Tiffany Mayer - Niagara Food: A Flavourful History of the Peninsulas Bounty

Published by The History Press

Charleston, SC 29403

www.historypress.net

Copyright 2014 by Tiffany Mayer

All rights reserved

First published 2014

e-book edition 2014

ISBN 978.1.62585.065.2

Library of Congress CIP data applied for.

print edition ISBN 978.1.62619.535.6

Notice: The information in this book is true and complete to the best of our knowledge. It is offered without guarantee on the part of the author or The History Press. The author and The History Press disclaim all liability in connection with the use of this book.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form whatsoever without prior written permission from the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

For Olivia, who was with me every step of the way, and for Steven, who wasnt far behind.

Contents

Acknowledgements

Though only one name appears on the cover of this book, the words and photos on these pages wouldnt be possible without the contributions of so many people.

First and foremost, Im grateful to everyone who took the time to share their stories with me so I could include them in Niagara Food. You help make this region the rich, fascinating and tasty place that it is and inspire me every day.

Much gratitude goes to Rowan Shirkie for overwhelming me with wine history books and being a fact checker extraordinaire. Your help and eagle eye have been invaluable. Likewise to Jared Dyck of the Vineland Growers Co-operative, curator of historical photos and ever-patient person for putting up with my pestering. Im also immensely grateful to Karen Moncur, Sarah Marshall and Alison Oppenlaender for sharing research materials.

Thanks to Dave Johnson, Scott Rosts and Melinda Cheevers for your help with the photos and telling Niagaras story visually.

I owe so much, though, to four people, who have taught this city slicker tons over the years and instilled in me a passion for telling stories about the travails and the joys of farm life. Len Troup, Linda Crago and Albert Witteveen, you have been mentors to me during my years here in Niagara and are a big reason why I found myself in any position at all to write a book about food and farming here. And Karen Briere, my agriculture journalism professor at the University of Regina, this really all starts with you in a classroom so many years ago. You ignited my curiosity and gave me a direction in my career that I never would have imagined and now cant imagine working without.

Thank you to my family and friends for cheering me on through this project and especially to my biggest cheerleader, my husband, Steven. Without your support, I wouldnt be able to accomplish what I do. Its as simple as that.

Finally, thank you to Katie Orlando from The History Press. It just shows that you never know whos reading your blog. You took a chance on me and had confidence in my abilities to pull off this project, and for that, I am eternally grateful. And to think weve never even met. I hope to share a meal with you one day.

Introduction

As I packed up my notebook and pulled on my jacket, Mark Picone slid me an apple across the heavy wooden table in his culinary studio.

I had just spent the last hour talking about Niagara wine country cuisine with the storied chef when he offered me the fruit with pale green skin for the road. Earlier in our discussion, Picone had used the applea rare hybrid called Pink Pearlas a prop in our conversation to highlight some of the unique, locally grown produce he makes a point of using in the meals he creates.

And this, as youd know, is a pink-fleshed apple, Picone said gesturing to it before moving on to say something about a pile of heart-shapedand aptly namedheart nuts he had handy to further his point about the uniqueness of his muse, Niagaras bounty.

Did I know that? I suppose it made sense, given the blush cheek peeking through the Pink Pearls sallow complexion. Still, I hesitated before saying yes, which I sputtered more as a question than a statement.

I thanked Picone for his time and the apple as I headed back out into a grey November afternoon. I wasnt expecting much from my edible gift as I sank my teeth into it on the ride home. I was sure the flesh of the Pink Pearl would still be white, like most of its apple cousins that I was used to eating. At most, it would have a slightly pink tinge, but the name would be largely hyperbole.

When I pulled away from the apple after that first bite, chewing flavourful flesh that flitted between sweet and tart, my eyes widened in amazement and I hit the brakes to take a moment to marvel at the sight before me.

Holy cow, I exclaimed out loud to myself, in awe of the vibrant bubble gum pink flesh revealed to me. And then I did what any excited foodie would do. I took a photo and put it on Instagram to share it with the worldthis eye-opening, mind-blowing apple grown on a farm in quiet west Niagara.

In my nearly nine years living in this region, covering agriculture as a news reporter, shopping at farmers markets and farm stands and being a regular member of a CSA or local harvest share program, I had never crossed paths with the Pink Pearl. I had never even heard its name uttered.

In that moment, at the side of a rural Vineland road, a vineyard to one side of me and a stand of Carolinian forest to the other, that apple became more than a midafternoon snack for a hungry scribe. It became the raison dtre for this book, a metaphor for my task at hand. It made me realize how much I had to learn about a place I was so sure I knew intimately. And I wanted not just the world but also Niagarans themselves to learn about this magical, surprising place, too.

My mission as the writer of this book became clear as a diamond as I took another bite of the Pink Pearl. Yes, I would tell some of the familiar Niagara stories, those of peach crops, grapes turned into world-class wines, the food artisans who became household names, the restaurateurs who built landmarks in their communities and the tireless food security activists who ensured there was room enough at the table for everyone. As the person given the honour of penning those quintessential stories, I also wanted there to be a Pink Pearl or two among them for readerssomething to take them by surprise.

Whatever your familiarity with Niagara, I hope as you read these pages that youll feel the same wonder and awe, much as I did that grey November afternoon when I met the Pink Pearl.

Chapter 1

Roots and Shoots

Farming in Niagara

My grandfather used to say that once in your life you need a doctor, a lawyer, a policeman and a preacher, but every day, three times a day, you need a farmer.

Brenda Schoepp

Len Troup puts his head in his hands and shakes it at the question. Would he ever consider selling his familys two hundred acres of peach, pear and cherry orchards? I bet if you asked Ron tonight, hed say yes, Troup says, a rueful smile spreading across his lips.

Ron is Troups eldest son and to whom he is relinquishing the reins of the family farm as Troup, himself a lifelong farmer, eases into retirement. Its an early September evening at the familys Lakelee Orchards in Jordan Station, and the weakening summer sun has sunk below the horizon. Though its dark outside, the familys packing shed is alight as Ron and his crew of workers continue toiling, nowhere near calling it a day. Theyre drowning in a flood of peaches that need to be graded, packed and prepared to go to marketif they can find a market. It has been five years since the last fruit cannery in Niagarain Canada, in factclosed in 2008. The peach trees the Troups planted in 2009 to replace those bearing fruit for canning with varieties suited for fresh market sales are just starting to produce crops. The young trees arent even in full production, yet the Troups, like many local farmers this particular fall, are jammed with huge volumes of fruit, keeping consumers in more peaches later in the year than ever before.