Happy Blog Anniversary 🍒...

❤ Today, after six years of blogging I reflect on humble beginnings with my first ever blog entry- a mission statement to set the tone for its vision not around food but life and growth. I can proudly say, what I've set out to do and achieved personally since the early days, has been leaps and bounds 💥!

My blog was created to give me a voice again and to stay relevant when I had left the corporate food world to stay home with my young kids. It was intended to be my personal recipe library, a food diary... chronicling my daily rituals around meals with my kids, so that it can be passed along to them when they get older to cook out of it and with their families- a culinary legacy of grandma's recipes digital-style 😊. It is also my resume and professional portfolio-- it is one thing to say I've worked on something and another thing to show it-- my personal gallery of culinary achievements!

Preserving the art of cooking-from-scratch and sharing my family favourites formed the initial foundation of my blog. In the last few years, the content moved towards showcasing the culinary work I am doing in schools and the various communities. Uber-passionate about food education, cooking with kids and adults, inspiring others to try new foods through the lens of multiculturalism, these elements are often interweaved throughout my posts. Instead of just the family table, it's the neighbourhood table- still family but in a big community way!

So Happy Birthday to Susan's Savour-It! 🍒You deserve it kiddo! Looking forward to continue cooking up a multicultural storm, revisiting old and exploring the new and sharing it forward with you my lovely friends and fans! Thank you 💞🙏!
🍻 🎂 ♬° ✧❥✧¸.•*¨*✧♡✧ ℒℴѵℯ ✧♡✧*¨*•.❥

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! 🍑🍑🍑 

Ontario Greenhouse Vegetable Growers Collab- Chinese Tomatoes and Eggs...

I am so thrilled to collaborate with Ontario Greenhouse Vegetable Growers (OGVG) in delivering one of my ultimate family favourites- Chinese Tomatoes and Eggs on their recipe web-site. Juicy Ontario greenhouse tomatoes mingle with softly scrambled eggs in this comfort saucy dish that's scrumptious over rice- a classic in Chinese home-style cooking. Plump red vine-ripened tomatoes in the store always seem to beckon me to make this lovely dish 🍅. 

Did you know 63% of the Canadian greenhouses are in Ontario? Of the approximate 220 greenhouses, many are situated around the Leamington, London and Niagara area with bell peppers, cucumbers and tomatoes, the three produce most popularly grown. Being a big advocate and educator on food waste reduction primarily at the consumer level, I am ecstatic to see that greenhouse growers do their part to eliminate waste in the food supply system from the get-grow. See, the controlled greenhouse environment enables them to grow a uniform product that minimizes waste with pest control and natural pollination, and maximizes yield and quality by growing in a nutrient-rich drip irrigation system. Also, majority of the markets are within a one-day drive so produce arrives to customers freshly picked- at their optimum best!  #GreenhouseGrown  #FromOurHousetoYours  #Ontario

They've done their part, so how do we as consumers do ours? #LoveFoodHateWaste

We often waste good food unnecessarily because we buy too much and don't store it correctly.

Classic Chinese Tomato and Eggs on OGVG

BUYING: Select tomatoes that are round, full, feel heavy for their size, and that are free from bruises and blemishes. The skin should be taut and not shrivelled.

Voluptuous round tomatoes means juicy!

KEEP IT FRESH: Never store tomatoes in the refrigerator. Storing tomatoes in the refrigerator can ruin their texture and flavour. Leave tomatoes on-the-vine intact until just before use. This helps maintain their freshness and allows them to fully ripen.

Wash produce right before eating. All produce should always be washed, but it is important to not wash produce too early as moisture sits on it, and can cause decay. Cut it just before cooking or eating.

Tomatoes and eggs- two ingredients on hand that marry harmoniously in this satisfying dish. Ontario greenhouse on-the-vine tomatoes grown February to December means fresh and local at its best almost year round!

Classic Chinese Tomatoes and Eggs over steamed rice, a meal to enjoy any season, any time!

Classic Chinese Tomato and Eggs on OGVG

NOTE: I am honoured to collaborate with Ontario Greenhouse Vegetable Growers @ongreenhouseveg to develop recipes using their products. I love supporting Ontario farmers and growers, and often use local produce in recipe experimentation and home-cooking. The information I share is completely my opinion, as are all my posts.

Further Food For thought: Staggering. Shocking. How does a nation obsessed with eating, eating out, food shows, cookbooks and food sites/blogs waste billions of dollars of good food every year (31 million pounds in Canada which is mainly 50% household waste-- what we buy, not eat, and throw out)?

Waste occurs at various points of the food supply system. There are lots of gaps, according to experts, but the biggest source of waste are households. Consumers can actually make a significant difference just by changing some of the things we do on a daily basis:

* Make a list before you go shopping and sticking to it. Waste comes from overbuying.
* Do not go shopping if you’re hungry or you'll impulse buy.
* Check your cupboards and refrigerator – what do you have and what do you really need? 

* Store your food properly to extend their shelf life. Look up storage tips for specific produce.
* Eat up what you have first rather than what you're in the mood for.
* Be creative and re-purpose leftovers.
* Donate too much food, or if you know you won’t use it.

Imperfect perfectly edible foods-- just eat it already! Check out this thought-provoking film on Food Waste.

--------------------------------

Classic Chinese Tomatoes and Eggs
Makes 4 to 6 servings

3 eggs
sea salt and ground white pepper to taste
2 Tbsp (30 ml) - oil, divided
2 - green onions, cut into 2” pieces
4 - medium Ontario greenhouse on-the-vine tomatoes, large diced
1 tsp (15 ml) - sugar
1 Tbsp (30 ml) – Chinese cooking wine
¾ cup (175 ml) - chicken or vegetable broth, hot
2 tsp (5 g) - cornstarch dissolved in 1-1/2 Tbsp (22 ml) - water
1/2 tsp (2.5 ml) sesame oil (optional)
sliced green onions for garnish

Note: Use dry sherry to substitute for Chinese cooking wine.

Beat eggs; season with a little salt and pepper. Cook in skillet or wok with 1 Tbsp. oil on medium-high heat until cooked. Break the eggs up into pieces. Remove onto serving plate and set aside.

Heat remaining 1 Tbsp. oil in skillet or wok on medium-high heat and add the green onions. Cook for a minute; add tomatoes and sugar. Continue to cook for two minutes until soft and juice is released.

Add cooking wine. Stir tomatoes and cook for one minute. Pour in broth. Cook until sauce is simmering, then add cornstarch mixture; stir to thicken the sauce. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary.

Place the eggs back into the skillet. Toss and remove onto serving plate. Drizzle with a little sesame oil and garnish with sliced green onions.

Serve over steamed rice.

My China Chapter in the New Taste of the Place Global Cookbook....

It's heeeeeeeere......!!! Over the moon ThRiLLeD to have received the much-anticipated global cookbook Taste of The Place (Authentic recipes from real kitchens around the globe) conceptualized and produced by Julie Ann Cockburn from Oregon, USA who I have had the complete honour to collaborate a chapter with. Lovely Julie is a real food advocate, food photographer and writer with a knack for discovering regional cuisines through cooking and travelling, featured on her site Taste of The Place, now blossomed into it's very own cookbook- Congrats Julie!!! She has also graced Susan's Savour-It! as my very first guest blogger with her delicious autumn Roasted Acorn Squash with Zingy Greens. Along with 12 other food writers from around the world, each with our own countries' chapter, I contributed four recipes for China (an appetizer, main meal, side and dessert) from my beloved heritage on Cantonese Chinese cuisine. Read on for more on how to order an e-book or printed cookbook and for a discount code.

As Julie says, "this is about bringing people together over food, even though they are worlds apart!"

For info. to order an E-Book or Printed Cookbook

Here are a few highlights to whet your appetite –

• Enjoy over 50 authentic, regional recipes from real kitchens around the globe, each accompanied by beautiful, full-color photos.
• Each regional chapter explores what makes the food from that area so special.
• Gain personal insights into the culinary cultures of 13 different parts of the world. 
• The areas of the world we will explore together – Argentina, China, Curaçao, Czech Republic, India, Italy, Jordan, Kenya, Romania, South Africa, Cornwall in the United Kingdom, The Midwest United States, and The Southwest United States. 
• For more information of how to order an E-Book or Cookbook, see HERE.

Taste of the Place

Meet my fellow brilliant and beautiful women contributors from around the world...

From top left clockwise to bottom left: Mira Jirrar on Jordan; Petra Novotna on Czech Republic; Susan Ng on China; Prachi Grover on India; Sandra Mukidza on Kenya; Lindsey Shifley on the Midwest, USA; Maria Elena Ledesma on Argentina; Debbie Thorpe on Cornwall, U.K; Rebecca Bourhill on South Africa; Terri Salminen on Italy; Muriel Strobos on Curaçao; Dana Visternicu on Romania and Amy Baker Wambold on the Southwest, USA

Now meet the one and only Super Julie, who single-handedly put this entire book together!

Julie Ann Cockburn, Bend Oregon, USA

I had a chance to interview Julie to learn about her vision and the journey that went into  making the book.

What inspired you to create this global cookbook and how did you select the contributors?

The Taste Of The Place cookbook was inspired by my realization after a magical dinner on the Oregon coast that every meal has the potential to tell the story of a place. The ingredients, the flavors, and even the cooking techniques give us a glimpse into the history, culture, and land of that particular part of the world.

I originally met all the contributors through the Jamie Oliver Food Revolution ambassador program. I was inspired by each of these 13 women not only because of their love of delicious and REAL food but because of their passion for exploring and sharing their own unique cultures. So when it came time to begin the Taste Of The Place cookbook project, they were the perfect, natural fit.

Collecting, testing and compiling recipes from food contributors around the world must have been exciting and overwhelming at the same time. What was the biggest challenge and learnings?

There were certainly a lot of challenges to gathering and preparing these recipes to go to print. In some cases, language barriers were a challenge, and of course, there was the issue of converting units and measures. But the biggest challenge was trying to interpret ingredients that are commonplace in one culture, but unknown in North America. For example, in Romania, they have a very different cheese culture than we do here in the US, and there isn't a lot of online information to help out. I actually spent weeks researching and then testing cheeses for the Romanian Tocinei (potato pancakes) and Papanasi (cheese donuts) recipes before finally settling on what I thought were acceptable substitutes to the traditional Romanian cheeses. I have to admit - it was a tasty challenge!

Speaking of Dana's Romania recipes- I had the opportunity to make these recipes as part of the proofing and retesting process. The results were sensational. Take a look here.

Your book is such a celebration of not only recipes, but stories and traditions of cultures from around the world. Was there a particular cuisine or dish that really stood out or resonated with you?

Of course, I love all the chapters in the cookbook and have many recipes that I regularly make at home for my family, but yes, I do have my favorite favorites! I love savory, spicy beef dishes, so the Jordanian Royal Kebabs and the South African Bobotie are personal favorites.

What is your aspiration for this wonderful and collaborative cookbook project?

My hope in sharing all these beautiful recipes and food cultures is that readers will be inspired to embark on a culinary adventure. I believe that by reading the personal stories that accompany the recipes, and tasting these dishes from around the globe, that they will gain a deeper understanding of and connection to not only the regions featured in the cookbook, but also to the rich diversity that the world has to offer.

Thank you Julie! I can't wait to cook out of this globe-trotting recipe book.

So EXCITED last week to have received the books by mail :D

Thank you Julie... I finally have a copy in my hot lil' hands! YAY!

My Cantonese Chow Mein has always been the top contender as my most popular blog post, and that's after 600 posts. And I'll say I'm not surprised in the least-- it's such a gorgeous dish, full of healthful veggies, colour and textures all smothered in a glazy sauce over fried egg noodles! I was so pleased to learn that this beautiful rendition by Julie made running photo after the cookbook's cover page.

Photo Credit: Taste of the Place by Julie Cockburn

Sharing my recipe for steamed fish fillets Cantonese-Style (not whole fish) with Julie remarking, "it's such a perfect and approachable recipe for introducing people to Chinese cooking!" This dish uses readily frozen fish fillets, with no bones to contend with. Beautifully styled and shot Julie! :D

Cantonese Steamed Fish with Ginger, Cilantro & Green Onions

Cantonese Steamed Fish with Ginger, Cilantro & Green Onions

Admiring the history of my heritage roots and classic black and white photos of my dad cooking.

Take a close up read on this very page spread.

Back story: I was flipping through old yellowing family photo albums and sighted these photos I totally forgot about.. it caught me off guard and brought tears to my eyes. These were of my dad before I was born-- the first one of him learning to roast a pig when he went over to neighbouring Hong Kong from Guangzhou, China and the other when he was working in my aunt's restaurant in Newfoundland before coming to Toronto. I just love these rare B&W photos of him! We owned two Chinese restaurants after I was born, and my mom is a wicked cook, no wonder I got cooking in my blood :D.

I can't wait to gift this cookbook to my parents. My dad will be surprised and hopefully very proud!

My father learning how to roast an entire pig-- a hallmark-must for a Cantonese chef. 

How do you get your hands on a copy? You can get an E-book or a printed cookbook shipped out of the States. They are on PRE-order until the release date June 26th. To my readers, I am offering a discount code of 20% off either the printed book or e-book. The code to use is: susanssavourit. Click HERE for pricing, and a sneak peek into two of my recipes.

I hope you enjoy reading the book and trying something new…

Here’s to taking the culinary adventure into your kitchen!

Susan Ng