Shrimp, perfected: Introducing Planet Shrimp!

January 3, 2019Uncategorized100kmfoods, FeastON, OceanWise, Planet Shrimp100kmblogadm

Introducing Planet Shrimp!

You asked for it, and here it is: Planet Shrimp is now available through 100km Foods!!

Making ethical choices when purchasing seafood can be a tricky beast. At this point, it’s not news that climate change portends big changes for our oceans. Business as usual just won’t cut it for much longer. Innovative inland operations like Planet Shrimp are one way in which we can all move forward and continue to consume the foods we love, but in a far more sustainable way.

The State of Shrimp

Right now, North America consumes 1.8 billion pounds of shrimp, with the vast majority (over 90%) being imported. Around the globe, Pacific White Shrimp is the most widely consumed, and is the same species grown by Planet Shrimp. Mainstream shrimp production involves outdoor ponds in hot and humid climates. Most of the worlds supply of shrimp is farmed from Asia, India, Thailand, Indonesia, Mexico and parts of South America. For many reasons, these nations do not have the environmental and labour regulations we have in Canada.

All farmers know: losing a crop due to disease can have devastating financial consequences. Outdoor shrimp ponds are particularly susceptible to numerous sources of pathogens and contaminants. Because of this, shrimp farms typically use a high number of pesticides and fungicides as well as hormones and antibiotics in the shrimp feed to prevent devastating diseases like White Spot and Early Mortality Syndrome.

Then there’s the labour and human rights issues associated with commercial shrimp farms overseas. This has gotten a lot of press the past few years, and unfortunately, things do not appear to have substantively changed. If you’re interested in learning more about the human rights abuses rife within the fishing industry, check out the Human Rights Watch report from January 2018 “Hidden Chains: Rights Abuses and Forced Labour in Thailand’s Fishing Industry.”

So, what sets Planet Shrimp apart?

Much like Fogo Island Fish, Planet Shrimp is a company that is founded on values of environmental, social and corporate responsibility. It differs from mainstream shrimp farms in crucial ways. As Marvyn Budd, one of the owners of Planet Shrimp says, “Planet Shrimp’s model for shrimp farming represents everything outdoor farming isn’t! We farm indoors and therefore control the environment eliminating 100% of the natural causes of disease from affecting our shrimp.”

Planet Shrimp farms in pure and clear water containing natural ocean salt, using a UV and ozone filtration system that recirculates the water every 90 minutes, neutralizing any potential bacteria. The little shrimps are fed every half hour, 24 hours a day. They also cavort in waters calibrated to stay a balmy 30 degrees Celsius, ensuring they are delighted and well-fed. Budd likens this to living in a “shrimp spa!”

Another bonus: since the water Planet Shrimp uses is pathogen free they can use a much lower salinity than is typical for other shrimp operations, which lends itself to a clearer shrimp taste (rather than salt water!).

The shrimp are harvested daily and processed very quickly. It takes less than eight minutes to have them frozen whole and packaged.

All these factors go into producing some of the cleanest, tastiest shrimp you can get, possessing a delicately sweet flavour and a firm bite that chefs and restaurant customers alike will love. Planet Shrimp is also a certified FeastOn Purveyor and OceanWise certified! We have both the frozen large and jumbo shrimp available. We can’t wait to see what you do with it!

An enormous thank you to the folks at Planet Shrimp, particularly to Marvyn Budd who provided a wonderful depth of information and Shannon Quinn for the pictures!

By: Genrys Goodchild

Not Your Average Egg

November 1, 2018Uncategorized100kmfoods, egg farmer, farm to table, free run eggs, homestead, local food100kmblogadm

Eggs categorized as ‘Free Run’ have surged in popularity over the past few years, as Canadian consumers learn more about our food systems. Animal rights activists have done a great job in getting consumers to think about the ethics regarding the conditions behind the food they purchase and consume, especially when it comes to dairy and eggs.

This is excellent! At 100km Foods, we really value transparency and traceability, and we’ve carefully vetted our meat, dairy and egg producers to ensure the animals are treated with care and dignity.

But things have shifted somewhat. As the term ‘free run’ became something consumers look for when purchasing eggs, the bigger, corporate controlled farms also wanted to cash in on the ethical impulse behind consumer purchases. Now, you can find free-run eggs in almost any grocery store.

What makes Homestead Eggs different?

So what makes the Free Run eggs from Homestead a cut above the rest? Why can’t you find their eggs in any of the big retailers and grocery store chains?

We spoke to Pat White at Homestead Farm about what free run really means for her eggs, she gave us great insight. Homestead has been our long-time farm partner at 100km Foods. Homestead is both a small grading station and has a flock of their own, in operation since 1983. They also source from neighbouring Amish and Mennonite farm communities nearby.

The major difference with these Free Run eggs is that they come from small flocks that receive a high level of care. Like, REALLY small flocks. In total, Homestead sources eggs from only 55 different flocks with hundreds of birds. With larger free-run egg farmers, they have flocks easily numbering in the thousands.

Pat (who has developed personal relationships with the farmers she sources from) also pointed out that in many of these rural communities, looking after the chicken flocks and selling the eggs is a job that often falls to women. In fact, for some of these women, it is one of their only sources of income to buy groceries and other necessities for their family. Flocks tend to frighten very easily, which can disrupt their laying patterns. Since these flocks are an essential part of these farmers livelihoods, they want to make sure the hens keep laying. They take great care to ensure their flocks are kept calm, happy, and cared for.

What else sets them apart?

Homestead is also a very small grading station that uses less automated machinery with a more involved approach. They have various employees at different stations along the line, all of them paying close attention to any imperfections. There’s even someone who has a special light they shine on each and every egg to detect any interior imperfections! This kind of care and detail oriented attention to grading means Homestead grades 50 cases an hour, as opposed to the big guys who grade up to 400 cases an hour. And even though they might grade a little slower, they make up for it in the absolutely top notch quality of all their eggs.

This is why we have adjusted the description on Homestead’s Free Run eggs. They aren’t just average eggs you can find in any grocery store – they truly are ‘Small-Flock.’

By: Genrys Goodchild

100km Restaurant Picks Spring/Summer 2018!

June 28, 2018Uncategorized100kmfoods, constantine, fogoislandfish, greygardens, keepinit100km, kojin, locale, localfood, ontag100kmblogadm

Where have we loved eating these days? Let’s keep it 100km!

We are so spoiled working in the local food industry in Toronto & the GTA. With 100km distributing to over 450 restaurant locations (yes, we can’t believe it!!), there is basically no end to the incredible restaurants our staff are lucky enough to eat at. Here are some of the 100km Staff Picks of great restaurants – restaurants who are Keepin’ it 100(km) by sourcing local.

Where We Went

Grace and Paul ‘s Pick Kojin (Toronto) – Chef Paula Navarrete

“We were blown away by what we tasted. Chef Paula has flavour on that menu that is like nothing we have ever experienced and that menu is on fire. The steak is obviously the specialty there, but seriously, the top half of the menu was no less spectacular.

Highlights:

Corn flatbread, served with grass fed butter and honey – reads as bread and butter but is a dish in it’s own right. Everything about this seemingly simple dish is absolutely perfect.

Tita’s Mash – the best mashed potatoes I have ever tasted. Topped with cheese curds and gouda. It’s rich and delicious

Sausage Board – when we were there they were serving a “hot dog” (ya, right! if hot dogs were perfect), a pork and shrimp sausage which if you ate it with your eyes closed, you’d swear you were eating shu mai, and a kimchi sausage that was amazing and a flavour I had never tasted before.”

Rachel’s Pick Constantine (Toronto) – Chefs Craig Harding, Rob LeClair & Morgan Bellis

100kmfoods, constantinerestaurant, fogoislandcod, keepinit100km — Fogo Island Cod at Constantine Restaurant

“Mitch and I went in for dinner and were seated at the kitchen bar, right at the pass (prime location for me to scope out all the food). The focal point of restaurant is the open kitchen that is anchored by a big wood fired grill at the back.

After watching a few dishes go out we decided to start with the burrata. The cheese was beautifully plated right in front of us with grilled asparagus, fresh peas, fava beans, and mint pesto. Definitely one of the best I’ve ever had! We then ordered the bitter green salad, Wagyu picanha, and Fogo Island Cod. It was clear that each component had been carefully considered and tested. Every dish was so balanced.

The beef was cooked perfectly and served with a winter tabouleh that was hearty but not heavy, and the cod was amazing! The skin was crisp and salty and the dish itself had some great textures to complement the smoothness of the fish. They sent us over dessert (halva “nougat” and a chocolate mousse with kalamansi) and both were so good I had to steal a spoon from the pass to fully clean the bowls out. I have no shame.”

Steve’s Pick – Locale Restaurant (King City) – Chef Andrea Censario

Our driver manager, Steve, stopped in at Locale Restaurant and had a wonderful experience. The beet salad was his main highlight, and he noted that the service was impeccable!

Jason B.’s Pick – Grey Gardens (Toronto) – Chef Mitch Bates

“Best meal out this month was at Grey Gardens!

The space is so beautiful and was packed and vibrant on a Monday night. Coziest bar stools looking right into an amazingly focused and quiet kitchen. Amazing atmosphere and a playlist that didn’t quit.

Our server Kate was wonderful and her wine recommendations were perfect. She poured us some of the house orange wine and a super funky and herbal white from Greece (Alchymiste?). I don’t know a thing about wine but they were both SO TASTY.

The food was obviously great too. I want to buy the smoked fish dip by the quart.

The standout dish was the white asparagus, with maitake mushrooms on a delicate custard. So good.

Everything we ate screamed spring.

Plump humpback shrimp with spinach, rutabaga, and the August’s Harvest green garlic.

Springy alkaline noodles with clams and a briny seafood ragu.

The best lamb Sausage with Best Baa feta and bright favas,

Halibut drowning in morels, bacon, and brussels.”

So, stumped on where to go next? Check out one of our 100km picks for the season! We can’t wait to visit more of your establishments and share all the amazing things you are doing with local!

Fisherville’s Finest!

May 17, 2018Uncategorizedfishervillegreenhouses, localfood, ontag, sowandtell100kmblogadm

Fisherville’s Finest

The month of May’s Sow and Tell features Fisherville Greenhouses, one of our newest farm partners! As Cindy Mueller says herself, she and Ron have farming in their blood. Both Cindy and Ron grew up on family farms, and they both studied horticulture at Guelph University. In fact, that’s where they met! After finishing their respective MsC’s, Cindy spent time working in flower greenhouses. They’ve always had a dream of buying their own farm and running their own business, and in 2006 that dream came to fruition when they bought their farm located in Fisherville, Ontario. The farm also came with ½ acre greenhouses, which is where most of their non-certified organic greens and veggies are grown.

Our team was lucky enough to go visit Cindy at the farm earlier in the week to tour the greenhouses and learn more about how they farm. Cindy and Ron have organized their greenhouses together, but Ron spends most of his time off-site working as a plant nutritionist in Guelph (often with wineries). It’s Cindy who does the majority of the farm work and runs their CSA program with over 50 members, and their three kids help out on the weekends.

How did things work in the beginning?

In the early years of their farm, Cindy and Ron primarily grew grape tomatoes. Part of why they chose tomatoes in the beginning was because the water in Fisherville is very high in sulphur, which yields great tasting tomatoes! Eventually, however, market forces changed and growing just tomatoes stopped being financially stable. So like many of the farms we work with, Cindy and Ron decided it was time to innovate, which is why they began their CSA program. (For those who may not know, CSA stands for community supported agriculture and involves buying very small shares in a farm and getting a weekly household box of assorted produce during the season direct from the farm).

In addition to their CSA program, they have enjoyed branching out to sell to us – their very first local distribution partner! As Cindy joked to us, ‘we’ve been searching for you guys for 10 years!’. Cindy pointed out that in the earlier days, they were selling tomatoes to some restaurants in the Guelph region. But in addition to running a farm and raising a family, getting produce to chefs became too much of a logistical challenge. This is something we hear from our farms a lot. Logistics and distribution might not be the most romantic or cool link in the food chain, but it’s a crucial one!

What do they grow, and how do they grow it?

Cindy and Ron love to experiment, and are constantly testing out new crops. Since it’s two smaller greenhouses, they have a lot of freedom to try things out. One of the cool things they have done was plant dwarf cherry trees to act as hedges between sections. Below is a picture of the greenhouses with lots of different varieties!

As we walked through the greenhouses, Cindy gave us a better sense of their biological practices and principals that guide Fisherville. All of their greens are non-certified organic. They do their best to manage everything with biological controls, which includes integrated pest management systems. They use parasitic wasps for white flies, persimilis for spider mites, and they have used banker plants before for aphids. If IPM doesn’t work, they will only ever spray using organic sprays. Cindy keeps some pesticides on hand for the other greenhouse, but as she pointed out, she can’t remember the last time those were used.

In time for this feature, Fisherville has added some new varieties to their listing: beefsteak tomatoes, baby romaine lettuce, bull’s blood beet greens and ruby red swiss chard! As the season progresses, lots more products will become available. We’re looking forward to seeing what Cindy and Ron have in store!

By: Genrys Goodchild

Ring in Spring with Edible Flowers!

April 12, 2018Uncategorizedlocalfood, ontag, sowandtell, trendaquafresh100kmblogadm

Trend Aquafresh

Let’s ignore the fact that – almost a month into spring – this weather has been decidedly cold and sometimes snowy. It’s spring in our hearts and maybe on our plates – and what better way to celebrate spring with beautiful edible flowers and herbs? Trend Aquafresh is the latest in our Sow and Tell series. Mini pansies, butterfly leaves, lemon thyme and Moroccan mint are on sale, for all deliveries from April 17^th to April 20^th, 2018! Find them in the ‘sale’ category on our website.

What’s their story?

Trend Aquafresh is a large aquaponic facility located in Niagara-on-the-lake, and is owned by Ton and Jackie Boekstyn. Ton emigrated from the Netherlands to Canada in 1987, and established a successful cut flower and potted plant business, with his flowers oftentimes being exported to Europe. Eventually, Ton and Jackie decided they wanted to shift their focus in 2014. Instead of growing cut flowers exported overseas, they wanted to become certified organic and build an aquaponic facility to cultivate fresh, vibrant, and tasty edible flowers, herbs, and greens for local markets! We began working with Trend in 2016 and immediately loved the beauty and hefty flavour of their products.

Back in the summer, our team took some trips out to tour the facility and spend some time chatting with Ton. Ton told us that building an organic, aquaponic facility was a huge challenge, and at times they felt overwhelmed with their task. The hard work has paid off but, even now, they are the only facility of its kind in Ontario, and possibly even in Canada!

We explored the huge facility with Ton, trying little bits of herbs and flowers as he explained how his operation works. Ton found it particularly amusing to watch us try some of the more unique products with strong flavours, laughing to himself about our reactions! Ton has a great sense of humour and really knows his stuff. He also wants to share his knowledge – if he wasn’t running Trend – he would spend his time doing research and assisting others in learning how to become more self-sufficient. Ton is also very experimental and loves growing rarer herbs and greens; agretti and sea asparagus have been previously included in his rotation.

What does aquaponic growing mean, exactly?

By now, you’re probably wondering what exactly aquaponic growing is and how Trend does it! Since I’m by no means an expect, and since we were a bit busy climbing past massive fish tanks during our visit to take extensive notes, I’m going to include a helpful excerpt from this handy website I found:

‘The standard aquaponics unit works by creating a nitrogen cycle. In this system, water is shared between a fish tank and grow beds. In the fish tank, fish produce waste that is high in ammonia content. Pumps carry this waste to the growing beds, where bacteria process it into an extremely rich fertilizer that’s high in nitrogen. The vegetables extract the nitrogen from the water, making the water safe for reintroduction to the fish tank. This cycle repeats over and over, with the fish providing the basic nutrition for bacteria, the bacteria providing nutrition for plants and plants acting as a bio-filter for the fish. All that’s left for you to do is feed the fish and decide which plants you should grow.’

I get the sense that this makes it sound more straightforward than it is at the scale Trend does it – Ton pointed out all the various monitoring computer systems that help him and his team track the chemical balance – but he assured us it’s still a lot of work to ensure the closed cycle can continue as optimally as possible.

So – now’s your chance – have a peek at Trend’s extensive offering and try out some organic, aquaponically grown products! The sale runs from April 17^th to 20^th, for all deliveries!

By: Genrys Goodchild

Count the Differences with Woolley’s Lamb!

March 12, 2018Sow and Tell100kmfoods, localfood, ontag, sowandtell, woolley's lamb100kmblogadm

Welcome to the first Sow and Tell of 2018, featuring Woolley’s Lamb from Norfolk County!

To quickly recap, this series features a different farm partner or producer we work with to share some of the history and the story to help you know where your food comes from.

In 2018, we’re going to be changing it up a little bit. For this feature, we have a variety of samples available from Woolley’s Lamb. Please contact your sales rep to have a sample added on to your order. Woolley’s have lots of leg of lamb – just in time for Easter! Their lamb (for reasons we’ll get into below) is much leaner and milder tasting than typical Ontario or imported lamb, so get those samples on your order so you too can discover the delicious high quality of Woolley’s Lamb.

Woolley’s Lamb: A History

Woolley’s Lamb is not just a lamb farm. Originally, it was (and still is) a very large apple and sour cherry orchard, an orchard that is one of the ten farm partners that works with Norfolk’s Fruit Grower’s Association! There’s a good chance if you’ve purchased an apple from NFGA, you’ve purchased apples grown from Brett Shuyler and Carrie Woolley’s family farm.

It’s Brett’s family – The Shuylers – who have owned the orchards for decades. Carrie Woolley (yes, her last name IS Woolley, it really was meant to be for her to be a modern day shepherdess!) is a sixth-generation farmer who studied animal sciences at Guelph University. It is Carrie who wanted to diversify the family farm by lamb farming. Carrie explained that her goal was to create their version of a vertical farm. In this case, it doesn’t mean stacking crops vertically to make use of smaller space, but rather to find ways to carry the farm through the off-season. Initiatives such as these are just one of the many strategies farmers use to make their operation more financially and environmentally sustainable.

What makes Woolley’s Lamb a special lamb farm?

Woolley’s Lamb is only five years old but is already unique when it comes to the world of lamb. The ewes and lambs graze in the orchards year-round (including winter – their thick coats mean they can withstand lots of snow and cold temperatures!). There’s two major benefits to this approach. First, the lambs and ewes are grass fed (and fed hay and other roughage in winter) which means the lambs have leaner, milder meat. Second, this cuts down on costs for the orchard operation – grasses don’t need to be mowed and cover crops aren’t as necessary, as the lambs fertilize and restore soil quality through their grazing habits. Also, since their lamb is frozen, the shelf like is extended, meaning Carrie and Brett can set costs and keep it consistently priced, which we know is a huge boon for chefs when it comes to menu planning!

Right now, the ewes are pregnant. This year, Carrie opted to have some ewes artificially inseminated, but most of the ewes will have been naturally impregnated in the fields. Soon, the ewes will begin lambing! Carrie takes the health and quality of life for the flock very seriously. Each day, she goes from orchard to orchard, checking on the flocks. In the warmer months, she checks on them multiple times a day, specifically looking for any signs of illness or injury. Carrie impressed upon us the importance of taking quick action, should any of the lambs fall ill, to maintain the health of the entire flock. Carrie also makes sure that her ewes get extended breaks from being pregnant and nursing lambs – which is not always standard in lamb farming. Carrie also makes sure to shear the sheep to sell the wool, and has just started working with a smaller independent Canadian business that makes high quality wool clothing as a buyer!

The Rewards and Challenges of Local Food

When I asked Carrie and Brett about some of the challenges and rewards of farming this way, they told us that they derive lots of joy and satisfaction from innovating in a way to improve their farms environmental sustainability. They also highlighted that one of their biggest challenges is connecting to the consumer – running an orchard and a lamb farm, as well as raising their newborn daughter Emma – can take up a lot of their time. Through 100km Foods, they can connect more with chefs and consumers who purchase their lamb, especially because we source identify by every farm. In fact, it is only through partnering with us that they are able to get their lamb products to the Toronto market!

If you want to learn more about Woolley’s Lamb, we recommend following Carrie on both Twitter and Instagram @CarrieWoolley1. We love reading her funny and informative posts!

So – if you’d like to get ahold of some great lamb samples in the lead up to Easter – we’re your people! Let your sales rep know if you’d like them tacked on to your next order, and they’ll be more than happy to facilitate!

Special thanks to Brett & Carrie for the information and some of the pictures in this post.

By: Genrys Goodchild

Winter Instagram Contest

February 22, 2018Uncategorized100kmblogadm

Winter Instagram Contest

Well, we’re really in the heart of winter now! But you know what? Sometimes even we’re surprised by how much local food is still readily available! Check out this buddha bowl made by Chef Anna Gedalof at Havergal College – featuring watermelon radish from Pfennings Organic, wheatberries from K2 Milling, edamame and lentils from Pristine Gourmet, Celery Root from Green Acres, carrots & parsnips from Hillside Gardens, Russian blue potatoes from Brooks farm, and squash from Top Tomato & Round Plains!

Isn’t that gorgeous?

So this is our challenge to you for February: can you make a dish that features such an amazing array of local food, sourced through 100km Foods?

The prizes for this Instagram Challenge include 4 complimentary tickets to the 12^th annual Terroir Symposium 2018 & the Rural Retreat!!!! The theme for this year’s talks are Terroirnomics: The Powerful Economies of Local. You can learn more about this year’s symposium and guest speakers here.

To enter the contest is simple: post a picture on your Instagram of a dish crafted by your team that features local food ingredients (must include at least 3-4 products sourced through 100km Foods).

Follow us, tag us in the photo @100kmfoods and use the hashtag #100kmfoodscontest for your team’s chance to win a ticket to the 2018 Terroir Symposium! ** Important note ** only ONE ticket is available for your contest entry, and only one entry accepted for each restaurant.

PLEASE REVIEW THE FULL CONTEST RULES BELOW:

To be eligible to participate in this contest, your team must hold an account with 100km Foods and be located in Ontario, Canada.
To submit your team entry, be sure to follow 100km Foods on Instagram, tag us in the photo, and use the hashtag #100kmfoodscontest.
Only 1 entry per team.
The contest runs from February 21st, 2018 through to March 8th, 2018.
After the contest ends, the 4 winners will be randomly selected from 10 entries with the most likes.
The winning team will be contacted by email from info@100kmfoods.com

We will post the winning dish on all our social media channels!

Disclaimer: This contest is in no way affiliated with Instagram.

Living. Certified Organic. Innovative. Local.

November 30, 2017Sow and Telllocalfoodontario, microgreens, ontag, organic, sowandtell100kmblogadm

Slegers Greenhouses

In 1987, shortly after graduating agricultural college, Jo Slegers built a greenhouse and began growing just one product – Boston Lettuce. Fast forward 30 years, and Slegers Greenhouses now grows over 47(!) different products that fall within four categories – lettuces, herbs, micro greens and greens.

For the final Sow and Tell of 2017, some of the most popular microgreens are on sale: Basil, Beets, Daikon Radish, Sunflower and Mixed Micros!! Find these by clicking the red ‘Sale’ tag on the website! The promotion applies to all deliveries made between December 5^th – 8^th 2017.

We are also pleased to announce a wide range of Microgreen Living Flats are also available from Slegers. You can find all of these products in the Slegers Microgreen category on the website.

The World of Microgreens

Nowadays Jo, and his wife Pauline, live on the farm and manage the greenhouse operation. In 2004, after many years of trialling organic methods, Jo and Pauline got their organic certification. Jo is very passionate about growing organically and maintaining a high standard of operations that is better for our environment.

If you’ve tasted their micro greens, you know yourself the potency of flavour and texture they embody. Part of this is because Jo and Pauline offer their greens as ‘living’ greens – which means they’re grown and shipped out as living root balls. The difference in freshness, taste and longevity of products grown and delivered living is noticeable. The ease of just snipping, rinsing and serving right away makes it seamless to serve your customers the freshest and most flavourful greens, micros and herbs.

Microgreens themselves are the young, tender green shoots of vegetables, greens and herbs. They are delicate, vibrant, packed with flavour and are nutritionally dense. It’s a stellar combination all round!

Check out this short video to hear from Jo & Pauline themselves about Slegers and get a glimpse of their greenhouses – shot and produced by our digital media specialist, Sara May!

Relationship With 100km Foods

Slegers was one of the first five producers to ever work with 100km Foods, and has been one of the most collaborative farm partnerships we’ve made! In the early days, Paul said their small orders would be piggy backed on FoodShare orders. Those orders consisted mainly of arugula, basil, watercress, boston lettuce and pea shoots for Il Fornello restaurants.

At that time, Owen Steinberg was executive chef of the Il Fornello restaurants. Owen, Paul, Grace, Jo and Pauline worked together to grow and package their exceptional products in a way that made the price point friendly for the wholesale market. In fact, it was Owen’s suggestion that Slegers be packed as a root ball instead of plastic clam/tray packaging to reduce costs – and as you may realize – that’s still how Slegers product is packaged today, This kind of collaborative effort between farm, distributor and chef is truly what can transform what the local food system is capable of! Since those early days things have only continued to evolve. Slegers products are one of our mainstay offerings, with a consistency of high quality that makes them an absolute chef favourite.

Chef Amy Mastrofini from Caffe Demetre had this to say about Slegers products: “We have started using the red veined sorrel from Slegers and its presence on the plate really elevates the dish to the next level. The taste is mild enough that it can be used on sweet dishes – a huge factor for us, because so many micro greens can have a very strong flavour that doesn’t always work with sweet dishes. The shelf life blew me away. The plants were still vibrant, fresh (and growing!) after 17 days in the fridge. At room temperature, they lasted about a week.”

Below is a picture of the red veined sorrel featured in a dish – looks beautiful, doesn’t it? We’re certain it tastes even better!

For this Sow & Tell, the final one of 2017, we want you to explore the vast range of products Slegers has to offer! Their Basil, Daikon Radish, Beet, Mixed and Sunflower Microgreens are on sale for the week of December 5^th – 8^th 2017.

A big thank you to Jo, Pauline, Sara & Connor for their help with this post!

By: Genrys Goodchild

In Support of Kūkŭm Kitchen & Chef Joseph Shawana

October 20, 2017Uncategorized100kmblogadm

Over the past week, there’s been heated discussion in the news and on social media about a petition that was started by Toronto resident Jennifer Matos, regarding the serving of seal meat at Kūkŭm Kitchen in Toronto. Kūkŭm Kitchen is a great customer of ours, so this issue is of interest to us.

The Context

Matos started this petition because she felt it was unethical to serve commercial seal meat and wanted Kūkŭm Kitchen to stop serving it. Yet, as others have pointed out, Matos has seemingly not targeted one of the other sixteen thousand nine hundred and thirty-four other restaurants serving meat. Some of the supporters of Matos’s petition began to give Kūkŭm Ktichen poor ratings online because of the petition.

Aylan Couchie, a writer and artist from Nipissing First Nation started a counter petition to point out that targeting one of four Indigenous owned restaurants in Toronto and not any others is anti-Indigenous, especially given the detrimental effect anti-sealing campaigns have had on Inuit peoples culture and livelihoods.

So, how exactly is the original petition anti-Indigenous?

Couchie and settler food historian, Ian Mosby, published a very thoughtful piece in the Globe and Mail that discusses how food has been a major tool in the Canadian colonial project against Indigenous nations more broadly. For the Inuit nations, seal-hunting has been a particularly contentious issue in their continuing struggle against colonialism. Therefore, Couchie & Mosby argue that by targeting Kūkŭm and insisting that seal-hunting remain a subsistence activity for Inuit people enforces the idea that all Indigenous nations must remain in the past. Not to mention, thinking the seal-hunting business is subsistence only is also historically inaccurate: the commercial seal industry has existed in Canada for well over a hundred years.

For those interested in learning further about the issue, Couchie & Mosby recommend watching the 2016 documentary film made by Inuk filmmaker Alethea Arnaquq-Baril called Angry Inuk. It is available to watch on iTunes Canada.

Kūkŭm Kitchen’s Stance

Chef Joseph Shawana, who owns and operates Kūkŭm Kitchen, is from Wikwemkoong Unceded Reserve on Manitoulin Island. Chef Shawana chose to serve seal meat in a seal tartare dish to honour Inuit culture and support their livelihoods. In an interview with the CBC on As It Happens, Chef Shawana stood by his decision to serve seal meat and explained that he feels Matos petition stems from misinformation.

Chef Shawana and the team at Kūkŭm did their due diligence and researched their menu extensively before their launch. They source their seal meat from SeaDNA in Canada, a company that adheres to Canada’s strict guidelines for commercial seal hunting and prioritizes creating products that use the whole seal. In fact, because of improved guidelines for the industry, seal populations in Canada have skyrocketed in the past forty years. Seals are not considered in any way to be an endangered species (and contrary to what Matos’ original petition leads one to believe, it is illegal for the commercial hunt to kill seal pups in Canada).

At 100km Foods, we take the sourcing of food very seriously. We commend Chef Shawana and his team at Kūkŭm Kitchen for their ethical standards and completely support him in his decision to continue serving seal meat at his establishment.

By: Genrys Goodchild

The Future Is Fresh – Lake Erie Farms Sow and Tell

October 19, 2017Sow and Tell100kmfoods, lakeeriefarms, localfood, ontag, sowandtell100kmblogadm

The Future Is Fresh

It has been an unusual summer for us in Southern Ontario, that’s for certain. The rapid changes and unexpected weather patterns kept all of us on our toes!

But the last few days have noticeably grown shorter, the leaves are finally turning, and the wind is cool. This past week has been one of the final weekx for field greens, and it’s a busy time for menu changes, as we are now all looking towards greenhouse greens to see us through the winter months.

One of our longstanding greenhouse growers is Lake Erie Farms based in Norfolk County, and that’s why we’ve chosen to feature them for this month’s Sow and Tell!

What’s on sale?

Both their Salanova and Boston Lettuce blends are on sale for all deliveries next week, from October 24^th to the 27^th. These blends, if you haven’t tried them, are unbelievably tender, juicy, fresh and a little sweet. As Lake Erie says themselves, “ Salanova® will outperform baby spinach, baby arugula and artisan lettuce in taste, mass-volume, loft and shelf life.”

They work amazingly well in salads, sandwiches, and as lettuce wraps (you may have had their Boston lettuce as part of the Bo Ssäm at Momofuku!). They are packaged as vibrant root balls, which ensures absolute peak freshness and a good storage life.

History of Lake Erie Farms

Lake Erie Farms, like many of those that we work with, is a third generation family owned operation. The Ashbaugh family began farming in the late 1920s, and in those days they primarily grew tobacco and owned a series of farms across the region. In time, much like the Gervais family at Barrie Hill Farms, they decided to phase out of the tobacco business and diversify their operations.

In 2002, they established their first greenhouse operation and began growing cucumbers. In 2008, they sold off their final tobacco crop. Over the years, they have expanded cucumber production and began growing lettuces. Their CEO, Trish Fournier, began with Lake Erie in January 1999, and has been the CEO of the company since 2006.

Challenges and Motivations of Local Food in Ontario

I spoke to Trish over the phone about Lake Erie and her role within the operation, and we discussed some of the challenges and motivations to growing local in Ontario. Trish, like many of our other growers, feels their biggest challenge is competing with imports, especially when it’s field products from Mexico. Pressures come from all sides for Ontario greenhouse operations – be it higher labour costs, rising hydro and energy rates, or packaging costs.

Trish and the team at Lake Erie work very hard to innovate and compete with imports. They prioritize energy efficiency, and have upgraded of their greenhouses with LED lights and have purchased generators to take one greenhouse off-grid. They recycle their water and carbon dioxide gets cycled back in to be fed to their plants. They are currently undergoing another energy audit to determine more ways to keep their operation as efficient as possible!

Despite the challenges they face, Trish is very passionate about local food and local food production. As she said herself, local food is fresher and harvested at peak for optimal flavour and reduces enormous amounts of pollution from transportation. She loves that they are based in Norfolk County, which is known as one of the produce hubs in Ontario. She highlighted how excellent it is that local restaurants purchase from them creating more jobs for residents, who in turn, reinvest their dollars back into the community.

Why is 100km Foods a great fit?

Trish believes that 100km Foods is an excellent fit as their distributor in Toronto and the GTA. As she pointed out, on either end of the chain both producers and restaurants have an interest in selling and purchasing greater amounts of local food. The most challenging piece is the link in the middle – the distribution. Farmers and Chefs alike do not always have the time or resources to coordinate sales, especially on the scale needed to build a local food economy. To Trish, that has a province wide impact because we then rely on bringing in more imports to meet food demands. Distribution may not be as glamourous as growing food or showcasing it in restaurants, but it’s absolutely a crucial piece of the puzzle!

So as you’re planning and sourcing for your menu changes, take advantage of the sale on Lake Erie Salanova and Boston lettuce this week and test them out! You will not be disappointed. The promotion runs from October 24^th to October 27^th!

Thank you so much to Trish for providing information and the photos used in this blog post!

By: Genrys Goodchild