Advocating for the Organic Industry We are looking forward to meeting with MPP’s and policymakers at Queen’s Park, Toronto on October 25th! Organized by the Organic Council of Ontario (OCO), we will be advocating alongside businesses from across Ontario for regulatory and business priorities that are important to those in the organic sector. photo taken Queen’s Park Day 2020What We Want Our Government to Know Organic agriculture CAN be done successfully on a larger scale. Organic agriculture is often associated with the stereotype of a very old-fashioned, quaint operation that has no hope of l ..read more

We grow beautiful leaf lettuces in Ontario, but our growing season comes to an end in the fall.  At that time, we are grateful to be able to turn to growers in the sunny south who aren’t as limited as we are in that way.  They are not without challenges however, and right now in Salinas Valley California they are facing a massive, widespread one of disease and severe crop loss.  This video shows the scale of the destruction, and explains why you may notice that lettuce is missing from your store shelves, or the price is through the roof if you are lucky enough to find it ..read more

This year marks the 56th anniversary of the Seasonal Agricultural Worker Program (SAWP), the branch of the Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP) that is specific to agriculture. It was created in 1966 to solve a problem: the labour gap in agriculture here in Canada. At the time, finding local people who were willing to take on farm work was increasingly difficult or next to impossible. Since then, much has changed, but that same labour gap still exists. Canadian farms still have trouble finding local people to fill seasonal jobs. The seasonality of the job, combined with low wages (necessar ..read more

The addition of lemon juice to recipes builds a zesty flavour that can’t be beat. There are a few varieties of lemons, but the most popular varieties are Eureka (‘Four Seasons’) which is available year-round, and Meyer which is in season from November to March and tastes like a combination of a lemon and a orange. Regarding the health benefits, a 2016 study found citrus fruits and juices contain a wide range of nutrients, including carbohydrates, fibre, vitamin C, potassium, folate, calcium, thiamine, niacin, vitamin B6, vitamin A, phosphorus, magnesium, copper, riboflavin, pantothenic a ..read more

A nice bowl of homemade soup is my favourite comfort meal, and a staple in my winter meal rotation. This blog outlines some familiar classics, as well as some new recipes from us here in the Pfenning’s office. Most of the fresh ingredients can be sourced directly from us, so keep dinner local and homemade by trying out some of these soup-er recipes! Recipes Where applicable, the creators of the recipe and/or link to blog posts where they can be found will be cited. Typically, these recipes are meant to feed 2-4 people — feel free to increase the quantity of ingredients to feed more people! NO ..read more

As a member of the allium family (along with garlic, chives, scallions, shallots, and onions), leeks are an incredibly versatile vegetable that add a sweet and mild onion flavour to any recipe — be it soups, stews, casseroles, pastas, or as a grilled and roasted side dish. Whatever suits your fancy, there’s bound to be a recipe that utilizes this versatile veggie. Preparing Leeks Depending on how you cook leeks, the preparation of them will vary. Gentle and slow cooking of the leeks will extract the sweet flavours and make them tender. One thing to note is that they’re often dirty on the ins ..read more

This holiday season, gather your loved ones and your poor quality produce, and spend time making decorations that are easy on the eyes and the environment. Making your own ornaments is a memorable holiday activity, and they are a great way to utilize food that would have otherwise been wasted. Citrus Christmas Décor In my household (and in households around the world), getting a clementine or orange in your stocking is a Christmas tradition that originated centuries ago. While this citrusy treat is nice to eat, it can also be used for decorations inside or outside in the form of garland or or ..read more

Did you know that more than 2.2 million tonnes of avoidable food waste is generated in Canadian homes annually? Most of this waste is vegetables (30%), followed by fruit (15%), leftovers (13%), bread and baked goods (9%), and dairy and eggs (7%). This translates to $10 000 000 000 of lost food! Food that could have fed your family or others. That’s a LOT of waste. But there’s a lot we can do! Small changes over time = big changes in the big picture. The good news about food waste is, we can eat the problem! So for Pfive Days, here are Pfive tips for you: Day 1: Choose “Ugly” Fruits & Vegg ..read more

November 15th is National Clean Out Your Fridge Day this year! When you are diving into the deepest corners of your fridges where forgotten produce tends to lurk, consider ways to reduce waste before dumping everything in the compost bin. There are many things you can do with items that are on their way out, but not gone yet! Reducing food waste is a topic near and dear to our hearts, and we love making the most of what we have. We’ve put together a few ideas for you for inspiration ..read more

Intro: Why Organic? 2021 marks the 40th anniversary of the Pfenning family’s arrival in Canada in 1981 – and we’ve been growing organically here ever since! To understand why the organic path was chosen, we must go back to Germany at the beginning of the chemical revolution in agriculture. Just a young man at the time, Wilhelm Pfenning (father of Wolfgang and Ekk Pfenning, who run the farm today) embraced the new ways as eagerly as everyone else. The benefits seemed clear – less back-breaking work dealing with weeds and other pests, which would result in greater yields and efficiencies. Howeve ..read more