There are many wonderful things to be thankful for and to be celebrated throughout the year. Charcuterie boards and cheese boards are a wonderful, creative way to enjoy local produce, with friends and family. It’s fun and exciting to explore our local fine food shops, farms and farmer’s markets and have the opportunity to meet the people that grow and make so many delicious, inviting foods. There are many books and websites dedicated to the creation of the perfect food board, however our focus was simply to celebrate and support our local producers. While preparing our board, we found it particularly interesting to discover new and different food pairings. A large board like ours is not a requirement, as there are many other options such as grazing boxes and tables, individually prepared cones of treats or more focused offerings like breakfast boards, plant-based boards or fruit & dessert boards. The seasonal choices are endless. Have fun experimenting and discovering our region! Buttertarts and More ChowChow, Horseradish Jelly While exploring our region, we visited The Tiny Artshack, in Elmvale, and picked up some perfect accompaniments for our celebratory platter. The ChowChow and Horseradish Jelly were uniquely delicious and perfect with cheeses and meats. www.thetinyartshack.com Metis Fish Market A lovely Atlantic Salmon Dip or local smoked Fish (Smoked Arctic Char, Steelhead, Lake Trout, Sockey Salmon, Rainbow Trout, Atlantic Salmon) will add delicious flavour and variety to any charcuterie board. The Metis Fish Market is owned by Shawn Zurawski, who carries on a long standing family tradition producing top quality smoked fish sourced in the waters of Georgian Bay. In addition to smoked fish, the Metis Fish Market also offers a variety of ocean-sourced Canadian seafood. www.metisfishmarket.com Say Cheese Vasey Sheep Cheese Saskia and Hans Sloesewij have been producing amazing gouda style sheep cheese since 2011. Their hand-crafted sheep cheese is made in Vasey and is available at a variety of fine food shops and is also served on charcuterie boards at a number of local wineries and cider houses. The sheep’s milk, used in making their delicious cheese, is sourced from farms located in Simcoe County and the Kawartha Lakes region. We purchase their products regularly at Farm2Door and for our latest platter we included Smoked, Mild, Plain and Roasted Garlic cheese which paired well with many local preserves. Orders available at www.justsaycheese.ca Frauxmagerie This dairy-free cheese producer is located in Meaford and produces a broad range of plant based cheeses which are of both aged and fresh varieties. They are great to include on a celebratory charcuterie board. Their line of products include, True Blue, Cam, Boka, Swizz, Chevre, Mauxarella and Parmesan. One can purchase on-site at 43 Helen Street, Meaford or at a number of local fine food shops such as 100 Mile Store, Creemore and Gibson & Co, Café, Orchard Health Foods, Collingwood and many other locations. www.thefrauxmagerie.com Cinderella Acres Erik Watts, farmer and owner of this sustainable, regenerative small farm, located near Victoria Harbour delivers “local food-local flavours”. They offer a wonderful selection of delicious products and seasonal produce as well as wild edibles, such as fiddleheads. We often include their Pickled Peas, Pickled Carrots and Pickled Beans for family celebrations. Cinderella Acres products are available online and at regional shops such as Farm2Door and farmers markets. cinderellaacres.com Gianetto’s Dip This decades old recipe, is a closely guarded secret, and was created by “Ma” and her son Nio Gianetto for their downtown Midland Fruitmarket, which closed its’ doors in 2014. This creamy garlic and onion dip is a perfect accompaniment for crudite and is to be found at many local grocery stores and fine food shops such as Nicholyn Farms, Goldsmith Orchard Market, Gibson & Company, Farm2Door. www.gianettosdip.com Bulbs of Fire’s Black Garlic Honey, Smoked Garlic Jelly, Smoked Garlic Mustard and Smoked Garlic Red Pepper Jelly. This farm is owned by the Nagel family and found in Tiny Township. They do not use any chemical pesticides, herbicides or fertilizers in the growing of their garlic varieties which now number over 35! Their preserves can now be found in over 40 fine food stores. We purchased ours at Farm2Door in Perkinsfield, however one can order from the Bulb’s of Fire website. www.bulbsoffire.com Crooked Tree Fine Foods For all guests, including those requiring gluten-free, vegan options, we included Artisanal Nut Dip-Chipotle and Cardamom as well as Creamy Nutty Dip-Parsley & Chive. This Collingwood producer, offers a range of plant-based, nutrient rich dips, crackers and, during Fall and Winter season, they offer prepared side dishes. www.crookedtree.ca Copperpot Nuts This lovely shop in Coldwater has many delicious options to add to a board. We enjoyed the Maple Roasted Cashews, Maple Roasted Pecans, Salt & Pepper Almonds and, this year, the Pumpkin Spice Nuts. These nuts are double-roasted and flavoured in house and the producers source as many ingredients locally, as possible. They also offer Wildflower Honey and Honey with Ginger from local maker, “Adam’s Honey”, from Victoria Harbour. We purchased ours at Farm2Door in Perkinsfield, however one can purchase from the Copperpot Nuts shop in Coldwater or online. www.copperpotnuts.com Papa John’s Natural Preserves We really appreciate the crisp, fresh and flavourful taste of Papa John’s products. The addition of the Corn Relish, Pickled Eggs, Pickled Beets, Dill Pickles and Jalapeno Peppers, purchased from Farm2Door in Perkinsfield, added great variety and zesty flavours. Also available, were a variety of relishes, Mustard Pickles, Zesty Beans and Pickled Onions. www.farm2door.com P.J’s Meats We purchased locally made, Italian-style, dried, cured meats such as Turkey Kolbasa, Mild Summer Salami, Soppressata, from this family owned producer. Their sausages are made by hand and are available at many farmer’s markets and shops such as Farm2Door. Turnview Farm Honey An ideal pairing for goat and aged cheeses are both the complex and full flavours of their Buckwheat Honey and Wildflower Honey. Paul & Emily Turner have a wonderful farm store, that offers beekeeping supplies, their amazing honey, as well as jams, jellies, maple syrup, honey wax candles, assorted local meats and much more. Items are available in many local stores and at their Turnview Farm Store (6424 Hwy 93, Elmvale), as well as online. www.turnviewfarmhoney.com Muskoka Lakes Farm & Winery We always like to add dried fruit to our boards for flavour pairing, texture and colour. For our autumn/winter boards we make sure to add dried cranberries as they are so flavourful. We often purchase them at Muskoka Lakes Farm & Winery, when we visit. They offer year round activities including wine tasting, skating, hiking and tours. Bala recently celebrated their Cranberry Festival, which was a great success. www.cranberry.ca Georgian Chocolate Company Chocolate pairs well with many cheeses as well as, fresh & dried fruit. The sweet & savoury combination is moreish and goes well with local wine. We enjoyed the Mexican Spicy Chili, Almond & Sea Salt and Toffee & Sea Salt. Georgian Chocolate Company, in Severn, Ontario (near Orillia) creates handcrafted, ethically made, artisanal chocolate, finished in packaging designed by local artists. www.georgianchocolate.ca Other lovely additions to this savoury board can be found at Operation Grow. This is a great place to purchase spreads (Rosemary, Lemon & Garlic Spreads, Roasted Garlic and Caramalized Onion Spread, Spicy Roasted Red Pepper Spread) , salad dressings, pestos and soups as they grow and produce a wide variety of local fresh quality produce. We have even purchased edible flowers in the past, to add a touch of beauty. www.operationgrow.ca Farm2Door 159 Balm Beach Road East, Tiny, Ontario www.farm2door.ca Goldsmith’s Orchard Market 207600 ON-26, Thornbury, Ontario www.goldsmithsmarket.com Metis Fish Market 741 Yonge St., Midland, Ontario www.metisfishmarket.com The Milk Maid 947 2nd Avenue E, Owen Sound, Ontario www.themilkmaidcheese.ca Copperpot Nuts 2 Gray St., Coldwater, Ontario www.copperpotnuts.com Georgian Chocolate Company- 3835 Campbell Rd., Orillia www.georgianchocolate.ca Frauxmagerie 43 Helen St. Unit B, Meaford, Ontario www.thefrauxmagerie.com Muskoka Lakes Farm & Winery 1074 Cranberry Road, Bala, Ontario www.cranberry.ca Nicholyn Farms 3088 Horseshoe Valley Road W, Phelpston, Ontario www.nicholyn.com Cinderella Acres 4526 Granny White Side Road, Victoria Harbour, Ontario www.cinderellaacres.com The Tiny Art Shack
3-34 Queen St. West, Elmvale, Ontario www.thetinyartshack.com Turnview Farm 6424 ON-93, Elmvale, Ontario www.turnviewfarmhoney.com Operation Grow 436 Bay Street, Midland, Ontario www.operationgrow.ca .....................................................................................................................................................................
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