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High-protein breakfast smoothie:

Happy (early) Thanksgiving!! Canadians have been celebrating Thanksgiving Day every year since 1879, but I was surprised to find that the date was initially a Thursday in November. The date of the celebration has changed several times since then until, in 1957, it was officially declared to be the second Monday in October.


Who's celebrating the made in Canada way? Local turkeys, veggies, and pies are a great way to celebrate while supporting Canadian farmers and businesses.


Before we headed to one family celebration Saturday, we hit up another Canadian tradition - apple picking!! Did you know that apples are Canada's largest fruit crop in terms of weight of food produced, and that the McIntosh, which is the only variety grown in all apple-growing regions of Canada, makes up half of all Canadian apple production? We didn't get any McIntosh though; we stuck with my boys' favourite Galas, and my favourite, Mutsus. After picking, we stopped in the bakery for a pumpkin praline pie - it was delicious! If you're in the area, one great place to visit is Buy Canadian First member Wagner Orchards and Estate Winery . Not only do they have apple picking but also horse drawn wagon rides, a bakery and winery open for tasting and purchases - the perfect way to spend a fall day.

Speaking of apples, we enjoyed a great treat during another family thanksgiving get-together this weekend (yes, we had a couple to go to), apple cider! It's the perfect drink for a Thanksgiving celebration. Buy Canadian First member, Growers Cider , makes a fantastic line of cider including Granny Smith, Gala Apple Strawberry, and White Cranberry. It was a fun treat for everyone and brought back some great memories of crisp fall days of old.


As a young family, we are enjoying keeping up our family traditions and creating new ones. What are some Thanksgiving traditions in your family?

Images courtesy of Buy Canadian First members Wagner Orchards and Estate Winery and Growers Cider.

Our tomatoes are lush and gorgeous in my backyard in Manitoba . The plants that I put into the ground have turned into meter high shrubs, heavy and sagging with fruit. They mock me, the tomatoes; they are all green with a small flush of pink. I am afraid I will have a mountain of ripe tomatoes all of a sudden. If that happens, I am in big trouble. I need to prepare. There are oodles of ways to enjoy the fruit (and vegetables) of your labour all year round.

 

One of the easiest ways to preserve is a root cellar. Once a common sight across Canada, they are slowly making a comeback. This is evident in news stories  as well as this great web site called root cellars rock,  that focus on food preservation and historic cellars. Items such as potatoes, apples, onions, squash and carrots can all be stored there. Even without a root cellar in your home you can still create one in your garden by burying a large bucket or steel trash bin in the ground, ensuring that you have good drainage away from the container and a good, tight fitting lid. Once the bin is full, seal and then cover it with a bail of hay to insulate the bin during the Winter. Of course, this project may not always be in the cards so Buy Canadian First member Springwater Woodcraft have a beautiful potato bin  that would grace any kitchen or cold room.

 

The freezer is an awesome and easy way to preserve your harvest. Items such as berries, grapes, tomatoes, peppers, zucchinis and carrots can be taken from fresh to frozen with little preparation. Berries can be washed and frozen on baking sheets to later be used in yogurt, smoothies, pancakes or just as is. I usually cut the top off my tomatoes and freeze them in large freezer bags whole. The best part is that when you are ready to use them, just immerse in hot water and the skins will come right off. Blanching and freezing is also easy. Vegetables like beans, corn, peas, cauliflower, broccoli, Brussels sprouts and even dark, leafy greens such as kale and spinach can all be processed in this way. Each vegetable has it's own processing time and later can be used in any of your recipes. Buy Canadian First member Paderno and their stainless steel cookware  can help with the process for many harvest seasons to come.

 

What I adore about these preserving techniques is that the food remains as close to its natural state as it can. With that said, some days nothing compares to a delicious jam on your peanut butter sandwich or pickles, with my favourite being bread and butter pickles. In jams and other conserves, sugar is used to preserve the fruit. While pickled items such as cucumbers, onions, asparagus, peppers, carrots and radishes use acid and salt with seasoning. This will extend the shelf life of your precious harvest in the tastiest of ways. Of course if that is just too much work, Buy Canadian First member Crofter's Organic  has a scrumptious variety of jams for you.

Wish me luck with my endeavours with my tomato harvest! I will soon be hard at work making salsa and sauce to enjoy the year through!

How do you preserve your harvest?

image credits: Buy Canadian First members;  Springwater Woodcraft, Paderno and Crofter's Organics