3 Fredericton Harvest Season Recipes
As the weather gets a little cooler, and local markets begin to fill up with nature’s fall bounty, there’s no better way to take the chill off the evening than with a warm, homemade meal made with the freshest ingredients! With Fredericton being located in an agriculturally rich region, boasting 4 markets and several u-pick and market stands, it’s an ideal place to make the most of harvest season and #SupportFredLocal!
To celebrate the season, we reached out to some local Instagram foodies for some advice on how to incorporate local ingredients into your meals! Here’s what they had to say:
Main Course:
@thehungrylawstudent’s Maple Whiskey Braised Short Ribs
People always ask me “how do you have the time to cook such elaborate meals while in school, I could never do that!” One of the biggest misconceptions about cooking is that things have to be complex, but one of my simplest pleasures in life is a cucumber fresh from my patio garden sliced with vinegar, salt, and pepper. Growing up in New Brunswick, I gained a true appreciation for fresh flavours and family traditions. I pick (well, mostly eat) wild blueberries, forage for fiddleheads and spend August evenings making pickled beets with my Nan. However, having mast-cell issues means I have unpredictable allergies (wheat, tomatoes, and chicken) and need to be cautious about what I put into my body. I always find myself creating recipes with simple and unprocessed ingredients. As a law student, my life can be *pretty* hectic, but I still love the satisfaction of sitting down at the end of the day with a delicious meal. As a student, these short-ribs are a bit of a splurge for me, but they’re always worth it (and with the help of my insta-pot are fairly hands off.)
These short-ribs are from Victory Meat Market (which has loads of local goodies!). My other favourite places to source high quality proteins are Tony’s Prime Cuts (Maugerville) and Elke’s BBQ. On Saturday mornings, you will find me at the Fredericton Farmers Market (spending my net-worth on Mulder’s cheese), but for mid-week fresh vegetable top-ups I love the convenience of Hoyt’s vegetable stand on the FREX grounds or Green’s Garden Patch on my trips to Miramichi.
Tip: This recipe pairs well with (my favourite local beer) the Maybee Rye IPA, their brewer also recommends the Old Growth Extra Special Bitter.
Vegan Option:
@chickpeaexpress’s Harvest Veggie Pizza
With the huge selection of plant-based options in Fredericton, eating vegan is easier than ever. By omitting animal products from my diet, I find myself gravitating towards fresh options, like locally sourced veggies. I often visit Moxon’s Country Pumpkin for my produce, which also doubles as a scenic riverside road trip down Route 105 on a warm, golden day!
This Harvest Veggie Pizza was inspired by all the bright and colorful, in-season vegetables spotted around the city. By incorporating what’s in season, the meals I enjoy year-round stay fun and exciting. I always look forward to corn season, so I love finding new ways to use it in my cooking! I find the key to making the most of your fresh ingredients is to prep them in advance.
When buying produce, wash, cut, and store it to remove any barriers to making healthy choices in the kitchen. By prepping them ahead of time, you now have the base of many plant-based meals ready to go. I used some of my veggies to decorate this Harvest Pizza, while most of the leftovers went into a tasty sheet pan roast the next day!
Dessert
@maritimeglutton’s Apple Dapple Cake
Before the pandemic, my household went to the Northside Market every Saturday morning to pick up fresh produce and local beef. We’ve since changed our produce routine to subscribing to Strawberry Hill's CSA box for our fresh produce weekly.
I love the customizability of purchasing produce from the market or Moxon's, but knowing that our CSA box always has beautiful in season produce is amazing for the freshest home cooking. I have a hard time keeping discipline to not buy summer produce in the fall or winter veggies come July. A CSA box ensures that I have variety and what’s in season always.
When I think about local food to New Brunswick, I think about picking apples at a local Orchard. To embrace these nostalgic memories, I knew that my great-grandmother's Apple Dapple Cake would be the perfect way to showcase delicious New Brunswick apples and honour the memory of my sweet Grammy. The best part of this cake is the simplicity and ease of technique. No special equipment required, and only dirties one bowl and a baking dish. It's the perfect decadent dessert but still is semi-fresh with the juicy apples.
Now it’s your turn! DOWNLOAD THE RECIPES HERE or make your own! There are always ways to incorporate local ingredients into your meals and it doesn’t get fresher than digging into what was on the tree, vine or stem just yesterday!
We hope that these tips and recipes inspire you to make your own and have fun with it! Be sure to leave your recipes and traditions in the comments below!
