| |
With the Crops harvested and on the market, winter is the time to warm up our tummies and toast the famously long Canadian nights. Salads and smoothies no longer foot the bill. Food preparation goes into overdrive, seeking out the sustenance and nourishment of hot foods. Indulgence can be both healthy and absolutely organic.
... Poultry
Traditionally, winter feasts have been an excuse to heap loads of calories and fatty foods on our plates. Today’s hosts are looking for healthier, leaner options. Organic turkey is the perfect solution.
Certification standards ensure that the birds are treated and transported humanely, and are fed certified organic feed. Turkeys must be able to stretch their limbs and have access to fresh air. More space means less opportunity for disease to spread. In organic poultry production, practices such as overcrowding, debeaking and declawing on a regular basis are prohibited.
Ron Hamilton of Sunworks family-owned certified organic farm in Camrose, Alberta, says that customers come to them not only for health reasons, but because their turkey tastes better. He says that, compared to conventional turkeys, organic turkeys are better value pound for pound because there is no added water. Sunworks sells 1400 certified organic turkeys at farmers markets in Calgary and Edmonton during the festive season. They prefer customers to book their birds in advance if possible. In keeping with the demand for smaller birds, Hamilton says that their turkeys average about 15-16 pounds.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Organic turkeys take less time to cook than conventional turkeys as they do not contain bulking agents or added water, so check your bird carefully with a meat thermometer while roasting. Fill the roasting pan with organic squash, potatoes and onions. Accompany your meal with organic wine, and you have a sumptuous easy-to-prepare feast. If a turkey is too large for your needs, chicken can be prepared the same way.
Lamb and Pork
Sheila Hamilton, partner in Sunworks Farm, says that lamb and pork are in great demand. Over the year, Sunworks sells over 350 Dorset-Finn cross lambs, by the piece (in chops or roasts), and over 300 pigs, by the piece, at Farmers’ Markets in Calgary and Edmonton. Sunworks is QCB certified organic, as is their butcher, but they also have certification with the Winnipeg Humane Society.
“Fresh air, green grass as the season permits, space, this is what humane means to us,” says Sheila. Their lambs and pigs are summered and wintered outside, with straw for bedding, and hay and grain for feed. Pigs are supplemented with barley and soybeans, and lambs with barley and wheat.
|
|
