One of our customers sent us a question about meat through this site. She’s a longtime vegetarian turned omnivore who wants to know what meat she should purchase.

We think the best answer to that is found in the sage advice of Michael Pollan, “Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants.”

Remember when steak night was a really big deal? Probably not, but it used to be something people really got excited about.

Back in the olden days of the 1950’s, and right on up to the 70’s, families didn’t eat beef all the time. The weekly menu ran the inexpensive, but filling, gamut of tuna casserole, Shake n Bake chicken and Hamburger Helper. Cheap ground beef made it to the dinner table much more often than sirloins and roast beef, so when those expensive cuts appeared it was reason to celebrate.

There’s a lesson there, and it’s not that we should eat more cheap ground beef.

If you buy really good quality food then you probably won’t be able to justify the grocery expense of ethically raised beef, pork and poultry on the table as often as has become the norm in the past twenty years.

How do you know it’s ethically raised? Look at the price tag, if it seems a tiny bit shocking to pay that much for a chicken, then you’ve got yourself a bird that saw sunshine and grass instead of concrete and antibiotics.

Try going without beef completely for a week, then take the money you’ve saved and pick up a really nice $15 or $20 steak and let me know how it tastes.

The more you value what’s on your plate the less gravy you need.

“It’s as good for the soul as it is for the palate.”

Quite a statement to make when talking about a simple loaf of bread, but Malcolm Jolley, a Fiesta Farms customer and editor of www.goodfoodrev.com, stands behind it encouraging us to take a closer look at this unique bread-making operation.

Not only does St. John’s Bakery make incredible organic breads in the traditional French style it does so while helping people in less than fortunate circumstances by hiring them and teaching them how to bake the bread.

background

Bakery workers have included people struggling with mental illness or addiction, refugees and single parents battling poverty.

“St. John’s Bakery produces one of the best artisan breads in Toronto. It is a staple in our home and when we invite guests for dinner, we always share the story of the bread on the dinner table and the impact it has on Toronto society.  Good food doing good. It is a shame that in today’s world, few foods can claim the same degree of recognition.” says James Geneau of  www.gremolata.com

Owned by St. John’s The Compassionate Mission they are funded in part by the Toronto Enterprise Fund.

What started as a drop-in centre in a strip mall is now a world-class bakery. They use only organic flour and all-natural ingredients from local suppliers in their signature sourdough bread and handmade sweets.

fans of the product

Slow Food co-chair Paul DeCampo (now at Food Share) is a fan as well, “Not surprisingly, I am kind of partial to the Red Fife loaf, and really respect St. John’s for working directly with Patricia Hastings of CIPM, the grower and miller. Red Fife produces a delightfully nutty flavour, and by supporting this heritage variety, we can also support agricultural bio-diversity.”

A bread that is carried in some of the city’s best restaurants, including Jamie Kennedy’s, as well as at farmer’s markets, coffee shops and organic stores. This is a bread we are proud to have on our shelves at Fiesta Farms and so are our customers…. Especially this guy:

“I find it really sensuous and sexy.  When I eat the bread it turns me on.  It is even better with butter.  Their nutty olive deal makes the best grilled cheese.” says Fiesta Farms customer and Excutive Chef at the Drake Hotel, Anthony Rose.