HUG A FARMER

I went to a market near Dundas west, which was Sorauren Farmers' Market, there was a maple syrup festival at that day. I tried a new style to taste the maple syrup, which was poured on the clean snow, and then use a stick to roll the syrup into a ball, it tasted so funny and just liked eating maple syrup smoothies. It was a fresh tasting experience during this winter.

After tasting the syrup, I was interested by a store which was selling wild foods. I talked with a food producer for a while, and I knew something about wild foods from him. His job is collecting the wild foods from whole Canada, such as in Ontario, Quebec, and British Columbia. Moreover, the main products are maple syrup, dried mushroom, jams, and wild rice. Also, if people want something but can't find, they can contact them. He doesn't have a farm, all his product are harvested from the Canadian wilderness by trained pickers who practice sustainable harvesting methods, which is sustainable for that particular plant species, but also sustainable for the pickers, whose livelihood is supported by a thriving source of wild foods, and sustainable for other wildlife. The pickers are usually residents of rural or remote communities who respect the lands that support them. They are Aboriginal people, women, youth, and farmers.

He also said, only the best ingredients and most delicious recipes are used in his wild foods products, and they  don't use foods that grow in parklands, conservation areas, near where people live, work, drive or farm commercially so as to ensure they have had minimal contact with any potential sources of pollution.

I bought a bag of wild mushroom, called Lobster Mushroom, which because of their distinct seafood-like taste and aroma, and it was from the forests in Quebec.

Normally, wild foods have rich flavour and rare. From this experience, I knew there are a lot wild foods in Canada, and we can buy safe wild food in some local market. However, we should be aware of the danger of wild foods, and buy them from certificated places.

Stir-fly frog legs

Some folks think that eating frog leg is unbelievable, however, it is a common dish in some of Asian countries. Frog legs tastes like chicken but more tender than chicken.

In Canada, you can buy frog legs in Chinese supermarket, but it is frozen. To be honestly, my mom cooked this dish were perfect, every time I ate this dish will make me miss my family.  Actually, cooking frog legs is not complicated as you thought, and you can follow the recipe below:

• 5 frogs, heads off and skin off, cut into pieces
• 2 spring green onion, cut into section
• half onion, sliced
• 15 g ginger, sliced 
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 2tbsp peanut oil
• To taste, slat
• 1tbsp soy sause 
• corn starch and water to adjust consistency 
• marinate frog legs with corn starch, soy sauce, and peanut oil

Steps:

1. Heat pan with peanut oil, then put green onion, garlic, and ginger, stir-fly it for a while
2. add sliced onion, and continue stir fly
3. when the onion become soft, add frog legs to stir-fly
4. at the end, season with salt and soy sauce, and add the corn starch liquid to adjust consistency.
5. decorating with green onion on the top

One thing I have to mention is, do not over cook the frog legs because it will be very chewy and tough.I hope you can make a yummy dish by following this recipe.