The (Anti) Valentine's Day Guide for food lovers

Do something meaningful on Valentine's Day. Make soup. 

The emails have been landing in my inbox for weeks.

My favourite restaurants are trying to woo me and that special someone to one of their tables for Valentine's Day dinner.

Normally, I'd be really excited about a multi-course meal prepared by some of Niagara's finest. But this is one occasion that leaves me underwhelmed by the offerings. It's nothing the restaurants are doing. It's just my general feeling about the day dedicated to paired off people.

I've never been a fan and through most of my 20s, I celebrated Anti-Valentine's Day with friends, on account mostly of my perpetual singleton state, and went to the movies to watch a cheesy slasher flick instead of Hollywood's latest on-screen power couple making movie magic.

Even after I got married, I still didn't buy in to the flowers and fancy meals. It really did feel rather forced and cliched. My husband has the same pragmatic view of Feb. 14, though every year, he checks in to see if things have changed with me. Was I expecting flowers this year or are we still good with opting out of Hallmark hoopla?

I'm still OK with it.

But that hasn't stopped me from coming up with ways to mark the day — at least for folks that feel equally as blasé about mixing pink with red and wondering why professing your feelings on Tuesday means any more than it would any other day.

They're ways, I hope, of turning love's day (somehow, typing that triggered my gag reflex, just a little bit) into something truly meaningful.

Make soup. OK, this is perhaps the most romantic suggestion I will make and only because, despite my general disdain for Valentine's Day, I am still a bit of a softy. Not only is soup a solid meal on a winter's day, the inspiration really comes from a Hawksley Workman song — on a Christmas album, to boot — called Almost a Full Moon (Let's Make Some Soup).

It's a song for food aficionados and filled with earnest sentiment. Really, it makes cooking soup sound like the most meaningful activity two people could do together. With Valentine's Day being a farmers market day in St. Catharines, you can get local fixings to fill your bowls.

Let's make some soup 'cause the weather is turning cold
Let's stir it together till we are both grey and old
Let's stir it together till it tells us stories of its own
Let's make some soup cause the weather is turning cold
Pumpkin and parsnip, carrots and turkey bones
Bay leaf and pepper, potato and garlic cloves
You stir a moment while I put more wood in the stove
Lets make some soup 'cause the weather is turning cold

See what I mean? So make soup, I say, if you want to do something different on Cupid's day.

Go to dinner on Feb. 15. And go to this dinner in particular: Start Me Up Niagara's monthly pasta dinner that doubles as fundraiser for the organization that provides support to people who are homeless or facing other economic or social challenges in their lives.  It's the antithesis of your usual Valentine's Day dinner suspects because it's cheap. It's $10 for pasta, meatballs, salad, dessert and a drink and the money goes to a good cause — Start Me Up's work.

It's the day after the big day but still close enough to have a sense of occasion. And it's pasta. Depending on what noodle lands on your plate, isn't that a romantic dinner date no-no? Long, slurpy noodles are messy and awkward. Unless you pull a Lady and the Tramp. No, I'm not suggesting you do. Dinner is from 5 to 7 p.m. at 17 Gale Cr. in St. Catharines. And you can get it to go, if you prefer.

The Garden of Eating - Niagara picks fruit growing people's
yards that would otherwise go to waste and donates it to
local social organizations.

Donate. Perhaps instead of spending huge wads of cash on over-priced flowers or being herded in and out of a restaurant at set times to accommodate other hungry couples wanting to profess their love, you could give that money to a good cause.

The Garden of Eating — Niagara residential fruit picking program is just one such organization that could use the help. Money raised will go to covering insurance costs for the upcoming harvest season. If that doesn't appeal to you, there are plenty of other organizations out there who could use your help and a genuine show of your caring and affection.

Watch a movie. But not a rom-com. Not even a slasher flick. Head to the Unitarian Congregation of Niagara in St. Catharines on Friday night at 7 p.m. to take in the documentary The Fight for True Farming, in which those growing our food are asked for their solutions to the issues posed by factory farming.

Romantic? Nope. But I guarantee it'll inspire deep and meaningful conversation with that special someone far more than the usual dinner conversation that you might otherwise have over that three-course, prix-fixe meal you'll have 90 minutes to get through on Feb. 14 before the next seating shows up and pushes you out the door. The congregation is located on Queenston Street next to the Delta Bingo and across from Spicy Thai. The movie is free but donations for snacks are welcome.

Remember what Food Freedom Day is really about

Peaches are often sold as a loss leader at supermarkets, which means they aren't
being sold for a fair price. A lack of fair pricing contributes to how early Food Freedom
Day happens in Canada.

It was one of my first assignments as cub reporter in Simcoe.

I had to do an advancer on Food Freedom Day, the annual event that points out to Canadians they've earned enough money to cover their grocery bill for the entire year. In other words, it was a reminder of just how cheap our food was because Food Freedom Day fell in early February.

I was excited because it gave me the chance to talk to one of my favourite sources, a guy who clearly made an impression on me early on in my tenure, Mike Strik, president of the Norfolk County of Agriculture. He was quiet and unassuming but brilliant and eager to educate. And on Food Freedom Day, he would be serving pancakes to the masses to draw their attention to the occasion.

"So you're serving pancakes to celebrate?" I naively asked.

"Well, we don't actually see this as a celebration," Mike corrected me ever so politely.

The day, he said is to really draw attention to how inexpensive -- yet safe -- Canada's food supply is. To highlight the plight of the farmer, depending on what they grow, who doesn't always get a fair cut of the profits but work their butts off to feed us. So really, it was breakfast served with social consciousness, a much more serious event than I initially thought.

                                                                                This year, Food Freedom Day falls on Sunday, Feb. 12. Today, the commentary about it from the Ontario Federation of Agriculture, the parent organization to the Norfolk County chapter, landed in my inbox and, like it has been in the last few years it's come my way, it sounded decidedly more upbeat than my introduction to it a decade ago.

Food Freedom Day is a celebration, it says. But Mike's words still resonate and I have a tough time getting into the festive spirit about it. Perhaps the more positive spin the OFA is taking is the new way of public relations campaigns in farming because for years at my job, I was bombarded with responses to my agriculture stories from a less empathetic crowd that called farmers a whiny bunch when they made statements like what Mike had.

Still, we shouldn't be forgetting what's really at the root of Food Freedom Day and that is, quite often, a lack of fair pricing of our food, especially that sold in the grocery store. Make no mistake about it, the bulk of profits go to the supermarket chains and processors, not the farmers.

So, maybe that's what Galen Weston meant with his gaffe yesterday about how farmers markets will kill us. Maybe he wasn't referring to food safety at markets at all but about the fact that farmers have more and more avenues to sell their wares at fair prices to more and more people willing to pay them rather than be OK with shopping at an industrial monolith that continues to undercut them.

Yeah, I doubt it, too.

And now for the OFA's take on Food Freedom Day.

Food Freedom Day – it’s not just another meal
By Keith Currie, Executive Member, Ontario Federation of Agriculture

Few Canadians give their daily food a lot of thought, that’s why on Sunday, Feb. 12, Food Freedom Day provides us with the perfect occasion to celebrate what we eat and the farmers who produce our food.

Designated by the Canadian Federation of Agriculture, Food Freedom Day marks the calendar date when the average Canadian will have earned enough income to pay the entire year’s grocery bill. Canadians enjoy one of the lowest-cost “food baskets” in the world. As a comparison, Food Freedom Day in Iceland is in late February, while in Mexico it doesn’t come until early March.

Canadians enjoy healthy, nutritious and inexpensive food every day, something we should be celebrating more often. In fact, according to the Canadian Federation of Agriculture, Canadians only spent 11.8 per cent of their disposable income on food in 2011. By comparison, France spent 13.5 per cent of their disposable income to buy food and Japan spent 14.2 per cent. This data highlights just how important Canadians’ food decisions are to our nation’s economic future. Canadian farmers are producing food that is safe, secure affordable and highest quality.

As Ontario farmers, we take our job of providing food seriously. That’s why, on Food Freedom Day we also raise the importance of securing a sustainable food system to ensure that we continue celebrating this day year after year. The Ontario Federation of Agriculture (OFA) is working closely with the Canadian Federation of Agriculture to develop and implement the National Food Strategy – a long-term approach to ensure a safe supply of Canadian food for future generations. Currently being presented to both provincial and federal governments for consideration, the National Food Strategy establishes a shared strategic vision for our food system that will serve as a clear guide for public policy development and private decision making to secure a sustainable food system for Canada. This vision is outlined in nine strategic objectives that our food system must meet to serve the needs of future generations in Canada as well as the global community.

The National Food Strategy’s objectives and outcomes encompass all aspects of the food value chain – from farmers and processors to distributors and retailers. These objectives include making Canadian grown and processed products the first choice for Canadians, ensuring consumers always have access to safe and nutritious food, to positioning Canadian products as the preferred choice of international markets. For more information on the National Food Strategy and details on the objectives visit nationalfoodstrategy.ca.

On February 12, take the time to consider where your food comes from, the value of the meal you are enjoying and the quality of food future generations of Canadians will be enjoying on Food Freedom Day. From our farm families to yours, thank you for your role in Canada’s Food Freedom Day!

Niagara's culinary refuge

One of two main attractions at Terroir la Cachette's Jazz and Oysters event.
Oysters nature and spicy tomato and chipotle oysters were my noontime feast
this past Sunday. 

I'm a gusher. One, who at times, can get carried away in professing my positive feelings about something.

It has happened, on occasion, when I've eaten somewhere new, somewhere I've been wanting to dine for a while, eying its menus online, planning what I'll order long in advance of making the reservation, and almost tasting what's to come before ever digging in,

And, if that new nosh nook passes the Tiff test (translation: I enjoy my meal because it really is as simple as that), it's like falling in love. I'm smitten. I recommend the restaurant to others. I sing its praises and long to return.

And then, unfortunately, I do, when I probably should have just left well enough alone.

It's like a disappointing reality check, a relationship after the three-month bubble bursts and the sheen gives way to faults that you're certain never existed before. The place, the meal — it's just not as good as I remembered or built it up to be in my mind's taste buds. Absence makes the heart grow fonder but reuniting can be like yanking the needle off the record mid-chorus.

There is one spot in Niagara that wowed me at "Can I take your coat?" when I first ate there a year ago and it has continued to do so ever since. Consistency is an impressive feat and Terroir la Cachette at Strewn Winery seems to have the art of hitting it out of the park down to a science.

La Cachette, which means the hiding, is tucked into a corner of the Strewn building on Lakeshore Road in Niagara-on-the-Lake. It's warm and colourful dining room (read: there's no black. In fact, there's ne'er an earth tone to be found) overlooks a rolling gully cutting a swath between the winery and its neighbour. It's the kind of setting that makes it easy to linger in a place that already feels pretty comfy because the guests are there to eat and eat well, not be seen.

And eat well, they do. I was first beckoned to La Cachette by a tweet from co-owner Tricia Keyes about a year ago, telling the Twitterverse about the February feature, jazz and oysters on Sundays at lunch. Confession: I fall off the wagon for mollusks, despite my normally vegetarian ways.

The wild mushroom soup, Steve, my husband had last
Sunday while I indulged in oysters. 

While I slurped my spicy tomato and chipotle oysters, sipped some vino (I'm a big fan of Strewn's Pinot blanc), took in the busy chatter and upbeat jazz sounds around me, my lunch date and more squeamish husband stuck with a black olive and artichoke tart. It was pretty fantastic but the whole experience was capped by Keyes introducing herself and being genuinely interested in getting to know the person with whom she interacted so fleetingly in 140 characters.

She told us the story of how she and her husband, chef Alain Levesque, had a restaurant by the same name in Elora but moved to Niagara in 2000, wooed by the culinary scene and cornucopia of local food that is this region.

She was warm and authentic and she has been that way every time since, making a point of stopping by our table to chat when we dine there and going out of her way to ensure our meal is even more memorable. I'm a regular at many places and only in a few am I treated with such generosity and kindness — how can a person not want to come back?

The chevre cheesecake at Terroir la Cachette.

But everything about La Cachette is impeccable. The wait staff are professional, polite, responsive. Levesque's French Provencal cuisine is perfection on a plate. Those oysters — and the ones that slid down the hatch this past Sunday while partaking in another edition of Jazz and Oysters — weren't lost under their spicy tomato and chipotle dressing. They tasted like the smell of the ocean with a kick akin to a white cap sneaking up and surprising you with a splash.

The egg fettuccine — my order when I've had dinner there — is flavourful and filling, simple and elegant as the wide noodles wrap around my fork to make the trip to my taste buds.

My husband and my mother have both been wowed by meatier entrees and I have to say, they did look impressive and read like literature on the menu.

But my absolute favourite dish — and, without a doubt, my favourite dessert anywhere — is the lemon chevre cheesecake. There's no guilt with this. No 'tomorrow the diet must begin.' It's blissful, really, in its light creaminess. Rich but not overbearing, thanks to the goat cheese twist. Swoon-worthy, really.

Yes, I know, I'm gushing.

But this time, it's warranted.

The Spaghetti Incident Part II: Spaghetti squash pancakes

Spaghetti squash pancake topped with sour cream (the goat version for me)
and Cabernet Franc ice syrup.

There's a reason it's called spaghetti squash.

The more time I spend with these oblong, yellow, pulpy beasts, the less convinced I am that their moniker came to be because of the stringy, spaghetti-like consistency of their innards. Nope, I'm convinced it's called spaghetti squash because really, it's not good for much else other than a pasta substitute.

Proof came this week when I tried another suggestion I received after tweeting for ideas of how to pare down the pile of local spaghetti squash that had grown in my garage.

First up was spaghetti squash ramen, a brilliant idea that resulted in a meal I will repeat.

The other was for spaghetti squash fritters or pancakes drizzled with ice syrup, compliments of the Niagara-on-the-Lake grape grower behind ice syrup, Steve Murdza. A savvy marketer, Murdza is constantly tweeting clever and eyebrow-raising ways to use his creation, which could give maple syrup a bit of a run for the title of ultimate Canadian elixir.

Ice syrup is made from frozen wine grapes, which, instead of being fermented and used for icewine, are bottled as a thicker, sweeter, non-alcoholic incarnation that, according to Murdza's tweets, can be used on anything, including breathing new life into a spaghetti squash. Ice syrup comes in two varieties, Vidal and Cabernet Franc, and he suggested I try the red Cab Franc version for my experiment.

So, for dinner one night this week, I set about steaming a large squash (do they come in any other size?).

Once that was done, I treated it like I would potatoes in the making of potato pancakes. I love potato pancakes. Sure, they're far from sexy but they're a comfort food for me and filling. Topped with apple sauce, I'm sold even more on the potato pancake's merits. But for this experiment, I went with sour cream and then topped that with the ice syrup.

To give my simple, super mild squash a bit more oomph, I added two flavours that make the perfect couple: apple and leek. Oh, and of course, salt and pepper.

I fried them up and dug in. And while it was a creative use of my squash, I wasn't as sold on this version as I was the ramen.

Spaghetti squash is brilliant at maintaining its firmness. It doesn't get mushy, which is why it's the perfect pasta replacement. It's always al dente.

But when I cut into my pancakes, that firmness required me to use a knife instead of a lone fork, which can easily hack into and pry apart a potato pancake. The knife was needed to cut through the long strings of squash that just wouldn't separate easily from the pancake to make the journey to my mouth.

Normally, I like my potato pancakes big. Maybe among potato pancake purists, this is wrong, but it's never been an issue for me. With spaghetti squash pancakes, the silver dollar size is essential. At that size, they came out crispy. No matter how long I kept the larger editions on the heat, they didn't crisp up. Not good in my world. (If only I had a cast iron pan or a deep fryer...)

Also, Murdza knows what he's talking about with his syrup suggestions. Never doubt when he tells you to try it with borscht or anything else unexpected because without the syrup, this recipe would fall flatter than, well, a pancake.

I tried my spaghetti squash pancakes with just the syrup and it tasted like a waste of perfectly good ice syrup. With just the sour cream alone, it was like going on a dinner date with someone who wouldn't talk about anything other than work. Boring.

But with the syrup and sour cream together, it was actually pretty decent, picking up the slack of the apple and leek, which were maybe too mild for even the meek spaghetti squash. This is definitely a recipe that calls for the same punchy garlic greens or green onions that have a special place reserved for them in my potato pancakes.

While the next spaghetti squash to cross my path will wind up as ramen, this wasn't a total write-off. It's definitely more of a side dish rather than a main and is a worthy change from the usual squash-as-pasta dish, if like me, you're swimming in spaghetti squash. Just don't forget the ice syrup and sour cream.

Spaghetti squash pancakes (serves 4)

1 large spaghetti squash
2 apples, shredded with skins on
2 medium leeks, chopped/a good bunch of garlic greens/6 green onions
1 egg
1 cup flour (I used Tom Neufeld's whole grain flour that he grinds at his Campden farm. It's wonderful and he sells it Saturdays at the St. Catharines Farmers Market)
salt and pepper to taste
A good glug of oil for frying (I used about 3 tbsp, divided between each batch)

Steam the spaghetti squash until tender and easily pierced with a fork. Let cool. Scoop out innards.

Shred apples in a food processor and chop leeks. Add egg, beaten, squash and flour. It's important that the squash has cooled so it doesn't cook the egg. Add salt and pepper and mix well.

Heat oil in frying pan. Use a cast iron one if you have it. Add a heaping tablespoonful of batter, flatten and fry until golden brown and crispy. Drain on a paper towel.

Serve topped with a dollop of sour cream and don't forget the drizzle of Cabernet Franc ice syrup.

Enjoy.

Mark your calendars, Seedy Saturday cometh

Mary from the Cottage Gardener

By Linda Crago

It is that time again.

It's time to start considering what the garden "chez vous" will look like this glorious 2012. And of course we all know that the year to come will be the very best gardening year ever. All the vegetables and flowers we grow will look precisely like the ones in those glossy catalogues. Really!

Why not be optimistic? That's the beauty of gardening. It always could turn out that way! And if it doesn't, you still may have some vegetables to munch on and some stunning flowers to admire.

Seeds are a bit of a miracle. And if you like seeds and gardening and being with people who feel the same way, I hope you'll come out to Niagara Seedy Saturday on February 11, 10- 3 p.m. at Brock University, St Catharines. The event will be in the very beautiful Pond Inlet, which is within the Mackenzie Chown Complex.

There will be signs as you enter the university directing you to the event.

As it stands now, parking will cost $6, so pack your cars with family and friends, park off campus, take the transit or walk if you can. We are still working on reducing this amount and I'm hopeful we will.

There is, however, no admission fee. When you come in you will be given a pack of seeds, a warm welcome and an opportunity to browse, chat with some fine folks and listen to some very knowledgeable speakers. If you wish to leave a donation, it would be well received and will all be donated to Start Me Up Niagara to help them with their worthwhile efforts. Yes, 100 per cent.

We have many businesses and groups returning from previous years, but also some welcome new additions. Joining us this year are:

Steven Biggs Author "No Guff Gardening"
Acorus Restoration
The Cottage Gardener
Urban Harvest
Premier Horticulture (Myke Supplements)
Minor Brothers
Paul Federici (music!)
Ann Brown "The Plant Lady" (Sea Grass baskets)
Tree and Twig
Start Me Up Niagara (kids activity table)
Master Gardeners of Niagara
Seeds Of Diversity Canada
Sustain Ontario
The Garden of Eating — Niagara
Brock OPIRG

There are a few more businesses that I am waiting confirmation from as well, so we'll have a pretty full house.

I am delighted that Paul Federici will be providing entertainment between speakers and that "Fed Up" Brock will be dishing out a light vegan lunch and coffee free of charge. But please consider supporting them with a donation, which would be greatly appreciated.

If anybody is interested in doing a bit of baking, please let me know. We'll again have our goodie table so people can enjoy a sweet snack while wandering.

Seedy Saturday t-shirts.

Our speaker schedule is:

10:15 Welcome and introduction of Susan Venditti, exec director "Start Me Up Niagara"

11:00 Steven Biggs "Container Gardening"

12 noon Chef Mark Picone

1 pm Colette Murphy, Urban Harvest

2 pm TBA

Also this year we will have Niagara Seedy Saturday t-shirts for sale. All the profits from the sale of these shirts will go towards the establishment of community gardens at Brock through the OPIRG group which is assisting with the running of this event. A small but heartfelt thank you. Each shirt is $15 and I only have a limited number. If you would like to have me hold one for you, please let me know and which size you prefer...S, M or L (unisex sizing).

And most importantly, bring your seeds! The seed exchange is the heart of this event; it is about sharing open pollinated seeds. It doesn't matter if they are seeds you have saved yourself or extra seeds from some you have purchased. All are welcome!

If you feel you could lend a hand at the event, please get in touch. Sign up to help with next years event.

Very much looking forward to it and I hope to see you there!

Grovel, grovel

I'm unconvinced about how much I like the colour yellow.

On a rain slicker, it's a beauty.

But as the colour of a button on this website with the word 'Donate' emblazoned on it, it makes me feel a little awkward. I hate asking for favours.

The donate button in the column on the right is because I am trying to raise money for The Garden of Eating — Niagara, the residential fruit picking program I started in 2009 to provide a source of fresh fruit to social organizations that would otherwise rarely see such donations. In that time and with the help of some kicking volunteers, we've diverted 3,600 pounds of tree fruit from compost bins, having that food go to people who can eat and enjoy it instead.

As the third full harvest season looms, I have some expenses coming my way as I work toward turning this from an after-work hobby to an organization with even greater impact. To do that, I need liability insurance and harvesting and canning supplies for my helpers, who have, for the most part, been supplying their own, generous bunch that they are. But mostly, my priority is getting that insurance for the coming year.

Until now, I have covered any expenses that have come up with my own funds but it's becoming increasingly difficult to do. That's why I've resorted to putting a donate button on this site and the GOEN's official website.

I'm in the process of incorporating the Garden of Eating — Niagara as a non-profit organization. That will make accessing grants easier, provided my applications get the stamp of approval. It should also enable the GOEN to apply for a group insurance rate, which would lessen costs.

There will be a board to oversee and help direct where the program goes. In time, applying for charitable status will be in the cards but for now, this is the most appropriate route to take.

That means that anyone who donates won't be able to get a tax receipt in return but you will have my gratitude and my word that anything donated will be used only for goods and services required to carry out this program. Two years ago, I raised $50 holding a raffle and only spent it this year on labels for pears that were jarred for Community Care of St. Catharines and Thorold. That wasn't because there were no other expenses for the program until now —I've purchased ladders and baskets in the meantime. I was just fiercely protective of how that money should be spent.

No one involved with the GOEN is or will be paid for their time. That is all volunteered so no money will be used as any kind of salary.

If you do decide to give, thank you so very much. If not, that's OK, too. This doesn't mean the program is in jeopardy. It just needs a little help.

A swapping affair

At this time of year, I long for maple syrup season to begin.

It marks the first harvest of the year and, it seems, that not long after, fiddleheads, rhubarb and asparagus (aka spring) appear.

It means the end of winter food blahs, though I do alright  in the cold season with local greens, squash, potatoes, garlic, carrots and beets. Still, there are only so many root vegetables a person can endure so thank goodness for the art of canning.

I don't do a ton of it, just enough to make the season without oodles of fresh, local produce just a little shorter. But it's also at about this time that I realize while I didn't make enough of one particular taste of seasons past, I made too much of another.

I've decided to something about that, though.

This past fall, while sitting in a food security meeting at work, I saw a logo for something called National Food Swap Day. It's on Feb. 24, 2012. It's happening in Australia where it's now summer and come February, they'll be swapping all the things I long for, such as fresh homegrown tomatoes, basil and chard.

Even though it's the dead of winter here, a food swap could still happen. Inspired by @wellpreserved, a couple that has held canning swaps in Toronto, I thought it would be fantastic to host one here in Niagara. So I am.

And I'm hopeful you'll be a part of it. Niagara in Jars is happening Sunday, Feb. 26 — a day I figured more people might have time to trade some home preserves than a Friday, which is the official food swap day. It's at Rise Above Bakery on St. Paul Street in St. Catharines, a fabulous space and an even better place to eat. The restaurant is closed on Sundays and owner Kyle Paton has agreed to let me host Niagara in Jars on his day off. He'll have a server present to offer up drinks and perhaps some of Rise Above's awesome vegan baked goods.

It's a great opportunity to meet with other home preservers, learn their tricks of the trade and swap that never ending supply of strawberry jam you're for something else. Like my green monster hot sauce that I feel like I'm swimming in.

Here's how it will work: participants will get a ticket for each item they bring to swap. That is currency to go shopping and pick up someone else's home creations. The items up for grabs don't have to come in a mason jar either. Maybe you dried some herbs for tea or a food rub. Perfectly tradable at Niagara in Jars. Dried fruit or veggies, homemade soap or candles, whatever — if you made or preserved it, I welcome it.

Just make sure it's labelled and any common allergens mentioned.

Don't have scores of stuff to swap? No worries. What few items you'd like to trade are more than enough. Don't have anything to swap at all? Come anyway and socialize or get inspired to get canning this year. There's also still time to make some last minute carrot marmalade.

Niagara in Jars is free and runs from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. I only have one favour to ask. If you plan to attend, please let me know here so I can have an idea of how many people to expect.

See you there!