smart living

Harvest
Toronto-
S.O.S. Style
Sustainable, Organic and Seasonal
By Lisa Borden

I 
t’s the most wonderful time of the year. The harvest. It’s
short (and sweet), and once you get through reading
this article, I can only hope that you’ll be compelled to
try some of my suggestions, and will join me in sending out
an S.O.S. (sustainable, organic and seasonal) message, so as
many as possible will take advantage of Toronto’s delicious,
colourful and abundant harvest.
Whether you are fed up with reading about organics,
certifications, lack of regulations, local eating or different 1. The Harbord Room
diets, remember, together we are striving for higher 2. Chèvre Noir Shortbread from LPK’s
standards. Once you experience the slow food movement, Cullinary Groove
3. Earth to Table - Seasonal Recipes
shop at organic farmers’ markets, read product labels and from an Organic Farm by Jeff
dine at restaurants that offer local and organic menus, you Crump and Bettina Schormann
will no longer worry about what’s proven, and, you’ll simply
enjoy. So why shop, buy and explore S.O.S.?

It’s Fresher
Simply a shorter time from farm
to table. (Note: organic at a major
supermarket is not the same as
organic from a farmers’ market
- the best S.O.S. comes directly
from an organic farmer.)
It’s Tastier
No need to trust me, do your
own taste test (without all of the
synthetics), you’ll savour pure,
unaltered, delicious food. If your
food needs to travel far, it’s bred
to withstand a longer shelf life
and is usually picked before it’s
fully ripe. Shame.
It’s Healthier
Fully ripened and eaten soon
after picking, the food retains
more nutrients, has no need
for preservatives and offers less
exposure to chemicals. Score.
It’s
Environmentally
Sound
Long distance travel requires
more packaging, refrigeration,
fuel to get to table and generates
more waste and pollution (did
you ever wonder how produce
arrives from Mexico without
bruises and without being
rotten?). Crops grown without
synthetic pesticides, herbicides,
fertilizers and GMOs mean
fewer of these items are being
produced and fewer are being
released into our soil and water.
What goes down will come back
up again.
It’s Cheaper
Apples to apples it may be
more expensive to buy S.O.S.,
but cheap food actually has
a very high cost to us, our
health and our world. With less
middlemen, less marketing and
less transportation costs, you can
save money if you know when
and where to buy and are willing
to enjoy what’s in season.
It’s Neighbourly
There are so many advantages
to having our money stay in
our community, including job
creation and local farmer support
– and if you’ve eaten today, you
should be thanking a farmer,
hopefully a local one.
It’s Flexible
If you love bananas, they aren’t
going to be locally grown (too
bad for us!), so, choose to buy
organic, fair-trade bunches and
enjoy. Just please don’t buy fall
apples that have travelled from
New Zealand when wonderful
apples are harvested all around
us! Everyone has different
standards and exceptions to their
rules…make your own.

tonic | October 2010 | 39

 Restaurants
Harbord Room My son (he
By now I’ve writes restaurant reviews) calls it
hopefully convinced the best burger place in Toronto.
you that eating
Raw Aura In Port Credit, but
S.O.S. food is the you can try and justify the un-eco-
way to go and that ness of the travel by eating the
by doing so you best raw and vegan meal in the
can bring home the GTA. (Ravioli is my favourite dish.)
harvest to enjoy at True A gorgeous restaurant in
your table. Here are Yorkville, where even their bar is
some of my local organic. The service sadly lacks,
favourites, who dish but it’s worth enduring, since they
are the real deal.
out unparalleled
foods celebrating Wine Bar You can learn a lot
our local growing by getting stools at the kitchen
season: bar, watching the chefs prepare
your dishes, tapas style. If you like
French fries, this would be the
place to indulge.
Dessert
Delight Two locations scoop out
the greatest ice cream. And, you
won’t find a better cone anywhere.
40 | October 2010 | tonic
LPK’s Culinary Groove
Owner, Lesia claims that she
serves “beautifully cultivated
desserts” and she does. She is able
to accommodate almost every
special diet and allergy.
Shopping for Home
Healthy Butcher
A small specialty store, where they
want to know your name. Think of
their shop as a permanent farmers’
market - “butcher” is deceiving,
as they also have exceptional
produce!
Fiesta Farms Toronto’s largest
independently owned grocery
store with a big selection of local
foods - just make sure you read
labels, it’s not all S.O.S. here!
Organic Farmers’ Markets
There are markets almost every
day of the week. It’s really the
ultimate way to shop. Pick this up
as your newest habit, just beware,
it’s addictive.
Cookbooks
Ripe from Around Here
A wonderful vegan cookbook,
and being from Toronto, when Jae
Steele talks about local, it’s actually
local to us!
Earth to Table This cookbook
could be a coffee table book it’s
so beautiful and again, it’s written
by locals inspiring us with local
foods.
Other S.O.S.
Activities
Pick Your Own Organics Farm,
Avalon Orchards, or perhaps, from
your own garden?
Harvest Festivals Consider
attending Feast of Fields, or events
at Evergreen Brickworks.
Lisa Borden
~ is an eco-advocate, whose marketing
business, Borden Communications
+ Design is a direct reflection of
her commitment to better, more
responsible living. lisa@bordencom.com