(Note: This post was written by Laurel Regan and originally published in a separate blog called “Why Windsor…”, which was later merged with Alphabet Salad.)
Being so new to Windsor, I am always happy to hear recommendations from others who have lived in the city much longer than I have, so I was really pleased that one of my readers took the time to add a comment to one of my recent posts with a list of several local food suppliers he had sourced.
Though I haven’t yet had the chance to try any of these suppliers myself, I thought I’d do some research so that I (and you!) would know a little bit more about them and where they’re located, both geographically and on the web.
- Wild Acre Cattle Co. is located in Woodslee, Ontario (about 30km from Windsor). Their web site, while fairly basic, does provide a handy price list so you know exactly what’s available and how much you can expect to pay. According to their site their beef is naturally fed with no hormones and no steroids.
- Ewe Dell Family Farms, also located in Woodslee, doesn’t have a detailed web site available at the moment, but their current site does provide contact information and confirms that they specialize in local farm fresh lamb.
- Sara’s Natural pork is available in Sarnia, London, and Petrolia, Ontario (all located a little farther from Windsor – 115 to 180km away, depending on which location you choose). Their site says that their pork is all natural, grain fed, naturally processed, with no chemicals, growth promoters, or animal by-products. From their web site: “What does naturally humane raised pork mean to you? All of our animals are given a nutritious diet, and are raised with shelter, resting areas, sufficient space, and the ability to engage in natural behaviors.” Available products are listed on their price list.
- Colchester Ridge Estate Winery is in Harrow, Ontario (about 30km from Windsor). The winery is family owned and operated, and offers an assortment of award-winning wines that are served at a wide variety of local restaurants.
- The Loop Fisheries do not appear to have a web site, so I can’t tell you much about them, but my Google-fu indicates that they’re located in Wheatley, Ontario (around 60km from Windsor). (Incidentally, whenever I find that a good company doesn’t have a web site, it a) makes me do an internal cartoon double-take, because why wouldn’t you have a web site?!, and b) makes me want to phone them up and offer to develop one for them, gratis. Seriously. Yeah, that’ll earn me a living.)
- Wagner Orchards and Estate Winery is located in Lakeshore, Ontario (also around 30km from Windsor). From their web site: “At Wagner Orchards and Estate Winery, we grow our products and raise our animals in an environmentally-friendly atmosphere. Without the use of hormones, chemicals or antibiotics and a continually reduced use of pesticides, our food is grown in the healthiest way possible.” They, too, have a very helpful product and price list, and if you live in Essex County, they will even deliver to your home (for free, if your order is over $200).
This is a fabulous start to my “buy local” campaign – and I can see that we have some exploring to do! Thanks again, Ian, for sharing these valuable resources… I look forward to discovering them for myself in the near future.
