November 1, 2017
“It was just by chance,” Mike Beamish says of how he discovered he could use the ground apples from his u-pick orchard if he fermented and distilled the juice. Having stumbled upon an article that outlined how he could transform what had once been destined for the compost into a saleable product, Beamish set out to establish a distillery. Four…
November 1, 2017
With any good preserve, the devil is in the details. And as usual, a recipe that’s been followed for this many years comes written with fewer directions than actually needed to accomplish the task ahead. In family kitchens, there was an expectation that you had done this project many times under the supervision of someone who already knew the ropes,…
November 1, 2017
Local farm mills heritage wheat The room is sparkling clean and seems to be hermetically sealed from the outside world. This is Crystal Green Farms’ milling room. It holds the only flour operation in PEI growing and milling heritage Red Fife wheat. Brian and Kathy MacKay are proud of what they’ve accomplished. Their interest in organic farming was the inspiration…
November 1, 2017
Recalling the preserving of a past generation Need something to eat in the middle of winter? A simple trip to the fridge or even to the grocery store is all we do today, but just one or two generations ago, it wasn’t that easy for many Islanders. Rural PEI in the 1940s and 50s was still a place where many…
November 1, 2017
Fermentation parties offer value for all involved On the Monday in early October when I visit Heart Beet Organics in Darlington, it’s a drab, overcast day complete with a biting cold wind. The weather, however, has done nothing to dampen the spirits of Heart Beet’s friendly farming duo, Amy Smith and Verena Varga, or the six women and one man…
November 1, 2017
From beef jerky to butchery “Fresh pork belly can be unreal,” Chris van Ouwerkerk, owner of Butcher & Butcher and Jerkules Fine Beef Jerky, tells me as we sit down to chat. My previous encounters with pork belly can be counted on one hand and only some have been favourable. But the passion with which van Ouwerkerk speaks about fresh…
November 1, 2017
Start with a Seedling program returns to Prince Street School The kindergarten students at Prince Street School in Charlottetown are in for a special treat this school year. The Start with a Seedling program is back after a one-year hiatus. This hands-on, intergenerational, food and garden program is aimed at enhancing food literacy and connecting kids with the food they…
October 31, 2017
The inspiration for our new business’ name I love playing with words. I like to tell stories. I am a visual person. So when my husband, Mike, and I started to seriously consider our marzipan idea becoming a business we had to give the baby a name. One that meant something – to us and to you. Our marzipan represents the traditions…
October 1, 2017
Brian and Lorna McMaster, The Taco Farmers, want you to save your seeds The Taco Farmers. The name is pretty spot on when you consider that Lorna and Brian McMaster grow nearly 100 per cent of the ingredients for the menu of their taco-centric booth at the Charlottetown Farmers’ Market. However, what you may not realize is that your tortilla…
October 1, 2017
Island Abbey Foods sets sights on becoming a global brand I used to think innovation mostly happened in fancy buildings with walls of glass and white leather furniture, on well-manicured green lawns in places far-flung from Canada’s island province. It turns out I was way off the mark. Way, way off. In fact, innovation can happen anywhere that you find…