jayt90

I am dong the same thing with mine, and I'll use a small Staub in a convection oven, after removing the bones. It will be sealed with a layer of foil under the lid. I think 45-60 minutes should do it, at 340F.

If you are not close to a specialist shop, there is nice freshly fragrant orange pekoe from Lee Valley, Premium Ceylon, in a traditional tin. An unusual source, but the tea is good. ed. to add: I just checked the site and the company does not ship to the U.S. Does anyone know a comparable product in the U.S?

A sturdy, nuanced riesling, such as Penflold's McClaren Vale, or Annie's Lane, will hold up to the creamy but somewhat fishy dish.

I can think of two reasons why a small box of Velveeta costs $7 or $8 here. 1) The Milk Marketing Board controls all dairy production in Canada. Each cow has a quota price of $80,000 just to be in a herd. 2) Kraft seems to have a strangle-hold on the mass market cheese. Are they also that powerful in the U.S? Thankfully cheese from sheep or goats can be more reasonable. There is more of this in Canadian Feta now, because the cheesemaker can get away from the cow-milk quota that way.

I have the same problem, with a 3.5 lb veal shoulder steak purchased today. I like the idea of a slow tomato and garlic braise, tightly covered for 2 hours simmering. Probably consult Wolfert's S.W. book first, but sieved tomatoes, garlic and fresh herbs should do it for me, along with a sweet corn/arroz risotto.

Wow...where did you hear that. Are they going to send paper? Or are you just referring to the online August 2007 classics. I suspect sales may have been way down on the on line format. I think most big buyers just do not have the time to check things out on the web and liked the paper. Saw the Buller but heard it was a re-release. Have a few bottles of the Rare Mustcat and it is great stuff. Do not worry, the people who want it know about it and check the vintages site ever day on the look out. Good discussion on ebob on what is out there in the upcoming release. My 28 page catalogue came in Friday's mail. It is simple, like a Vintages release without the fanfare. You can probably get one by calling 416 365-5767.

LCBO Classics catalogue is being re-introduced. It is modest, and small compared to the oversized coffee table version they formerly offered, and ultimately rejected. Items are still very expensive, up to and including the $30,000 bottle of Scotch There is still a bingo draw for hard to get, reasonably priced bottles. I'll be in the running for Buller Fine old Tokay, and Fine Old Muscat. at $27 each, a steal. Just by mentioning it here, or to my friends, my chances diminish. Good Luck

Nuala g has resurfaced at the Anglican Church, Kingston Road at Warden, Friday's 1-6PM with her home made goodies. Nuala supports seniors and shut ins in the area with free delivery, and we should support her.

You're hoping for something that does not exist. Good flavoursome coffee comes from a press or a Chemex, fresh medium roast and grind,at 200F.

I have never been too happy with lamb shoulder chops grilled or braised. Too much gristle, fat, and bones. But made into a curry, they are ideal. Just remove from the bones, braise with curry spices, finish with yogurt, and serve over basmati...

Of all the strong beers and ales from Unibroue I prefer the sweet honeyed taste of Fin du Monde. Unibroue is not widely distributed in Ontario, but can be found with a little searching. The change in ownership to Sapporo has not made any difference, yet.

Our romantic notion of pigs as foragers, and chickens pecking away at insects and weed seeds, are of a bygone era, and not likely to return, even as we demand natural or organic foods. Sheep and cattle can be pastured, and goats with care, but even a few pigs will destroy a few acres quickly with their snouts. Chickens have to be kept away from wild birds, as even one sick bird outdoors can result in the entire flock being destroyed. Almost all pigs and chickens are raised indoors, in North America, to keep the animals safe, and promote healthy growth. Some barns or pens may allow access to a small barnyard, a few hours a day, in mild weather; this may be done to meet organic requirements, or to bolster a 'healthy living' claim. But not all barns and pens are huge factory operations, and it is now quite practical for us, as consumers, to look for grain fed, naturally raised animals. In my area, it is not difficult to find grain fed chicken and eggs, grain raised pork, and beef raised on grass, ensilage, and finished on grain. Many small farm operations (1000 acres or less) are self sustaining, and able to grow enough grain, hay, and silage for all their animals and birds. But if the pigs were let out a lot of pasture would be destroyed.

Sea salt is way more expensive than pickling salt; that would be my first choice, especially if I discarded it.

Most supermarkets are upfront about selling fresh or frozen meat/poultry/fish (well fish can be suspect, but easy to examine for freshness). If they have meat cutters (not butchers) on site, they will get large cryovac packages from the packer, and cut and trim for trays. The meat will be wet aged in cryovac, up to two weeks. Their ground meat will contain some bulk frozen beef veal or pork from the packer, plus fresh scraps that can be added by the meat cutters. If there are no meat cutters in the store, then the trays will have to be assembled in a central warehouse, but it would be too risky to ship a large quantity of frozen trays, as the appearance would be somewhat degraded.

Some farmers (and maybe ranchers, I'm way off base here) raise lambs for wool. Some breeds are better suited to this. When they are retired the meat won't get a good price, and may become pet food.

For me it's a no-brainer, after I found a local farm source, and learned of others nearby. I can actually discuss the methods of raising and breeding with the farmer, either by visiting or email. From the supermarket I have little knowledge of source or breed, how the animals are raised, whether the ground meat or sausage comes from one animal or many, and little recourse if the pork roast has a factory farm urea scent. But it took me awhile to develop a local source; lots of local internet searches and watching the local newspapers. In the end it was well worthwhile.

Berkshire is a type of pig with breed certification. If you want to establish a Berkshire pen you'll need a Berkshire sow and and at the very least, a certified Berkshire insemination. I'm told this starts at $25 a shot and easily reaches $100, rather than $15- $19 for Duroc and other white breeds. The sows are similarly more expensive. The piglets will need much more time to mature, say 7 months rather than four, and there may be a problem with dark hair stubble on the fat back. They won't gain as much weight as Durocs, but the meat flavour is more intense and well marbled. The farmer will have to seek a market, as the local Cargill won't be interested. I doubt if many are raised on pasture, because of cost. Pigs of any breed will tear up a pasture or orchard in a matter of weeks, and it will take a year or two to restore. If they are bred indoors, with limited exposure outside, they do very well and can be fed a diet of grains raised on the same farm. There are many indoor operations with straw bedding, in small barns, rather than large factory farms. That is where you find most Berkshires.

This is not good news. It brings Toronto, and other Ontario locations, only to the point of offering pre-cooked, refrigerated, and reheated items. Mostly frozen. Much like buying a tray at the supermarket and reheating in your lunch room. Will we see Pho, couscous, tagines, herring salads, bannock, bulgogi, stir fries, chicken on a spit, fresh Ontario fruits and vegs? I think only a few will pass inspection, and the gains will be made slowly.

I had Copper River sockeye on a cedar slab over maple charcoal, with potatoes and peppers also grilled. The salmon reminded me of good B.C. sockeye, but it is too soon for that run. The grilling was accompanied by lots of "Fin du Monde" Quebec lager.

What a reasonable response Anna, you could look into the inspection done at the abatoire. In most districts it will be done by a veterinarian on site and bad animals or problems will be rejected. How was yours slaughtered?

I forgot to mention that Mr Huber has an innovative fuel programme for the farm machinery. He spends $7000 per year on diesel fuel and that cost keeps rising. He is planting a 13 acre field with canola, and plans to harvest the oil and prepare it for diesel machines and tractors. The crop will not support that kind of price on the canola market, as Ontario oil is inferior to western Canadian canola. But the machines are fine with it.

After using a wide variety of charcoal BBQ's and grills, I've come to realize that nothing beats the basic Weber kettle. The firebox is deeper than most, and the amount of air coming in is fully adjustable, so that the coals burn hot or very cool. This adjustment procedure will replace the need to raise or lower the spit. I've been able to use the kettle for slow controlled smoking (charcoal and wet wood chips can last several hours. I don't know if this is possible with the spit, as I don't have it, and I wonder if it breaks the air seal of the lid, but it is likely that they have considered that problem.) If you are using a knock-off kettle, it is unlikely to be as effective for what you want.

For about a year, I have been ordering beef, pork, and sausages, packaged and frozen, from beefconnections.ca This is a group of farmers in central Ontario who pool their resources, and deliver packages of frozen meat from their farms to the Toronto area every three months. They raise their animals in near organic conditions; one of them is certified organic, at a higher price. In late June I was able to visit one of the farmers, Robert Huber, and look at his operation. While old fashioned, Mr. Huber is on the leading edge of modern farming, without any precepts or concerns about factory farming. In fact, his 700 acres provide sustainable food for the 300-400 pigs and cattle on the farm. I'll describe some of the new methods used as we go through the barns and fields. Here is a new friend as we walked through a pig barn The pigs are Durocs, but Berkshires are being started in response to discerning consumers. Here are some newborns under a heat lamp And some a few days older The pigs are raised in spacious pens cleaned daily with fresh straw from the farm. Some have outdoor access; they are destined for a health food market. They are raised on grain meal grown on the farm, including soy meal from Huber's extruder. The temperature of this meal makes soy digestible for pigs. Oddly, no one else in the province is doing this. This is Robert Huber with one of his boars I was able to walk through the barns in shorts and sandals, and the smell was not bad at all. The high density pig farms elsewhere in Ontario have an unbearable stench, and this can get into the meat. Cattle are a mainstay of the operation, and English breeds are raised. You can see their freshly baled hay in the background. Here is a young animal And another Mr. Huber has an innovative method of planting peas with his grains, which includes wheat, barley, oats and flax. The combine is able to pick up the peas with the grains, and the mixture of grains and peas is very nutritious for the animals. I left the farm with some free range brown eggs, a summer sausage, and some steaks I had requested, all butchered under Federal inspection. Here is a skirt steak from Huber's beefconnections.ca A fitting end to a fine farm visit.

There is a whole routine to posting photos, and I'm not the best person to explain it. There is a tutorial to help you; basically you start your post, then go to Image Gullet at the top of the page, establlsh a pig album, bulk upload the images (always use "bulk"), then one at a time, view an image by left click, then "copy image location" by right click; then go "back" to your half done post and add the image by clicking on IMG and pasting the url. It's complicated but it works.

Pills are difficult for me, too, especially if they are large, and have a smell that I want to reject. I use a sport cap bottle of water: one squirt to flush my mouth, then I pop the pills and immediately wash them down with another strong squirt of water.