Farmer Dave

Recent review on Didier Toronto.com review

2 words rgruby: Michael Stadtlander

[ I know. But it's not like a big fat slice on toast with bacon and lettuce. Or, a big fat tomato, eaten fresh from the garden (wearing shorts and a tank) with the juice dripping down one's arm. And, when it's a bazillion degrees below zero, it's pretty hard to imagine that there is that thing called summer, or remember why one even owns shorts and tank tops. ←

What's that Mickey Rooney movie when they put on a show in a barn... I had one of those visions for a second.. "Hey you guys....I've got a stove, everyone here cooks for a living, and look at all these ingredients....lets just put on an event here in the field" That actually isn't such a bad idea....

You are right about it taking time to get some momentum ...Niagara has a few members..there have been a few events in Southern Ontario.....in fact , one of the editors from Italy was here doing a farm tour (3 yrs back now )and spent the afternoon with me touring around and showed some interest in both the food and wine ....but..alas...not a real big push still...

Domo Hiroyuki

Do Japanese kitchens use those wooden sushi presses....(if anyone knows the name ..?) the rectangular one with the top plate pressing the layers of rice and fish into a terrine basically... Seeing that plastic mini maki roll gadget made me think of them.. Always wanted one of the wooden presses..

Knowing how the produce is grown is an important component as well...Certification as "organic" gives some confidence in proper practises.. My customers are chefs- they stress freshness and quality....they want to know how it was grown and when it was picked.....organic is a plus and when they ask it is usually to use the term on a menu or food article.... In response to Ling...."organic eggs" indeed are from chickens feed on certified feed and no anti-biotics.....the Born diet is an Omega diet which is I think very important to egg eaters but does not mean they are conversly "organic".."free-run" means that they are not caged..."free-range" means they have access to the outside world...which can be anything from a small door open at the end of the football field sized barn...or moveable pastured runs.....(keep in mind that chickens love to grab bugs which -I didn't say this was simple- which might not be pesticide free , completely....of course the direct sprayed ones are dead so not available to the flock)....so in the case of eggs there are lots of labels to read...once again....freshness and knowing the farmers husbandry is key..

Priorities are in the right place.......great attitude ....a diner like you is a pleasure to serve...and that really is what we are there to do........

I think MaxH brought up an interesting point back there....the allergy being a "designer" mentality.....in the fine dining kitchen I am in , I hear requests every service....a lot based on allergies.....it is always described as "a severe allergy"...and then usually a long list of ingredients.....I had maybe 40 allergies myself as a kid. (luckily grew out of them).....still have "sensitivities" to some foods....but there is definately a trend to label a sensitivity or dislike of an ingredient used on a plate as an allergy........ It disrupts service for sure when you have cooks running through the recipes and mise en place to see what and what can't be used.....I usually end up "qualifying" these "allergies" ....if the person says they are allergic to garlic....I will find out if that would include chives, or leeks, or shallots as well.....are sulfuric compounds in these alliums going to have them gasping on the dining room floor.....is the pungency of the garlic going to disrupt their meditation session at the spa.....or do they just not like the taste of garlic.....in other words.....am I going to kill them if I use no garlic on the dish but some shallot sneaks in a sauce on another course..? Making them happy is a challenge sometimes......killing them is ...well...bad...m'kay?

If you start with low quality you might not be that happy with what you end up with after the effort..... Maybe a load of fish stock - would you use that out of the freezer ...? that's where most of the "winter tomatoes" end up where I work.

I find the convenience factor interesting in these upscale stores ... using Whole Foods as an example- or WalMart as an example- regardless of socio-economic standing both stores supply food that is instantly "available"- be it junk food or mashed potatoes at $8 a quart- people don't feel the need to use up time to prepare good (or bad) food... The markets are a hope though- you see people buying ingredients- showing the intention to actually prepare them- not just heating them up and moving on. Using those Whole Food mashed potatoes as the example: being in the odd position of making my living by growing produce and also cooking in restaurants gives me the perspective of selling someone the potato.....and if they are interested, going through the steps to make a really good mash......and 9 times out of ten, as they listen to the drill of the hot starchy potato with the ricer or food mill and the warm cream and the spooning around and then the cold butter to finish - they interrupt and ask if I could do all that for them and have them done for them the next week to pick up......"who's got the time"? they say... Maybe thats how you get a 35% profit margin.

Thanks for expanding the topic Torakris. There must be more ways to use Mitsuba......we supply kitchens from this farm and the chefs are non-asian.....they have a hard time even describing Mitsuba's taste....some say....mint overtones....bergamot or flowery....jasmine......it is really hard to describe the subleties of it......one Korean chef was here and all he said was...."I know this"........ Still.........is there life for Mitsuba beyond custard...?

I have several Japanese varieties up in Southern Canada growing during the summer - Kabocha,Mibuna,Mizuna,Shiso (green and red),Komatsuna,Nira,Daikon,Ichrii Eggplant et al- This year I added Mitsuba (Parsley) to the line-up.....it seemed to prefer shade and cooler temperatures...bolted quicker than shiso in fact...any hints on Mitsuba's "natural" way of growing in Japan....and also what it is used in for cooking....no one in this part of the world had a clue.....one visitor said it is used in a custard they thought.....

We were there Sunday...they adapted to any allergy/sensitivity concerns on the fly.....as they should when service is a la minute. Just let them know when you are seated.

Keep up the good work Malcolm........not that I want to crank you up more ...but....did you see the story in the NYTimes today on sushi tuna (and the carbon monoxide)?

Snap all those mushroom stems off at home....put them in a bag in the freezer until you have lots.......and infuse the lot in some 35% cream on a rainy day.... strain and reduce it........all that flavour you paid for at the grocery store just became one kick-ass soup or the base of a pasta dish...

Hogweed might just be it.......but pigweed......don't talk pigweed to me right now....part of this latest in a string of 16 hr days was hoeing 600 feet of purslane to remove the pigweed from the rows...... It is one nasty adversary....

Pigweed is to amaranth as portulaca is to purslane. The two are not the same. Pigweed when young is edible however (called lambs quarters) The two cultivated strains of Purslane have more of that lemony-chewy character..the yellow leaf one especially....the chefs up this way use it a lot as a fish garnish.

That single colour in the stalk is normal tsquare...variations of shading etc. Rainbow is a more expensive seed and germination is lower than other varieties of chard which is a factor in finding it easily in markets. Demand usually changes that in time though. A colourful use for the stalks- blanch real quick-ice bath- quick pickle into the jars. Julienne all the stalks separate and pack separate for some garnishing next winter.

Rainbow Chard came out mid nineties- won awards in 1998....anyone thinking of growing some- it goes under the name "Bright Lights" in many seed catalogs- wide range of colours come up- fuscia is awesome in salads.

Ontario has a wide range of climate zones but a few herbs/culinary grow wild throughout 5 that come to mind Wild Ginger Wild Leeks (ramps) Bear garlic Juniper Berries Spruce Tips In the southern section (Zone 5- 6b) almost all soft herbs grow well and many hard herbs and tender perrenials with protection survive the winter.

"Delis" work fine....put them in a chest freezer to firm up ...I generally pull them out to soften in the fridge to make the ice cream easier to quenelle...and yes, I have left them in the fridge only to melt....good news is....you can re-churn the base and have another go at it......keep in mind it doesn't keep as long as store-bought, with the egg yolks etc in it. Usually not a problem once you taste it

First of all, I applaud them for adding organic products in so many areas of the store, distribution of organic produce is very fragmented in Ontario and they fill the gap...however.....as far as the frozen products, prepared foods.....I just can't eat them.....the difference between the title on the box and the photo and what is inside is laughable......we always joke that the PC kitchen is a big warehouse with 3 big silos piped into it , one labelled "white starchy goo" the next "white salty goo" and the other "white sugary goo"......those components in various ratios seem to be the base, through in a slice of this or a pinch of that and all of a sudden it is the definative "signature dish of a foreign culture " beautifully portrayed in the display case......naw.....don't judge a book by the cover

Here is another semi-related thread......but, alas, no one is yet to review first hand the latest Boehmer menu... http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showtopic=36224