Last of the Summer Wine

I can’t believe it is the last week of August. We are almost at the end of summer. It has been a very busy few months. Kevin and I have done lots of gardening, exploring, checking produce and eating.

Wherever our adventures took us…I have chosen fish for my meal. I could not pick a favorite.

We explored different markets in NB……and I still prefer the one in Saint John. But then I just like Saint John.

Last week we visited Speerville……and checked out Speerville Mills. I am not sure what we were expecting….probably a larger facility. But it’s a nice little business located off the beaten track. You don’t have to be the biggest to be the best.

Yesterday I visited the Superstore ….and they now are carrying local blueberries from two companies. One from St.Stephen and one from Nova Scotia.

I am finding too many fruits from the United States. We have grapes, plums, and peaches from Ontario….apples from NB and NS…berries from NB, NS. The selections from the US are huge …and you don’t have trouble finding them. Too bad. It should be the other way around.

Sobeys have started to label their local produce from the Atlantic region. I hope both Sobeys and the Superstores continue to label local and Canadian produce. This should not be just a summer thing.

This past Saturday we revisited the local farmers market in Fredericton. Lots of local produce, but I was more interested in the fish. I was looking for shrimp. The regular fish supplier carried shrimp. The huge lovely looking ones were from Thailand…..I wonder how many people are buying this shrimp and assuming it is local. I ended up buying a few frozen tubs of shrimp from Newfoundland. I have yet to try them.

I was also interested in their haddock. I asked where the fish was caught. She didn’t know and went to ask another worker. After a bit of discussion…the answer?….” Not sure, but we buy it from Saint John”. Really…..this is not good service. If you are not going to inform your workers about the product they are selling….then use better labels.

Would you assume produce is local if the label says “fresh”? At first glance, I did. I saw a sign saying " Fresh Raspberries", but when I checked the product label...they were from the US. Hmmm....tricky. So then I looked around at a few more vegetable/fruit stalls…and I saw more “fresh” labels.

Very clever.