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.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xg04mzNf7mU

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CFN - Consumers wishing to avoid chemical pesticide residues in food, water and on farms have a simple choice: organic products, the Canada Organic Trade Association (COTA) said today. Repeated government samplings in North America and Europe have shown organic produce has much lower pesticides residues when compared to non-organic.

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.

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CFN - A number of hours have been spent over the last week hulling, culling, cleaning and drying our harvest of black walnuts.  All of this has been done manually; definitely a time intensive labour of curiosity.  My partner and I chose two different methods of dehulling the nuts.

The hulls were spread in a wooded area to decompose naturally.  The nuts from the over ripened hulls were spread around the trees for the squirrels and the rest were delegated to the cleaning process.
Reading up on the black walnut indicated that nuts with immature or malformed fruit would float to the surface in water while nuts with a healthy fruit growth would sink.  Water was added to the hulled nuts in a bucket.  Enough water was added to cover and allow for malformed fruit to float to the surface.

The nuts that floated to the surface were also placed around the trees.  I found each bucket of nuts required two water baths.  After filling the bucket with water, I rubbed the nuts together under the water with my gloved hands (see image below) encouraging the dislodgement of any hull remaining on the nut by the friction of nuts on one another.  The water after both washings was an inky black.  This water was disposed of in the grass along the driveway.  Remember there are “juglones” a plant inhibitor in these hulls; they will not affect the grass.
These washed nuts were then spread on framed nets (see below) which allowed for air circulation and were left in the sun to dry.  The nuts were turned and mixed up part way through the day to encourage even drying.  Luckily we have had a few nice sunny days since the last column.  They were taken in after sundown, and returned outside when the sun came up.

We will store the dried nuts in paper bags in small batches indicating the date packaged and store in a dry dark environment.
I have read quite a bit of information over the past week concerning this food source.  Of interest is the following.  Dried cured nuts in their shell are good for about three years.  The shells of these nuts are very hard.  It is recommended that the nuts be soaked in water for 8 hours before cracking open. The soaking will softened the shell for cracking. Black walnuts or parts of the tree are use in many natural remedies such as those for parasite and fungal infections.

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CFN - Would you like to:

• 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.  

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Ingleside ON - Reg Coffey of Coffey’s Coffee has capitulated to local coffee lover’s demands.   He roasts some of the finest coffee in the area, but has until this time stayed away from the higher end rare coffee’s of the world.

After sampling some Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee recently he changed his mine and now will let local connoisseurs of fine Coffey put their money where their mugs are.

I am pleased to announce that Coffey’s Coffee now has a limited supply of Jamaica Blue Mountain Wallenford Estate coffee. I know that I have stated on my web site that I wouldn’t encourage anyone to ask for the more premium coffees in the world such as Kona, Esmeralda, Kopi Luac or Jamaica Blue Mountain but I have bowed to customer pressure.

Jamaica Blue Mountain is the rarest and most sought after coffee in the world.Coffee was first introduced into Jamaica from the island of Hispaniola in 1728. But it wasn’t until the abolition of slavery on the British territory in 1838 when former slaves in the Blue Mountains began the cultivation of coffee. At the eastern end of the island of Jamaica is a majestic range of hill known as the Blue Mountains.

At elevations of up to 5,000 feet the terrain, the soil, the rainfall, and the thick Blue Mountain mist combine to create the perfect conditions for the cultivation of the World famous, most distinguished and most delicious Jamaica Blue Mountain coffee.

Only coffee grown in this precise geographic region is certified “100″ Jamaica Blue Mountain. Arabica Typica is the dominant variety with almost 90% of the planted area. This is a low yielding variety, but it produces the highest cup quality.

Now this is really exciting news!  Reg will be sampling some of his Blue Mountain coffee Friday August 12th at the Long Sault Farmer’s Market!  That’s right you can sample this rarest of coffee that sells for $45 dollars per pound (be there early as this is only while his supply lasts!)   Reg is at the Long Sault every Friday from 2-6 PM and you can also purchase or order his fine gourmet roasts at the Island Ink Jet store on 3rd Street in Cornwall (corner of Pitt across from the Royal Bank).

Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee is a single source of origin gourmet coffee grown only at high elevations by small family-run plantations in Jamaica. The Blue Mountain Wallenford Estate is a gem, grown in the highest mountains of Jamaica.

Its incredible fragrance, its sweetness and delicate aroma makes this a rare and sought after coffee that only a minority of consumers can still afford.

Here is a picture of the Blue Mountains in Jamaica from a trip I made in 2006.

As far as my cupping (flavour evaluation) goes, I found that I prefer a roast slightly darker than a full city roast (#13 – #14). I won’t describe the flavour notes that I found because tasting is a very personal thing as are the descriptive terms. If I said something was had a tangerine or a nutty note (which I find very pleasant) you might be turned off but you might interpret the flavour notes in terms you might find more pleasant.

As the commercial use to say, “Try it, you’ll like it”. If you are already a fan of Jamaica Blue Mountain Coffee then you can order it by calling, email or replying on my web site.

www.coffeyscoffee.com

613-537-9701

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Regina SK -  A new survey sponsored by Farm Credit Canada (FCC) shows that despite a preference for buying Canadian food products, many consumers don’t put their money where their mouth is. Yet Canadians are privileged to pay some of the lowest prices in the world for safe, high-quality food.

According to the spring survey, 95% of respondents agree that purchasing locally grown food is a priority or a preference; however, only 43% are willing to pay more for food grown locally.

Similarly, 96% of respondents indicate a preference for purchasing Canadian products, yet only 41% are willing to pay more for them.

“I’m not surprised by the survey results,” says FCC Senior Agriculture Economist Jean-Philippe Gervais. “Purchasing decisions are often driven by price. What Canadians might not realize is that average Canadian household spending on food as a portion of the total household budget has decreased from 19% in the 1960s to 10% in 2009, according to statistics from Statistics Canada and the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development.”

If respondents have a personal connection* to agriculture or have visited a farm, purchasing locally grown or Canadian products is more likely to be a priority, and they are also willing to pay more for them.

*Indicates the respondent knows someone who owns or works on a farm or an agribusiness.

“In Canada, we have a sweet deal,” says FCC President and CEO Greg Stewart. “We’re fortunate that our farmers and food processors produce safe, high-quality food at some of the lowest prices in the world. I think that it would benefit the industry and our customers if the public knew more about the business of agriculture, and recognized that agriculture is big, dynamic and complex. This industry truly matters to the Canadian economy and to Canadians.”

This country’s agriculture and agri-food industry employs one in eight people in Canada and feeds people around the world through exports to nearly 200 countries.

Other survey highlights:

• Consumers from Ontario were more likely to state that purchasing locally grown and Canadian products (46% and 47% respectively) is a priority and they are willing to pay more for them compared to consumers across other provinces.
• If annual income was greater than $100,000, respondents were more likely to indicate that purchasing locally grown products (53%) and Canadian products (49%) is a priority and that they are willing to pay more.
• Shoppers in Saskatchewan and Manitoba (66%) were more likely than others to state that they like purchasing Canadian products, but are not willing to pay more for them compared to other respondents.

“FCC is deeply committed to the success of Canadian agriculture and intends to do more work to help educate the public about the industry,” Stewart says.

 

About the survey
From March 8 to March 10, an online survey was conducted among a sample of 2,015 Canadians who are Angus Reid Forum panel members. The margin of error on the full base — which measures sampling variability — is +/- 2.1%. Discrepancies in or between totals are due to rounding. To view more survey results, including comparisons by age and province, visit www.fccvision.ca.

As Canada’s leading agriculture lender, FCC is advancing the business of agriculture. With a healthy portfolio of more than $20 billion and 17 consecutive years of portfolio growth, FCC is strong and stable – committed to serving the industry through all cycles. FCC provides financing, insurance, software, learning programs and other business services to producers, agribusinesses and agri-food operations. FCC employees are passionate about agriculture and committed to the success of customers and the industry. For more information, visit www.fcc.ca.

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Bob Peters with With Guy Mitchell, White House Chef at the Fancy Food Show in Washington.

Washington DC - We heard from Bob Peters of Economic Development here in Cornwall Ontario where he is sharing some of the amazing opportunities and advantages of setting up shop in our City by the River.

I am in Washington on behalf of the City to exhibit at the Fancy Food Show.

The food sector is an important sector for us as our location between Toronto, Montreal and Ottawa makes it a good location for food manufacturers. This show is geared towards the “fancy food” sector, which includes organic, new and higher-end products, which is growing at a faster rate than other sectors. Ontario East is a regional marketing effort, and we are here as part of the Canada pavillion at the request of the Consulate and AgFood Canada.

More on the mission:

Ontario East Economic Development’s Food Sector Marketing Team will once again be exhibiting at the international, Summer Fancy Food Show being held this year in Washington, DC.   The effort is aimed at raising the profile of Eastern Ontario to food company executives from around the world attending this major exhibition.

The 57th Summer Fancy Food Show is taking place at the Washington Convention Centre in Washington, DC from July 10 – 12, 2011. The Fancy Food Show is expected to attract 25,000+ attendees from the specialty food sector, wine, gift and department stores, supermarkets, restaurants, mail-order and other, food-related businesses.   Attendees come to see more than 2000 exhibitors, from over 80 countries around the world, presenting more than 180,000 specialty foods.  Business booms at these ‘trade-only’ shows, as an impressive 87% of all attendees either authorize or recommend purchasing decisions.

Ontario East will be joining several Canadian manufacturers and food processors to make up the popular Canada Pavilion at the three-day show.

The Ontario East, Food Sector Marketing Team is made up of the following municipalities:

• City of Brockville
• City of Cornwall
• County of Lennox and Addington
• County of Northumberland
• Greater Peterborough Area
• City of Kingston
• Bay of Quinte Region
• Quinte West Economic Development
• Town of Smiths Falls
• Counties of Prescott and Russell
• United Counties of Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry CFDC

The effort will be multi-faceted and will involve exhibiting, as part of the Canada Pavilion at the show, meeting with companies in attendance at the show and attending special events as a part of the Canadian delegation.  As part of this effort, a comprehensive directory of food-related companies in Eastern Ontario will be distributed at the show. This directory is a unique, resource tool exclusive to our region – and is updated annually.  This year the Ontario East Food Sector team will be armed with food processing – Eastern Ontario opportunity flyers promoting prospective investment opportunities for attendees.

The Food Team is attempting to leverage existing activities in the region in the food sector in Eastern Ontario to attract new investment.  Ontario East has strong competitive advantages in the food processing industry including our close proximity to consumers (Toronto, Ottawa and Montreal).  Ontario East’s strong competitive advantages are outlined in a two page brochure distributed at the show.

The Ontario East Food Sector Marketing Team is funded in part by the Eastern Ontario Development Fund (EODF) and the Eastern Ontario Development Program (EODP).  Additional funding comes from the sector municipal partners.

The Fancy Food sector has been identified by experts as a growth market.  The specialty food and natural food sectors are converging and these sectors are providing growth opportunities in the grocery sector.  The Fancy Food Show has been identified as a key gathering spot for influential decision makers!

The Ontario East Economic Development Commission (OEEDC) is a group of over 125 Ontario East economic development professionals and business leaders working co-operatively to promote Eastern Ontario as a premiere business location. Together, the Commission represents more than 200 communities, thousands of businesses and nearly two million residents.

Ontario East Economic Development represents the region:  from Kawartha Lakes to Haliburton on the west to Prescott-Russell on the east, and from the Ottawa River in the north to the St. Lawrence River in the south.

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Long Sault ON - All lot of people were wondering where the heck Coffey’s Coffee was last week at the opening of the Cornwall Farmers Market?   He was in Long Sault at their Market on Friday afternoons!   You can find Reg Coffey and his amazing line of locally roasted coffee’s and new line of gourmet teas at the Long Sault Farmer’s Market every Friday afternoon in front of the shopping centre.

And like any good market it’s all about the food and produce.

Avonmore Berry Farms was there with their munchies as was the Swiss Bakery from Embrun!

There was even some amazing Thai food and those Spring Rolls were amazing!   You can check out the Long Sault Farmers Market every Friday afternoon!   And to purchase Coffey’s Coffee products locally stop at Island Inkjet on 3rd and Pitt just across from the Royal bank.

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