Field Notes for Autumn 2018
What to see, do, try this fall.
Mark your calendar! Must seeums
A new photo exhibit at Peel Art Gallery, Museum & Archives (PAMA) is a moving reminder of the power of photojournalism to etch everyday moments into history. Capturing the Moment: 50 Years of Peel Photojournalism opens November 3 and runs through March 2019. Watch for 1940s and ’50s gems such as a girl smelling flowers at the Bolton Fair, a practice session of the Inglewood Fire Department and reforestation tree planting in Caledon East, all by local photographer Russell Cooper (who also helped found PAMA in 1968).
A sister exhibit, Spotlight on Stories, features another fascinating nugget of Headwaters lore: a hammered dulcimer, crafted in 1855 by Meadows Brock of Belfountain. It was found by chance in an antique shop by his greatgreatgreat grandson Wentworth Sharp!
Another of our favourite museums has managed to look to the past and the future all at once with a facelift, a new name and a dedicated exhibition space for an anchor collection. So get out your address books: Dufferin County Museum & Archives (DCMA) is now Museum of Dufferin (MoD).
“We felt it was time to bring the imaging of the museum into the present,” says Nanci Malek, the museum’s marketing and events coordinator. The main raison d’être for the reno, the new Corn Flower Glass Gallery, opens October 6. The MoD is home to the largest public collection – 2,200 pieces – of the famous midcentury pale floral tableware by Dufferin-born artisan W. J. Hughes.
Visit pama.peelregion.ca and dufferinmuseum.com to learn more.
Quick bites: A taste of France
When you’re hankering for sustenance with a certain je ne sais quoi, French crêpes are just the ticket. For a sitdown meal of the thinnest of savoury pancakes, head to chef Frederic Chartier’s new bistro Beyond the Gate on Shelburne’s Main Street. You may have enjoyed Freddy’s crêpes at his stand at the Orangeville Farmers’ Market. Now at his bricksandmortar spot, consider trying the rustic Campagnarde crêpe with potatoes, caramelized onion, bacon, mushroom and aged cheddar. “We use fresh, local ingredients on every plate,” he says. “Everyone is treated with love here.”
Bistro Breton, an Erinbased crêperie food truck, offers crêpes as a moveable feast. Owner Gaelle Thollet attends farmers’ markets across Headwaters, and can be booked to pull up at special events and for catering gigs. Hits include savoury and sweet combos, including banana and Nutella. She also offers traditional galettes, made with buckwheat flour and featuring mostly savoury flavour combinations, such as her popular bacon, egg and cheese.
Details at beyondthegate.ca and Bistro Breton on Facebook.
A country mile
Country living can be idyllic, but sometimes it’s hard not to long for the culinary choice, and nearinstant food delivery, of urban life. Thankfully, local entrepreneurs are on the case, bringing the best local bites to your doorstep.
Petey’s Speedy Delivery, run by brothers Benjamin and Hugh Adams, has teamed up with local businesses including Fromage and Dave’s Butcher Shop among others to deliver select preorders in the Orangeville area. “Our goal is to create a fraternity in Orangeville and the surrounding area between local business owners and their clientele,” Benjamin says.
Temple Nutrition mimics having a personal chef, delivering prepared foods to Orangeville, Erin, Shelburne, Grand Valley and Caledon. The company’s name conjures the idea of treating your body as a temple when it comes to eating.
“As new parents, we struggled with balancing life and a baby,” says Milena Parreira, who owns Temple Nutrition with her fiancé Derek Train. “Meal prep can be tedious and nutrition often gives way to convenience.”
Consider omelette muffins with seasoned mini potatoes for lunch, or roasted red pepper and garlic chicken with roasted cauliflower and sweet potato for supper. We may never cook again.
National player Skip The Dishes has also debuted in Orangeville.
More information at templenutrition.ca, peteys-speedy-delivery.business.site and skipthedishes.com.
Save the date: Kids can cook
When the kids say they want to cook, most parents will gladly pull up the step stool. But where to start? To ensure they’re making more than boxed macaroni and sandwiches, consider signing them up for one of the many new cooking lessons tailored for the young set.
Erin’s Claire Bell offers fall classes for kids at her Woolen Mill Kitchen in Erin. A former primary school teacher and private chef in the U.K., she gathers pintsized chefs after school on Mondays and Saturday mornings to make everything from perfect pasta to pastry. (Yes, she also does birthday parties!)
The Town of Orangeville’s Young Chef summer day camps are a top draw. Once school starts, mini foodies can keep at it with the Junior Chef program Thursday evenings and Saturday mornings. The program focuses on health, nutrition, agriculture and trying a variety of combinations, like avocado cheesecake, all with takehome recipes. As summer instructor Nicole Desaulniers puts it, the kids love it and, “parents get excited too – when they pick up the kids and smell the food.”
For those who fancy themselves working in the biz, Pam Fanjoy of FanJoy in Hillsburgh plans to offer her Junior Chef PD Day cooking programs throughout the year for kids in Grade 6 to 8. They pull a meal together and serve it to restaurant guests. Watch Pam’s site for afterschool cooking classes too.
If your children aren’t ready to commit, they can warm up to the idea of cooking by visiting Albion Hills Community Farm’s second annual Honey and Garlic Festival on the afternoon of Saturday, September 29. In addition to other attractions, Palgrave Rotary Club hosts a demonstration of how to make grilled garlic “crazy” bread by Chef Jason Taylor.
Check for updates at woolenmillkitchen.com, orangeville.ca/parks-and-recreation, chefpamfanjoy.com and albionhillscommunityfarm.org.
Seeing the forest for the trees
If you think you’ve logged a lot of work hours in your yard, Amaranth-area pilot and farmer Jeff Roney has you beat. He and his wife Samantha Campbell have planted over 4,000 trees on their property, Bennington Hills Farm, with the assistance of Grand River Conservation Authority. The efforts recently earned the Roney family the Forests Ontario title of Green Leaders as part of Ontario’s 50 Million Trees program.
“Trees help restore our farm’s ecosystem. They act as windbreaks, help reduce soil erosion and diversify wildlife by providing habitat for birds and other creatures, all while absorbing carbon to mitigate climate change,” says Samantha. “Our family loves the quote: ‘The best time to plant a tree is 20 years ago, the second best time is now.’”
Inspired to follow their lead? Fall is the time to start planning. Check in with your local conservation authority or town office to learn about programs offering lowcost trees, free site visits, technical support, and information on grants and tax credits you may be eligible for, such as the Managed Forest Tax Incentive Program.
The Credit Valley Conservation Authority, for instance, offers landowners within the Credit River Watershed – who have the right kind and amount of acreage – discounted tree planting services with a minimum purchase of seedlings or potted trees. The Town of Mono has a heritage tree and seedling program, with discounted rates for seedlings and potted trees.
For ideas, visit forestsontario.ca, cvc.ca, grandriver.ca and townofmono.com.
