Taste the Freshness of Local Produce!

Potatoes are Ontario’s largest fresh vegetable crop and second only to tomatoes as a processing crop. According to History of Agriculture in Ontario 1613-1880 by Robert Leslie Jones, published in 1946, French settlers grew potatoes on the east side of the Detroit river from present day Windsor to Amherstburg as far back as 1760.

Later, in 1783, according to History of Farming in Ontario, published in 1914 by C.C. James, the United Empire Loyalists began growing potatoes in Ontario when they settled the banks of the St. Lawrence river, the Bay of Quinte and the Niagara peninsula.

Today the average annual acreage is approximately 37,000 acres.

Create a decorative Stamp:

This is a fun activity to do with kids, try cutting a potato in half.  Carve a design then start stamping as you would with a wooden stamp and a stamp pad.

Out of Silver Polish, no worries:

Boil a few potatoes in water. Remove the potatoes from the water and save for another use.  Put your silverware in the remaining water and let it sit for about an hour.  Remove the silverware and wash, no more tarnish!

Remove Rust:

Take a raw potato and cut it in half,  rub it on the rusted area, the acid from the potato’s juices will dissolve the rust.  For tough jobs add a little salt.

Soup too salty:

 Have you ever tasted your soup and found it was to salty? Cut a few uncooked potatoes into large chunks and add them to the soup while it is still on the stove.  After about 10 minutes, remove them and the excess salt will have been absorbed by the potatoes.

Five major varieties are grown in Ontario: Bartlett (the overwhelming favorite), Clapp’s Favourite, Anjou, Bosc and Flemish Beauty.

Bartlett, the most common pear world-wide, is bell-shaped, sweet and soft with a light green skin that turns yellow when ripe.

Clapp’s Favourite is similar in shape, with white flesh and exceptional sweetness. Its skin turns golden yellow when ripe.

Anjou is more egg-shaped, very aromatic and mildly sweet; the skin shows only traces of yellow over green when ripe.

Bosc has an elegant elongated shape with a slender neck; fine textured, russet colored and still relatively crunchy when ripe.

Flemish Beauty is roundish, with thick clear yellow skin speckled with red when ripe. The creamy colored flesh becomes meltingly tender when ripe.

Unlike most other fruits, pears don’t ripen well on the tree (these can be soft and mushy at the centre). Pears are harvested when mature and allowed to finish ripening under controlled conditions. However, for Pick Your Own, varieties on dwarfing rootstock are popular and can be picked firm-ripe for final ripening at home.

A ripe pear is relatively firm but gives a little when pressed gently. Coloring should be appropriate to its variety (see varieties above). Good quality pears are smooth-skinned, unshrivelled and free of surface markings.

Ripe pears can spoil easily and their flavor is best when cool. So it’s wise to refrigerate them and use within a couple of days of purchase.