Monday, June 23, 2008

Taste Canada for Canada Day

It's that time again...
Jennifer, The Domestic Goddess (the sweet side of Canada) and ...

Jasmine of Confessions of a Cardamom Addict (the savory) are doing another Taste Canada Event for ... Canada Day, naturally. And we are fruly fortunate to live in a country so lush, and rich with verdant farm lands from ocean to ocean and we should honour that.

One thing I love about moving to Nova Scotia last year is the proximity to the sea...scallops, mussels, lobster, clams and salmon (my favorite fish), plus cod and haddock for the best fish and chips ever.

Then there's the Annapolis Valley with lots of grazing farmland for free range, grass fed lamb, beef, pork and chicken. Artisan dairy farms produce glorious cheeses like Dragon's Breath Blue at That Dutchman Farm and wonderful fresh goat cheese from Rancher Acres, to just name two. Winerys are not just found in British Columbia and Ontario...Nova Scotia has some award winning vineyards too...like Blomidon Estate Winery and Jost Vineyards.

Throughout the province, there are lots of UPik farms...apples, cranberries, blueberries, strawberries....you get the picture. Winter may be long and dreary, but summer is awesome in Nova Scotia!

And I can never forget my favorite Valley haven...The Tangled Garden with its beautiful herb and vegetable gardens that are so peaceful and their unbelievable herbal jellies, vinegars, oils and now liqueurs. They grace my table almost daily...slathered on bagels and cream cheese, as a glaze for chicken or fish dishes, a dollop of jelly in yoghurt or a drizzle of liqueur over ice cream - nothing's better or more Canadian to me.

So many wonderful options to choose from for this year's celebration... I think the last time I submitted a very Canadian dish was for the first Taste Canada...way too long ago...2005! Yikes! But, I must say, the dish is still a brilliant combination for me...using maple syrup and salmon - two very delicious Canadian treasures.

But decisions, decisions, decisions...should I send in a savory dish like...

(I'm not sure if shrimp are Canadian or not, but they work so well with the scallops)

...or a fantastic dessert with local fruits like...


that I've been making with fresh local Canadian strawberries forever...which means that my family desperately waits for local strawberry season to begin...and if the weather holds this weekend, I'll be out picking my first batch in Nova Scotia. Summer comes late here and I've only just started to notice local berries for sale.

Well, I guess I'll just send this post to both of them and let them decide how to split the wealth.

You can enter your own savory Canadian dishes with Jasmine and your sweet delights with Jennifer Just do it by June 28th so it can be included in the roundup on July 1.

9 comments:

Sara said...

They both look excellent Ruth, especially that salad. How wonderful to live so close to the ocean.
Have a Happy Canada Day next week!

Ruth Daniels said...

Thanks Sara, you have a great Canada Day too.

jasmine said...

I adore blueberries in a salad...as well as scallops. I think we must have shrimp--especially since we have prawns on the West Coast.

Both entries look great--thanks so much for taking part.

XO

j

Unknown said...

It's really interesting to me, reading your comments about Nova Scotia cuisine. I did the opposite move you did: from NS to ON, only my move was back in 1997. This post was a lovely trip down memory lane for me, and a reminder of what the province I was born in has to offer!

That strawberry tart looks fantastic.

Ruth Daniels said...

Jasmine, it was a pleasure.

Candice, I admit, I've been here a little over a year and haven't as yet tasted garlic fingers.

Thanks for dropping by...love your blog, btw.

Anonymous said...

Both of those look amazing, thanks for sharing and Happy Canada Day.

The Apron Queen said...

You have me drooling over those strawberries. They look lovely.

Stop by Confessions of an Apron Queen for a piece of Maple Walnit Fudge: http://anapronaday.blogspot.com/2008/06/maple-walnut-fudge-old-fashioned-way.html

Anonymous said...

Oh my goodness - I can't tear my eyes away from that magnificent tart!! :)

NKP said...

You make Nova Scotia sound so inviting, I have never been east of Quebec. The food alone seems reason to go.
Beautiful submissions for Canada Day. Hungry now.