Buy Ontario for a HomeGrown Valentine’s Day

GUELPH, ON  – Romance is in the air — and pretty much everything needed for a romantic night with that special someone can come from an Ontario farm.

Whether the date includes a memorable outing, a local restaurant, a home-cooked meal using local ingredients or the accoutrements that build the ambiance for the night, it can all be found in Ontario.

“Ontario farms touch more of our lives than most of us realize. From food and fuel to fibre, flowers and more, we produce more than 200 food and farm products in our province,” says farmer Paul Maurice, Executive Member with the Ontario Federation of Agriculture (OFA). “From agritourism adventures or the food on the menu to the flowers and candles, it is available locally made in Ontario. It doesn’t take too much research to pull together a Valentine’s Day built with local elements — and as Ontario’s farmers, we would welcome the added support of our fellow Ontarians buying local.”

To help spark the romance, the OFA suggests some of the following ideas:

• The flowers — Cliché or not, there is no escaping that flowers and Valentine’s Day go hand-in-hand. And there are locally grown, Ontario options available. Visit a local garden centre or nursery or find one of Ontario’s many florists who proudly sell locally grown flowers to gift a burst of spring to someone special or brighten up the dining room table.
• Local drinks — Ontario is rife with wines made from Ontario-grown grapes, spirits distilled with grains grown in Ontario fields, beers with Ontario hops and ciders that start in Ontario orchards. Check out a winery in one of Ontario’s three designated wine regions (Niagara, Prince Edward County and the North Shore of Lake Erie/Pelee Island) for a romantic escape to the heart of the vineyards, and look for the VQA medallion to ensure the wine is made entirely from Ontario-grown grapes or a product of Ontario or Canada designation on fruit wines. Or, make a stop to sample the wares of an Ontario craft distillery, cidery or brewery.
• Home-cooked romantic dinner — Valentine’s Day is a great time to lock the doors, turn down the lights and whip up your own romantic dinner together. But before all that, head to your local farmers’ market or local grocer for a broad selection of Ontario food to put on the menu. Most foods will have logos indicating they are local Ontario products, including beef, pork, turkey, chicken, lamb and veal. The Foodland Ontario logo is also a good indicator of local food, especially fruits and vegetables. There is always something from Ontario that you and your sweetheart can savour together — even in the winter months.
• Sweet treats — Ontario has not one, but two experiences built around the uniquely Canadian and delicious butter tart. Show your sweetie how sweet they really are while visiting bakeries, farm markets and restaurants across parts of rural Ontario sampling the ooey gooey dessert treat. The Ontario Butter Tart Trail winds its way through Wellington County in southcentral Ontario. To the east is the Butter Tart Tour in Kawarthas Northumberland, offering dozens of delicious stops along the way.
• Be cheesy — The rural Ontario map is dotted with artisanal cheese makers, producing cheeses in practically every category — soft, semi-soft, firm, hard and fresh. Load up on Ontario-made cheeses as the backbone of a romantic charcuterie board, use it in your Valentine’s Day dinner recipe or simply enjoy it with a glass of wine over candlelight. You’ll find the blue cow logo of the Dairy Farmers of Canada to dairy products made with 100 per cent Canadian dairy.
• Speaking of candles — Set the tone for the date with soft candlelight. Check Ontario apiaries for locally made beeswax candles, or for soy candles made from beans grown on Ontario farms.
• Rural getaway — Forsake the busy cities and big crowds for a quaint getaway to a small rural community. Book a farmhouse on Airbnb or stay in a local boutique hotel in smalltown Ontario. Enjoy locally owned restaurants that prepare dishes with food from local farmers. Take a leisurely drive and enjoy the tranquil countryside, checking out any farm markets along the way.