Author: Charles Gardner

Top-rated fresh dessert for summer season

This is a simple, fresh, not-too-sweet dessert that highlights the season’s best local strawberries. Try this with any seasonal Ontario berry or a mix of different types. Orange flower water is a lovely, fragrant addition to the cream, but no worries if you don’t have any. I like to serve this dessert in vintage juice glasses, but it also looks excellent in wine glasses, champagne flutes or martini glasses. You can also assemble it several hours in advance and chill it – make sure that the whipped cream is stable enough.

Great vegan recipe idea for picnic with friends

This simple but impressive salad is the perfect way to use local, seasonal asparagus in the springtime. Also, I love the sheep’s milk feta from Best Baa- a local farm specializing in… you guessed it, sheep’s milk. Look for their cheeses at the Withrow Park Farmers’Market and Leslieville Cheese Market.

Exotic experimental recipe for new taste impressions

Although mangos are not a fruit that can be grown in Ontario, it is an important staple in many peoples’ diets. While it is essential to support local Ontario farmers and use local and seasonal produce, it is also important to respect the culinary needs of many cultures. Although the mangos came from a different source, the greens for this salad were purchased at the market.

Vegan light recipe with ordinary ingredients

This dish is the ultimate in simple, elegant summer fare. Make this only when you can get fresh-from-the-field local zucchini to appreciate the delicate flavour of this vegetable fully. Match with a glass of chilled rosé for a delicious and light warm-weather appetizer.

Delicious salad recipe for your special dinner

Many ingredients used in international cuisines are readily available at farmer’s markets. Many farmers have been encouraged to grow an assortment of Asian vegetables for the increasingly diverse taste palette of new and old Canadians. Since many regions of the world have similar climates, many more fruits and veggies, besides the European standard, can be grown in Ontario, avoiding the accumulation of food miles. And as always, adding a large number of fresh vegetables and fruits (preferably organic) to the diet improves health and overall well-being.

Unordinary mushroom salad recipe

The trick to getting your mushrooms crispy lies in the size of the pan you use. Using the widest skillet you have will allow the mushrooms enough room to get properly crispy. If using a smaller pan, crisp the mushrooms in two batches. I like to use an assortment of exotic mushrooms from Fun Guy Farms.

Fresh and healthy snack for whole family

When you see how easy it is, you’ll want to make these tasty rolls often. Add vegetables and herbs of your choice. You can also add chicken, shrimp or grilled tofu, leftover duck! Use your imagination and experiment with different fillings!

When the sweet taste of beets meets the spicy bite of horseradish, it’s a match made in heaven. Beets and horseradish are an age-old Jewish combination, especially at Passover.

Original recipe of the most popular sauce

That is a recipe I’ve been using faithfully (with slight modifications) since I discovered that I liked basil pesto. It comes from Evelyn Raab’s The Clueless Vegetarian. Get bunches of this fragrant herb from our farmers and make batches for use on lazy winter evenings. When grocery shopping is the last thing you want to do in subzero temperatures, this is the perfect meal to remind you that summer is on its way.