My Non-Resolution for 2012

Happy  New Year!

I'm not one to make resolutions. I have tried that in the past. Set goals and track progress. Truth is, if I can keep up with everything going on and make progress on the projects I already have on the go, I will be happy this year.

That being said, I do want to learn how to make infographics. Call it my non-resolution.

I'll explain more below, but first, let me introduce you to the Savvy Farmgirl Twitter-graphic. While the "0% interestingness" was a little depressing (who wants to be told they're not interesting), I've already changed by :l face into a 'geeky grin'. Visual.ly's interpretation does raise some questions; I don't even follow President Obama, much less feel I have a 'strong connection' with him. However, they did hit the foodie and wine obsession on the nose. Want to see your Twitter-graphic? Check it out for yourself.    

Now more about info graphics and my quest to learn to make them.

I am very visual, so a good infographic can 'wow' me in seconds. Add some animation, like the Social Media Revolution and I am completely and totally floored. Isn't this really just a 2-minute infographic?  I think so.

The real motivation behind the sudden interest in design actually stems from work. In an effort to pull together four media plans and several different, but slightly related, data sets into a simple and comprehensible document, I found myself trying to create one, visually appealing slide that would tell the story of many. If only I could show this all in an infographic! I thought. And so the googling began. This is when I discovered Visual.ly and the Twitter graphic. Beyond showing people their Twitter personalities, imagine what kind of kick ass presentations you could do? Buh-bye Powerpoint (FINALLY)!!

Here is one you have all likely seen before (or something very similar):

Finally, a quick Google search on food and 'eating' infographics made it clear who has jumped all over this medium. Of course, Peta was one of the first images that appeared. I was torn between posted the graphic or not. On one hand, I'd rather not send traffic their way. On the other hand, why bother reasoning with the unreasonable? One thing it certain, us agvocates and farmers have some catching up to do!

Best wishes in 2012!

Magazines Over Milk

Very few things get me fired up like a good debate over supply management. Inevitably, the day would come when the debate would be hashed out on the front pages of our national news, rather than over beers with friends & colleagues.

That day has arrived. As the Canadian Wheat Board fate hangs in the throes of parliament, and Prime Minister Harper explores joining APEC, we dairy farmers are being thrust into what may be a pivotal point in history. A point, I fear, we will have very little control and suffer all the consequence. 

Surfing yet another opinion piece in the Globe and Mail, my panic is rising. I am beginning to understand the desperation those Prairie farmers must be feeling as they fight to keep their Wheat Board. (A matter, which being from Ontario, I do not have an opinion.) The media seems unrelenting in their determination to convince Canadians supply management is the thorn in the side of our economic progression. Their pursuit of ideology is not only puzzling but, when paired with their massive reach and the overall lack of consumer understanding in regards to food, it sets me in a state of distress. 

At less than 10 years of age, I vividly recall during NAFTA and GATT that my world, as I knew it, was ending. I equated the threat to supply management as a threat on our home and livelihood. I even lined up friends' homes to keep me off the streets. Yes, streets of the booming village of 800 people where i grew up. Though less dramatic now, at the age of 28, I witness the struggles of farming friends in non-supply managed sectors, and I appreciate the real sense of insecurity that comes with today's global society. Turn on the news; nothing is certain. Not a job. Not your government. Not your food.

Ritz has been vocal, supply management will be protected because farmers want to keep it. While the milk market is primarily domestic and grains exported, there are farmers that wanted the Wheat board also. At the end of the day, the opportunity for greater profits won. Ending supply management may open other trade doors, but make no mistake, the winners will not be consumers. 93% of milk produced is consumed domestically, so the room for competition is small. Additionally, the farmer only receives 10% of the price of a $2 glass of milk, and even still, they are covering the cost of production. What savings might be had will certainly not translate into cheaper grocery store prices. Witness the supermarket price of beef when BSE devastated the beef industry in 2003 as a recent example.

Yet, we've come to measure ourselves against the U.S., where the expectation of more, cheaper food has created a system built on an artificial cost structure. Government subsidization means food is being sold cheaper than it can be produced, creating a global treadmill of nations trying to drive down costs to compete, and eliminating domestic production capacity in the process. If you can't compete, then get out. Possibly, but at what point do you need to ensure your have the ability to feed your own nation?

We've reduced our food producers to campaigning for support on the Toronto nightly news, like the local CUPE chapter. We are in dire straits. Though both important, this isn't your transit system or child's education, this is the very sustenance by which you live.

Sadly, the media only sees the trees. Supply management isn't perfect, but for goodness sake, take a look at what is going on in the broader scope. World population has swelled beyond 7 billion; it's only a matter of time before China and India drive demand, and subsequently prices, so high we will wish we had a national system in place to ensure an affordable, safe food supply for Canadians.

Finally, there is no more entitlement here than in any industry where you work hard for an honest day's pay. When was the last time Andrew Coyne put in an 18 hour day, thawing frozen pipes in the dark, racing the weather to get a crop in or standing in the pit of a parlor on his feet for hours on end. The question no one seems willing to ask in this complex puzzle is how the middleman is doing? But then, it's easier to lay blame to 13,000 farmers than the major corporations taking 90% of the profit in that glass of milk, isn't is. After all, you would hate to lose that advertising revenue in your magazine wouldn't you?

A Story About a Pig

It has probably been 23 years since there were pigs on our farm. So, it proved quite entertaining for my family to witness my brother raise a pig this summer. 'Oinkers', as he affectionately became known, was purchased from the local high school. The school runs an agriculture program, complete with a fully-functioning barn and livestock that are cared for by the students. When the students leave in June, the animals do as well. Knowing the teacher, both because he took the class himself and he's a neighbour, my brother offered to take 2 of the pigs.

Not long after my brother lost one of the pigs to pneumonia, the other started breaking out of his pen. My brother would return home to find his piggy out in the field with the cows, and despite his best efforts, Oinkers repeatedly found his way back out to the pasture. There was little doubt in my brother's mind pigs were truly as smart as they say. The character of a lone pig is quite intriguing, and like something out of a Disney movie, Oinkers led the cows to the field in the morning and back to the barn at night.


Some pig! Oinkers supervises the heifers in the pasture.

My niece also grew quite fond of Oinkers. I suppose one pig among many cows is quite memorable at the age of 1 1/ 2. She could tell you what a pig said, nearly as soon as she could 'moo'. In fact, it's quite humourous. She is an agvocate in training; I expect she will never let her teacher tell her class that a pink says 'oink'. She's gleaned this not from books or TV, but from the real pig on her daddy's farm. As a result, she grunts and snorts anytime she sees a picture of or someone mentions pig. It's amazing what a little girl picks up from the farm around her.
Of course, I have been referring to Oinkers in the past tense. Animals come and go on the farm all the time. As farmers, we understand and accept this, but I think we also learn to appreciate each one while they're there. Whether a prized show cow or some, random pig, they are all subject to nature and we have each learned the hard way, how fast they can be taken away. Despite what we read in "Charlotte's Web", I think the fate of most pigs is predetermined. Nevertheless, having a pig was a delight for my family and I would be surprised if there was not a new piggy there by spring!

Food Friday: A Visit to Stonewall Kitchen

Recently, bf and I spent a weekend on the New England coast, including a tour of Boston. We had been talking about going forever, so when Porter offered flights at 50% off, it was time to go!

To my surprise, our first destination was also the home of Stonewall Kitchen. When the weather turned foggy and rainy, a visit only seemed appropriate. After all, there was bound to be lots of samples!

Posing with a scarecrow @StonewalKitchen in York, Maine

After navigating through the packed store, tasting every dip, sauce and spread we could, and enjoying lunch from the kitchen at Stonewall Kitchen, we left with a basket of sauces and more. My haul included:

• Roasted Peach Whiskey Sauce
• Artichoke Pesto
• Vidalia Onion Fig Sauce
• Champagne Shallot Walnut Dressing
• A few more Christmas gifts....

Back at home, I couldn't wait to try my new pantry treasures. First up, the Vidalia Onion Fig Sauce and the Champagne Shallot Walnut Dressing. The flavour combinations of both sounded so incredibly complex, I couldn't leave these on the shelf. They certainly didn't disappoint either!

The dressing has proven a great compliment to both spinach and mixed green salads. Topped with some orange slices, sunflower seeds (because I throw them on everything), goat cheese and candied onions, and I had an exquisite salad. 

Next, we rubbed a pork tenderloin with salt and pepper, then roast it on the barbecue, glazing regularly with the Vidalia Onion Fig Sauce. It was so mouthwateringly-juicy, we pulled the entire roast a part and nearly ate it all before it even made it to the plate. 

You can check out Stonewall products here. Do you have any gourmet pantry favourites?

First Guest Post Ever!

If you know me personnally or from Savvy Homegirl, you know I love good food and good wine! My friend, Allie, recently started this excellent wine blog and I was delighted when she asked if I'd provide a post on my wine touring experience!! Check it out, my first guest post, over at Winegloss today!

A Happy Thanksgiving

In what has become a Thanksgiving tradition, I found myself in the thick of the harvest action this weekend. Whether it's climate change or a blessing from above, unseasonably high temperatures, dry and sunny weather graced Southern Ontario again this Thanksgiving. Perfect weather to enjoy Thanksgiving dinner on the deck also meant perfect weather for combining. There wasn't a combine sitting still Saturday. My brother counted a dozen on the five-mile trip to the elevator. I even found myself behind the wheel of the combine, and later the grain cart, when there weren't enough bodies to be found to keep the combine, grain truck, seed-drill, and sprayer going.

Fall harvest is my favourite time of year. Golden-brown fields, set against a perfect canvass of red and yellow leaves and a clear, blue sky make every corner look like a page from a magazine. Beyond a doubt, it's stressful. Equipment tends to break and sometimes people tend to not hear all the instructions, but everyone seems to have an air of more optimism about them. The crop is coming off. Grain is going to the elevator.  A years worth of work is coming to fruition.

My niece co-pilots in the combine. Luckily, that paper isn't important anymore.

Despite our best attempts to work straight through the weekend and my mother's stern warning about working on Sunday, He made sure we took a break. The combine broke down long enough Sunday to ensure everyone made it to church, we witnessed the baptism of my cousin's beautiful twin boys, enjoyed an afternoon with family before settling down to relax together at night after milking. By noon today, everyone was back in the field running like clockwork. I set off to catch up with friends, before heading back to the city and another week of travel. It will be at least ten months before I see the harvest fields again, but for now and the coming weeks, it will be engrained in my memory until I make it back to the farm.

Food Friday: Summer Rolls

Dropping mercury across the country this week signaled the end of summer days. My rowing league also wraps up this week. Last night was our last pot luck and tomorrow our last regatta. In the spirit of summer, I brought these 'summer rolls' last night. Until yesterday, I thought veggies wrapped in rice paper rolls and cooled were spring rolls. Searching for cold potluck dishes, I both discovered this idea and learned these are actually called summer rolls. The difference? Deep frying.

The summer rolls were a hit. So much so, one of my teammates asked if I would bring them to their church lunch one day. She even offered to buy the ingredients!

I have made these a few times now, when I have had some time and craved something fresh & crisp. They are excellent with large, cooked shrimp, sesame oil, julienned carrots, cucumber and coriander. Yesterday, I used: fresh basil and chives, julienned carrots, red peppers, avocado and green onion.  

The most common question was where to get rice paper. I have noticed most grocery stores now carry rice paper in their ethnic foods section, near the rice. It comes in round sheets, which you have to soak in luke-warm water (I use a pie plate) for 1-2 minutes, before they're soft enough to work with. Lay them out on a towel, then lay out your ingredients, wrap, slice and enjoy.

To serve later, I soaked a tea towel, placed on top of the rolls (unsliced) and wrapped in plastic. When ready, slice and serve with thai peanut dipping sauce. Enjoy!

Happy Food Friday!