Local, Organic and Gluten-Free

I seem to be having an epidemic of friends and colleagues being diagnosed with celiac disease these days. Gluten intolerance can really challenge your dietary and shopping choices. If you're also someone who prefers to shop local or organic, your choices are further limited. Unfortunately, many of the gluten-free products sold in supermarkets and health food stores are mass-produced and shipped in from across the continent. What is a mindful consumer to do? Fortunately, there are local gluten-free products.

One product line that comes to mind immediately are the pâtés available from Les Viandes Biologiques de Charlevoix. I'm not sure if they're all gluten-free, but certainly the pâté de campagne and a version of the cretons de porc are. (Seriously! They've replaced the traditional breadcrumbs in the cretons with rice flour.) I also recall that some of their dry sausages are gluten-free. Look for their products at Fromagerie Atwater and Maitre Boucher.

Another local supplier with some gluten-free products is Boucherie Valens. Check the label. Increasingly available around the city, all of the their meat comes from from small family farms in the Huntington region that are devoted to raising their animals humanely and sustainably. I've recently seen their meats, cold-cuts, bacon and sausages at Maitre Boucher, Pousse Ananas, and PA. You can also order from them directly.

While not totally local, GoGo Quinoa is a Quebec-based business that offers organic, fair-trade and gluten-free products imported from cooperatives in South America. Their products are widely available in health food and grocery stores across the province.

For take-home meals to reheat, Restaurant Marché Serafim opposite the Marché Bonsecours in Old Montreal offers some gluten-free choices. All of their food is organic and wheat-free. A lot of it is also local. Prices are reasonable, especially considering the location!

I'm sure there are other mindful, gluten-free products out there. If you know of some that I've missed, leave a comment or drop me a note.

Fête Bio-Paysanne This Weekend

Did you know that Montreal is home to the largest organic-environmental fair in Canada? La Fête Bio-Paysanne is held at the public square of La TOHU in the St-Michel Environmental Complex in Montreal every August. Now in its sixth edition, the festival attracts over 20 000 people and brings together almost 100 exhibitors displaying organic foods and products, as well as booths with tricks and products to help you reduce your environmental foot print. The event also has workshops, tastings, live performances, and family activities.

The event kicks off this weekend on Friday at noon and continues until Sunday at 5pm. Admission is free. A quick ride on bus 193E from Jarry metro station, or bus 94N from Jean Talon metro station, will get you to the festival. By car, take exit 74 or 75 from Hwy 40.

Mainstream Media Madness on Sustainable Food

The past few days have seen such a fabulous mix of really good food articles in the mainstream media, I feel I have little choice but to round them all up here (if only for my own sanity).

Fish and Seafood
Last week, the Vancouver Sun told us we "can and should eat fish." The article highlights Vancouver Aquarium seafood conservation program, Oceanwise, that rates local partners and restaurants on how sustainable their seafood choices are.

Closer to home, Monique Beaudoin at The Gazette checked out her local Provigo grocery store with Beth Hunter from Greenpeace Canada. The pickings were slim, but not impossible. Her associated blog post offers some tips to help you make sustainable seafood choices, as well as a YouTube video, FishVision Glasses.

Over at the New York Times, well-known food writer Mark Bitten explains why putting fish on the dinner table isn't as simple as it used to be, and shares some of his own dilemmas around buying fish. This article was one of my favourites this week. An associated post on his blog offers a link to the trailer for the documentary End of the Line, released earlier this week in the United kingdom, as well as a clip of Bittman in a radio interview on "The Takeaway"

Battle Against Big Agriculture
On Wednesday, the Life section of the print edition of the Globe and Mail offered its take on the documentary film Food, Inc., which arrives in Montreal and Toronto on June 19th. It also has a practical Q&A with Michael Pollan, author of The Omnivore's Dilemma, about eating well, eating organic and eating local. The section also features a review of Quebec artisan cheese Blue Haze. I know what I'll be picking up at the cheese shop very soon!

Eating Local
How does locally-made pasta from locally-grown heritage grains sound? It sounded good enough for the Globe and Mail to include a story about it on Monday.

Montreal is not without local awesomeness as well. Stéphanie Bérubé at La Presse offers us 10 québecois products that local locavores should check out, from organic sausages to cider and miso and mushrooms. She follows this up with a list of 10 things a local gourmand must (absolutely) do (soon). I agree!

Phew! That's a lot for a few days. There were even more stories and articles that passed across my desk and twitter this week. I suspect a lot of the media madness has been due to World Ocean's Day on Monday as well as all the media work that is being done around the wider release of Food, Inc next week. Whatever the cause, it's been a busy week!

Guilt-Free Diner-ing in Vancouver

Nestled away on the rougher edge of downtown Vancouver on Granville street, from the outside The Templeton looks like a typical run of the mill diner (or greasy spoon as we call them in Quebec)--the inside as well for that matter. Its long single room has about seven diner-style booths complete with chunky, wall-mounted jukeboxes along one side, and a long counter with swivel stools along the other where patrons dine on burgers, beer, sandwiches, all-day breakfasts, coffee, and all the typical diner fare. However, a quick peak at the menu reveals something different: A diner with conscience.

The focus is on burgers and breakfast: organic and local burgers and breakfasts that is. There are three basic types of burgers on the menu—portabello mushroom (vegetarian), 100% beef, or chicken—which you can then dress up to your liking with a variety of toppings. All the ingredients are organic and locally-sourced. The burgers come with a side of local organic greens, french fries, garlic mashed potatoes or the soup of the day. For a couple of dollars more, you can upgrade your side dish to a vegetarian chilli or a poutine. Poutine? In Vancouver?

My dining choice was obvious: A 777 organic beef burger and poutine! According to the menu the poutine is made with French fries, aged cheddar cheese and vegan mushroom gravy. Not exactly a traditional poutine, but definitely a tasty choice. Although a bit on the salty side, the mushroom gravy tasted like a classic ‘sauce brun’; and paired well with the aged cheddar for a strong flavourful mouthful. The burger was large and juicy, topped with bright lettuce, tomato and onion. Exactly what I expected.

For a diner, The Templeton has a wide variety of vegetarian choices and is conscious to include vegan options as well. Some examples include Three-Cheese Organic Macaroni, Vegan Lentil Loaf and Pesto Grilled Veggie Lasagna. All veg*n dishes, including the portabello mushroom burger, are cooked separately from the meat dishes. This is a rarity among mixed restaurants, in my observation. If fish is more your thing, The Templeton has that too, including beer battered fish and chips from sustainable catches and tuna steak. Other diner offerings include salads and grilled sandwiches.

Templeton offers breakfast until 3pm. I had the pleasure of watching plates of pancakes, eggs and French toast float past me. Their “Mangled Eggs’ is described on the menu as bacon, scrambled eggs , and Montreal brie inside a toasted croissant, with a side order of rosemary potatoes (hmm More Montreal fare); and yes, the bacon is organic. You can substitute veggie bacon. Other breakfast offerings include huevos rancheros, farmer’s breakfast with sausages, tofu scrambler, omelettes, cereals, fresh fruit and more. Weekend brunches add a selection of “Benny’s”, or Eggs Benedict, to the menu as well as steak and eggs.

Well stuffed on my burger and poutine, I passed on deserts, which included a hot fudge brownie, vegan pear crisp, and blueberry mango crumble. The regular desert menu included deep fried Mars bars, which I haven’t seen on a menu since Scotland, and deep-fried Wunderbars. I was sad to pass them up.

Service was fast and friendly. The staff is clearly passionate about food. Following my meal, I had a fabulous discussion about local sustainable fare with my server, who herself was vegetarian. She also offered up a few other inexpensive restaurant suggestions to try in my quest for sustainable food choices in Vancouver, and also recommended some vendors to visit at the Granville Island market.

Assuming you get a straight meal at The Templeton, expect to spend about $15 after taxes excluding drinks. Breakfasts are a bit less. Deserts run about $5 each. A pint of brew will set you back a fiver, or try the local cider for abut a dollar more. Definitely a deal for guilt-free fare.

The Templeton
1087 Granville Street
Vancouver, BC V6Z 1L4
(604) 685-4612

SAQ Gets Into Organic

I was over-the-moon last month to discover a small selection of organic wines at my local SAQ. I've been importing my organic wines from south of the border, two bottles at a time, regularly for the past couple of years now, and I hardly live in a foodie or hip area of the city, so this discovery was quite a big deal for me. According to the sales associate at the store, the SAQ has committed to having a selection of organic or 'eco-pratique' wines in every SAQ location. Eco-pratique refers to wines sold in alternative packaging like tetra-paks, aluminum or plastic.

The SAQ has actually had organic wines for a little while, but only at certain locations. Even then, their selection was slim and out of the price range of the typical imbiber at $20+ per bottle. Most of the wines were also European and, I found, not nearly as good as the lower-priced Californian and South American organic wines I was picking up at Whole Foods or local co-operatives in New England for $7-15. (It may just be a preference: I have to admit I much prefer conventional Australian and Californian wines over most European ones I've tried anyway.)

The SAQ still doesn't have the same variety as in New England, however the price and selection are considerably better than what was available even six months ago. This Saturday and Sunday, May 9th and 10th, the SAQ is offering 10% off their organic and eco-pratique selections of wine, just in time for Mother's Day. Prices should start at about $11 per bottle for the eco-pratique varieties and $13 per bottle for the organic varieties. That's not much more than what you'd pay for table plonk from the local grocery store once you factor in taxes. So why not check the selection at the SAQ and let them know you support their decision to try organic.

(Now if we can just get them to carry fair trades wines or organic single malt scotch...)

Antibiotics and Milk in Quebec

This past weekend, I was discussing milk with a friend in Massachusetts. Although we are neighbours, how our milk is produced could not be more different. One of the main differences between conventional dairy farms in the USA and those in Quebec, is the use of antibiotics and growth hormone. Our average herd size is also considerably smaller, 52 in Quebec versus 700 south of the border, and more likely to be a family operation.

In Quebec, most cows consume food produced on the dairy farm itself. In addition to pasture, feed can include hays, grains and silage. Vitamins and minerals may be added to the feed. In the USA, conventional milk producers can also add antibiotics to the feed. However in Quebec, this practice is illegal. Similarly, in the USA, dairy farmers routinely use recombinant bovine growth hormone (BGH) to increase milk production, but in Canada the use of rBGH (known in Canada as recombinant bovine somatratropin; rBST) is not approved so this practice is not allowed.

That's not to say that Quebec dairy farms do not use antibiotics at all. Bovine mastitis, an infection of the teats, is a common problem in dairy farms, affecting about 80% of Quebec herds, and 39% to 92% of Canadian herds, based on data collected that looked at the most common cause, infection with s. aureus. When discovered, mastitis is routinely treated with systemic antibiotics. Cows may also be treated with antibiotics for other infections, and dry cows (cows not currently producing milk), I believe, may be given antibiotics prophylactic ally to prevent mastitis.

Organic farms are not immune from mastitis and other infections, and in Quebec farmers may use antibiotics twice during per year on any given cow, however most organic farmers will try to avoid antibiotic use altogether and use husbandry and milking methods that focus on prevention. Organic farmers may also try to treat mastitis without antibiotics.

I looked for an article comparing the incidence of mastitis or antibiotic use in traditional versus organic herds, but couldn't find one. My inclination is to believe that organic farms have a lower incidence of mastitis than conventional farms, and also use less antibiotics.

For me, the incidence of mastitis and the responsible use of antibiotics in animal husbandry is more of an issue than whether a farmer use antibiotics at all. And while I suspect that in Quebec, at least, conventional farms are probably trying as hard as organic farmers to keep their herds free from disease and lower use of antibiotics (I saw loads of articles raising awareness of antibiotic resistance and encouraging preventative practices), I will continue to buy organic milk whenever I can because I believe in the overall philosophy of organic farming, and want to support those farmers who have chosen this more difficult route. But it's also nice to know that conventional milk from Quebec farms may not be too different.

References: 1) Fédération ds producteurs du lait du Québec. The journey of milk from the farm to your table. Accessed April 27, 2009. 2) Olde Riekerink R and Barkema H. Mastitis: The Canadian Perspective. WCDS Advances in Dairy Technology (2006) Volume 18:275-283. 3) Canadian Bovine Mastitis Research Network (CBMRN) website. Accessed April 27, 2009. 4) Fédération d'Agriculture Biologique du Québec (FABQ) website. Accessed April 27, 2009. 5) Ecological Agriculture Projects. Treating Mastitis without Antibiotics. Accessed April 27, 2009.

CSA Baskets

It's that time again. In fact, it's probably pretty close to past that time. I'm talking about signing up for summer community supported agriculture (CSA) baskets, of course.

With its roots in Europe, CSA rapidly expanded to North America in the 1980s. In came to Montreal about 10 years ago thanks to the efforts of Equiterre, a non-profit organisation promoting ecological and socially-just initiatives. CSA encourages local farms to use sustainable agricultural practices and encourages the community to get involved in local farms. It does this by creating a direct link between the local farmer and the consumer or community. The consumer benefits by having direct access to fresh, local produce at an affordable price, and farmers are guaranteed buyers willing to pay a fair price for their crops.

So how does community supported agriculture work? The consumer chooses a local farm and agrees to buy a certain amount of the farm's harvest. The consumer then partly pays the farmer in advance for the produce, which is delivered weekly to his home or a local drop-off spot. The produce that is delivered will vary each week, according to the farmer's harvest, and will also vary from farm to farm. The consumer is now a partner in the farm's operation and is often invited and encouraged to spend time on the farm, either by helping out, participating in harvest festivals, or just dropping by to say "hi" and see how the farm operates.

In the Montreal area, CSA is extremely well organised: Finding a farm to participate in is relatively easy. Every year, Equiterre make available a list of farms (french) through a searchable database on its website who are actively seeking partners. All you have to do is match your a farm with a convenient drop-off and make contact with the appropriate farm. Each week, at the locations and time specified, you show up and pick up your basket of farm-fresh, organic produce or meats.

The cost per basket varies from about $10/week for a simple single-person produce basket, to $38/week for a gourmet basket suitable for a family. Meat baskets cost more and often function on a slightly different system. A lot of farms have more interested participants than they have produce available. Many farms fill their available spots by the end of April.

Equiterre estimates that by buying directly from the farm, participants are not only supporting small, local, family farms but that they are also paying 10% to 50% less for their organic produce than they would have at the supermarket, and supporting sustainable agricultural practices. Not to mention the fact that we know exactly where your food is coming from! Farms in the Equiterre network are all certified organic, or they are in the process of obtaining their certification. This means that none of the farms use pesticides or synthetic fertilisers, and that they use sustainable farming methods.