Reading Time: 6 minutes When I first crossed paths with John Weninger, it was 2009, and it was because a contact at a food-service company had told me about Weninger’s sweet potatoes. At the time, Weninger had about 40 of his 300 acres in the crop, and he was selling most of his harvest to grocery stores and the […] Read more
Second look
Adding value to a sweet operation
Reaching for the magic
A shopping trip with CBC food expert Sarah Elton shows why more consumers see her as the real voice
Reading Time: 5 minutes Sarah Elton poses beside a meat cooler inside the Fresh From the Farm store in multi-hued, residential Toronto. We meet early and pause to give the photographer a chance to take a few pictures while the store is still closed, because when the doors do open in 20 minutes, it threatens to be mayhem. If […] Read moreTheir success is no secret
For Natasha (l) and Elysia Vandenhurk, building a business on the basis of a vegetable oil nobody has ever heard of has meant long hours, many miles,
Reading Time: 6 minutes Walking down the aisles I see the posters for nutritional supplements. They all seem to show ripped guys in tank tops and tanned, toned girls. In the crowd, I see anti-GMO pins on lapels, and everywhere I turn I see the words organic and natural on products ranging from tofu and snack bars to Indian […] Read moreFarm Direct
Reading Time: 6 minutes It s a funny thing to remember about the posh event where I first met Fred de Martines, but the striking thing about lunch was all the trendy meat served up with such great fanfare, including cuts that a generation ago we were told to turn up our noses at. Believe me, no one was […] Read more
The “Urban” School Of Food
Reading Time: 5 minutes Joe Nasr (left) starts out by telling me what his course is not about. “It’s not food safety,” says Nasr, instructor in food security at Ryerson University. He explains that the concept encompasses whether people have reliable access to food, whether that food is appropriate, whether it is affordable, and whether it is nutritionally balanced. […] Read more
On Camera
Reading Time: 9 minutes In The Holland Marsh North Of Toronto, Jamie Reaume And The Area’s Vegetable Farmers Are Learning That Becoming A Media Darling Is A Full-Time Job. But, Says Reaume, It’s Worth It I’m doing a television show right now,” Jamie Reaume says over the phone. “And I’m filming tomorrow as well.” Then, Reaume suggests, why don’t […] Read more
On Camera – for Oct. 11, 2010
Reading Time: 9 minutes I m doing a television show right now, Jamie Reaume says over the phone. And I m filming tomorrow as well. Then, Reaume suggests, why don t I come out to the farm and watch anyway. Heck, it could hardly get more nuts. When I ask again to make certain, because tomorrow I d have […] Read more
André Gosselin builds farm-based businesses where none ever existed before
Reading Time: 9 minutes When André Gosselin says that a man of action must be both a man of science and a man of ideas, it’s more than mere words. In fact, Gosselin has been transforming the way an entire province looks at the future of farming with his ability to turn trends and theories into concrete money-makers. Now, […] Read more
Mainstream Ethnic
Reading Time: 7 minutes Loblaw Companies Limited is no stranger to a diverse range of grocery store banners, with well-known names including Loblaws, Zehrs, Fortinos, Real Canadian Superstore, Valu-mart, No frills, and Maxi. Still, it came as a shock last September when the company bought T&T Supermarket, one of Canada’s biggest Asian supermarket chains. Sandra Creighton, public affairs manager […] Read more
Ingrid Marini wants to turn switchgrass from an agricultural trivia question into a big-league crop with a thriving green-energy market. But can she make the switch from farmer to processor? Could you?
Reading Time: 7 minutes When I first catch up with Bio-Combustible International (BCI) in January 2009, the company is planning to start construction of a switchgrass pelletizing plant in St. Armand, Quebec, beginning in March 2009. There’s a buzz in the air because BCI has just hooked up with a yet-to-be-announced partner who can pony up some money. But […] Read more
A message from April Stewart, Country Guide's Associate Editor
