In some parts of the country, we're still in the throes of winter, so planning now for summer fare may seem far-fetched. But if you want to enjoy the full bounty of summertime, this is the time to start thinking about where your food will be coming from. (As an added bonus, you have an excuse to start dreaming about peaches, strawberries, basil and corn.)
Research and find a CSA
If you're not familiar with this increasingly popular concept, CSA stands for Community Supported Agriculture. Participants buy shares in the yield from a local farm. All summer long, as crops are harvested, shareholders receive weekly deliveries of a wide variety of fresh, seasonal fruits and vegetables. Having fresh produce delivered weekly is a definite inspiration to eat locally and healthfully. This is the time to sign up for a CSA, as the number of shares is limited, and some CSAs sell out quickly.
Plant a garden
Even if you don't have a lot of outdoor space, you'd be amazed at how much you can grow in just a few square feet, or even some pots. We've found that you get the most bang for your gardening buck by planting high-yield crops like mixed leafy greens, tomatoes, zucchini and herbs. Get a seed catalogue and start planning now, and you'll be ready to hit the ground running by springtime.
Get a community garden plot
If you don't have any outdoor space, find out if there are any community gardens in your area. Like CSAs, community garden plots are in high demand in some areas, so again, this is the time to do your research.
Consider yardsharing
If there aren't any community gardens in your neighbourhood, or if they're already full up, consider yardsharing. The organization Sharing Backyards links people with unused yard space with those looking for a place to grow food. The program has chapters around the world. Having done this ourselves, we can tell you that this is a fun way to meet new people and learn alongside each other.
Start a community garden
If you're up to a project that will more than pay off the hard work involved, consider starting up a community garden yourself. This article provides a step-by-step tutorial in how to make at happen.
Plan some foraging expeditions
And if you're feeling really adventurous, start researching what you can forage in your area. You might be amazed at what you can find just by donning boots and work gloves and doing some bushwhacking. Fiddleheads and morels in the spring. Wild greens and berries in the summer. Mushrooms in the fall. Even dandelions! If you're unsure of yourself, team up with an experienced forager for your inaugural expeditions.
Do you have a case of the midwinter cooking doldrums? It's easy to fall into the meat-and-potatoes trap at this time of year. This is where our online meal-planning tool comes in. It lets you drag and drop a week's worth of local recipes into one easy-to-read calendar.
Using the 100-Mile Challenge Meal Planner is easy:
We've created our own Midwinter Meal Plan for you to start with. It features a week's worth of hearty dishes starring seasonal ingredients such as apples, pears, squash, beets, and of course, potatoes.
And don't forget: you can always add your own recipes to our recipe collection. After you've submitted your recipe, scroll to the bottom of the recipe page to search for local food producers for all your listed ingredients.
Dried herbs are all well and good, but right about now is when we start craving fresh basil for pizzas, fresh chives for soups, and fresh parsley for almost everything else.
If you have some free window space that gets at least eight hours of light each day, you've got everything you need to keep yourself in fresh herbs all winter long. In fact, growing herbs inside can be easier than growing them outside. Indoors, you can control the specific temperature, lighting, and moisture requirements for each plant. And it goes without saying that harvesting is a cinch.
There are a few issues to bear in mind with indoor herb gardening:
You can start herbs from seed or bring existing outdoor plants indoors. Check out our guide How to Grow Your Own Herbs for tips.
Think you can't plant a garden in November? If you live in a milder part of the country, you can! Cold-weather gardening is fun, and a great way to boost your diet with high-nutrient foods, to boot.
There are a number of hardy salad greens that can handle the cold. (Here, we're defining "cold" as staying mostly above freezing during the day.) When you're looking at seeds, look for greens where the instructions state they can be planted in spring before the last frost date. Some to consider: Ruby, Salad Bowl, Red Sails, Lolla Rossa, and Buttercrunch. And as their names suggest, you can't go wrong with Winter Marvel, North Pole, and Arctic King.
While you can plant seeds separately, we've had great success in mixing our favourite seeds together and planting them in our very own customized mesclun blend. Just mix the seeds together, then scatter them on bare soil more thickly than you normally would. Make your rows about a foot and a half wide for easy harvesting. When you harvest, pick only as many outer leaves as you need right away.
Kale is another great cold-weather crop. Choose several varieties so that you can enjoy a diverse range of tastes and textures. Similarly, Swiss chard is another vitamin-rich must-have, and you don't have to limit yourself to the green end of the spectrum. Varieties like Bright Lights cross the rainbow from green to pink, red, and orange.
You don't have to limit yourself to greens. Carrots can be grown and harvested well into the winter. If the weather turns cold, cover the plants with natural mulch and you can continue to enjoy them for weeks.
Similarly, radishes and beets (best enjoyed while they're still small) are fast-growing crops that do well under mulch. Sow seeds once a week for a few weeks and enjoy an extended harvest that can take you right into spring.
You've committed to a more local diet, but you're wondering what to use instead of olive oil in your favourite recipes. We've researched vegetable, seed and nut oils produced in Canada to find out which oils are best used in different types of cooking.
Canola Oil
Did you know that "canola" was named after Canada, a combination of the words "Canada" and "oil"? The most widely produced and available oil in the country, canola is grown primarily in western regions, with some areas planted in Ontario and the Pacific northwest. Canola oil's light taste lends itself to a wide variety of applications in the kitchen, from sauteeing to salad dressings to baking.
Note that unrefined and refined canola have very different smoking points. Unrefined canola oil burns easily and should not be used for cooking at high temperatures. Refined canola oil, however, can be used for high-temp cooking, including deep frying.
Sunflower Oil
Canada was a pioneer in sunflower production back in the 1930s. Today, approximately 90 per cent of all sunflowers grown in Canada are located in Manitoba, but a growing share is finding its way into southeastern Saskatchewan. Other small pockets of sunflowers are found in south central Alberta and southern Ontario. Its neutral taste makes sunflower oil a good all-purpose oil. Its high smoking point makes it an excellent choice for deep-frying and cooking at high temperatures.
Peanut Oil
Peanut oil is available in Canada, though not easily. We've found one source: Picard's Peanuts in Ontario. If you're lucky enough to get your hands on some, peanut oil adds flavour to Asian-inspired meals. You can also use it in vinaigrettes, sauces, as a last-minute drizzle to punch up tired greens, or even drizzled over ice cream. With its high smoke point, peanut oil is a healthy alternative for deep-frying.
Flax Seed Oil
Grown primarily in the prairie provinces, as well as small pockets in Ontario, flax seed oil is an excellent source of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids. Flax seed oil has a nutty taste that many people like, but others find a bit strong. Sample it for yourself to determine how much you wish to add to your salad dressings or cold recipes. Flax seed oil should not be heated, but it can be added to cooked foods before serving.
Hazelnut Oil
Hazelnut oil is a specialty oil that can be hard to find. We've found one source: Canadian Hazelnut Inc. in Agassiz, BC. Since hazelnut oil has such a strong taste, you can often use less of it if you’re trying to impart flavor to a dish. It lends itself well to salad dressings. It's also heavenly when lightly drizzle on soups right before serving. This oil has a high smoking point, meaning you can use it for deep-frying, but its high price may make this prohibitive.
Butter
For baking or for sauteeing at medium heat, that old standby -- butter -- can be used instead of oil.
If you've ever tried to do the 100-mile challenge for any length of time, you quickly realized that meal planning is essential for success. This is where our online meal-planning tool comes in. It lets you drag and drop a week's worth of local recipes into one easy-to-read calendar!
Using the 100-Mile Challenge Meal Planner is easy:
We've created our own late-summer meal plan for you to start with. It features a week's worth of scrumptious dishes starring seasonal ingredients such as tomatoes, zucchinis, basil, blackberries, figs and peaches.
And don't forget: you can always add your own recipes to our recipe collection. After you've submitted your recipe, scroll to the bottom of the recipe page to search for local food producers for all your listed ingredients.
Believe it or not, it's still not too late to add new crops to your garden, or to start a garden if you haven't already. Even if you live in colder zones, you can sow seeds of beets, carrots, radishes, and spinach for fall harvest.
If you live in a slightly warmer area - such as coastal BC, southern Ontario, and southern Nova Scotia - start seeds of broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, spinach, and Swiss chard in containers. Sow seeds of carrots, onions, peas, and radishes directly in the ground.
Have you experimented with late-season planting and had great success? Tell us in the comments!
If you planted your herbs in the spring, your plants should be flourishing now. In fact, you may be overwhelmed by the volume of fresh herbs you have at hand. Here's a quick guide to maintaining and using some common herbs...
If you're a first-time gardener managing your inaugural zucchini or squash crop, there are a few things you'll definitely want to know in order to ensure that you get the best possible harvest all summer long:
Wondering what to do with your bounty of zucchinis? See our recent recipe roundup for ideas.
Think it's too late to start a garden from seed? Think again! Now that the soil is warmed up, you'll be amazed at how quickly your plantings will take off.
Here are just a few things you can consider growing right now:
Even if you already have your beans, squash, chard, carrots and basil in the ground, consider starting a second crop to have ready for harvesting in the late summer. You can even plant again in July for a third harvest in the fall!
network. A Paperny Films production.