Great Food, Great People

The wind was gusty and cold outside and it was even a bit chilly inside. What a treat though to be packing fresh oranges & grapefruit, fair trade coffee, local organic carrots, potatoes, apples, garlic and onions not to mention whole foods galore from Speerville Mill for people to pick up last Saturday.  Thanks to extra hands (Shannon & Paula), we had orders all ready  on Friday awaiting the fresh baking that would be added on Saturday morning.  I loved the experience of meeting old friends and new faces, learning their names and then presenting them with a box of wonderful food.  It felt like presenting a gift with the anticipation of revealing what's inside the humble cardboard box.  One person exclaimed "Wow I had forgotten what I had ordered, this looks great!" as she peered in to the diversity and colour inside.  We had some conflicting comments on the organic whole chicken, while one person was surprised at the cost of the chicken and stated that she could get a 30lb turkey for the same price; another remarked how he had heard how different organic chicken actually tastes and how excited he was to try it out.  Yolande and I are really looking forward to comments back on all this.  I personally can't compare organic pasture-fed chicken to the regular fare in the stores, the taste is one thing and the whole production process is another elephant in the room.   From antibiotics & steroid hormones to toxins stored in the fat to indoor confinement, the large-scale conventional meat production has moved a long way from the days of traditional animal husbandry...   Enough of my thoughts though, I would love to hear from anyone who picked up their order. How are you enjoying your food?  Send any thoughts, comments, ideas, questions to realfood@back2land.ca.  Can't wait to hear from you!  Also note that the next order date is Sunday Jan 25th for pick up on Monday Feb 2nd between 12noon and 6:30pm.  New products throughout - Potato stuffed paranthas & organic pasta & local New Brunswick dairy products...  check it out www.buckwheatflats.com.  

Locavores!

Over the past couple of weeks during preparation for our first order this Saturday, I have picked up organic vegetables grown by Stu and Nancy in Speerville (Speerville Farms)--and several jars of Nancy's incredible mustard.  I've met with Martje Pinenberg for a cooler full of organic free-range wild boar from their sustainably managed woodlot in Knightville, and liaised with Mavis at Hilltop pork for some of their top-quality sausages and roasts...We also have an impressive order of organic flours, seeds, and other dry goods arriving from Speerville Mill.  Meanwhile, Tegan, Leland and Leona & Michael have been trekking across North America with some precious boxes of organic citrus--a (possibly) once-a-year special...which reminds me of my grandmother telling me about the anticipation and delight she remembers feeling about the one orange she received over the holidays--a rare treat considering the distance and effort involved in shipping from so far away.  Tegan's tales of grapefruit boxes on the train brings it home...(bringing them home).  

And it recently struck me:  even in the dead of winter, there is enough here to sustain oneself and much more: natural whole foods, organically grown by New Brunswick farmers.  Not only that, but the quality of these goods is meticulous, and the culinary results are delicious, and utterly healthy.

I have decided to challenge myself, and you, to become a Locavore.  Try streamlining your diet in favour  of foods grown in New Brunswick soil.  Support your body with a delicious nourishing diet, and support the real economy: locally made and sustainably produced.  

And stay warm--it's pretty cold out there.  Come to Buckwheat Flats Natural Foods, 280 Main Street Florenceville, on Saturday, January 17th.  Hot drink, goodies, good news. 

Our next order will be due on the 23rd of January, and again, our order form is available online at www.buckwheatflats.com.

It's been a busy time.  I can't wait to chill out and warm up in front of the fire while checking out some of Andrea's seeds.  

Tegan, Leland, Lee and I look forward to seeing you soon!

Happy Winter Everyone.

Yolande