šŸ Reasonable Canadian Facsimiles: the Buying Canadian thread

Post any tips or queries for your Canadian-made and Canadian-grown products.

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Move over Maytag.

Cow’s Blue Moo from Prince Edward Island is a fabulous Canadian Blue.


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Every summer I get a CSA share of veggies from Rochon Gardens. This will be my sixth year getting a CSA from them and so far I’ve been really happy with the veggies I get. I was actually buying their veggies at the farm stand before the pandemic but when the pandemic started and the farmers markets were closed I got a CSA. The vast majority of veggies I get are common veggies and a few fruits thrown in but sometimes they add some more unusual items like hascap berries and romanesco. The staff knows how to eat these items and will tell the customers how to prepare them.

I also like local eggs (Bekings Farms), Halls Apple Market for apples, apple cider vinegar and sparkling apple cider and Top Shelf Preserves for jams.

I would like to source my meats from Bearbrook farms especially their game meats.

I would like to try prepared meals from The British Pasty Company and Raon Kitchen

One farm that has been getting some love recently is Lufa Farms out of Montreal. They have a series of rooftop greenhouses that are used for growing veggies and apparently their veggies are available for sale in Ottawa. I’m intrigues enough I would like to try them out at some point.

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I’m a big fan of Rootham jams and sauces

I also purchase Greaves, based in Niagara on the Lake.

I am lucky to be located within an hour’s drive of 6 Sugarbushes when I’m located in London, ON. I buy small-town maple syrup when I see it.

Most of the coffee I purchase is roasted by the Chicas del CafƩ, based in St Thomas.

I also buy locally roasted coffee at indie coffee shops when I’m out and about.

We like Bayfield Provisions Granola #1. Hard to find in London, several places sell it in Toronto, in Perth County, and in Huron County.

I’m a big Sanagan’s Meat Locker fan girl. The lamb I buy at Sanagan’s is from Owen Sound.

We like Metzger Meats bacon, which is available at indie grocers, as well as at Sobeys.

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I buy Arva Flour Mills flour.

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As an American totally appalled by the Orange turd my family & I will be buying Canadian products in place of American when possible
Hey I’m even going to root for the Toronto Blue Jays

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Hahaha
On behalf of Canada, thank you and merci!

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Thank you!

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In the southern Ontario area there are numerous greenhouses producing strawberries, tomatoes, peppers, lettuces, herbs, cucumbers and mushrooms for fresh consumption. Storage fruits and vegetables are available year round. Delicate fruits and vegetables can be grown here and frozen. We basically have everything covered apart from citrus, olives, and tropical produce. Canada grows prodigious amounts of grains and pulses. Saskatchewan is the world’s largest mustard exporter. With the grocery stores making a bit of an effort fruits, vegetables and grains are easy to buy Canadian, now.

Grains and flour: 1847 milling for grains, Ardent mills for roller milled organic flour.

Cheese: Albert’s leap has a nice taleggio, Woolwich dairy for goat cheese, Fromagerie de PresbytĆØre (heck, too many cheeses from Quebec to list them all) for a nice selection.

Honey: I always buy from small, local producers. There is a wide range of flavours in honey.

Meat: local producers only. On that note, King Cole ducks has good product. I buy in bulk from their farm.

Buffalo or sheep milk: Eby farms.

Cow’s milk and cream: Miller’s Dairy. Btw, their heavy cream is the absolute best.

Butter: Lactantia cultured, and Laiterie Chagnon’s 84%

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Kozlik’s makes nice Ontario-made mustard.

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I can vouch for this. I look forward to resuming my trips to Toronto in 2026 or 2027 so I can hit up their stand at the St. Lawrence market.

It just occurred to me I used to buy products from Forbes Wild Foods and now I can’t remember what I got :upside_down_face: I will have to study their website. They do mail order but when I go on said trip I might make a trip to their store near Trinity Bellwods. Is the Spice Trader still in the area? And is Evergreen Brickworks recommended? I am going to need to win the lottery for this trip :slight_smile: Forbes Wild Foods used to have a stand at the St. Lawrence market as well but I guess they aren’t there anymore.

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I, too, will make a special effort to seek out Canadian products.

Also, I’ve been hankering for a trip to the Eastern Townships for years now. I love the Louise Penny mystery series and that area seems delightful, and also not a long drive at all for us from Boston. I want to go before high season when maybe it’s bit less expensive, and also after it warms up a little (it’s been a cold, rainy start of spring here in Boston).

My family drove up to Expo 67 from North Carolina when I was a young teen. I was so impressed to see groups of locals at the fair speaking English and French to each other with no translation. Made me decide to add French to my high school classes, and I ended up with 4 years of Spanish and 3 of French. I’d love to expose our young adult son to French speakers just a few hours from home. We 3 here are speak varying degrees of Spanish and hear it in our area. Experience around French speakers is something that would be good for 3 of us.

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I haven’t been to the Eastern Townships in decades but we’d love to have you if you ever decide to come for a visit. The last time I recall going there was in the mid 80s with my parents to visit Lac Brome. The big draw there is their ducks and I think we went for a duck festival. It would be nice coming up in the fall when the leaves change. The drive through the Adirondacks then the Eastern Townships would make for a nice trip. And Franglais as we call it is common in Quebec :wink: That’s the French I grew up with and I often wonder what others thought of our frequent switching between French and English.

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Spice Trader is still there.
Carlos House of Spice in Kensington Market is cheaper :slight_smile:

Evergreen Brick Works has a nice market. It’s a pain to get to.

Stockyards is also a nice market. We have quite a few nice seasonal farmers markets.

I haven’t been to Brick Works for food shopping in 6 or 7 years. I have bought tulip bulbs at their garden shop.

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Thanks for the tip! I really should tie in a trip to the Kensington Market the next time I go to Toronto,.

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We have 3 trips to Canada planned this year, and will spend as much money as we can afford to while there. Here in the states, if we have a choice (looking at you, maple syrup), we buy Canadian. I personally do a bit of crafting, and have been sourcing my supplies from Canadian suppliers to the extent possible. Voting with my wallet, as it were…

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Metro carries Kozliks mustard and also lemons from Spain.

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I will have to look for Kozliks the next time I go to metro. They recently renovated the store I go to and they have such nice products there I have been spending copious amounts of money there :slight_smile: Whole Paycheque has Kozliks too so hopefully it will be a little cheaper at metro.

Good to know about the lemons. I will have to try them.

My favourite splurge white balsamic vinegar.

Local living basil from Slegers Greens based on Strathroy, ON.

The cut grocery store basil is sometimes coming from Colombia during the winter.

Farmboy’s prosecco vinegar has a nice, clean sharpness that makes a zippy vinaigrette.

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