Everyone loves a party, especially one that celebrates fresh and delicious things. In June, we celebrated our first ever Local Food Week. We asked our Local Food Challengers to join us, and our participants across the province put on one heck of a party.

Here are some highlights:

At the University of Guelph, it was a week of exciting menus featuring Ontario beef burgers, chicken, pork, and Ontario pickerel. Each day, they featured an exciting recipe using all these Ontario proteins enhanced with house-made condiments, including local chicken on a bun with Niagara peach salsa, Hayter’s turkey chili with 100-Mile hot sauce, and Leamington 7-bean stew. 

Over at Niagara Region Child Care Services, it was all about dessert. Ontario strawberry shortcakes made for a very fun lunchtime snack for their tiny Challengers. We think the photos they took speak for themselves.

Local Food Week has come and gone, but it’s never too late to celebrate everything about Ontario food. With summer in full swing, the farmers’ markets bursting with new products every day, and our suppliers providing more and more local to our public institutions, there is always something to celebrate about living and eating in Ontario.

Coming up in July: It’s summer and the most “fruitful” time for Ontario farmers. Yes, we said fruit, and what heralds early summer in Ontario more than juicy local berries? We wait all year for this, so make it good. Celebrate blueberries, raspberries, currants, or blackberries this month and receive 10 points.

Follow the Local Food Challenge on Ontariofresh.ca, and on Twitter @ontariofresh, #LFC2014

- Kelly Hughes, Education and Outreach Specialist