With Ontario Agriculture Week underway and Thanksgiving just around the corner, it's a great time to buy delicious, locally-grown and harvested food and beverages for festive meals to enjoy with family and friends.
Celebrate the harvest this year with these quick tips:
- Turkey Tips - Roast or barbecue a locally-raised turkey and make it the centrepiece of your meal. Add some extra flavour by seasoning your turkey with local garlic, thyme and oregano. Learn the best way to cook a turkey at Turkey Farmers of Ontario's makesitsuper.ca.
- Give Back - Help give all Ontario families the opportunity to enjoy a Thanksgiving meal by donating food items, money or time to your local food bank, food program or another charitable organization.
- Fall's Bounty - Autumn in Ontario means a wide variety of fresh, local fruits and vegetables including apples, cranberries, potatoes and kale. It's also when grapes are harvested to make Ontario wine. Check out what's in season now.
- Snack Seasonal - Make appetizers, soups and desserts using local ingredients. Check out seasonal recipes featured by Foodland Ontario such as crazy corn rolls, warm roasted sweet potato salad and pumpkin pecan fudge.
- Farmers' Markets - Know where to find local products by visiting a farmers' market, on-farm market, pick-your-own farm or farmgate producer. Visit Harvest Ontario and Ontario Farm Fresh to learn more about where to buy local.
- Toast Local - Ontario is home to approximately 140 craft breweries, more than 200 wineries and 19 licenced cider producers. Raise a glass of local beer, wine or cider around the Thanksgiving dinner table.
- Festive Home - Ontario grows a number of plants and flowers that can spruce up your home during the season. Visit pickOntario to find out more about in season plants and flowers such as ornamental indoor cabbage, chrysanthemum and amaryllis.
Source: Ontario