SOS Tips: Eating Local Year-Round

Cinzia Cuneo 7 ottobre, 2009 mangiare locale, carne, ricette, verdure

What you should know about the products from Quebec:

Since the origin of Quebec foods is not always clearly identified, here a few tips.

1 – Meat:

• Turkey and chicken: The ones that you see in the frozen food section most probably come from Quebec or Canada – the origin of the farm is sometimes mentioned – since they fall under the supply management mechanism. Supply management is also applicable to eggs and milk.
• Lamb: Quebec-produced lamb can be identified by its logo.
• Veal: 80% of what is displayed in grocery stores comes from local producers.
• Pork and beef: Since they don’t necessarily originate from Quebec, ask the butcher where they are from and check the labels
• Other specialty meats: Duck, rabbit, guinea hens and quails are all locally produced.

2 – Seafood:

• Lobster: Available from the end of April until July. It can be identified by the “Aliments du Québec” logo on the white elastic bands around the claws.
• Snow crab: Available fresh from April through October, frozen all year long.
• Rainbow trout and Arctic char: Available throughout the year. Be careful not to confuse rainbow trout with salmon trout – this is imported.
• Mussels/shrimps/scallops/mackerel: Seldom available in grocery stores due to insufficient quantities. They are easier to find at a fishmonger.

3 – Cheese:

Where cheeses are concerned, we in Quebec are spoiled for choice! Quebec cheeses need no longer envy the ones that are imported, because local cheeses have distinctive, flavourful and characteristic tastes.

4 – Vegetables:

• Available fresh all year long: carrots, onions, potatoes, turnips, rutabaga (Swedish turnip), beets, parsnip, celeriac, squashes, mushrooms, green cabbage, Belgian endive and sweet potatoes.
• Grown in greenhouses: lettuce and tomatoes.
• In winter: Arctic Garden’s frozen foods are made with broccoli, beans, corn, peas, etc. that have been harvested in Quebec.
• The first vegetables of spring: asparagus (look for the ones with yellow elastics), lettuce, radishes and fiddleheads.
• In summer we can find a very large variety of locally grown vegetables. The end of summer is the time to stock up for the coming winter. All that is required is a little work in the kitchen and some space in your freezer!

5 – Fruits:

• Available fresh all year long: apples.
• In winter: Use rhubarb and frozen berries (blueberries, cranberries, raspberries, etc.)

6 – Drinks:

Beer, wine (more than 300,000 bottles are produced each year in Quebec – there is even an organic variety), ice ciders, water and apple juice are all drinks that can originate from Quebec.

Here is a 7-day menu composed of local produce, for 4 people, as suggested in the May 21, 2009 episode of Par-dessus le marché (In French):

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Autori

Cinzia Cuneo

Italiana di nascita e canadese d'adozione, Cinzia ha deciso di coniugare le sue competenze professionali e la sua passione per la buona tavola sviluppando un servizio per aiutare i numerosi «aventi bisogno» a riprendere il controllo della loro alimentazione. Così è nata SOSCuisine. Ingegnere di formazione al Politecnico di Torino, Cinzia ha conseguito un Master's Degree in scienze applicate all'École Polytechnique de Montréal.