Category Archives: Field Trips

My family has a long history of planting Vesey’s seeds. I well remember my grandmother receiving, by mail, the white envelope bearing the Vesey’s seed catalogue.

She would spend many an hour perusing the catalogue, marking an “x” beside the seeds she planned to order and turning down the relevant pages.

Vesey's Seed Catalogues Throughout the Years — Vesey’s Seed Catalogues Throughout the Years

Now, this might not seem strange to you but what is ironic about it is that this woman never ordered a different variety of beans, peas, lettuce, or any other seed from one year to the next! Nevertheless, she sure enjoyed those little catalogues (particularly when they started to have photographs in them) and, each spring, she would mail off her seed order (on an order form much like the one in the photo below) and, a few weeks later, the much anticipated small white box of seeds would arrive in the mail from Vesey’s in York, PEI.

Vesey's Seed Catalogue Order Form — Vesey’s Seed Catalogue Order Form

Today, we either order the seeds online, by phone, mail or, for many of us Islanders, we simply drive to the Vesey’s store to pick up the seeds. However, in my grandmother’s day, this would have been about an hour’s drive from her house and her way of doing much business was by regular postal service.

Vesey's, York, PEI — Vesey’s Seeds, York, PEI

Planting a garden was of particular importance to my grandmother’s generation because the produce from the garden was what sustained a family through much of the year. In-season, families would enjoy fresh produce from their gardens but they also ate from the gardens for the rest of the year, too. Cucumbers were grown for pickles; beets would be canned; parsnips, onions, and carrots were stored in cold cellars for use over the winter. Pumpkins and squash joined them and were used for jams and pies through the long, cold winter months. You see, in my grandmother’s time, there were no big supermarkets with imported produce and, as far as farmers markets were concerned, they weren’t an item in rural PEI because most everyone had their own vegetable gardens in which they grew the produce they needed.

Once the frost was out of the ground in June, out would come the Vesey’s box of seeds and the planting process would begin. My grandmother’s garden was always large. She and my grandfather would debate over the straightness of the drills because, if they weren’t in proper line, people driving by would think they didn’t know how to plant a garden! And, she wanted to make sure the garden looked full and lush because no one wanted to be known for having a “poor” garden. That’s why she relied on Vesey’s seeds that she trusted to produce a good garden. I think my grandmother got great pleasure out of tending her garden and harvesting and processing its products. Today, we plant a smaller garden but still use Vesey’s seeds because we know we can trust them as they have been tested to ensure they will grow in PEI’s short growing season.

This year marks the 75^th Anniversary that Vesey’s has been in business. I recently sat down with Heidi Carmichael, horticulturalist at Vesey’s, to talk about the seed company’s operation. Heidi has been with the company for five years and supervises the seeds that are brought in for trials and monitors how well they do in the vegetable trials. Every seed that appears in Vesey’s catalogue has been grown in a trial plot at Vesey’s to ensure it will grow in our Island climate.

Vesey’s Seeds was started in 1939 by Arthur Vesey (now deceased). The current owner, Bev Simpson, began working with Mr. Vesey when Bev was just 16 years of age. Today, he is joined by a son and daughter who also work at Vesey’s, a company known for its excellent seed quality products, loyalty to customers, and good customer service.

Vesey’s seeds come from all over the world. However, before a seed variety will be offered for sale, it will be grown and tested in Vesey’s trial plots, usually over a couple of years so the seeds can be tested over different summers with different growing conditions. It is important that imported seeds pass the germination test as well as a purity test for no diseases or weeds. The company has two acres of trial plots for regular vegetable seeds and one acre for hot field crops like tomatoes, peppers, and eggplants. It’s not uncommon for 90-100 tomato varieties to be under trial at the same time.

Both new and existing varieties of seeds in the annual Vesey’s seed catalogue get tested every year. Today, Vesey’s markets over 700 varieties of seeds and some are not vegetables that you might think would grow in cool Maritime climates, like avocados and watercress, for example.

Vesey’s sell both conventional as well as organic seeds to respond to the growing demand for organic products. Heidi tells me that, each year, Vesey’s adds more organic seeds to their offerings.

A long-time mail order company, I asked Heidi if the popularity of online shopping in recent years has impacted their operations. She says internet sales have grown and, while the paper copies of the catalogues still remain popular, they are seeing more web orders for seeds. In fact, they ship their seeds all over North America and shipping orders make up the majority of their sales.

A Small Sample of the Seed Section at Vesey's Store in York, PEI — A Small Sample of the Seed Selection at Vesey’s Store in York, PEI

Seventy-five years is a significant milestone in any company’s business. I asked Heidi to what Vesey’s attributes their ongoing success and longevity. She believes, first and foremost, it is Vesey’s customer service. Second, the availability of good quality land to test seeds to ensure that what they offer for sale will actually grow in our climate. Third, the long-time experience of seed-testing and growing means gardeners can trust that Vesey’s seeds are credible. Fourth, the company has carefully and intentionally grown and kept up with the times. As Heidi says, Vesey’s is “not just seeds” – you can buy everything you need to garden at Vesey’s because they have different departments like rototillers and lawn tractors, landscaping needs, and flowers and bulbs, for example.

Heidi says Vesey’s is continually searching out new vegetable and seed varieties and they remain current on what customers are looking for. For example, as Canada becomes more culturally diverse, Vesey’s is looking at the foods immigrants to Canada are likely to be seeking. This year, the company is currently testing vegetable seeds like Chinese greens because there are a number of Asian immigrants in the country.

Something that Vesey’s has started doing is putting together convenient theme garden packages of seeds. For example, they offer a salsa seed package that will contain the seeds you need to grow all the vegetables and herbs for making salsa. This makes it easier for the customer who doesn’t have to go in search of individual seed packages and put together their own seed package combinations. Vesey’s also offers a tomato-themed seed package that will contain a collection of several different kinds of tomatoes from early to late varieties, including beefsteak, plum, and cherry tomatoes.

Before we ended our chat, I asked Heidi if she could offer some advice for the first-time gardener thinking about starting his or her own garden. Here are her tips:

1) Get a soil sample analysis. Take a small sample (about 1½ cups) of your garden soil to a government-run lab that will do a soil analysis for you. There is usually a nominal fee involved but the analysis will tell you what you need to add to your soil for nutrients. For example, it may indicate you need to add lime and/or peat moss to make more acidic nitrogen to help your plants grow better.

2) Start with a small plot so it won’t be overwhelming and be sure you are up for the challenge and have the time to weed, water, and maintain the garden.

3) Plant the garden close to your kitchen for convenience and also for ease of regular watering purposes. If your garden is planted too far from your kitchen, it will make it more of a challenge to tend to it and to harvest and use your produce. Make sure the garden is planted in full sun.

4) Grow what you like to eat and know that you will use. Plant some seeds that will quickly yield produce, such as greens like spinach, so you’ll see some quick results. Tomatoes and peppers are good suggestions, too, because they can be eaten on their own as well as used in many recipes. Herbs are also good for first-time gardeners because they are easy to grow and are very versatile in their usage and can be dried for winter use.

5) If space is limited, consider growing pole beans and trellised cucumbers and beans as this will leave more ground space to grow other vegetable varieties.

Vesey’s trial plots are located behind their main building in York, PEI, and are open to the public. Heidi tells me each plot is marked to indicate what is being grown so you will know what seeds Vesey’s is currently testing and that may make their way into a future catalogue. In case you are wondering what happens to the produce from the trial plots, Vesey’s donates it to the local food bank.

When you are visiting the trial gardens during peak growing season, be sure to also stop by “Arthur’s Memorial Garden”, a garden established in honor of the man who began the seed company 75 years ago.

As the old saying goes, if you want to be really sure where your food comes from, grow your own produce. It’s been a long, cold, brutal winter in the Atlantic Provinces this year and most — particularly gardeners — are yearning to see some plant growth. It may still be a while before any of us can dig around in our gardens or see any locally-grown produce; however, it is not too soon to start planning our vegetable gardens and making our seed selections. So, while blizzards may still be hitting Eastern Canada when the calendar tells us it is spring, why not head over to the Vesey’s website and browse through the colorful photographs of garden-fresh vegetables and dream of summer gardens and fresh produce.

My thanks to Vesey’s Seeds and, especially to their horticulturalist, Heidi Carmichael, for taking time out of busy days to talk with me about gardening.

Thank you for visiting “the Bistro” today.

Be sure to visit my Facebook page at My Island Bistro Kitchen. You may also wish to follow me on twitter @PEIBistro, on Pinterest at “Island Bistro Kitchen”, and on Instagram at “PEIBistro”.

Field Trips, General, Out and About, Recipes, Squares

J.J. Stewart Foods and Soda Company – Fine Island Flavors

March 26, 2014 Barbara99

I am always thrilled when I discover products made on PEI. I recently paid a visit to the small commercial kitchen of J.J. Stewart Foods and Soda Company in Stratford, PEI, where I met with owners and sole employees of the company, Heather and Thom MacMillan.

Under the brand label of J.J. Stewart, the MacMillans are producers and purveyors of a number of fine food products that includes preserves, flavoured mustards, sauces, pickles, salsa, lemonade, sodas and, of course, their signature artisan root beer.

While I was anxious to find out more about the products they make, I was first curious to learn about J.J. Stewart and his connection to the company.

The MacMillans tell me that the J.J. Stewart branding came about because of the root beer they were making. They have been producing their artisan root beer since 2009. When they were searching for a brand name for it, they discovered that Heather’s grandfather, John James Stewart, made and sold root beer in the early 1900s in his general store in Wood Islands, PEI. So, with the lineage and history, it seemed only fitting that their root beer should bear his name.

So, that explains the root beer but what prompted the production of the sauces, preserves, maple mustards, and pickles? The MacMillans have been in the tourism business for many years. They decided it was time to downsize and slow down so they sold their hotel business in Wood Islands and moved to Charlottetown. However, their retirement was short-lived as their lifelong entrepreneurial spirit was still prompting them to do something else. Both like to cook and when the Embers Company in Kinkora, PEI, became available for sale about three years ago, they bought it along with rights to the recipes for specialty food condiments that were already well-known and received on the market. They have continued to produce those items as well as develop, test, and market new items, like Peanut Butter and Cranberry Champagne Jam with Ginger, under the J.J. Stewart label.

The dividing line between mass-produced mustards, preserves, and sauces and those produced by the MacMillans lies in the care and attention to detail that can only come with hand-producing small batch quantities, using high quality ingredients, and adhering to a strict individual quality control process.

Large Cooking Pot inside the JJ Stewart Kitchen — Large Cooking Pot inside the J.J. Stewart Kitchen

The difference can also be discerned in the taste and flavour when pure ingredients are used. Wherever possible, the MacMillans use regionally-produced products. Thom says he can actually pinpoint the berry field at Penny’s Farms in Belfast, PEI, where the strawberries are picked for the J.J. Stewart Strawberry Preserves! The berries for their blueberry products come from Wyman’s near Morell and the cranberries and raspberries are locally sourced as well. Cucumbers for their mustard pickles come from local roadside farm stands which offer the freshest of garden vegetables. The maple syrup comes from Acadian Maple Products in nearby Nova Scotia. J.J. Stewart products have become synonymous with quality so much so that the MacMillans tell me that people buy their preserves by the case in the summer and their freshly-made mustard pickles are a fall favourite which customers also buy by the case to have as their winter supply.

Like any food product produced and marketed for sale on PEI, the MacMillans are subject to food regulation and provincial inspection processes to ensure their products are safe for the market.

Bottles of Dill and Chardonnay Maple Mustard Waiting to be Labeled

The artisan foods produced by the MacMillans are a perfect blend of modern and traditional fare. Under the J.J. Stewart label that bears his picture, look for modern products like blueberry salsa and blueberry barbeque sauce and a number of flavoured mustards along with old favorites like mustard pickles and raspberry and strawberry preserves.

With distinctive flavour pairings like Dill and Chardonnay Maple Mustard and Wild Blueberry Sauce with Grand Marnier, for example, the J.J. Stewart line of products brings together the best flavour combinations. J.J. Stewart products are both delicious and very versatile. Whether used independently on their own as they are or incorporated as an ingredient into a recipe, these quality products are palette pleasers.

Over the next while, follow my blog postings as I use a number of their products in different recipes.

I am sure J.J. Stewart would have been happy to sell these products in his general store and he would, no doubt, be both thrilled and proud to know that his descendents are carrying on the tradition of producing artisanal root beer and other tasty products. The J.J. Stewart speciality item products are available in select locations in the Maritimes. For example, they can be purchased at the PEI Co. Store in Charlottetown’s Confederation Court Mall, at Riverview Country Market in Charlottetown, and at several other locations across the Island as well as at Sugar Moon Farms in Truro, Nova Scotia.

Thom MacMillan at the J.J. Stewart booth at the Charlottetown Farmers Market

Each Saturday morning, you can also find Thom at his booth at the Charlottetown Farmers Market where sales are brisk and you’ll find regular customers returning week after week to pick up their favorite J.J. Stewart products. Farmers markets are great venues for customers and producers to meet and interact. In fact, Thom says he gets the greatest feedback and new product ideas from his regular Saturday morning customers. Be sure to drop by the Farmers Market and taste the J.J. Stewart products at the tasting bar set up in their booth.

Tasting Bar at the JJ Stewart booth at the Charlottetown Farmers Market — Tasting Bar at the J.J. Stewart booth at the Charlottetown Farmers Market

In the summer months, their products are also sold in their own J.J. Stewart Mercantile Store in Cavendish, PEI. Additionally, products are also available online at www.jjstewartfoods.com and they ship across North America.

My Island Bistro Kitchen's Old-fashioned Jam Squares — My Island Bistro Kitchen’s Old-fashioned Jam Squares

For my feature recipe today using a J.J. Stewart product, I have chosen to use their Raspberry Preserves in old-fashioned vintage jam squares. For this recipe, you need to use a superior quality jam or preserves because that is what gives the square its flavour. Red jams or preserves work best because, for plate presentation purposes, they are the most showy. I found the J.J. Stewart Raspberry Preserves to be a nice, thick consistency which is necessary in order for it to stick to the dough and not be runny when the squares are cut.

My Island Bistro Kitchen’s

Old-fashioned Jam Squares

These are an old-fashioned favourite that I grew up with. They are easy to make and take common ingredients. While any kind of jam may be used, they are most showy when red jam (preserves) is chosen.

Ingredients:

⅓ cup butter

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla

½ tsp almond flavoring

½ cup white sugar

1 cup + 2 tbsp all-purpose flour

1 tsp baking powder

¼ tsp salt

¼ tsp cinnamon

⅛ tsp cardamom

Finely grated rind of 1 lemon

½ cup J.J. Stewart Raspberry Preserves

Method:

Preheat oven to 350°.

Assemble ingredients.

Prepare 8”x8” pan by lining with parchment paper.

With electric mixer, beat butter well. Beat in egg, vanilla, and almond flavouring. Mixture will appear lumpy.

Sift and mix together sugar, flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and cardamom.

Grate the rind of one lemon. Stir in grated lemon rind.

Add dry ingredients to butter-egg mixture and blend thoroughly.

Gather up dough and shape dough into a small oblong shape.

Cut off about ⅓ of the dough and place in freezer for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, press remaining ⅔ dough into prepared pan. Place pan in freezer.

When the reserved dough has been in the freezer for 15 minutes remove both reserved dough and the pan from the freezer. Evenly spread the ½ cup raspberry preserves over dough in pan.

Using a grater, grate the chilled and reserved 1/3 dough evenly over the jam.

Bake for 30-35 minutes or until topping on square is lightly golden in color.

Let square cool completely in pan before removing and cutting into 16 squares.

Thank you for visiting “the Bistro” today.

Field Trips, General, Out and About

What’s Brewing at the Prince Edward Island Brewing Co. in Charlottetown, PEI?

March 20, 2014 Barbara99

Prince Edward Island Brewing Co., Charlottetown, PEI

Prince Edward Island is well known for its seafood and potatoes, both of which are major industries on the Island. However, what many of you may not know is that there is an emerging industry on the Island that involves beverage making. Blueberry juice, apple cider, cranberry juice, wine-making, spirit distilling, and beer-brewing are all happening on PEI.

Today, I am taking you with me on a visit to the Prince Edward Island Brewing Co. in Charlottetown where the local artisan brewery, now set up in its spacious new state-of-the-art facility on Kensington Road, brews award-winning ales and lager. After we tour the Brewery, we’ll head downtown to the Gahan House Restaurant to talk with the chef about beer pairing and find out how he uses beer in making a traditional Maritime dish – Fish Cakes – and, yes, he shares his recipe 🙂

My guide at the Brewery today is Al Douglas, Director of Branding and Community Engagement. We begin our chat in the modern and spacious lobby of the brewery.

Lobby and Bar at the Prince Edward Island Brewing Co

The brewery had its beginnings 13 years ago when owner, Kevin Murphy, operated it under the name of Murphy’s Brewing Co. in a restaurant (Lone Star Café) he owned in Charlottetown. The brewery then moved its operations to the Gahan House Restaurant in Olde Charlottetown and, when it outgrew its space there, moved to a location on Walker Drive. After two years in that location, it became apparent that the demand for the product was increasing as they were running out of beer mid-season. So, in 2013, to increase their brewing capacity, the brewery moved to their current newly-refurbished building at 96 Kensington Road.

Prince Edward Island Brewing Co. brews both ales and lagers the old-fashioned way with no preservatives, additives,or pasteurization. The brewery currently brews eight ales and one lager which is aptly named “Beach Chair Lager”. The Beach Chair Lager has the distinction of being the first-ever canned craft beer produced in Atlantic Canada. Al says their most popular products are the Beach Chair Lager and Sir John A’s Honey Wheat Ale. They do brew some seasonal specialties like a pumpkin ale in the fall and Dunkel, a vanilla and bourbon oak-infused dark lager over the Christmas and winter period.

I asked Al what sets their beers apart from others on the market. He tells me that it is a locally-brewed product that uses no preservatives or additives. Additionally, the naturally clean and clear PEI water is easier to filter. Consumers today are conscious of where the products they consume come from and there is support for products that are produced locally, like the brewery’s ales and lagers.

The brewery’s beers have won awards attesting to the quality of their products. In 2011, the Sir John A’s Honey Wheat Ale was awarded the Canadian Brewing Awards’ gold medal. In 2012, the brewery won both gold and silver medals and, in 2013, was awarded the silver medal from the Canadian Brewing Awards.

On Tap at the Prince Edward Island Brewing Company — On Tap at the Prince Edward Island Brewing Co.

The beer is available onsite at the brewery and is also sold in all liquor stores on PEI and in many restaurants, cafés, and bars around the Island. If you are off-Island, look for the beers in select locations in Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Alberta, and British Columbia and, come spring 2014, in Ontario.

What makes the current location of the brewery unique is that it has a huge area where they can host large events like weddings and concerts. Check out the chandelier and the contemporary white chairs in the photo below.

Event capacity is up to 500 persons and Al tells me they have held a number of events already, have more planned, and bookings are brisk for wedding receptions for the upcoming wedding season. Two full-scale kitchens onsite, including a large brick oven, allow for food preparation for large numbers.

Serving Kitchen at the Prince Edward Island Brewery Co.

The brewery employs 16 full time employees over the winter and, in the summer, that staff complement increases to 25-30 that includes both full and part-time employees. The brewery has two certified brew masters on staff.

Prince Edward Island Brewing Co. supports local producers, buying local ingredients where possible. For example, the Sir John A. Honey Wheat Ale uses honey from Honey Dew Apiaries in Canoe Cove. The blueberry beer uses a blueberry purée from PEI Berries Ltd. in East Montague. This means the brewery has a year-round demand for these two ingredients since both beers are brewed all year. This is good news for the support local movement.

So, what goes into beer making? There are four basic ingredients: water, grains (malt), hops, and yeast. Extra flavorings such as blueberries or honey may also be added. Each of the main ingredients contributes important properties to the beer. The water carries the flavour, the malt adds sweetness, color, and flavour, the hops add flavour, aroma, and some bitterness to counter or balance the sweetness from the malt, and the yeast converts sugar extracted from the malt into alcohol and carbon dioxide gas that adds flavour. Yeast is what causes the beer to ferment.

“Fresher is better. Having a brewery in the community is where you’ll get the freshest beer.”

— Chris Long, Master Brewer – Prince Edward Island Brewing Company

What’s next for the PEI Brewing Company? This year marks the 150^th anniversary of the Charlottetown Conference where the Fathers of Confederation first met to begin laying the framework for what would later become Canada. In honor of this event, the brewery has brewed a Fathers 2014 Commemoration Pack of beer.

I asked Al if there was one product they brewed that surprised them in terms of its popularity. He says the blueberry beer was initially developed to be a seasonal beer available in the spring/summer season but it became so popular that customers and restaurants were continuing to ask for it other times of the year that they now brew it year-round.

In addition to the retail store, a bar, and a cold beer store on the premises, 45-minute tours of the brewery are available for $10/pp (+HST). This includes a sample of the hand-crafted beer in the tasting room as well as a tour through the facility, starting with the ingredients room where you can see samples of the ingredients and smell the hops.

The tour takes you past the large brewing tanks.

A pristine brewing operation.

The tour concludes in the bottling center area which was really busy today.

Lots of beer being bottled at the Brewery this afternoon!

Bottling Beer at the Prince Edward Island Brewing Company — Bottling Beer at the Prince Edward Island Brewing Co.

The brewery was certainly a hive of activity today!

And, the end result – pallets of boxes filled with bottled artisan beer ready for shipping to customers.

For more information on the Prince Edward Island Brewing Co., visit their website.

———————————

Up until a few years ago, if you went into a restaurant and asked what the server recommended as a drink with a certain dish, you would most likely be provided with a wine suggestion. Today, however, you might very well receive the suggestion of a beer pairing with your meal. To find out what dish would go particularly well with the PEI Brewing Company’s beers, I went to the Gahan House in Olde Charlottetown where, incidentally, they still brew onsite all the beer served in their restaurant.

Gahan House Restaurant, Charlottetown, PEI

Chef Dwayne MacLeod of the Gahan House suggests a good Maritime dish to demonstrate how beer can be used as an ingredient and/or paired with food – Fish Cakes made with salt cod and haddock. Chef MacLeod says the beer brings out the saltiness in the food and several of the Prince Edward Island Brewing Co. beers pair very well with fish cakes. He also suggests, if beer is used as an ingredient in the dish, the same beer would pair very well as a beverage with the meal. So, if you cook the potatoes for the fish cakes in beer, as Chef MacLeod suggests can be done, then the same beer would pair well as a beverage with the fish cakes.

Chef Dwayne MacLeod's Fishcakes — Chef Dwayne MacLeod’s Fish Cakes

Chef MacLeod has graciously shared his recipe for fish cakes. He has two beer pairing suggestions to go with the fish cakes. The first is the Gahan Iron Bridge Brown Ale (pictured in the photograph below). He says this beer will introduce a nutty and caramel flavour to the meal. His second suggestion is a wheat ale like the Gahan’s Sir John A’s Honey Wheat Ale. It is a light beer and will not overpower the flavors of the fish but will add to the flavour of the salt cod.

Chef Dwayne MacLeod’s Fish Cakes

(from the Gahan House Restaurant in Charlottetown, PEI)

Fish Cake Ingredients

1.5 lbs Yukon Gold potatoes

1 lb. haddock

1 lb. salt cod

1.4 oz green onion

1 tsp. garlic

2 oz oil or bacon fat

Sauce Ingredients

½ quart (2 cups) mayonnaise

1.7 oz. horseradish

1 cucumber

Method for Fish Cakes

Soak salt cod in water for 12 hours. Drain and rinse cod and chop up finely in a blitz machine.

Cook haddock in water.

Cook potatoes. If desired, cook the potatoes in beer and water (ratio is 2 parts water to 1 part beer). Cool potatoes.

Finely chop green onion and garlic.

Mix haddock, salt cod, green onion, and garlic together. Portion out 2 oz for each fish cake and form into a patty.

Heat oil or bacon fat in pan over medium to medium-high heat.

Place fish cakes in hot oil and cook until the edges start to turn golden brown. Once golden brown, flip the cakes and cook the other side the same.

Serve with the cucumber sauce and enjoy.

Method for Sauce

Remove the seeds of the cucumber with a teaspoon and blitz the cucumber very well in a Blitzer. Mix the cucumber with the mayonnaise and horseradish. Season to taste.

Yield: 4-6 servings of fish cakes

Fishcakes Paired with Beer — Fish Cakes Paired with Beer

Thank you for visiting “the Bistro” today.

Be sure to visit my Facebook page at My Island Bistro Kitchen. You may also wish to follow me on twitter @PEIBistro, on Pinterest at “Island Bistro Kitchen”, and on Instagram at “peibistro”.

Entrées/Main Dishes, Field Trips, General, Out and About, Recipes, Vegetables

From Field to Table: Potato Growing and Harvesting in Prince Edward Island

November 7, 2013 Barbara99 1 Comment

[UPDATE TO THIS STORY: Since this story was published in 2013, Lori Robinson has switched from growing potatoes to grains on her farm and, as such, is no longer growing potatoes. The story, however, remains a good depiction of what goes in to getting potato seed in the ground and how the potato ends up on your dinner table.]

Part of my objective with this food blog is to showcase food products produced on PEI and the producers and farmers behind them. In this story, I will introduce you to Lori Robinson, a fifth generation PEI potato farmer. Lori is Farm Manager at Eric C. Robinson Inc. in Albany, PEI.

I hope that this feature story will shed a little light on just where the bags of potatoes that you pick up at the supermarket come from or where the potatoes that go into making potato chips originate.

For the land mass size of our Province, PEI produces a lot of potatoes. According to the Prince Edward Island Potato Board, there were 89,000 acres of potatoes grown on PEI in 2013. The Board tells me there were approximately 45 varieties grown in commercial quantities and more than double that amount when those that are being grown in test plots or market gardens or for limited specialty markets are included. An economic impact study completed a little over a year ago determined that the potato industry is worth just over a billion dollars annually to the PEI economy directly and in spin-off effects.[1]

Individual potato farms on PEI range in size. The Robinson farm grows around 500 acres of potatoes annually in rotation with soybeans, barley, and forages. For the past five months, I have been following Lori from the time she planted the spuds in the ground back in May to their harvesting in October and ending with the washing and packaging process that is now, at the time of writing, underway at the farm.

Let’s begin by finding out what led Lori in her career choice to become a potato farmer. I think it would be fair to say that Lori grew up with potato farming in her bloodline. Her great, great grandfather began growing potatoes in Augustine Cove, PEI, in the early 1800s and successive generations have continued the tradition. She says her decision “to become a potato farmer was part tradition, part general interest in all things science based, and part desire to work with other members of her family in a family-owned and operated business in PEI”. By the time Lori was in her mid to late teens, she knew what her career path would be – she would study agriculture at university and become a farmer.

Lori holds a Bachelor of Science in Agriculture from the University of Guelph where she majored in Agriculture Business. While Lori will be the first to tell you her university degree did not specifically teach her much about growing potatoes (she learned that by doing), her education did teach her how to think critically, solve problems, and manage human and financial resources. These are all skills useful to today’s commercial farmers. Farming is much more than planting seed in the ground and waiting for the produce to grow.

In 2013, Lori grew 15 different varieties of potatoes. This year, 35% of their crop will be used to make potato chips at Frito Lay, 20% will be used for seed, and 45% will be for table stock – the ones that will make it on to our dinner tables. The seed potatoes will be used to plant the farm’s crop next year and also to sell to other potato growers. The potatoes in the large storage bin behind Lori in the photo below are next year’s Norland seed.

Today’s commercial potato farming is very scientific and controlled. Lori points out that “seed potatoes must be inspected in the field by Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) agents and then tested in an accredited laboratory to ensure that disease levels (viruses) are below a certain percentage before the seed receives certification to be replanted the following year”. It is interesting to note that seed potatoes can be used as table stock but table stock potatoes cannot be used as seed.

The Island spuds will travel. Lori’s farm sells both the seed potatoes and table stock in Canada and the United States while the “chipstock” (those used to make potato chips) will be sold in Canada and the United States as well as in Indonesia, Thailand, and Guatemala. You just never know where you might be eating an Island potato!

All professions have their challenges as well as their sources of satisfaction. Lori says her biggest challenge is finding an adequate number of staff to work on the farm and in their packing house. She currently employs 14 year-round, full time staff and 4-5 seasonal employees from late September to late June. In terms of job satisfaction as a potato farmer, Lori has this to say: “Harvesting a good crop of high-quality potatoes that I eventually see in our local Superstores provides me with a great sense of satisfaction. No two years in potato farming are ever alike. Many new challenges come up every year, every growing season. There is always something new to learn about farming. The need to overcome these challenges to remain successful and the desire to learn new things are what motivate me and make me passionate about my job as a potato farmer.”

Lori has been potato farming for 20 years, continuing on in a long line of successful potato farmers in her family. I asked her what she attributes the success of her potato farm to. She says her predecessors “recognized the importance of good land stewardship in order to achieve the balance between economic viability and environmental sustainability”. Lori has carried on these traditions and philosophy while adding a few of her own ideas along the way to maintain the success of their potato farming operation and carry it into the future.

Lori is very much a hands-on farmer. She actually gets on a tractor and works in the fields herself in the spring doing land preparation work that occurs prior to planting. On May 29, 2013, when I arrived at a huge long field waiting to be planted in North Carleton, PEI, I found Lori and her crew planting Dakota Pearl potatoes. That’s Lori up on the planter on the right-hand side checking to make sure things are working as intended.

The farm operates with 7 John Deere tractors, 1 planter, 2 sprayers, 7 tandem trucks, 2 windrowers, 1 harvester, and 3 telescopic pilers.

Farm sizes and farming methods and machinery have changed over the years for sure. I asked Lori what she sees as the biggest changes in potato farming over the years. For her, one change really stands out – input costs for potato farming continually increase while the price farmers receive for the potatoes is relatively unchanged from the days when her grandfather sold potatoes. She also says that a big change has been in the advancement of technology, mainly in the use of GPS for field operations. Lori also notes that, while the Robinson farm has remained relatively the same size since she started farming 20 years ago, most well-established farms on PEI have grown larger at the expense of a number of smaller farms going out of business due to financial strain or lack of a succession plan.

So, let’s look at the timeline of the potato season at the Robinson farm on PEI.

May 29, 2013 – Planting

Potato Seed (aka potato sets) — Potato Seed

It all begins with the potato seed for this field of Dakota Pearl variety.

Loading the Setter with Seed — Loading the Planter with Seed

And, well-tilled fertile soil.

And a planter full of potato seed along with some fertilizer.

A good John Deere tractor helps, too!

And, the seed is in the ground!

June 20, 2013 – Fertilizing and Hilling

Field work continues through the growing season to ensure a good crop of potatoes (yes, that’s the Confederation Bridge in the background and, yes, PEI soil really is that red!).

July 2, 2013 – Potato Plants Growing

By early July, there is evidence that the potato plants are growing well – look at that gorgeous emerald green color against the rich red soil of PEI!

July 20, 2013 – Potato Blossoms

A drive by the field in mid-July reveals that the Dakota Pearls are out in blossom!

The field is abloom with white blossoms that have tiny bright yellow centers.

This is a super long field!

September 30, 2013 – Harvesting

By September 30th, harvesting was underway on the Robinson farm. On this day, I found the crew harvesting the Norland variety (deep red-skinned potatoes) in Albany, not far from the Confederation Bridge.

Two windrowers (one two-row and one four-row) were working the field in advance of the harvester, and moving the freshly-dug potatoes over into the drills where the harvester would pick them up while digging two more rows of potatoes itself at the same time.

This means that the harvester is picking up a total of eight rows of potatoes as it moves down the field.

The harvest days are long and dependent upon good weather and, of course, no mechanical breakdowns.

Once the truck is full of spuds, it heads to the warehouse and an empty truck comes alongside the harvester to be filled as they move in tandem down the long drills of potatoes.

At the warehouse, the spuds are offloaded from the truck on to the conveyer belt that takes them into a small grading house just outside the warehouse where three employees remove any stones, plant particles, or damaged or spoiled potatoes.

From there, via conveyer belt to a bin piler, the potatoes make their way into a huge warehouse that is divided off into separate bins for the different varieties of potatoes.

In the photo below, the man is standing on top of 1/2 million pounds of potatoes in order to insert a temperature probe down into the pile of potatoes to monitor any significant rises in temperature in the middle of the pile which would signal attention needed.

The warehouse is temperature-controlled to maintain the freshness and quality of the potatoes.

By the end of the first day of harvest, 3/4 million pounds of potatoes will have been dug and stored in the warehouse.

Three different sizes of the red potatoes dug on this day will be destined for different uses. The smallest on the lower left of the photo below are mainly sold for restaurant trade where they would be roasted or baked. The next size up are sold in 2 lb or 3 lb bags to grocery stores. Consumers would typically purchase these potatoes to use for roasting or baking at home. The largest of the three sizes are sold in 5 lb poly and 10 lb paper bags to grocery store chains in Canada and the United States for sale mostly as baking potatoes.

In the photo below you can see some of the freshly dug Norlands I brought home with me after my field visit. You’ll find the recipe I used them in at the end of this posting.

Early November, 2013

Before the potatoes make their way to market, they are graded, washed, and packaged on the farm.

Once the potatoes are packaged, they are ready for shipping to markets.

Pallet of Potatoes Graded, Washed, and Packed Ready for Shipping

Small Bags of Potatoes Ready for Grocery Stores

Working with potatoes day in and day out, I was curious as to Lori’s favourite potato dishes. She tells me her favourite way to serve potatoes is to simply toss some small red potatoes with olive oil and herbs and roast them in the oven. She also likes the potato lasagne recipe found on the Prince Edward Island Potatoes Website.

There is nothing like fresh produce straight from the rich red soil of PEI. The day I visited the Robinson farm during harvesting season in early October, I brought some of the Norlands home with me. These beautiful red-skinned variety potato with white flesh are a multi-use potato (they are good boiled, roasted, baked, in salads, and scalloped). I am presenting them here in my favourite old-fashioned scalloped potatoes recipe.

[1] Source: Prince Edward Island Potato Board, 30 October 2013

My Island Bistro Kitchen’s Old-fashioned Scalloped Potatoes

1¾ lbs. potatoes (about 3 medium-sized), peeled and sliced about 1/8” thick

1 medium onion, sliced in rings

1½ cups milk

1 tsp liquid chicken bouillon

½ tsp Dijon mustard

2 tbsp flour or cornstarch

Pinch nutmeg

Salt and pepper, to taste

3 tbsp melted butter

½ cup grated cheddar cheese

Paprika

Method:

Preheat oven to 350F.

Assemble ingredients.

Spray or grease a 1½-quart casserole.

Place a layer of sliced potatoes in casserole.

Add a layer of sliced onions.

Repeat potato and onion layers to fill casserole.

In microwaveable bowl, whisk together the milk, chicken bouillon, Dijon mustard, flour or cornstarch, nutmeg, salt, and pepper. Microwave for about a minute, then stir and add the melted butter and 2½ – 3 tbsp. grated cheese. Microwave 1-2 minutes, just until mixture is heated and starts to thicken slightly, stirring once or twice.

Pour warm sauce over the potatoes and onions in the casserole.

Sprinkle with remaining grated cheese and paprika.

Bake, covered, for about 1 hour. Remove cover and continue to bake until potatoes are fork tender, about 20 minutes, or so. Remove from oven and let sit 10-15 minutes before serving. Serves 4-6.

Serve with ham and your favorite side vegetable.

Tips:

Using whole milk or a blend of whole milk and cream will make creamier scalloped potatoes.

Removing the cover during the latter part of the baking process will give the scalloped potatoes a nice crust on top.

Scalloped potatoes have a tendency to boil out of the casserole. To avoid a messy oven clean-up job, place a piece of tin foil on a large baking pan and set the casserole on it. Lightly spraying the tin foil will also make it easier to remove the casserole from the baking pan should the contents bubble out.

My thanks to Lori Robinson for allowing me to follow her potato operation over the past season and for answering my multitude of questions.

Thank you for visiting “the Bistro” today.

Be sure to visit my new Facebook page at My Island Bistro Kitchen. You may also wish to follow me on twitter @PEIBistro and on Pinterest at “Island Bistro Kitchen”.

Breakfast, Field Trips, General, Recipes

A Visit to Burns Poultry Farm in Freetown, PEI

August 27, 2013 Barbara99 1 Comment

The Burns Family (Photo: Lynda MacSwain. Submitted by Wendy Burns with permission.) — The Burns Family – 7th Generation PEI Egg Farmers
(Photo: Lynda MacSwain. Submitted by Wendy Burns with permission.)

I have a keen interest in where the food I eat is produced. Recently, I visited Burns Poultry Farm in Freetown, PEI, to find out about egg production. There are five active registered egg-producing poultry farms on PEI, one of which is the Burns farm.

Before seeing the egg grading process in action, I sat down with Wendy Burns to find out about their poultry farm. Wendy’s husband, Nathan, is a 7^th generation egg farmer on PEI so the Burns family knows a thing or two about egg production! Wendy and Nathan bought the poultry farm from Nathan’s parents in 2001. Wendy remarks that, from the time he was very young, Nathan had a keen interest in poultry farming and knew what his future vocation was going to be! Wendy manages the office, the accounting, and payroll while Nathan tends to the feed formulations, egg production, and egg grading.

The couple met while attending Nova Scotia Agricultural College, from which they both graduated – Nathan from the Agricultural Engineering Program and Wendy with a Bachelor of Science in Agriculture. In addition to being parents to four active growing children, this couple has transformed their egg farm into a very efficient family business. They have expanded existing barns; built a new barn for the laying hens; added a bigger generator with an automatic switch that kicks in if the farm is without power for 5 seconds; expanded their cooler capacity; invested in a new egg packer that packs eggs each day from their laying barns; upgraded their water systems to provide ozonated water for the hens which aids in their digestion; purchased a Pulsefog machine to disinfect the barns faster and more efficiently; and installed a state-of-the-art grading machine into their newly-renovated, federally-inspected egg grading station.

The Burns family holds quota for about 32,000 laying hens and they have three equally-sized barns that house the flock. With over 90% of the hens laying one egg per day, it is a lot of eggs to gather. Every time an egg is handled or moved, it increases the potential for damage or cracks. Wendy explains that, with their efficient collection system, it is possible for a hen to lay an egg and the egg not be touched by a human hand until the consumer takes it out of the carton or the restaurant chef cracks the egg on the grill. This is because the Burns’ have an “in-line” system that transfers the eggs from the barns via a conveyer belt to the grading station.

Conveyer belt connects all barns on Burns farm and transports the eggs to the grading station

The system the Burns have installed is all computerized so it allows the eggs to come from the barns, be counted, washed, candled, graded, packed, and in their cooler in approximately 15 minutes. Now, that’s what I call farm-fresh eggs!

I wasn’t able to go inside the barns where the hens are housed so I did not see any of the laying hens. This is because of their on-farm food safety program and biosecurity protocol. Wendy says “the goal is to maintain a consistent, undisturbed environment for the birds because deviations from their normal habitat could affect their well-being and, consequently, egg production”. On a daily basis, only Nathan and two workers are permitted inside the barns. A walk-through of each barn is done twice per day and each row of hens is checked to ensure the birds have enough water and feed and that their environment is comfortable. Nathan also checks the barns each evening after all the feedings are finished to ensure all is well before lights out. Wendy explains that the only other person permitted to enter the barns is the inspector from the Egg Farmers of Canada. “The inspector makes several site visits each year where the birds are counted and swabs are taken for testing to ensure there are no diseases present”, explains Wendy. The inspector also audits their Start-Clean/Stay-Clean records to ensure all protocols follow the guidelines of their On Farm Food Safety Program.

Wendy was able to tell me about their flock. At the time of my visit, the hens were all one breed – Lohmanns. They all lay white eggs but Wendy says that the farm placed some brown egg layers in the grow barn last cycle and those hens will begin to lay brown eggs in September. The highest expense in the operation is the feed. The Burns monitor feed consumption to ensure the hens are getting adequate nutrition. The hens need different levels of nutrients, such as calcium and protein, at different ages. This ensures bird health is maintained and the hens produce the best quality of eggs possible.

It takes 18-19 weeks for a chick to become a laying hen. The chicks arrive in batches of about 12,000, two or three times a year. Wendy says that it is always an exciting day on the farm, as you can imagine, with four young children seeing 12,000 baby chicks arriving all at once! The Burns have three production barns that house the hens, each containing a flock of hens of a certain age – i.e., 20 weeks apart in age. This means their farm can ensure a steady supply of high-quality fresh eggs for customers year round.

I asked Wendy what determines the different sizes of eggs. She tells me that it is the weight of the egg that will determine if it is a small, medium, large, or extra large egg. Younger hens typically lay smaller eggs and the average egg size increases as the hens age. Generally, medium, large, and extra large eggs are packed for the fresh shell egg market while the other sizes are sent off for industrial use – for example, dried for cake mixes, frozen, liquid whole egg, or whites only. No eggs, regardless of size, are wasted.

Weight of an egg determines if it is a small, medium, large, or extra-large egg

Eggs are a supply-managed commodity. The egg industry is heavily regulated and the Burns must comply with the regulations of the Egg Farmers of Canada and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, in terms of housing the hens, cage density, sanitation programs, welfare of the birds, and pest control. There is a lot of record-keeping involved in the operation of an egg farm and egg-grading station. All food safety-based programs are in place to ensure the safest possible supply of eggs for consumers.

Wendy tells me that the “Best Before” date of graded eggs is six (6) weeks from the date they are graded. She also explains that washing the eggs, which is an obvious necessity, reduces the shelf life of eggs as it removes the natural sealant that the hens leave on the eggs when they are laid.

I asked Wendy what their biggest challenge is as egg farmers. She says she has concerns over the possibility that, at some point, supply management of the egg industry could be disbanded. This is the Canadian system that regulates quota and, consequently, egg production. If that was to happen, anybody could build a barn and start large-scale egg production, with no food safety procedures, no testing protocol, or no rules. As Wendy explains, “currently, registered egg producers pay levies that pay for their food safety protocols, testing, and ensure there is no surplus of eggs on the market which could impact negatively on their chance of a fair return for their investments and hard work.” As Wendy says, “being a regulated producer is a big investment but it provides stability without relying on government dollars as it is producer-funded”.

As for their greatest source of satisfaction as egg farmers, Wendy says she and Nathan work well together and the couple enjoy being their own boss. They like the challenge that comes with no two days being the same on the farm. Wendy tells me she really enjoys the lifestyle of living and working on the farm as it allows her to be home with her children before they catch the school bus and greet them when they return home in the afternoon.

The day I visited the Burns farm, they were busy with their egg grading which takes place once a week. By the end of the day, they would have graded approximately 55,000 eggs for market!

Some of the activities in the egg grading process

The number of eggs graded is determined by what the farm can sell as graded product. On days when no grading is taking place, the eggs are packed on to plastic trays by a farm packer machine, loaded on to pallets, and refrigerated. Eggs that are surplus to fresh markets are sold as industrial product.

Large Cartons of Eggs Ready for Shipping

The farm employs three individuals full-time on a year-round basis and six individuals on a part-time basis.

So, some interesting egg trivia I learned:

– egg shells are made up mostly of calcium – the better the quality of egg shell, the less likelihood there will be of cracked eggs.

– the color of the egg shell (white or brown) is determined by the genetics of the hen, not by diet.

– the color of the egg yolk is determined by what grains the hens are fed (yes, there really is a difference in the color of egg yolks — paler yolks result when paler grains are fed, such as barley or wheat, and a richer yolk color results when corn is in the feed)

– according to the Egg Farmers of PEI Website, Island egg farmers produced 3,304,300 dozen eggs in 2012 and about 50% of those were consumed by Islanders! That’s a lot of eggs!

Nathan and Wendy are marketing their eggs through ADL Foods. The public may purchase the eggs on-site at the ADL Foods Retail Outlet in Reads Corner on Highway 1A in Summerside. ADL Foods also sells Burns Poultry Farm’s eggs by the box to many Island restaurants so, chances are, if you have eaten an egg at an Island restaurant that gets its eggs from ADL Foods, you may have eaten an egg produced by this 7^th generation PEI family farm.

I used Burns’ eggs in the following recipe for Baked Eggs with Basil Pesto and Cheese.

Baked Eggs with Basil Pesto and Cheese

Ingredients:

2 large eggs

3 tsp basil pesto

4 tsp grated Parmesan cheese

2 tbsp milk or cream

1 green onion, sliced

Fresh chives, chopped

Salt and pepper, to taste

2-3 tsp Boursin Garlic and Fine Herbs cheese, or your favorite feta cheese

Method:

Assemble ingredients.

Preheat oven to 325C.

Spray two ramekins dishes with cooking spray. Place 1 ½ tsp pesto in bottom of each dish and swirl it around so bottom of ramekin are covered with pesto. Sprinkle 1 – 2 tsp parmesan cheese on top of pesto. Crack one egg into each ramekin without breaking the yolk. Add 1 tbsp milk or cream to each dish. Sprinkle each with sliced green onions and fresh chives. Add salt and pepper to taste. Top with 1 to 1 ½ tsp soft cheese.

Place ramekins in oven-proof baking pan. Fill up pan with boiling water until it reaches the half-way point on the sides of the ramekins.

Bake eggs for 10-20 minutes, depending on whether you like eggs runny, medium, or well done.

Serves: 2

This egg dish is perfect for a special weekend morning breakfast or brunch or even for a light supper.

My thanks to Nathan and Wendy Burns for taking time out of a busy day to meet with me and explain the egg production process at their farm.

Baked Eggs with Basil Pesto and Cheese

This egg dish is perfect for a special weekend morning breakfast or brunch or even for a light supper.

Course Breakfast

Cuisine Canadian

Keyword baked eggs, eggs

Servings 2

My Island Bistro Kitchen Barbara99

Ingredients

2 large eggs
3 tsp basil pesto
4 tsp grated Parmesan cheese
2 tbsp milk or cream
1 green onion, sliced
Fresh chives, chopped
Salt and pepper, to taste
2-3 tsp Boursin Garlic and Fine Herbs cheese, or your favorite feta cheese

Instructions

Assemble ingredients.
Preheat oven to 325C.
Spray two ramekins dishes with cooking spray. Place 1½ tsp pesto in bottom of each dish and swirl it around so bottom of ramekin are covered with pesto. Sprinkle 2 tsp parmesan cheese on top of pesto in each ramekin. Crack one egg into each ramekin without breaking the yolk. Add 1 tbsp milk or cream to each dish. Sprinkle each with sliced green onions and fresh chives. Add salt and pepper to taste. Top with 1 to 1½ tsp soft cheese.
Place ramekins in oven-proof baking pan. Fill up pan with boiling water until it reaches the half-way point on the sides of the ramekins.
Bake eggs for 10-20 minutes, depending on whether you like eggs runny, medium, or well done.

Recipe Notes

Serves: 2

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Field Trips, General, Out and About, Table Manners & Etiquette, Tablescapes

Dining and Guest Etiquette

June 15, 2013 Barbara99

It’s the beginning of the season of wedding receptions, summer dinner events, get-togethers, and banquets. I thought this might be a good time to post an article on dining and guest etiquette. Many of us, at one time or another, have probably found ourselves at a dinner event, sat down to a somewhat crowded table with heavily laden place settings that displayed more cutlery and glassware than imaginable and wondered, hmmm, which bread plate was ours – the one on the left or on the right of the place setting. Or, perhaps you have wondered what to do if your neighbour to the left has started to use your bread and butter plate thinking it was his or hers. Maybe you have deliberated over which utensil to use. Perhaps you have wondered if it is proper to tilt or pick up a soup bowl to get the last drop of that yummy soup. For answers to these and other guest and dining etiquette questions, I contacted Tina Lesyk, Banquet and Catering Coordinator at The Culinary Institute of Canada in Charlottetown, PEI. I first introduced you to Tina in May 2012 when I posted a feature on how to properly set a table.

The purpose of learning and practicing proper table manners is to feel comfortable at any table, not insult your host or hostess and, in the case of business functions, it is essential for professional success. Let’s face it, no one wants to embarrass him or herself in these social situations. Follow the basic guidelines outlined below and you’ll be well on your way to being a model dinner guest in any setting, whether that be at a dinner in a private home, in a restaurant, or at a formal or state dinner. For a description and explanation of the elements of place settings, please see my earlier posting “Let’s Set the Table”.

First, let’s begin with some general tips on dining and guest etiquette.

General Dining Etiquette

– The old rule still holds true – elbows off the table when food is present.

– You should sit in the chair so that your back does not actually touch the back of the chair – this forces you to sit up straight.

– Everyone, leave the tech gadgets away from the table. Out of respect for the host/hostess and other guests, put cell phones on vibrate. If you absolutely must take a call during dinner, never answer the phone at the table in the presence of the host/hostess and other guests. Excuse yourself and move to another room to discretely take the call. The same applies to making a telephone call.

– Never use a toothpick while at the table. Picking food out of your teeth in front of fellow guests and the host or hostess is not appropriate conduct.

– If you drop a piece of cutlery on the floor, leave it there; do not retrieve it. If you are in a restaurant, signal to the waiter to bring you a replacement. If at a private event at someone’s house, ask your host/hostess for a replacement.

– If you find you have taken a bite of food that has a piece of gristle or small bone in it, do not make a big scene or draw attention about it. As discretely as possible, remove the item with your fork (the utensil it went into the mouth with) and set it to the side of your plate.

– If you have a severe food allergy, advise your host/hostess in advance of the function.

– If you are served a food that you do not like and cannot eat, make no mention of it; rather, simply go through the motions of moving the food around the plate.

– Never push the plate away from you when you have finished eating and do not stack up plates, utensils, and so forth, from your place setting – you may think you are helping but this gets in the way of the servers’ techniques for clearing tables.

– Applying lipstick, combing hair, and so forth are considered grooming activities, inappropriate for the dining table.

Napkins

The purpose of the napkin is to protect clothing by acting as a shield or guard for spills and, if necessary, to dab the fingers and mouth, and remove traces of food particles from the outside of the mouth.

– Remove the napkin from the place setting and place it on your lap immediately upon being seated at the table.

– For a normal-sized napkin, completely unfold the napkin and place it on your lap. It is not considered appropriate (and there is no need) to “shake” a napkin out of its fold. Simply, and very discretely, unfold the napkin.

– If the napkin is exceptionally large, fold it in half and, with the fold of the napkin facing you, place it on your lap.

– The napkin always goes on the lap and is never tucked into the collar and used as a bib.

– The napkin remains on your lap during the entire meal. If you need to temporarily leave the table during the meal, loosely bunch up the napkin and place it to the left of your plate. When you return to the table, re-place the napkin on your lap. At one time, the general rule was to place the napkin on the seat of your chair during a temporary absence from the table. However, there are a couple of issues with this that suggest an alternative location for the napkin may be preferable. First, the napkin may have food particles on it that will stain an upholstered chair and may also stain your clothing or leave crumbs on the chair when you return to the seat. Second, given the sole use of a napkin is to dab the mouth, many do not want to use that napkin for that purpose after it has laid on the seat of a chair that is used for, uh, sitting on the derrière. One never knows how clean those chairs are! Now, when bunching up the napkin that has stains or food particles on it, you will want to loosely fold the napkin in such a way that the stains/food particles are not visible when you temporarily leave the napkin on the table during your absence; leave the napkin, clean side up. You will also want to make sure your napkin does not touch the elements of the place settings of your neighbors to the left and to the right.

– A napkin is not a tissue or handkerchief so avoid using it to blow your nose (Note – you should excuse yourself from the table before blowing your nose).

– At the end of the meal, loosely bunch up the napkin and place it to the left side of your place setting, not on the dirty plate. A paper napkin, however, could be left on the [dirty] plate since the napkin will be discarded anyway.

Cutlery

– If the cutlery is already on the table, begin using the utensils placed farthest away from the plate (assuming there is more than one fork and knife at the place setting). If there is no cutlery at the place setting when you sit down at the table, this means the host/hostess will bring the necessary utensils with each course of the meal.

– Never gesture or point with a piece of cutlery.

Proper Ways to Hold Cutlery While Eating

There are two main styles – American and European.

American

Normally, with this style, you hold the fork in the hand you write with. For demonstration purposes, I will describe the procedure for someone who is right-handed.

Hold the fork in your left hand and the knife in the right.

With fork tines facing down, gently spear the food with the fork to hold it in place as you cut the food. Once a bite-sized piece has been cut, rest the knife diagonally across the upper right edge of the plate. Switch the fork to your right hand and, with tines facing up, pick up the food and transfer it to the mouth.

If there is a pause in eating a course during the meal (e.g., to take a sip of water or briefly leave the table), there is a way to signal to the wait staff that you have not yet finished eating. Lay the fork, tines facing up, as shown in the photo below and place the knife, diagonally on the upper right-hand corner of the plate. Note that, once the knife has been picked up from the table, it should not touch the table again during the meal.

American Style for Cutlery Position During Brief Pause in Eating

At the conclusion of the course, place the knife and fork together (fork tines up), parallel to each other at about the 4:30 clock position on the plate to signal to the wait staff that you have finished eating.

Placement of Cutlery at Conclusion of Course

European

With this style, the fork remains in the left hand and the knife in the right for the entire meal. Food that needs to be cut is speared gently with the fork and cut with the knife held in the right hand. The knife is used to push food onto the back of the fork. The food is then transferred to the mouth with the fork, tines facing down, held in the left hand.

If there is a significant pause during the course, the fork and knife are placed on the plate as shown in the photo below.

European Style for Placement of Cutlery During Brief Pause in Eating or Short Absence from the Table

At the conclusion of the course, place the knife and fork together (fork tines facing down) at about the 4:30 clock position on the plate to signal to the wait staff that you have finished eating. This would be the same as the American style with the only difference being that the fork tines would face downward toward the plate.

Which is mine?

– Follow this easy trick for remembering which bread and butter plate and which glass is yours: With your left hand, touch the tip of your first finger to your thumb. You will see it makes a lowercase “b” shape; “b” stands for “bread” – it goes on the left of the place setting, aligning with your left hand. Now, do the same thing with the first finger and thumb of your right hand. This makes a lowercase “d” shape. The “d” stands for “drink” and drinks go the right of the place setting, aligning with your right hand.

– If you find your neighbour has already starting using your bread and butter plate, discretely ask your host/hostess (if at a private dinner party) or your server at an event to bring you another.

Bread and Rolls

– Break bread and rolls with your fingers (as opposed to cutting with a knife). The knife is provided for buttering the bread or roll, not cutting it.

– If the bread or roll is served cold, take the butter pod and place it on to the bread and butter plate provided and butter each piece/bite of the broken bread or roll at a time as you eat each bite.

– If the bread or roll arrives warm at the table, break it apart and butter each broken section all at once to let the butter melt.

Soup

– The appropriate way to consume soup is to scoop it away from you as you will be less likely to spill or splash it on yourself.

– Do not place the entire bowl of the soup spoon in the mouth. Rather, sip the soup from the spoon.

– It goes without saying that there should be no ‘slurping’ noise during the soup-eating process!

– If the soup is too hot to comfortably consume, wait for it to cool. It is never considered proper etiquette to blow on the soup or stir it vigorously to cool it.

– It is inappropriate to dip bread in the soup as a way to gather up the soup – this is what a soup spoon is for.

– It is acceptable to tip the bowl ever so slightly away from you to scoop up the last bit of soup.

Acceptable to Slightly Tip the Soup Bowl up and away from you to Scoop up Remaining Soup

– It is not appropriate to lift the bowl up and hold it close to the mouth as you consume the soup.

– If the soup bowl has been served on a server plate, place the spoon on the server plate once you have finished the soup. If there is no server plate provided, leave the spoon in the bowl.

Wine

– If you are not a wine drinker, or do not want any wine with the meal, there are two ways to handle the situation when wine is being served: 1) discretely place your hand on top of the wine glass as the server approaches you with the wine. This will signal to the server that you do not wish to partake; or 2) simply let the server pour the wine and just do not drink it. The key is always discretion – you don’t want to make an issue of anything or draw attention to yourself.

– The proper way to hold a wine glass is by the stem so that your hand does not warm the wine or that fingerprints get left on the goblet itself, making it look smudgy. Holding the glass by the stem is also considered to give you better control when moving the wine in the glass and tasting it.

– Monitor your consumption – if several wines are being served throughout the meal, it is completely acceptable etiquette not to finish every glass. Intoxication does not make a good dinner guest.

Starting to Eat

– Wait for everyone at the table to be served before starting to eat. This applies to each course of the meal. If you are at a private dinner, it is proper etiquette to wait until the host/hostess picks up his or her fork before starting to eat unless, of course, the host/hostess tells you to start while he or she is still continuing with the dinner preparations and serving other guests.

– If food bowls, platters, etc., are being passed around the table for guests to serve themselves and one is starting with you (i.e., you pick up the bowl or platter directly in front of your place setting), offer it first to the person on your left while holding it for him/her to serve him/herself. Then serve yourself and pass the item to the person on your right. Always send everything to the right around the table and never directly pass items to guests across the table.

– Never intercept food being passed. For example, if someone asks for the basket of rolls to be passed, do not sneak a roll from the basket as it is going by you. Rather, after the requester has been served, ask for the item to be passed back to you.

Salt and Pepper Shakers

– Salt and pepper shakers should always travel in a set together even if someone ask for just the salt or pepper to be passed to him or her. This is because the next person looking for them will find them together, not orphaned here and there somewhere on the table and end up having two people passing them from different directions along to the requester. When someone ask you to pass him or her the salt and pepper, set them down on the table in front of the requester. This is the preferred method as there is less chance of dropping the items or upsetting them as could happen if they were transferred hand to hand.

– It is considered proper etiquette to always taste the food before seasoning it or you may insult the chef/host/hostess who has prepared the food – theory being that the chef has already properly seasoned the dish before serving it.

Special Food Items

Ever wonder what foods must be eaten with a fork and knife and which ones are acceptable to be eaten with the fingers? Here are some of the more common foods which are acceptable to be eaten with the fingers:

Asparagus (unless covered in a sauce)

Crispy bacon (ever chase a piece of crispy bacon with a fork around the plate as you try to capture it or cut it with a knife and the bacon lands on your neighbour’s plate?)

Oysters (probably the only, or one of very few, foods that can be acceptably eaten with a ‘slurping’ sound!)

Corn on the Cob

Pizza

Crostini

Artichokes

Chicken Wings

Ribs

Shrimp

Cookie served with a dessert (the cookie is considered a finger food)

Dinner Conversation

– Stay with topics that are neutral and of general interest, non-conflictual in nature – the old advice about avoiding discussions on politics and religion still holds true. The last thing you want to do is to instigate, or become engaged in, a heated discussion that leaves everyone around the table uncomfortable or at odds with each other.

– Do not discuss food allergies, health issues, or bad experiences with food. The fact that you may be lactose intolerant, have irritable bowel syndrome, or once got violently sick from eating shellfish, or have had food poisoning, does not make these subjects suitable table topics. As they say, that’s way too much information and detail, particularly at a dinner table where food is being served. Nothing can zap an appetite faster than to have a dinner guest regaling at length the graphic details of a bad food experience.

My thanks again to Tina Lesyk for taking the time to chat with me about proper guest etiquette and to share her extensive knowledge on the topic. We certainly haven’t covered every aspect of dining etiquette but, hopefully, we have covered the main points. Happy dining!

Thank you for visiting “the Bistro” today. There are lots of ways to connect with “the Bistro” through social media:

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Field Trips, General, Out and About, Vegetables

Asparagus Bundles and a Visit to an Island Asparagus Farm

May 20, 2013 Barbara99 2 Comments

June 2019 Update: Tim Dixon, mentioned in this blog post, is no longer producing asparagus for sale.

Yesterday, I paid a visit to Tim Dixon in North Tryon, PEI. Amongst other crops grown on the family farm, Tim grows a small acreage of asparagus which he markets to Island restaurants and also sells at the farm gate.

Tim Dixon with freshly picked asparagus from his North Tryon, PEI Farm — Tim Dixon with freshly picked asparagus from his North Tryon, PEI, Farm

Below is a photo of an asparagus spear just about ready to be harvested.

Tim has been growing asparagus since 2000 and presently has acreage that yields between 500-700 pounds of this spring vegetable annually. I asked Tim why he decided to grow asparagus and he tells me he was looking to diversify his crop planting and was also looking for a market niche.

There are several varieties of asparagus but the bulk of Tim’s crop is the Jersey Giant variety. The asparagus is planted in springtime and is grown from crowns planted 1 foot deep in the rich red soil not far from the Tryon River. It usually takes a couple of years for the asparagus from a crown to be fully ready to be harvested.

Despite its Mediterranean origins and liking heat, Tim says asparagus is a hardy plant that only requires a light discing in the spring, a coating of manure, and some weed control. Tim says winter kill is not an issue for asparagus and a crown will generally produce spears for about 15 years.

Asparagus is one of the first vegetables of spring on PEI. Harvesting usually begins around Victoria Day in mid-May and continues until the end of June/first of July. When the spears are 6”-8” tall, Tim hand-picks them by snapping the spears off the stock, not cutting them. He tells me that the rule of thumb for harvesting asparagus is to pick for one week in the first year after planting, then 2 weeks the next, 3 weeks in year 3, up to 6 weeks of harvesting for mature asparagus.

Tim says the local community is very supportive and neighbours are amongst his best customers. On the farm, he sells both 1-pound and 2-pound bags of fresh asparagus. I asked him if he knew how his neighbours were preparing the asparagus and he says, typically, many steam or sauté the spears.

A standard-sized portion serving is 5 spears. Asparagus plates well because of its long, slender, vivid green spears and pointed flower heads that can range in color from dark green to tints of deep purple. It adds presentation, texture, and flavour to a meal. Asparagus has an earthy, unique taste and pairs well with poultry, seafood, and pasta. There are endless ways to prepare asparagus. One of my favourite ways to prepare asparagus is to mist it with a good quality olive oil, sprinkle it with freshly ground pepper, sea salt, and finely grated parmesan cheese and then barbeque it in a veggie basket over the open flame.

For maximum freshness, this vegetable is best used within 2-3 days of picking; however, asparagus will last up to near a week if stored in an open-ended plastic bag in the refrigerator. Wrap the woody ends of the spears in a damp paper towel to prolong their freshness. Be sure to trim off the woody ends before cooking.

My feature recipe today for asparagus is very simple. I tossed the spears with a light drizzle of Liquid Gold’s Arbequina extra virgin olive oil. Make sure you use a high quality olive oil for this dish.

For each serving I used a super-thin slice of prosciutto onto which I carefully spread a thin layer of spiced garlic and herb soft goat cheese. Be very gentle and careful with this step as prosciutto is very delicate and breaks apart easily.

Bundle together five spears and place them on the prosciutto slice. Sprinkle with freshly ground pepper and sea salt.

Gently wrap the prosciutto around the asparagus spears.

Transfer each bundle to a lightly greased baking sheet.

Bake at 375F for about 15 minutes.

I served the asparagus bundles with an almond-crusted stuffed chicken breast and duchess potatoes.

The Dixon Farm is located at 140 North Tryon Cross Road in North Tryon, PEI. To make arrangements to buy fresh Island asparagus, visit the farm or contact Tim Dixon by phone at 902-432-4771 or by email at dixonfarms1@live.com. Be sure to visit Tim’s website to learn more about the Dixon Farm.

Thank you for visiting “the Bistro” today. There are lots of ways to connect with “the Bistro” through social media:

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Field Trips, Out and About

PEI Burger Love 2013

April 25, 2013 Barbara99

"The Canadian Legend" Burger from the Lucy Maud Dining Room at the Culinary Institute of Canada, Charlottetown, PEI — “The Canadian Legend” Burger from the Lucy Maud Dining Room at the Culinary Institute of Canada, Charlottetown, PEI

For the third consecutive year, April has represented Burger Love on Prince Edward Island. Yes, that’s right, love of beef burgers! This year, 31 restaurants across the Island paid a $600 entry fee to cover advertising and promotion costs to participate in the month-long celebration of Island beef. PEI Burger Love has certainly created a hype and brought patrons to a number of Island restaurants to sample the array of gourmet beef burgers that chefs have created specially for the event. Make no mistake about it, these are not your average hamburgers. These are gourmet burgers that require a hefty appetite to do them justice.

Partnerships Forged to Support Initiative

PEI Burger Love, created by Fresh Media, is carried out in partnership with Prince Edward Island Cattle Producers, PEI Department of Agriculture and Forestry, PEI Flavours, PEI Potato Board, and the PEI Restaurant Association. The formation of this collaborative group has brought heightened awareness to PEI’s beef industry.

PEI Burger Love Grows in Popularity

In its inaugural year in 2011, a total of 14 Island restaurants participated with 5500 burgers being served in the month of April. Last year, 22 restaurants signed on and, collectively, sold over 16,000 burgers in just one month. I suspect, by the time, the event ends on April 30^th, the number of beef burgers consumed on PEI in the month of April, 2013, will have surpassed 2012 figures.

For the month of April, one would be hard-pressed to go anywhere on the Island without hearing some talk about PEI Burger Love. In workplaces, on the street, and just about anywhere, one could hear Islanders enthusiastically talking about and describing the burgers they had already tried and the ones still on their list. Social media has been used extensively in this awareness campaign and burgers have suddenly become the hottest and most photographed subjects around! Servers would bring burgers to the tables and, all of a sudden, cameras and cell phones appeared and started clicking! Photographs of burgers have been everywhere, including on twitter and on Facebook. This year, for the first time, PEI Burger Love engaged nine individuals, one of whom was me, to use blogging as a platform to further advertise the Burger Love campaign.

Overall, I believe Islanders have embraced this campaign and have had a lot of fun with it. It has not been uncommon throughout the month to see groups of as many as 20 heading to the local restaurants at any day at noon to try out the burgers. Even local businesses got in on the action. Staff of Century 21 Colonial Realty in Charlottetown, for example, select one restaurant a week, call ahead with their burger order, and then their entire team of real estate agents show up en masse with a video camera in tow. Joel Ives says they have been doing this since Burger Love began and find it’s a fun activity for their team while supporting local at the same time. Says Joel, “Our business is about being local – local homes, local businesses, and being in the community. We do our best to support local initiatives. When PEI Burger Love came out, we thought we could have some fun with it by going as a group to eat lunch together, have some laughs, and make some fun videos. Since all of our agents are busy doing their own thing, it is great that we can book off one lunch a week during the [Burger Love] campaign to get together.” You can check out the Century 21 fun videos here to see how one local business has embraced PEI Burger Love.

Diners are engaged in Burger Love fever too as they head to local dining establishments to order up the creative burgers. They can rate the burgers they eat by voting online for their favorite and win great prizes in the process as well as help crown the most popular burger in the 2013 Burger Love campaign.

Timing is Everything

April is traditionally a slower month for local restaurants because the tourist season hasn’t yet started but, this year, participating restaurants are hopping busy as burger lovers converge on their establishments to sample the many burger options. Linda Dickie, Food and Beverage Director at Mavor’s Restaurant in the Confederation Centre of the Arts, says they chose to participate in PEI Burger Love because they like to support local whenever possible and it brings awareness to the restaurant. According to Linda, Mavors sold 1700 burgers in the first couple of weeks of the campaign with the highest single day servings of 210 burgers!

Chef James Oja, who owns and operates The Big Orange Lunchbox restaurant in downtown Charlottetown, is a first-time participant in PEI Burger Love. He says the annual PEI Burger Love campaign “generates a busy month giving restaurants that participate a little warm-up for summer”. Chef Oja claims Island beef is the best beef in Atlantic Canada and that his “supplier, Bluefield Natural Products, provides superior beef that is richer in iron, antioxidants, flavour, and texture”.

Just How Many Burgers Can You Eat?

As I mentioned earlier, I was one of nine guest bloggers for PEI Burger Love this year and my assignment was to sample four of the burgers and blog about them. Now, I thought four burgers was a lot to consume in a little over a week. However, Connor Jay set himself the challenge to eat all 31 burgers….and he did… in just 14 days! Averaging two a day plus three on two different days, he proudly says there was one day that he ate two of these huge burgers within two hours! Asked why he decided to set out to eat all 31 burgers, Connor says he thought “it would be something fun to do and would be a great way to experience the Island“. He says he “loves the PEI Burger Love campaign and thought eating all 31 [burgers] would be a great opportunity to get other friends involved in it and that it would inspire them to go grab a burg“. I am also aware of a workplace where employees would order a couple of burgers from each of 3-4 restaurants for lunch each Friday in April, bring them back to their workplace, and cut them into quarters so that co-workers could have the opportunity to sample as many of the burgers as possible.

What’s in a Gourmet PEI Burger Love Burger?

Other than the requirement to use 100% Island beef in the burgers, chefs had unfettered licence to dress the burgers with whatever toppings they wanted and to prepare and present them as creatively as they wished. Suffice it to say that Island chefs rose to the challenge and created some mighty fine culinary creations with unique flavour combinations.

The meat in the burgers generally ranged in size from 6 oz to 9 oz and was prepared in different ways – some burgers were charred over an open flame while others were grilled or sautéed. Toppings ranged from candied bacon (yes, oh là là!) to nachos and salsa, coleslaw, bacon jam, Jalapeno peppers, various renditions of aioli, Portobello mushrooms, guacamole, and onions encased in wontons or presented as beer-battered onion rings, and just about anything else you could imagine going into these tall burgers. Then, there were the many variations of buns encasing all this goodness. One burger even had two grilled cheese sandwiches holding it in place instead of a traditional bun! And, of course, each restaurant creatively named their burger. Here are photographs of the four burgers I was assigned to sample as part of my blog assignment:

From the Gahan House in Charlottetown, PEI, comes the “Not’cha Burger” that features Tortilla chips, salsa, spicy cheese dip, and Jalapeno mayo to accessorize the beef burger.

"Not'cha Burger", Gahan House, Charlottetown, PEI — “Not’cha Burger”, Gahan House, Charlottetown, PEI

The “Canadian Legend Burger” was created by the Lucy Maud Dining Room, a teaching restaurant in the Culinary Institute of Canada. It features a gouda-stuffed burger accessorized with smoked tomato aioli, confit cherry tomato, bacon jam, candied bacon, and the best onion rings I have ever tasted.

The "Canadian Legend Burger" at the Lucy Maud Dining Room of the Culinary Institute of Canada, Charlottetown, PEI — The “Canadian Legend Burger” at the Lucy Maud Dining Room of the Culinary Institute of Canada, Charlottetown, PEI

The Prince William Dining Room of the Loyalist Inn in Summerside, PEI, presented the “Big Kuhuna Burger” that featured smoked bacon, banana peppers, a grilled pineapple ring, and guacamole.

The "Big Kahuna Burger" from the Prince William Dining Room of the Loyalist Inn, Summerside, PEI — The “Big Kahuna Burger” from the Prince William Dining Room of the Loyalist Inn, Summerside, PEI

The Old Triangle in downtown Charlottetown created the “Mr. Miyagi Burger” that included Hoisin BBQ sauce, Asian slaw, and caramelized onion wontons.

The "Mr. Miyagi Burger" from The Old Triangle in Charlottetown, PEI — The “Mr. Miyagi Burger” from The Old Triangle in Charlottetown, PEI

As you can see, these are huge, well accessorized burgers! If I had one suggestion for organizers for future PEI Burger Love campaigns it would be to consider also offering smaller versions (perhaps even slider size) for those who don’t have large appetites but yet who want to try out the burgers.

The gourmet burgers, on average, are in the $12-$14 range (burger only).

PEI Burger Love Surpasses Expectations

The Prince Edward Island Cattle Producers Association reports being pleased with the campaign. The Association gets great exposure for its industry and, as representative Rinnie Bradley says, they “are a small industry compared to dairy or potatoes so it has been difficult to get our message out to the general public that we are important to the Island’s economy. From truckers, to feed mills, vets, farm machine shops, to processing facilities and meat shops, the beef industry contributes significantly to our economy directly and indirectly.” Bradley says “PEI Burger Love 2013 has surpassed our expectations to date. We are very pleased that so many restaurants have signed on and that several new participants decided to include Island beef on their menus. We hope Islanders and visitors alike will get out and enjoy the amazing burgers, and seek out Island beef for their meals at home.”

So, Islanders, only 6 days left to get out and try some of these gourmet burgers before PEI Burger Love 2013 ends. This is a great way to show support for the local beef industry as well as the many Island restaurants which have chosen to participate in this campaign to promote Island beef. There is a burger out there for everyone’s taste!

POSTCRIPT (May 8, 2013):

The statistics are in for the 2013 Burger Love Campaign. A total of 46,204 beef burgers were sold in 31 participating restaurants during the month-long event in April. This translates into 21,917 pounds of beef consumed during this time period. Sales for the burgers during the month of April are estimated at $580,008.62. Voters selected “The Smokin’ Fox” from Phinley’s Diner in Stratford, just across the bridge from Charlottetown, PEI, as their “Most Loved Burger 2013”.

Not bad, PEI, not bad at all!

Field Trips, General, Out and About, Tablescapes, Winter

Tulip Tablescape and a Visit to Vanco Tulip Farm

January 30, 2013 Barbara99 4 Comments

Update 2019: While Vanco Farms still grow wonderful tulips in their Mount Albion greenhouses for sale and export, they no longer (as of January 2019) operate a retail outlet open to the public on the premises. Their fabulous tulips are, however, available locally at several retail outlets around PEI, including major supermarkets and florist shops.

It’s time again for me to share another tablesetting with you. This time I was preparing for a casual dinner party for six and I was featuring Island-grown tulips in my centerpiece. I wanted to keep the tablesetting very simple and streamlined, unpretentious, and understated. But first, let’s go on a field trip to Vanco Farms to get the tulips and find out about their tulip-growing operation.

Last week was the coldest week yet on Prince Edward Island this year. On Tuesday mid-afternoon, when I headed east out of Charlottetown, across the Hillsborough Bridge, I glanced at the computer screen on my dashboard and it was reading an outside temperature of a balmy -14C (without windchill factor which some days was down around the -30C to -34C range). As I drove along, I thought this was an interesting day to be heading to a tulip garden, a huge one at that.

I have often stopped by Vanco Farms in Mount Albion, about a 15-minute drive outside of Charlottetown, to pick up some of their fabulous tulips at their onsite retail outlet. While sometimes I do purchase the tulips at a local supermarket, there is something about buying product right at source – the freshness is unbeatable. Last winter, I was rarely without their tulips throughout the house and, particularly, on my dining table. I had contacted Vanco Farms last spring about doing this story in connection with a tablescape but it was near the end of their season and they suggested I wait till January when their greenhouse operation would be in full swing.

As is the case with several stories, particularly ones where growing food or flowers are involved, the story evolves over several months so I can capture the various steps in the process. So, let’s pick up the story way back on May 10, 2012, when, in preparation for this feature, I photographed a huge field of Vanco tulips in full bloom in Pownal, PEI.

This was a field of tulips that were about to be cut down so that all the plants’ energy would be generated towards their bulbs that grow and multiply underground and not directed into the pretty blooms. How heartwrenching to see a tractor and cutter mowing down all these colourful petals; however, it is for long-term gain. The bulbs that are large enough will go for bulb sales or will make their way into the greenhouse to be grown for cut flowers over the winter. The smaller bulbs will be replanted in the fall and will be given the time to mature and grow into the more desirable large bulbs. Large bulbs will produce the larger, more premium blooms with stronger stems.

Aren’t these fabulous colors!

So, fast-forward to January 22, 2013, when I visited the Vanco greenhouses and production facility. I was met by Bas Arendse who toured me through their tulip-growing operation. Seriously, on a cold January day, there is nothing more uplifting than to stroll through warm, bright greenhouses with thousands of tulips at various growth stages through to bloom.

Tulips in Vanco Farms Greenhouse, Mount Albion, PEI - 15 January 2013 — Tulips in Vanco Farms Greenhouse, Mount Albion, PEI – 15 January 2013

Vanco Farms began growing tulips in 2002 with a modest experimental crop of less than one acre. That venture has grown exponentially and, today, they grow some 3 million bulbs covering 40 acres – can you imagine and picture 40 acres covered in fabulous colorful tulip blooms! I asked Bas what made Vanco Farms decide to start growing tulips on PEI (they are the only commercial tulip grower on the Island). He tells me he grew up in Holland on a tulip farm that is still run by his father and sister and, when he moved to PEI, it was natural for him to grow tulips. Yes, I think it would be fair to say that tulip-growing runs through Bas’ veins and he has it down to a science. Thus, growing tulips is second nature for Bas. He says about 50% of their bulbs still come from Holland while the other 50% come from their own fields in PEI.

So, basically, here is the process. The bulbs are planted in the fields in the fall so they have a chance to root before our harsh, cold winter arrives. In the spring, once the tulips come into full bloom, the petals are all cut off the plants. The bulbs stay in the ground for about 6 more weeks when they are then harvested. The bulbs are dried and separated with the smaller ones destined for field growth the following fall and the large ones set aside for greenhouse growing over the winter.

The larger bulbs are planted in these trays in October-November and are kept in cold storage to recreate winter-like conditions for the bulbs – in other words, to trick the bulbs into acting as though it is winter.

These are then moved into the greenhouse where the warmth will trick the bulbs into acting as though it is spring and time to grow. This process, known as tulip-forcing, means the tulips will be ready for market in about 21-28 days. Keeping a steady schedule of when these bulbs are taken out of cold storage at staggering times ensures there is always an abundance of tulips ready for market throughout the winter and early spring months.

Tulips at Various Growth Stages in Vanco Greenhouse

When the tulips are ready for cutting, they are picked and loaded into these carts.

The tulips are then processed by this machine that cuts the bulbs from the stems. These bulbs will go into storage and be planted again next fall.

An assembly line of workers gather the tulips into bunches and place them on the conveyer belt.

The conveyer belt takes the tulips through the machine that wraps elastic around them to hold them in place.

At the end of the conveyer belt, a worker takes each bundle of tulips and slips it into a plastic sleeve.

The tulips are then placed in these crates which sit in water for about 30 minutes to allow the thirsty stems to soak up a drink.

From there, the drained crates of tulips move into a cool storage room where the bundles of tulips are packed in boxes ready for shipping.

While Vanco Farms does produce some tulip bulbs for sale, that accounts for only about 10% of their business with the remaining 90% coming from the sale of cut tulips that are grown in their greenhouses. In terms of best sellers, Bas says the most popular colors of tulips are yellow, orange, white, and pink followed by red and purple. I like them all!

I asked Bas what the biggest challenge is to growing tulips in PEI. He says our typically cold spring weather can pose an issue, particularly if there is a heavy frost. This can cause the stems to go hollow and the bulbs to not grow.

Tulip-farming at Vanco Farms is a year-round operation despite our relatively short growing season on the Island. January to May is their busiest time because it is when the greenhouse is in full production and so it is cutting season. During this time, they will employ between 15-25 people and have three delivery trucks on the road in eastern Canada and the New England area of the United States. The rest of the year is devoted to field work and processing tulip bulbs.

Vanco tulips are available at many places on the Island including the retail outlet at the farm in Mount Albion, major supermarkets, most flower shops, the Saturday Farmers Market in Charlottetown, and Riverview Country Market in the east end of the City. They also export a large portion of their greenhouse-grown tulips from January to May. In fact, their delivery trucks transport shipments of fresh tulips to Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and Quebec twice a week and to Boston once a week.

It’s always a highlight of my winter when I discover Vanco tulips are on the market! Their colourful blooms always inject a bit of bright color into those dark, dreary winter days.

I like tulips for dining table floral arrangements. Not only do they have beautiful simplistic blooms on long elegant stems with wonderful greenery but they are also not heavily scented which means they don’t compete with food scents. There are any number of ways to arrange tulips for the dining table. Here I have selected Vanco’s Snow Lady white tulips and I simply arranged 20 of them in a fluted vase for this casually-elegant tablesetting because I was looking for something very simplistic and not fussy. I chose white because it blends in with winter and also because it matches anything. In this particular setting, I used a white tablecloth and napkins and my china pattern which is largely white. I like how the white blooms just seem to pop from the greenery! The wine glasses I chose to use are very simplistic and are actually somewhat tulip-shaped themselves. I opted to go with a plain, flat napkin fold because I didn’t want anything to detract from the tulips – I wanted them to be the focal point of the table. I also chose just a couple of small crystal votives, again so there would be nothing to compete with the floral centerpiece.

Vanco Farm's Snow Lady Tulips — Vanco Farm’s Snow Lady Tulips

Florist Bernadette Praught of Bernadette’s Flowers in Stratford, PEI, has high praise for Vanco tulips. She says being able to go directly to their greenhouses about 10 minutes from her flower shop and pick up freshly-cut tulips means she is getting the freshest flowers possible for her customers. Bernadette says tulips are thirsty flowers and do best if arranged directly in water as opposed to in oasis arrangements. Tulips can be used in combination with other flowers and made into more elaborate arrangements. Bernadette says tulips pair well with roses and with a variety of greenery and Baby’s Breath. So, tulips are a very versatile flower. You can go with something very simple as I have done here or you can really dress them up.

For more information on Vanco tulips, visit their website. Vanco Farms Ltd. is located at 9311 TransCanada Highway, Route 1 in Mount Albion, PEI. The next time you are buying a bouquet of tulips, be sure to look at the sleeve label….you just never know, they might be ones that were quality-grown right here on Prince Edward Island!

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Field Trips, General, Out and About

Happy New Year! Touring Some of PEI’s 2013 New Year’s Day Levées and Sampling Levée Fare

January 1, 2013 Barbara99

Happy New Year, everyone! Today, I followed a New Year’s Day tradition in Prince Edward Island — attending several levées in Charlottetown. There were many of these events across the Island today. The list below is just a partial list of those in the Charlottetown-Cornwall-Stratford, PEI areas. One man told me that he had attended as many as 23 levées on one New Year’s Day! We certainly didn’t partake in that many but we did attend six.

Sampling of Charlottetown Area 2013 Levées

Levées have their origins in France. The first recorded Levée held in Canada was in 1646. Originally, these were events reserved for men but, for decades now, women also attend. The purpose of levées is to give the opportunity for citizens to pay their respects and offer well wishes for the new year to representatives of the Monarch, provincial and municipal leaders, the military and, really, any other group or organization that chooses to host a Levée. In Charlottetown today, for example, the President of the University of Prince Edward Island was hosting a levée as was the Bishop, the Women’s Institute, and some business owners. Levées are very social events and are traditionally a way for those in public office to connect with the citizens they serve and for people to mix and mingle while renewing old acquaintances as they gather.

Typically a levée lasts 1-2 hours. Calling cards or business cards are appreciated as each levée-goer is presented to the dignitaries. However, if you don’t have your own cards, blank ones are available at each venue. It is not uncommon for groups of people to sport around in mini-vans with designated drivers or hire a bus or mini-bus to transport them between the levée venues. This is a particularly good idea for those intending to “imbibe”. It also helps with parking as levées on the Island are a popular way to spend New Year’s Day and, generally, draw crowds of several hundred.

Bus Carrying Levée-goers arrives at City Hall Levée

Some people actually strategize and plan out the best way for them to attend as many levées as possible. Some have it down to a science!

A big part of levées are the refreshments. In PEI, we can certainly boast of our hospitality and refreshments at events like levées! The fare and beverage offerings vary from venue to venue but, suffice it to say that you wouldn’t have to visit too many levées before your tummy would be full. I’ll talk more about the refreshment aspect as I describe the six levées I attended today. As you can imagine, as a foodie, I was particularly interested in the fare served!

Our day started out at 10:00am by visiting Fanningbank, home of the Island’s Lieutenant-Governor, Frank Lewis.

Last year, it was drizzling rain and we had a long wait outside but, this year, we were there at the start of the levée and had no wait to speak of. Good thing as it was about -7C this morning. The architecture of this fine Georgian-style home is well worth a visit. The Christmas decorations were still in place and the wood fireplaces were crackling and sending good warmth throughout the home.

The Singing Strings, a youth string orchestra, entertained and provided wonderful background music as visitors wound their way around the grand foyer to greet the Lieutenant-Governor and his wife.

Singing Strings Entertain at Lieutenant-Governor's 2013 New Year's Day Levée — Singing Strings Entertain at Lieutenant-Governor’s 2013 New Year’s Day Levée

Lieutenant-Governor Frank Lewis greets well-wishers at 2013 Levée

After bestowing good wishes for the forthcoming year to Her Majesty’s representative on the Island, attendees were offered the choice of either hot apple cider or a cranberry and vodka cocktail.

Apple Cider or Cranberry and Vodka Cocktail

The dining room table displayed several plates of fruit cake (which was very moist and tasty, by the way) and, what I considered to be the star of the food table, wonderful coconut macaroons, nice, soft, and chewy – just the way macaroons are supposed to be!

Aren’t these coconut macaroons resplendent in their holiday colors!

From Fanningbank, we made our way up Kent Street to City Hall where Mayor Clifford Lee and the city councillors were receiving Levée-goers. Our City’s leaders looked fine, each sporting a red rose on his lapel.

Mayor Lee and City Councillors at City Hall's 2013 Levée — Mayor Lee and City Councillors at City Hall’s 2013 Levée

Treats at City Hall included crackers and cheese along with cookies including gingerbread men. Beverages consisted of a choice of white wine, fruit punch, tea, or Starbuck’s coffee.

PEI harpist, Jill Harris, provided wonderful background music for the event.

Harpist Jill Harris at Charlottetown City Hall Levée 2013

Leaving City Hall, we travelled down to Haviland Street to the Haviland Club. I had never been in this historic building before and found its interior design quite intriguing. Refreshments consisted of cheese, crackers, and cold cuts along with a vegetable and dip platter and the bar was open at the Club today as well.

Our next stop took us to the HMCS Queen Charlotte on Water Street Parkway. I had heard that they served great seafood chowder at their Levée and, as those of you who are regular followers of my blog and twitter will know, this foodie has a thing for seafood chowder! This version was really good served with a choice of white or whole wheat roll. Their signature beverage was Moose Milk. Yes, that’s right, Moose Milk – not quite sure on the exact ingredients but it is a concoction of rum or whiskey (not sure which), milk or eggnog, ice cream, and spices and ….. I didn’t get to try it because I was driving but I heard it was really good!

Moose Milk and Seafood Chowder at HMCS Queen Charlotte Levée

Next on the agenda was the Prince Edward Island Regiment on Haviland Street. These two lads stood at attention as levée-goers made their way inside and I’m sure these two fellas must have been frozen.

Members of the Prince Edward Island Regiment Stand Guard at Entrance to the Regiment's 2013 Levée — Members of the Prince Edward Island Regiment Stand Guard at Entrance to the Regiment’s 2013 Levée

The PEI Regiment band was entertaining inside. The Regiment served chowder as well and had the packages of crackers laid out in the shape of 2013. Having just had chowder up the street, I had to pass this one by but it sure looked good, too.

After a busy morning of five levées, we took a mini break and then attended Premier Robert Ghiz‘ levée held from 3:00pm – 5:00pm at the Confederation Centre of the Arts in the city center where the Premier and his wife, Kate, along with their two wee daughters greeted Islanders.

There was a huge line-up for this levée but we arrived about 20 minutes before it began and were easily able to get inside the lobby from the cold while we waited. Each attendee was photographed with the Premier and his wife (last year, the photographs arrived in the mail 2-3 weeks into January).

Premier's 2013 Levée — Premier’s 2013 Levée

The reception was held inside Memorial Hall where there were trays of fruit, cheeses, and crudités and waiters circulated with trays of bacon-wrapped scallops.

Levée Fare at the PEI Premier's 2013 New Year's Day Levée — Levée Fare at the PEI Premier’s 2013 New Year’s Day Levée

My favorite was the same as last year, a whipped garlic potato piped into small dishes and then topped with bacon bits, sundried tomatoes and chives, and/or sour cream. Simply divine!

Fruit punch, wine, tea, and coffee were also available.

A pianist provided background music.

Musical Entertainment at Premier's Levée — Musical Entertainment at Premier’s Levée

I hope you have enjoyed this mini-tour of just a few of the New Year’s Day levées held on our beautiful Island on this cool winter day.

Best wishes to you and yours for good health, happiness, and prosperity in 2013.

Barbara

Field Trips, General, Out and About, Sauces and Salsas

One Hot Potato – Prince Edward Distillery’s Potato Vodka

November 15, 2012 Barbara99

Potato Vodka Made by Prince Edward Distillery, Hermanville, PEI

PEI has long been known for growing world-class potatoes – they are, after all, our primary cash crop, injecting more than one billion dollars annually into the Island economy, directly and through spin-offs[i]. We all know potatoes as a vegetable on dinner tables and are familiar with them boiled, mashed, baked, as French fries and potato chips, and as the key ingredient in scalloped potatoes. But, would you think of potatoes as a main ingredient in a beverage? Well, there are a couple of industrious and innovative women who have figured out a new use for PEI spuds. Julie Shore and Arla Johnson own and operate Prince Edward Distillery where potato vodka is their flagship product.

Road Map from Charlottetown to Hermanville, location of Prince Edward Distillery

Drive east from the Island’s capital city of Charlottetown along the northeastern shore of the Island and you will find Hermanville, a small rural district not far from the town of Souris in the eastern end of PEI. Late this past summer, I travelled to Hermanville to visit Prince Edward Distillery to find out about this potato vodka. In addition to learning how potato vodka is made, I learned the Distillery is diversifying its operation. They are now producing gin, rye whiskey, rum, and a bourbon-style corn whiskey that sells under the label of IC Shore and that’s in addition to the potato vodka and wild blueberry vodka. Also new this year (2012) are their decadent rum cakes made locally with the Distillery’s Merchantman 1897 rum.

Products Made at Prince Edward Distillery, Hermanville, PEI

The story of Julie and Arla’s arrival on PEI is similar to several others who have come to the Island and made it their home. They came to PEI on holiday in 1997, fell in love with the Island, and decided to move here. Leaving their jobs behind – Julie as a dental hygiene sales representative and Arla as a psychologist – they built an Inn (Johnson Shore Inn) in Hermanville in 1999, down a long, secluded, and narrow, unpaved lane that leads to a spectacular unobstructed view of the Gulf of St. Lawrence. However, they soon discovered the tourist, and by extension the innkeeper’s, season is short in rural PEI (usually late May to the end of September). That extra time on her hands got Julie thinking about the business her ancestors had been in, pre-prohibition, in North Carolina – distilling apple brandy and bourbon. Living in the land of potatoes, Julie had the idea to set up a distillery to produce potato vodka. Thus, in 2007, Prince Edward Distillery was born with the first batch of potato vodka running from the still’s spigot in 2008.

Rum, Whiskey, and Rye Produced at Prince Edward Distillery

Julie is the master distiller. In 2011, the Distillery produced 10,000 bottles of the six different liquors the Distillery produces. Apart from her ancestral history of distilling (she’ll tell you distilling is in her blood!), I asked Julie if she had to have special training to be a distiller. She tells me she has taken a distilling course at Cornell University and yeast-making courses in Montreal and France. She and Arla travel the world over visiting distilleries and learning more about the art of fine distilling. Visit their onsite retail outlet and look at the large map on the wall that points out the impressive world travels Julie and Arla have journeyed.

Julie says the best variety of potatoes for potato vodka is Russet Burbank. These spuds are the highest starch potato grown on the Island and the starch content is important for the yeast to work in the fermentation process. The Distillery buys approximately 50,000 pounds of locally-grown potatoes, on an annual basis, to use as the base for potato vodka. Julie explains that it takes about 18 pounds of potatoes to produce one 750 ml bottle of the potato vodka so, as you can imagine, it takes a lot of spuds to yield any amount of vodka. While potato vodka is not unheard of, it is more rare since 99% of vodkas on the market are grain-based. That’s probably because, as Julie says, potato vodka is difficult to distill due to the fact that potatoes are approximately 80% water, have to be cooked, and it takes such a volume of the raw ingredient (potatoes) to produce the final product.

Prince Edward Distillery's Potato Vodka — Prince Edward Distillery’s Potato Vodka

Making potato vodka is very labour intensive. The potatoes are ground and cooked to break down their starch into fermentable sugars so that fermentation will occur with the addition of yeast (wait till you hear what is done with the leftover mash from the potatoes and who the benefactors are!). The mixture is fermented for four days in 1000-gallon tanks to form alcohol.

German-made Holstein Copper Vertical Still at Prince Edward Distillery

Using a 680-litre German-made Holstein copper vertical still that Julie had imported from Germany and capably assembled herself (since it came in parts and didn’t come with an instruction book), this fermentation mixture is distilled three times to remove impurities, achieve a neutrality of the alcohol, and to get the perfect alcohol content for the vodka. Julie tells me it takes 10-14 days to produce a batch of vodka from start to finish, raw product (potatoes) to bottling.

The Distillery has enjoyed sweet success and very early in its operation. Their products rank among the best. Just a year after producing their first vodka for market, the potato vodka won gold in the 2009 San Francisco World Spirits Competition and, in the same year, the wild blueberry vodka won silver in the UK International Spirits Challenge in London, England. Yes, our locally-produced Island wines and spirits can match any on the market!

Prince Edward Distillery supports local producers, buying and using locally-produced potatoes, grains, and blueberries in their liquor production. The Distillery employs between 4-6 full time employees and 1 part-time employee on a seasonal basis. Currently, their products are sold in PEI and Nova Scotia markets. However, they are exploring markets farther afield.

Prince Edward Distillery's Spirit Outlet at Peakes Quay in Charlottetown, PEI — Prince Edward Distillery’s Spirit Outlet at Peakes Quay in Charlottetown, PEI

This past summer, the Distillery decided to open a spirits outlet shop at Peakes Quay on the Charlottetown waterfront, a popular tourist attraction of small shops and not far from the seaport where dozens of cruise ships dock each year. In addition to the Peakes Quay location (open seasonally), the Distillery’s products are available at the onsite retail shop in Hermanville and in PEI and Nova Scotia liquor stores.

So, about that mash I mentioned earlier – the left-over potato product after the liquid has been extracted for the vodka. Well, behind the distillery may well be what many have dubbed as the most cheerful hogs on the Island! Yes, that’s right, hogs or, more specifically, Heritage Berkshire pigs which Julie raises on the mash. She says there are lots of nutrients left in the potato mash so why throw it out when she can raise pigs on it!

Heritage Berkshire Pigs Raised on Mash at Prince Edward Distillery

The Distillery is open daily, May – October, for tours and taste-testing; from October – May, it is open by appointment or by chance. A tour of the Distillery and taste-testing of two spirits costs $10. (or, if you simply want to taste any spirit, it is $3./taste). For more information on the Prince Edward Distillery, visit their website, call them at 902-687-2586, or, better still (pun intended!), take the scenic northeastern shoreline route to Hermanville and visit the Distillery at 9985, Route 16.

Prince Edward Distillery, Hermanville, PEI

Whimsical T-Shirts at Prince Edward Distillery

True to tradition, when I visit a local producer, I bring home their product and create a recipe with it. I decided to create a Vodka Tomato Sauce for pasta using Prince Edward Distillery’s potato vodka. I find the vodka actually goes well with tomatoes and draws out the tomato flavour and makes it pop without adding a competing flavour to the dish. The key, of course, is not to over-do it – less is often more and the idea is that the vodka enhance and contribute to the taste of the sauce, not overpower it. My recipe creation follows.

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[i] Source of Statistics: Prince Edward Island Potato Board, 23 October 2012

Tomato Vodka Pasta Sauce

By Barbara99 Published: November 15, 2012

Yield:
Prep: 10 mins
Cook: 50 mins
Ready In: 60 mins

A rich, flavourful tomato sauce suitable for various types of pasta

Ingredients

1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp butter
2/3 cup onion, chopped
1/2 cup celery, chopped
1/2 cup green pepper, chopped
1 cup mushrooms, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 540ml can diced tomatoes, undrained
2 1/2 tbsp corn starch
1/2 cup chicken stock, cooled
1/2 cup tomato sauce
2/3 cup Prince Edward Distillery Potato Vodka
1/2 cup whipping cream
1/2 tsp dried oregano (or 2-3 tsp fresh)
1 tbsp dried basil (or 2 - 2 1/2 tbsp fresh)
2 tsp fresh chives, chopped
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
1/8 tsp red pepper flakes
1 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
sea salt, to taste
pepper, to taste

Instructions

Heat oil and butter in large pot. Add onion, celery, green pepper, mushrooms, and garlic. Sauté 2-3 minutes over medium heat.
Add diced tomatoes, salt, and pepper. Simmer over low heat 5-7 minutes.
Whisk the corn starch with the cooled chicken stock until smooth.
Stir tomato sauce, vodka, and chicken stock/cornstarch into mixture. Simmer 18-20 minutes, until slightly thickened.
Stir in whipping cream, oregano, basil, chives, cayenne, red pepper flakes, and parsley. Simmer 7-10 minutes.
Meanwhile, cook pasta according to package directions and drain. Add drained pasta to tomato sauce and toss to coat.
Spoon pasta into serving dishes. Garnish with freshly grated Parmesan cheese, fresh basil, a spring of parsley, and halved cherry tomatoes.

Cuisine: Italian
Course: Entrée
Skill Level: Moderate

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Field Trips, General, Recipes, Vegetables

Follow the PEI Potato Farmer! From Field to Table

November 6, 2012 Barbara99

One crop we grow really well on this Island is potatoes. Our PEI spuds are world-class quality and often win awards on the national stage. According to statistics obtained through the Prince Edward Island Potato Board, 86,500 acres of potatoes were grown on the Island in 2012. An economic impact study was completed in 2012 showing that the potato industry contributes over one billion dollars annually to the PEI economy, either directly or through spin-off effects. Now, that’s no small potatoes!!!

Last spring, I was looking for a potato operation and a potato field that I could follow from planting through to harvesting specifically for this blog post entry. It’s one thing to go into the supermarket and purchase a bag of potatoes but it is quite another to know where the potatoes come from and to watch them grow and I thought my readers would be interested to see some photographs of potato growing and harvesting on PEI. One evening in mid-May, I was heading from Summerside to Charlottetown “through the 225” as the locals refer to one of the shortcut routes between the two cities, when I came across this rather large and odd-looking black machine pulling into a huge field.

Filler Machine Loads Seed Potatoes Into Potato Planter in Warren Grove, PEI [19 May 2012]

Of course, curiosity got the best of me and I did a u-turn fairly quickly and drove into the field where I discovered four tractors and machines were working at preparing the soil, fertilizing, and planting the field with potatoes. Lots of John Deere equipment moving in that field on a Saturday evening in May!

Preparing to Plant Russet Burbank Potatoes in Warren Grove, PEI [19 May 2012]

Well, I thought this was just very fortuitous timing! I had found my field to follow!!! It turns out the field in Warren Grove, near North River on the outskirts of Charlottetown, PEI, was being planted by Smith Farms of Newton, near Kinkora, in the central part of the Island.

Robert, the man driving the big John Deere tractor that was hauling the rather ominous looking black machine, was very willing to explain what the machine was. I learned it is called the “filler machine” – it brings the cut potato seed from the warehouse to the field where it is then loaded into the planter. I asked if it would be okay if I took some photographs of the machine as it filled the planter. Robert explained that I’d have to be quick if I wanted to get a picture of it as it speedily fills the planter that backs in under it. Quick isn’t the word for it – it’s more like ‘in a blink of an eye’ and then the planter pulls away from the filler machine and off it goes down the field to plant the spuds.

Planting Potatoes in Warren Grove, PEI [19 May 2012]

According to the Prince Edward Island Potato Board, there are over 100 varieties of potatoes grown in PEI but the majority of the acreage is made up of the top 30 varieties. The most common variety, Russet Burbank (which is what this field in Warren Grove was planted with), accounts for about 50% of the potato acreage grown on PEI. The Russet is a multipurpose variety used at local processing plants to make frozen French fries as well as for food service and retail bags of table potatoes (because of its slender shape, the Russet makes a great choice for baked potatoes, in particular). The Potato Board tells me that other common varieties grown on the Island include Superior (an early round white table variety), Goldrush (a long russet skin table variety), Yukon Gold (a yellow flesh table variety), Norland (a red skin, white flesh table variety), and Atlantic (a round white variety use to make potato chips.)

The Potato Board says, over the past three years, PEI seed and table potatoes have been shipped to over 30 countries besides Canada and the United States. No matter where you are, chances are you may have sampled PEI potatoes! The next time you are in your local supermarket, be sure to check the bags of potatoes to see if they may have come from the rich and fertile red soil of PEI, Canada.

On June 25th, I found the field was lined with neat rows of bright green leafy plants. The potatoes were growing well!

Potatoes Starting to Grow - 25 June 2012 — Potatoes Starting to Grow – 25 June 2012

Over the next several weeks I would periodically drive by the field to see if the delicate white potato blossoms would appear. Sure enough, on August 8th, I found they were out in blossom.

Russet Burbanks in Blossom [8 August 2012]

In mid-October, it was time to harvest the potatoes. I followed the windrowers and potato harvester in the field and spoke with Andrew Smith who told me these potatoes are destined for Cavendish Farms, a processing plant in New Annan, PEI, which makes frozen French Fries. As you can see by the long slender length of these Russets, they are well-suited for French Fries!

Harvesting the Russet Burbank Potatoes in Warren Grove, PEI [7 October 2012] — Harvesting the Russet Burbank Potatoes in Warren Grove, PEI [17 October 2012]

There were literally dozens and dozens of seagulls following the harvester, looking for “left-over” potatoes in the field!

How many workplaces have a gorgeous backdrop of fall foliage like this one does! And, I was lucky enough to spend part of an afternoon in this workplace, following the harvesting equipment. There is nothing like the smell of fresh PEI soil turning up spuds on a crisp, sunny October afternoon!

Potato Harvesting in Warren Grove [17 October 2012]

Potato Harvesting in Full Swing in PEI [17 October 2012]

Potato Harvesting in PEI [17 October 2012]

The windrowers dig several rows of potatoes at once and move the potatoes over into one row. This field had two windrowers working in it. The harvester then comes along, also digging several rows at the same time, and picks up all the potatoes left by the windrowers. This process speeds up the harvesting. Andrew told me that when he moves the harvester down the length of the field after the two windrowers have first gone through, he is picking up potatoes from 11 drills, transferring them to the truck that drives alongside the harvester! The truck then transports the potatoes to the warehouse.

Windrowing and Digging in the Evening [17 October 2012]

PEI weather is often unpredictable in fall (sometimes quite rainy) so potato farmers have to work with the weather which often means they dig potatoes late into the evening to ensure the crop gets out of the ground.

Potato Harvesting at Night [17 October 2012]

I debated what I would make to showcase the Russet Burbank potatoes that came out of the Warren Grove field. I settled on a potato puff. The Russets are a lovely white flesh potato with a somewhat dry texture that makes them a good choice for this dish. This is a suitable side dish that pairs particularly well with chicken, beef, or pork.

Duchess Potatoes Made with PEI Russet Burbank Potatoes

My thanks to Smith Farms of Newton, PEI, for allowing me to follow their potato planting and harvest cycle this year.

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Field Trips, General

A Visit to Matos Winery & Distillery in St. Catherines, Prince Edward Island

October 22, 2012 Barbara99 2 Comments

Matos Winery & Distillery, St. Catherines, Prince Edward Island

The farmers on PEI are busy with their various harvests these days and taking full advantage of the great weather we have been having. I stopped by Matos Winery in St. Catherines, PEI, last Wednesday as they were picking the grapes. I had visited the winery in early September and toured the vineyards but delayed posting the story until harvest time because I wanted to visit the winery when the grapes were being picked and processed.

When I first met Jim and Heather Matos on an early September Saturday afternoon, Jim had just finished the painstaking work of netting all the grapevines in an effort to keep the birds at bay. Despite Jim’s best efforts and the addition of noise maker squawkers, the birds did pose a problem this fall as they figured out a way to still get at the grapes despite the netting. This meant a loss of some of the grape crop.

Netting the Grapes To Protect Against the Birds

Matos is a new winery in its second year having opened for business on June 24, 2011. The Matos’ bought the St. Catherines property near Cornwall and prepared the soil in 2006. They then did their first vine planting in 2007 followed by three years of labour-intensive work that culminated in their first grape harvest in October, 2010.

I asked Heather what brought them to PEI to open their winery as the Island is not known as a wine-making region (we currently have only three wineries operating on the Island). She tells me they came to PEI on a holiday in 2004 and fell in love with the Island. When they decided to open a winery, they looked at locations as far away as Europe and the United States but were still drawn back to PEI. In fact, after hearing about the harsh, cold winters (often with a lot of snow) on the Island, Jim came to PEI for a visit in the dead of winter to see if the conditions would be conducive to grape-growing. Finding them suitable, the couple settled on a property in St. Catherines that had a certain slope, angle, and close proximity to a waterway – all conditions Jim was looking for in a location for a vineyard. Jim says grapes require good sandy soil and they do well in hot, dry summer conditions like we had in 2012.

The vineyard itself covers 11 acres and is home to 16,000 grapevines imported from France. The species of grapevines are vitis vinifera which means they are not as hardy as hybrid vines. Vinifera vines are more susceptible to disease and require more care but Jim maintains they produce a better quality of wine than hybrids.

Two varieties of grapes are grown in the vineyard – Chardonnay and Gamay.

From these grapes, Matos produces five kinds of wine – Chardonnay, Gamay-Noir, Rosé, Wildberry Gamay, and Strawberry Chardonnay. The Matos tell me they produced approximately 18,000 bottles of wine last year.

Jim is no stranger to winemaking. He comes from a long history of vintners. His family had a vineyard and made wine in the Acores, Portugal. After coming to Canada, the Matos ran a U-brew business importing wine-making supplies in Ontario for 20 years before deciding to start their own winery.

Walk with Jim through the precise, neat, and meticulously cared for rows of grapevines in the vineyard and it is easy to see and hear his passion for winemaking and dedication to high quality. A perfectionist, he is more concerned about producing quality products versus quantity. The Matos also have a keen eye for different products so much so that they are also distilling a couple of unique spirits, too. Using the skins of the grapes left over from winemaking, Matos is producing Bagaço which is a Portuguese version of Italian Grappa, sometimes referred to as moonshine. They are also producing Anisette, a licorice-flavoured liqueur that is a popular drink in France.

Bagaço and Anisette Distilled at Matos Winery and Distillery

On a beautiful warm October 17^th, a small crew was assembled in the vineyard and busy hand-picking the clusters of grapes.

Harvesting the Grapes at Matos Winery, St. Catherines, PEI

Large blue bins of the grapes were seen throughout the vineyard before being gathered up by the tractor and trailer moving carefully amongst the rows of carefully-tended vines.

Grape Harvest at Matos Winery, St. Catherines, PEI

Arriving at the Winery with a Load of Grapes for Processing

After transport to the winery, the grapes were put through the grape crusher destemmer, a machine that uses an auger to remove and discard the stems from the grapes then drops the fruit into the crusher where the grapes are crushed.

Using a peristaltic pump, the crushed fruit is then pumped through a hose into a membrane bladder press which extracts the juice but doesn’t harm the seeds or break the skins of the grapes.

Membrane Bladder Press - Pressing out the Juice from the Grapes — Membrane Bladder Press – Pressing out the Juice from the Grapes

The juice is then transported via hose into the large unoaked stainless steel fermentation tanks and the fermentation process starts with Jim controlling the temperature in the tanks and monitoring the sugar content and status and progress of the fermentation.

Jim tells me the white wine will ferment for 14 days and the red for 7 days but the entire processing and filtering of his white wines take 4-5 months before they are ready for bottling and the red wines take about 6-8 months.

Wine-making is a lengthy process that takes a lot of time, patience, labour, and attention to detail and that’s only after all the painstaking pampering and pruning that has gone into the growing and care of the grapevines and grapes.

Processing Grapes to Extract the Grape Juice

Matos wines are fine quality products. After only one year in production, Matos’ Gamay-Noir won the prestigious silver medal at the 2011 Canadian Wine Awards, chosen second from among 1117 entries. Most recently, in October 2012, the Gamay-Noir won bronze at the 2012 Canadian Wine Awards, ranking third out of 1260 entries. Matos Winery was competing with wineries from all across Canada, including the well-known Canadian wine-producing regions of Niagara, ON, and several in BC. That’s not only impressive but a validation of the high quality product the winery is producing in its young days.

Matos' Gamay-Noir Wine Wins Silver Medal at 2011 Canadian Wine Awards — Matos’ Gamay-Noir Wine Wins Silver Medal at 2011 Canadian Wine Awards

The Matos wines were also recently featured at the “Savour Victoria” event which was part of the PEI Fall Flavours Culinary Festival (see my blog entry of October 4, 2012, on this event).

Matos’ Chardonnay is a very versatile wine that pairs well with chicken, seafood like PEI lobster, pastas with cream sauces, or vegetarian dishes. The Gamay-Noir goes well with steak and tomato-based dishes, including pizza. The Rosé is a lovely compliment to either turkey or chicken and the Wildberry pairs particularly well with dark chocolate.

Matos Chardonnay with DInner — Matos Chardonnay with Dinner

The Matos wines are competitively priced between $14.95 – $16.95 and are sold onsite in the winery’s gift shop, in Island liquor stores, and are served in many PEI restaurants.

Matos Winery Gift Shop and Taste-Testing Bar

Tours and wine-tasting are available at the winery which is located at 3156 West River Road, St. Catherines PE, C0A 1H0. Cost is $5.00 per person. In the summer months, the winery gift shop is open seven days a week. During the fall months, the gift shop is open on Saturdays from 10am-5pm and Sundays 1pm-5pm (Oct – Dec).

For more information on Matos Wines, visit their website at http://matoswinery.com/ or call the winery at 1-902-675-WINE (9463).

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Field Trips, General, Out and About

“Savour Victoria” – A Fitting Signature Event for PEI’s Fall Flavours Culinary Festival 2012

October 4, 2012 Barbara99

While the heavens opened and poured rain on Victoria-by-the-Sea, PEI, on Saturday, September 29^th, it didn’t dampen the enthusiasm that was evident at “Savour Victoria” or the great local food that diners enjoyed throughout the evening. As Richard LaGrange of the Orient Hotel says, “Victoria hospitality really can make up for a little rain” (well, okay, it really was a LOT of rain!).

The Victoria Wharf on a Rainy and Windy September 29, 2012

This was the last signature event of “Fall Flavours”, PEI’s annual Culinary Festival. The small seaside village of Victoria on the Island’s south shore proved to be an ideal venue for the event. Pam Beck, Tourism Development Manager for Central Coastal Tourism Partnership, says Victoria was chosen because of its special qualities and quaintness. In the summer, Victoria swells with tourists who leisurely stroll around the tiny village of less than 200 year-round inhabitants, visiting local shops and restaurants and watching the lobster fishing boats unloading their day’s catch. Pam says organizers wanted to make the event “a celebration of Victoria, our Island, and all its beauty and bounty”. I’d say mission accomplished on that front!

The village is small and neatly laid out in a square shape. Everything is within easy walking distance and that is a good thing given the inclement weather and the fact that there were five venues for diners to visit during the evening – four for appetizers and drinks and one for dinner. Victoria does not have any really large restaurants and the ones it does have only operate seasonally. Some of the Fall Flavours events elsewhere on the Island have used big tents on location but organizers of “Savour Victoria” devised a plan that would use and promote establishments that already exist so that, when people come back to Victoria in the future, the venues will still be there for them to return to.

“Savour Victoria” was produced by Central Coastal Tourism Partnership, a new (2011) organization dedicated to promoting tourism development in the central part of the Island. Because “Savour Victoria” was classed as a signature event, it meant a celebrity chef was part of the activities. Bob Blumer, cookbook author (several times over) and creator and host of his own TV shows on the Food Network “Glutton for Punishment”, “Surreal Gourmet”, and “World’s Weirdest Restaurants”, spent the weekend in Victoria overseeing and participating in the Savour Victoria event. Bob was actively engaged in the preparations for the dinner which featured as much locally produced food as possible and was presented in unique and creative ways that Bob is known for.

Here is how the evening worked. Everyone first checked in at the Victoria Playhouse where they picked up a gift bag that contained an engraved “Savour Victoria” souvenir wine glass and a map of the Village. From there, people headed out, donned in raincoats and carrying umbrellas, to the different venues that were serving appetizers and pre-dinner drinks.

"Savour Victoria" in Victoria-by-the-Sea, PEI - 29 September 2012 — “Savour Victoria” in Victoria-by-the-Sea, PEI – 29 September 2012

Four venues opened for the “Wandering Appetizers with Wine & Beer Tastings” portion of the evening which began at 6:00pm. These included Coach House Antiques, By-The-Sea Kayaking, Red Sand Jewelry, and Island Chocolates.

Coach House Antiques, Victoria-by-the-Sea, PEI - Appetizers: Smoked Ham from Island Taylored Meats & COWS Creamery Cheese — Coach House Antiques, Victoria-by-the-Sea, PEI – Appetizers: Smoked Ham from Island Taylored Meats & COWS Creamery Cheese

By-The-Sea Kayaking, Victoria-by-the-Sea, PEI. Appetizers - Raspberry Point Oysters served with Matos Winery's "Bagaço", Portuguese Moonshine. — By-The-Sea Kayaking, Victoria-by-the-Sea, PEI. Appetizers – Raspberry Point Oysters served with Matos Winery’s “Bagaço”, Portuguese Moonshine.

Red Sand Jewelry, Victoria-by-the-Sea, PEI. Appetizer - Kim Dormaar's Medallion Smoked Salmon — Red Sand Jewelry, Victoria-by-the-Sea, PEI. Appetizer – Cajun-seared Atlantic Scallops, Carmelized Onions and Cream Cheese on Baguette

Island Chocolates, Victoria-by-the-Sea, PEI. Appetizer - Roasted Sweet Peppers on Chocolate Crostini with Goat Cheese and a Dusting of Cocoa — Island Chocolates, Victoria-by-the-Sea, PEI. Appetizer – Roasted Sweet Peppers on Chocolate Crostini with Goat Cheese and a Dusting of Cocoa

Four local eating establishments then opened to serve a sit-down dinner at 7:30pm. These were the Victoria Village Inn, Landmark Café, Lobster Barn Pub & Eatery, and the Orient Hotel. When diners purchased their ticket, they selected which of the four venues they wished to go to for the sit-down dinner.

Victoria Village Inn, Victoria-by-the-Sea, PEI

Lobster Barn Pub and Eatery, Victoria-by-the-Sea, PEI

Each of the restaurants served exactly the same meal. Local chefs from the restaurants prepared the meal and were assisted by chef support from the Culinary Institute of Canada, Charlottetown, PEI. The featured wines of the evening were all local and came from nearby Matos Winery in St. Catherine’s, PEI. Just take a look at this great menu that was collaboratively chosen by the local chefs and Bob Blumer:

Wandering Appetizers with Wine & Beer Tastings

Coach House Antiques:
Smoked Ham from Island Taylored Meats & COWS Creamery Cheese.
PEI Brewing Company Beer Tastings.

By-the-sea Kayaking:
Raspberry Point Oysters.
Matos Vineyards Wine Tastings.

Red Sand Jewelry:
Cajun-seared Atlantic Scallops, Carmelized Onions & Cream Cheese on Baguette
Matos Vineyards Wine Tastings.

Island Chocolates:
Roasted sweet peppers on chocolate crostini with goat cheese and a dusting of cocoa .
Matos Vineyards Wine Tastings.

Seated Dining Menu

Course 1: Kim Dormaar’s Medallion Smoked Salmon
Course 2 – Bob Blumer’s Fire-roasted Corn Chowder with sweet corn and garlic from nearby fields, local cream, and Island Taylored Meats double-smoked bacon. Fresh-baked bread.
Matos Vineyards wine pairing.

Course 3 – Bob Blumer’s Lobster-Filled Cupcake topped with creamy, buttery superior organic potatoes, seasoned with fresh local herbs and served with a medley of greens from Just a Little Farm on the Appin Rd, and dressed with balsamic and black truffle oil vinaigrette.
Matos Vineyard wine pairing.

Course 4 – Panna cotta made with white and dark chocolate from Island Chocolates, served with an almond lace cookie.
Matos Vineyard wine pairing.

After sampling the appetizers, it was off to the venue of choice for the sit-down dinner. I dined at the Orient Hotel. The Hotel does not operate a restaurant but does open a tea room in the summer months. In fact, the Orient Hotel had closed its tearoom doors for the season and re-opened especially for this event. Just look how elegantly this cozy dining room was dressed!

Orient Hotel Dining Room, Victoria-by-the-Sea, PEI

"Savour Victoria" Course 1: Kim Dormaar's Medallion Smoked Salmon — “Savour Victoria” Course 1: Kim Dormaar’s Medallion Smoked Salmon

"Savour Victoria" Course 2: Bob Blumer's Fire-roasted Corn Chowder — “Savour Victoria” Course 2: Bob Blumer’s Fire-roasted Corn Chowder

"Savour Victoria" Course 3: Bob Blumer's Savory Lobster-Filled Cupcake topped with creamy, buttery Superior Organic Potatoes — “Savour Victoria” Course 3: Bob Blumer’s Savory Lobster-Filled Cupcake topped with creamy, buttery Superior Organic Potatoes

"Savour Victoria" Course 4: Panna cotta made with white and dark chocolate from Island Chocolates, served with an Almond Lace Cookie — “Savour Victoria” Course 4: Panna cotta made with white and dark chocolate from Island Chocolates, served with an Almond Lace Cookie

Throughout the evening, Bob circulated amongst the venues, chatting with patrons, and signing copies of his cookbook. He says he hasn’t been on the Island since a memorable bike trip in his teens so he jumped at the opportunity to come back. Says Bob, “During my too-short stay, I fell in love with Victoria-by-the-Sea, and with all of the incredible/eccentric/gregarious people who live there. Dinner was a real community effort (with some imported talent from Charlottetown) – and the community really rocked it.” Asked what the most memorable thing is that he will take away from his Island experience, Bob tells me, “the camaraderie, the lobster and, of course, the incredible beauty of the land.” Great endorsement, Bob!

Celebrity Chef Bob Blumer at "Savour Victoria", Victoria-by-the-Sea, PEI (Love the inscription he wrote on the cookbook!) — Celebrity Chef Bob Blumer at “Savour Victoria”, Victoria-by-the-Sea, PEI (Love the inscription he wrote on the cookbook!)

Pam Beck says organizers aimed for a reasonably-priced event ($85/pp) for sampling four appetizers, drinks, a four-course sit-down dinner, and wine. The event was sold out – all 150 tickets — and Pam says it was about 50/50 split between Islanders and tourists.

This was a very enjoyable evening and it really makes me appreciate the wonderful foods we produce right here on PEI. I asked Richard LaGrange what, from the perspective of a host restaurant, he thought made the event so successful – it was, after all, a huge undertaking to carry out this kind of event using eight small venues, none of which have large kitchens. Richard says, in his view, the event’s success was due to the team effort that went into it, the entire community coming together, and the attitude and professionalism shown by members of the Culinary Institute of Canada. Richard says the most memorable aspect of the “Savour Victoria” experience for him was watching the chefs and the other food staff working together so seamlessly and guiding the rest toward a common goal.

I think this event may be a catalyst for Victoria to consider hosting similar events in the future. They proved they can do it! Richard LaGrange sums it up best when he says: I would hope that the Islanders who attended and who hadn’t been to our village for a while will have been reminded of all the reasons people flock to Victoria, and that those who were visiting us for the first time had their appetites whetted and will be back for seconds.” Hmmmm, “seconds” are good – yes, I’ll have another one of those yummy, savory lobster cupcakes, please!

Field Trips, General, Out and About

Farm Day in the City 2012

October 1, 2012 Barbara99 4 Comments

Sunday, September 30, 2012, dawned dull and rainy and the rain only got worse as the day wore on. However, that didn’t stop hardy Islanders from making their way to downtown Charlottetown to visit the annual “Farm Day in the City”.
Local farmers brought their bountiful produce into the City and joined crafters, artists, and musicians from across the province in PEI’s largest outdoor market. For the Foodie, this was a mecca because it provided the opportunity to buy produce and flowers fresh picked from Island farms.

Here are some photographs from this year’s Farm Day in the City, part of the Fall Flavours Culinary Festival.

Farm Day in the City 2012, Charlottetown, PEI

Farm Day in the City 2012, Charlottetown, PEI

September 30th was also the “Run for the Cure” event in the City so this vendor dressed his scarecrow in the signature pink.

Love the color of these plum tomatoes and the way the rain glistened on them. They are now in the form of homemade tomato soup!

Fresh Plum Tomatoes at Farm Day in the City 2012, Charlottetown, PEI

Fresh PEI Cranberries at Farm Day in the City 2012, Charlottetown, PEI

There were even some llamas, goats, and miniature ponies on hand to delight crowds, too!

The llamas came to town for Farm Day in the City 2012, Charlottetown, PEI

Local musicians entertained shoppers throughout the day.

Local musicians entered shoppers at Farm Day in the City 2012, Charlottetown, PEI — Local musicians entertained shoppers throughout the day at Farm Day in the City 2012, Charlottetown, PEI

Wine Tasting from Rossignol Winery at Farm Day in the City 2012, Charlottetown, PEI

Love these creative and colorful scarecrows that, no doubt, kept the notorious crows of Charlottetown away from the market!

Relaxing Scarecrow taking a break from shopping at Farm Day in the City 2012, Charlottetown, PEI — Relaxing scarecrow taking a break from shopping at Farm Day in the City 2012, Charlottetown, PEI

Scarecrow at Farm Day in the City 2012, Charlottetown, PEI

Local artisans also displayed and sold their crafts at the market, as well.

Glass craft at Farm Day in the City 2012, Charlottetown, PEI

Flower arrangements made onsite at Farm Day in the City 2012, Charlottetown, PEI

Floral arrangements of local PEI flowers for sale at Farm Day in the City 2012, Charlottetown, PEI

Seasonal floral arrangement at Farm Day in the City 2012, Charlottetown, PEI — Seasonal floral arrangements at Farm Day in the City 2012, Charlottetown, PEI

Field Trips, General, Out and About

Prince Edward Island International Shellfish Festival 2012

September 26, 2012 Barbara99 2 Comments

I love how PEI is embracing its foods from its land and the sea that surrounds it! The Island has long been known for its great seafood and what better way to celebrate it than by hosting a large Shellfish Festival! The best way I can describe this annual PEI event is that it is one gigantic Island kitchen party with lots of local musical entertainment and great seafood – always a winning combo!

Now in its 16^th year, the Prince Edward Island International Shellfish Festival has grown substantially from its beginnings drawing, according to organizers, a crowd of over 8000 this year at its new venue at the Charlottetown Events Grounds near the City’s waterfront. From September 13-16, attendees were treated to everything seafood in this signature event of the Island’s “Fall Flavours” Culinary Festival. Visitors to the Festival came from afar. In fact, organizers say over 50% of attendees were tourists to the Island coming mostly from the Maritimes, Ontario and the Eastern Seaboard of the United States. This attests to the popularity this event enjoys.

Jennifer Caseley, Marketing and Sponsorship Manager for the Prince Edward Island International Shellfish Festival, tells me the event began in 1996 by Liam Dolan, a Charlottetown restaurateur, as a means to extend the PEI tourism season. Up until that point, tourism all but stopped after Labour Day and tourist operators basically closed shop.

Asked what the main objectives of the PEI Shellfish Festival are, Jennifer says there are five: 1) To promote PEI’s high quality shellfish; 2) to generate off-Island visitors; 3) to increase the profile of PEI shellfish worldwide; 4) to create new export opportunities; and 5) to increase consumer trial and consumption.

This year’s schedule of events was jam-packed. The weekend started with a “Feast and Frolic” gala dinner hosted by Chefs Michael Smith and Mark McEwan. Over the next three days, there were lots of cooking demonstrations featuring PEI shellfish and agricultural products and hosted by headliner celebrity chefs. These included two of the Island’s finest: Chef Michael Smith, author of six cookbooks and TV chef personality with his own show “Chef Michael’s Kitchen” on the Food Network, and Gordon Bailey, owner of the trendy and upscale Lot 30 restaurant in downtown Charlottetown and judge on the TV show “Cake Walk Wedding Cake Edition”.

Cooking Demonstration with Chef Michael Smith, Prince Edward Island International Shellfish Festival, September 2012

Inside the super large white tent, there were lots of food vendors set up selling local fare and, of course, primarily featuring seafood. Oyster shuckers were kept busy keeping up with demand and, yes, they even had an oyster shucking championship as one of the many events of the Festival! One of the busiest booths had to be where Chef Michael Smith was signing his new cookbook, a real hot item over the 4-day festival!

Oyster Shucking at the Prince Edward Island International Shellfish Festival

Outside the tent, the Tie One On Competition provided entertainment for onlookers as teams of two competed in typing buoys and hanging mussel socks over the side of an actual mussel farming boat brought onsite to simulate mussel farming.

Tie One On Competition at the Prince Edward Island International Shellfish Festival

Offsite, at the Red Shores Racetrack & Casino, a private function featured a meet-and-greet event on Saturday afternoon with Chef Michael Smith. I was fortunate enough to be invited to this event where approximately 30 lucky people got to personally meet and speak with Chef Michael who, to the delight of those attending, took his time and unhurriedly talked with people, answered questions, posed for photographs, and signed yet more copies of his new cookbook.

Meet and Greet Chef Michael Smith at the Prince Edward Island International Shellfish Festival

It was at this event that I met two ladies vacationing from British Columbia. They did not come to the Island specifically for the Festival but they were certainly enjoying both the Shellfish Festival and several of the other Fall Flavours events!

One of the perennial favourite highlights of the Shellfish Festival was the chef competition for the best seafood chowder championships. In fact, there were two championships: 1) PEI Potato Seafood Chowder Championship, and 2) International Seafood Chowder Championship. Below are some photos from Heat 2 of the PEI Potato Seafood Chowder competition.

PEI Potato Seafood Chowder Championship - Heat 2 — PEI Potato Seafood Chowder Championship – Heat 2

Pots of PEI Potato Seafood Chowder Ready for Competition

Chef Norm and Annie from Annie's Table Culinary Studio, New London, PEI, competing in the PEI Potato Seafood Chowder Championship — Chef Norm and Annie from Annie’s Table Culinary Studio, New London, PEI, competing in the PEI Potato Seafood Chowder Championship

How fabulous and appetizing do these chowders look!

Bowls of Chowder from Heat 2 of the PEI Potato Seafood Chowder Championship

Bowls of Seafood Chowder from Heat 2 of the PEI Potato Seafood Chowder Championship

An event of this magnitude takes a phenomenal amount of planning and requires a large team of volunteers to keep the event moving smoothly. Jennifer tells me that, over the weekend, 80 volunteers were on board.

From humble beginnings in 1996, this event has definitely evolved into a signature culinary event that highlights both local and visiting chefs and compliments the food with great local entertainment. This means visitors not only get to sample our great Island seafood but they also get to experience our PEI culture at the same time. What a great blend! The Shellfish Festival is the anchor event of Fall Flavours and certainly the biggest draw for tourism in the fall. As Jennifer says, “The event just keeps getting better. This year was the biggest and best yet with a 40% increase in visitation over 2011. As PEI’s largest culinary event, it creates value and awareness for our superior quality shellfish as we continue to put PEI shellfish on the worldwide map”.

If you are a foodie considering a visit to PEI, there is no better time than September to visit our Island. There are many culinary events that comprise the Fall Flavours Culinary Festival and planning a visit to coincide with the Prince Edward Island Shellfish Festival in the middle of September would make PEI a great holiday destination. For more information on this event, visit the Festival’s website at http://peishellfish.com/ where you will see they are already counting down the days until the 2013 Shellfish Festival begins!

Charlottetown, PEI - Home of the Prince Edward Island International Shellfish Festival — Charlottetown, PEI – Home of the Prince Edward Island International Shellfish Festival

Field Trips, General, Out and About, Seafood

Hup, One, Two, Three, Four — It’s Off to Culinary Boot Camp at the Culinary Institute of Canada

September 16, 2012 Barbara99

On my last day of summer vacation, I went to boot camp – culinary boot camp, that is — at the Culinary Institute of Canada in Charlottetown, PEI. Sixteen people formed the group for the full day “Island Flavours” boot camp. We were a mixed group that came from PEI, Halifax, NS, Montreal, QC, and Waterloo, ON. It was a packed day of activity (and work!) but it was fun!

Now in their 4th year of operation, the boot camps (which started as a pilot project), are offered from May to October. Some are one-half day events while others are full day camps. A variety of bootcamps are offered that include half-day events such as Healthy Eating 101 and Chocolate and Wine. Full day boot camps include Lobster 101, Local Flavours, Seafood 101, Thrills on the Grill, and Seasonal Desserts. Half day camps start at $129 + GST/per person and full days range from $199 to $269 + GST/per person.

Asked why the Culinary Institute, a teaching school for training professional chefs, started the seasonal culinary boot camps, Chef Instructor Jeff McCourt who teaches most of the camps, says the initiative began with “the onset of culinary tourism and, being a school already, they [the Culinary Institute) are fulfilling a short-term education component.” Culinary tourism is one of the latest vacation trends. Whether it is simply choosing interesting, unique, and memorable regional dining options where you are vacationing, attending foodie events (like the PEI Shellfish Festival happening in Charlottetown this weekend, for example) or food conferences, or participating in culinary boot camps at acclaimed cooking schools like the Culinary Institute of Canada, including food-related activities on holidays is a great way to sample local cuisine, try new food products, meet people who share culinary interests, and/or learn new cooking methods and techniques.

Lindsay Arsenault, Boot Camp Coordinator, says one of their most popular culinary boot camps is the Kids Camp, a 4-day summer camp where youth from ages 7-17 are taught basic life skills about food – where food comes from and how to prepare basic meals and they even move on to more advanced food preparation. In this camp, the youth also get to spend a day on a farm, plant a row of potatoes, pick seasonal berries, and then return to the kitchen to learn how to make jam. The camp concludes with the youth preparing a buffet for their parents. Since its inception, the Kids Camp has become so popular that it is not uncommon for the Institute to have waiting lists for these camps. Says 10-year old Michael MacEwen, of Tea Hill, PEI, who is a “seasoned three-year veteran” of the Kids Camp, “I go to the camp every year because it’s fun, you learn how to cook “really good food” from “real” chefs, you get a chef’s outfit, and they are happy to adjust the recipes for me to be gluten-free. I go back every year because there is always something new to learn.”

Lindsay tells me the boot camps are gaining a positive reputation as shore excursions for cruise passengers visiting the port of Charlottetown. Currently, Oceania and Regent Seven Seas cruise lines have started offering the Boot Camps as shore excursions for passengers. The Culinary Institute has customized their boot camps to accommodate cruise ship visits and time lines. This is a wonderful opportunity for those passengers to taste authentic Island food, experience the Culinary Institute and cooking in a professional atmosphere, and go home with great Island recipes as a souvenir of their PEI port visit. As someone who is a frequent cruiser and a foodie, I know this is one shore excursion that would match my tastes! I also learned, from Lindsay, that some organizations have taken their employees to the Culinary Institute and used the boot camps as team building events. Now, that’s an innovative (and fun) way to bring work teams together!

Attending culinary boot camp is also an opportunity to explore future career options. At the boot camp I attended, a dad from Montreal brought his Grade 11 daughter to the Island specifically to attend a couple of boot camps as she is planning a career as a chef. This opportunity allowed her to experience a large industrial-sized teaching kitchen, work alongside a professional chef, and to decide if this is the cooking school she might attend full time when she finishes high school. The day before this boot camp, Alison and her dad, Stephen, spent a day with the chef. This is essentially a customized day of personalized attention where the participant(s) work with the chef on a particular subject of their choosing – in Alison and Stephen’s case, they chose to focus on preparing seafood. Alison’s comments after her culinary experience were very positive and there was no question that she thoroughly enjoyed it.

The boot camps can accommodate a maximum of 16 participants and Lindsay tells me that, on average, their boot camps are comprised of 50/50 Islanders and tourists. On the day I attended, we had a number of family groups participating – Alison and her Dad, Stephen, from Montreal, the six-member Simmons/Tummon family from Waterloo, ON, who were back for their second boot camp in as many years, and a mom (Debbie) and her son (Anthony) from Charlottetown. Debbie told me this boot camp was her Christmas gift to her son and she decided to join him for the day in what was her sixth boot camp in three years. Asked why she had enrolled in six boot camps, Debbie said, “it allows me to try different things. I probably wouldn’t have made the food we made in the camp if I found them in a recipe book but, after participating in the culinary boot camps, I am more inclined to be more venturesome in cooking.” The Simmons/Tummon family – mom, dad, two sons and two daughters aged 15-22, told me their attendance was a Christmas gift from an Island relative (neat idea). Dad, Shawn, told me they enjoy the camps – “the girls like to cook and the boys like doing different things”. I thought it was fabulous to see these families spending quality time together, enjoying themselves, and learning different cooking techniques. Two other women drove from Halifax, NS, specifically to take this boot camp as an extended weekend get-away.

So, now I’m going to share with you my impressions after attending the full day offering of “Local Flavours”, a new boot camp for 2012. For those of you regularly following my blog, you’ll figure my choice of “Local Flavours” was an obvious one given my blog focuses primarily on Island food products.

The focus of the “Island Flavors” boot camp is on cooking with ingredients that come from the land as well as the waters around PEI. After dividing the 16 participants into four groups and assigning each group their recipes, the day started out with participants boarding a small tour bus, along with Chef Instructor Jeff McCourt, to go on a shopping expedition for ingredients for the recipes to be made later in the day.

The Culinary Institute of Canada, Charlottetown, PEI

Chef McCourt handed each group $15 to buy fresh produce to enhance the recipes (note the main ingredients – fish, meat, cream, butter, etc., were all provided by the Culinary Institute and included in the boot camp fee). Heading along historic Water Street and passing over the Hillsborough Bridge to Stratford, our first stop took us to Balderston’s Farm Market.

Balderston's Farm Market, Stratford, PEI — Balderston’s Farm Market, Stratford, PEI

Participants deliberated over what fresh produce to buy and, once selections were made, everyone was back on the bus and on the way back across the Bridge to the Riverview Country Market which sells both fresh produce and meats. More purchases were made.

Riverview Country Market, Charlottetown, PEI

The last stop was at the Liquid Gold Tasting Bar and All Things Olive shop on lower Queen Street where everyone enjoyed tasting the many different kinds of imported quality olive oils and balsamic vinegars. Yes, more purchases!

Liquid Gold Tasting Bar and All Things Olive, Charlottetown, PEI

Back at the Culinary Institute, participants were outfitted in their official Culinary Boot Camp chef jackets and hats and then it was downstairs to the large kitchen facility. Each group assembled and started making their assigned recipes.

Participating in this kind of culinary activity gives participants the opportunity to see and work inside a huge, industrial-sized kitchen. And, I think some of my Paderno stock pots and pans are huge – un-huh – the Culinary Institute has pots so large that they are on floor stands – they make my pots look like little measuring cups! There was one frying pan that I declare was at least three times the size of my largest one! I wondered if I’d need a hydraulic lift to move it!

The Teaching Kitchen at the Culinary Institute of Canada, Charlottetown, PEI

The day was long but passed by very quickly because it was so busy. Each group was intent on their work. This is very much a hands-on culinary event. Don’t expect to sit back, relax, and be entertained by watching someone demonstrate how something is done. Ah, no. You work in these boot camps! It’s learning by doing. That said, there were times throughout the day that Chef McCourt did gather all participants around for specific demonstrations – for example, he showed how to butcher a 30-pound halibut and how filleting is done and steaks cut. Both Chef McCourt and his assistant, Colleen Neilly, were very accommodating and answered any questions participants had and were very willing to show participants how to do things.

Chef Jeff McCourt Demonstrates How to Butcher a Halibut and Cut it into Steaks and Fillets

The basic recipes were provided but participants had the creative flexibility as to how they wanted to “dress them up”. For example, our group opted to prepare the halibut with a Cajun blackened spice rub and plate it over grilled yellow tomatoes and red peppers (bought at Balderston’s earlier in the morning), served alongside herb-roasted beets and chopped Chorizo sausage (purchased at Riverview Country Market). The recipes our group made were Potato and Lobster Cakes, Broiled Oysters (yes, I had my first oyster – but not raw!), Pan-fried Halibut, and Vienna Truffle Tortes (that we dressed with blueberries from Balderston’s).

Potato and Lobster Cakes - One of the Recipes Made During "Local Flavours" Culinary Boot Camp — Potato and Lobster Cakes – One of the Recipes Made During “Local Flavours” Culinary Boot Camp

I found it particularly interesting to visit the other groups around the kitchen and to watch how they chose to prepare their assigned dishes. At the end of the day, we had to plate and present our dishes and spread them out altogether in buffet style. It was simply astonishing and amazing to see the superb quality of the finished products that looked (and tasted) so professionally prepared.

Vienna Truffle Tortes with Fresh PEI Wild Blueberries

Broiled Oysters with Mignonette - One of the Recipes Participants Make During the "Local Flavours" Boot Camp at The Culinary IInstitute of Canada — Broiled Oysters with Mignonette – One of the Recipes Participants Make During the “Local Flavours” Boot Camp at The Culinary Institute of Canada

Then, it was time to sample the fruits of our labour. After filling our plates, it was upstairs to the Lucy Maud Dining Room to enjoy our meal in style. The Lucy Maud Dining Room is the Culinary Institute’s teaching restaurant and it has one of the most commanding water views as it is situated just at the entrance to the Charlottetown Harbour.

This was simply a fabulous day and experience. For the foodie and at-home chef, this is a rare opportunity to work alongside a professional chef in a large, fully-equipped kitchen (yes, their walk-in refrigerators are as large as my walk-in clothes closet!) and learn food preparation techniques from the professionals. At the end of the boot camp, participants walk away with a monogrammed boot camp chef’s jacket to keep, a booklet of recipes that were prepared during the day, great memories of a busy yet fun day, and inspiration and motivation to try new ways of preparing ordinary local foods.

A Sampling of Dishes Made During "Local Flavours" Culinary Boot Camp — A Sampling of Dishes Made During “Local Flavours” Culinary Boot Camp

So, whether it’s a treat for yourself, a gift for those hard-to-buy-for folks who happen to be foodies (I’m thinking what a great wedding present one of these camps would be for newlyweds), an innovative team-building activity for your work group, or an activity to do with a group of friends or family members, a one-half or full day at the Culinary Institute’s boot camps is a great food activity and a sure way to have a memorable time. Oh, and the extraordinary buffet meal as the finale is pretty darn good, too!

Wonderful Dishes Made with Fresh PEI Products During "Local Flavours" Culinary Boot Camp — Wonderful Dishes Made with Fresh PEI Products During “Local Flavours” Culinary Boot Camp

Still can’t get over the fact that we accomplished all this in one day!

The Finale Buffet at the end of the day at the "Local Flavours" Culinary Boot Camp — The Finale Buffet at the end of the day at the “Local Flavours” Culinary Boot Camp

What a feast!

"Local Flavours" Finale Buffet - Culinary Boot Camp — “Local Flavours” Finale Buffet – Culinary Boot Camp

And, it all tasted so incredibly good!

"The Fruits of the Labour" - Buffet at the conclusion of the "Local Flavours" Boot Camp at the Culinary Institute of Canada — “The Fruits of the Labour” – Buffet at the conclusion of the “Local Flavours” Boot Camp at the Culinary Institute of Canada

For more information about the Culinary Institute of Canada’s boot camps, visit their website at https://www.hollandcollege.com/bootcamps/bootcamps/culinary/full-day-camps.

To whet your appetite, below is a sample of the kind of recipes participants experience cooking in one of these boot camps – this one from the “Local Flavours” boot camp. Shared here, with the kind permission of the Culinary Institute of Canada’s Boot Camps, is the recipe for Chef Jeff’s Seafood Chowder. This is a dandy chowder that has won awards at the PEI Shellfish Festival (and Lindsay tells me, more than once it has won!). This makes a very large pot of chowder but the recipe is easily halved or quartered as I did when I made it at home. The wonderful thing about seafood chowder is that it can be served as an appetizer in a smaller portion or, with a larger serving, as a main meal because most chowders are quite filling – and this one certainly is! The other great thing about seafood chowder is that, so long as you make up your quantity, you can use any selection of seafood you like and leave out any you do not care for. When I made the recipe at home, I didn’t have any Vermouth so I substituted Chardonnay which worked out fine. The other thing I would caution is to start “gently” with the Tabasco Sauce using only a few drops of it, then taste it and add more (if necessary) to your liking as, using too much of this hot sauce can quickly spoil a chowder beyond repair.

Jeff's PEI Seafood Chowder

By Barbara99 Published: September 16, 2012

Yield: 12 Servings
Prep: 30-45 mins
Cook: 30-45 mins
Ready In: 60 mins

A smooth, creamy,and tasty seafood chowder filled with a variety of seafood.

Ingredients

1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
3 whole large onions, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
4 cups potato, grated
1/2 cup Vermouth
4 cups 2% milk
4 cups 35% cream
4 cups seafood (PEI lobster, oysters, clams, mussels, scallops, and crab)
3 cups steamed potatoes, diced
salt and ground black pepper, to taste
Tobasco Sauce, to taste
1/2 cup fresh chives, chopped

Instructions

In a hot pot, add the butter and onions. Sweat mixture until translucent. Add garlic and continue to saute until golden brown.
Add the potato, Vermouth, milk, and cream. Cook over medium heat, careful not to scorch the bottom, for approximately 20 minutes until the potato is cooked.
Puree the chowder base in a blender and season with salt and pepper. Return mixture to pot.
Use desired seafood and retain all juice from its cooking process. Add to the chowder base.
Add the diced, cooked potato for texture and season again. Serve and garnish with chopped chives.

Cuisine: Seafood
Course: Appetizer

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Beverages, Field Trips, General, Out and About, Recipes, Seafood

PEI Juice Works Ltd. Produces High Quality Wild Blueberry Juice

August 29, 2012 Barbara99

It’s late August and wild blueberry season on PEI. These wonderful little indigo-colored berries grow wild in certain parts of the Island – in particular, in the Tignish area in the Western part of the Province and in the Morell-St. Peter’s area in the Eastern end of PEI. While it may be wild blueberry season for most people, for the folks at PEI Juice Works Ltd. which produce wild blueberry juice, it’s wild blueberry season year-round. Today, I’m in Bloomfield, near Alberton, PEI, in the Western part of the Island, visiting the PEI Juice Works Ltd. production plant. My tour guide for the day is Ryan Bradley, Vice-President of Sales and Marketing.

Fresh PEI Wild Blueberries Arrive on PEI Juice Works Ltd.'s Loading Dock...ready to be processed into Wild Blueberry Juice — Fresh PEI Wild Blueberries Arrive on PEI Juice Works Ltd.’s Loading Dock…ready to be processed into Wild Blueberry Juice

As I arrive mid-morning, a local farmer from Tignish, about a half hour away, has just arrived with a truckload of fresh wild blueberries for processing and is backed up to the loading dock unloading large containers of berries. One taste of these sweet little wild blueberries and there is no comparison to the larger cultivated ones that, while they have great presentation, I find so often lack flavour. No doubt about it, wild blueberries are tastier and sweeter than the cultivated high bush variety and, as an added bonus, they also have a much higher antioxidant profile.

Crate of Wild Blueberries, Fresh from the Field

PEI Juice Works Ltd. began producing juice from wild blueberries just two years ago when four shareholders from the agricultural sector decided to do something with the wild blueberries growing in their area to add value to them other than shipping them as raw food to be used or processed into a product elsewhere. The production facility is located in the Bloomfield Industrial Park just outside Alberton and presently employs seven staff year-round. The company has worked closely with Bio Food Tech in Charlottetown to develop the proprietary process PEI Juice Works Ltd. uses and Ryan tells me that Bio Food Tech set up a small scale plant in their lab to test and help PEI Juice Works Ltd. get the best wild blueberry juice product possible. The food production industry is heavily regulated and food safety standards are strictly adhered to by PEI Juice Works Ltd. In fact, on my visit, I could only view their production facility from a window as only authorized personnel are allowed in the room where the juice is being produced.

PEI Juice Works Ltd. Production Facility and Test Kitchen

Two Flavours of PEI Juice Works Ltd. Wild Blueberry Juice

Currently, the company produces two flavour blends of their signature wild blueberry juice – Wild Blueberry and Tart Cherry and Wild Blueberry and Rhubarb. Ryan tells me that their most popular flavour is Wild Blueberry and Tart Cherry (and it’s my favourite, too!). He tells me there is over one pound of wild blueberries in every 375ml bottle they produce and the product contains no preservatives – so it is the goodness of an all-natural product! When you think of how small the low bush wild blueberries are, that’s a lot of blueberries! Their product comes in one-size, a 375ml bottle, that has a two-year shelf life, unopened. After opening, the product will maintain its quality for about three weeks, refrigerated. Ryan tells me the juice can be drunk cold or at room temperature but he says the flavour will be more intense if it is consumed cold. PEI Juice Works Ltd. recommends a daily serving size of 2 oz/60ml of the wild blueberry juice which is about ¼ cup. Following this recommended serving, one 375 ml bottle will last you just about a week.

Recommended 2oz/60ml Serving Size of Wild Blueberry Juice Per Day

To the extent possible, PEI Juice Works Ltd. uses local product. In this way, it provides a ready market for local Island wild blueberry growers. In the off-season, PEI Juice Works Ltd. buys its supply of wild blueberries from a sorting facility to which local growers have sold their crops and where the berries have been quick frozen. So, how is wild blueberry juice made? Ryan tells me PEI Juice Works Ltd. uses an ancient European process that was originally developed by Mennonites in Eastern Europe over 100 years ago. This involves a heat process to break down the skin membrane of the wild blueberries that will release the dark, rich pigments that give the juice both its color and flavour. The solids are then separated and filtered out and the blending of other fruits – either the cherries or rhubarb – then occurs. For consumer safety, the product is pasteurized and bottled, hot, which gives it its two-year shelf life.

Currently, the juices are sold in all four Atlantic Provinces (check the “Where to Buy” section of the PEI Juice Works Ltd. website for locations in those areas) and the 375ml bottles retail for around $10. each. However, no worries if you are not in the Atlantic Provinces because, through FoodiePages, you can now order PEI Juice Works Ltd. products online. The company is currently exploring markets around the world and have participated in trade shows and trade missions at home and farther afield. In February, 2012, they attended a food show in Japan and, in March, were at the Canadian Health Products Show in Vancouver, BC. In September, they are travelling to China as part of the PEI Premier’s trade mission.

The farmer delivering the wild blueberry shipment to PEI Juice Works Ltd. on this day graciously agreed to allow me to follow him to his blueberry field to see how they harvest the crop because I think it is important to see where our foods come from and how they are harvested.

I learned a fact I did not know before and that is that a wild low bush blueberry field will only yield a maximum harvest every second year so the field they are harvesting today will not be harvested again until the year after next. Wild blueberries, of course, cannot be planted so are completely dependent on Mother Nature as to where the wild blueberry barrens are and the fruit they yield. I asked if, this year being a very dry year on the Island with very little rain, provided good growing conditions for wild blueberries. The farmer told me that it is not and he showed me some berries that, in fact, just dried up and did not yield useable fruit because of the dry conditions. Using the machine in the photograph above, the farmer can harvest over one acre of fruit per day. It is from this field that today’s production of PEI Juice Works Ltd. wild blueberry juice is being made. It doesn’t get any fresher than that!

In recent years, there have been a number of studies conducted around the world with regards to the health benefits of wild blueberries, often dubbed a superfruit, which have steadily been gaining a reputation for their health benefits. Wild blueberries are low in fat and sodium and provide a good source of fibre and both Vitamins C and K. While research and testing on the health benefits of wild blueberries continue on an ongoing basis, the berries and their products, such as wild blueberry juice, are reported to have positive health benefits. High in antioxidants, wild blueberry juice is reported to have properties that may improve cognitive function, lower blood pressure and cholesterol, reduce inflammation, inhibit urinary tract infections, and combat diseases like cancer, heart disease, stroke, and memory loss. There is even some research that suggests wild blueberry juice may slow the aging process! So, with the chances of improved memory and learning functions, slowing down the aging process, and combating a number of other diseases, what’s not to like about wild blueberry juice!

Visit the Juice Works website to find out more about their blueberry juice products.

While the wild blueberry juice is wonderful to drink on its own I decided to try some recipes using the juice as an ingredient. The first recipe is for Steamed Mussels with Blueberry Vinaigrette. You can find the recipe for this appetizer on the Saltscapes magazine website. Traditionally, on PEI, we serve steamed mussels with melted butter; however, this recipe sees the mussels drizzled with a blueberry vinaigrette which can also be used as a dressing on a green garden salad or on a watermelon, goat cheese, and basil salad. For the vinaigrette, I chose PEI Juice Works’ Wild Blueberry and Rhubarb Juice and I also used PEI-produced maple syrup. Adding the syrup gave the dressing a touch of sweetness and it paired well with the mussels in the appetizer and the watermelon in the salad.

Steamed Mussels with Blueberry Vinaigrette

Steamed Mussels served with Blueberry Vinaigrette

To make the watermelon, goat cheese, and basil salad, I simply cubed watermelon, added some crumbled goat cheese, red onion, and a sprinkle of fresh basil and parsley. Since we had a bumper crop of cherry tomatoes in our garden this year, I included some of those as well. Drizzled with a wild blueberry vinaigrette, this is a refreshing and colorful summer salad.

Watermelon, Goat Cheese, and Basil Salad Drizzled with a Wild Blueberry Vinaigrette

My third recipe is one I developed — a Blueberry Juice Sangria (recipe follows).

I hope you will try PEI Juice Works Ltd. wild blueberry juices. They are a tasty product, good for you, and made right here in Prince Edward Island. It’s a true flavour of the Island!

My Island Bistro Kitchen's Blueberry Sangria

By Barbara99 Published: August 29, 2012

Yield: (3-4 Servings)
Prep: 1 hr 30 mins

A refreshing drink made with PEI Juice Works' Wild Blueberry Juice

Ingredients

1 lime, quartered
1/2 lemon, quartered
1/2 orange, quartered
2 Tbsp blueberries (optional)
1 tsp sugar
sprinkle fine sea salt
1/4 cup PEI Juice Works Wild Blueberry Juice
1/4 cup orange juice
1 tbsp brandy
3/4 cup white wine
1 355ml chilled lemon-lime soda

Instructions

Assemble all ingredients.
Chop lime, lemon, and orange into quarters. Into medium-sized glass pitcher, hand-squeeze fruit. Drop in the fruit. Add blueberries, if using.
Add sugar and a small sprinkle of fine sea salt. Let sit, at room temperature, for about 30 minutes to release juices from the fruit.
Add blueberry and orange juices, wine, and brandy. Stir. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour to chill.
Add soda at time of serving.
Serve chilled, over ice, in tall glasses and garnish with a slice of orange or lemon. Enjoy!

Cuisine: American
Course: Snack
Skill Level: Easy

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Desserts, Field Trips, General, Out and About, Recipes

Lavender – The Trendy New Culinary Herb

August 9, 2012 Barbara99 1 Comment

Okay, so I must admit the thought of baking and cooking with something I have always considered a perfume can be a bit daunting but with lavender being the trendy new culinary herb, I thought why not be a bit venturesome. But can I use just any lavender for culinary purposes? To find out, I paid a visit to The Five Sisters of Lavender Lane – aptly named because there are five sisters involved with the growing, harvesting, and production of the lavender products.

The Five Sisters of Lavender Lane, Kelly's Cross, PEI, Canada — The Five Sisters of Lavender Lane, Kelly’s Cross, PEI, Canada

Lavender Farm in Kelly's Cross, PEI — Lavender Farm in Kelly’s Cross, PEI

Through the scenic rolling hills of Kelly’s Cross in rural PEI, on the Island’s South side, I find PEI’s only lavender farm. In 1999, Carol Cook bought the farm and, in 2001, planted her first 100 lavender plants to see how they would ‘weather the winter’ on the Island. They did well and, today, there are over an estimated 3000 plants of two varieties (Hidcote and Munstead) grown on the farm.

Rows of Heavenly-scented Lavender at the lavender farm of The Five Sisters of Lavender Lane, Kelly's Cross, PEI — Rows of Heavenly-scented Lavender at the lavender farm of The Five Sisters of Lavender Lane, Kelly’s Cross, PE

Carol tells me that starting lavender from seed is not necessarily a guarantee of success. Instead, her preference is to start new plants by propagating from cuttings. This is where a long stem of lavender attached to the mother plant is buried under some soil and left to grow its own roots. The following year it can be cut from the mother plant and, voila, a new lavender plant is started. Another option is to take a cutting from a plant, cut it on an angle, dip it in a root boost starter product, and place it in a sandy soil mixture to take root.

Most of us know lavender as a perfume and potpourri product. However, lavender is actually an herb of the mint family and certain varieties of it are known as culinary herbs. These are primarily the Hidcote and Munstead varieties. Lavender is often considered to be similar to thyme, rosemary, and sage and it can, in fact, be substituted for rosemary in many recipes. If you have ever cooked with Herbes de Provence, chances are you have already tasted lavender since it is a common ingredient in this herb mix along with the typical mixture of thyme, rosemary, and savory.

Lavender is one of the more aromatic herbs and some say it bears citrus notes or even a hint of pine. The lavender buds (the stage just before the plants blossom into full open flower) possess a higher oil content and have the most intense taste. They tend to have a stronger, minty flavour and, when used in cooking or baking will be more pungent and have “more bite” to them. When crushed or ground, the lavender buds have a sweeter, milder flavour. While the leaves, stems, buds, and flowers can all be used for culinary purposes, the flower buds are said to give the most flavour.

Lavender Buds on the left; Lavender Flowers on the right

In PEI, harvesting of lavender occurs in mid-July. When at their bud stage, the beautiful purple/mauve buds are removed from their tall spikes, washed, and spread on screens to dry. They are then ready to be used in various products. It is possible to get a second, smaller harvest from the same plants late in August or early September. The photographs below were taken at the lavender farm on July 10, 2012, the day before they began harvesting. I can only imagine the wonderful scent there must have been during the harvesting process!

The Day Before the Harvesting of the Lavender at The Five Sisters of Lavender Lane

The Five Sisters of Lavender Lane only sell their culinary lavender in the small gift shop at their farm in Kelly’s Cross and it is not uncommon for local chefs to stop by to pick up their supply for their restaurants. If you are cooking with lavender, just make sure that it is the culinary variety you are using and that it has been grown organically, pesticide-free. Besides the culinary lavender, the farm also produces and sells a number of other lavender products onsite including perfumed products. This year, they are currently experimenting with the production of lavender extract which can be used in culinary products in the same way that vanilla, almond, or lemon extract is used.

Lavender is a strong herb so my advice is less is more and to exercise caution in the amount you use in a recipe. If you use too much, it will not be a pleasant taste because it may seem like you are eating soap or that you used perfume in the dish. I find a lot of recipes call for 1-2 tablespoons of lavender and that is way too excessive in any recipe for my taste. When trying a recipe with lavender, I start with a very modest amount and, if I find it is not enough, I will slightly increase the amount the next time I make the recipe until I get it to the point that it pleases my palette. Like any herb, you want it to accent the dish, not predominate and overpower it. Rule of thumb is that, if you are using dried lavender, use one-half what you would use fresh. Because it is not very pleasant to bite into a whole lavender bud, the herb is often ground in a spice grinder or coffee grinder. It is very important to carefully read a recipe that calls for lavender to determine when the amount of the herb the recipe calls for gets measured – i.e., is it before or after the lavender is ground or crushed. If the recipe calls, for example, for 1 tsp. lavender buds finely ground, first measure the whole buds as the teaspoon measure and then grind them as, otherwise, the flavour will be too strong if you were to use 1 tsp finely ground lavender in the recipe.

Lavender is now the trendy herb not only in baked goods like cookies, scones, and sweet breads but in ice cream, in vinaigrettes, in rice, on chicken and lamb, in jams, jellies, and honey, and in drinks such as herbal teas and lemonade. I have done a lot of experimenting with cooking and baking with lavender this summer and I am lucky because I live not far from the lavender farm where I can get my supply of quality culinary lavender. Not long ago, I prepared an evening tea featuring lavender – a Lavender Blueberry Banana Bread, lavender scones with homemade lemon curd, and Swedish Teacakes filled with the curd.

On Sunday evening I made an entire meal with lavender as the focus. For the salad course, I started with a roasted beet and goat cheese salad on garden greens. To roast the beets, I coated them with olive oil then sprinkled some fresh thyme, lemon verbena, basil, dried lavender buds, and a bit of minced garlic on them. I wrapped the beets in tin foil and roasted them at 400C for about 1 hour, till they were fork tender. I then sliced the beets and laid them on a bed of lettuce freshly picked from our garden, added some orange sections, and tossed some goat cheese and pecans on the top. I made a simple citrus-based vinaigrette to drizzle over the salad. The beets had a nice roasted flavour to them, not strong in any herb flavour, which is the taste I was aiming for.

Lavender Chicken Breasts in Champagne Sauce served with fresh green and yellow string beans and blue, red, and white fingerlings

For the main course, I chose a recipe from Sharon Shipley’s “The Lavender Cookbook” for Lavender Chicken Breasts in Champagne Sauce. This was delicious. The chicken breasts were marinated in lemon juice, thyme, and ground lavender buds then cooked in a skillet with a wonderful mushroom and champagne sauce.

For dessert, I wrapped my homemade Lavender-Honey-Vanilla Ice Cream in a dessert crepe and drizzled it with raspberry coulis made with fresh PEI raspberries picked near Hunter River. The ice cream, my feature recipe for this posting, is also good with a hot fudge sauce or drizzled with a good quality chocolate or raspberry balsamic vinegar that has been reduced to syrup stage.

Lavender-Honey-Vanilla Ice Cream in Crepe, drizzled in Raspberry Coulis

The lavender farm at the Five Sisters of Lavender Lane is located at 1433 Route 246 in Kelly’s Cross, PEI. Check out their website at http://www.fivesistersoflavenderlane.com/ or call them at 902-658-2203.

Thank you for visiting “the Bistro” today. There are lots of ways to connect with “the Bistro” through social media:

Join My Island Bistro Kitchen on Facebook
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Find the Bistro on Pinterest at “Island Bistro Kitchen”
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Lavender-Honey-Vanilla Ice Cream

By Barbara99 Published: August 9, 2012

Yield: Apx. 1 quart

Lavender-infused homemade ice cream

Ingredients

1 cup whipping cream
1 cup half-and-half
1 cup whole milk
1/2 cup honey
2 tbsp caster sugar
3/4 tsp edible lavender flower buds
4 egg yolks
1/8 tsp salt
1/2 vanilla bean split and seeds scraped
1 tsp pure vanilla

Instructions

In double boiler, over medium heat, heat the whipping cream, half-and-half, milk, honey, sugar, lavender, and vanilla beans and pod. Stir occasionally and heat mixture until small bubbles start to appear around edge of mixture, about 10-12 minutes.
Remove from heat, cover, and let steep for 30 minutes to allow the lavender flavour to infuse the warm milk mixture.
Strain mixture through a fine mesh sieve into a clean bowl. Discard remains in sieve and return strained mixture to a clean double boiler and heat to the scalding point, stirring to prevent the mixture from curdling or sticking to the bottom of the pot.
In a medium-sized bowl, whisk egg yolks and salt together. Whisk in vanilla. Add ¾ cup of the hot milk mixture to the eggs and whisk to blend. Pour this mixture into the custard in the double boiler. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until mixture thickens to consistency that it will coat the back of a wooden spoon. Do not boil. Be patient as this takes time.
Strain mixture through sieve into a clean bowl. Cool completely then chill, covered, in refrigerator for at least 3 hours or more (can be chilled up to 24 hours). Freeze custard in ice cream maker according to manufacturer’s directions. Transfer ice cream to an airtight container and place plastic wrap directly on the surface of the ice cream. Cover and place in freezer for at least 4-6 hours to harden completely.

Cuisine: American
Course: Dessert
Skill Level: Advanced

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Field Trips, Out and About

Strawberry and Ice Cream Socials on PEI

July 24, 2012 Barbara99

Summertime strawberry and ice cream socials (“socials”) are prolific on PEI in July and always herald Summer on the Island. From churches to community groups to historical museums to Women’s Institute groups, socials are common Summer events on PEI. Even local politicians gather around strawberries and ice cream and host Summer socials as a way of connecting with their constituents. Who would have thought strawberries would gain and hold such notoriety as the star attraction at so many local Summer social gatherings!

While I was unable to trace definite origins of these Summer socials on PEI, local historian and curator of History and Exhibits with PEI Museums and Heritage, Boyde Beck, tells me the earliest recording that he could find of such an event was in 1871 when the public was invited to a strawberry festival with refreshments on the grounds of the Wesleyan Academy, an event that also involved croquet and games for the young. Then, in 1896, there is a recording of an ice cream and strawberry banquet held after a 13-mile bicycle race from Brackley Beach to Charlottetown under the auspices of the Charlottetown Wheel Association. I think it would be safe to say that these early events would have involved homemade vanilla ice cream churned by hand in a wooden crank-style freezer and the strawberries most likely would have been wild as opposed to the cultivated variety.

Today, most socials still follow the traditional strawberry shortcake recipe — a tea biscuit split in two with a scoop (or two!) of vanilla ice cream on top and drizzled with strawberries (usually crushed) and a dollop of whipped cream. Most often, a beverage is included (tea, coffee, or lemonade) and many organizations also offer homemade squares and cookies as well, particularly if the event is held indoors and if table seating is provided. You can expect to pay in the vicinity of $5-7 for the event.

When they originally began, the primary purpose of the events was purely social — to bring together people in a community or church, for example, so they could get to know their neighbours or renew old acquaintances – hence the use of the word “social” in connection with the event. Apart from those organized by politicians for the purpose of meeting and greeting constituents, today’s socials are seen as a good way to raise money for organizations’ causes and some argue this is now more the key objective with hosting the events.

My earliest recollection of attending an ice cream social was in the early 1970s. One July evening, my Mother suggested we go to a “Strawberry Social” being held on the grounds of Howatt’s Fruit and Vegetable Farm in Tryon, PEI, not far from the banks of the Tryon River. I have to admit, as a youth, I found it bizarre to make a connection between strawberries and something social! Nevertheless, off we went and I can recall it being a lovely, warm Summer evening and the beautiful manicured grounds with a canopy of several weeping willow trees on the lawns providing a lovely venue for the early evening event. Today, most socials are held indoors so that weather is not a restricting factor.

On Sunday afternoon, July 22, 2012, I was in Bideford, near Tyne Valley, PEI, in the Western part of the Province where the Bideford Parsonage Museum was hosting its 13^thannual Strawberry Social.

Strawberry Social at Bideford Parsonage Museum

This house, now museum, was the former Methodist Parsonage where famed authoress, Lucy Maud Montgomery, boarded with Rev. John F. and Mrs. Ada Estey from 1894-95 when she was in her first teaching position at Bideford No. 6 School. Members of the local historical society were blessed with a beautiful sunny day as they hosted the Sunday afternoon event outdoors on the Museum grounds. For the modest price of $5.00, visitors received a large bowl of strawberry shortcake, and tea, coffee, or lemonade. Homemade sweet tea biscuits, fresh Island strawberries, and PEI-produced ADL ice cream proved a combo hard to beat on a hot day!

Local musicians provided the afternoon’s entertainment as hosts, in period costume, mingled about the grounds. While many churches, halls, and parks across the Island are the scene of socials throughout the Summer, the lovely designed and maintained Bideford Parsonage Museum with its immaculate grounds encased in a white picket fence sets a beautiful backdrop for a Summer social.

Bideford Parsonage Museum, Bideford, Prince Edward Island, Canada

You can certainly let your mind wander to a more tranquil and genteel era when this kind of social would have been held in the late 1800s and you can easily imagine how such a summer social would have been a hugely anticipated event in rural PEI. On a sunny 28ºC Sunday afternoon in July 2012, ice cream and seasonal berries proved to be a perfect refreshing treat just as I am sure they would have been more than a century ago!

Lots of Strawberry and Ice Cream Socials on PEI!

Whether you are a local Islander or a tourist visiting PEI in July, be sure to stop by one of the many strawberry and ice cream socials. On an almost daily basis in July, local newspapers carry advertisements for these events held at various locations across PEI so, no doubt, there would likely be one not far from where you are on the Island!

Bideford is about a 35-minute drive from the City of Summerside, PEI. Visit the museum’s website at http://www.bidefordparsonagemuseum.com/

Thank you for visiting “the Bistro” today. There are lots of ways to connect with “the Bistro” through social media:

Join My Island Bistro Kitchen on Facebook
Follow the Bistro’s tweets on twitter @PEIBistro
Find the Bistro on Pinterest at “Island Bistro Kitchen”
Follow along on Instagram at “peibistro”

May 29, 2013 – Planting

June 20, 2013 – Fertilizing and Hilling

July 2, 2013 – Potato Plants Growing

July 20, 2013 – Potato Blossoms

September 30, 2013 – Harvesting

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