Barrie’s The Farmhouse puts a fresh, hip spin on family dining with a focus on farm-to-table, locally sourced food. Here’s a quick glimpse of a great night we enjoyed while dining there with family this fall.

Good variety of starters to choose from, like freshly-shucked PEI oysters or french onion soup brimming with cheese.

French onion soup and freshly shucked PEI oysters.

Entrées come with two sides from a choice of eleven, including: roast garlic mash, baked potato with three cheese bacon butter, mac’n’cheese, daily soup, daily grain, three types of salads, and baked beans.

Roasted chicken with garden herb pesto, farmhouse greens salad, and baked beans.

Side salads, like romaine salad with house-smoked bacon and parmesan vinaigrette, are served in charming mason jars.

Romaine salad with parmesan vinaigrette.

Feltis Farm fries are served in mini deep fryer baskets.

Flaxseed-crusted seared tuna with Feltis Farm fries and daily salad.

The side daily vegetable that night was a delicious combo of pretty beets and fresh kale sautéed in thyme butter. The daily salad had beets in it too. A healthy dose of fresh vegetables – olive it!

Crispy trout with maple lemon butter, daily salad, and daily vegetable.

The crispy trout with maple lemon butter was so darn good: crisp exterior with a touch of sweetness; rich and moist inside. Others at our table enjoyed the garlic rosemary braised lamb shank, the farmhouse signature roast beef with thyme peppercorn goodness, and the flaxseed-crusted seared tuna with wasabi mayo.

Flaxseed-crusted seared tuna with wasabi mayo and daily salad.

Lots of other creative, farm-to-table-fresh dishes on the menu, including weekend breakfast. Located in a historical building with outdoor patios overlooking the waterfront. A great reason to hop off the 400 on your way up north.

Olive is happy to report that local field asparagus season has begun! Despite the looming storm clouds, I was determined to drive out to Andrews’ Scenic Acres yesterday morning to do something I’ve long wanted to do: pick my own asparagus. It turned out to be a beautiful morning.

It is early in the season and the asparagus has just begun to come up alongside the rhubarb. Farmer Bert Andrews says the asparagus season will run from now to about mid June; the first of June will likely be the ideal pick-your-own period. The pick-your-own rhubarb season will run from now to about the end of June.

The asparagus field looks like a a little comical with single spears poking up up from the ground, here and there. In the photo above, you can barely see them poking up along the horizon.

To ensure the asparagus will grow back again next year, cut the asparagus about one inch below the surface of the earth; it’s easy and Andrews’ will supply you with a knife. Wear rubber boots and protect yourself from mosquitoes.

You can’t get farm-to-table fresher than picking your own. I couldn’t resist trying a spear raw: it tasted green and robust and sweeter than the raw spears I have tasted from the grocery store. If you are tempted to try one of the many raw asparagus salad recipes that are trending right now, I recommend picking your own asparagus and eating the salad as soon as possible the same day.

I decided to treat my Dad to a bundle of ready-picked asparagus that Farmer Bert Andrews (below left) brings in from Simcoe County while his asparagus is still so early in the season. Manager Stephanny (below right) helped me pick out a bundle of Andrews’ ready-picked rhubarb; I’ll turn it into stewed rhubarb to eat with my breakfast yogurt. Oh my, how Olive loves spring!

Farmer Bert Andrews and Manager Stephanny

I prefer to eat my asparagus the day I buy it but it will keep in your fridge okay for a few days if you stand the stem ends in a jug of water or wrap them in a damp paper towel and cover the bunch in plastic wrap. I snap off the woody ends where they break naturally and wash each spear under cold, running water, paying special attention to the head where sand and grit get trapped. For tips on choosing, storing, and preparing asparagus visit Foodland Ontario.

My preferred method of cooking asparagus is oven-roasted. Oven-roasting caramelizes the asparagus and I find I don’t need to serve anything with it but a squirt of lemon juice. My Simple Oven-Roasted Asparagus recipe is here: http://olivetoeat.com/?p=858

But what better way to celebrate the start of the local asparagus season than with a splurge of hollandaise sauce? A dear friend (and fabulous cook) recently gave me a great recipe for an easy and delicious blender hollandaise sauce. Scroll down to the bottom of this post for the recipe.

Andrews’ Scenic Acres (established in 1980) and Scotch Block Country Winery (a fruit winery opened in 1999), is family operated and grows a wide variety of pick-your-own or fresh picked fruit, vegetables, and flowers. The barn market sells jams, jellies, pies, tarts, honey, maple syrup, juices and frozen fruit. House-made frozen yogurt and ice cream is made from farm-grown fruit. Family fun and harvest festivals.

Andrews’ Scenic Acres
9365 10th Sideroad
Halton Hills, Ontario

Telephone: 905-878-5807

Please call to confirm dates and time open.

Open daily: May 3rd to November 1st, from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm.

Open November 1st to December 31st, Saturday and Sunday plus the week before Christmas: 11am to 5pm.

Andrews’ Scenic Acres also sells their farm fresh produce at several local farmers’ markets. Click here for a list: http://www.andrewsscenicacres.com/farmmarket.php

Website: www.andrewsscenicacres.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/AndrewsScenic
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AndrewsScenicAcres

Easy Blender Hollandaise Sauce

Makes 1/2 cup

This recipe was passed on to me by a dear friend and fabulous cook. Use a blender or food processor for best results.

Ingredients:

3 large egg yolks
1 tablespoon of water
3/4 cup unsalted butter
Freshly squeezed juice of 1/2 a lemon
1/4 teaspoon salt
Pinch of ground white pepper, freshly ground black pepper, or ground cayenne pepper.

Directions:

1. Place butter in a small saucepan over low heat to melt.
2. Plop water and egg yolks in a blender or food processor; blend for about 90 seconds.
3. Turn the heat under the melted butter up to medium high, just until the butter starts to bubble.
4. With the blender motor running, slowly pour the hot melted butter through the feeder tube in a thin, steady stream (don’t include the milky, foamy bits); sauce will thicken at this point.
5. Again with the motor running, add the lemon juice, salt, and pepper through the feeder tube. Unplug the machine and taste to adjust seasonings, if necessary.
6. Serve immediately with steamed asparagus, steamed artichokes, steamed new potatoes, poached eggs, or roasted fish.

Though the eggs are lightly cooked by the hot butter, as a safety precaution follow all food safety guidelines concerning the consumption of raw eggs.

“What on earth is a felfie” you ask? A “selfie” is a photo that you take of yourself and post to social media. Our farmers are taking the selfie trend and turning it into something cool: selfie + farmer = felfie.

To celebrate the 2014 International Year of Family Farming, I have collected felfies from some fun local farmers that you really ought to get to know. I hope you will be inspired to visit their farms and follow them on social media. Since it is #ThankaFarmerThursday, let’s tell these families how grateful we are for their farm-to-table-fresh, quality products. Be sure to check my Farm/Farmers’ Market Directory for a listing of local farm markets and farmers’ markets.

#felfie #familyfarming #ThankaFarmerThursday

The Thatcher Family:

#naturallyraised #farmbeauties #farmlove

“This is Dana and Sophie Thatcher, and their wee friend, of Thatcher Farms. We raise beef, pork, lamb, chicken, turkey and cut fresh meats here at the farm 5 days a week.  We have an on-farm butcher shop, bakery, and country store.”  [Dana Thatcher, Thatcher Farms]

Small-scale, mixed working farm. Naturally-raised, hormone, and additive-free meat; raised on farm, fed on their own farm-grown feed. Custom-order butchering. Meat pies, ready-made meals, sweet honey, eggs, pure maple syrup, artisan cheese, jams, and jellies, gift baskets, raw pet foods, and butchery classes. Click here to find out why Dana and Adam Thatcher earned the 2013 Ontario’s Outstanding Young Farmers award.

The den Haan Family:

 #hardworkers #farmdog

“John den Haan or as some of us know him as “Poppa John” is a second generation farmer. His dad and mom (Opa and Oma) purchased the farm we now farm on today when they came from Holland. John’s duties include… well everything. He is a jack-of-all-trades; whether it’s milking the cows morning and night, feeding, or in the fields he’s hard at work. Megs, our Border Collie and mascot, helps to round up the cows in the morning and can often be found wherever John is. She spends her spare hours greeting customers at the farm store. John and Megs are a true picture of hard workers.” [Marianne den Haan, daughter, Sheldon Creek Dairy]

#nextgeneration #happyfarmer #yougogirl

“Emily den Haan is 23. She is farming full-time on her own farm across the road and at Haanview Farms. She actually has her very own herd of purebred shorthorns. These shorthorns are pretty special – they belonged to Archie Currie, our father/grandfather. Emily has taken over much of the herd and is the next generation to have these cows and well, let’s just say she definitely shares the same passion for cows as grandpa did.” [Marianne den Haan, daughter, Sheldon Creek Dairy]

On-farm production and glass bottling of whole, non-homogenized, minimally-processed, naturally fresh milk and yogurt products from John and Bonnie den Haan’s own herd of happy and healthy cows that graze the pastures of the 3rd generation Haanview farm in Sheldon Valley. On-farm store; products also available in other retail locations. The 3rd annual Sheldon Creek Dairy Day on the Farm will be held on June 14, 2014, from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m..  It’s a great opportunity to meet the den Haan family and the cows, tour the barn, and enjoy the local farmers market, live music, face painting, kids craft, cooking demonstrations, and product samples.

The Laidlaw Family:

#familyroots #seventhgeneration #heirloomorchard

“I did capture our family planting a new orchard… (my favourite felfie). The tiny twig in the middle is in fact a baby apple tree! The feet belong to Spencer, Margo, [and their parents] Laura and Mark Laidlaw. And the last one is a little Hallowe’en vignette [of Laura] in our barn.” [Laura Kelly, Carl Laidlaw Orchards]

#creative #countrycharm

Seventh generation heirloom orchard and on-farm market: 20 varieties of pick-your-own or already-picked apples (including heirloom varieties), 3 varieties of pears, sweet corn, honey, and candy apples. Bring in baked goods, local squash, garlic, jams, and preserves.  Make your own pie on-site or buy already made. Barbeque hot dogs, sausages, corn, and drinks available on weekends. Old-fashioned fall family fun in a charming vintage setting. For details, please read my post “Happy Under the Apple Boughs: Carl Laidlaw Orchards”.

Thanks so much to my farmer friends for submitting your felfies!

My BFF washed away my winter blues recently when she treated me to an afternoon at Hockley Valley Resort, a hidden gem tucked in the scenic Hills of Headwaters near Orangeville, Ontario. The kids skied to their hearts’ delight while she taught me how to knit. The best part of the afternoon was the unexpected pleasures we enjoyed while lunching in Babbo – the wine and cheese tasting lounge in this elegant resort’s lobby.

Babbo’s décor is chic modern: an under-lit white stone bar draws your eye to the floor-to-ceiling glass doors of the impressive wine cellar, pretty lighting accents like jewelry, and an atrium of windows facing the hill brings in natural light. Come off the hill into a relaxed atmosphere, thanks to the friendly staff.

The wine list features wines from around the world, focussing on Niagara and Prince Edward County. It won the 2010 VQA Restaurant Award of Excellence. Babbo’s wine list is about to become even more local: Executive Chef John Paul Adamo (president and owner of Hockley Valley Resort) has planted a vineyard on top of the hill and expects to add first wines to the list soon.

The resort boasts a two-acre fruit and vegetable garden, which supplies ninety percent of the seasonal produce served at Hockley. Preserves and quality ingredients from the best local farmers and suppliers contribute to a farm-to-table experience.

Chef Renato Ciani treated us to tastings from the resort’s open concept restaurant, cabin, which serves a full farm-to-table lunch and dinner menu (changing weekly) and is named after the first building built on the property in 1865. House-made focaccia is flavourful and chewy, strewn with caramelized onions, and served with a luxurious mascarpone butter seasoned with sea salt and chives.

The handmade tortellini is stuffed with ricotta, parmesan and a mascarpone, cauliflower purée that oozes out into the butter sauce; salty house-cured speck and peppery arugula contrast beautifully in this memorable, #lickyourplate dish.

Babbo offers a small lunch menu, including cheese and house-made charcuterie. A medley of Cerignola, Barese, Kalamata, and Colossal Green olives are marinated overnight with bay leaves, chili, and garlic and rewarmed with rosemary and citrus zest. White bean hummus is dusted with smoked paprika. Crostini is handcrafted by local 100-Acre Bakery.

The dough for the house-made Catalan flatbread – coca, Spanish-style pizza – is faintly sweetened with honey and milk, rolled out thin and crisp, and topped with a peperonata of roasted peppers and onions, house-made chorizo sausage, fresh arugula, sweet Saba balsamic reduction, and grated Manchego Reserva cheese. A lovely balance of flavours and textures.

The cabin burger is pure beef flavour of 100% pure house-ground Ontario artisan chuck, salt, and pepper (no fillers, antibiotics, or hormones). It’s topped with smoked and braised short ribs, cured tomato marmellata, oven-roasted tomato, coleslaw, house-made pickles, on a 100-Acre brioche bun. Served with Chef Renato’s house-made ketchup (containing at least nineteen ingredients) and house-cut fries. If you’ve been staving off a burger craving, give into this one.

Even the ski cafeteria is inspired by Executive Chef John Paul Adamo’s vision. The Dirty Turco is two house-made artisan burgers topped with house-smoked pulled pork, vintage cheddar, caramelized onion, Walnut Hill bacon, guacamole, and house-made barbeque sauce. Poutine offerings include house-cut Yukon Gold fries with vintage cheddar, Walnut Hill bacon, and house-made gravy or with house-smoked pulled pork, scallions, sour cream, and house-made barbeque sauce. That’s a long way from the ski cafeterias of my youth.

Hockley Valley Resort is a year-round full-service hotel, ski, golf, and special event destination. It’s close enough to the GTA West to scoot up for a special meal but once there you’ll want to stay longer and enjoy all that the resort and the region have to offer, in any season. I haven’t stayed overnight but am dreaming of a romantic get-away with my husband. Honey, are you listening? Honey?