If you are looking for a fun small group experience, try your hands at pottery with Dave Riach of Davara Studio in Blyth, Ontario.

Cindy and Dave star glazing

On a sunny spring morning, we arrived at his studio, ready to play in the clay.  He starts off by showing us samples of pottery products and glazes which have been created by him and his wife Tamara.  Once you see the realm of possibilities, we then moved into the workshop to become familiar with hand building and wheel work.

Cindy wanted to try throwing pottery on the wheel to make small serving pieces; Laurel wanted to try making beads and decorative jewelry pieces.  The great thing about Dave is that he lets you explore your own thing while providing clear guidance about the process for doing this in his studio – he is a good sharer!

Cindy discovered that throwing pottery on a wheel takes accurate pressure and speed – but even wonky bowls have their charm.  Laurel discovered that creating clay beads and pendants for necklaces was all about textures, shapes and glaze.

Laurel and the details

Once the clay art has been created, the timing of kiln drying and glazing will be worked out to fit the mutual schedules.

Laurel and Dave glazing

So if you are looking for creative learning fun, contact Dave at 519-523-4355 and talk about the options for his hands-on ‘playing with clay’ experiences.

results in transition

By the way, in addition to pottery and other decorative items for the table and garden, he also sells stained glass creations, and does commission work.

Oh – and he also does birthday party packages for the young and young at heart– how much fun would that be!?!

Oh – he also teaches Stained Glass if that catches your fancy.

This past Tuesday I had to pick up some items in Londesborough, Walton and Clinton. I asked my mom if she wanted to come along with me and she did! We first stopped in Clinton to pick up the 2012 Ontario’s West Coast Guides and then headed to Home on the Range in Londesborough.

I have been to this place quite a few times and always enjoy checking out all of the horses. Tuesday, I got a bit of a surprise from owners Hugo and Friedy. The day before a baby colt had been born to one of the miniature horses! The baby, who still hasn’t been named, was probably one of the cutest things I have ever seen!.

This Horse was so tiny I was able to carry it with ease, it was literally the size of a small dog, or my friend Lindsays cat Piper! Friedy and Hugo thought it may be a record for the smallest horse, but they were still looking in to it. They say that they did find a horse online that was only 14 inches tall and this guy was about 16. Still a record in my mind though!

Home on the Range is a great place for families and they have been think about hosting walks with mini horses for children who are nervous about riding a large horse or just want to take a walk!

If you are interested in visiting the farm or want more information here are their details:

Home on the Range, Horseback Riding and Adventures

41073 Londesboro Rd. Londesborough,ON

www.frontiertown.ca/

I’m sure many of you receive or have heard about the Huron Good Food Box by now, but I thought I would take a bit of time and tell you about it!

The website says, “The Good Food Box provides Huron County residents with local vegetables and fruits monthly. It is a community-based project that relies on volunteers. Buying in large quantities from our local producers allows us to get better pricing.” To me the program suits almost anyone who would like to get mostly local fruits and vegetables, without having to drive around the County to get them! You support local farmers and eat healthy, yummy food!

Now the program gets even better, you save up to 40%! For $15 you get almost $30 worth of fruit and vegetables. To top off this awesome deal, co-ordinator Brittany Fry, includes recipes and a monthly newsletter in the box! This program is really great and you can share it with friends and family, plus gift certificates are available!

What you need to know to get your Huron Good Food Box:

• You can place an order at the a neighbourhood host site (see list below) by the first Friday of each month.
• All orders must be pre-paid in cash ($15) at the time they are placed.
• Bring your own boxes to transport your orders.
• Pickup times may vary, PLEASE check with your site.
• All unclaimed orders will be donated to a local food bank.

For more information visit http://www.huroncounty.ca/health/food/gfb.php. You can also follow the “Huron Good Food Box” on Facebook.

Neighbourhood Host Sites

It has recently come to my attention that Zehrs, and other grocery chains will be switching their beef products over to provide Ontario corn fed beef. I was fortunate enough to get a chance to talk to Zehrs assistant store manager Brad Lewis. I sat down with him and asked a few questions. Here’s what I know.

Zehrs decided to make the switch from American beef to Canadian beef due to consumers demand for it. We asked, they answered. It became very apparent that people are very interested in where their food is coming from and how it is prepared, so Zehrs stepped up their game to provide with many local products.

Lewis couldn’t think of any real cons regarding this switch. He felt certain the product quality would actually improve and that prices should relatively stay the same. I also asked about other meat products and if Zehrs intended to make a switch to Ontario poultry and pork as well. He was not 100% sure but said it was something they had talked about and he hoped the rest of the meats would follow suit.

This is very exciting news as far as I am concerned!!! I always felt very concerned about not knowing exactly where my beef was coming from. Fortunately when I am at home I know exactly where I am getting it – my back yard! However that is not an option for the majority of consumers. The Ontario Cattle Feeders Association is a group of like-minded farm families that share the same visions, challenges and, hopefully, future successes. The meat comes from 110 independent family run beef operations. That’s right family run, no corporate nonsense. These farms are located all across Ontario, with farm sizes ranging from 150 head of cattle to 5000. All of the farms participating are 2^nd and 3^rd generation family farms.

Another great thing about this Ontario beef is that the certifications that the beef must meet are very strict. All families must have completed an environmental farm plan, 80% of the animals diet must be corn, all medical records must be accountable and feed samples are to be provided upon request. Those are just a few of the certifications that I read, there are many more!

Jim Ginn, Reeve of Central Huron, and also a beef farmer informed me that, “Canada has some of the highest standards and stringent guidelines for chemical residues in food, whereas the imports from other countries may not always meet Canadian standards… local food ensures safe and high quality food for consumers. It also cuts down drastically on our ecological footprint and helps out our local economy enormously. All in all this is a wonderful change.”

Finally we can feel good again about eating meat! We can know where it came from, how the animal was fed, and how the animals were treated!

-Kaylie

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GVzOeHRnY38&feature=channel_video_title