The Road to the Royal

I am not sure what it is about entering preserves contests that I love so much. I think I have Mad for Marmalade, Crazy for Citrus to blame. It was the very first competition I ever entered and to my astonishment I came in 2nd in both categories that I entered and then to top it all off I won the amazing door prize. I left buzzing and smiling, and I have been hooked ever since.

At times, my preserves have placed poorly, but instead of being disappointed, I waited with anticipation for the judges cards to see if there would be some feedback. Something that would teach me more about the art of preserving. And other times I have won in a category that completely amazed me. Not because I didn't think I was deserving, but because it was something that at the time was out of my comfort zone

This year, when I received a message from the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair asking if they could highlight my journey on the Road to the Royal, I was so excited I could almost not respond to the email fast enough. I consider it a real honour to have been one of the 4 competitors across multiple categories chosen to be highlighted. 

This year will also be our first year having a booth selling our preserves at The Royal. So if you plan on visiting, be sure to drop by booth #2623 and say hi.

Join us at The Good Food Festival

Next Tuesday, September 27th we’ll be attending the Good Food Festival hosted by the Ryerson Students’ Union in the heart of downtown Toronto, this event acts as a springboard to introduce new and returning students to the Good Food Centre.

The Good Food Centre

The Good Food Centre in association with the Ryerson Students’ Union host this festival annually in late September. The Good Food Centre (GFC) essentially helps to offset the challenges of post-secondary education and has emerged as a leader in helping curb the issue of post-secondary food insecurity.

The Good Food Festival

The Good Festival is a celebration of food, sustainability, and education. The Festival brings together local artisan producers, food justice organizations, and students to generate a greater food awareness. Most importantly, the festival allows students to sample delicious local delicacies, allowing students to truly appreciate local food businesses.

Why we support the Festival

Manning Canning prides itself on the use of local, fresh and organic ingredients sourced from Ontario farms. The event organizers place an emphasis on showcasing the local food movement as well as sustainability initiatives by inviting vendors who create healthy foods from ingredients that are as kind, sustainable, and local as possible, an idea that we wholeheartedly support! We also believe the festival acts as an opportunity for students to engage in good food conversations, as throughout the day students can participate in food workshops and activities while also getting involved in food security issues within the student, and local communities.

So students bring your friends and family come on out the Good Food Festival to sample delicious local food, get informed, and fight food insecurity! 

Interested in our products? Shop our selection.

Want to grow your food business? Manning Canning Kitchens can help.

Written by Farhana Choudhry, Intern

Taste our Drinking Vinegar Shrubs at the Leslieville Flea!

This Sunday, September 18th we’re back at the Leslieville Flea Market  at the Ashbridge Estate from 10 am-5pm, and we’ll be sampling our line of Shrubs.

What the Heck are Shrubs?

Shrubs are handcrafted drinking vinegars that date back to the 17th century, and they’ve been gaining in popularity lately, especially as the people discover the health benefits of apple cider vinegar.  The taste is really arresting, and they are great in a cocktail or with sparkling water.

Shrubs for Health

Shrubs have been proven to be a great digestive aid known to reduce bloating by keeping you full longer, cancel out some of the carbs you eat and lowering your blood pressure, as well as offering a whole host of other benefits. 

Often Imitated, Never Duplicated

Our shrubs are made with organic, Ontario Apple Cider vinegar in small batches using locally sourced ingredients. Moreover, our shrubs are also cold-pressed, which ensures that the beneficial nutrients remain in the fruit used as no heat is used in the manufacturing process.  This summer we launched three flavors of our magical shrubs Ontario Raspberry, Ontario Pear and Ginger (it’s pear season), and Ontario Rhubarb and Vanilla. 

What better way to spend the end of summer than by experiencing a taste (pun intended) of Leslieville’s top-notch vendors, so bring your friends and family come on out the Leslieville Flea this Sunday as our refreshing “absolutely delicious” shrubs are currently ONLY AVAILABLE at Farmer’s Market’s and shows. 

About the Leslieville Flea

The Leslieville Flea is a vintage, curated market that sells vintage and up-cycled goods, ranging from clothing, furniture, antiques and most importantly edibles. The Flea serves as an excellent meeting place for residents of the Leslieville community and really helps promote small businesses like ours as well as the idea of eating and shopping locally. The Summer Flea Markets run until October, and the last summer market is on October 16th. 

Interested in knowing more about the Leslieville Flea – check out their website here.

Interested in our products? Shop our selection.

Want to grow your food business? Manning Canning Kitchens can help.

Written by Farhana Choudhry, Intern