locally made alternative to processed convenience foods. “It’s really easy to go to a grocery store and get a pizza. At least with this business it’s all from scratch, all homemade with lots of love put into it.”
Orders can be placed online at littleaproncompany.com, and delivery happens every Wednesday.
