The Friends of the Greenbelt Foundation today celebrates the launch Greenbeltfresh.ca, an online database of Greenbelt farm products designed to help meet consumer demand for local food and help Greenbelt farmers find new market opportunities. 

Free and easy to use, this online tool supports the building of regional food networks in the densely populated Greater Golden Horseshoe and beyond. Commercial buyers can source their requirements by tapping into listings for over 600 farms, while individual consumers can use the Marketplace to find fresh food from local farmers’ markets, on-farm markets, pick-your-owns and more. 

The site also features delicious local and seasonal recipes by some of Ontario’s greatest chefs, including Jason Parsons from Peller Estates and Jeff Crump, author of the recently published cookbook Earth to Table.

Since 2006, the Foundation has contributed $14.5 million dollars to projects supporting a robust agricultural sector, protecting the natural environment, championing a strong and successful countryside, promoting smart patterns of urban settlement, and advancing awareness, understanding and support for the Greenbelt.

Our grants in 2010 support some exciting projects, from incorporating the economic value of the Greenbelt’s natural areas into land use decision-making, to guides for diverse foods grown in the Greenbelt, to evaluating the effectiveness of provincial policies in protecting the Greenbelt and its precious water resources.

In the 5 years since the Greenbelt was established, the number of farmers' markets throughout the region has increased dramatically. Not just an 'old-fashioned' experience, these markets are a lively place of exchange and innovation, as food producers and consumers meet face to face. Through focus groups with market organizers and Greenbelt farmers, and in-depth interviews, the 2010 Greenbelt Farmers' Market Network Report captures recent developments, key issues, and some of the rich potential in the market picture.

Hey, all you Greenbelt farmers and producers! I’m Aviva, a 23 year-old food-lover and novice cook living in downtown Toronto, with a passion for heirloom tomatoes and purple carrots. I’m looking for that special someone who can provide me with endless bounties of asparagus and fiddleheads, someone who is not afraid to deliver organic fruits and veggies to my door, and whose Greenbelt-grown potatoes will sweep me off my feet. Got what I’m looking for? Sign up at www.greenbeltfresh.ca and show me what you’re selling!

Last week I visited the Niagara Region again. This time to take the Bruce Trail from its very beginning, starting right at the U.S./Canadian border next to the Brock Memorial.

I had never hiked that section of the Bruce Trail before and was amazed once again by the beauty of the trail, its great condition (thanks Bruce Trail Conservancy!) and the opportunity it gives hikers to see the great diversity of Niagara.

As President of the Greenbelt Foundation, I play many roles - one day, I'm a team leader, a speaker, an activist, a beer connoisseur and local food enthusiast; the next, I'm a gardener.

The Grey Bruce Agriculture & Culinary Association presents a signature Field to Fork Feast on Sunday, May 30th, 2010.

Featuring at least 15 local chefs using local foods, the feastibles will be served on edible "plates" as tastings. Beverages will be served in reusable mugs and glasses. Guests pay a $20 donation to the Wiarton Salvation Army Food Bank.

Green Enterprise Toronto and Local Food Plus are presenting the 3rd Annual Brewers Plate which this year will be celebrating the 5th Anniversary of Ontario's Greenbelt. The event takes place on Wednesday, May 26th at 7pm at Hart House at the University of Toronto.

A local, sustainable spring feast featuring many of Toronto's most distinguished chefs, brewers, food artisans and farmers, including:

Chefs include: Jamie Kennedy, Brad Long, Mark Cutrara, Marc Breton, Karen Vaz, Brook Kavanagh, Michel Steh, Oyster Boy, Magic Oven, Buddha Dog, Chocosol, On The Side Inc., Harmony, LPK Culinary Groove, Ninutik Maple, Ace Bakery, and Daily Apple.

Last week we hosted a workshop with about 50 people to discuss options for new local food distribution ideas in the Niagara-Hamilton region. Over the years I have spent a lot of time in Niagara, biking in the Tour de Greenbelt, visiting numerous wineries, hiking the Niagara Escarpment, and oh yeah, my mom lives there too.

Contributions from over 50 artists have created the Quilt of Possibilities - a dynamic quilt that celebrates the Ontario Greenbelt's 5th Anniversary. Each square evokes a personal connection that each maker has with this important landscape.

The Quilt was unveiled to Members of Provincial Parliament at a reception hosted by the Honourable Steve Peters, Speaker of the Legislative Assembly, on May 3rd. The Quilt is on display at Queen's Park until June 11th. Visitors to Queen's Park can view the Quilt on the fourth floor, where it will be hanging outside the public viewing gallery. 

Highlights of the Quilt include a square made by recycling men's shirts into crop rows, and another that use the silk from Greenbelt-grown corn to make a corn maze. Materials and techniques used in the Quilt range from spinning and weaving, to needlework, beadin, screenprinting, and traditional quilting. The result is a tapestry that is as diverse as the Greenbelt itself.