That’s right – on Monday, May 28th come on out to the Avro and bring a friend and you’ll get your Home Ec badge of the month!

Home Ec was designed around building a community of people interested in different aspects of food, friendship and getting together.  Since we’re about halfway through the yearly schedule, we’ve decided to have a thank-you night and just hang out without asking you to have to make anything.

We’ll be using the night to share some of the goodies out of our pantry (if you’re really feeling left out, you’re welcome to bring something simple to share but don’t feel obliged).  May 28th is all about just hanging out, meeting some new people and seeing where it goes from there.

We’ll be teaming up with The Avro (it’s in Leslieville, Toronto) to make another custom cocktail for the evening

Here’s a list of our previous Home Ec Events.

No RSVP is required though it does help us plan – you can do so  by adding a comment here or adding yourself to the FaceBook RSVP list.

Will we see you there?

The total cost of the meal was less than a cost of a submarine sandwich each – and we both had the equivalent of 2 claws (including knuckle meat) and a full tail each.  If the idea of buying and cooking lobster is scary or unknown, be sure to check out our series on buying and eating lobster - it should take the mystery out of the process (including how to use the entire animal and extend the budget tremendously).

One of the neat things about this salad is that it features raw asparagus.  Asparagus, especially when it’s young, doesn’t need to be cooked at all to be eaten.  I like to cut it into small discs; they add a burst of flavor and lots of texture.

This is a great meal – the portion below is what we served as a main course for two hungry people.  I went heavy with the lemon as there’s no dressing on the leaves themselves.  You could easily cut it in half though I liked the bold hit of lemon as a flavour in this salad.

Ingredients

• 2 lobsters – the meat from the tail, claws and big knuckles (the ‘arms’ that lead to the claws) removed and chopped fine.
• 4 Asparagus stalks, tough ends removed and the rest cut into small discs
• Chopped Hazelnuts (0.5-1 tablespoon after chopping).  Easiest way to chop is to carefully cut a slice off a piece and then lay the flat side down and proceed carefully.  Toasting after chopping is optional but nice.
• Juice of 0.5-1 lemons
• arugula
• Olive Oil (.5-1 teaspoons)
• Chili flakes to your taste (I used about 0.25 teaspoons)
• Salt (to taste)

Directions

1. Combine ingredients (minus the arugula) and toss.
2. Allow the flavours to combine for 10-15 minutes.  Stir every few minutes and taste as you go.
3. Place arugula on plates, top with your mixed ingredients.
4. Optional: a final application of olive oil (we have a condiment bottle that we can pour it from).

That’s all there is!  It’s fantastic!

There are a few things to be wary of when foraging in a city:

• Pesticide use (present and past)
• Soil conditions/ toxicity
• Water/ run off conditions/ toxicity
• Pet contamination
• Human contamination

It’s difficult to ensure that any specific place has the ideal elements but some quick research will help out.  Toronto, as an example, bans all spraying in public parks and has for a number of years (though that was only in 2009 and most prefer waiting 10-15 years of pesticide-free use before eating product from treated soil).  Soil toxicity is much more difficult to determine (though, in theory, you could take some samples for testing) and knowing some history of the area can help.  I’m not an expert in this field and I take an educated guess though you may decide otherwise.

Those first two observations are essentially common sense.  After that, I pretty much invert every logical rule you could have:

• I look for a park/ large public space near a dog park.  The bigger the dog park, the better.
• I look for a park that has lots of foot traffic – though a park with many paths is best (as opposed to one giant one that pushes people on the same course).

People avoid foraging close to dog parks – I think the spaces near them are ideal.  Watch people as they arrive at a dog park – they walk an almost straight-line to the park to let their dog go for a run.  Watch the paths they take – the park acts like a giant dog magnet which keeps them away from the rest of the space.  Don’t forage in the immediate area as many dogs won’t relieve themselves in the place they play but will wait until the moment they leave the space.

Also avoid the fringes – where fields meet forest.  Dogs also enjoy these areas to ‘mark’ – far more than in the middle of the field itself.

I’ve found that areas with lots of diverging paths also create a funny dynamic – most people stick to the main path either out of concern for being lost, being on autopilot or just for the ease of walking.  Divergent paths allow you to find pristine areas while not destroying the forest floor.  Paths also take you deeper into the woods where it’s improbable that pesticides were ever sprayed (this was generally kept to the fields). 

If you are fortunate enough to find areas which the forest is higher in elevation than the fields that may have been sprayed, all the better.  I avoid the lowest bits (where still water and runoff can gather over time) altogether.

The ideal park has giant open spaces (like baseball fields, picnic parks and more) as well as heavily wooded areas that have lots of walking trails.

What would you add to this list?

Wild leek (aka ramp) infused vodka.  Drop a single leek into the bottle and wait. 

I’ll start tasting it in the next week or so and then decide if the leek will stay for a long time or if it’s strong enough.

Much like infusing vodka with hot peppers, this would be awesome in a Bloody Mary or a Bloody Caesar (the Canadian version with Clamato juice as opposed to tomato juice). 

And don’t through the leek out when it’s done; I’m just as excited to use it as I am with the vodka infusion.  It’s destined for a Penne alla Vodka for certain! 

What else would you infuse with ramps?

I didn’t know where to start so I read some website, bought some books and even downloaded some apps.  But the problem remained: reading about forging and disseminating all that information into something useful in the field are two different things.  I’ve tried several times over the last few years and generally found myself lost the moment I got into the forest.  The romance left quickly.

That was, until yesterday when I came home with this:

My trip to the woods started the same is it has for the last few years: I went to find dandelions.  The voyage there wasn’t joyous – it started by getting lost, then turned around, followed by parking struggles and the very quick realization that there were very few dandelions left in flowering form as spring had come early.  Next year I will remember to measure the season by the temperature and not by the Calendar.

I walked around and grabbed the few yellow flowers that remained.  I could see things that might have been edible but I didn’t know.  I found that frustrating.

Then I reflected on the words of Tama Matsuoka (the forager for Daniel in New York; more about her soon);

Most things people think are weeds are edible.

Tama would know.  But that still didn’t help me.

One of the exciting things about writing daily is that it pushes you to learn new things at the same rate (or faster).  The true benefit about WellPreserved, for me, has been about learning to learn about food faster.  I knew then and there that I had to find a better way than I’d been trying the last few years.  And that’s the moment my life changed and I went from a novice forager to an intermediate:

I, like many, carry a smart phone.  My weapon of choice happens to be an iPhone.  Although I’m less than a year into the world of being a smart phone user, I do find them very handy and I’m naturally curious about any application I can get my hands on – like the one above.  It’s called Google Search.

Google Search allows you to search Google in a variety of ways.  You can type a phrase, speak words (it has a voice-to-text engine) or take a picture of something.  The pictures work really well on things like architecture and less well on things like your pets.  You simply take a picture of something and it will search the Internet for that thing.

Searching for plants proved mildly successful.  Most plants were identified within 3-5 photo searches and only 1 had to be abandoned altogether.  Once I knew what the plant was that I was looking at I could then consult other sources (I used the Internet but there are lots of books and apps) to see what was edible.

Here’s an example of how it works.  I saw this plant so I took its picture and had Google Search it:

Google couldn’t find an exact match but showed me possible matches like this:

I clicked on the one with 4 petals and got this:

From there I was able to do a search for “Garlic Mustard Edible” (by typing those words) and I found all sorts of guidance to help me – including how to confirm if I was looking at the right plant.

It’s not a perfect tool – it requires patience, some time, an Internet connection (and smart phone), decent weather and, even then, some results will be missing.  But it did help me identify several things that are now permanently locked into my memory.

The reading from previous years helps.  This method won’t necessarily teach you the importance of avoiding areas of pesticide use nor will it possibly mention knowing what plants you’re allowed to take from your local authorities (some areas have tight regulations) but it will help you identify plants – and, until you can do that, it’s tough to do anything else.

Has anyone else tried this?  We’d love to hear your tips!

The Manhattan pictured above was made at Lucid Cocktail and Kitchen.  The ice is made directly in the glass (they claim that none have broken in the process and I believe them based on the amount of vertical room the water/ ice has to expand).  The giant amount of ice compared to the small amount of surface area means that it will melt far less than smaller ice cubes and your drink will maintain it’s integrity longer.  And, while a little bit does melt, the effect is stunning – a close look at the picture above will reveal small fissures that the drink seeps into as it gradually hits the bottom of the glass.  By the time the cocktail was finished, the sides of the ice were melted enough that the booze on the bottom easily flowed to the top.

We met friends at Lucid but it was the first time Dana and I had been there.  It was exceptional.  We sat at the bar where we found a really friendly team who made cocktails with great talent and passion.  The cocktail list was impressive but the knowledge of the craft of the cocktail was the most exciting part of the entire experience (other than the times they threw entire glasses of liquid nitrogen over their shoulders and showered their entire bar with insta-fog).

We were in the bar early in the evening when it wasn’t busy.  That gave plenty of time for banter and interacting with the guys behind the bar.  The cocktail above was presented to me when I asked for something inspired by an amaretto sour (knowing that they probably knew something that would be similar but made at the next-level) and they gladly rose to the challenge.  This was a cocktail made with maraschino liquor, an egg white and Spanish bitters.  It was fantastic!

We sampled one of their new pizzas (they have recently switched from a smaller traditional menu to a very specialized pizza menu) and it was fantastic.  We’ll be back.

This years theme was “The New Radicals.”  Many of today’s top chefs and restaurants are behaving in ways that are different from previous generations.  Many are opening restaurants in abandoned sports bars with little-no budget (and no financing/ business partners), others are serving food from trucks, some are showcasing their skills in the form of television commercials and some are doing all of the above.  Consider Toronto restaurant Parts & Labor which is a serious kitchen on the main floor (it converts to a dance club by midnight on the weekends) and a hardcore band venue in the basement.  Business as usual is no longer so usual.

Like our previous years, Terroir started early in the morning for breakfast.  Bleary-eyed members of the Hospitality community (it has transcended beyond an industry, at least in this room) pulled in to Arcadian Court for its inaugural event) and huddled over cups of coffee and pastries as if they were a campfire.

When Dana and I first entered this room two short years ago we were somewhat intimidated and unsure if we belonged.  And while we found ourselves to be quite welcomed back then, the experience has become wholly different now with more hugs and warm greeting of friends, acquaintances and so many people who we respect adds to the buzz of the event.  I attend a considerable number of conferences through my day job and have recently learned the power of these gatherings is often unleashed after multiple years of attending the same ones and meet more people through the room.

One of the exciting things about Terroir has been it’s ability to either influence or predict what is coming in regards to trends and developments in Toronto (and perhaps beyond but I can’t personally validate).  I was speaking to a friend (who owns two bars/ restaurants and is also a designer of all things cocktails) about Terroir in advance of the event and mentioned that I had attended a great session on infusing and custom cocktails.  She mentioned that this wasn’t so much as innovative as it is practically a must-have for many restaurants/ bars in our city in the last 12-18 months.  When I shared that it was Terroir IV (2 years ago) that had presented this, we laughed.  I don’t know if it was Terroir that influenced this (there were 300-500 of the cities chefs, mixoligists and hospitality professionals) or did it merely see it coming?  I’m not sure it matters – it did see it coming before many did.  And that, to me, is the joy of such an event.

The day covered a lot of topics and rapid-fire speeches/ presentations (I covered the full agenda in advance  here).  There was one breakout session though most of the sessions were held in the grand ballroom that our day started in.

The people that stood out to us (and that you’ll be hearing more about soon) included:

• Barton Seaver (Author, For Cod and Country)
• Doug McNish (Vegan/ Raw food chef and author)
• Lilia Smelkova (Food Day USA)
• Tama Matsuoka Wong (Forager and author)
• An amazing video (made for the event by Arlene Stein) which shared the vision of NOMA (which just won ‘Best Restaurant in the World for it’s third consecutive year)
• The team from Societe Originale (which I can’t even begin to explain without a full post)

Lunch featured a compiled effort made by 15 amazing Chef’s and was based on Chinese-Canadian Cuisine.  It was an impeccable feast that’s only criticism from some was it’s pure decadence in a day which had significant talk about sustainability and restraint.  I tossed this paradox back and forth before reconciling that this was an annual event that is meant to share what’s happening in food right now and experiencing it is more powerful than speaking about it.  So, for right or wrong, I justified this on the basis of it being an educational event:

Every year at Terroir I come out with 1 observation.  This years anecdote is about sustainability in the kitchen and defining the role of chef and restaurant in regards to influencing and creating change in kitchens and grocery stores around us.  This conversation was often the ‘sidebar’ topic of recent years or reserved only for the most elite of restaurants.  It’s no-longer a back-burner issue and it’s one that’s engaging considerable thought and conversation.  Not all agree on the answers but many are exciting to engage in the conversation around sustainable change and this subject will thankfully continue to be a pressing issue for the foreseeable future.

I also find myself leaving with insight into my own cooking and something to work on for the year (in year one I knew I had to focus on balancing salt and acid while in year two it was all about uncovering umami).  This years lesson?  Despite eating seasonally and mostly local, I have a whole lot more work and research to do about the taste of ‘here’ – indeed, this year has got to be a deeper exploration of my own terroir.

The day wrapped up with local wine, cheese and snacks and then an after-party at the Drake Hotel.  It was an amazing day.

Stay tuned over the next few Friday’s to see what we learned from each of the speakers listed above – it was an amazing day!

You would laugh (or cry) to have witnessed the conversations that went into making our new index and menu system.  The conversations were endless and without definitive answers:

• Should a preserving recipe live with a ‘cooking’ recipe?
• Do we list things be ingredient or cooking method?
• Is a cocktail recipe a recipe, a cocktail or just part of something bigger?

Well, you get the idea.

I am thrilled to announce our new navigation system that will hopefully make things easy to find!

Here’s how it works:

• The drop down menu at the top of this page now includes an option to FIND STUFF (it’s on the top right).
• If you click FIND STUFF you’ll be taken to the master list of all categories and subjects.
• If you choose on of the options from the pulldown menu, you can choose individual sections of our site and navigate by topic.
• When you choose a sub-category, all of the articles in that stream will appear on your screen to flip through.

With more than 1,300 articles on the site you can now get to any single one of them with 3 clicks or less!

We’ll be launching some other navigation options (so the menu will change a bit) in the near future to make articles accessible by other methods too.

We hope you’ll check out the menu – and let us know what you think; we’re constantly trying to improve the site.

20-30 people gathered with small trays of finger sandwiches to share.  Some were newer interpretations of finger sandwiches, others included homemade bread and others were true to the roots of sandwich trays (peanut butter and banana spirals and maraschino cherry wheels were big hits).  And let’s not even talk about the Whoopie Pie!

There was a lot of discussion on what constituted a finger sandwich.  Was crust allowed?  Did the bread  have to be bleached white?  Did a wrap count or is that too modern?  Do you have to eat them with a raised pinky or is that optional?  None of this conversation was remotely serious – but the eating was.  We ate more than 80% of the spread and the rest went home with people…

The evening was super fun – Home Ec is simply about getting good people together and sharing conversation.  The conversation often hedges towards food but there’s no format or rules.  It’s been a lot of fun to meet a group of strangers and meet some new friends.

Emily made an amazing signature cocktail that included a recipe we shared for infusing gin with tea (we team up with The Avro to design a one-off cocktail for the monthly event).  We both agreed we needed to do something with tea and I remember our buddy Sean from Punk Domestics mentioning infusing booze with tea.  He pointed me to an article on tea infusions written by Shae of Hitchhiking to Heaven and we were set!  We really need to do some more infusion, in a hurry!  Check out yesterdays photo essay of the cocktail being made – the pictures were taken by the same fantastic photographer that took these, the lovely Margaret Mulligan.

We handed out our fourth HomeEc badge with more to come!  The next Home Ec is Monday, May 28th – the theme (this one is super easy) will be announced on Sunday.  We hope to see you there.

Check out Margaret’s work in many places:

• Her professional photography site
• Her photo blog
• The Facebook group for her Jumpshots portrait business

You can find more of Emily’s cocktails at The Avro.  We’ll break down the Home Ec event tomorrow!