Buy Canadian First - Your destination for good shopping

Here in Peterborough, once Spring arrives, we are lucky enough to have a Farmer’s Market twice a week on Saturday and Wednesday mornings. It's a great place to pick-up Canadian products of all kinds. No doubt there are Farmer’s Markets where you live, too. They are a wonderful way to get local fresh produce and to meet some of the people who grow our food!

  

In Manitoba, Peak of the Market is a grower-owned, “not for profit” vegetable supplier. This Buy Canadian First member has been growing and supplying over 120 different varieties of vegetables for the last 68 years. (Now I want to sit down and see if I can come up with the names of 120 vegetables!). Peak of the Market is so well-known for its quality produce, that even traditional vegetable growing locales such as California, Florida, Texas and Washington buy from Peak of the Market. So do produce buyers from  Asia, Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean. Apparently, Peak of the Market vegetables taste really, really great!

Peak of the Market combines technology with Mother Nature to preserve produce in one of the most technologically advanced storage programs anywhere in North America! Because of this, they can actually provide Canadian vegetables year round. Their controlled environment storage facilities make it possible for them to keep vegetables like beets, cabbage, carrots, onions, parsnips, potatoes and shallots in a state of peak deliciousness!

Forty Manitoba family farms grow for Peak of the Market, and the folks there are proud of the fact that they have earned a reputation for excellent quality and really outstanding customer service. As a matter of fact, their quality standards exceed the national standards and they were one of the first produce suppliers to have a toll-free consumer response line! Over 1,000 people are employed by Peak of the Market and their growers, and over 70 million dollars a year goes into the Canadian economy because of them. You can listen to their weekly radio show every Sunday if you live in Manitoba or you can check out their Recipe of the Day, no matter where you live!

Do you know any of the people who grow your vegetables?

:: images courtesy of Buy Canadian First member Peak of the Market

Services is out. Culture is in.

Thanks to commenter Natalie, I've changed things up for the month of May. This month I'm adding ‘culture' to the mix.

What do I mean by ‘culture'? Anything cultural that doesn't fit into one of my other media categories (TV, movies, books, magazines and music). To start, I'll only be seeing Canadian live performances-theatre, ballet, opera, author readings and so forth-for the rest of the year.

This will be a bit of a sacrifice, because I attend a lot of theatre. So, it's prairies and raven tricksters for me for the rest of the year. I joke, but when I was in theatre school, it seemed to me that every Canadian play I worked on was either set in a depressed, wind-blasted, incest-riven prairie farm house or on a depressed, wind-blasted First Nations reserve where some traditionally-clad bird dancer hovered over the action. Add in Canadian theatre's love of historical dramas, and we rarely see a play set in a contemporary Canadian city. There's always Brad Fraser, I suppose. I just checked, and none of the 2011 plays at either of Vancouver's biggest theatres, the Arts Club or the Playhouse, qualify as Canadian. I'll have to seek out some smaller venues.

And then there are cultural institutions. I have a membership to the Vancouver Art Gallery. For the rest of the year, I can only look at Canadian works of art. I'll be really sorry to miss this Eadweard Muybridge exhibit, for example. Cursed Welshman. A few weeks ago I was in Quebec City, and took care to only look at Canadian paintings at the Musée national des beaux-arts du Québec. I spent my time looking at Jean-Paul Riopelle's work, and the Modernist review in Salle 7. I'll do the same when visiting the Vancouver Art Gallery for the rest of the year.

What foreign culture would you miss if you went all-Canadian for a year?

Photo shows Kevin MacDonald in the Arts Club Theatre Company's production of Paradise Garden, a Canadian show I saw last year. Photo by Ross Den Otter.

Read comments here.

Blog post re-printed with kind permission from  Darren Barefoot - 1Y1C.

Around my place, bikes are the #1 form of transportation and sparkly new handlebar streamers are one of the first signs of Spring! (This year's colours are dark blue and silver). My bike helps me to take off what I call my ‘Winter fat'. You know, the fat that layered sweaters, coats and scarves have been hiding from the world for the past few months! My bike also keeps a smile on my face and gets me where I want to go, pronto! I'm very dependent on my bike and would be lost without it.

Women's Equipe cycling jersey made in Canada by Louis Garneau

A recent Canadian Health Measures Statistics Canada Survey reported the lowest Canadian fitness levels in recorded history. There's no excuse for that! Bike riding is such a fun, easy and affordable way to get some exercise on your own or with your family. It's entertainment and exercise in one shiny package! Learning how to maintain your bike is also fun and easy and you can find local bike workshops to attend or pick up maintenance tips on the internet.

With gas prices as high as they are, and no signs of relief in site, riding your bike to work is starting to look better and better to more people! Many communities are getting involved in Bike to Work week and even stretching out related activities all month. On Monday May 30, 2011, various cities across Ontario are coordinating events to celebrate Bike to Work Day.  It also marks the beginning of Toronto's Bike Month events.  These events are community-driven and take place City-wide through June.

You can browse upcoming events, or register your event online.

 Flare Bike made in Canada by Rocky Mountain Bicycles

CAN-BIKE is a program which offers cycling courses to young cyclists and adults, from the basics for those who cannot ride a bike, to more advanced courses. Can-Bike also offers Kids Can-Bike Camps.

Do you ride a bike?

:: images courtesy of Buy Canadian First members Louis Garneau and Rocky Mountain Bicycles.

Purity is hard to find. That's been one of the lessons of the first five months of this project. It's really, really difficult to find products that were designed, sourced and manufactured in Canada. I've only achieved this gold-standard with a few household cleaners and toilet paper.

Now, thanks to a little company in Golden, BC (population: 3811, not counting bears and cougars), I can add soap to that list. Kate from Apple Island Naturals heard about my project, and was inspired to make soap entirely sourced in Canada. And she was serious about it. Here's where the source materials came from:

The lye comes from one of two manufacturers. One is in Quebec and the other is in Ontario. My supplier uses both manufacturers, so he couldn't really narrow it down for me any further. The essential oils were manufactured in Montreal from trees grown in Ontario and Quebec. The base oils were manufactured in Saskatchewan from plants grown in Saskatchewan and Alberta. The melted snow (and don't worry, it was definitely clean snow!) came from my backyard.

Canadian right down to the melted snow. Now that's what English soccer commentators call "a result". I bought a bunch of bars, and it's working very well for me. I smell so Canadian.

Kate kindly sent along some samples of some of the other, not-entirely-Canadian soaps. I'm giving them away over on the 1Y1C Facebook page. All you have to do is leave a comment here, and you'll be entered to win three bars of Apple Island soap.

Read comments here.

Blog post re-printed with kind permission from  Darren Barefoot - 1Y1C.

Moving: a 6-letter word that describes the epitome of stress and madness! May is traditionally 'Moving Month' and I have moved alot in my 36 years; in and out of various dwellings, out of the country and back again, from cities to small towns and now, well, this time it's a little different. I'm moving at the end of the month, but this move comes in a big heart shaped box of bittersweet "what ifs" and "should haves", apprehension and relief, gooey centres and some nuts. It is what it is and you know what?  The kids and I will be just fine.

My new pad was built in 1897-98 and I will be residing in what was once the kitchen of a french convent. The suite has been modified to become an apartment; massive rooms and all the storage space a girl could dream of. It needs a little TLC but don't we all? Speaking of TLC, one of my moving rules is to pay attention to my health. So, I have bumped up my vitamin C intake and have added complex B vitamins for my sanity and vitamin D for good measure. I buy vitamins from our member Jamieson , because they are conveniently located at the supermarket, are made of natural sources with no artificial colours or flavours and they are made in Canada!

So how can we make the move smooth?  I do most things on the fly and moving is no exception but I have kept a moving journal for most of my moves. Buy Canadian First member Ecojot  has great books that are 100% recycled! They are perfect for collecting phone numbers, to do lists, utility hook up appointments, your new address and more. It helps me to keep everything in one place and eliminates the possible stresses of having misplaced or lost any vital information.

Great to be back in Ottawa! I love that city, especially now that my stepson and his family have moved there. We're always looking for an excuse to visit and hang out with Junior (baby Kevin, 14 months old and ADORABLE). Yes, I'm a Step-Grandma and loving it! But I digress...;-)

I had a blast on /A\ Morning, showing-off some great products made in Canada, as usual! Today's theme was Outdoor Living...and hoping for sunnier skies!

You can watch the video here.

Featured were:

Gardening tools and accessories made by Garant in Quebec. I was blown away to learn that this company has been manufacturing in Canada  for 116 years! That's amazing! We featured their Botanica line of tools designed for smaller spaces... or smaller hands! Love that lime green, don't you?

And what about that cute Tubby, to carry around the garden when you're weeding, raking, fertilizing, etc. Just hose it down when you're done! 

Solid maple baseball bats made by Sam Bat in Ottawa. This is a true success story. Not only does this company supply baseball bats to the MLB, but they also export to over a dozen countries where Baseball is king! Plus, Sam Bats are the official baseball bats of Australian Baseball!  Just fantastic! The bat featured this morning, the 2K1 (or 73) is the same model as the one used by Barry Bonds to break the record of most home runs in one season!

A summer classic: Mr. Freeze, made by Kisko in Ontario. Makers of everyone's favourite frozen treat since 1977, Kisko is forever etched in our childhood memories as the best way to cool down on a hot summer's day! New this year, 2 healthy additions to their product line: The Welch's frozen juice bars and the Kisko Plus which has added calcium and Vitamin D. The kiddies will never know something that tastes so good is also good for them!

And finally, the most gorgeous summer dress I have ever worn: a tie-front dress made by Lundstrom in Ontario. Part of their new Lundstrom Collection, it is a real pleasure to wear: beautiful fabric, great design and soooooo comfortable! Originally founded in 1974 by the award-winning designer Linda Lundstrom, the company operates a state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in Toronto. Check-out their latest collection here.

As always, the crew of /A\ Morning, headed by Producer Extraordinaire Ziyada Callender, do a great job of supporting their immediate community as well as embracing the greater Canadian picture. Koodos and thanks for a great time! See you next month for great Father's Day gift ideas...made in Canada!

What about you, are you getting ready for summer (or Spring at least) ?

Images courtesy of Buy Canadian First members Garant, Sam Bat, Kisko and Lundstrom.

If someone were to mention Victoria Day Weekend or "May Two Four" to me, the first things that would come to mind are BEER, BBQ and PARTY!

Victoria Day Weekend has always been a party holiday where you get together with friends, sit outside, start up the BBQ, maybe for the first time this year, and just enjoy the sunshine.

When my husband and I moved out of our apartment and into a house (when I was 8 months pregnant with twins), the very first purchase we made was a BBQ for our deck! We've already run our BBQ almost into the ground in the 3 years since we've gotten it. One BBQ that I've been drooling over lately on the Buy Canadian First website is the Canadian made Outdoor Grill Napoleon. I see it's received a 5 star review!

Before starting that first BBQ of the season, be sure to read through Health Canada's Food Safety Tips for Barbecuing. Their tips include fantastic information on Internal Cooking Temperatures - something you can never tell by the look of the meat, especially on the BBQ.

Something I've already been researching while dreaming about a new BBQ is something I tried for the first time last year - corn on the BBQ. Until last year, I had only had corn come out of a pot of boiling water, but on the BBQ it's even more delicious!! There's many ways to cook corn on the BBQ including...

- peel the corn, put a spicy rub on it and wrap it in aluminum foil

- soak the corn in water for 20 minutes with the husk still on then throw them on the BBQ

- soak the corn in water for 20 minutes with the husk still on but then take the outer husk off leaving just the silk and then head to the grill with them

- peel the corn, wrap in a strip of uncooked bacon and pop them on the BBQ (this is very, very yummy)

Serve with some salt and butter, grab a bottle of Labbatt's and pull up a chair!

What are some ways you celebrate Victoria Day Weekend?

by Stacey Kazmir

Images courtesy of Buy Canadian First members Outdoor Grill Napoleon, Maple Leaf Bacon, Jardinique.

I love hearing about inventive moms who turn problems into opportunities and Carmen Gerrard, of CGHart Design and Marketing, in British Columbia, is just such a person. Despite being a single mom at the time, with a permanent disability as the result of a car accident and a full-time job, Carmen started and grew her own Made-in-Canada company. At the same time, she also raised two successful and ambitious young women!

       Soap Friction 

How did it all start? When Carmen's first daughter was a toddler, her little hands had a hard time holding a wet bar of soap in the bath. Eureka! The Soap Buddy (now the Soap Friction) was born and the problem of slippery soap was solved!

 
                                 Gym Bag II 

As they grew, Carmen's daughters provided the inspiration for another product and the Gym Bag, with exterior mesh pocket for stinky runners, was developed. The Gym Bag was the first of an entire line of original poly-mesh products for CG Hart Design and Marketing, all made in Canada! The Gym Bag II is the latest version to hit stores and, like all of Carmen's bags, you can buy them online.

:: images courtesy of Buy Canadian First member CG Hart Design and Marketing

Have you heard of Pinterest? Pinterest is a platform to visually catalog things that you love. Their goal is to change the way people discover everything, from the products they buy, to the places they visit. They are currently in private beta, but millions of people already use Pinterest to plan their weddings, decorate their homes, and find gifts for friends. Right now, Pinterest is by invite only, but you can find out more by emailing Ben and requesting an invitation.

 

                 Made in Canada Backyard

I love Pinterest! It’s like my own cork board online, that I can PIN my INTERESTS to. I use it to compare prices on the same items, to create wish lists and even to make detailed dream boards! It’s a kabillion times better for me than ‘Favorites’ or ‘Bookmarks’ to keep track of what I’m interested in online. Think about how cool it would be to pin your weekly meal plan up, your favourite books or day trips you want to make!

The easiest way to pin an item is to use the Pin It bookmark. You can add it to your browser so that you can grab an image from any website and pin it to one of your pinboards. Then Pinterest automatically grabs the source link so that the original creator can be credited!

.

To show you how cool it is, I made a Pinterest Board of what I would love to have in our back yard. I went to Google and specified that the items had to be Made in Canada, of course. So my searches looked like “made in Canada deck pond’ or 'made in Canada hammock’. Then, when I found something that I liked, I pinned it to my Board! Voila!

.

What do you think of this as a way to shop?

.

:: images courtesy of Buy Canadian First member Lee Valley, For the Birds Nature Shop, Sears Canada ,  Cedar Shed and The Modern Shop .

Is the yard and garden constantly on your mind at this time of the year? It is on mine, so I was grateful to find free advice from some of my green-thumbed heroes, on the Canadian Premier Tech website.

                                      CIL Grass Seed 

Mark Cullen, Frankie Flowers and Albert Mondor, gurus of the Canadian gardening world, share seasonal tips and tricks on this great site, to help jump-start your growing season. There is also an entire section called "Be a Better Gardener"  with articles and videos about every thing from what your lawn needs in each season to how to deal with pesky, uninvited pests.  

Premier Tech Home & Garden (formerly known as Sure-Gro), is a leading supplier in the Canadian Home and Garden industry. Their Canadian-made products  include fertilizer, grass seed, pest control, landscape fabric and ice melter. You can find them anywhere that sells garden supplies and hardware.

 

 

Premier Tech really strives to take the guesswork out of gardening, leaving room for more time to enjoy the fruit of your labour. Products are OMRI certified. The Organic Materials Review Institute (OMRI) provides organic certifiers, growers, manufacturers, and suppliers an independent review of products intended for use in certified organic production, handling, and processing. We are careful about what we use in the garden, so the OMRI certification is very reassuring!

Do you have a garden care schedule in place?

:: images courtesy of Buy Canadian First member, Premier Tech.

I have been reading the most fantastic book. The Practical Naturalist, by Chris Packham, available from DK Canada, instructs the reader on how to create a naturalist's kit, where to really find nature (hint: it starts in your own backyard!), and how to record it.

Since I will be starting a nature journal with my two three year old boys, we won't be breaking the bank on any special equipment. We will be using what we have at home and purchasing a few items to get us going. I love this Jumbo Journal from Ecojot and I think it would be perfect for a nature journal.

To get a closer look at nature you need a few basic items:

• recording tools such as notepads, pen and pencil, tape measure, container for samples, magnifying glass and a net if you'll be catching any insects
• appropriate clothing such as a hat, solid shoes or boots and a knapsack for your tools and gloves
• safety gear such as maps, a watch, a GPS device and first aid kit if you're heading deeper into nature
• camera, if possible, to ensure you don't miss any details (don't forget the camera bag)

This is a picture of what we've gathered for our naturalist's kit so far.

As suggested by The Practical Naturalist, the first place that the boys and I will start at is our own local habitat - we tend to forget that our own homes, yards and local parks are teeming with wildlife in every form. Around our home, there's  been a surprise house guest or two. We have been visited by spiders, flies, bees outside the door, birds right outside our window and even that tricky raccoon in the garbage can. Even a flower pot on the deck, such as these by DCN Plastics, are teeming with life.

 DCN Plastics - Flower Pots

In the park, you'll likely catch a few glimpses of squirrels, groundhogs, birds and water fowl. At night, owls can be heard, and possibly a fox rushing by and moths in the moonlight.

The best way to attract more wildlife to your local habitat is to make inviting spots - a bird bath for our bird friends, leaf piles and nesting boxes for small mammals, a brush pile for insects and maybe a frog or two, and flowers to interest bees, ladybugs and butterflies.

Composting is a really interesting project that can be done with the kids and recorded in their nature journals. First, pick up a Kitchen Compost Pail, such as those found at Lee Valley Tools, to collect organic household waste such as egg shells, coffee grounds and vegetable peels, for storing outside in a clear container. If you then layer the compost with sand and soil and add earthworms, you'll be able to monitor the earthworms burrowing into your compost, creating a tunnel system that adds oxygen and nutrients to the soil.

The boys and I have already started studying the birds at our feeder and looked at the different shapes and sizes in the flowers and vegetables we've sprouted from seeds earlier this month. We are all looking forward to continuing our nature journals.

Have you started a nature journal to study your local habitat?

by Stacey Kazmir

Images courtesy of Buy Canadian First members Ecojot, DCN Plastics and my own photo of our naturalist's kit.