10 Ways To Get A Taste Of Ontario Food Week In YQG
Local Food Week takes place every year as a way to celebrate the bounty of fresh, healthy food that is grown, produced and processed in Ontario. Windsor Essex is one of the most agriculturally productive regions in Canada serving up fruits, vegetables, meats, crews, wines and more! Read below for 10 ways to experience the best and freshest that our amazing region has to offer. Local Food Week takes place June 5th to 11th, 2023: be sure to fire up your taste buds and take a big juicy bite out of it!
Get all of the fresh details on where to shop and support local in Windsor Essex with W.E. Heart Local. We’ve got it all in once place: farms and roadside stands, markets, farm-to-table dining and fresh events. Visit weheartlocal.ca and keep up to date on what’s in season and what our local producers are producing!
W.E. Heart Local Open Farms
We even have the perfect FREE event to celebrate Local Food Week for you! Open Farms, a day of family fun at some of our W.E. Heart Local partners will take place on Saturday June 10th. Head to the Open Farms website for a list of participating partners and the activities they have planned. Then, register for your digital pass and get ready to explore!
1. Lee & Maria’s Farm Experience
Get up close and personal to the inner workings of a farm with the Lee & Maria’s Farm Experience. Walk the rows and learn how to tend to plants and spot mouth-watering goodies hiding in the field. The experience includes a walk through the field, explanation of equipment and growing methods and picking some of the best local produce around! Sample some of the harvest and enjoy great photo opportunities.
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2. Vinegar Tasting at The Fruit Wagon
Treat yourself to a tasting of original or infused apple cider vinegars at The Fruit Wagon, open daily 8am to dusk and located on County Road 50 in Harrow. Infused flavours include raspberry, lavender, marjoram, and more! Plus a seasonal selection – maple syrup! The Fruit Wagon is also home to Canada’s most southerly orchard.
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3. Fresh local meat
For fresh, great tasting and naturally fed lamb processed right here on their Essex County farm head to Ewe Dell Family Farms. Located in Woodslee, call to order ahead to ensure availability. Schmitchen’s Farm Market offers a full range of pork, beef and chicken products in addition to free-range eggs, honey, pies, jams and fruits & veggies.
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4. Sunny Britches Acres
Get an up close experience of farm life at Sunny Britches Acres! Learn about different types of animals, the eggs they lay and you can even help to feed the animals! Meat, eggs and local snacks are available to purchase in the Farm Store too!
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5. Tis The Season for Berries!
Strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, and more – our local berry producers have the sweetest fruit around! Retail and pick-your-own options abound at Black Bear Farms, George Whaley and Sons, Raymont’s Berries and Meleg’s Lakeview Orchard.
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6. Whip Up Your Own Farm Fresh Dish!
Wow your family and friends by re-creating a delicious recipe from Irene Matys. Created during a visit Irene made to Essex County, the Farm to Table: Savoury apple, pear and caramelized onion ricotta galette is sure to please every taste bud!
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7. Sweet Like Honey
Get a first-hand look at the importance of the bee life in Essex County. Head to Hawksview Honey and take a tour to see how they make their all-natural raw honey. Introductory workshops are also available to learn about starting your own hive.
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8. Get Your Greens!
Editors Note: Since the time of this writing Ortaliza Farms has closed their Kingsville location.
Ortaliza Farms is Canada’s first-of-its-kind vertical farm store. Located in Downtown Kingsville, they grow more than 65 varieties of fresh harvested microgreens making your dishes more fun, balanced, colour and delicious – with a healthy dose of nutrients too!
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9. Sip Some Cider
Visit Carolinia Cider Co. at The Fruit Wagon for unique-to-our region ciders. All of the fruit that goes into the cider is grown on the farm, made in small batch, varietal ciders.
10. The Full Farm-To-Table Experience
Mettawas Station is an upscale restaurant offering a variety of Italian/Mediterranean cuisine. The diverse menu includes pizza, pasta, seafood, steak, veal, lamb and seasonal features proudly using locally sourced ingredients. Located in a historic train station with a platform patio, the venue and cuisine are sure to please the palate.
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For more fresh finds in YQG and a how-to on how to put them all together into the perfect summer BBQ read our W.E. Heart Local Summer Barbecue Blog. Then, tag along with The Travelling Foodie to explore Farm Fresh and Local in Windsor Essex.
To experience farm fresh local goodness all season long register for your FREE W.E. Heart Local digital pass. The more you explore and check in at participating partners, the more exclusive offers you get!
