I’m slowly adding to this section with anecdotes about my personal favourites. If you want a more comprehensive list of local farmers in Eastern Ontario, try Just Food’s Buy Local Guide, or the Local Food Locator by Food Down the Road. You can also contact the Ottawa Valley Food Co-operative – I’ve found them very helpful.
HPD: Local Favourites
Staple items in my diet…
As I mentioned in this post, I am a huge fan of La Soyarie Tofu.
I manage to keep a roof over our heads with some Art-is-an Bread and Back Forty cheese. Phew!
Pinehedge Farms has done good on the dairy farm. Check out their yogurt, kefir, and sour cream!
I have a melt-down over flour and find Little Stream Bakery.
Eat your fruit and veggies!
I get ready for the holidays with some Upper Canada Cranberries.
Apples year-round, thanks to Hall’s Apple Market!!
Sweets & Treats
If you can’t make it to the sugar bush, get some Fulton’s Maple Syrup at a local store instead.
I fight the need for coffee with some delicious Take Charge Tea.
And when I don’t succeed, the coffee addict in me fights the good fight by supporting Equator Coffee.
And more…!
How to spoil your sweetie? How about year-round fresh-cut flowers and plants from Carleton Growers!
Hi There,
do you know of a local source for yeast, or vegetable oil….or even a long shot salt? I know that last one is kind of silly, but we are facing a 100-mile challenge and I was wondering if you had any input.
Cheers
Hi Jeremiah,
Off the top of my head I don’t have resources for these, but maybe someone else does…
I assume you’ve tried a sourdough yeast starter…? If not, you could use some local flour to do that. There is a woman near Lanark who mills her own flour but I haven’t figured out where to find it yet. And I have heard (although not verified) that you can buy locally milled flour at Watson’s Mill in Manotick.
Try emailing the Ottawa Valley Food Co-op about oil. It’s a shot in the dark but since they’re a network of people they might know of someone. I use butter whenever frying and you can get that locally, but I know that sometimes it doesn’t always work – like in salad dressings!
And salt… there is rock salt produced in Ontario but I believe it’s used for salting roads. I think it’s north of Toronto which is out of our 100-mile area, but if you were in that area for any length of time you could ask if it’s being produced by small scale vendors.
Good luck!!