Local Food Peterborough

Growing your own garlic is fun & easy! Garlic fresh from the garden is a taste that is hard to beat, it’s fragrant, flavourful & very good for you. Now, before the snow starts flying, is the perfect time to plant garlic.

One of the greatest things about growing garlic, is, all you need is garlic! Local garlic is best, as it is adapted to growing in our region & at times, garlic shipped from afar can be sprayed so it will not sprout, and in order to grow, it needs to sprout!
So head on down to a local farmers’ market, or visit some great local farms such as Selwyn Garlic to pick up some bulbs and plant your own!

Here are some great tips on growing garlic from Peterborough Master Gardeners and some how to tips from our friends at Nourish, and a how-to video!

When many people think about eating locally, they picture summer & fall market stands full of abundant local produce and all the amazing fresh fruits and vegetables available in warmer months, but, did you know that you can eat locally year round?

The following are some great ways to eat locally throughout the year:

1. Learn what is in season and when. Eating seasonally means you are getting fresh, nutritious foods, and they are usually more affordable at peak season! Be sure to stock up on fresh fruits and vegetables when they are most abundant, enjoy, and consider canning, freezing or otherwise preserving the bounty when it is available. Below is a great chart, and you can also find lots of links & accompanying recipes from FoodLand Ontario
   
2. Eat seasonally: Even the depth of winter can offer an abundance of mushrooms, root crops, squashes and greenhouse grown greens so that you can enjoy fresh produce year round! Visit year-round Farmers’ Markets including Peterborough Regional Farmers’ Market and Peterborough Farmers’ Market on Saturdays to stock up on these and other local year round products.
   
3. Get to know your meat & dairy producers for year round local food! Check out our newly developed & ever growing list of local farmers at Peterborough Farm Fresh to learn about purchasing local food year round!
   
4. Sweeten up: You can purchase honey and maple syrup year round to sweeten up delicious recipes!

As we enter into the first week of Fall, the leaves are changing and so are market and farm stands. Tomatoes are giving way to squash, colourful root crops are providing a rainbow of delicousness to meals.

Chefs and home cooks a like are bringing out their soup pots & roasting pans, canning and freezing the last of summer abundance and enjoying all that our local food system has to offer!

Here are some great seasonal recipe ideas from Foodland Ontario

What are your favourite fall recipes?

What local ingredients are you most excited to enjoy this season?

Are you canning, freezing or storing anything special this fall?

Share your recipes with us over social media, tag us at @LocalFoodPtbo and use the #localfoodptbo and we will share with our other followers!

Check out your local Farmers’ Markets & Farm stands and the newly launched Peterborough Farm Fresh directory to link directly to local producers and to stock up today!

Fall Fairs have been a tradition in this region, and many others for a very long time. They give local farmers, gardeners and students a chance to showcase their prized livestock, vegetables and crafts, and visitors the chance to learn more about local farms and the diversity of local farmers and farm products available in our region. They are a time for rural and urban dwellers to come together and appreciate the farming culture in their communities.

This year, like so many other things, many of the fall fairs have been cancelled, but organizers are working hard to continue the spirit of the fairs despite all these changes. Find a list of local Agricultural Fairs, and any updates for 2020 here.

2020 would have been the 175th anniversary of the Peterborough Ex, to adjust to the times, the Ex is hosting an on-line fair this fall, entries are open to rural and urban residents alike and include such fun activities as ‘Best Front Yard’, “Longest Dog Tail’ and “Longest Zucchini”. Check out their site http://www.peterboroughex.ca/ and enter today! They will be sharing stories about their history, entries and winners from this season and more on their facebook page, so you can follow along in the fun!

The Norwood Fall Fair , a popular tradition in this area has been running every Thanksgiving weekend since 1868! Sadly, this year, it has been cancelled due to Covid-19, but do check out their website www.norwoodfair.com to see lots of highlights from past years, and start planning your entries for years to come!

The Toronto Garlic Festival, a popular event, where garlic farmers from all over Ontario and beyond get together with garlic lovers to celebrate this potent root, has also gone on-line this season. They will have music, speakers and cooking demos for garlic lovers to follow along with!