What started as a chipstand supporting local ingredients in 2017 has transformed into a virtual forum for farmers to showcase and sell their wares.
The Farm to Table Northern Ontario Facebook page with its 6,000 members was co-founded by Craig Young and Sean Barrette, both of Sudbury.
“In researching for my chipstand venture, I had met with area farmers to secure local beef, elk and pork. We sourced local lettuce, onions, tomatoes and buns. Farmers would often take weeks to get back to me with no online presence because they are busy,” Young said.
In 2020, when the chipstand idea was shelved in light of the pandemic, it dawned Young, a chef by trade, that all those local contacts should not go to waste.
Young and Barette assisted farmers with building a social media presence so their foods could be brought to market virtually.
To date, there are about 200 farms connected through the Farm to Table Facebook page. Farmers post daily to share news about their new product lines, or overages. They also network and share resources.
“It is a great way to tell the people of Sudbury to consider their footprint by paying attention to their outlying areas. This stuff is not arriving by shipping container. It is here," he said.
And Young tries to practice what he preaches. This month, he travelled to the Calabogie area with his father and extended family for their traditional deer hunt week.
For the hunt, he prepared a culinary feast of sorts. Hungry hunters were treated to a ragu of braised caribou tongue and cheek. He also prepared an appetizer soup of grouse with honey mushroom cream soup with a dash of whiskey and honey.
Young said Sudburians would be shocked at the bounty they can acquire in a small radius around them. Here’s a sampling of some of his favourites:
- Truly Northern Farms in Chelmsford has a vertical grow operation featuring micro greens, baby romaine, leaf lettuce, cilantro, basil and kale that is so good it can be eaten raw.
- The Ojalammi Farm in Warren has two massive greenhouses with beans, basil, arugula, carrots, dill, chives, cucumbers and lettuce.
- La BelleVie Farm in St. Charles has about six varieties of haskap berries. They sometimes feature haskap kombucha and ice cream. They also feature a rhubarb and northern haskap jam called ‘Rhuskap’. The local distillery, Crosscut has even created a haskap and rhubarb gin with the powerfully flavoured berries.
- Ugly Barn Farm in Markstay is the place to go for a wide array of wild mushrooms.Their favourite is the black trumpet mushroom along with chanterelles and lobster mushrooms.
- As for meat, Green Zone Farms in Chelmsford has red deer and elk. Triple Star Acres in Blezard Valley has chicken, beef, pork, and turkey. The animals are raised in a free-range atmosphere and fed non-GMO grains.
Young said now that his four kids are getting older and more self-sufficient, there is talk of resurrecting the chipstand idea.
In the meantime, he is enjoying the collaboration among farmers. He and Barrette are reaping what they sow in a great way.
Farm to Table Northern Ontario can be found on Facebook and YouTube.
Anastasia Rioux is a freelance writer in Greater Sudbury.
