Crafty Events for Great Holiday Gifts

Craft fairs are great places to pick up gifts that score low on environmental impact and high on supporting local business. Most of the fairs run through November and early December. Here are a few to keep in mind. As well, the Montreal Gazette has a pretty complete list for 2009 here.

Saturday November 28th

• Fair trade sale and pancake breakfast at St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church, 496 Birch St., St. Lambert, 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Sponsored by Dix Mille Villages. Breakfast is $6.

Friday December 4th to Sunday December 6th

• TMR Craft Fair at Schofield Hall, 90 Roosevelt Ave., T.M.R. from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Artisans and tea shop.
• Dorval Potters Guild Pottery sale at Sarto Des Noyers Centre, 1335 Lakeshore Rd., Room S014A, Dorval. , 10 a.m. to 9 p.m

Saturday December 5th and Sunday December 6th

• Public Yule Fair At Le Mélange Magique, 1928 St-Catherine W, from 10am to 5pm. Artisans, workshops and storytelling. Free admission.

Saturday December 4th to Tuesday December 22nd

• Salon des Metiers d'Art at Place Bonaventure. The biggest craft fair in Montreal, this with over 400 professional artisans under one roof.

Sunday December 5th

• Holiday craft fair at Evergreen Elementary School, 2625 rue du Bordelais, St. Lazare. 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Thirty artisans and refreshments.

Friday December 11th to Sunday December 13th

• http://souk.sat.qc.ca/english.php at Société des arts technologiques (SAT), 1195 boul. Saint-Laurent . Over 60 local artists.

Saturday December 12th and Sunday December 13th

• Quinn Farm Old-Fashioned Christmas Fair at Quinn Farm, 2495 Perrot Blvd., Île Perrot from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Crafts, wagon rides, Christmas trees, refreshments.

If I hear of any other events, I'll update this list.

Seasonal Community Markets in the Southwest

I recently discovered that Montreal's SouthWest and Verdun districts will soon be getting small seasonal community markets. The project aims to bring fresh, affordable and local produce to this region of Montreal which has been criticised as not having affordable access to nutritious food. Most residents in the area live below the poverty line. The markets are supported by the Groupe Sud-Ouest en sécurité alimentaire (SOSA) and the Conférence regionale des elus (CRE).

The markets kick off this weekend in Cote-St-Paul and Verdun. The market in Little Burgundy will start in August and the one in Saint Henri gets underway in September.

Cote-St-Paul
Eglise St-Paul, 1690 de L'Eglise
Saturdays, 9h-14h
July 25, August 1, 22, September 5, 19, October 3

Verdun
Parc du souvenir (metro Verdun)
Sundays 9h-14h
July 26, August 2, 3, 16, 23, 30, September 6

Little Burgundy
Yolande Breton Community Centre, 1845 St-Jacque
Saturdays 9h-13h
August 1, 15, 19, September 19, October 3, 17

Saint Henri
Ecole St-Zotique, 4841 Av Palm
Fridays 5h-19h
September 4, 11, 18, 25, October 2, 9

Celebrating St-Jean with Quebec Food

This St-Jean we spent a lazy--and hot--day at home. I enjoyed some time in my garden. I also headed down to Atwater Market to pick up some yummies to enjoy with friends later in the day. My main stop was Fromagerie Atwater. They have a great selection of cheese, beers and local charcuterie products, as well as a helpful and knowledgeable staff.

The last few times I've visited, I've been eyeing their selection of organic "bâtons" from Fou du Cochon, an artisinal sausage-maker in Kamouraska. The bâtons look like pepperettes, and are all organic, low salt and made without nitrates. This time I indulged. Being a bit of a spice freak, I chose the "bâton piquante." Although my dining partners found it a bit greasy, we all agreed that it had just the right amount of chew and a fabulous flavour. None of us found it exceptionally fiery, however it was subtly spicy and worked beautifully sliced thinly on a piece of baguette. A little went a long way. The bâtons don't require refrigeration, and I plan on picking up a few next time I go canoe camping or backpacking!

Of course, being in a cheese shop, I couldn't leave without a piece of cheese. I asked for a firm Quebec cheese with a strong flavour, and was offered a taste of "Alfred, Le Fermier," a raw-milk, washed-rind organic cheese from the Charlevoix region (Fromagerie La Station de Compton). One bite and my taste buds were doing the happy dance. Alfred, Le Fermier is produced with milk from a single herd and ripened over eight months. It is described by the producer as having a flowery and nutty flavour. I found it less nutty and more earthy.

My shopping trip was rounded out with a trip through their truly diverse beer section. I almost always come away with at least one beer I've never tried before. This time it was La Blanche à L'Absinthe, a absinthe white beer brewed by Le Micro du Lièvre in Mont Laurier. This is definitely a summer sipping beer! The absinthe herbs give it slightly bitter and lemony taste. Also, it may have been the hot day, but I found the alcohol really going to my head quite quickly with this brew. I found it paired really nicely with the cheese, sausage and bread.

We rounded off our backyard picnic with local strawberries, which are just starting to arrive in the markets. They were red, sweet and succulent. I haven't found any one grower at Atwater market to have consistently better strawberries than another, but do ask if the strawberries are indeed from their own (or a neighbour's) farm.

Local Farmer's Markets

The summer solstice not only heralds the official start to the summer, but also the start of local market season. I have fond memories of markets from my childhood visits to relatives in England. Market day was always a big deal. It was the day my grandparents would go into town to pick up their groceries--fresh from the farmer's stall--and other household supplies.

The region around Montreal is not without its versions of 'market towns,' or perhaps towns with markets. Here are a few I've come across. I haven't visited them all, so please take this only as a listing, not an endorsement. If you're familiar with any of these markets, I'd love to hear your thoughts. Or, did I miss one? If so, let me know!

Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue Market
Featuring about a dozen local growers and producers, the market takes place along the waterfront boardwalk every Saturday between 9am and 2pm from the end of May until the beginning of October. During the winter the market moves indoors to Ste- Georges church and is on a monthly schedule.

Finnegan's Market, Hudson
Well known to antique hunters and day-trippers alike, Finnegan's offers a wide variety of food merchandise, including produce, flowers, hand-crafted items and more. It's open Saturdays from 9am to 4pm just north of Hudson village off main street.

Alexandria Market, Ontario
A favourite of good friends of mine! Open 9am to 2pm every Saturday from June to October, this market located at Island Park in Alexandria features about 15 local farmers and producers from Eastern Ontario.

Marché public de Salaberry-de-Valleyfield
Every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday from 8am to 1pm in the centre of Valleyfield, this local market brings together small farmers and producers from across this rich agricultural region.

Marché public du Vieux-Saint-Jean
One of the oldest markets, the Marché publique du Saint-Jean has been running for over 150 years. It's open Wednesday and Saturday mornings over the summer and hosts about a dozen local producers. During July and August, they sometimes have artists and performers.

Marché du terroir d'Oka
Every Saturday from 9:30 am until 1pm starting mid-July in front of the Oka Abby.

L'Autre Marché (Rosemere)
Held weekly from mid-June to mid-October in the parking lot in front of the Rosemere municipal library.

Marché de la Gare de Ste-Therese
A community market held every Friday and Saturday at the Ste-Therese train station starting the end of June.

Marché Val David
A personal favourite of mine! Held every Saturday from 9am to 1pm in the centre of the town of Val David, this bustling market features over 50 local producers, including cheese-makers, bakeries, farms, coffee roasters, cider-producers, artisans and more. There are also cooking demonstrations and hot food vendors. The summer market is weekly starting mid-June. In October it moves indoors and switches to a monthly schedule.

Marché Mont Tremblant
This one starts a little later than most other markets, possibly because it caters more to tourists in the region. It kicks off the first Saturday in July opposite the BMR in Mont-Tremblant village and goes until September. About 30 local producers participate, as well as local restaurants who sometimes give cooking demonstrations.

Strolling Plaza St-Hubert

I always love a stroll through Plaza St-Hubert: the stretch of St-Hubert street between Jean-Talon and Bellechasse. There seems to be a little something for everyone on this street. Whether you're looking for jewellery or junk, fashion or fabric, electronics or furniture, food or entertainment, you can probably find it somewhere in this covered strip.

When I'm shopping in the area, there are a few food places that I like to drop in on. They also happen to be close by each other and the Beaubien metro!

If you're not looking for it, you might miss Les Delires du Terroir (6406 St-Hubert), a tiny shop that specialises in local microbrewery beers and Quebec products. From its tasteful interiour explore fragrant honey from Iles de la Madelaine, wild spiced mustard made in Rawdon, or jams and jellies from the townships. Everything is the store is made by small producers and a lot of the products are seasonal. Not sure what you're looking for? Ask for a suggestion. The owners are happy to help you select a beer to match your taste, or pair it with a cheese or other local product.

Tucked away almost right next door, La Queue du Cochon (6400 St-Hubert) is an artisinale butcher that carries local and organic meat choices, including suasages. It also does sandwiches and prepared meals.

A little bit further south is Pousse l'Ananas (6346 St-Hubert), a produce store with green dreams. Plentifully mixed in among the standard fruiterie fare, you'll find local, seasonal fruits and vegetables (when available), meats from La Ferme Valens in Huntington, and a selection of organic and fair trade goodies. As well, Styrofoam trays often used to wrap up meats and produce are eschewed here in favour of an environmentally-friendlier version that take only three years to degrade in a typical landfill (as opposed to a few hundred years for standard Styrofoam!). Prices are very reasonable. Bring your own bag!

Finally, F Café (6323 St-Hubert) is a colourful cooperatively run coffee shop and boutique run by Compagnie F, which helps women entrepreneurs. Sit down and check you email over their free wifi while enjoying a quick bite and a cup of fair trade coffee. The café also doubles as the resource centre for Compagnie F.

Every time I go to the area I seem to discover a new hidden gem. If you know if one I've missed, I'd love to hear about it!