Food and Farming Canada

Reports on pesticide residue may be misleading

Lilian — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 13:20:41 +0000

We’re in the middle of prime fruit and vegetable season. The heat and sun of the summer bring with them roadside stands, farmers markets and local food stores brimming with fresh, Ontario-grown produce. I, for one, as someone who supports local food production and values Ontario’s farmers, am in my element as I’m revelling in [...]

Chocolate as a local Ontario food?

Lilian — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 15:50:02 +0000

I make no secret of my love affair with chocolate. In fact, as someone born in Switzerland, I sometimes feel like it’s my cultural duty to my heritage to ensure that my blood flows as chocolate-brown as possible. So, given that background, the thought that products like Nutella and Fererro Rochers might soon be considered locally [...]

Thermal blanket helps lower greenhouse energy costs

Lilian — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 11:26:54 +0000

Farmers are looking at many different solutions for dealing with rising energy costs. For one greenhouse grower, the answer lies with a new technology, a thermal blanket installation, which is expected to lower his energy costs by about one-third. Gerard Schouwenaar of Orchard Park Growers, a St. Catharines-area flower producer, retrofitted a 30,000 sq ft greenhouse [...]

Weetabix mixing food, farming and art

Lilian — Mon, 28 Jun 2010 12:49:15 +0000

Weetabix, a global cereal brand, is sponsoring a wheat art competition for Ontario farmers this year. Sounds a little out-of-the ordinary at first glance and I must admit it is. After all, cereal, art and farming aren’t usually things I tend to link in my head. Ontario wheat farmers are encouraged to give their artistic [...]

Farmers take safe pesticide application seriously

Lilian — Thu, 24 Jun 2010 13:00:40 +0000

Sometimes I wonder whether we’re actually hard-wired to be instantly attracted to bad news and shocking revelations. I see negativity often dominating our 24-hour news cycle, leaving the less sensational but equally important good news to fall by the wayside. More and more people are now writing and reporting about food, farming, science and the environment. [...]

A visit to a Canadian egg farm

Lilian — Wed, 23 Jun 2010 14:39:02 +0000

Eggs are a Canadian breakfast staple. They’re also popular at other mealtimes and as ingredients in countless recipes. But do you ever wonder how eggs are made and where they come from? I had the chance to find out first hand a couple of weeks ago during a visit to an egg farm north of Guelph, [...]

Retailer supports sustainable farming

Lilian — Tue, 22 Jun 2010 12:27:37 +0000

Cows grazing on hillside pastures are a stereotypical – if often true – image of Switzerland. The Swiss are proud of their mountains and their pristine Alpine countryside. They’re also pretty serious about promoting homegrown food products. One of the country’s leading supermarket chains, Co-op, sells a line of branded Swiss food products – milk, yogurts, [...]

A food nerd’s mountain top lunch

Lilian — Fri, 18 Jun 2010 20:25:49 +0000

My brother called me a food nerd today. I guess he’s right when I consider what I was doing to make him call me that. We are in Switzerland this week and today we were in a mountaintop restaurant above Zermatt, having lunch. As soon as my lunch arrived, the first thing I did was arrange [...]

A visit to Springridge Farm

Lilian — Thu, 17 Jun 2010 20:39:37 +0000

It’s been almost a week since I had the chance to visit an Ontario berry farm at the height of strawberry season…and since I’ve been travelling, it’s been hard to find time to get this blog post put together. But better late than never…and certainly before the end of strawberry season! I was on the [...]

Speaking up for food and farming

Lilian — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 13:03:29 +0000

Most of us in agriculture have the same gripe. Whether we farm or whether we work for or with farmers, our common complaint is that agriculture is misunderstood. The general public doesn’t “get” what we do because they don’t know. And we’re often a little amazed at how much people don’t know, especially about things [...]