A Day at the Market

So much delicious food!

I love food!  And I love the Halifax Farmer's Market.  If you haven't been yet, I suggest you go...soon!  The new market space at Pier 20 is wonderful.  http://www.halifaxfarmersmarket.com/ .  The best part about the market is being in direct contact with your farmer.  You can ask questions about the life of your food and where it's come from, if it's been sprayed, what variety it is, and even cooking ideas.  If you're like me, you could even go to the cheese counter and ask them to explain about the life of their cows.  Everyone is happy to talk about their product at the market because no one has anything to hide.  It's a wonderful feeling of being surrounded by people who are proud of their product and to know that there has been very little 'damage' (environmentally, ethically and morally) in the process of getting that product from seed to grocery bag.

The market is going to be open more often now which will allow us to be a step closer to natural food sources.  Instead of buying apples from New Zealand at the grocery store we can pick up some Nova Scotian varieties from the market.  Better to buy what's local, less travelled and more nutritious and support our provincial farmers. 

I bought basil, which I made into pesto, purple potatoes which I hallowed out after boiling and then baked them until crispy and finally filled with the pesto, collard greens which I steamed and tossed with the pesto and orange cherry tomatoes which I tossed in a hot pan until they were ready to burst.  With the potato filling I mixed in some pesto and mashed it together forming patties which I then fried.  It was a superb meal and one that I could use each part of with other meals, appetizers or sides.  For a more detailed description of what I made, be sure to look at My Little Vegetarian Kitchen blog in which I post some recipes and show you my cooking experiments.  www.mylittlevegetariankitchen.blogspot.com  

Remember to find enjoyment in food.  Look at it as an energy source and question which energy it has developed in.  Use it to nourish your body and entice your taste buds, and slow down and enjoy the process of shopping, creating, cooking and eating. 

Day Tripping by Andrea Lussing

Republished with permission from Andrea Lussing  

What better place to head to for a few hours on a misty, overcast, warm, fall day in Nova Scotia but the Valley. Spotted with wineries, farm markets and and farm animals, the Valley is one of my favourite places to go. There's such a sense of home-grown goodness there. Stress levels plummet as you drive past the one and only fair trade and organic 'Just Us' coffee roasting house, the Tangled Garden with homemade jams and jellies from their garden and the beautiful Grand Pré winery nestled just outside of Wolfville. The Valley helps you make a connection with the earth.

The businesses that line the main streets of Wolfville and surrounding areas feature local arts and crafts, produce, coffee, wine and meat. Touching the grapes on the vine at Grand Pré, then enjoying a glass of their finest really takes you from seed to table and makes you feel like part of the cycle. The beef in my friend's lunchtime hamburger came from local, grass fed cows that had surely enjoyed the beautiful summer, grazing the fields overlooking the Minus Basin a few short weeks ago. The feta cheese in my salad came from the Fox Hill cheese farm down the road, and I enjoyed a cold pint of 100% Nova Scotian, Keith's beer as I waited for my lunch.

Eating local and buying local is our way of saying that we appreciate the land, our land, that surrounds our communities. It means helping your neighbours put food on their tables by supporting their businesses, and it means using fewer resources and less energy from the earth. In a word, it means respect.

I encourage anyone to start to read the labels and stickers on your food and goods. Ask yourself where the item that you may purchase came from and how long ago it was in its natural state, and what was the process of getting it f from that state, to your bag. Choosing local is a small effort that can make a major change in our world in areas of your health, to the environment, to global finances. Wherever you are, enjoy what is there to be offered, in all its glory.

The Walk for Farm Animals

Reposted with permission by Andrea Lussing

On Sunday October 3rd, 21 compassionate citizens of Halifax joined together for the international 'Walk for Farm Animals'. Throughout Canada and the United States in September and October, different cities hold their fundraising and awareness building walks to promote compassion for farm animals and awareness of factory farming.  Myself, above on the right, and my friend Aime on the left, also holding the banner on the right below, donated some money, got a T-shirt and some posters, and walked with our small group down the Halifax Waterfront.  For the first year of this walk in Halifax, I believe it was a great success.  Men, woman and (one) child shared stories and bonded over their compassion towards animals and the ethical treatment of them.  Surely next year will be bigger and better, and slowly, change happens.  For more information on the walk visitwww.walkforfarmanimals.org, or for information about the Farm Sanctuary, the United State's leading farm animal protection agency, and factory farming, visitwww.farmsanctuary.org.