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Sweet Retreat

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Re-imagine your yard as an outdoor oasis. Perfect for parties, or an intimate evening for two.A weekend trip to Buffalo, New York changed the way I view my humble backyard. Last summer I toured 30 private gardens, part of the National Garden Festival, the largest free garden walk in the United States. The festival, held annually from late June to late July, beautifies the revitalized urban centre. No two are alike. Hidden in the corner of one yard, pink and purple perennial borders framed a textured stone patio, with room for two oversized teak loungers. Flowing water features, found art, concrete sculptures, meandering pea gravel paths and a wooden pergola contributed to the whimsical feel. A second garden featured three outdoor areas: a romantic koi pond encircled by native grasses filled the front section of the yard, while a formal dining area and a covered, torch-lit tiki bar were ready-made for outdoor entertaining.
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A Liquid Career

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“It’s a sad fact that Canadian whisky doesn’t get its due. I am committed to changing that, using a ‘kill-rumours-with-facts’ approach, and believe me, there are plenty of myths and misunderstandings about Canadian whisky out there.”
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Grape X

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It’s not always the wine that excites me, it’s the journey it takes to get in my glass — from vine, to bud, to flower, to grape, to harvest, to crusher, to fermentation, to barrel, to bottle and finally to my mouth.We take the journey lightly, letting Mother Nature, viticulturists and winemakers do all the work before we show any interest in the life of a grape. After all, it’s not one grape we’re interested in; it’s a whole bunch of them.I have always wanted to patiently watch a single bud as it grows into a grape, through the various stages it takes before it’s gone in a gulp. I know, I know, how geeky is that, right? Well, it’s really geeky, and I admit it. And frankly, I didn’t have time to sit and watch a grape grow.
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Pomme

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Oh, the signs were there all along: The extravagant apple cider-themed dinners at his tony restaurant on the waterfront in Burlington, Ontario. The British heritage and the fact that he was raised on the myriad ciders offered in the pubs of London. And his name on Twitter, of course: @ciderseeker.It would appear that it was Chris Haworth’s destiny, but it was shocking nonetheless when he came home from a hard night of cooking and told his wife Amy and two young children that he was quitting his job as executive chef of Spencer’s at the Waterfront to chase his dream of making apple cider in a province that is just beginning to show interest in fermented apples.“She said, ‘What? Are you crazy?’” Haworth recalls with a chuckle. “But she’s a totally, 100 per cent supporter of the project.”
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Own It: A Sane Person's Guide To Insanity

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Rows of vines rule your yard, easing out family and friends. Your mini-fermenter sprang a leak and oozed booze on the new Nissan. Pickled beets and canned corn occupy your wine cellar. You want a piece of the wine business, but don't know how to branch out. Seasoned vineyard owners in BC, Ontario and Quebec offer six tips to get you started.Caution: Only those with copious amounts of extra cash, an insanely rich relative, or the itch to convert sugar into value-added vino need read further.
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Artisan

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He is a tall, strapping man, all of 27 years old, and looks more like the star quarterback than a man who tinkers with high-octane booze all day long. But that’s the path master distiller Geoff Dillon, with degrees in biochemistry and economics, has taken in the heart of Niagara wine country.Dillon is on the frontline of a taste revolution that is being fuelled by discarded grapes, locally grown wormwood, lavender, all kinds of mint and juniper as well as future crops of rye, grains, hops and the seasonal fruit of Niagara. It is borne of passion, fine craftsmanship and artisanal flare. And it is manifested in fine craft whiskies, gins, vodkas and myriad craft beers that have quickly become part of the Niagara mosaic.It is being driven by young, passionate entrepreneurs who see the potential among the vineyards, the booming wine industry, and the influx of gourmet food trucks and chefs who have moved into the region to add a little sizzle; a giant jolt of yumminess that you can enjoy once you’re done with that glass of fine Chardonnay or Pinot Noir. Or maybe, just maybe, instead of wine.

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    Fresh and Local

    The Egg Farmers of Canada recently conducted a survey that asked Canadians what freshness means to them. The reveal? Canadians overwhelmingly demand that the farm products they buy be fresh, with 90 percent saying that farms within their province deliver that freshness. Distance from farm to grocery store is seen as the key to freshness. [READ MORE]

  • chicken

    The Chicken Factor

    “It tastes just like chicken!” If I had a dime for every time I’ve heard that line, I’d be a millionaire by now. Let me tell you, I’ve tried frog legs, eel, alligator, rabbit and kangaroo. And despite assurances to the contrary, none of it tasted even remotely like chicken. In fact, frog legs happen [READ MORE]

  • Summer Patio

    Sweet Retreat

    Re-imagine your yard as an outdoor oasis. Perfect for parties, or an intimate evening for two. A weekend trip to Buffalo, New York changed the way I view my humble backyard. Last summer I toured 30 private gardens, part of the National Garden Festival, the largest free garden walk in the United States. The festival, [READ MORE]

  • OCP_oct12_view3copy

    Own It: A Sane Person’s Guide To Insanity

    Rows of vines rule your yard, easing out family and friends. Your mini-fermenter sprang a leak and oozed booze on the new Nissan. Pickled beets and canned corn occupy your wine cellar. You want a piece of the wine business, but don’t know how to branch out. Seasoned vineyard owners in BC, Ontario and Quebec [READ MORE]

On Quench TV

From The Pages Of Tidings Magazine

  • Northland, New Zealand

    Northland. The word conjures up images of polar bears and parkas, doesn’t it? But, when you actually reach this point on the compass, you might find that you’re not exactly where you expected to be. Instead, you’ll be where Kiwis frolic around tall trees that lived with the dinosaurs. Northland is the northernmost wine region [READ MORE]

  • Can It!

    When my daughter returned from her first trip to Hawaii a couple of weeks back, I asked: “Apart from the weather, the sunsets, palm trees, coconuts, pineapples, black sand beaches and terrifying rivers of molten volcanic lava sliding by your feet and hissing into the sea, what really blew your mind?” “Sushi,” she said. “We [READ MORE]

  • Wine Defects

    Tasting Note:Appearance: Tending towards amber/tawny; slightly hazyNose: Fetid, pungent, most unpleasant; onion, garlic, rotten egg, band-aid; hurl-inducingTaste: Kill me. Now. It’s pretty unlikely, given the advances in winemaking technology, and our understanding of bacteriological bugbears and how to operate hygienic facilities, that you’ll run into a wine with this caliber of malodorous pong and palate-traumatizing [READ MORE]

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Top Drinks

  • The Real Cuba Libre

    sit outside on balcony, fill glass with crushed ice, sqeeze lime, hold glass up to the sky (best effect during sunset), pour rum up to horizon , add some coke to cover the sky (no overflow), stir smoothly, lean back & ENJOY! Maximum effect with bass heavy dub reggae in the background

  • Casa Blanca

    Shake all ingredients with ice, strain into a cocktail glass, and serve.

Get Hungry

  • What A Crock!

    As a happy newlywed (a role I have played unsuccessfully several times), I was extremely proud of my decked-out kitchen. Back in the old days, long before Chuck Williams of Sonoma migrated east, the homemaker in the know had a precious small appliance that was a time-saving miracle: The slow cooker. Time-saving? The very thought [READ MORE]

  • The Farmers’ Market

    I love Saturday mornings at the Farmers’ Market, wandering through the stalls under a slowly warming sun, the dewy air scented with herbs. Vendors sort through their wares on long tables under canvas tents. Shoppers carry bouquets of sunflowers as they examine bushels of ripe peaches, glistening black grapes, green and orange melons, baskets of [READ MORE]

  • Discomfort Food

    I am not fond of surprises. One of my least favourite surprises occurred while in Los Angeles. The date was January 17, 1994 and I lay snuggled in my bed. Not a person in LA will argue the moment the Northridge earthquake rattled through the city like a runaway locomotive. In nearly every home, clocks [READ MORE]

  • Shop, Stock, Cook

    I maintain a well-stocked kitchen during the winter months, making my trips to the supermarket few and far between. I don’t mind stopping at the store for a small bag of fresh items like fruit, salad and vegetables. I just don’t enjoy schlepping tons of groceries from the store to my car to my home [READ MORE]

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