Nettie's

I have been a member of the Fair Trade Canada Board for 6 years. This summer I had the opportunity to go on a Fair Trade trip to Brazil to meet growers and producers, and connect with the ingredients. I visited fields, walked the land and visited greenhouses. Farmers form Fair Trade collectives and are paid […]

Kombu is an essential ingredient in the making of Japanese soup stock called Dashi. A strip of kombu cooked with water releases glutamic acid and mineral salts which contribute a lot of flavour to your stock. Do not wipe away the white powdery coating. It is sold dried in flat sheets or in strips. I […]

Long before the development of agriculture, coastal peoples harvested a variety of nutritious vegetables from the sea. Though sea vegetables are used in many countries, their use in Japan has been the most popular. The seaweed industry there dates back to the 14th century. The actual farming of sea vegetables began in the 1700’s in […]

Dark, ruffled, lacinato kale is sold under a number of different names: Black , Tuscan and Dinosaur. All share the nutritional background of cruciferous vegetables. Free of fat and cholesterol, rich in fiber, low in fat, high in Vitamin A, kale does well in produce starved winter months. Its rich, full-flavoured contribution to minestrone, risotto, […]