What's in your glass?

The owner of Quidi Vidi Brewery says his beer is being left out of the local restaurant market due to competition with big international products.

An ad cropped up in the Weekend Telegram newspaper accusing big franchises like Boston Pizza and the Keg of selling mostly foreign-owned beer brands.

Quidi Vidi says that they are one of the very few real local brands left in Newfoundland. Older brands, such as Dominion and Blue Star, have been bought by bigger companies, such as Molsen and Lebatt, and money spent on them does not go directly back into the Newfoundland economy.

You can read more about this via CBC.

A response comes on the Signal Blog which hits the nail on the head: the new ad blames others for the situation instead of inciting us to enjoy more local brew.

Do you know what you're eating?

Think St. John's (and Newfoundland in general) is a barren wasteland unable to sustain even the smallest of homegrown produce or food activism? Think again!

There is a local group in St. John's called FEASt (Food Education Action St. John's). From their website, they are "a working collective of individuals and organizations taking action on local, sustainable food issues. Formed in Fall 2007, FEASt is a volunteer-run initiative affiliated to the provincial Food Security Network with almost 300 listserv members currently."

St. John's Safer Soil Project was created by Lori Heath to educate people about the problem of toxins in local soil. A 2003 study showed high lead levels in St. John's soil and this scared a lot of people off backyard gardening. The Safer Soil Project aims to educate about soil testing, growing in raised beds, and using container gardening techniques. More about the project can be found in this Scope article.

Here's more on gardening in lead-laden soil.

The Community Garden Alliance just held their AGM (June 28, 2009) where concerned individuals met to discuss local gardening needs, learn about organic growing, and enjoy some great grub. The Alliance's best-known project is the Rabbittown Community Garden which is an urban garden devoted to community-based organic growing and sharing.

Memorial University's Botanical Gardens has a huge variety of resources regarding local food growing, composting, harvesting, etc. The garden staff offer free lunchtime lectures, composting workshops, and in August there will be an edible plant hike which promises to be very educational and fun.

The Newfoundland Horticultural Society is also a wealth of information for budding gardeners. The group meets every Tuesday evening during the fall, winter and spring months at St. David's Church Hall on Elizabeth Ave. You can learn from other gardeners, take part in workshops, participate in "bring and buy" sales, and receive their newsletter. The Society's annual vegetable sale is coming up in September.

So what are you waiting for? Get involved in a community garden project or start growing your own food! For some extra encouragement, here are some links from the NL Environment Network:
Conservation Corps of Newfoundland
Environmental Conservation Commission
Food Security Network
MUN's Sustainability Centre
Oxfam Canada

Coffeeeee

Just found this new blog called Signal and it has a break-down of some local coffee spots. Start percolating!

Summer drinkin'

A post by a blog I just discovered, A Wicked Scoff, has got me thinking about summer refreshment. Of the beer variety. We don't have a lot of local beer, but for a province and population as small as ours there's enough to go around.

Also a note of interest for anyone not familiar with our province: we can buy locally made beers in corner stores and gas stations as well as at provincially-run liquor stores.

India considers itself an India Pale Ale and is golden, mildly carbonated and has a grainy/straw taste. It's a favorite for young folk and hipsters downtown. Brewed by Molson, it features a portrait of a Newfoundland Dog on the label.

Other Molson beers unique to this province are Black Horse, Molson Extra, and Dominion Ale.

Quidi Vidi brewery in the village of Quidi Vidi in St. John's offers several types of beer and often experiments with limited offerings. There's QV, QV Light which are crisp and mildly hoppy. Eric's Red is the cream ale of the group and is heavier but still tasty. 1892 is a sweet amber ale for those who like a full beer. Honey Brown and Honey Brown Light are sweet and I have found only select customers like this one...but those who do like it are loyal. Quidi Vidi has recently started brewing an excellent Iceberg beer which is fresh, crisp and refreshing made from glacial water from icebergs. The downside is it's only available in a 4-bottle-pack and costs more than your average beer.

Storm also has several varieties: Irish Newfoundland Red Ale, Island Gold Ale, Coffee Porter, Raspberry Wheat Ale, Hemp Ale. These beers are pretty easy to find in St. John's restaurants (especially downtown) and stores.

Yellow Belly on Water St. offers four microbrews which you can order in their pub/restaurant or order in 1 or 2 liter bottles to take home. These are fresh tasting and cover most tastes of beer drinkers. First there's St. John's Stout, Fighting Irish (a red ale), Wexford Wheat (which they often serve with lime), and the signature Yellow Belly Pale Ale.

Labatt makes Blue Star here in the province, a nice fruity, light and hoppy offering. It also makes Jockey Club which is a stronger (though light) American style beer also popular by younger folks and die-hard fans. And though it's not from Newfoundland, you can find Alexender Keiths beer in corner stores in this provinces because it is produced and bottled by Labatt.

For more about local beer, have a look at this article.

Did I miss your favorite local brew? Let me know and I'll add it to the list.

Farm news

The St. John's Farmers' Market will be opening this weekend on Saturday June 6 from 9am-2pm at the Lion’s Club Chalet on Bonaventure Avenue.

Interested citizens in town have been wanting a farmers' market for quite some time. An interest group formed two years ago and had some hiccups with location changes and getting interest from farmers and producers. At this time of year, you'll find more crafts and hand-made goods than actual produce. But that shouldn't stop you from heading down there...you might just pick up a lovely homemade pie or unique local jewelery.

If you're looking for the real-deal farm experience, you should head to Lester's Farm on Brookfield Rd. or the Organic Farm in Portugal Cove-St. Phillip's.

Did I miss a farm spot? Let me know!

Keep it Local

I visited the 18th annual Manufactured Right Here exhibition this past weekend at the Remax Centre. It's always encouraging to see the growing list of products made here in our province. Ours is a place in the world where it can be difficult to get certain products (such as fresh produce as an example) due to transportation issues and other headaches. It was great to see the number of products and services coming from our own backyards.

I saw lots of locally-made items from clothing to windows; from cabinets to milk and other food items.

Here is an excerpt from an online address given by the Newfoundland and Labrador Vice-President of Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters:
"Buying locally-made goods means investment in our economy, and it means employment for all regions of our province. Every $1 of manufacturing output in Newfoundland & Labrador it generates $2.54 in total economic activity – the largest economic multiplier of any sector! For every $110,000 worth of product made here, we directly create one full-time job, and another one and half spin-off jobs.

But there are many other good reasons to buy locally-made products, in addition to the social and economic benefit to the community. Many are food products – so they are fresher, more flavourful, and reflect local trends in tastes. Large products, like furniture and mattresses often have reduced transportation costs, because they are made here. If you need after sales support, training or service, being close counts. Many of our products are unique – you just won’t find them elsewhere."

Just found: a blog about local NL products!

100 Mile Challenge

The Food Network Canada has begun the 100 mile challenge where they're promoting using food grown, produced and sold within 100 miles of your home. (Why it's not 100 KMs I don't know.) But it's an interesting concept and it piqued my interest as I think this would be difficult to do here in Newfoundland.

Our province doesn't have a wide array of foods locally grown but there are some and the Food Network's website has a list of some qualifying resources for local food. There are 11 on the list from NL (compared to 88 in New Brunswick and a whopping 257 in Ontario) but the site is worth a look to find out more about local growers and producers right here at home. You'll also find recipe ideas, tips and stories shared by those participating in the challenge all over the country.