Off the shelf

Goodies and gadgets for those on the go! Our roundup of fabulous quality items available locally.

August 17, 2012 | | Back Issues

Wicked Shortbread

Wicked Shortbread in classic, chocolate chunk and toffee bitz. Photo by Pete Paterson.

Naughty sweets

Caledon cookie maker Keirstyn Eric’s Wicked Shortbread is sinfully delicious. The homemade treats were so popular with friends and family, Keirstyn decided to sell her wares at her local farmers’ market. When sales flourished, she went one step further and packaged the three basic flavours (classic, toffee bitz and chocolate chunk) for sale in retail outlets around Headwaters, making use of Palgrave Community Kitchen’s commercial food preparation facilities. But this is no commercial cookie. The recipe, inspired by her grandmother and mother-in-law, uses local ingredients as much as possible, is gluten-free and contains no additives or preservatives.

This summer, Keirstyn opened a shop at 96 Broadway in Orangeville called (what else?) Wicked Shortbread. You’ll find her basic shortbread plus several new flavours, as well as a new line of Wicked squares, locally made pies and crisps, and organic coffee and teas. It’s the evolution of shortbread. www.wickedshortbread.com

The Eat Local shirt, comes in two eye-catching colour combos – black on brown (shown) and turquoise on black. Photo by Pete Paterson.

The Eat Local shirt, comes in two eye-catching colour combos – black on brown (shown) and turquoise on black. Photo by Pete Paterson.

T-Local

Help spread the locavore gospel by wearing one of these trend-setting “eat local” T-shirts. The clever logo, with its fork and knife motif, was designed by Creemore’s Lucas Gordon, a student at the Ontario College of Art and Design. The shirt, which comes in two eye-catching colour combos – black on brown (shown) and turquoise on black – is available in men’s and women’s sizes extra small to extra large. It is made of 100 per cent organic and recycled cotton by me to we style , a company that promises “sweatshop-free manufacturing” and donates 50 per cent of its profits to Free the Children. As a bonus, if you buy a tee, the company promises to “plant a tree.” To date, the shirts are only available through the 100 Mile Store in Creemore, but we think the local food movement should adopt this as its official logo. Call 705-466-3514 or email [email protected] and order yours today.

Hot, hot, hot ~ Fire in the Kitchen dry marinades

Shown here are Fire Rub for grilled steak and chicken, Veggie Blaze to give grilled asparagus or corn a kick, and Ocean Rub, delicious on whitefish, salmon and scallops. Photo by Pete Paterson.

Shown here are Fire Rub for grilled steak and chicken, Veggie Blaze to give grilled asparagus or corn a kick, and Ocean Rub, delicious on whitefish, salmon and scallops. Photo by Pete Paterson.

Spice up your life with Orangeville griller Christian Horner’s dry rubs for meat, fish and vegetables. Horner promises his Fire in the Kitchen dry marinades will impress your guests and heat up your cooking. Specially formulated for meats, poultry, fish and vegetables, the rubs are gluten- and MSG-free and low in sodium. When he isn’t playing around in the kitchen, Christian is a professional firefighter.“I spend hours cooking and feeding the boys in the hall using all of my spice blends,” he says, and heaven knows, those guys like things hot. Christian recommends rubbing the marinade onto your food two to six hours before cooking for the maximum flavour hit. Shown here are Fire Rub for grilled steak and chicken, Veggie Blaze to give grilled asparagus or corn a kick, and Ocean Rub, delicious on whitefish, salmon and scallops. Fire in the Kitchen rubs are available at From the Kitchen to the Table and Dave’s Butcher Shop in Orangeville, as well as other fine food stores throughout the GTA. www.fireinthekitchen.ca

About the Author More by Cecily Ross

Cecily Ross is an author and freelance writer who lives in Creemore.

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