So Long From The Neighbourhood Table With A Luau Party...

It's a wrap!! How was it that one day I was brainstorming menu themes for eight long summer weeks, and now that's behind me with school three days closely away?! #culinaryconsultant

A highlight once again this year with the second instalment of The Neighbourhood Table. For eight weeks, we were joined for community and family-focused learning and fun. Offering a different food theme each week, we had fresh produce Good Food Market with other food demo vendors such as waste not non-profit organization Feed It Forward, Mexican cuisine Chef Erika and homemade samosas for sale; indoor and outdoor activities, cooking sessions for children and a nutrition and health workshop for parents, and capped with a community evening meal, all on-site at St. Philip’s Lutheran Church.

Finished off our weekly community events strong with a melting pot of cultures in our last supper together that reps our diverse ethnicities in our great cosmopolitan city. Do-it-yourself Hawaiian poke bowl dinner, handmade chicken balls in a Chinese sweet and sour pineapple sauce, fresh peach salsa served with chips and an icy sweet treat pineapple whip. We see it in the varied toppings for our poke bowl spread, which has its roots in Japanese cuisine that also includes Korean kimchi and Southeast Asian ingredient fried shallots; then there is local Ontario grown peaches in a Mexican-inspired salsa! I'd say a great tropical fun end to the incredible weeks cooking with kids and volunteers! 🍍🎉👨‍🍳👩‍🍳👩‍👧‍👦

Making the change from cooking for your kids to cooking with your kids can feel like a leap but it's all about taking one small step at a time. Gradually your kids will be more proficient, independent, their confidence will grow and you will reap the rewards of building a stronger family connection and eating more healthily just by cooking together. I hope our program helped inspire just that- getting the kids to go into the kitchen and cook with mom and dad. 

These sisters are our budding chefs of tomorrow.

With partnering Arab Community Centre leaders Salma and Nina

Poke pronounced "POH-keh" has been trend-setting the food scene in Toronto, and for good reason. First it was maki sushi-style burritos and now it's all the same fresh makings in a poke bowl. Healthy, delicious and customizable, this Hawaiian dish is a favourite for native Hawaiians and has been around for centuries. And of course, it has Japanese elements with the sushi rice and the myriad of toppings. The most important though is always the rice-- vinegared short-grain rice. I make mine as authentic as possible with kelp and the drizzle of sugar-salt-rice vinegar mixture for the best taste experience. To prepare, see my POST.

Fanning the sushi rice to cool.

Church member and volunteer Raija in charge of the fresh peach salsa station with the kids.

Peach Salsa
Makes 4 to 6 servings

8 Ontario peach or nectarines, pitted and diced
1 red bell pepper, finely diced
1/4 small red onion, finely diced
1 to 2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and finely diced
2 Tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro
2 Tbsp. fresh lime juice
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1/2 tsp. kosher/sea salt, plus more to taste
1 to 2 pinches cayenne pepper
1 pinch freshly ground black pepper

Combine nectarines, bell pepper, onions, jalapeno pepper, and cilantro in a bowl. Stir in lime juice, olive oil, salt, and cayenne pepper. Refrigerate to let flavors develop, 30 minutes to one hour. Before serving, stir in black pepper. Adjust seasoning as desired. Serve with tortilla chips.

Kids took part in rolling the halal ground chicken meat balls.

We made a sweet and sour chicken balls Chinese-style with onions, peppers and pineapples.

Sweet and Sour Meatballs With Pineapples
Makes 6 to 8 servings

1-1/2 lbs. ground meat of your choice
1 small onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves minced
1 egg
1/3 cup dried bread crumbs
1 onion, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 each green and red peppers, cut into 1-inch pieces
1-1/2 cups fresh or canned pineapple chunks
Sliced green onions, for garnish

Sweet and Sour Sauce: (makes 2 cup)
½ cup ketchup
½ cup white vinegar
½ cup packed brown sugar or white sugar
2 tsp. soy sauce
½ cup water
2 Tbsp. cornstarch (to thicken sauce)

Place ground meat into a bowl and mix well with onions, garlic, egg and breadcrumbs. Let sit for ½ to 1 hour to firm. Form into 1-inch balls and place on prepared cookie sheet.

Bake meatballs on a baking tray in 400 F preheated oven for 15 to 20 minutes or until thoroughly cooked. Cover, set aside and keep warm. Or alternatively, cook until done over stove.

Prepare the sauce: add ketchup, vinegar, sugar and soy sauce in a small pot. Bring to a simmering boil. Mix cornstarch with water, and pour slowly into sauce stirring frequently. Remove from heat.

Wok-fry onions and peppers in hot oil for three minutes or until crisp-tender; add the meatballs during the last minute. Pour in the sweet and sour sauce; bring to a boil. Add pineapples (optional) and toss for 30 seconds more.

For the Poke Bowls- our table was filled with all kinds of new toppings for the guests to try:

sushi rice (see here for preparations)
fresh sushi-grade salmon and tuna or smoked salmon, cubed
canned white chunk tuna, imitation crab meat sticks, diced or shredded
ripe avocados, cubed
edamame beans (shelled)
green onions, sliced
alfalfa or pea sprouts
zucchini noodles
spring mix or torn lettuce leaves

shredded nori sheets

Korean cut kimchi
fried onions, wasabi peas
sushi ginger, wasabi paste
toasted sesame seed
ponzu citrus sauce, soy sauce
Japanese Kewpie mayonnaise

Sriracha hot sauce
furikake (nori rice seasoning)

Indeed a kaleidoscope of colours, flavours and textures!

Try wasabi peas and fried onions for crunch and crisp!

I am going to miss these awesome ladies Nina and Salma...

Wrap up presentation, and lots of so long hugs that night!

Whatever fits your fancy, top your poke bowls to your heart's content!

Lovely sushi rice base, with salad leaves, zucchini noodles and other fresh toppings!

The luau to our luau party with a Disney favourite (so I heard) Pineapple Whip!

Pineapple Whip (adapted by Chocolate Covered Katie)
Makes 3 servings

2 cups frozen pineapple chunks
1/4 cup milk of choice (Try canned coconut milk for piña colada soft serve!)
A pinch of salt
2 Tbsp. sugar of choice
1 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice

Blend all ingredients until smooth. Scoop out with an ice cream scoop, or squeeze through a pastry bag, or a plastic bag with an edge cut off. (If your blender is not super-powerful like a Vitamix, you may need to add a little more liquid and then freeze a bit before serving, or churn in an ice cream maker.) For soft-serve that holds its shape longer, freeze the swirled dole whip at least 20 minutes prior to serving.

These boys were with me at the cooking program last year. They grew so much in one year. Their lovely mom gave me the necklace she was wearing as a gift. So very sweet 🥰.

Awww... what a lovely bouquet of flowers presented to me along with a beautiful card with everyone's thank yous and well wishes! This recipe book was a happy surprise created by our market coordinator Anna! What a momento to capture everything we did in this cooking program! Thank you 🙏!

This incredible recipe handbook featuring all my recipes from this summer's Neighbourhood Table menus will be offered on the church's web-site in PDF format shortly. 

Neighbourhood Table & Good Food Market Recipes 2019

So long my friends, and hope to see you all next summer again!

For more on The Neighbourhood Table, head over to St.Philip's site.

If you are looking for ideas to create a culinary program, contact me at s5ng@yahoo.com. 

Here's to enjoying good real nourishing food together!

Niagara Peaches Insider Tour and Peachy Inspirations...

Mmmm, I love peaches! 🍑🍑🍑 And it's even sweeter when they are Niagara peaches! As part of my 2019 ambassador partnership with Produce Made Simple, my fellows and I are treated to various food production and farm tours to get the inside scoop on the meticulous operations that go on behind-the-scenes- from field to store. So that we can share it with all of you! At this event, we learned what it takes for our proud dedicated Ontario stone fruit farmers to grow the best of the best rivalling those produced around the world. And we have 200 tender fruit growers right here in Ontario, with 10,000 acres of farmland producing peaches, nectarines, plums and cherries (in the Simcoe area)! Being close to Lake Ontario creates a micro climate that is perfectly suited to growing tender fruit. With our short growing season, we must take advantage while we can! Learn more on Ontario Tender Fruit.

With the opportunity to hear from farmers first-hand, we gained insights from the operations in the orchards to the sorting/packing facility to the table-- I am talking about two here specifically. The first was at a beautiful catered al fresco Niagara luncheon after our tour and the second- The Neighbourhood Table, at my summer program cooking in a church with kids. You will also see a delectable myriad of peachy inspirations along the way! There's no excuse for not finding ways to enjoy the fresh juicy sweetness of our local peaches, but if you want to eat them straight, juice dripping down your hand, well... that's probably the best way to savour them!

Niagara Region is a great area for growing peaches; the high and low temperatures help create flavour. “Fruit likes to suffer a little bit to get great quality.” Meaning that the hot and cold fluctuations tend to yield a better tasting fruit. I liken it to "the fittest survive", and when you do, you can't be compromised in any way, shape or form! 

PG Enns is a grower member with Niagara Orchard and Vineyard Corp. Rob Enns is 3rd generation Ontario peach farmer, his son also works in the business (4th generation).

Yup, that's Rob shown on the far right on their packaging label!

Peaches are hot when they are picked and need to be cooled quickly to maintain freshness and help them last longer. Therefore, they’ve invested in a new cooling system where fans push cold air through vented bins. All of the fruit can be cooled to 3 or 4 degrees Celsius in about 3 hours. Then it can be stored in a cooler before being packed. 

From L to R: @abhishekdekate @susanssavourit @rhubandcod @irene_matys 

@stemsandforks @justcrumbs @thevietvegan @theyummyfarm with Rob Enns.

Photo Credit: Produce Made Simple

Top grade fruit is sold to large retail chains, seconds are sold to the local market direct to consumers for cooking, and home preparation. There are also some new distilleries in the area that are starting to use the lower grade fruit for alcohol. Less waste- YAY! #lovefoodhatewaste

Our next visit was to Vineland Growers Co-operative. They started 106 year ago by four local growers who decided to work together to have a central place for packing and transporting fruit beyond the local region. The company today serves the same purpose. They also provide packaging materials to their 50 grower members and provide sales and transport to major grocery chains. We visited the larger of their two facilities.

June from Vineland Growers Coop.

Controlled atmosphere rooms are used to “put fruit to sleep” for a period of time, to support market supply/demand. Also, frequently used in the apple industry. They expel oxygen in the rooms to 0.2 percent; creating higher levels of nitrogen -  to put the fruit to sleep. Fruit can be kept like that until ready to sell. CA controlled atmosphere fruit will not last as long as fruit that is not exposed to this, but it helps to extend and control supply into the market.

Their original building had two cold storage rooms; it’s been expanded twice. 

Quality Assurance QA meticulously sorts and grades the stone fruit in this room. Size, weight, scale insect and weather damage, such as hail are all factors for consideration.

Currently, about half of the peaches are sold in plastic clam shells, the other in cardboard. There has been a recent push back on plastic by consumers.

Our last stop before lunch was at Tregunno Fruit Farms, the largest tender fruit grower in Canada. Owned by Phil and his sons' Ryan (operations/packing) and Jordan (Orchard management), they manage 850 acres for growing peaches, nectarines, plums, apricots, table grapes and now wine grapes. They grow organic too with 25 acres for peaches, and 50 acres for grapes.

Tregunno Farms Phil and Ryan

Their new packing facility is equipped with state of the art technology for sorting and grading fruit; monitoring for size, weight and even using infrared technology to detect hidden flaws.

What an impressive massive bustling facility! 

Guess what machinery this is for?

If you said for defuzzing peach skin, you are correct!

Photo Credit: Produce Made Simple

Look at those peach skids mechanically rotating above the workers.

Another shot of our fun group with the owners!

Photo Credit: Produce Made Simple

Out on the field. Tregunno pick from trees directly into small bins to protect gentle fruit and these are carefully unloaded on the lines. (approx. 20 lbs each small bin). They hire about 120 employees on the farm during peak harvest.

PMS photographer @jesusmazaphoto rounding up our crew.

Flat peaches... one of 30 varieties of peaches grown at Tregunno Fruit Farms 🍑🍑🍑. The colour of a peach doesn’t indicate ripeness, rather variety. You know a peach is ready to pick when the background colour is yellow (vs. green). Peaches can be picked firm as they will ripen after picking. 

Heading to our lunch venue! A large red tractor is totally farm factor :D

A beyond ga-gorgeous Niagara al fresco lunch after our Produce Made Simple peach and tender fruits orchards tour over at picturesque #hiddengem in Virgil with Zooma Caters.

This is my second venue with Zooma catering, and they are known to create delish bold craveable flavours and indeed they did with an innovative yummy stone fruit-inspired menu. 🍑🍑🍑 Starting with single-serve refreshing peach gazpacho, then a communal family-style servings of Korean rice noodles salad with grilled nectarines, Raddichio and stone fruit salad with gorgonzola and lavender syrup, and Smoked chicken, brie and peaches flatbreads followed, finished with a peach shortbread crumble and Chantilly cream 🤤.

Photo opps left and right!

Even the bathroom is pretty!

Peach gazpacho and a side of pickles peaches and red onions

Korean rice noodles salad with grilled nectarines

Smoked chicken, brie and peaches flatbread
Raddichio, stone fruit salad with gorgonzola and lavender syrup

Peach shortbread crumble and Chantilly cream

Photo Credit: Produce Made Simple

Switching gears but still on the same thread, onto my summer program The Neighbourhood Table at St.Philip's Lutheran Church in Etobicoke. I was able to arrange a few skids of baskets filled with Niagara peaches from June at Vineland Growers thanks to Nicole at Produce Made Simple. Not only that, PMS also supported us with 25 goodie tote bags with kids' fooducation activity books, flexible cutting boards and cute mini shopping carts. Each family got to take one home along with some fresh Niagara peaches.

The lovely church members and volunteers at St. Philip's.

Thank you Produce Made Simple and Vineland Growers!

Kids building our gorgeous peach salad for 50 people.

Stone Fruits Mixed Greens Salad
Makes 6-8 servings

1 125 g spring mix- about 5 to 6 cups
1 125 g baby arugula- about 5 to 6 cups
1 pint grape tomatoes, halved
1 small bulb fennel, finely sliced
1/2 small red or Vidalia onion, finely sliced
3 ripe nectarines or peaches, pitted and sliced
1 small package of pea shoots
Note: Add toasted pecans, walnuts or almonds

Vinaigrette: (Yields 2 cups)
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
3 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
3 Tbsp. liquid honey
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
pinch of ground black pepper
3/4 cup olive oil or sunflower oil

Place all salad items into a large serving bowl and just before serving, incorporate about 1 cup of the dressing until tossed well. Add more dressing as needed to coat the salad. Sprinkle with nuts if using.

TIP: Leftover vinaigrette can keep refrigerated to be used until the next day.

A huge thank you to PMS and Vineland Growers Coop from the church and the families over at The Neighbourhood Table. We appreciate your support very much!

With St.Philip's Church pastor Tuula on right.

Rebecca from Snapd joined us for a round about impromptu photo session to capture the great moments, volunteers and guests at our Back-To-School theme session last Thursday.

Read the original article here.

Snapd Etobicoke- The Neighbourhood Table

Need more peachy inspiration? How about a stack of buttermilk blueberry pancakes with a side of sliced Niagara peaches to brighten up a dreary rainy Saturday this past weekend? Served of course with maple syrup, from my sis-in-law's family sugar shack in Quebec!

buttermilk blueberry pancakes

Here is a beauty shot of my pretty peach salad recipe with sliced fennel, arugula and tomatoes. When I whip out this lovely Victorian-style runner, you know something good is up.

Peaches Mixed Greens Salad

With so many recipe inspirations of food that seems to leap off this page, there's really no excuse for not enjoying our fresh juicy Ontario peaches! The thing is don't wait! Savour them now while you still can! 🍑🍑🍑