Greenbelt Food from Home

Increasing numbers of Greenbelt farmers are planting multi-cultural food crops, making items such as okra, coriander, green chili, squash, red radishes, vine leaves and calaloo more readily available in Ontario.

The Toronto Environmental Alliance is helping to make people of all cultures feel more at home in Toronto, by offering information on types and locations of cultural foods grown in the Greenbelt and surrounding area.

These unique guides celebrate the diverse cultural heritage of the City by providing information for major ethnic groups, African/Caribbean, Chinese, Middle Eastern, and South Asian about where to buy Greenbelt-grown fruit, vegetables, meats, spices and other farm products that are common to cuisine from their home countries and cultures of origin. The project involves further research on established retailers selling meat, spices, fruits and vegetable grown within the Greenbelt.

Toronto, October 2008 - On behalf of project partners and supporters, Justin Lafontaine, Bike Train Project Lead and Founder, accepted two of Ontario’s most prestigious tourism awards at the Ontario Tourism Summit on Tuesday, October 7. The Bike Train Initiative was honoured with the Ontario Tourism Marketing Partnership Corporation's Award for Best Tourism Marketing Partnership, and the Tourism Industry Association of Ontario's Excellence Award for Tourism Innovation.

The first Tour de Greenbelt was an outstanding success! Over 1,000 cyclists of all ages came out to explore all that Ontario's Greenbelt has to offer. Premier Dalton McGuinty was on hand to get the very first ride underway. 

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Niagara, October 9, 2008 – This Thanksgiving, the Friends of the Greenbelt Foundation is saying ‘thank you’ to Greenbelt farmers. Through the recent Greenbelt Farmers’ Markets program, the Foundation invested $200,000 to increase the agricultural sectors’ financial returns. This weekend will see the roll-out of an additional $500 per market to 30 markets in order to promote the harvest season.

Toronto, October 1, 2008 – Today, chefs from Jamie Kennedy Kitchens, Vertical, Palais Royale, Chez Victor, Fun Guy Farm and George Brown Chef School celebrated the launch of the new Chefs’ Market at Evergreen Brick Works by preparing a special brunch using only locally grown and raised food sold at the Market. The new chefs-only market, created in partnership between Evergreen and the Friends of the Greenbelt Foundation, simplifies sales channels for farmers/producers from Ontario’s Greenbelt and nearby areas, providing Toronto chefs easy access to locally grown food.

Toronto, September 26, 2008– Riding on the success of last weekend’s phenomenal turnout, the first-ever Tour de Greenbelt continues through to Ontario’s southern region September 27 & 28. The Tour de Greenbelt, a fresh air festival on wheels, explores all that Ontario’s Greenbelt has to offer—fresh, local food, rural hospitality and fun recreation. Mountain Equipment Co-op, Canada’s leading outdoor retailer is the presenting sponsor of the Tour.

There are lots of ways you can enjoy the great taste of Ontario pears this fall. Throughout the month of October,Foodland Ontario and Savour Ontario are pearing up with over 20 different groups representing industry associations, culinary tourism destinations, “Buy Local” initiatives, food service distributors, retail organizations and private companies across the province. Celebrations will be taking place in retail stores, farmers’ markets, restaurants and community events across Ontario. Visit Pear Up Ontario to find an event near you and savour the sweetness of Ontario pears!

Toronto, September 20, 2008 – Premier Dalton McGuinty joins the Greenbelt Foundation today to launch the first ever Tour de Greenbelt, a fresh air festival on wheels exploring all that Ontario’s Greenbelt has to offer—fresh, local food, rural hospitality and fun recreation. Mountain Equipment Co-op, Canada’s leading outdoor retailer is the presenting sponsor of the Tour.

Toronto, September 17, 2008 - Forget about your daily dose of celebrity buzz from Perezhilton.com and Google’s new Chrome web browser, what’s hot in website technology is Greenbeltfresh.ca launched today. Greenbeltfresh.ca is a user friendly website that makes finding your nearest Greenbelt farmers’ market effortless by simply entering your postal code.

Lake Simcoe, September 11, 2008 - On Sunday September 21st, cyclists finishing a ‘green adventure’ past farms and lakeshore vistas, will be treated to an outdoor BBQ prepared by Executive Chef, Trevor Ledlie, on the grand front lawn of The Briars Resort & Spa. In keeping with the ideals at the core of the cycling tour, which is to raise awareness of farmers and ecology within the Greenbelt area, a large array of locally grown produce will be featured at the bountiful celebration.