CFN -Coffey’s Coffee and the Island Ink Jet and Laser Toners are please to be able to offer samples of two of the world’s rarest coffees, Kopu Luwak and Reunion Island. The coffees will be served at the Island Ink Jet at 8 Third St. West on Friday morning, 18 May 2012 for a nominal price.

There is a very limited supply of these rare and expensive coffees so it will be first come first serve for as long as the supply lasts.

If you are a true coffee lover this is an opportunity to taste these legendary coffees.

Warning…There is a down side to this event. If you happen to fall in love with these spectacular coffees their retail price is about $140 per lb!

The All Things Food SDG Community Food Network and Growing Up Organic will be hosting a free “How to Start an Organic School Garden” workshop on Monday, April 30th from 6 – 8 p.m. at South Nation Conservation in Finch.

Alissa Mae Campbell, coordinator of Growing Up Organic Ottawa, will share her knowledge and expertise with participants.  Topics will include: garden-based education, how to build a school garden program, curriculum connections, and resources for successful school gardens.

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School garden teams of 2-4 (teachers, parents, volunteers, school administrators, and other personnel) are encouraged to attend. The workshop is free, but space is limited and registration is required.

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Interested participants are encouraged to contact Dana Kittle, All Things Food Coordinator to register for the workshop (by e-mail dana@allthingsfoodbouffe360.ca or by phone (613) 875-3262).

 Details on the workshop can also be found on All Things Food’s website at www.allthingsfoodbouffe360.ca.

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The OMHA and Roberts launched the challenge at the Gary Roberts High Performance Centre at the Fitness Institute in North York, Ontario. The contest details are published in the March 2012 issue of Hometown Hockey Magazine, the OMHA’s membership magazine, which is arriving at members’ homes this week. Hometown Hockey goes out to 100,000 family households and is read by 340,000 players and families each issue. The magazine is also available online www.hometownhockey.com and the contest details online at www.hometownhockey.com/garyroberts.

OMHA players on participating teams will follow and track their healthy eating over a 10 week period starting on March 1st, earning points for their good eating and discipline. Players that earn a minimum of 500 points will have their names entered into a draw and there are three prizes: the grand prize winner will receive a prize for their entire team, including a day of education and training with the former NHLer at the Gary Roberts High Performance Centre at the Fitness Institute in North York, Ontario, and a nutrition seminar led by Roberts and Nature’s Emporium. Their day at the centre will also be the subject of a feature in Hometown Hockey Magazine, and they’ll walk away from the event wearing free OMHA gear.

Roberts, a graduate of the OMHA’s Whitby Wildcats, had a great NHL career that almost ended at the age of the 30 when he suffered a broken neck. He turned to exercise and diet to heal and surprised many with a comeback that saw him play another 12 years. He’s now an expert in the areas of sports training and nutrition. Now he advises some NHL current stars including OMHA graduate Steven Stamkos on nutrition so they optimize what their body can do on the ice.

“Players want to compete hard on the ice to chase that NHL dream,” Roberts said. “Healthy eating plays a huge role in building a body that can compete harder and faster. There are foods that will give a player a natural edge to do more, both on the ice and in life.”

To help players and their families put together a menu plan, Roberts and Hometown Hockey have published the Gary Roberts Grocery List and Recipe Book along with videos on preparing meals which can be found at www.hometownhockey.com/garyroberts.

“We are thrilled to have Gary’s commitment and expertise to help our players eat and be healthier,” said the OMHA President Joyce Junker. “The players who compete will develop healthier lifestyles, and that’s why we are running this competition. We want all of our players to be healthy, and to enjoy playing hockey the rest of their lives. We hope the lessons learned from this competition will benefit our players and families in the years ahead.”

This contest is only open to players from teams that are in the OMHA.

There are three team prizes in the contest.

Grand prize winner and his or her team receive:

• ·         An entire day at the Gary Roberts High Performance Centre, located within the Fitness Institute in North York Ont.
• ·         A seminar on nutrition led by Gary Roberts and Nature’s Emporium
• ·         A Question and Answer Session with Gary
• ·         A workout with Gary and his master trainers.

◦    Including a dynamic Warmup, Workout and Cool-down

• ·         Post workout meal prepared Nature’s Emporium
• ·         Feature in a future OMHA Hometown Hockey magazine
• ·         Up to 25 OMHA T-shirts

Second place prize includes:

• ·         Autographed Leafs 7 GR jersey
• ·         Nike Workout Package, with shirt, shorts, shoes, socks, gym bag bottle and hat
• ·         Nature’s Emporium High Performance prize pack of non perishable health related snack and meal items

Third Place Prize includes:

Autographed Leafs 7 GR jersey

OMHA T-shirt and Hoodie

About the Ontario Minor Hockey Association
The Ontario Minor Hockey Association, founded in 1935, is the largest minor hockey association in the world and oversees a participant base of 300,000 consisting of players, coaches, trainers, officials, hockey volunteers and parents across the province. The OMHA has 246 active member minor hockey associations and annually coordinates 45 leagues and approximately 600 development clinics throughout Ontario. Current OMHA alumni playing in the NHL include 2012 all star game players Steven Stamkos (player-association) Markham, James Neal (Whitby), Corey Perry (Peterborough), Cody Hodgson (Markham), Brian Campbell (Strathroy), Dan Girardi (Welland), Brian Elliott (York Simcoe), Tyler Seguin (Whitby) and Matt Read (Ingersoll).

About Gary Roberts

Gary Roberts is a 23 year NHL veteran, Stanley Cup winner and OMHA Alumnus (Whitby MHA).  Gary is a leader in High Performance Training & Nutrition for professional, junior and youth athletes.  The Gary Roberts High Performance Centre is located in the Fitness Institute,www.fitnessinstitute.com.

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Remember the SARS outbreak not long ago?  Remember the line-ups to get flu shots as there was major concern about a world outbreak of a strain of flu that could have dire consequences to world populations?  Well that never happened…but what if it did?  What if the borders were closed to traffic to quarantine a virus or illness?  Can we sustain our population with the local food that we produce?  What would our grocery shelves look like if the borders were closed?  I can only guess that many of the items that we purchase on a regular basis would not be available.

So what can we do to insure that if such an event ever occurred we could nourish ourselves in spite of the limited items available to us?  There are certainly items that will not be available as they do not grow in our climate zone.  Items such as citrus fruit, (although I have heard there is a limited quantity available on the west coast of Canada) bananas, olives, certain spices would simply not be available.  Our climate however supports the growth of many fruits, vegetables, grains and nuts which can easily sustain a body healthfully.   Many of these items however are not grown on the acres of farmlands that surround us.  Seems most of the farmlands are involved in growing miles and miles of corn and Soya beans.  Crops not even grown for human consumption, but for fuel and cattle feed.  What the heck is wrong with this picture?  Although I have seen many signs on farmland that indicate “Farmers Feed Cities”, I fail to see the diversity of crops that actually nourish or provide the diversity of elements required for health.  It would seem that “profit” is in the huge monoculture crops such as corn or Soya although after watching the video “A Ripple Effect Production”

on the Mercola.com site and reading the related material, it indicates this assumption is absolutely false.   The site notes that “researchers at the University of Wisconsin’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and Michael Fields Agricultural Institute (results published in 2008 in the Agronomy Journal) found that traditional organic farming techniques of planting a variety of plants to ward off pests is more profitable than monocropping”.

So what steps can we take to insure we have the variety of foods necessary for our growth and wellbeing?  Support your local Food Producers with at least $10.00 out of your weekly food budget.  If each of us did this, we can insure our producers have the means to continue to put healthy homegrown options on our table.  From field to fork is a much healthier option for our bodies and the planet.  Cook, can, dry or freeze food in season and pass these vital skills onto your children.  Support or organize activities that promote a sustainable food system.   Consider planting a sustainable garden at your home, office or school.  A great way to have fresh food right at your finger tips.  Consider planting trees or bushes that not only provide habitat for wildlife but food for the table.  Support local food vendors that purchase locally produced organic food.

The above video is available for your viewing, free until Saturday, March 3rd.  It is a powerful video just over an hour in length, urging us to begin to reacquaint ourselves with our food, where it comes from and how it is produced.  It is a real eye opener!

Your commentary is appreciated and always welcome below or to earthmatters@cornwallfreenews.com

CFN -Eco Farm Day is back for 2012!   It’s at the Ramada in Cornwall Ontario on February 25 & 26th!

The theme of Eco Farm Day 2012 is ”Vibrant Family Businesses in Organic Agriculture and Food”. In the current economic climate, the small business sector is the leading economic engine. Coupled with that, the organic food sector is the fastest growing part of the agri-food economy in Canada. Family-owned organic farms, food processors, and food handlers form a vibrant part of Canada’s rural economy.

Eco Farm Day, hosted by Canadian Organic Growers, Ottawa Chapter, is the largest farm conference in eastern Ontario, and the leading learning and networking conference for organic agriculture and food in Eastern Ontario and beyond. Organic, transitional and conventional farmers of field crops, market gardens, and livestock rely on Eco Farm Day for the best training, information, and commerce opportunities. Over 350 people come back every year for the social event, the networking, the positive atmosphere, and the great food! Over 30 exhibitors cover a wide range of farm inputs, markets, services, and sector associations.

Our key note speaker, Steve Beauchesne of Beau’s All Natural Brewing Co. will describe how his family-run brewery has built a solid brand in an incredibly tough competitive market by firmly sticking to the goals of making organic beer, supporting their community and sustainable business practises. Steve will describe the importance of setting non-financial goals in order to create a culture around your business and turn customers into fans and employees into teammates. Steve will discuss the sacrifices a business must be willing to make to create a truly inspiring story and change from being a company that produces a product into a rallying point for other believers.

Lucy Sharratt from the Canadian Biotechnology Action Network will join us for the evening gala on Saturday to discuss how genetic modification poses new urgent threats to the future of organic food in Ontario with the latest information and strategic updates on GM crops and animals.

Randy Whitteker, general manager of the Ontario Natural Food Coop, will join us on Sunday to discuss the markets and opportunities for local farmers and food processors in the growing organic retail in Ontario.

Besides the keynote speaker, the conference on Saturday includes 12 one-hour workshops on production techniques, marketing, and subjects of general interest. Although the conference is presented in English, it will have simultaneous translation in French for the keynote speech on Saturday as well as the 3 selected workshops.

Full list of Speakers   LINK

Registration is now open, along with the program, on the conference website at www.ecofarmday.ca.

Conference Chair Tom Manley of Homestead Organics from the 2011 Eco Farm Day.

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) pesticide residue testing results made public this week support the claim that choosing organic reduces consumers’ exposure to unwanted pesticides.

“We think consumers want to know where their food comes from, how it was grown, and what’s in it. Organic does all of that: what it doesn’t do is use the persistent chemicals we don’t think consumers would want in their food.”

“We see that over 560 residues were found on non-organic apples, more than ten times the 52 found on organic apples. That would worry me if I weren’t buying organic,“ said Matthew Holmes, Executive Director of COTA.

Consumers can now be assured that the Government is monitoring organic products—both imports and domestic—thanks to the new Organic Products Regulations published in 2009 and fully implemented in June 2011. This new rule in Canada makes organic products the most regulated and inspected in the country: building on top of all other food safety and regulatory requirements.

“From the types of chemicals we see in this data, it’s clear that this isn’t a case of a farmer abusing the system, but originates from the types of chemical used on non-organic products in post-harvest situations, such as warehousing and shipping,” Holmes said.

As CFIA integrates the new organic rules into its existing testing and inspection systems, it will be able to monitor these sorts of occurrences in the future and find out where they might be happening, to minimize this type of exposure for organic products in the future.

However, Holmes adds:

“it’s not too surprising that we’re seeing some trace amounts of chemical residues. We cannot overlook the fact that these chemicals from industrial agriculture are present in our water, air and soil—that’s why organic agriculture is offering consumers another choice: one that does not contribute to this toxic load in our environment and in our population.”

The Canada Organic Trade Association is the membership-based trade association for the organic sector in Canada, representing growers, shippers, processors, certifiers, farmers’ associations, distributors, importers, exporters, consultants, retailers and others in the organic value chain. COTA’s mission is to promote and protect the growth of organic trade to benefit the environment, farmers, the public and the economy.

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CFN –   Are you going to the Eastern Ontario Food Conference Thursday December 1st at the University of Guelph campus in Kemptville Ontario?

I know Tom Manley of Organic Central and Homestead Organics will be speaking.   This is a great opportunity to to hear from people in the area at the forefront of the healthier food movement.

Click to ENLARGE!

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• Cook healthy, budget-friendly meals in a group setting?
• Take home tasty, freezer-friendly meals for your family?
  
• Meet new friends?

If so, plan to attend the North Dundas Community Kitchen Planning Meeting on November 9th!  At the meeting, you will learn more about how a Community Kitchen operates and plan for the first kitchen.  Interested participants will select recipes together and choose a date and time to meet.  Healthy snacks and refreshments will be served!

North Dundas Community Kitchen Planning Meeting
Wednesday, November 9th, 2011 from 7:00 – 8:30 p.m. at the Winchester Community Centre

Please pre-register for the meeting through one of the following ways:

• Telephone: (613) 875-3262
• Online registration: Click here to fill out our online registration form at www.allthingsfoodbouffe360.ca.
• E-mail: info@allthingsfoodbouffe360.ca

Would you like to share this opportunity with your family, friends or co-workers? Forward this e-mail to them or print the attached poster and post it at your home, workplace and/or church!

For more information: Please contact dana@allthingsfoodbouffe360.ca or phone (613) 875-3262.