Seasonal Ontario Food

Back again, at least I'm going to try! I'm a bit mesmerized by political developments these days. I took all these photos at least a week ago, so they are bit out of date already.

This section still looks pretty much as it does in the photo above, perhaps a little less lushly green. But we haven't pulled carrots, or sweet potatoes, or peanuts, or the turnips or beets. Those leeks in the mid right frame should have been onions but I mixed up the seed and for some reason the leeks really dominated.


Tomatoes have been kind of over for a while. We've done all the canning we intend to do, and the nearer tomato bed has been cleaned and had the trellises taken down. We've replanted the bed with garlic. Normally we only plant two-thirds of a bed of garlic, but we decided we are not growing enough garlic and planted the whole thing. Yes, we use (and share with Mr. Ferdzy's brothers) a lot of garlic! Cucumbers and zucchini are pretty much over due to powdery mildew, as usual. I still have to pull them though.


Peppers are still going strong. We aim to keep them going as long as possible by covering them with plastic on cold nights (and days, sometimes) but again, the end is in sight.


We have some really good looking cabbages but otherwise the brassicas have done even worse than usual and their usual is not good. I am lobbying hard with Mr. Ferdzy to grow considerably fewer of them next year.


Beans are well over. They were hit with yellow mosaic virus early on, and you could see by the little yellow spots how it was transmitted by insect bites. This then left a means of access to the plants by anthracnose and it hit hard and early. We are growing 2 varieties with notable resistance; the Anellino yellow clearly visible on the right side of the trellis, and Roc d'Or, a bush variety which is just planted in a single row across each end. I'm just waiting for the Anellino Yellow to dry down before the plants are pulled and the trellises can come down.

Our bean crosses being grown out for anthracnose resistance show some variability and in general are noticeably better than most of the named varieties, but still nowhere as good as the Anellino Yellow and Roc d'Or.


Strawberries and asparagus are just memories from early summer at this point, but the beds look lush and healthy. We are now looking forward to having them again next spring.


We grew a smaller number of watermelons this year, and only the Golden Rind project. (Random lettuce pops up everywhere and sometimes gets left.) Still, we have some good looking and tasting melons; better than I was fearing early in the summer. They are very late though. There was just not enough heat this summer to give many things the push they needed.


Not too much to say about this picture; it's just another view from another angle of the peanuts, carrots and sweet potatoes. The second bed (in the centre left) has late planted peas in it, planted about a month ago when the garlic was harvested. This is the first year fall peas have not been covered in mildew, and we might even get a few. Even if we don't they keep the ground covered and enrich it with some nitrogen.


Spring planted beets and rutabaga are in the back. They were very spotty in germinating and the rutabaga have been very slow to grow. We have been eating the beets in fits and starts all summer and I am amazed that they are still in an edible condition. The one upside to a cool summer, maybe.

The grassy plants in the front are Mammoth Sandwich Island salsify; a thing we have never tried before. Still haven't... we'll see what we think of it once we do.

We've dug our potatoes. They were a very pathetic crop overall, but some of the seedlings did well and we will be cleaning and sorting them today. Next up we will pull in the peanuts and squash as I think the forecast week of rain ahead of us will not do them any good. As usual, we are triangulating with the sweet potatoes to keep them in the ground as long as possible without them getting too cold, but the end is nigh for them too. So now it's back to work...

p.s. I forgot to mention it, but this has been a good year for butterflies; at least for Monarchs. I've seen dozens of them. That doesn't rate with how common they were when I was young, but it's quite a few more than I've seen the last few years. I am less enthused about the number of furry moth caterpillars of various stripes (that's a joke, har har) I've seen around the garden this fall - but still, I don't think it's really a bad thing. 

The obsession continues... it's yet another thing flavoured like sage and onion stuffing but which isn't. This time it's cauliflower and it works very well indeed. What else is there to say? Serve it with roast or grilled chicken or turkey, obviously, but I would think it would be good with fish, beef, or pork as well, because stuffing goes with everything. Simple and straightforward.

4 servings
30 minutes prep time


1 medium onion
1 large stalk of celery
3 to 4 cups small cauliflower florets
2 tablespoons mild vegetable oil
2 teaspoons poultry seasoning

Put a pot of water on to boil to cook the cauliflower. Peel and chop the onion. Wash, trim, and chop the celery. Break the cauliflower up into fairly small florets.

Cook the cauliflower until just tender; about 5 to 6 minutes. drain well. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook the onion and celery until softened and slightly browned. Add the poultry seasoning towards the end of the cooking, just before you add the cauliflower.

When the cauliflower is cooked and drained, add it to the skillet. Cook for a further 5 or more minutes, until the cauliflower is well amalgamated with the onion and celery, and perhaps breaking up and browning a bit. Serve at once.




Last year at this time I made Black Bean, Corn, & Tomatillo Soup.

Saaaaaalad! Our late summer-planted greens are doing nicely, and we finally got a few blackberries. Normally we are awash in them; this year, hardly any. What a terrible year for so many things. Still, this was a lovely little salad. Blackberries are not really my favourite berry but they are usually so reliable and productive. They really go well with basil too; I liked them a lot in this salad. It has a clove-like quality about it, and I've often thought that cloves were made to go with blackberries somehow. Anyway, now I hope to make this a couple of times more as long as the basil and blackberries hold out.

It is a well-known fact that I love fruit, nuts, and cheese in salads. No cheese here, but I've seen a number of versions of this salad that call for feta. It would certainly go very well. I served this as a side dish with some salmon so I didn't add cheese. Gotta exercise some restraint, some time.

4 servings
30 minutes prep time



Make the Dressing:
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon honey
salt & freshly ground black pepper to taste
the juice of 1/2 large lemon
3 tablespoons walnut or hazelnut oil

Put the mustard and honey in a small mixing bowl or jam jar and whisk in the salt, pepper, and lemon juice. Whisk in the nut oil.

Make the Salad:
2 cups mixed lettuce
2 cups baby spinach
2 tablespoons finely shredded basil leaves
2 tablespoons finely shredded mint leaves
1 tablespoon finely chopped chives
1 cup blackberries
1/2 cup chopped walnuts or hazelnuts

Wash, dry well, and tear up the lettuce and spinach into bite sized pieces. Wash, dry, and chop the herbs. Wash the blackberries and drain them well. Chop the nuts.

Toss the blackberries and nuts into the lettuce, spinach and herbs. Drizzle with the dressing and toss the salad again. Serve at once.




Last year at this time I made Peach Custard Pie with Coconut Crumble Topping.

Even back when I was a teenager I thought that what grilled cheese needed was a bit of veg. My early attempts did not go well, however. I tried adding sliced tomato and pepper, and either the vegetable slices went under the cheese and came out raw, or they went over the cheese and the cheese did not melt. I never really did resolve the issue.

But along came Pinterest, and I started to see a number of grilled cheese pictures where the vegetables have been chopped finely and mixed with grated cheese, and huh! That would solve the problem, yes. Most of these photos seem to be from Indian or Turkish cooks; I've leaned more to the Indian side with cumin and chile. Chopped olives seem to be more favoured by Turkish cooks as an addition. 

This, by the way, is how we always made grilled cheese in our house. I mean under the broiler. Two slices of bread cooked in a pan or grill was regarded as a way for restaurants to give you more cheap bread in proportion to the cheap cheese they used. I'm more of a bread-lover than I used to be, and occasionally now make grilled cheese that way too, just with much better bread and much better cheese than used in any diner. Under the broiler remains my favourite grilled cheese though, and now it has plenty of vegetables cooked right in.

per serving
20 minutes prep time


2 to 3 tablespoons finely chopped tomato
1 tablespoon finely chopped green onion, chives, or shallot
1 tablespoon finely chopped orange or green pepper
1 to 2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh cilantro, parsley, OR basil
1/4 teaspoon cumin seed
1/8 teaspoon Aleppo pepper (or similar, to taste)
salt & freshly ground black pepper to taste
30 grams (1 ounce) mozzarella, Cheddar, Gouda, or similar melty cheese
1 large slice of bread

Amounts are per serving; increase according to the number of slices of bread you wish to have. 

Chop the tomato, draining off excess amounts of seeds and juice. Measure and put the remainder into a strainer and salt well. Let drain for about 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, clean and chop the remaining vegetables and herbs and place them in a small mixing bowl. Grind the cumin seeds and add them, along with any other seasonings. Salt is only likely to be needed if the cheese is mozzarella; most others will have plenty. Grate the cheese and add it.

Heat the broiler and toast the bread to a desired light brown on one side, then turn and toast the other side more lightly. Mix the drained tomatoes in with everything else in the bowl until evenly combined, then spread evenly on the lightly toasted side of the bread. Return the bread to the broiler and broil until the cheese is melted, bubbly, and browning slightly in spots. Serve at once.





Last year at this time I made Fried Cauliflower with Mushroom & Onion Sauce. 

Sabzi just means vegetables, so this is a somewhat redundant title, although given the number of vegetables that went into it, perhaps not.

There are a fair number of steps to making this, but they can be broken up over as long as two days, if you wish. We liked this enough that I think next time I will make a triple batch of the spice blend so that it is on hand for making it again on shorter notice. That's some enthusiasm!

The vegetables can be varied according to what is in season; I might try a more ratatouille-like combination of eggplant, zucchini, peppers, onions, and tomatoes next. In the winter I would replace the cauliflower half with cabbage and half with frozen peas, and the beans would have to be frozen too, of course. The tomatoes would be canned and the pepper from a greenhouse.

4 servings
1 hour - 30 minutes prep time
NOT including make the spice blend; allow 20 minutes for that



Make the Spice Blend:
3 pods green cardamom
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 teaspoon fennel seeds
1 1/2 teaspoons coriander seeds
1 or 2 bits of star anise
1/4 teaspoon black peppercorns
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
1/16 teaspoon ground cloves
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons chick pea flour
2 bay leaves

Crush the cardamom lightly and remove and discard the papery green hulls. Combine them with the cumin, fennel, coriander, star anise, and peppercorns. Heat a small skillet over medium-high heat and toast these spices until just fragrant. Turn them into a small bowl to cool, then grind them finely. I find it helpful to sift them, then regrind the bits that don't go through the sieve.

Put them back in the small bowl and add the remaining ground spices and chick pea flour to the mixture. Stir to combine. Add the bay leaves to the bowl and set aside until needed.

This can be done up to several days in advance, and the spice blend kept in a sealed container in cool dark spot until wanted.

Prepare the Vegetables:
2 medium potatoes
1 medium carrot
1 cup diced green beans
2 cups diced cauliflower

Put a pot of water on to boil sufficient to hold all the above vegetables.

Wash, trim, and cut the potatoes into bite sized pieces. Peel and dice the carrot. When the water boils, add these and boil them for 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, wash, trim, and dice the green beans and cauliflower. Add them to the pot when the timer goes off and cook for a further 5 minutes - stir occasionally. Drain well.

If you are not proceeding with the Sabzi immediately the vegetables can be rinsed in cold water until cool then drained well and kept covered and refrigerated until you are ready to continue; up to 24 hours ahead.

Finish the Sabzi:
1 medium onion
1 small orange sweet pepper (or 1/4 orange bell pepper)
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 cups peeled diced tomatoes
3/4 cup yogurt

Peel and finely chop the onion. Wash, core and deseed, and dice the pepper.  (If you are using fresh tomatoes, they should be peeled and chopped by now as well.) 

Heat the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat until it begins to sizzle. Add the partially cooked vegetables and the onion and pepper. Spread them out evenly, and cook for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned.

Sprinkle the spice mixture over the vegetables and mix it in well. Continue cooking for 2 or 3 minutes, then add the tomatoes. Mix them in and let the mixture simmer for another 5 minutes or so, stirring regularly. Mix in the yogurt and continue cooking and stirring occasionally for another 10 to 15 minutes. The sauce should thicken slightly and seem fairly smooth. Let the dish rest for 5 minutes before serving.





Last year at this time I made Alambre de Chuleta.

Mr Ferdzy and I drive down to Windsor almost every month to visit his mother, who is now residing there. This time, we stopped in St Mary's and spent 2 nights there as a mini-vacation. Our final night was Friday, so we stopped by the farmers market very briefly on Saturday morning.

It's been a while since I've done a market visit! Partly because once you are growing most of your own vegetables, the appeal does wane and partly because we have been so busy these last few years. I do miss them though.

St Mary's farmers market is fairly small, but seems like a particularly nice market nevertheless. It starts at 8:00 am Saturday mornings between Victoria Day weekend and Halloween (aka the end of October). Most markets seem to stop after Thanksgiving so that's a nice little bonus 2 weeks.


This fun little sign advertising all things chicken (plus dog treats and garlic) caught my eye.


The last (getting there, anyway) of the peaches next to the first of the apples, plus pears, plums, and other fruits at this stand. Even without the neon labels they'd be very colourful.


These vegetables are almost as colourful. Perky greens, purple kohlrabi, a rainbow of peppers, beans, beets, garlic, shallots, summer squash, and there was even some of the elusive fennel bulbs.


Immigrants have done wonderful things for Canadian food in my lifetime and it seems at the moment that many farmers markets have a Syrian family selling their home-made dishes. That's what I call a win-win situation.


Corn! Haven't seen very much of it this year - mind you I haven't been looking since I shouldn't eat it - and potatoes. Hm, shouldn't eat them either. That leaves carrots, tomatoes, and what looks like homemade jams. Which I shouldn't be eating... oh well, more for the rest of you.


Big bunches of flowers give the fruits and vegetables a run for the title of "most colourful". Okay, I think they win!


Even the picnic tables got little arrangements.


Gladiolas - the quintessential end-of-summer flower. Wow!


Some really magnificent melons next to sign for a whole array of intriguing fruits and vegetables, behind them all kinds of pasture-raised pork products.


Okay, some canning I could eat! I think this company is based in London.


And finally, the one thing we actually bought - some 100% rye bread from Breadtopia. We've been eating it all week and it is amazing! The rest of the baking looked really lovely but less like things I could eat.

It hardly seems fair - not only is St. Mary's a beautiful little town in a very attractive setting with lots of walking and hiking in the area, they have an impressively good farmers market for their size. Now we wish we lived much closer. If you are nearby, it's definitely a market that should be checked out.

This is generally described as a salad, but it really is more like a stew. At least, mine definitely was - perhaps my tomatoes were more juicy than would be ideal. Like a lot of Middle-Eastern/Mediterranean dishes, it is meant to be served just barely warm or at room temperature; maybe that's why it gets the salad description. We piled it on top of pita bread, and it seemed a bit more like a salad that way, I guess.

But whatever you want to call it, it's very tasty! Perhaps half-way between ratatouille and babaganoush in terms of ingredients and form, the spices make it quite distinctive as its' own thing. It should have been garnished with finely chopped cilantro or parsley, but as usual we had eaten half of it before I remembered. All our cilantro is brown, seedy sticks at the moment anyway, but I could have scrounged up some parsley.

4 servings
1 hour - 30 minutes prep time


Prepare the Eggplant:
500 grams (1 pound; 2 or 3 medium-small) eggplant
3 tablespoons olive oil

The eggplant can be cooked however you like and if you are able to grill it, so much the better. However, it was a skillet for me. Wash, trim, and cut the eggplants in half lengthwise and then in half width-wise. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat and cook the eggplant skin down. Add a little water and cover it for the first 5 minutes or so. Then, remove the cover and turn the eggplant to cook on the other sides until lightly browned  all over. Transfer the cooked eggplant to a plate and allow to cool, at least enough to handle.

This can be done up to several hours in advance; just leave it in a cool spot. Peel the eggplant pieces if possible and if the skins seem tough.

Prepare the Seasonings:
1 teaspoon cumin seed
1/2 teaspoon salt
freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/8 to 1/2 teaspoon Aleppo pepper (to taste)
2 to 3 cloves of garlic
1 bay leaf

Grind the cumin seed with the salt and put it in a small bowl with the rest of the seasonings. Peel and mince the garlic, and add it, along with the bay leaf.

Finish the Zaalouk:
600 grams (1 1/4 pound) tomatoes
1/2 cup water
lemon wedges to garnish
chopped cilantro OR parsley to garnish

Put a pot of water on to boil and blanch the tomatoes for 1 minute. Transfer them to cold water until cool enough to handle, then peel and chop them.

Put the eggplant back into a large skillet and reheat it over medium-high heat. Once it is hot and sizzling, dump in the bowl of seasonings and mix in well. After cooking them in for a couple of minutes, add the tomatoes and the water. Simmer for about 20 minutes, stirring regularly.

Once the tomatoes are cooked and the mixture moist but not liquid, remove it from the heat and let cool. Serve warm or at room temperature, with lemon wedges and garnished with a little chopped cilantro or parsley.





Last year at this time I made Thai Basil Chicken.

After our guests went home after a recent visit, I found I had a little leftover smoked blue cheese. I was surprised, because it was very popular. It was went over well in this salad too.

What with one thing and another this has some strong flavours going on, and portions are a bit smaller then usual because of that. It would go well with steak and baked potatoes, or maybe a rotisserie chicken. There's always the medley of salads, and if you wanted it have even more oomph you could add some chopped nuts - walnuts come to mind.

6 servings
20 minutes prep time


Make the Dressing:
the juice of 1/2 large lemon
3 tablespoons hazelnut or walnut oil
a pinch of salt
freshly ground black pepper to taste
1/8 teaspoon hot paprika (to taste)
1/4 teaspoon sweet smoked paprika

Squeeze the lemon juice and put it in a small bowl or jam jar, removing the seeds first. Add the remaining ingredients and stir or shake together.

Make the Salad:
1/2 cup (1/2 onion) finely chopped sweet onion
4 to 5 inner stalks of celery
1 small carrot
1/2 cup finely chopped parsley
60 grams smoked blue cheese

Peel and chop the onion, salt it, and leave it in a strainer to drain for about 10 minutes.

You want the lightest, most tender inner stalks of celery, with their leaves. Wash, trim (keeping those leaves) and thinly slice it. Put it in a salad bowl - there should be about 4 cups when sliced.

Peel and grate the carrot. Wash, dry, trim, and finely chop the parsley. Add them to the celery. Rinse and drain the onion well, and add it. Crumble the blue cheese and add it.

Toss the salad with the dressing, and serve.





Last year at this time I made Cheesy Corn & Poblano Chile Pudding. 

Corn has been late and not great this year, thanks to a terrible spring that has done terrible things to lots of crops. Still there is a little bit around. I'm including cooking the corn in the directions, but this is a great use for leftover cooked corn, and also corn that was maybe not everything corn should be. 

Making a pie is a bit of a faff but on the other hand a little salad - heavy on the tomatoes - will make this a complete meal. 

4 to 6 servings
2 hours - 1 hour prep time


Make the Pastry:
2 cups soft whole wheat flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
1/4 cup mild vegetable oil
1/4 cup buttermilk

Mix the baking powder and salt into the flour.

The butter should be very soft. Mix it with the oil and milk in a mixing bowl. The butter can be in fairly large lumps. Mix the flour into the wet ingredients. Stir until everything is amalgamated. There should no longer be large lumps of butter, but small lumps or streaks are not only fine, but good.
Cover the dough and let it rest for 15 or 20 minutes, then roll it out to fit an 8" x 10" shallow baking (lasagne) pan. 

Make the Filling:
1 medium onion
1/2 small red pepper
1 bunch Swiss chard
1 tablespoon mild vegetable oil
salt & freshly ground black pepper to taste
1/4 cup finely minced fresh basil
1 cup grated old Cheddar cheese (optional)

Peel and chop the onion. Core and chop the pepper finely. Wash, trim, and chop the Swiss chard in fairly fine shreds.

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook the onion and pepper until softened and slightly browned, then add the Swiss chard and cook in until well wilted, turning it over frequently. Season with the salt and pepper. Let the mixture cool enough to handle.

Meanwhile, wash, dry, and mince the basil and grate the cheese, if using. Once the mixture is reasonably cool, mix them in and spread it evenly over the prepared crust.

Make the Topping & Finish:
3 large cobs of corn
3 large eggs
3 tablespoons soft unbleached flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup cream

Preheat the oven to 350°F. 

Cook the corn in boiling water for 6 to 8 minutes. Drain well and let cool enough to handle.  Cut the kernels from the cob. Put them in a mixing bowl and whisk in the eggs. Add the flour, salt, and cream and whisk again until well blended. Pour this evenly over the Swiss chard, etc.

Bake the Pastel for approximately 1 hour at 350°F until the topping is set and very lightly browned. Let rest for at least 10 minutes before serving, although it is good just warm or at room temperature. Leftovers should be refrigerated, and can be re-heated or brought up to room temperature before serving.






Last year at this time I made Tender Pan-Fried Eggplant.

Here's a classic cream soup with mild flavours, a bit of a change of pace from some of the things we have been having lately. Sometimes that's nice! And it gets rid of another couple of good-sized  zucchini, which is a highly desirable state of affairs given the rate at which they are still rolling into the kitchen. Powdery mildew is starting to show up, so they are slowing down, but they aren't over yet.

Light enough to start a formal dinner; substantial enough to make a good lunch with a little sandwich or grilled cheese on the side. Simple and easy to make - once the zucchini is grated it's downhill all the way.

4 servings
40 minutes - 30 minutes prep time


4 shallots
300 grams button mushrooms
4 cups (1 kg) grated zucchini
3 or 4 cloves of garlic
1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme
1/4 cup unsalted butter
3 tablespoon flour
1 teaspoon salt
freshly ground black pepper to taste
2 cups unsalted chicken stock
1/2 cup light cream

Peel and finely chop the shallots. Clean, trim and slice the mushrooms. Wash, trim, and grate the zucchini. Peel and mince the garlic. Mince the thyme.

Heat the butter in a heavy-bottomed soup pot. When it begins to sizzle, add the shallots and mushrooms. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until softened and reduced in volume, and slightly browned in spots - but don't let the shallots scorch. Add the zucchini and cook for another few minutes until well wilted. Add the thyme, garlic, and flour and cook, stirring for just another minute. Season with salt and pepper, and slowly stir in the chicken stock.

Simmer for another 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Mix in the cream and allow to reheat until steaming hot, but don't let it simmer again. Serve at once.

Poblano pepper time! Here is a classic way to prepare them. This will make a good vegetarian meal or it can be served alongside some grilled meat. Refried beans might keep it vegetarian while adding a bit more substance (as long as they were cooked with vegetable oil).

Very delicious but gosh, it's starting to feel like fall and this recipe confirms it...

2 to 4 servings
1 hour - 45 minutes prep time


Prepare the Chiles & Corn:
3 medium fresh Poblano chiles
1 large cob of corn

Wash and dry the chiles and roast them under the broiler or over a gas flame, turning them as the skin chars. You will need good ventilation for this! As they are done, put them in a bowl or other container that can be covered. When they are done and cooled, peel of the skins. Remove the seeds and stems and cut them into bite-sized strips.

The corn should be cooked and using leftovers is certainly fine. Generally, husked and boiled for 6 to 8 minutes. Cut it from the cob. Both of these can be prepared in advance.

Do the Final Stir Fry:
1 large or 2 medium onions
2 tablespoons mild vegetable oil
salt & freshly ground black pepper to taste
1/4 to 1/2 cup sour cream
50 to 75 grams (2 or 3 ounces) crumbly cheese, such as feta

Peel the onions and cut them into slivers.

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. When hot, add the chiles, corn, and onion and stir-fry for 3 to 5 minutes until soft and slightly charred. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer to a serving dish and dollop the sour cream over it. Sprinkle with the crumbled feta cheese.

Serve with warm tortillas or with steamed rice.





Last year at this time I made "Chaat" Corn Salad with Tomatoes.