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Mon 9 Jan, 2012 10:41 pm
I'm starting this thread, because shockingly.. there isn't one already. Or if there is, I couldn't find it. Regardless, this is a place to put all the stuff, jokes, cartoons, funny stories, whatever it may be.
I'll start it with this youtube funny. I put it on another thread, but I think it belongs here.
Feel free to add anything you like.
Ta
@hamburgboy,
When I heard that joke the first time, the location was Israel, not Canada. But it's still a good story, eh?
@Ceili,
do y'all still have Randy Quaid...?
@Rockhead,
Yeah, I haven't heard much about him lately. Once his wife figured out she was part Canuck, he got his entrance papers and he's been pretty quiet. Mind you, I'm not in the loop, so who knows?
@Ceili,
My only question is about gardening. Is it possible to grow a tomato in the open garden in Canada? Every time wed be up there at a restaurant , the salads always tasted like the tomatoes were greenhouse grown and had all the flavor of wood pulp.
Years ago, I worked in the kitchen at the Hotel Frontenac and made salads. We had several dozen boxes of tomatoes that were separately picked and packed and boxed with tissue and placed in defined cubbies. These were all grown in New Jersey or Maryland.
Id think GM would have caught up with tomato husbandry. You could add the antifreeze genes of blueberries to the tomato and have a short season better tasting local crop.
@Ceili,
Gordon Lightfoot still around?
@farmerman,
Parts of Canada are south of the northern parts of the "lower 48." In those areas, you do have truck gardening. The problem is, their production is not sufficient to meet the demand for fresh fruit and vegetables of the entire country. Many of the things grown in southern Ontario, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia--such as tomatoes--are offered as premium products, at a higher price. You can find "grown in Canada" products in the produce sections of stores, but you're not going to find them sold in food service quatities to large consumers such as the Hotel Frontenac. Why should such places pay those higher prices? Why should the people who run the truck garden pass up the opportunity to get their better price?
@Setanta,
When driving through Ontario to Toronto I noticed a large wine-growing area. Can we assume that Canadian wine must be prevalent? Certainly apples and maple syrup are abundant, too.
@farmerman,
As a Lightfoot fan, yeah, he's around but he really a shadow of his former greatness. Unfortunately, in 2002 underwent surgery for a ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm, from which he had additional surgery in 2003. in 2006 he had a minor stroke which affected his guitar-playing. Fortunately, he rehabed from that. In 2011 he was still touring but limited. I've heard his voice and it's recognizable. His music I still play and it still gives me chills.
@Ragman,
There is a large wine growing industry in Ontario. I don't know if this is the case elsewhere, but i suspect that it is.
EDIT:
According to this web stite, there are more than 700 wineries in Canada.
@Setanta,
yeah..when I saw the massive orchards/vineyards I was impressed. There was lots of official signage there that indicated it was a very serious effort.
I just saw this great link about CN wine-growing efforts:
http://www.winesofcanada.com/bobs_view.html
Yep, the Okanagan region, among others, of BC is famed here for its wineries. We can and do also grow tomatoes and other veggies and fruits which are generally sold at roadside stands and farmers' markets.
I've had Canadian wine produced in the Niagara area.
Also "ice wine", which was a bit sweet for my taste.
@George,
yeah. upstate NY and the area is rife with sweet winesd and white wines. It makes sense that thiose grapes do well in that climate. Thinking of that geographical Niagra area with its reputation for champagne-sparkling wine from upstate and Finger Lakes of NY.
However, what I'm surprised about is CN effort on the 'serious' red wines - that is a whole other kettle of fish. I believe they're making inroads on that too. Climatologically and know-how that is a surprise to me.
@George,
I think a lot of the Niagara penninsula wineries concentrate on ice wines because it's "easy" for them. If you can find a feed, either from CBC's web site, or on Sirius Satellite Radio, CBC does a wine show on the last friday of every month. I'll go get a link.
The program is called Ontario Today, it airs from Noon to 1:00 p.m. EST, and on the last Friday of each month, Konrad Ejbich does a show on wine, including call-ins, and in which he frequently touts Canadian wines. You can go to the CBC Radio One web site to look for archived progarmming, or you can search specifically for Ontario Today. CBC Radio One is broadcast on Sirius Satellite Radio Channel 159.
@Mame,
What about cherries? Aren't they also marketable there. After all WA state is huge area for growing ..and it's not far from that climate-wise.
@Ragman,
In season, you can get cherries in Ontario. Probably other areas of the country as well.
One of the up and coming big deals is honey. One of the world's leading apiarists is at the University of Guelph. They run a terrific apiary program there. They recently inherited a Belgian monk's beehives. He had been selecting for gentle bees for many decades. They have his bee colonies on an isolated island a couple of hours drive north of Toronto.
Quebec is deservedly famous for its unpasteurized cheeses. cavfancier turned me on to them. Incredible.
@George,
The wines and hard ciders from Prince Edward County have created strong competition for the Niagara Region and B. C. wines in some categories. Some interesting microbreweries have also developed in the county.
At one of the cheese caves there, they do beer and cheese pairings that are wonderful. The whole terroir concept makes sense once you've had the chance to do some sampling.