The Eco Guide - L'Eco Guide

Eating local in the summer and fall is easy. An abundant harvest means that farmers' markets spring up throughout cities, towns, and sometimes even along highways. In Toronto, for example, there are at least 25 weekly farmers' markets in the growing season. But when snow is on the ground, all of those resources seem to disappear. So where to turn when you're trying to find local products in the winter?

In Toronto, there are a few options for the intrepid locavore. First, the obvious: check your labels! Produce is labeled with country of origin, and often even the big retailers will highlight items that come from nearby. Loblaws supermarkets, for example, have been selling Ontario Empire, McIntosh, and Honeycrisp apples all through January, and will continue while supplies last. There are also the winter farmer's markets. Although most of the markets are seasonal, running from April or May through October, five markets are year-round at least one day a week. The Evergreen Brickworks, for example, has a farmer's market every Saturday from 9 am to 1 pm (http://ebw.evergreen.ca/whats-on/farmers-market). Many of the vendors here are organic as well as local, and their offerings range from fruits and vegetables to honey and syrup, meat and dairy, and even foraged greens. The Brickworks also houses artisans who recycle vintage clothing or other materials to make beautiful new home goods. Another great bet is the Dufferin Grove Farmers' Market (http://www.dufferinpark.ca/market/wiki/wiki.php?n=Market.FrontPage), which offers skating along with your local purchases! It takes place every Thursday from 3-7 pm and has an amazing website and active community.

The St. Lawrence market is a bit more famous, and its farmer's market section is open every Saturday from 5 am-3 pm. But here the buyer has to beware: not all of the retailers sell local goods. One way to make sure that what you're getting was grown in Ontario is to check the list of retailers on the market website (www.stlawrencemarket.com); you can search by the 'local' category. An alternative is to check for LFP-certified growers. LFP, or Local Food Plus (www.LocalFoodPlus.ca), is a nonprofit organization that certifies local and sustainable growers throughout Canada. Looking for the LFP Ontario mark ensures that what you're about to buy meets their guidelines for sustainable (not necessarily organic) production and that it comes from Ontario. About 150 producers of various products have received this designation to date.

Last but not least are the shops catering specifically to local-food enthusiasts. One of these is Culinarium in midtown Toronto (www.culinarium.ca). The store sources only local products all year round, so is a great destination if you want to eat locally in the GTA. If you're outside Toronto, founder Kathleen Mackintosh recommends seeking out winter farmer's markets and smaller, family-run grocery stories, which often feature a locally-sourced section.

As far as using all of the root vegetables typically available in Canada at this time of year, she says that you need to be a little "creative and adventurous". Try taking a look at what's available and building a meal around that, rather than deciding what you want to eat and only then searching for local ingredients. Cookbooks can be a great resource here.

In her own store, Kathleen has noticed people stocking up on Ontario cheeses for the holidays. "It's an easy and impressive romantic meal," she explains. But she also stocks a variety of less known items, such as Ontario-grown items we usually associate with the Prairies: Red Fife flour from Hastings county and GMO-free, cold-pressed canola oil. Another locally-produced treat is birch syrup, which she says is produced in a similar way to maple syrup, but tastes totally different: it's a savoury syrup that works great in marinades and drinks.

Other stores with a good selection of local products in Toronto include The Healthy Butcher, which was a finalist in the Local Food category for the Green Toronto Awards in 2011 (http://www.thehealthybutcher.com); the Big Carrot (http://www.thebigcarrot.ca) and Fiesta Farms (http://fiestafarms.ca) also have large local-foods sections and purchase local products when possible.

If none of these options are convenient, you can also search for markets selling local products near you via the Greenbelt Farmer's Market online at http://greenbeltfresh.ca/advanced_finder/1.

Finally, for Valentine's Day, people often have cut flowers on the mind. For this, you might have to take a trip a little further afield. Brown's Flowers and Helen Blakey Flowers, both located in Scarborough, aim to source the majority of their flowers from local growers. That means greenhouses at this time of year, but still, almost all of the bouquets at both stores are arranged with Ontario flowers. Just stay away from the roses -- these come from South America at both stores. Nathan at Brown's recommends tulips as the safest local bet. Because "they don't travel well," they are sourced locally year-round, and they make a great "spring-y bouquet -- inexpensive, wonderful, and fragrant." Both stores also deliver flowers to the GTA and southern Ontario at large; orders can be arranged via their websites at http://brownsflowershop.com and http://www.helenblakeyflowers.com