There's a lot going on at Forsythe Family Farms 2009 Inc. This weekend is their "Celebrate Honey" festivities! Come by the farm to learn about bees, how they pollinate, and all about honey. Get all the senses involved with "taste," "listen," and "touch" stations around the farm to help you explore.
I went for a walk down the rows of pumpkin and squash in the field and saw bees everywhere! These pretty yellow blossoms open up early in the day, soaking up the morning sun, but they close by noontime. The bees love these flowers and are helpful pollinators. Honey bees are famous for being flower carrying pollen, but wild bees, other insects, wind, and birds also help to get the job done. Come out this weekend to have fun learning more about bees!
Farmer Forsythe also has a big garlic harvest coming in this week. Garlic bulbs continue to grow in size during late spring and summer until the leaves of the plant begin to dry, turning brownish from the tips toward the base of the leaves. Then they are hand harvested using a fork or other tool to loosen the soil and then lifted out. Lots of fresh garlic is harvested and drying in the back field. Look for it in the Farm Market soon!
As we head into the long weekend and grills are being fired up, remember: Forsythe Family Farms 2009 Inc. has lots of locally-raised meat! Chicken, pork, & beef is grain-fed, antibiotic free and with no added hormones. The pork will make an especially tasty meal this weekend. Stop into the Market for sausage, side ribs, pork chops, pork tenderloin, as well as peameal and sliced bacon.
Everything we've talked about so far sounds like the recipe for a perfect weekend BBQ: fresh Forsythe meats, garlic, and honey!
Here’s a recipe from ontariohoney.ca that includes all of these perfect flavour sensations to liven up your weekend grill:
photo from OntarioHoney.ca
Honey Garlic Baste
Excellent when barbecuing chicken or pork chops
Ingredients:
4 cloves of garlic, crushed
1 tbsp. (15 mL) cooking oil
3/4 cup (175 mL) ketchup
1/2 cup (125 mL) 100% Ontario Honey
1/4 cup (50 mL) soy sauce
Directions:
Sautee garlic in oil until tender. Add ketchup, honey and soy sauce. Cover and simmer 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Sprinkle meat with salt and pepper; baste with sauce during last 1/2 hour of cooking.