On a sunny, warm autumn day, we joined local Georgian Bay enthusiasts to take part in the annual Tiny Farm Crawl, to enjoy the Fall colours and to visit participating local farms. This self-guided tour, gave us the opportunity to explore roads less traveled, meet the amazingly passionate farmers in our area, and give us a greater appreciation for the significant efforts and knowledge involved in putting food on our tables. With the ever-rising prices of fresh produce and the significant transport costs and environmental impact, it’s even more important to consider local food options. For us, CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) weekly hampers of seasonal fruits and vegetables have been a joy. We wish to thank the amazing organizers and welcoming participants who shared their stories with us. Join us on this farm adventure and consider putting this experience on your calendar for 2023. Tour Highlights: Barnell Ridge-Sheep & Wool 480 Mertz Corner Road, Tiny (Wyevale) For our first stop, we decided to visit this small sheep farm to learn about “the wonderful world of wool”. The farm has been in operation for seven years under the loving care of Simon and his family, who have forty acres dedicated to the rearing of approximately 150 sheep, providing lambs for auction (meat) and natural, undyed wool. At this farm, we learned about the creation of wool and its’ ever-expanding uses, ethical production and the versatility of this natural product. It was lovely to visit the barn and interact with the sheep and appreciate their personalities. We also met a young entrepreneur who had designed, and built, bee hives that used natural wool as insulation for winter months. This first stop, was a really lovely introduction to our local farms. .......................................................................................................................................................................................... Rice Family Farm 640 Ellery’s Sideroad, Tiny (Wyebridge) Next, we visited Rice Family Farm, which is a newly added stop on the farm crawl tour and definitely worth a visit. This small, family hobby farm cares for a variety of animals, grows and sells pumpkins, provides hay for local horse farms and offers “pick-your-own” sunflowers. We loved feeding the goats, alpaca and donkeys and were in awe of the Highland Cows with their shaggy red coats. This stop also allowed guests to pick and carve their own pumpkins in preparation for Halloween. This hands-on stop is a great addition to the tour. ......................................................................................................................................................................................... Community Garden www.tiny.ca - Perkinsfield Park, 46 County Road 6 South, Tiny (Perkinsfield) Wendy B’s Treats 336 Lafontaine Road, West, Tiny. For a refreshment break, we visited The Community Garden in Perkinsfield, where we were greeted by one of the Tiny Rec staff, who explained that this reclaimed tennis court offers local residents the opportunity to rent a raised garden plot, to grow their own flowers and vegetables. In addition to these gardening plots, the community garden also has an eco-lawn, herb gardens and collections of wild flowers which support local pollinators. We really enjoyed the warm apple cider and delicious baked treats, provided by Wendy B’s Fine Foods, found in Lafontaine, which sells deli items, locally produced foods, artisan wares and of course, delicious pastries and breads. Sunny Nature Farm www.sunnynaturefarm.ca & Williams Farm www.williamsfarm.ca , 2193 Wood Road, Tay Fresh Baked Consulting (Chef Jennifer), 188 Younge Street A, Midland, Ontario. www.freshbakedconsulting.com We followed the signs, off Highway 93, to visit this thriving maple syrup farm and associated organic vegetable producer. We have long enjoyed Williams Maple Syrup products, which can be found throughout Georgian Bay and topped up our supply at their Pine House. We were welcomed by Chef Jennifer, from Fresh Baked Consulting, who engaged us in a fun activity, of making fresh pesto, using pumpkin seeds, arugula, lemon juice, garlic, oil and seasoning. In addition to culinary consulting, Chef Jennifer is busy creating her delicious breads, sold locally, and teaching interactive, recreational classes. Also on site, was a green house and fresh produce stand displaying non-GMO, organic and naturally grown vegetables from this five-acre farm. We visited the green house, which had beautiful Swiss Chard and lettuces, and bought some potatoes for our coming Thanksgiving feast. We look forward to ordering some vegetables from their website. They also provide the option of CSA box subscriptions. ...................................................................................................................................................................................... Farm2Door www.northsimcoe.farm2door.ca 159 Balm Beach Road East, Tiny After having seen all this delicious produce, it was definitely time to pick up our provided boxed lunch from Farm2Door and sit in the bright sunshine on the adjacent picnic tables. We enjoyed a lunch of homemade chicken or vegetable soup and fresh vegetable or chicken fresh rolls with homemade satay sauce. Delicious butter tarts, left us well satisfied for our next farm visits. We want to thank the staff for offering us, vegetarian and non-vegetarian options. ....................................................................................................................................................................................... Double JB Feeds www.doublejbfeeds.ca (Livestock Feed & Seed), 959 Marshall Road, Tiny Bonnie Bee Honey Products www.bonniebeehoney.com Magnolia Knots www.magnoliaknots.ca Wyebridge After our picnic feast, we drove to Double JB Feeds, who have 360 acres of land for the cultivation of feed and cash crops. Their non-GMO feed is sold for livestock, poultry and horses. At this location, we also met with the DeVillers family, who’s decades old apiary, located in Lafontaine, makes delicious wildflower and buckwheat honey, honey combs and beautifully designed beeswax candles, as well as food wraps, soaps and lip balm. We purchased some buckwheat honey to use in our Thanksgiving meal. When we arrived, it was lovely to see families creating Thanksgiving floral displays in carved pumpkins, under the tutelage of local florist, Victoria, who owns and operates Magnolia Knots, Floral Design and Gifts, located in Wyebridge. ........................................................................................................................................................................................ Monpiero Farms 317 Cedar Point Road, Tiny Cedar Point Farm (Sunflower Oil) 705-534-1197 After that, we travelled north to Monpiero Farms, who are a fifth-generation family-run farm which focusses on agriculture & poultry farming. In one of their barns, we found a number of displays featuring local environmental initiatives (The Severn Sound Environmental Association), an Ontario Pork Display and other informative agriculture-themed displays. It was lovely to reconnect with Christine and buy some of her 100% cold-pressed naturally produced, sunflower oil. We often use this oil to make wonderful salad dressings and to accompany freshly baked breads. This product is available at Farm2Door, in Perkinsfield and a number of other local fine food shops. ....................................................................................................................................................................................... Windlee Farms www.windleefarms.ca 10 Baseline Road North, Tiny Our final stop was, Windlee Farms, a much loved and previously featured maple syrup producer. As we arrived later in the day, we sadly missed the activities, which included wagon rides, face painting and music performed by local artists. This was a day filled with wonderful farm experiences. Other locations that we previously featured and that were included, are Huronia Nurseries at 1159 Baseline Road, Operation Grow, www.operationgrow.ca 436 Bay Street, Midland and Turnview Farm, www.turnviewhoney.com 6424 Highway 93, Elmvale. This was an amazing outing, in Southern Georgian Bay, and we recommend this, and similar tours, to gain an appreciation of the bounty our region has to offer. .......................................................................................................................................................................................... Fall Perogies Makes 36 large perogies with a 9 cm circle cookie cutter Making The Filling It is good to make the filling ahead of time since it needs to cool before you can fill the pierogies. You can choose one of the following fillings: Mushroom Filling Mushroom Filling Ingredients 900 grams of Cremini mushrooms ½ of a teaspoon of salt 2 tablespoons of oil 2 tablespoons butter 3 medium sized shallots The leaves of 4 sprigs of thyme ¼ of a cup plain or seasoned bread crumbs ½ of a cup of chopped walnuts Coarsely chop the mushrooms and the shallots. Heat the oil and butter in a medium sized skillet. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Sauté the ingredients until most of the moisture is removed and the ingredients are golden brown. In the last minute of cooking add the thyme. Place the mushrooms in the bowl of a food processor and add the bread crumbs and walnuts. Process until the ingredients are finely chopped. Store in the refrigerator until you are ready to fill your perogies. ......................................................................................................................................................................................... Fall Acorn Squash Filling Fall Acorn Squash Filling Ingredients I small acorn squash ( approximately 21/2 cups of cooked squash) ½ of a tart apple, grated 2 tablespoons of maple syrup 2 tablespoons of oil or butter Salt and pepper 11/2 medium cooking onions finely chopped into thin slices 4 sage leaves, finely sliced The leaves of one sprig of thyme ¼ cup chopped pecans Carefully cut the squash in half and remove the seeds. Put a few tablespoons of water, the maple syrup and the butter (or oil) in each half and season with salt and pepper. Bake in a 400 degree F oven for approximately one hour or until tender. Allow to cool. Meanwhile, finely slice the onions and saute them until they are caramelized. At the last minute, add the grated apples, the sliced sage leaves and the thyme and stir until combined and heated through. At this point, be sure to stir the mixture because the high content of sugar in the apples, will cause them to burn more easily. Allow to cool. Place approximately 21/2 cups of squash and the onion mixture in the bowl of a food processor and add the pecans. Process until it is finely chopped and fully combined. Store in the refrigerator until you are ready to fill the perogies. Bacon and Cheese Filling Bacon and Cheese Filling Ingredients ½ of a cup finely diced onion 650 grams of russet potatoes 375 grams of bacon divided ½ of a cup sauerkraut 11/2 medium onions 1 tablespoon each of oil and butter Salt and pepper to taste 2 to 3 tablespoons sour cream ½ of a cup sharp/aged cheddar Boil the peeled potatoes and chopped onions in a large pot of salted water until tender. Drain and set aside. Finely chop 8 slices of bacon and fry until crispy. Remove excess oil. Place the sauerkraut in a small pot and top with water. Boil for approximately 3 minutes and then strain and squeeze out as much moisture as you can. Heat the oil and butter and saute the sliced onions until carmelized. In the bowl of a processor combine the potatoes, bacon, onions, sauerkraut, sour cream, and aged cheddar and process until it becomes smooth and well combined. ......................................................................................................................................................................................... Ingredients for the Dough 560 grams of flour ( approximately 4 1/2 cups) + flour for rolling 2 teaspoons of salt 2 eggs 1 cup of warm milk (high fat is better) 3 tablespoons of unsalted, melted and cooled butter ⅓ of a cup of sour cream Instructions for the Dough Combine the flour and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer. Mix until ingredients are well combined. Whisk eggs in a medium bowl. Add the rest of the wet ingredients and whisk until well combined. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and mix with the dough hook until the ingredients come together. Be sure to scrape the sides in order to incorporate all of the flour. Mix until the dough forms a smooth ball. (this may take a few minutes) If the dough is too wet, gradually add a dusting of flour. If the dough is too dry, add a small quantity of milk. Do not over knead or you will have a tough dough. Place the dough in an oiled bowl and move the dough around in order to oil it on all sides. Cover the dough and let it rest for at least 45 minutes. Divide the dough into 2 or 4 pieces depending on the size of your rolling surface. Roll the dough out to a thickness of 3.5 mm. Cut circles and place a teaspoon full of filling in the center of each circle. Brush water on the edge of half of the circle. Join both sides and pinch the two sides together carefully. Place the perogies on a floured baking tray. At this point you can either cook or freeze perogies for future use. Freeze on the sheet pan and when frozen, transfer to a freezer bag. Cooking instructions
Boil a large pot of salted water. Drop the fresh or frozen perogies in water and stir. Boil until the perogies all come to the surface + one minute. Melt a few tablespoons of oil and butter in a saute pan and fry the perogies until they are golden brown. Serving suggestions: Serve with caramelized onions, herbed sour cream, applesauce, sauerkraut or chopped nuts. You can also deep fry the perogies and serve them as appetizers with a dipping sauce. When deep fried, they will become crispy on the outside. .........................................................................................................................................................................................
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