Edible Algoma Raises over $2000.00

Birgit Kroll and Suzanne Hanna from the Algoma Food Network were on hand yesterday to present Calna McGoldrick with a $650.00 donation to help offset some of the costs involved with keeping the Sault Ste Marie Soup Kitchen running. The funds were raised as part of “Edible Algoma” a local food dinner held this past Sunday at the Riverfront Golf Club Restaurant. There were 14 restaurants and producers who participated in this exciting event as well as over 80 guests and volunteers who attended and enjoyed the many varied dishes all using at least one local ingredient.

The dinner raised over $2000.00 for local food banks; Vincent’s Place and the Algoma University Student Food Bank will also receive $650.00 each to help with the upcoming Thanksgiving season.

“This event was a great success” Hanna noted. “It was a chance to educate the public on the subject of food security and generate excitement for the local food movement which is really growing here in the Sault.”

Get on Board the Local Food Movement

Stop! Before you put that fork in your mouth, did you stop to think where the food came from and just how fresh is it?

There is a growing movement across the country that is discovering the abundance of food that is locally grown and produced. Even in Sault Ste. Marie, it is possible to eat locally produced meat and vegetables. To demonstrate that fact, the Algoma Food Network is hosting an “Edible Algoma” dinner on Sunday September 27th at the Sault Ste Marie Golf Club. Proceeds from the dinner will benefit local food banks.

“It’s the best of what we have,” says Brigit Kroll of the Algoma Food Network.

The dinner will feature local produced beef and lamb, as well as a variety of vegetables from local farmers, and even locally made goat cheese.

Kroll said area restaurants were eager to get on board with the dinner. “There is a real excitement about the movement,” says Kroll.

Some of items on the menu include pizza from Solo that will include locally made goat cheese from Honeybrook Farms. Waterfront Inn will turn local vegetables into vegetarian lasagna, and Absolutely Delicious will provide Blueberry Cheesecake squares. Check out the full menu at the end of the article.

But the dinner isn’t just about eating. It is also about education. It’s learning about food security, making sure that everyone is fed, and that there is a safe and bountiful supply of food.

Let’s face it… many us pick up food in the grocery never thinking where it came from or how it was grown. A lot of our food comes from Mexico. You don’t know the time span between picking and it ending up on the shelf.

When you purchase local food, there is a connection. “It’s picked when it’s fresh, not picked to be fresh when it arrives in the store,” says Kroll.

Kroll points out there are three area Farmers Markets, at which locally produced food is available. The Sault Ste. Marie Farmers Market takes place at the Roberta Bondar Pavilion on Saturday mornings. On Saturdays and Wednesdays, there are farmers markets on St. Joseph Island, and there is also one in Desbarats. “Each one is different and unique,” says Kroll.

While we can’t rely on all our food to be local because of the shorter growing season, Kroll says that there is plenty of variety available from local producers. “It’s about doing the best with what we have, and achieving a balance between global and local.”

“Small farmers are very busy,” says Kroll. “Too busy to market their goods.” But that’s where the Algoma Food Network comes in — to provide information to local consumers and increase awareness of local producers.

Kroll calls Edible Algoma a good exercise for the Algoma Food Network to gauge interest in the local food movement.

Kroll says over the winter, the Algoma Food Network will be working on their website as well as putting together a food charter. A food charter is a document that talks about how food is grown and distributed.

There are still tickets available for Sunday’s dinner. Kroll will be selling tickets at the Pavilion’s Farmers Market on Saturday morning, and they are also avaialble at Stone’s on Queen Street.

You can visit the Algoma Food Network online at algomafoodnetwork.wordpress.com to learn more about the local food movement and what is available in Algoma.

view complete article here

Edible Algoma: A Local Food Dinner

From: SooNews.CA

Food banks are always in a time of need, however this year has been particularly rough for local emergency food relief services. Vincent’s Place could be closing its doors as early as this fall due to the double impact of decreased donations from a struggling economy and an increase in hungry residents who need their help more than ever.

To bring awareness to this community need, the Algoma Food Network will be hosting a local food dinner, Edible Algoma, on Sunday September 27th 4-7PM at the Sault Ste. Marie Golf Club Restaurant. With the aid of local food producers, retailers, and consumers, the dinner will raise funds for local emergency food relief organizations, including the Algoma University Student Food Bank.

By including all aspects of the local “food chain”, the Algoma Food Network hopes to educate the public of the importance of locally produced food. Representatives will be available from local food banks, farmer’s markets, community gardens, NORDIK Institute / Algoma University, Penokean Hills Farms, and community supported agriculture groups. Edible Algoma is not just a fundraiser; it is meant to be an experience for the community to build relationships and learn more about the local food system.

Tickets are available at $30 each from Stone’s Office Supply (529 Queen St. E.) For more information, please contact Birgit Kroll at: (705) 945-1538

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Edible Algoma News Release for SooNews.ca Tuesday, September 15, 2009, 2:25PM

Food banks are always in a time of need, however this year has been particularly rough for local emergency food relief services. Vincent’s Place could be closing its doors as early as this fall due to the double impact of decreased donations from a struggling economy and an increase in hungry residents who need their help more than ever. To bring awareness to this community need, the Algoma Food Network will be hosting a local food dinner, Edible Algoma, on Sunday September 27th 4-7PM at the Sault Ste. Marie Golf Club Restaurant. With the aid of local food producers, retailers, and consumers, the dinner will raise funds for local emergency food relief organizations, including the Algoma University Student Food Bank. By including all aspects of the local “food chain”, the Algoma Food Network hopes to educate the public of the importance of locally produced food. Representatives will be available from local food banks, farmer’s markets, community gardens, NORDIK Institute / Algoma University, Penokean Hills Farms, and community supported agriculture groups. Edible Algoma is not just a fundraiser; it is meant to be an experience for the community to build relationships and learn more about the local food system. Story Continues Below… &amp;amp;amp;lt;a href=’http://www.soonews.ca/spon/adclick.php?n=a956633f’ target=’_blank’&amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;lt;img src=’http://www.soonews.ca/spon/adview.php?what=zone:20&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;n=a956633f’ border=’0′ alt=”&amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;gt; // <![CDATA[ if (typeof phpAds_adg == 'undefined') { document.write(''); } // ]]> Tickets are available at $30 each from Stone’s Office Supply (529 Queen St. E.) For more information, please contact Birgit Kroll at: (705) 945-1538 or visit: www.algomafoodnetwork.wordpress.com

Food Safety – Why it Matters and What’s Happening Locally

Everyone deserves access to safe, nutritious, affordable food.

So the Algoma Food Network has given priority status to the task of developing and getting City Council to approve a local food charter.

Establishing a local food charter would decrease the necessity for those in need to resort to emergency food providers such as soup kitchens and food banks by upholding the right of access to adequate, nutritious food through income, housing, employment and transportation policies.

A food charter would also promote community partnerships, food safety and nutrition programs, advocate agriculture and environmental responsibility and support multiculturalism by fostering civic culture.

Suzanne Hanna of the Allard Street Community Garden, Birgit Knoll, chair of the Algoma Food Network, public health dietician Tracey Perri, and Mara DeFazio from the Red Cross Community Kitchens program (not shown) all spoke last week at a community cafe on local food security.

Held under the shade structure at the Allard Street Community Garden next to the Red Cross office, the public information session was presented by the Community Quality Improvement Environmental Task Force to share ideas and encourage public involvement.

While each speaker touched on varying aspects of local food security including sustainability, advocacy, education, agricultural and environmental concerns, and existing relief actions such as community kitchens, food banks and nutrition programs, they all reflected on one common long-term goal – to develop and present a local food charter to City Council.

Although a food charter may be some way off, there’ve already been steps towards local sustainable food solutions such as community gardens, community kitchens and the Algoma Farmers’ Market.

And the idea of supporting local producers is beginning to percolate among grocers, institutions and restaurants.

However, Birgit Knoll told the audience that we import 53 percent of our vegetables and almost 100 percent of fruit. “Ontario imports $4 billion more than it exports,” Knoll said. “And that includes produce such as tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers and apples… all food that grows plentiful here. For every apple we export, we import five, and for pears it’s one out and 700 in. Our so-called fresh food can take days, maybe even weeks to get to our tables.”

Should these trends continue, they may eventually threaten our ability to produce nutritious foods.

As defined by the World Food Summit in 1996: “Food security exists when all people, at all times, have physical and economic access to enough safe and nutritious food to meet their dietary needs and food preferences for an active and healthy lifestyle.”

To provide a little taste of what the Algoma Food Network is all about, it’s hosting Edible Algoma, a local food dinner with numerous local producers and restaurants taking part.

The event takes place on Sunday, September 27 from 4 to 7 p.m. at the Sault Ste. Marie Golf Club.

Tickets are $30 each and may be purchased at Stone’s Office Supply (529 Queen Street East) and the Algoma Farmers’ Market at Robert Bondar Park on Saturday from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m.

For more information, click here.

To become involved in the Allard Street Community Garden or help develop an Algoma food charter, contact Suzanne Hanna at (705) 759-2893 or wildgardener@shaw.ca.

For more information about the Community Kitchens program, contact the Community Kitchen Coordinator at the Red Cross office at (705) 759-4547.

http://sootoday.com/content/news/full_story.asp?StoryNumber=41666

Algoma Food Network presents: Edible Algoma – Local Food Dinner

Sunday September 27th
4-7PM
Sault Ste. Marie Golf Club Restaurant

Featuring an array of delicious appetizers, entrees, and desserts prepared using fresh, local ingredients.

Celebrate and learn more about the local food movement. Lend your support to feed our community!

All proceeds support the Algoma Food Network and local food banks.

Tickets $30 (Only 100 Available)

Tickets available at Stone’s Office Supply (529 Queen St. E.)
To reserve, e-mail: marnie.stone@shaw.ca

Sootoday Article – Sylvan Valley Farms & Edible Algoma

By Carol Martin
SooToday.com
Thursday, June 18, 2009

Fledgling farmers Melanie and Martti Lemieux have put down roots in Sylvan Valley, just out behind Echo Bay.

They’ve planted a one-acre market garden of vegetables. And they are preparing for delivery of their Icelandic sheep.

Icelandic sheep, we’re told, are treasured for their meat, fibre and milk.

“The sheep have evolved over 1,100 years under difficult farming conditions in Iceland, with a resultant sturdy and efficient constitution,” says a fact sheet on the breed. “A defining quality of the Icelandic breed is the ability to survive on pasture and browse.”

These very qualities led the Lemieuxes to purchase enough Iceland sheep stock to start a herd in the Algoma area. The sheep will be arriving some time in July, Martti said.

The couple moved from Toronto to Sylvan Valley in October 2008, to farm vegetables and raise sheep, because they started to ask questions about where their food comes from when their first son, Kian, arrived five years ago. “We started as co-producers, purchasing from farmers to prepare our own food,” says Martti, who’s originally from the Sault. “Then, we got into watching them, helping them until finally we became farmers.”

Shortly after Kian was born, Martti and Melanie decided they wanted to return to this area and farm for a living. But it took some doing. Neither of them had any direct experience with farming before Kian was born. But they’ve thrown themselves into it and were happy to find a vibrant community of like-minded people at Algoma University last night.

The Algoma Food Network hosted a public event, Edible Algoma, in the Great West Life Amphitheatre to seek the public’s input on its plans for growth. “The local food movement has planted its roots and is growing bigger each year across Canada and the U.S.,” said incoming Algoma Food Network chair Birgit Kroll. “In the Algoma District, consumers have demonstrated their eagerness to embrace local foods through farmers markets, community-supported agriculture, community gardens and businesses.”

Seeing more people become involved in the network makes Kroll happy.

The goal of the Algoma Food Network is to connect local food producers with consumers, she said, and adding new producers to the network is good for everyone.

Among the issues discussed in the open-forum part of the event were advocacy for local food producers, education for consumers and the area farmers markets.

One participant suggested the Algoma Food Network organize a hundred-mile supper to help raise awareness of local food producers and, at the same time, raise funds for a charity.

Martti Lemieux asked whether organic certification was important and whether there were any other food producers there who were interested in creating some food-processing facilities, particularly a grainery.

The Lemieuxes plan to grow several grain products and are interested in processing their product locally for their own use (to feed their sheep) or to sell locally. “We want to make the farm self-sustaining and more stable, to limit our reliance on outside feed sources,” Martti said. It’s also important for the couple to know where the feedstocks they are are feeding their sheep come from, what they are and what’s been done to them.

The Lemieuxes are starting from scratch at their farm and they’re seeking organic certification right out of the gate. They say their soil is not the best but they are exploring different ways of improving it naturally and they chose the breed of sheep they did so they wouldn’t have to rely completely on grain to feed them.

They also say they want to provide healthy, safe, nutrient-rich foods for all three of their children and for other families in the region. As Kian, Aidan and Nora grow, the Lemieuxs hope they will be nourished by the food their parents grow and by the relationships their parents continue to nourish with other food producers and consumers brought together by the Algoma Food Network.

They hope to grow their farm to include chickens and pigs, while the Algoma Food Network hopes to grow a directory of local food producers and a calendar of events.

Edible Algoma

The local food movement has planted its roots and is growing bigger each year across Canada and the U.S.

Here in Algoma, consumers have been eager to embrace local foods through farmer’s markets, community supported agriculture, community gardens, and businesses such as Penokean Hills Farms.

The Algoma Food Network has worked hard at becoming an invaluable resource to this movement by connecting local food producers to consumers since 2007 and would like to continue this partnership in the years to come.

So to address this growning trend, the Algoma Food Network needs to expand and would like the public to help.

The Algoma Food Network will be hosting a public event, Edible Algoma, on June 17, 2009 7PM at the Great West Life Amphitheatre in Algoma University.  At this meeting, the Network will be presenting its current priorities and will host an open forum. The network is also announcing a change in leadership, with the appointment of Birgit Kroll as chair. Lee-Ann Chevrette, the former chair, has recently moved to Thunder Bay.

The Algoma Food Network is dedicated to building and maintaining a network of local food producers and consumers through education, advocacy, action, and relationship building.

See What Your Neighbour Knows & Grows!

Northern Ontario Agri-Food Education & Marketing Inc. presents a showcase event of local food producers, “See What Your Neighbour Knows & Grows!”

When: Friday, April 24 & Saturday, April 25, 2009
Where: Station Mall Centre Court, Bay Street, Sault Ste. Marie.

See displays by Algoma Sheep and Lamb Producers, Northern Ontario Agri-Food Education & Marketing Inc., Junior Farmers, 4-H, Algoma Cattlemen’s, Algoma Milk Producers, St. Joseph Island Plowmen’s Association, Bison Producers, Alpaca Producers, and more!

Northern Ontario Agri-Food Education & Marketing Inc. educates consumers, processors and retailers on the agri-food industry in Northern Ontario while assisting producers with marketing initiatives.

SooToday Article: Local abattoir is bouncing back

By Carol Martin
SooToday.com
Wednesday, April 15, 2009

Northern Quality Meats is progressing well with its recovery plan and has the support of the farmers who depend on it to get their product to local markets, says Tim Harris, chair of the troubled Desbarats-based abattoir.

Last week several members of the slaughterhouse’s board sat down with the people at Algoma University who are helping them with their business plan.

“Low cash flow since late last year put us in a bind,” Harris said. “We’ve been having some trouble keeping up.”

Harris says it’s too early to speculate on what direction the Sault area’s only abattoir will take in the future.

But there are a few items at the top of his to-do list.

The business plan is the most pressing task ahead for Northern Quality Meats, which currently employs five full-time and eight part-time staff.

During the busiest times of the year, te business has employed more than a dozen for temporary full-time work.

The main goals of the business plan will be to build a market for local meat products, to provide buyers with a consistent supply of product and to find ways to mediate cash-flow issues in a largely seasonal business, particularly by exploring value-added processes.

Harris said cash-flow issues have left Northern Quality Meats vulnerable, and Algoma University is looking into ways to access grants or loans to revitalize it and set it back on the path to viability.

One major contributing factor in the abattoir’s cash problems has been the world economy and demand for leather products.

“It’s normally slower in January, February and March,” Harris said. “That’s why we’ve come to kind of depend on selling hides in China in November.”

But last year, no one wanted hides and Northern Quality Meats took a major hit.

“With these cash-flow problems we haven’t been able to purchase as much product,” he said.

And without a consistent flow of product to the market, the abattoir loses customers when they go looking for what they need elsewhere.

But the abattoir has experienced a high degree of support from the 200 or so local farmers for whom it processes cattle and poultry.

Support that was demonstrated tangibly at a meeting on April 2.

“We had a lot of good general ideas and suggestions come out of our meeting,” Harris tells SooToday.com. “We kind of knew we had support. But now we know for sure where we stand.”

Harris said that several farmers at the meeting offered to volunteer to help with marketing, research and anything else that needed to be done for the business plan.

Some also offered to prepay some of their future processing costs.

Harris said the board we will work with the abattoir manager to collect what is necessary for the successful short-term operation of the plant.

He’s positive that this support, combined with the expertise being offered from Algoma University, will pull a viable plan together in time to revive the abattoir.

It’s vital to area farmers, he said, and to anyone in the area who wants to buy local meat.

“[The next closest abattoir] is just too far away for farmers to send their animals to be inspected, slaughtered and sent back,” he said. “The cost would be prohibitive.”

Northern Quality Meats is not the only abattoir experiencing difficulties, either.

“A lot of abattoirs have closed,” Harris said.

It’s very costly and difficult to keep up with all the ongoing changes demanded by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, and Harris said that other abattoirs simply haven’t been able to continue.

Northern Quality Meats, on the other hand, could be revived just in time to take advantage of a trend toward buying and eating local foods, if a good plan is implemented soon, he said.

Harris said there’s a growing desire to know where the meat we eat comes from, how the animals lived and what’s been done to the meat between field and table.

Northern Quality Meats could be in a position to provide answers to those questions and to the perpetual question of what’s for dinner very soon.

The full text of a media release from Northern Quality Meats follows.

********************
Northern Quality Meats, the only local abattoir within 200 miles, has been dealing with a cash-flow problem.

Like almost all small agricultural operations in today’s environment, it operates on a very narrow margin.

The collapse of the market for beef hides recently as the price plummeted from $35 (once as high as $90) to $5 each hide, created difficulties in what is traditionally the least-busy season, from January to March.

Northern Quality Meats was purchased out of bankruptcy in the year 2000 by 30 individuals, almost all farmers, who believed the facility was crucial to the agricultural community.

The shareholders elect a 10-member board, which administers the business, contributing their time as unpaid volunteers.

Seeking creative solutions, the board invited shareholders and local farmers to a meeting on April 2 in Bruce Station.

Over 80 people attended offering a wide range of suggestions.

One which can be of immediate help to the cash-flow problem was a suggestion that farmers pay now for service they intend to use in the busy season.

The board is processing all suggestions and is developing a business plan with the help of Algoma University and other financial advisors.

The board continues to believe the abattoir is crucial to this area.

Without it, no local meat will be available to Sault Ste. Marie and area consumers without it, and all animals except those for farm families will have to be sent to Sudbury or further for processing.