These stories are from across the country after the World's Longest BBQ on August 4th, 2007.

Jud Simpson says:

How could I possibly miss an opportunity to share in this annual BBQ! This year, with a host of interspersed out-of-town trips, I was home for the day - or at least the important part of the day - dinner!

I invited my brother and his family over for an afternoon of swim and BBQ. Because of the insane summer schedule and a group of mostly boys/men, we kept the menu simple. BBQ beef ribs and elk sausage from a local producer were the highlights. Started over an even charcoal heat and then moved on to the Weber propane beast to finish cooking, the ribs were great. The elk sausage only made it to the propane on their way to our large cedar picnic table. We rounded out the meal with warm new potato salad and marinated field tomatoes from the market.

It was a great afternoon had by all and a wonderful opportunity to stop and relax before my trip to Santiago, Chile on Sunday. I can't wait for next year!

EDITOR'S NOTE: Jud - As Executive Chef for the House of Commons and head of the Canadian Federation of Chefs and Cooks, am honoured to have you at the party. Thank you so much for posting your party! A.S.

Jan Mowbray says:

Hi,

I am writing from Ontario in the beautiful north rural area of Milton - Nassagaweya.

I learned about the WLB late, and as I had the day available, decided to have a potluck with the proviso that everything had to be locally grown. I found 12 friends also with the day free and they pitched in eagerly in the spirit of the occasion.

What a feast! We are not close to any water but we made use of our homegrown efforts as well as the ample bounty of the land provided by our farmers: We had wonderful Mennonite sausages and cabbage rolls from the St Jacobs area; homegrown vegetable salad of tomatoes, cucumbers and zuchini; homegrown grilled vegetables; homemade rolls made with local flour; locally grown green salad with homemade dressing; Ontario grown roast beef.

Here is a fabulous way to cook the roast beef: Start at 450f for one hour, then lower the temp to 160 and cook for the rest of the day - tender, great flavour, and great gravy.

The meal was accompanied by Ontario beer and wine. A homemade cake using that Ontario flour finished the meal along with some local cheeses. Tea and coffee were the only alien imports to our meal.

Next year I'm going to post this event on my own website to encourage more people to participate as a way of bringing the community together.

Congratulations, Anita, for giving us an excuse to use Ontario grown foods. We're looking forward to 2008.

EDITOR'S NOTE: Thank you so much Jan. Next year we'll be ready to start planning months before the event. I look forward to a very large Milton, Ontario contingent. Perhaps a challenge to other communities? A.S.

Alison Bell says:

What a great evening we had! We started off a little early by harvesting oysters for the chowder. Low tide was at 4 pm. Very convenient!

Our BBQ Event was a blast. My husband and I hosted ten friends on our deck at Savary Island. At 6 pm we started with Salt Spring Island goat's cheeses and Qualicam Cheesework's Rathtrevor, which is a little like a Gouda. Lesley Stowe's made in Vancouver Raincoast Crisps, of course. Everyone brought their favourited BC beers and wines.

Our first course was Grilled Oyster and Corn Chowder. I first grilled diced onions, sliced garlic and peppers in a grill basket and transferred them to the pot with chicken stock. Friends Don Bilodeau and Roy McKenzie (a staunch Cape Bretoner who was a little skeptical of this West Coast Chowder!) grilled the oysters while I grilled the corn. Once the oysters were ready ( about ten minutes) they were removed from the shell- you really don't need to shuck the oysters when they are grilled as the heat works to sort of self-shuck them. Just be careful as they can spurt hot oyster juice. I would advise not wearing a bikini!

I cut the kernels of grilled corn from the cob and since the oysters were large, diced them roughly and added both to the pot with some evaporated milk (you could use cream) a grind of salt and pepper and some minced fresh chives. It was fabulous! Roy said it tasted just like his mother's!Alongside the chowder I served grilled bannock. Very simple and delicious.

Our main course was BBQ Sockeye Salmon with a grilled vegetable salad. All of the fresh produce came from "Hatch-a-Bird Farm" in the little community of Wildwood, BC. A lovely certified organic mixed farm, "Hatch-a-Bird" supplied us with peppers, potatoes, tomatoes, zucchini, onions, lettuce, fresh herbs, eggs and delicious chevre for our dessert course.

I simply grilled apricots and peaches which were brushed with butter, lemon and brown sugar. Once lightly caramelized with a criss-cross design, I served them with a spoon of chevre and drizzled both with local honey. Wow, what a great combo.

Everyone had a terrific time under the stars. Thanks Anita, it was a very memorable event!

June Weber says:

We've decided to stay in town this year, as I'm leaving for Europe next week. We will sit on our patio overlooking Lake Ontario, and enjoy a cold Canadian beer while the charcoal bar b que heats up to grill our Ontario lamb chops (from St. Lawrence Market) and veggies, which we will serve with new potato salad and cole slaw. Home baked Ontario Blue Berry pie will complete our Canada Day meal. Hmmm....why leave home?

Rob Hurst says:

At 6:00 sharp we fired up the cottage grill and toasted the All-Canadian BBQ. Dinner was served on the deck overlooking Long Lake in Haliburton.

Our menu, with thanks for quality ingredients from Forsythe Farms in Markham, ON:

Grilled, Split Chicken marinated in Niagara wine and our garden herbs, served with Peach Salsa

Smashed New Potatoes with fresh-cut Chives

Local Corn and Zucchini Saute

Maple and Wild Blueberry Cobbler

All courses were washed down with plenty of good Niagara wine ending with a Late Harvest Vidal under the stars by the fire. Great Day.

Susan Allin says:

On Saturday it was my son's 23rd Birthday in Brantford Ontario. We celebrated by having a Canadian Steak BBQ with PEI baking Potatoes, Ceasar Salad, cucumber and tomato salad purchased at a road side stand, and birthday cake. We also saluted Canada at 6 with Pelee Island Wine and Labatt's beer.

A great time was had by all.

strong>Anita Stewart Says:

This menu was just plain fun. A few of us gathered on my deck and at 6 we stopped the grilling and toasted all of those who participated across the land and we toasted Canada.

The World's Longest Barbecue ~ Canada Day II

Menu August 4, 2007

Ontario Cantaloupe skewers with Second Wind Farm Cranberry-cured Elk Roast

Rare Raw Milk Cloth Wrapped Cheddar from Charlottetown's Cows Dairy

Alex's Bread

I love Devilled Eggs!

Warm Potato Salad....Lady Cristl, MacIntosh Black, Red Lady

New Potatoes from the Elora Research Station

Mike Dixon's Cyber-tomatoes tossed with Lots of Basil Vinaigrette

Traditional Potato Salad with Mom's Cooked Dressing.

Complexity Salad

(a.k.a. Prairie Chickpea, Saskatchewan Pasta and local vegetable salad strewn with freshly-grated Canadian Parmesan cheese)

Elora Farmers Market Greens with Vineland V66043 Apricot & Maple vinaigrette.

Ontario Rib-eye STEAK with John Morris' Arthur-grown garlic and Gay-Lea Cooperative Creamery butter!

Scott's Bless His Soul - Really Spicy Pork RIBS!

Anita's Apricot Ice Cream to go with Fred's Yummy Delicious, Good Old-Fashioned Butter Tarts

VQA Wine, some very pretty Apple Cider from Archibalds Orchards and lots of Local Beer

GO CANADA GO!

James Chatto wrote from Greece says:

We fired up the barbecue about half past six, building a fire of dry sticks then banking it carefully with chunks of olive wood charcoal. There is still one man in the village who makes his own charcoal: he's an old friend and sells us a sack every summer. The island is tinder dry at this time of year but the old brick barbecue pit I built years ago is well sheltered and the few crackling sparks from the charcoal had nowhere to go.

Once the charcoal was white we spread the coals across the pan, fanned it to a quick glow and started the barbecue with baby zucchinis and thickly sliced targets of raw onion, all liberally drizzled with salt and our own olive oil. They soon began to brown and blister and were removed to a bowl. Next came lamb chops - one of the small but well-fed local lambs, the chops still fringed with plenty of fat. In honour of the occasion, I had added a little Ontario maple syrup to the marinade of olive oil, wine vinegar, mustard, rosemary, oregano and smoked paprika. It helped the marinade stick to the chops which were soon sizzling over the coals.

We took the meat and vegetables up to the terrace and ate them as the twilight thickened over the olive groves around us and turned the colour of the Ionian sea from blue to silver-grey. The lights of Albania, two miles away across the strait, began to twinkle. Just to boost the Canadian content, I put on a CD of Joni Mitchell's Court and Spark and we toasted Canada, Anita Stewart and the World's Longest Barbecue in a cold fresh local rose wine that tastes faintly of strawberries, bought from the barrel in a village at the foot of the mountain. A very good time was had by all..

Neil Miles says:

Anita,

Sorry to not pre-register our "BBQ for two" that Ann and I enjoyed but since it turned out so well, I will add my Ontario BBQ story anyhow.

My recipe for a "One Dish BBQ" [Ann has too many food allergies to use any standard recipe] included 2 new Yukon Gold potatoes diced, one green pepper cut into large pieces, 3 patty pan summer squash quartered, a dozen Ontario mushrooms halved, 1 small eggplant cut into 1 cm cubes, and 2 smoked pork sausage links [from my local butcher] cut into 1 cm pieces. All placed on a 70 cm sheet of heavy duty foil and a generous handful of assorted herbs from my garden, 1/2 jalapeno pepper diced into small pieces, salt and pepper to taste and 1/3 cup of olive oil added. After carefully sealing the aluminum foil, the package is place on my 25 year old Weber charcoal grill and roasted with indirect heat for 40-45 minutes, turing twice. This allows just enough time for a good swim in the family pool before dinner is served. [Note that all vegetables were grown locally and obtained from Whitty's market - always a culinary foraging treat! Unfortunately tomatoes, onions, celery, carrots, and garlic are off limits for Ann and must be excluded - thus the generous use of herbs.]

With dinner cooked [a gentle squeeze of the foil envelope with oven mitts indicated potatoes were done], the foil was placed on a serving platter so ingredients can "mellow." This gives time to through together green salad ingredients fresh from the Holland Marsh and Ontario greenhouses, again seasoned with fresh herbs from my garden and tossed with Joe Pohorley's cold pressed grape seed oil and Balsamic vinegar.

The choosen wine - a choice bottle of 2001 Thomas & Vaughn VGA Cabernet Sauvignon - assured enjoyment of my creation.

Of course no meal is complete without dessert, special Ontario poached peaches served over ice cream. With main course complete, 1 Vulcan clingstone peach [my introduction, of course] was sliced into each of 2 ~1-cup aluminum foil dishes with a dash each of cinnamon, nutmeg and allspice, 15 ml of brown sugar and 30 ml of Galliono liquoir [or apricot brandy] and placed over the lingering coals for 5-10 minutes [until peaches are bubbly]. With a generous bowl of Ontario ice cream before each of us, the poached peaches were removed from the coals and poured over the ice cream. The trick is to eat this ice cream sunday slowly enough to savour the flavours yet assuring that all will be consumed before the icecream melts!

So, my "BBQ for Two" using my own "recipes" made from the bounties of the season. It turned out far better than anticiapted and the good part is that some of the main dish is left over for tonight's meal - we will just add a cob of fresh sweetcorn.

Enjoyed being a part of the "Worlds Longest BBQ"!

Neil Miles

St. Catharines, Ontario

Vanessa Currie says:

Vanessa Currie and family - Tim, Millie, Sadie and Grandma.

What we ate - five varieties of potatoes prepared four different ways. To start things off, I made purple chips from the novelty potato MackIntosh Black. With the main course, we had potato salad (dressing from Anita Stewart and the Fresh Air website) with Red Desire, Red Fantasy, and Princess potatoes. Sexy potatoes, huh? That wasn't even the main course! Wild Pacific Salmon crusted with Superior potatoes, recipe courtesy of the Ontario Potato Board website, ontariopotatoes.ca. We had fresh Ontario shelled peas on the side, and nothing for dessert but fresh Ontario peaches. We love food!

Desiree Bartel says:

We had delicious marinated chicken (3 kinds),baked potatoes, various salads & grilled peaches on icecream YUM! Winnipeg,MB

Eleanor Medway says:

I shop at our local Farmer's Market in St.Norbert,Mb. and buy lean bison to BBQ. Delicious.

james wrightman says:

I had a wonderfully crisp, succulent pork back rib from Highland Farms. Ontario bred. Enough for two, just $7. This time I seared it over Quebec lump charcoal (maple), then wrapped in foil and grilled off the the heat, no flavourings for an hour or so. While it was finishing unwrapped with sauce (Ontario tomatoes, garlic, NFLD molasses with basil) I prepared fresh corn boiled on the grill, from Welch Farms, Scotland Ont. The ears were brought to the boil over the Weber Charcoal flames, so one fire worked for the complete dinner.

Charcoal braised tomato halves with basil, olive oil and garlic, from Pickering Produce,

completed the dinner, an everyone enjoyed. Flat Rock Riesling , Jordan, ON was the wine of choice, from the same day Vintages release.

Rhonda Teitel-Payne says:

Five of us (Gaby, Alec, Amar, James and I) were at a cottage on Lake Huron this weekend. Saturday is a great day to have this event - the farmers' market in Goderich, Ontario was in full swing! We found three colours of potatoes (purple, red and white) that we roasted with red onions and herbs from Gaby and Alec's garden. Their garden also provided arugula, French sorrel, Swiss chard and tomatoes supplemented with more salad mix and carrots from the market. We also roasted local purple peppers and corn. Since we couldn't decide whether to have pickerel or rainbow trout, we did both in foil with Alec's herb butter. It all went down really well with some Chardonnay and Gewurztraminer from two organic wineries in Niagara - Malivoire & Featherstone. We could have had local peaches & blackberries for dessert, but we cheated and had 'smores with grilled bananas instead. A tip of the hat to Caribana celebrations?

The James Family says:

From Sarnia Ontario at the beautiful base of Lake Huron...we invited family and friends to our BBQ to celebrate two anniversaries and a birthday. Ginger chicken and vegetable kebabs, new local potatoes and a gazpacho salad - all purchased at our local farms and markets - was on the menu. Topped off with Ontario wine, New Brunswick beer and blueberry buckle. Great food and great company!

The James Family says:

We invited our friends and family to celebrate an anniversary and a birthday BBQ here in Sarnia (at the base of Lake Huron). The menu consisted of ginger chicken and fresh vegetables kebabs, new potatoes and a gazpacho salad with all local ingredients from our local markets. We topped it off with Ontario wine and blueberyy buckle! Good food and good company!

Suzi Hushen says:

We decided to share this great day with our friends and had a great time! We bbq'ed beef hotdogs, steak, corn on the cob, mixed vegetables and baked potatoes! The food was great and the company was even better!

jasjit k.Bir says:

I waited for the final day today as i wanted to make sure I have set a great menu with local produce from Farmers market in Milton.

My plan to rock this year's barbeque party is with a special menu for my family is local grown farm chicken in tandoori style with marination of spices and yogurt,Barbequed tofu which I am using from local cheese store , Mango chutney as a dip and local grown eque wiht vegetarbables like spinach,broccoli,peppers,eggplant all marinated in indian spices and grilled on barbeque and served with home made 7 grain bread.Dessert is ontario grown blueberries and strawberries, peaches compote with Vanilla icecream.

Dave and Shelly Phillips says:

We took a trip to our weekly farmer's market and local butcher to buy our ingredients for our BBQ. We kept it pretty simple, but when you have great ingredients, why make it complicated? We had a wonderful ribeye steak and chicken, boiled new red potatoes and fresh corn on the cob. For dessert we had a delicious Saskatoon Berry Crisp. It was a perfect evening for a BBQ here in Regina, Saskatchewan.

Jason Van Maanen says:

We live in Ridgetown, a small faming community in southwestern Ontario. As my wife and I are both involved in agriculture we work with producer everday and see the hard work and TLC that goes into Ontario grown produce. Because of this we make a habit 365 days a year of buying local produce. Be it picking and canning local tomatoes, bbqing sweet corn bought from a kids' 4H summer plot, or picking up a basket of fresh raspberries or peaches at Cooper's, a nearby fruit and vegetable farm, we have tried to instill on our boys (2&5) the benefits of buying local and being involved.

This year our menu was:

Slow smoked back ribs (from local pig, bought from a local butcher) with local maple syrup and bourbon bbq sauce.

Sweet corn bought at a local stand cooked in the husk on the bbq

Grilled cream cheese filled zucchini (from our own garden)

Cut up fresh local peaches and sugar (our boys favourite).

A bottle of Pelee Island Merlot (adults only)

Happy grilling!!

Margaret Sherk says:

With the perfect harvest weather, the men on the farm were bringing in straw. So it was just the two of us for dinner at the end of a busy day working outside.

Menu:

We are beef producers but we stocked upon steak this spring when the annual Mennonite Central Committee 'meat canner'fundraiser came our way. So we had great steak on the BBQ.

Grilled new baby red potatoes, green beans,onions and garlic.

Tomoato salad with basil, garlic, oil and vinegar and sheep milk feta cheese from Monforte Cheese in Millbank (this is really good! available at the Elora General Store/Elora Farmers Market).

For dessert a warm peach crumble drizzled with vanilla yogurt from Mapleton Organic Dairy.

All vegetables from my garden or from our neighbour.

This is everyday fare for us: whatever is in season and available. Quick, easy,and fresh.

KanataBBQ.ca says:

Our Grills are fired up all summer long.

But on August 4, We dedicate our Flames to Canada, and all the fresh foods it has to offer from coast to coast.

At 6PM put on your aprons, raise your Tongs and be Proud to be Canadian.

Louise Woltman says:

Today started with our annual summer trip down to the Lake Erie area for black currants and blueberries. I make jam from the black currants and freeze the blueberries to have for the rest of the year. In the car we happened to be listing to the CBC and were delighted to hear your interview.

This is such a delightful trip through the great farmlands of Ontario. We stopped first at a small farmer's stand and purchased some corn and a bag of new potatoes. Heading home after our fruit purchases, we again stopped. But this time at another roadside stand we purchased cantaloupes, onions, melons and more corn; all freshly picked from his fields.

We have had very dry summer so far in southern Ontario and you can see the effects of this in the fields.

When we got home tonight, we cooked a supper of BBQ'd sausages made by our local butcher/deli along with the fresh corn, delicious new potatoes and had some cut up melon and blueberries for desert.

We should all take time to realize how blessed we are to live in a country such as ours and be proud to support our local farmers!

Hans and Lynda says:

Barbequed small ribeye steak which we will share (reducing fat!),and, from the farmers market this morning: new potatoes, grilled red peppers, fresh corn, spinach, baby beets, cucumbers, will be our Saturday night BBQ. Dessert is fruit: Parks blueberries, local raspberries, melon, apples, and peaches. What fortunate people we are to be able to afford to eat this way, every day! Canadians are so lucky! Let's hope they appreciate how Farmers Feed Cities!

jennifer batycky says:

Simple, yet local.

I have run a local farmer's market for ten years in my summers off as a teacher. I stared to get money for my Master's degree, but really I do it for the food!

Hi, I am from Calgary...

Buffalo Horn Ranch Bison Burgers, Sylvan Star Smoked Gouda, Tomatoes and lettuce from my neighbours yard,buns made by The Bread Lady (at the market). Corn fresh from Taber and a little risotto made with local baby beets!

What isn't to love

For dessert..... organic strawberry and rhubarb pie... very prairie(rhubarb also the neigbours, but a different one) with whippping cream.

all local, all yummy, all easy.

Irma Shaw says:

We're in Oshawa, ON, and I buy my meat from my local independent grocer and butcher. Tonight we are having shish-kebobs, cut from strip loin steaks. Corn on the cob, roasted red potatoes and salad. Topped off with Ontario blueberries on vanilla frozen yogurt.

Lynn Campbell says:

At Lake Wahwashkesh we are enjoying tonight pork chops,baby beets,yellow beans,german potato salad -all made with fresh Ontario produce.

Sue,Rod,Jan Bennett,Lynn Campbell, Lois Ward and Gilian Macpherson.

Ps and the dogs- Grace Laddie,Jake and Jinksie!

Sue Gammond says:

I just heard about the BBQ this morning on CBQ Radio Thunder Bay, Ontario. I am at Gammondale Farm Family Fun at the foot of Candy Mountain in the Slate River Valley, about 20 minutes south of Thunder Bay. My story about a great grilling party took place last weekend at a wedding reception. A young chef from the Cariboo Restaurant prepared a spectacular meal for 80 guests using local foods. Steven Lovisa and his crew, including Iain Arnold, did a magnificent job of preparing, grilling and displaying the food. Steve is off this September to Holland College in Charlottetoen PEI for more culinary training.There were several cold salads of greens and bean salad. The best was salad where the Rainbow trout was grilled, cooled and used in a salad; cubed new potatoes were grilled with other local vegies; skewered marinated chicken (2 kinds of marinade); skewers of bread, cherry tomatoes, red onions and fresh basil; homemade sausage grilled and served in homemade buns; the best were the grilled cheese sandwiches made with grated local Thunder Oak Gouda Cheese on stone oven baked Peasant bread. Everything was served in paper cones and eaten with chop sticks or fingers, or served on the skewers. Ice cream cones were served for dessert. What a wonderful fresh meal! Lots of wine and beer too!

Jim and Cathy Hartford says:

Our family (including 3 teenagers) is looking forward to our first annual 'Flavours of Canada' BBQ! We live in Edmonton, but are not serving Alberta Beef. Our menu will include Balsamic Honey Pork Tenderloin, Wild Rice casserole, green beans, Heirloom Tomato Salad, and Strawberry-Rhubarb crisp. Most of the fresh ingredients were picked up the Strathcona Farmers' Market this morning. Our wine is from the Okanagan Valley. Now, we just need the rain to stop so we can enjoy it all outside on our deck!

What a great idea...I'm glad I was listening to Sounds like Canada yesterday!

TheMaurers says:

To join the "World's Longest BBQ 2007? the neighbours of Young Street in Innerkip Ontario N0J 1M0 Canada have organized a street party.

Our BBQs will all be fired up at 6:00pm EST to join the rest of Canada. May we all make it into the Guiness book of records to leave a legend for generations to come.

The Maurer's

Innerkip

Pat Johnston says:

We spent the morning at a pick-your-own blueberry farm near Wooler to add to our winter's larder and to top off our special BBQ today, Saturday, Aug 4 at 6 pm.

We will also be celebrating my friend's retirement with her at her new Colborne area home with a bbq of beef steaks, fresh red potatoes, corn-on-the cob, green & yellow beans and hydroponic tomatoes - all locally grown. What a bounty!

We are proudly displaying our "Farmers Feed Cities" yellow sign to make all aware just how lucky we are in Canada to have quality, safe, affordable food.

Lu-Anne Anderson says:

Hello all from Campbellford Ontario: this evening I will be firing up the b.b.q. with my two young adult teenagers for marinated steaks, corn on the cob, with new red skin potatoes (have not decided how I am going to cook these yet) all purchased at the Campbellford Farmer's Market. I purchased blueberries for making a dessert but they got eaten before they made it to the kitchen. YMMMMMMM

John Hunt says:

My wife and I are dining alone this evening in Woodstock, Ontario, but we will be doing venison steaks from a friend who got them on a hunting trip to Northern Ontario last fall. We are going to have salad made with ingredients picked from our small backyard garden. We will be doing our BBQ version of potatoes that involves wrapping small chunks of potato in foil with onions. We will also have brocolli from our garden. I also plan on doing an herbed bread and warming it on the grill. I use parsley, basil and garlic and mix them into softened butter. I spread this into a partially sliced sub-bun and wrap it in foil. We do this kind of meal quite often.

Our dessert will include peaches from the Niagar region and locally grown blueberries that we picked this past week.

Lydia & Bruce says:

What a great idea; we will be on the q at 6 this pm. One more sign that Canadians from all cultures share a common love of our country and that we all live and share together in this great Canada.

Andrea says:

We will be serving charolais beef raised by my nephew in Townsend, On. He is a first year ag student and quite determined to continue in the farming industry. He raises beef on the side at his Dad's farm and sells to whomever he can. We will be serving grilled herbed potatoes and our family favorites, vidalia cuccumber salad and bean salad.

Shelley Potter says:

Tonight we will have our neighbours over, something we do every week, one week at our house, the next at theirs, we have managed to do this for the past eight years. This evening's menu is proccuito wrapped beef tenderloin. We will have pasta with asparagus, mushrooms and Woolwich goat cheese. Peach cobbler is on for dessert. Beer is the usual drink of choice - (Kawartha Lakes Brewery) KLB raspberry wheat for me and Creemore for my husband.

Gloria Swain says:

Today August 4 @ 6 p.m. my whole family and some friends, approximately 60 of us will be at my brother Bob's cabin near Winnfield, AB. It's a lovely spot, 10 acres with a creek running through the place. Everyone comes and camps out for the whole weekend.

This year we are celebrating our baby sister's and her husband's 25th Wedding Anniversary (Per & Virginia) we are also celebrating our eldest sister and her husband 30th Wedding anniversary (Esther & Ralph) . Then if that is not enough we are having a Pantry Shower for my niece and nephew who are going away to B.C. for University. Everyone is to bring non perishable items to stock their panty in B.C.

The 6 p.m. meal will be two huge roasts of beef which brother Bob is bbqueing on his giant BBq, built especially for these weekend events. He got the roasts from his neighbour in Calgary who has a butcher shope. The rest of the food will be brought by everyone, pot luck style. My one sister is bringing cabbage rolls, home made from scratch. Someone else is bringing dilled onions and cucumbers in dilled sour cream. Salads are on the menu, a huge smoked ham and what ever else any one chooses to bring. It wil be a lovely spread. The fun part of this whole eveing is being with family and friends and celebrating family events. But the best part was trying to plan it and keep it a surprize from all those who we are celebrating for. Today is the day and it's still a surprize, not sure how long the surprize will last, but it keeps things interesting. The front veranda of my brother's cabin wil be decorated with wedding anniversary banners, displays and I even bought a broom and mop from my niece and nephew and put their pictures on the front of them and made clothes for them and dressed up the broom and mop to look like my niece and nephew. So much fun, so much to celebrate. Well I best hit the road as it's a two hour drive to the event and it's 9:30 a.m.

EDITOR'S NOTE: Best wishes to ALL concerned and thanks for taking the time to register for our BBQ! A.S.

Terry and Julie Phillips says:

We will be barbecueing a nice Roast of prime Ontario beef with some Pork sausages for an appetizer.Along with this we will have some new potatoes,peas and carrots.Our dinner guest will be my sister and her husband as well as their children from Guelph and London.

Nothing like sharing the Bounty of the Summer with our urban relatives.

Burna Wilton says:

Hi Anita,

Missed the show this AM but will definitely try the salad dressing for tonight's bbq under the tent in the back yard. We are entertaining friends so there will be nine of us enjoying the wonderful foods and tastes from the Elora farmer's market. How fortunate we are to have such an abundance of wonderful food at our doorstep.

Thank you to all of our food producers and to Anita for oganizing this celebration.

Anita Stewart says:

Some have asked for the recipe I spoke about on CBC Fresh Air this a.m.

Apricot - Maple Vinaigrette

This is my new fave for any greens.

Now it's peach season, they're going to be on my list to try...they'll last till September during which time I'll puree a few with a bit of ascorbic acid and freeze in smallish bags. Just finished doing the same with a small basket of Vineland apricots.

6- 7 ripe apricots...halved - DON'T peel 'em

½ cup maple syrup

½ cup cider vinegar

2 tsps coarse Dijon-style mustard

1 tsp salt

½ - 1 tsp coarse black pepper

2 tbsps grated orange rind

½ cup orange juice

1 ¼ cups canola oil

Combine all except oil in a food processor and let 'er rip. When it's pureed add oil and whiz around till it's wonderfully fragrant and relatively smooth.

Makes about 3 ½ to 4 cups.

LR says:

Our friends are coming over for dinner. We'll be barbecuing marinated steak, potatoes, and corn on the cob from the local farmer's market, and serving some Guelph-made beers!

Nancy Milner says:

On our backyard patio in Collingwood my husband and I will be enjoying grilled Talapia with fresh beans, red potato salad, cole slaw and fresh peaches, all produce of Ontario.

Joan Airey says:

Our barbecue will be a family event with our three grown children their spouses, and children totaling fourteen of us. Our family all lives within five miles of us in the Country in western Manitoba.

Everything will be grown on our farm from the Charolais Ribeye steaks which we will marinade in a homemade Teriyaki marinade. My husband will be in charge of cooking them on the barbecue. Served with new barbecued potatoes, onions, and carrots from our garden. Dessert will be Crepes with a cheese filling and covered in a Saskatoon sauce.

C Fisher says:

Hello from Goderich, in Huron County, Ontarios West Coast!We are hosting a BBQ for our nephew, from Cambridge, who is going to university in the fall - the BBQ will be held in Goderich at the family homestead.

There will be about 22 people attending at 6 pm this eve. After an afternoon at the Goderich beach, we will be giving him a 'love basket' of themed goodies to take to school with him - his parents and brothers and all of his aunts uncles and cousins will be there to celebrate - coming from Goderich, Cambridge, Toronto and California!.

We are having burgers etc and salads - the salad fixings will be local and from the Goderich farmers market; the corn on the cob is from a farmer near Bayfield; veggies are from the Meeting Place CSA Organic garden. One of his aunts made Bundt cakes for dessert, with local fruit topping.

Rita Eidukas says:

The summmer just brings out the best flavours local food can be and we eat a lot of fresh fruits and veggies that are in season. We seem to get our fill while it's here and then wait for the taste sensations for next year's local crop. Today I'm starting from dessert, mom has made blueberry pie from berries the family hand picked. Since I'm from Essex County ON, sweet corn is on the roadside stands and will be the focus. I have not tried it on the BarBQ, but today will inspire me to do so. Grill some chicken, add local fresh peaches, sprinkle basil picked from the backyard, use this year's apricot juice for moisture and add a splash of maple syrup (to emphasize the visual flag displayed) The bottle of Colio Wine, Harrow ON just went in the fridge. I'm glad I listened to the radio this morning, I'm ready for 6 PM tonight!

James Wright & John Ransom says:

We are in Woodstock, ON, between KW and London, the DAIRY capital of Canada. Today's farmers' market yielded local peaches, cherries, sweet corn, butter (mmmmmm.....), we have our own lettuce and cherry tomatoes, there will be grilled pork tenderloin chops and some local cheeses like a four year white cheddar that packs a punch in any dish but most likely in a sweet onion custard bread you do in a pie plate right on the bbq. better get moving....

Verenna Finlay says:

Hi Anita, great hearing you once again on CBC. Your interview with Jeff on Fresh Air inspired me to enter the Canadian BBQ 2007. Unfortunately this year our numbers are down just my husband and I. But after listening to you I planned a BBQ for 2.

We are retired up in Oliphant close to Lake Huron set in the trees and will BBQ a Canadian dinner for 2.

I will cook up small new potatoes from a market garden in Port Elgin. Par-boil them for 15 min and put on some salad dressing to marinate until dinner and my husband will put them on BBQ to brown up.

We will cook a pork tenderloin which I will put a paste of canola oil and dijon mustard with some Waterloo County Maple syrup added to it and leave for the afternoon and then put on grill.

We have a small garden and will take out some lettuce and tomatoes from the garden add a few carrots that were Ontario grown and toss up a salad. Not sure if I have any of the Ont peas that I picked up at the market garden for an additional vegetable.

I'm planning on making a bacquette in my bread machine which I will top with poppyseeds. If I get ambitious this morning before it gets hot I will make a Blueberry pie with some Northern Blueberries that I have in the freezer. We will top if off with some Ontario Wine.

I'm sure with it being just the 2 of us we will have lots of leftovers. But it is a long weekend who knows we just might get unexpected company.

Thanks Anita love hearing from you on the CBC.

Verenna Finlay

24 Creeks Side Cres

R R 3 Wiarton, On.

N0H 2T0

ANGELA HAGAR says:

I'm in Lochaber, N.S. Tonight I will be barbecuing pork tenderloin with a chili cumin rub and campfire potatoes. I will also serve a strawberry romaine salad. For dessert, grilled peaches with ice cream. Neighbors, cool drinks, deck, lake, barbecue; doesn't get better than that!

Roren Family BBQ says:

MY SON AND I WERE UP EARLY THIS MORNING FOR THE DARTMOUTH FARMERS MARKET IN NOVA SCOTIA FOR BBQ INGREDENTS.

WE SAW LOTS OF YUMMY FOOD AND WE GOT A FEW THINGS TO TRY SOMETHING NEW.

Sweet William's Country Sausage

Lamb with Pesto & Feta

Mild Italian with fennel

Tomatoes & Basil

Vegetables

Local Red Potatoes

Char steamed with garlic butter

Little Carrots with maple syrup

Red Bell Pepper Bread with Rosemary

Valley Strawberries "Yummy"

Andrew Bodkin says:

I live in London Ontario. My sister and her husband are driving up from Liberal Kansas for a visit, and my daughter is driving down from her job as assistant director of a YMCA camp on Beausoleil Island this afternoon.

I shop primarily at the Covent Garden Market here in London where we have an indoor organic vendor called Fieldgate as well as an outdoor local market on Saturdays. As well there is an local organic vendor at the Western Fair market only on Saturdays. Shortly I will be visiting both for the rest of my ingredients.

Tonight I will be starting with crostini from an Ace Bakery loaf with various toppings eg red pepper puree, raw garlic and rubbed tomato, white bean with sage from my garden. The main course is a Susar Lee recipe using local organic pork tenderloin (organic tofu for my vegetarian wife). The potato recipe is one with local organic potatoes and onions, cheese, sprinkled with (imported!) nutmeg. Local corn (from Leamington?) of course. Salad is a recipe from Lucy Waverman with arugula from my garden and firm Quebec goat cheese. Finally dessert will be a simple combo of raspberries and wild blueberries in a liqueur base. Wines are from the Niagara region with Henry of Pelham Cabernet Franc and Cave Spring Sauvignon Blanc.

Bruce Archibald and Karen Atchison says:

Our BBQ will consist of Bruce County Tenderloin; Nova Scotia lobster; fresh Ontario corn, potatoes, and tomatos from High Berry Farms in Port Elgin and; brother-in-law Chuck's famous carrot cake. All washed down with liberal quantities of Archibald Orchard's much sought after Hard Cider!

EDITOR'S NOTE: YAY!!! This note is from Ontario's Deputy Minister of Agriculture! Thanks so much to you both! A.S.

Duncan Harvie & Family says:

Saturday morning...off to St Lawrence Market in Toronto, often to meet with an old friend or two for a back bacon breakfast sandwhich, or perhaps croissants and good coffee from a couple of market stalwarts. See what the day brings to the table, beautiful fruit and veg now but often it's fish:

The longest BBQ eh? Haven't been to Newfoundland ...yet...but the left coast was full of salmon when I worked there as a student, 16 hour days trolling off the shores of the Island. Sometimes we would bring in one that was undersize but was badly hooked and so not capable of survivng if we put him back. So salmon for dinner; slow poached with lemon and onion in foil on the hot engine block while we finished cleaning and icing the day's catch! As the long afterglow of a northwest sunset faded behind the star curtains the skipper and I would sit down to a glass of rum and the gift of the most wonderful wild fish that had flashed his belly and stood on his tail not hours before.

Alex Sgroi of Alex’s Restaurant says:

Today, precisely at 6 p.m. I am having our service staff pause while I announce that we are raising our glasses to join in the World's Longest Barbecue. This is the final night of The Elora Festival so my restaurant will be full.

I have always supported the most local foods I can find. Congratulations and good luck with your efforts to create a National Food Day for Canada. Count Us In!

Julie Balen says:

I am on Manitoulin Island, where the long weekend is all about local culture and tradition. The Little Current Haweater Festival is celebrating its 40th anniversary, and Wikwemikong is marking its 42nd year hosting a cultural event centred around a competitive PowWow. So eating local food is a must! This year we will be cooking up fresh whitefish, caught and processed on the island, fries made from potatoes grown down the road in Sudbury, a garden salad harvested from my garden, bbqed corn purchased from a neighbouring farmer, and blueberry crisp that uses a basket of berries picked by a family in Espanola. And we will toast Canadian farmers with a dry white Ontario wine. Thanks for this initiative!

EDITOR'S NOTE: This is a wonderful event. I've attended. CONGRATULATIONS ON ITS LONGEVITY. That's a real tribute to your community. A.S.

Todd Doyle says:

What could be better than a record breaking BBQ....MMMMMMM!!

Susan Mirtle says:

I'm on Vancouver Island, and was going to do some fresh local prawns bbq'd with pesto sauce, and bbq salmon that my neighbors will be catching tomorrow. I will whip up a fresh lemony hollandaise sauce for the fish...I will also cook up some grilled bush beans and potatoes out of my garden! CAN'T WAIT!!

burnley bertolo says:

I just got a new bbq(new to me) as we moved to Ottawa from Halifax and we were told they would not ship it here. so I bought one second hand and it came with 2 tanks. its too hot to cook indoors so sign me up

Anne Simpson says:

My BBQ will consist of all local produce from our Saturday morning farmer's market at the Elora General Store........some good organic beef from Fourfold Farm and fresh veggies from Mervyn...a local Mennonite farmer. .......plus.....a lovely salad topped with delicious sheep feta.....

some great potatoes planted by my son Craig here on the home farm.......cooked with a few sprigs of mint from my herb bed.

Cheers everyone!!!

EDITORS NOTE: See you at the market, Anne!

M. Mitchell says:

It's fireworks night in Vancouver. I'm off to Johann's place to watch the show and (more importantly) savour a Canadian feast. Chinook salmon is on the menu, served with BC new potatoes and grilled veggies. What could be better? A cold pint of local brew to compliment it. And blueberries for dessert.

Here's to simple pleasures!

Tony Mattioli says:

Italian sausages is our specialty here in Oakville, ON. We'll be serving up some big and juicy ones. Hot medium or mild with all the fixn's to go with that cold beer or fancy cocktail, that's so refreshing on a hot summer's evening. Wish you could all join us for this summer's BBQ festivities.

Sandy Archibald says:

We are so fortunate to be living & farming in the rich agricultural area of Clarington/Durham Region! Shopping for my ingredients is very easy with the many farm markets, butcher shop, fish hatchery - even have a hydroponic greenhouse in our area. Appetizers will include local smoked trout with wasabi mayo (I know - Japanese horseradish isn't very Canadian but it sure brings out the flavour in this local trout) & an array of cheeses from Empire Cheese Company - one of the few cheese co-operatives left, just a little east of us. The "main event" will be smoked ham with an apple butter mustard glaze & kielbossa medallions that have been marinated in our Apple Black Currant Wine. Both the ham & the kielbossa are from the butcher just 3 minutes down the road. Side dishes include tomato salad with an apple cider vinaigrette & crumbled apple black currant cheese, a warm potato salad (shows my Mennonite heritage) & we might just do some corn on the barbie too. As for dessert, people always look for something "appley" when they visit our orchard. So, this time it will be my latest creation, an apple black currant crisp with Kawartha Dairy ice cream on the side. Wines to compliment the meal & appetizers will be our "house wines" of apple & other fruit. What a great way to celebrate Canada's resources. Thanks Anita, for the inspiration & support. Cheers Canada!

C. Thibault says:

our neighbourhood loves to get together for long weekends. We bring our BBQs out to the street and have a grilled potluck! This long weekend we are trying a grilled dessert! Yum!

lucy kabatoff says:

we will be serving up the tradation burgers and hotdogs. the dessert will be local raspberries and blueberries with ice cream. a great time to enjoy everyones company and have an enjoyable evening.

Invercairn Recreation Association says:

We have a tradition of 22 years now, where our local cottagers (in Forest, Ontario) participate in a golf scramble followed by a barbecue on an empty lot in our subdivision. Over the years it has grown to include door prizes, fireworks and children's games. We serve hamburgs, hotdogs, a variety of salads, corn on the cob and, of course, ice cream for dessert! At any one time we have five to six barbecues blazing, and 150 hungry cottagers enjoying our community barbecue!

Here's to 22 years and still going strong!

Don Brown - Invercairn Recreation Association

Betty Dykstra says:

My 18 year old son is throwing a surprize BBQ for his girlfriend and it will be "hamburger city" as there is nothing better to feed a pack of teens than tasty burgers. I'm heading to the local farmers market to see what local produce is available this week.

Donna McCaw says:

Hi

My BBQ will be a tad early and consist of Ontario pork tenderloin, grilled veggies from a Mennonite farm and then fresh Ontario peaches. I just made some pesto from locally grown basil for an appetizer too. YUM! Happy grilling everyone!

Fred Gordon says:

I have the distinct pleasure of being invited as a guest to the Elora home of someone I admire and respect for my BBQ! Therefore, I'm going to (and you need to... get (your)myself to the local farmer's market and find what's fresh and local. Prepare it with a dose of love and share it with the people who mean the most!

Deborah Whale says:

I farm with my husband Bruce in Wellington County but am down in Charlottetown to give a presentation. Our barbecue is being held at my cousin's house in Pownal PEI. About 20 people will attend from 4 different provinces and the centerpiece of the barbecue is LOBSTER!

There are mounds of fresh peas from the garden along with baby potatoes and raspberries with cream.

Best wishes to ALL my farming colleagues across this amazing nation!

Deb Whale

Rayna Becker says:

Having a BBQ to welcome our good friend back to Calgary Alberta. She has been away taking care of her family and recently came back ot town.

We are having Hamburgers, hotdogs, salad and beans...nice and traditional.

Hope everyone has a good time!!

Linda Hartley says:

We live in the beautiful Kawartha Lakes region and will BBQ all kinds of yummy dishes for family and friends .

Maybe I will even BBQ a whole turkey !!

I love grilled veggies and fruit on the BBQ ..try grilling fresh pineapple slices ,drizzle with rum or other liquer and add ice cream ..mmm delicious .

Shirl Kosky says:

Appetizers:fresh vegetable platter including (my favourite) jewel-toned heritage "cherry" tomatoes. Homemade dill dip.

Pepperettes (lean & mean) -everyone loves them -especially the guys

Beverages - watermelon slush (with or without vodka); iced sun tea

On the spit - Ontario cornfed prime rib of beef

New potatoes with parsley; green and yellow beans; corn (off the cob)

grilled peach melba for dessert (with homemade honey icecream and raspberries from my neighbor)

Notes: Most foods were grown & purchased in Elgin County, Ontario. Vegetables & fruit come from McSmith's organic farm, Ferguson's Produce and Port Stanley Fruit farm.

Pepperetes and beef from Farmgate Market

Herbs from my garden or my neighbor's.

The celebration begins long before the BarBQ. When I buy local, it begins with the smiles of producers as we (together) admire the sight,smell colour,heft... well the beauty of that particular food. "Grocery shopping" this way is NOT a chore; its a joyful experience. Meeting the farmer becomes meeting a friend and I always learn something new.

Seasonal, local produce is picked at its peak and there is nothing to compare or compete with that kind of freshness.

Lucy LeBlanc says:

Fresh corn on the cob, Nova Scotia Pork chops on the BBQ, potato salad I will make Sat. am (the one with homemade mayo and hard cooked eggs in it!) and all this at 10698 Cabot Trail, Cape Breton, Nova Scotia!! We are enjoying our summer very much! Oh, and we begin with a cold frosty Keith's Light, and accompany the meal with a nice chilled bottle of Jost Wine! Even if I don't win a prize, I will have had a nice meal!! Love your contest.

K. Neitzel says:

Hello from SASKATOON, SK.

OUR FAVORITE IS BABY BACK RIBS AND BUFFALO BURGERS.

ALL BOUGHT FROM A LOCAL BUTCHER.

WE ALWAYS MAKE UP YUMMY POTATOE PACKS. AND WHAT EVER VEGETABLES ARE IN SEASON ARE DONE ON THE GRILL.

OF COURSE WHAT WOULD A B.Q. BE WITHOUT CORN ON THE COB, SWEET PEACHES AND CREAM, BOUGHT FROM OUR LOCAL FARMERS MARKET.

A COUPLE SIDE SALADS, WHAT EVER SHOWS UP WITH THE GUESTS.

AS EVERYONE BRINGS A SIDE DISH. THATS ONE OF THE FUN PARTS OF IT, WAITING TO SEE WHAT EXTRA GOODIES ARRIVE. AS WE ALL HAVE OUR FAVORITES, AND EVERYONE TRIES TO OUT DO THE OTHER.. WITH THEIR FAMILY FAVORITE CUSINE.

AND IT IS ALWAYS TOPPED OFF WITH A FRUIT PIE, SASKATOON BERRY, RUBBARB AND STAWBERRY, APPLE, ETC.

ENJOY YOUR DAY, BECAUSE IT WILL NEVER COME THIS WAY AGAIN.

Phaedra McIntosh says:

I'll be cooking a juicy Ontario rib steak tomorrow, as well as some fresh corn on the cob. Go summer go! A bottle of Canuck wine will help it all go down smoothly.

Cheers to Canada and local food!

Rebecca LeHeup-Bucknell says:

I'll be in Niagara tomorrow prepping for my mom's wedding on Sunday - where of course there will be plenty of County wine served - in fact I delivered the Sandbanks Estate Vidal and Baco Noir when I was up there last week.

The Barleys Day Brewery just opened their new retail location today (on Hwy 33 between Picotn and Bloomfield) so I stopped by and picked up some of their Pale Ale to take for tomorrow's BBQ.

I'll make my famous organic greens, with cooked heirloom beets, Woolrich Herbed Goat Cheese and a Dijon shallot dressing. When I make this at home I use Vicki Emlaw's veg. I am taking the balance of my share (my CSA share that is) to Niagara with me along with beets from Ed & Sandi Taylor's Honeywagon Farms.

What's a BBQ without Ontario beef? Lame. So there will be plenty of Ontario beef! What's a BBQ without Slickers Ice Cream for dessert? Even lamer! So I'll take some of that with me to.

I sense a culinary adventure in Niagara tomorrow when I set out to find what other goodies we can add to supper to celebrate Canada and the party to come on Sunday!

I am eagerly anticipating our 100% County meal on August 21st - the Harvestin' the County Supper - where we will close down the Main Street of Milford to serve 500 a full grown County meal featuring beef from the PEC Cattlemen's Association, veggies from various organic growers, local cheese, cider and more!

Remember folks - slow down, show your love and buy local!

Graeme Moffat says:

Toronto

This Saturday I will be throwing on a Flank Steak I have marinated overnight. It will be slathered in maple syrup, tomato paste, fresh garlic, dijon mustard, tamarind paste, smoke and red wine vinegarm and cook rare. Thinly sliced on the bias, it should disappear very quickly!

Jean Innes and Miguel Jardim says:

This is going to be a long weekend with most of the family in Muskoka.

We'll all be around the Jardim bbq on Browning Island.

We'll eat early because that's the way five-year-old Kenzie and Evan, who's three, like it. Miguel and I have already bought all kinds of irregular-shaped veggies from roadside stalls in Centre Wellington, tomorrow we'll buy tender corn from the Mennonite sisters at the Elora farmers market (and maybe some bunches of flowers?, and the rest will be a wonderful surprise - Karen and Ricardo will shop on way north.

After the younsters are settled, we'll all sit out on the deck, revelling in the glorious view and toasting our good fortune with beer for some (here's to the future), a glass of madeira (here's to the past) for others.

Cheers! Jean

Jo Marie Powers says:

I'm on an island in the Georgian Bay and will bbq turkey thighs (boneless and skinless) flavoured with Edry's Jerk Sauce (she is Jamaican-Canadian) and will have corn-on-the-cob from Stromm's farms as well as sliced fresh tomatoes, cucumbers and fennel with a maple vinaigrette (a part each maple syrup, apple cider vinegar and canola oil with a little mustard, salt and pepper). We'll finish with a blueberry summer puddinng. And wash it down with Ontario wine. There will be 5 adults, 5 grandchildren and 2 granddogs (the latter like homemade pumpkin biscotti).

Tony Hietkamp says:

I'm in tillsonburg cooking up plain ole hotdogs on the barbie

Leigh Soldan says:

At my parent's home in Exeter, Ontario celebrating the 2nd birthday of my twin nephews. We were never sure this day would come, and we're going to celebrate life and family.

Chanterelle Country Inn and Cottages says:

Menu and "food miles"

Cream of Wild Chanterelle Soup - 0 miles (off the property)

Organic Greens with Vermouth Vinaigrette Dressing or beet salad - 2 miles from Meadow Mountain Farm, with Feta Cheese (Ran-cher Acres-250 miles)

BBQed lamb riblets and free-range chicken (GlenRyan Farms-40 miles)

BBQed Pork (Nature's Script Farm- 180 miles) with house-made Tomato Marmalade (Eyking Farms-35 miles)

Green Beans- Dennis Laffan farm - 1/2 mile

Crusty Artisan Bread made with Red Fife flour - Speerville Flour Mill - 300 miles

House-made Cheesecake with Chanterelle Topping -off the property

House-made Rhubarb-strawberry Sherbet - Mountain Meadow Farms - 2 miles)

Fir Trade coffee or tea

We'll be together in spirit. If we can change the way folks eat, we can change the world!!

REgards,

Earlene Busch

Owen, Selena and Mike says:

We are filling our tummies with local food early to celebrate our son's second birthday today.

Tonight we are grilling at our home near Benmiller Ontario. It is a typical steamy hot southern Ontario day and my husband will probably be grilling during a late afternoon thunderstorm.

Our menu for tonight - local venison sausage (thanks to my husband) will sizzle alongside garlicky potatoes from our garden. We will also grill green and yellow beans from this week's local food box. Our son goes to day care at the farm where we purchase the food box. A lovely place called Meadowbrook Farms where they play classical music in the farm yard and the children help in the gardens. We will also have fresh carrots from our garden topped with lavender from my perennial beds and heirloom tomatoes with basil from the food box. Dessert is a Canadian ice cream cake from a local shop in Goderich and for the over 19 crowd, a lovely Niagara wine.

Tomorrow night's menu will probably be similar but with chicken, fresh corn and raspberries.

Cheers to great local food! Let the weekend begin!

Andrew Phoenix says:

My partner and I have just purchased our first house in Guelph, Ontario, so we'll be having our barbecue in our back yard. Everything must be grilled, since we don't have any appliances yet, and the feast is mostly being dictated by what my father likes, since he is graciously helping us renovate!

We plan on having ribs from our local farmer's market which will be pre-cooked at my parent's house for a couple of hours in the oven. I'm going to make a homemade bourbon barbecue sauce (secret recipe!) that will be generously slathered on and we'll accompany the ribs with a potato salad. I think I'm going to try out Diane O'Shea's delicious-sounding potato salad recipe from this very site!

And, of course, we'll have some beer to wash everything down. I think we're going to go with Moosehead straight from the cooler!

Rob Hurst says:

This Saturday at the Meade cottage on Long Lake in beautiful Haliburton, ON our family will be joining the BBQists across Canada in celebration of great local food. Menu planning is still in the works. More later.

Renee Bouthot says:

We will be at a cabin in Algonquin Park with our trusty charcoal burning barbecue. At this point, I'm not sure what we'll find on our way up to the park, but we we plan to stop along Hwy 11 in Ontario to pick up fresh corn, cucumbers, potatoes, and whatever else we can find at the roadside stands, always fresh from local farmers' fields. I want to stop at Henrietta's Bakery in Dwight, as well, to buy some berry pies. We'll be thinking of all the people across the country doing the same thing as we drink our Pelee Island wine!

Sam Shaw says:

We'll be barbequing in Southampton, Ontario tomorrow night with a few friends at the cottage. We love to buy and cook locally whenever possible and it's really easy to eat well in this part of the province. Our menu is likely a beer can chicken or two made with fresh free range birds from our local butcher (the Southampton Meat Market), corn (also on the grill), green beans and maybe a potato salad all made from local produce bought from Highberry Farm on Hwy 21. Raspberries are in season and can be bought fresh picked and still warm from the sun at the farm. They also make a pretty mean raspberry pie so it will be a tough choice - but either way I am sure dessert will be berry focused.

And for the drinks - local beer from Creemore and my personal favourite the 10W30 ale brewed in Neustadt, Ontario. Wine will surely be from Niagara - a nice Gewurztraminer or Riesling.

Hmmmm. Is it Saturday yet?

Rhoda Lipton says:

In the morning we will shop at the Elora Farmers' Market where we will get lots of fresh veggies as well as some delicious organic grass-fed beef from Fourfold Farms. Our BBQ will consist of grilled veggies and potatoes along with that sweet tender beef. There will be a lovely green salad dressed with Danielle's Dressing (also from the Farmers' Market) and my mouth is watering even thinking about it.

EDITOR'S NOTE: See you there Rhoda...for my last minute veggies! A.S.

Susan Spidle says:

Rose Bay, NS

I live close to the ocean so I love BBQing fish and seafood.

I just take the fish and put it in tinfoil with some butter,chopped onions, a little pepper and some regular bbq sauce on top. Fish kabobs are also one of our favourites too with fish, shrimp, green pepper, onions, mushrooms and more bbq sauce.

Of course we have lots of beer to drink, a few baked potatoes or potato salad and ceasar salad too. My daughter's boyfriend can smell the grill being heated up from wherever he is and my mother-in-law is sure to arrive as well.

Donna says:

This Saturday the hot tub will be up and running! Just in time for a great BBQ of steak, from our local butcher (the best beef ever)and the most delicious sweet corn I've ever tasted, from Strom's farm near Guelph. A little Canadian wine, Baco Noir 1999, will round out the evening as we sit and relax in our brand new hot tub!

Theresa Stahl says:

It's looking like a perfect weekend for a barbecue and what better way to cook food, on the grill, keeping all the heat outdoors.

I'm planning a quiet evening with the family, grilling what my kids love best... succulent pork ribs and a beer butt chicken, both done in a flavourful rub cooked slow and low on the grill. Veggies will include baby potatoes and carrots cooked on the grill, with a beautiful fresh garden salad. All of the ingredients will be bought at the local farmers market in Burlington. Dessert will be simple but absolutely delicious; sliced pinapple right on the grill served with a dollop of vanilla ice cream. After that, just plain old relaxing on a beautiful, warm Ontario summer evening. Gotta love summer in Canada!

Diane and Mike O’Shea says:

We will be encouraging customers to support the Great Canadian BBQ from our market stands at the Stratford and St.Mary's Ontario Farmers' Markets. As producers and vendors we are very proud of the high quality food we produce, this year please remember the many of us in South Western Ontario who are suffering from extreme drought conditions.

We will be savouring sweet corn - small cobs, mind you, along with burgers and vegetable stir-fry - patty pans, green and golden zuchini, red onions and pesto!! And our own strawberries for dessert!!

EDITORS NOTE: Thank you so much...this is exactly what I'd hoped good people like you would do. I hope you get a rain soon. A.S>

Fedato Moorhouse says:

This Saturday will be the third annual August long weekend beach BBQ being held just north of Sauble Beach on Lake Huron. At the waters edge, we'll have an old fashion fire pit BBQ with grilled pork tenderloin and in season peaches and cream corn. Warm Potato salad, cold cucumber salad and garlic bread will round out an easy BBQ dinner.

Once the sun goes down it's time to stoke up the fire and bring out the fire works.

Jeff Stewart, Jake Turner, Nathalia Santana & Ricardo Guaman from Niagara College says:

So I'm in Peru with 3 students from Niagara College. We are assisting with Food Safety research and training in Arequipa for the Hospitality & Tourism sector. Long story short, the 4 of us, with 2 other Canadians we met along the way, are going to Colca Canyon for the weekend. Colca Canyon is twice as deep as the Grand Canyon (sorry Arizona). So on Saturday, we are going to be smoking Trout with Maple and snacking on campfire baked Bannock with Wild Blueberry Jam from Manitoulin Island. We also brought down some Sheep's Milk Cheese from Fergus, Ontario but the cheese did not last past the first two days with our Peruvian hosts. YUM!

Go Canada!

Jeff.

Cathy Morgan says:

We will be at our cottage in Kincardine. We will be grilling up local homemade sausage, corn on the cob and a yummy broccoli salad ( fresh from our own backyard)! The local peaches are our dessert.

Matt McTaggart says:

Greenwood, Nova Scotia

We'll just having an average backyard barbeque on Saturday, featuring Annapolis Valley beef, local produce care of Avery's Farmers Markets, PEI potatoes, and hopefully a selection of shellfish from Digby. A bottle of Jost wine and a case of Keith's will round out the meal.

Bon Appetit Canada

Cathy Rehberg says:

We are meeting with relatives visiting from Winnipeg and Toronto in Grand Bend. We plan to BBQ local fresh fish and fresh corn on the cob. Add a couple of salads and a great Ontario wine! Dessert will include fresh Ontario peaches.

Robin Johnson, Richmond Hill, Ontario says:

I can't wait to get ready for this weekend's BBQ - I think we'll try the beer butt chicken this time. Plus I will get lots of locally grown veggies and roast them on the grill - yummy.

Diane MacSween, Acton, Ontario says:

Going to BBQ steak, pork chops, potato's and anything else we can find - yummy!

Hope everyone has a fantastic and safe holiday weekend, cheers!

DEREK JOHNSON says:

Richmond Hill, Ontario

We BBQ chicken, ribs, hamburgers, hotdogs, corn - everything local! Yummy!

Alan Parker says:

fire + meat = GOOD!

Lisa Aldermam says:

This year's BBQ is another bright yellow Farmers Feed Cities! extravaganza... Following our annual family golf tournament (complete with yellow balls, tees and prizes) we will reconvene for a yummy home-grown BBQ. Nothing fancy... burgers and salads full of the abundant veggies grown near my new Essex County home. Oh! And don't forget the Ontario wine (thank you 20 Bees - I love you).

Thanks for the opportunity to stop for a moment and just be grateful for the abundance of safe, healthy, delicious local food. Hmmmm... I think I need a snack.

Rhonda McCarron says:

This year a group of farmers will be gathering at Brook Ridge Farm in Antigonish (Northeastern) Nova Scotia to once again celebrate the World's Longest Barbeque. We are Beef, Dairy and Sheep farmers and look forward to recognizing, not only our commodities, but others in our region. This years' menu is a reflection of what is fresh, accessable and special about our area. As a group of farmers we know first hand how difficult farming can be and appreciate that people are now thinking local and supporting local producers! Five years and counting!!!!!!

M E N U

?

APPETIZERS

Assorted Cheeses - Fox Hill Cheese House, Canning, NS

Smoked Salmon - St. Mary's Smokehouse, Guysborough Co., NS

Fresh Ancient and Whole grain breads, Antigonish, NS

SALAD

Tossed Salad made of mixed garden greens - Antigonish, NS

ENTREES

Rotisserie Roasted Pork Loin

Sesame, Ginger Marinated NS Chicken Breasts

Roast Baby Red Potatoes with Rosemary

PEI potato Salad

Marinated Annapolis Valley Carrots

Steamed green beans

DESSERTS

"Last of Season" Antigonish Strawberry Shortcake with Farmer's Dairy Whipped Cream.

Blueberry pie with Scotsburn, Antigonish, NS Ice Cream

BEVERAGES

Jost; Riesling Gold & Cote De Bras D'Or Cayuga Wine, Malagash, NS

Coffee, Tea

Andy and Tracey Rankine says:

Old friends

Local ingredients

International flavours

We will be grilling up and dishing out a wide range of Ontario's finest fresh foods this Saturday.

Starters-

-VQA Ontario Muscat - well chilled and savoured slowly

with a selection of the many Guelph microbrewery beers- from pilseners and lagers to ales, stouts, porters and malt liquours

-a selection of fresh, savoury foccaccias from the local bakery

then-

our version of greek salad with freshly baked naan-style flatbreads:

-thin slivers of Ontario feta cheese dropped over a basket's worth of fresh local tomatoes, roughly chopped Ontario greenhouse cucumbers and canola oil and a few olives.

then-

-Grilled Georgian Bay whitefish and rainbow trout fillets - with small dollops of fresh picked dill,mayonnaise and capers.

-grilled and caramelized Ontario greenhouse sweet red peppers,steamed fresh spinach and new Ontario potatoes with sour cream, flash boiled Ontario green beans and grilled in the husk local sweet corn- all of these delicious fresh delights from the local grocery store.

-washed down with VQA Ontario pinot grigio, unoaked chardonnay and Gamay Noir

To finish -

-a melange of fresh Ontario fruits - Niagara cherries, Essex County musk melon and sugar baby melons and sliced Niagara peaches - all from the local grocery store.

and if there is room - butter tartsfrom the local bakery.

whew.

happy bbq folks

Susan Corkery says:

We will be working on our new home this long weekend. And this is a great way to meet our new neighbours!! The dinner will start with some toasted /grilled veggies, some homemade venison sausages, some steak and a little BC salmon. To be washed down with some Niagara wine and finished with some icecream and in season fruit.

While we start a new tradition of this great BBQ we will be watching the the hot aire balloons fly over top of us from the London hot air balloon festival.

What a way to spend a summers day and eve!! Good food , good friends and good times!! I am glad I am Canadian!!

Lori and Roy Schultz says:

We will be doing "Beer Butt Chicken" on the B-B-Q this weekend.

We have 2 chicken roasters and we'll do 2 chickens, corn on the cob, coleslaw from Zehrs ('cause I'm a working Mom) and then cherry cheescake for dessert.

We will be celebrating this long weekend with our good friends and their 2 children and we'll be having dinner together on the 4th with a bonfire and fireworks later in the evening!

We're celebrating because....well, it's a long weekend!

Marg and Allison Weeks Winsloe PEI says:

For the fifth year in a row, we are pleased to join the ever-growing circle of folks honouring the World's Longest BBQ with great feasting from the land and sea. Prince Edward Island is at its glorious best right now with fresh everything - raspberries, blueberries, potatoes, herbs, veggies, lobster etc. With such abundance, one could day-dream all day about the best BBQ choices.

To prove that we live in a province of great food wealth, TWO BBQ events have emerged on our weekend schedule. Firstly, we will attend a "Parent's Party" planned by our daughter and her husband in conjunction with a cluster of their childhood and university friends. They all invite us, their parents, to a potluck get-together at a cottage on the north shore. Steaks, porkchops, sausages and burgers sizzle on the grill to accompany a table ladened with every salad and dessert imaginable. It's a wonderful intergenerational gathering that makes us proud of our young adults and their thoughtfulness... and we have made it part of the World's Longest BBQ this year.

Secondly, our immediate family will have a relaxing BBQ on Sunday afternoon - in honour of Anita's BBQ extravaganza and also this year to mark the excitement of a new home that our daughter and son-in-law will move into next week. We will feature tender Island beef and pork, a new potato, carrot and zucchini medley, a broccoli salad, and fresh berries in meringue cups (+ whipped cream of course).

We are thankful for our abundant life and a big cheer to you Anita, for bringing us all together around the BBQ.

Chris Aerni, Rossmount Inn, St.Andrews by-the-Sea says:

Hello Anita,

Full season going on here, not only in numbers of people visiting but especialy in our potager and in the fields of the local growers. The first wild blue berry pickings are "ringing in" the finale of the summer. Our special dish for the participation of the world longest barbeque this coming Saturday will be:

Whitfield Farm gigot burger, sweetcorn polenta, zucchini ratatouille, basil-mint pickled sungold tomatoes.

happy cooking

Chris

EDITORS NOTE: SOUNDS AMAZING!!!

Catriona Kirkwood says:

I am going to be camping with the kids at Calabogie, ON. We will probbaly just have Hot Dogs and Hamburgers.

Dianne Wilson says:

Our barbecue this Saturday will take place in beautiful Antigonish County, Nova Scotia. It will include my famous barbecued prime rib steak - no sauce required (local beef of course). Flame licked and fall off the bone tender. Apparently mine is better than the local restaurant reputed to have the best steaks around. A spice combination I put rogether myself is the secret ingredient. A salad made with local ingredients and home made rolls to go with the steak should make for a great meal.

Terry Smith says:

I'm in Thunder Bay, Ontario, where the growing season for local produce is short so we make the best of it when we can. Cucumbers from my garden and tomatoes from a small greenhouse operation down the road for a nice fresh salad. My daughter should be back from a fly-in fishing trip so the family is expecting a barbecue of fresh pickerel fillets, maybe with a nice maple syrup glaze for a truly Canadian flavour. Potatos, beets, and onions from the garden, drizzled in butter and topped off with fresh rosemary and thyme on the grill too. In honour of the Flavours of Canada Longest Barbecue, we'll finish off with the truly Canadian butter tart. I can hardly wait!

Joanne Coyle says:

We are having a family reunion this weekend and it will be such a pleasure to bbq together and be part of this great affirmation of our wonderful farmers and fishers. We will go to the neighbours' corn field to pick fresh, sweet, corn each kernel bursting with flavour. I will make my weekly pilgrimage to the Waterloo market where I buy only from the growers and butchers of local food. What a wonderful summer pleasure! After zucchini soup creamed with blue cheese, a beautiful steak marinated in oil and wine seasoned with local rosemary and garlic, and lots of fresh veggies, we'll finish with a pavlova made from farmfresh eggs and toppling with Niagara fruit. Most of all, we'll think of people in other parts of the world who do not have our good fortune, wish our forces safely home soon, celebrate our farmers and our peaceful country, and delight in being together, watching our next generation charm us with their curiosity and joy. We are so blessed by our peace and safety and by our bountiful harvest. Thank you, Canada.

Rhonda Maguire says:

We'll be camping on Quadra Island, in BC with a bunch of musical friends...potluck...should be everything from local chicken and lamb to all kinds of seafood! And of course local beer and wines. Can't wait!!!

Cathy Bieman says:

Sign me up!!!!

BBQ Pork Chops - Bought from The Best Little Porke Shoppe with Honey Garlic sauce Honey from Oxford County.

Foil wrapped Potatoes, Carrots and Onions dripped with Garlic Butter and spices Bought at Local Farmers Market

BBQ Corn of the Cob - Bought from a Farmer outside of Milverton

Peach Cobbler -bought from Country Market in Millbank!!

A couple of bottles of Brick Beer as well ....can't have a BBQ without a few drinks!

A fabulous Canadian Meal!

Cheers Cathy

Karen McMullin says:

We are proud to support the goal of the World's Largest BBQ and our Farmers!! We are going over to friends for a BBQ in the small town of St George, Ontario!!. We will be having beef from Central Ontario, ontario corn, fresh cherrytomatoes from my garden, I will be buying all salad fixins from the local farmers market. Eggs for my potato salad right from the Mennonite farm in Elmira! VQA wines from where else? Niagara on the Lake! We are blessed to live in a country with so much!! We will toast to all of you enjoying your individual BBQ's -

Norwich Otterville Lions Norpac Rodeo Barbegue says:

2007 will mark the 5th year for the Norpac Norwich-Otterville Lions Rodeo. There will be a steak barbecue and dance Saturday night featuring Oxford County 'cornfed' beef steaks from Norwich Packers Inc. and sweet corn donated by Vankerrebroeck Farms. The barbecue has always been a sellout at 550 with more attending the dance.

The location is Gilbert and Anne Vankerrebroeck's farm 3 km

south of Norwich Ontario.

In 2002, 260 head of cattle were set free as Gilbert's barn burnt to the ground. Professional cowboys were hired to assist local volunteers with the round-up. Thus, an impromptu rodeo began.

Out of the fire tragedy grew a relationship involving the Vankerrebroeck family, Al Foster, one of the cowboys and owner of A Bar K Rodeo, the Norwich-Otterville Lions Club, and a very supportive community. Add to this an aggressive campaign to raise money for the construction of a new hospital in Woodstock and all of the ingredients to spark an on-going spectacular fund-raising event came together. The next year a 10-acre field on the Vankerrebroeck farm was donated as the site, which has become a Friday night family carnival and two days of thrilling rodeo competition which just gets better every year.

The Norwich area will have 550 to join the Canada-wide barbecue at the Vankerrebroeck Farm at 6:00 p.m. on August 4, 2007.

GO CANADA GO!!!!

Gail Robbins says:

Grilled pork chops, corn on the cob, tomato & cucumber salad. All purchased at the local Farmer's Market in Stratford, Ontario (Perth County).

Eleanor Ritchie says:

We are having a neighborhood block party BBQ in Dashwood Ontario this Saturday. Dashwood is a very small village north of London Ontario. The recent tragic murders of a local couple has cast a black cloud over the area, but now that the suspect has been caught it's time to celebrate our community. First of all the golfers in the group will go and play a round at a local course. Then we'll all meet in the backyard of the family that is hositng the event. We'll play some outdoor games and enjoy the sunshine. The host family is supplying the Canadian Beef Burgers and Dogs for the BBQ. Everyone else is bringing homemade salads. We'll use Canadian grown vegetables and fruits, and Canadian eggs for deviled eggs!! There are some new families who have just moved to our neighborhood so this is a great way to get to know everyone and to celebrate the community we share. Maybe this will be the first annual of many more to come!

EDITORS NOTE: I live in a small community, too, so I understand. Bless you all! A.S.

Lee Anne Andriessen says:

Greetings!

We will be celebrating the world's longest BBQ at our family cottage in Tobermory. It is an annual event at the peak of the summer for our family.

Before heading up to the cottage, I will run out to our garden and pick a large basket of fresh purple beans. The kids think they are cool, because when I cook them, they turn green. I will also pick some lettuce and cucumbers for a fresh salad. On the drive up, I will stop at a local farm to pick up some fresh sweet corn. The key ingredient for our family barbecue will be a lovely veal roast.

We live on a dairy farm just outside of Listowel, and we raise veal for own use. We will be cooking a lovely veal roast that is very healthy low fat meat. The fresh beans, corn and green salad will round out our meal. For dessert, fresh Ontario peaches will be served with a dash of Peach Schnapps on them. An easy, healthy and perfect meal.

So, we are looking forward to our own...homegrown barbecue.

Cheers!

Lee Anne Andriessen

Editor-in-Chief, Open Magazine

Gail Gordon Oliver says:

Hi Anita,

I'm looking forward to this immensely. I'm planning to do an elk mixed grill-elk rib-eye, sirloin, liver and sausages, from Second Wind Elk Farm in Rockwood. The side dishes will include grilled sweet corn, grilled peaches, patty pan squash and baby zucchini, and a flavourful green bean and heirloom cherry-tomato salad. A mixed-berry pie with a scoop of Mapleton's vanilla ice cream and a drizzle of Tracy's Cranberry-Raspberry Merlot Drizzle (from Niagara-on-the-Lake) will end the feast.

The elk will be purchased from John Rietkerk of Second Wind at his stall in St. Lawrence Market North on Saturday morning. Some of the produce and condiments will be purchased Thursday afternoon at Dufferin Grove Farmers' Market, the rest at St. Lawrence North and other markets on Saturday.

Beverages will include Ontario craft beers, VQA wines and good old Toronto tap water.

This is fun! Thanks, Anita.

All the best,

Gail

Gail Gordon Oliver

Edible Toronto Magazine

Barb Stewart says:

I will gladly participate in the World's Longest Barb-Be-Cue.

My husband and I live in Toronto, Ontario and every 3 - 4 weeks I have been traveling to Windsor, Ontario to visit with my elderly parent. My dad was in the hospital for 4 months and got out in June.

My husband, has not only been understanding but encourages me to go to Windsor as frequently as I want. (Maybe he enjoys his alone time too much!)

This long weekend we were going to go away but my husband just recently started working after being out of work for a few months so money is an issue.

However, I will make my guy feel very special and loved. We will bar-be-cue some of his favourites. Crab legs, (wrap in foil with a few ice cubes to keep them moist and throw them on the barbie til heated through - about 15 minutes), we will also do some corn on the cob - very yummy and a couple of small steaks. We both love veggies grilled so I will get a variety of fresh veggies.

Dessert will be nice frest strawberries, sliced and sauted in brown sugar melted in butter with a hint of vanilla and served over vanilla ice cream. Beverages will be Point Pelee wine and Molson's Canadian Beer.

It will be a special day, but then again my husband makes all our days special.

Lyn and Doug Stewart says:

Hi Anita,

Doug and I will be enjoying honey and garlic sausage from our local market. The sausage is made by Rudy's Meat Market in Hickson - it is downright delicious. And the menu will also include roasted red potatoes with rosemary, tomatoes, green peppers and basil and fresh picked yellow beans. Homemade applesause with apples from our tree in the backyard will be our dessert. Our garden is not big but allows us to enjoy tomatoes, cucumbers, yellow beans, rosemary, basil, savoury, rhubarb, green peppers and chives. We live in Woodstock, Ontario and we love our farmers and local produce. I am currently working as a Volunteer Facilitator with Tourism Oxford on a special project called Oxford Fresh - our goal is to influence our local restaurants to serve seasonal produce. Cheers, Lyn and Doug

EDITOR'S NOTE: The heat of an Ontario summer can be magnificent! Have a fabulous party!

john lessif says:

Oxford grown potatoes along with Oxford grown onions will be sliced and spiced , wrapped in tin foil to be slowly cooked along with skrewers of beef tenderloin accompanied by Oxford grown veggies. dinner will be served with our home made wine - a Shiraz with a little extra pepper and with fewer phosphates.

Dessert will be Oxford grown fruits freshly picked- raspberries, blueberries and melon.

The barb-b-que will be held in our beautiful wooded lot in the southern part of Oxford County. Agriculture at it's best.

Irene & lorrie MacKinnon says:

We will be barbecueing on beautiful Cape Breton Isle Nova Scotia along with lots of friends and family. Atlantic beef steaks,baked PEI spuds,lots of veggies,fresh picked strawberries and cream and lots of ice cold Alexander Keiths beer

EDITORS NOTE: Two years ago I celebrated my bbq at Mabou...it really was spectacular. Hope you have as much fun as we did! A.S.

Don Todd says:

I will be cooking with the rest of the Albertan.

Beef will be the main plate. Wish the corn was ready

grace@beetrootdelights.com says:

We'll be sailing around Georgian Bay enjoying the sights & sounds of nature and wonderful Ontario food. Our cool lunches will be thin sliced beetroot and cucumber sandwiches with basil mayo on artisanal bread. Dinners beef tenderloin and/or organic chicken and lots of salads with fresh veggies drizzled with my 'Beetroot Delights' Asian or Fruit dressings. Did I say Niagara wine to top it all off. ...........bon appetit!

Richard Buck says:

We are residents of Guelph, Ontario - but on August 4, we will be camping at the provincial park called Craigleith, located on Georgian Bay near Collingwood and the Blue Mountains, Ontario, Canada.

Our menu consists of BBQ hot dogs (jumbo BBQ size) on a skewer with red peppers, corn on the cob and small new potatoes over an open fire. The key to doing this correctly is to pre-cook the potatoes for about 10 minutes - skin on, the corn on the cob we wrap in tin foil so it will not burn. The fire must be red hot coals only, no open flame and each person can also add an apple if they want dessert. The result is dinner on a stick which can be repeated as often as you want, depending on how hungry you are.

This year my wfe Barbara and I will be camping with our daughter Tiffany and 3 year old grand-daughter Dylan, whose 4th birthday is this month. Nothing like looking over the waters of a Canadian Fresh water lake, enjoying the basic simplicity of a Canadian BBQ with family! Richard

Toni Peet says:

I'll be serving Ontario Pork Tenderloin, fresh Ontario Corn, Cookstown microgreens salad, and some grilled Ontario green house tri-coloured peppers!

Happy BBQing!

Allison Muckle says:

A few members of the local food group "Eat Local Sudbury" (www.eatlocalsudbury.com) and our friends are having an informal gathering to take part in this fabulous event! We'll be getting together at my home to have a 150-mile BBQ - all ingredients other than a few spices, oil and vinegar will come from within a 150 mile radius of Sudbury, ON. Our menu is inspired by local flavours and our weekly veggie box that we receive through our community shared agriculture program. We will be grilling delicious naturally-raised grass-fed rack of lamb crusted with rosemary from my garden with a wild blueberry sauce using berries picked behind my home. For friends that don't eat red meat, we will be grilling wild-caught whitefish from Manitoulin Island with a wild blueberry chive sauce. Vegetables will be a surprise depending on what we find in our CSA box this week; but whatever we get, we know it will be fresh, tasty and organically-grown. For dessert, we'll serve a strawberry-rhubarb crisp with sorrel from the garden, oats from Manitoulin Island, honey from Sudbury, and fresh whipped cream from our local dairy. We will be drinking Muskoka Lakes 2005 Cranberry Wine with dinner and Muskoka Lakes Cranberry Maple Dessert Wine afterwards. Although Sudbury (and Northern Ontario in general) is not often considered to be a hot-bed of agricultural activity, we have many dedicated farmers and food artisans producing delicious, unique products. We're happy to be celebrating their efforts this Saturday!

EDITORS NOTE: CONGRATULATIONS...THIS SOUNDS LIKE AN ABSOLUTELY SUPERB EVENT!!!!!

Joy Shinn says:

As our family has recently moved to Saskatoon, we're in short supply of friends nearby so we will likely have a smaller family gathering this year. I also haven't yet learned about all the wonderful (I'm sure) local offerings, although I did manage, weaving through the construction and road closings,to find the 'new' farmers market. I spent most of the time at the outside booth offerings of new potatoes, fresh herbs, raspberries, and much more, and have yet to even explore inside. I suspect our BBQ menu will feature potatoes in some form, being an ex-PEIslander, perhaps with fish this year, and finished with local raspberries - we like them as fresh as they come off the vine(e.g., from our backyard). HAPPY CANADA DAY2 to Anita and all fellow BBQers.

John Wawszko says:

We will be barbecue at my home in Winnipeg and have a pool party with friends and family. If it is hot as it appears to be on the weather forecast, we will be in my pool most of the time. Pool size 38 x 23, 8 feet deep total length with a side 3 feet shallow areas. So this allows for a lot of swimming, diving, and playing.

I will start the food with barbecuing shrimp from M&M's with munchies available, then I will be making and barbecuing large hamburger patties with a lot of condiments and fixings for the burgers. My wife will probably make a potato salad.

Jane and Heather van Essen says:

Potluck BBQ in my back yard in Hamilton ON.... This is short and spontaneous... no menu planning at this point,but we want to support "local" happening across Canada.

Burgers, beef and chicken from local butcher

veggie salad from my first garden

Blueberries (from northern ontario) and local organic ice cream

The rest is a surprise, we are asking our guests to bring local dishes.

Janie and Heather

Peter Ellis says:

My extended family will all meet together at a summer house near Sault St. Marie, ON. Each family takes a turn to provide 1 meal for everyone (approx. 35 people). My wife and I bought some local/Mennonite sausages and vegetables from St. Jacobs Market and plan on grilling and shish-kabobing. We can't wait!!

Lots of eating, laughing, and game playing!!

Tibrata Gillies says:

Here's a very simple marinade that works wonders with beef and chicken. Marinate the meat for about 15 to 30 minutes before grilling. Then, brush on some of the marinade while cooking the meat. Indirect heat is best with a charcoal fired BBQ, with the lid on.

1/4 C vinegar

1/4 C vegetable oil

2 1/4 tsp paprika

3 bay leaves, crushed

2 Tb chopped parsley

salt and pepper to taste

Unfortunately, I will not be in Canada during this great event, but will participate nonetheless. I'm attending the American Cheese Society Annual Conference in Burlington, Vermont this week and will be staying at Little River State Park. I'm bringing some Argentinian BBQ marinade with me, and plan to invite fellow Canadians attending the conference to come celebrate with Canada by grilling something local (and hopefully organic) food over wood coals at my camp site. We won't be in Canada physically, but we'll be here in spirit!

Tibrata

Bruce Archer says:

Here in Nanaimo, on the East Coast of Vancouver Island British Columbia - August long weekend means endless barbecues!

Friday, Saturday and Sunday afternoons are spent in the kitchen preparing the meals. The evenings are about friends and family up on the deck, overlooking Georgia Strait, sharing a sumptuous meal of the best of BC's in season bounty.

On Saturday night, we'll be hosting a retired couple - she hails from the East Coast - he is a prairie boy.

The menu includes fresh Sockeye Salmon, purchased right off the docks in French Creek. Freshly dug new potatoes, gently steamed until their paper thin jackets curl. Fresh new carrots, long and thin, stubby green tops attached, and steamed with fresh cut chives sprinkled on top. Red and green leaf lettuce from the Alberni Valley, with a raspberry vinagrette dressing, made with white balsamic vinegar and just a blush of sweet juice from local berries - purchased at the Jinglepot Road Farmers Market.

Dessert is a peach /blueberry cheesecake, using Island Farms Dairy cream cheese - produced on the island. The peaches are fresh Okanagan "Late Red Haven" Freestone - the remains of a 20 pound carton purchased 4 days earlier and almost completely emptied by snacking children and their friends during the week. The blueberries, are also fresh and in season from the Fraser Valley east of Vancouver.

So. Who is preparing the feasts? Well, me of course, I broke the mold decades ago and have always done ALL of the cooking in this household. A few years ago, my 6 year old (at the time) twin daughters approached me with some crazy news: at their friend Andrea's house THE MOM DID ALL THE COOKING! Imagine that!

Bruce Archer

Caryn Colman says:

Each summer, we have a many tourists from all over the world come visit the Temagami wilderness through Smoothwater. The long weekend in August is about as busy as it gets. All of our guests have one desire: to connect with Nature, and we help them do that through our cuisine.

I want to impress upon my guests that protecting the environment starts with what they eat. Perhaps they can better respect the land if they know what is clean, or not so clean to eat. That means buying local foods, buying from farmers, and surprise, even harvesting from your own backyard. It means taking charge of your food chain, and knowing that your health and the planet's is one and the same. Environmental activism starts with the food choices we make every day.

My Canada Day menu is all about fresh from the garden, wild from the forests, and organic from local farms. C'est terroir.

Garden salad pickings including dandelion, arugula and soporific weeds like prickly lettuce.

Flower-flour buns made with wild flowers (bergamot, St. John's wort, mallow, angelica) and locally gown and milled flours.

Grassfed Temiskaming lamb burgers spiced with balsam fir needles (think of it as if using rosemary. You can substitute with pine, cedar, or spruce).

Wild white fish cakes tarted up with wild ginger and juniper berries

Corn-tomato-chive salsa

Spicy northern beans with beet green tops (for the vegans in the house)

Simply steamed garden peas in the pod

Wild blueberry chutney

Poutine with roasted new potatoes, herb chicken drippings and Lorrainville raw milk cheddar cheese

Twenty pound chocolate cake (I know chocolate is not regional but I cannot live without it) topped with homemade raspberry ice cream

Sweet fern tea / organic coffee

Editors note: AWESOME MENU CARYN!

Debbie Curtis says:

I plan to have fish on the BBQ that my husband and I caught at the cottage (lower French River area), with corn on the cob purchased at a local veggie stand in St. Thomas. And of course fresh wild blueberries that we picked ourselves:)!

Debbie Curtis

CFA St. Thomas Health Unit

Gord Finch says:

This is great and also my first nationwide BBQ. I will be featuring a little surf and turf. The fish will be from the waters of Lake Huron in the North Central part of the province between Sudbury and Sault Ste. Marie. The turf and veggies from my favourite country store. The food will be washed down with some fine Canadian suds, and Niagara Peninsula wines. All this sitting on a secluded little home on secluded part of another lake. Cheers everyone!

Hanan Jibry says:

I found out about the challenge this morning and thought why not enter!? We are having some friends over at our cottage on Lake Muskoka on Saturday and the forecast looks good for a BBQ. What better way to celebrate the occasion?! I am going to make a yummy bean/chickpea/onion/olive/cheese salad to complement honey-garlic dipped chicken on the barbie...Hope you can join us before it's all gone!!!

Hanan Jibry

Kathy Reeves says:

I've got a friend coming down from about 6 hours North of where I'm at in Salmon Arm BC - a beautiful part of the country also known as the Shuswap (Houseboat Capital of Canada just down the road). Spending the day at the beach and then back to our place. So we're having a bunch of people over to bbq and have some cold refreshments! Also a bit of a housewarming but realistically it's a chance for us to hook her up with a local buddy of ours. Food will be good ole fashioned homemade burgers with grilled veggies from our local farmyards.

Al Pettman says:

I am planning on doing stuffed chicken breasts with a garden salad. Our salad will come from a local farmer in Waterdown. The chicken will be from a farm just outside of Burlington. I have a few days to go to plan it all and expect the neighbors to join in for the fun contributing the deserts with fruits from around the area.

Looking forward to a great day of fun and food.

glen & donna kelley says:

Great idea Anita , count us in !!!! We are headed to our cottage on Lake Huron , Ontario's west coast , just south of Tobermory.... Our family will all contribute to the cookout......we are planning on cueing fresh caught white fish from Georgian Bay and range chicken on rotiserrie. We will visit the local farmers market for the fresh vegetables we do not have in our own garden and harvest apples and Niagara peninsula peaches for fruit pies .... BBQing is always a memorable part of summer at the cottage...

Linda Anselmo says:

This year it will just be a small family get together in our backyard here in Surrey, B.C. On the menu is salmon and ribeye steaks with corn on the cob, Greek salad and either a pasta or potato salad and strawberry shortcake for dessert.

Wishing everyone a great day!!

Alison Bell says:

Last year, my husband Doug Charlton and I joined the BBQ from Brewer Mountain in the Purcell Mountains of Southwestern B.C., where we were on a hiking trip. This year we are at our little cabin on Savary Island. Savary is just off Lund, BC, at the top of the Sunshine Coast, south of Desolation Sound.

I am planning a coastal menu with aboriginal influences. Grilled bannock, oysters, prawns, salmon, vegetables from a local farm and cheese from Salt Spring Island. I'll post a final menu after the event.

Good luck to everyone.

Alison Bell

Monica Bovett says:

Hanging out in the backyard after a day of soccer games in Richmond Hill, Ontario. We may have a few extra guests depending on how the games go. Planning on serving local veggies roasted and local grain fed chicken. Can't wait!

Christy Zavitske says:

Just a simple family BBQ with our kids in Dunrobin, near Ottawa. We will be having local beef burgers! YUM!

LORRAINE BAKELAAR says:

<p>OUR FAMILY IS GETTING TOGETHER BY THE POOL AT MY HOME IN LONDON, ONTARIO FOR THE BIG BBQ. A FEW OF US WILL NEED TO BE UNDER THE UMBRELLA BECAUSE OF CANCER IN THE FAMILY. HOWEVER, WE ARE CELEBRATING MY NEPHEW'S BIRTHDAY AND THE FACT THAT HE IS GETTING MARRIED IN SEPTEMBER. THE KIDS HAVE BEEN FINANCIALLY STRUGGLING SO WE REALLY NEED TO CELEBRATE AND MAKE THEM FEEL GOOD. WITH MY PARENTS GETTING OLDER, THESE BBQ EVENTS ARE SO VERY IMPORTANT. FAMILY IS SO VERY IMPORTANT. LOOKING FORWARD TO A WONDERFUL DAY!!</p>

Steve Adams says:

Hi,

Steve Adams

Head Barbecue Chef

Team Cedar Grilling

2006/2007 Canadian BBQ Champions.

http://cedargrilling.com/bbqteam.htm

I would love to participate in the 'Worlds Longest Barbecue'

I will be taking a break from competition style BBQ for the 1st time in a long, long time. I will be cooking on my boat at the cottage for a very quiet romantic evening with my wife. My wife deserves more than I can offer. There won't be anything really special on the Q as it doesn't matter just as long as I'm floating around in the boat sharing a special evening with my wife after 24 years. I will come up with something for 6:00 on August 4th but it will remain a surprise even for me until I hit the Markets on the Saturday morning. I do know that everything will be the freshest Canadian meat and produce that Muskoka has to offer.

Glad to participate!

Cheers,

Steve Adams

Jason Laurin says:

This will be the first year my family and friends will be taking part in this event. We will be on a small lake in cottage country in the Outaouais. We will be having ribs, 18 spice beer can chicken, roasted organic vegies galore (all gotten from the many local purveyors at various markets). We will undoubtedly wash it all down with some Ontario wines and a few micro brewed beers. A fantastic day to be sure.

Hoping everyones BBQ with friends and family will be as enjoyable as ours.

CHEERS.

lmlwinner@hotmail.com says:

We will be having our annual family BBQ at my mom's house in Surrey BC. Plenty of great food including BBQ ribs with homemade sauce, chicken that has been marinated overnight in a Greek marinade, Greek salad, potato salad, bean salad and of course wonderful desserts that will be a surprize as Mom always treats us very special. Happy BBQ day Everyone!!

brian geislinger says:

This year we will be gathering with family at our cabin on Jackfish Lake west of Edmonton. Nothing fancy...just BBQing hamburgers and hotdogs for mom's 65th birthday but it promises to be a great time with great food!

CAROL ANN WESTBROOK says:

Our party will be held in our backyard to celebrate our son's 45th birthday. We live in Brantford, Ontario, the home of Wayne Gretzky and Alexander Graham Bell.

We plan to barbeque pork back ribs. on which we use a sauce made from Rum, Spices, root beer, and Diana's Hot and Spicy Barbeque Sauce.

We'll also have vegetables from our area in Brant county...Corn, potatoes, and a tossed lettuce, tomatoes, green pepper, red pepper, red onions and cucu,ber. Another salad we like is Cole Slaw. with all of its ingredients from local farms. Our family special recipe is served at all our barbeques. It is barbequed beans that have been spiced up with hot mustard, brown sugar, onion, catsup, and a dollop of maple syrup.

Dessert is always the same....home made raspberry and blueberry pies....with the berries picked and purchased locally.

Kay Burke says:

We are hosting a 49 & holding birthday party for my hubby (surprise) while his brothers are here from Ireland. He is into westerns so we are bbq'ing a porketta with hot peppers to be served on a bun. Also chicken with maple syrup bbq sauce- very Canadian - lots of salads including PEI potato salad.

Hoping the weather will hold for me & 69 others joining us

Marty says:

I will be firing up my brand new beautiful barbecue, enjoying the great outdoor's here on Vancouver Island!

Diane Wolfe says:

We will be lighting up along with Canadians everywhere!

Roxane Priddell says:

This year my family and I will be in Tisdale, SK celebrating my brother in law's 40th birthday, and we have decided to have a little fun with it by using a few cookbooks from the 1940s to create the menu.

For guests we are cooking Sakatchewan bison and our own Red Angus natural beef burgers served on bakery bread from our home town bakery, Zoerb's, that has been in the same place since my Dad was small.

For side dishes we have the timeless potato salad, macaroni salad, and bean salad. We will be serving home baked beans from a recipe book from my Gramma's collection. Gramma is now 90, and until she was 85 or so she lived alone and cooked on a wood stove. She had an electric oven but didn't care for the taste of the bread it produced. Whenever I smell a wood burning fire my mouth waters as I think of that bread.

We also came across a recipe for love apples that uses green tomatoes studded with a clove, skinned and boiled over three days, once a day in a simple syrup. Beside the recipe is written "excellent" so we hope it is!

The saskatoons are ready in the south and the blueberries are close in the north so when we meet, we hope to have those with the almost ubiquitous zucchini chocolate cake found on the praires in the summer. And it would not be the 1940s without a slice of matrimonial cake, so we have that on the menu too!

To finish it off we plan to get the kids involved and make rock salt ice cream from a recipe we found in one of those wonderful small town town cookbooks that recall the days of the Fall Supper where everyone pitched in and made their very best dish to take to the church dinner fundraiser.

To drink we have found a quirky little recipe for raspberry vinegar, and since we are lucky enough to live in Regina we will stop in to Bushwakkers to grab a keg of their internationally awarded beer to round out the options.

carol eddy says:

We are from a small rural community,. my husband and I work outside the home plus run a small farm. On our farm we grown hay, oats and a fairly large vegetable garden , (As close to organically grown as possible) that we raised our children on. On our farm we also raise beef cattle, turkey, chicken and geese, our geese, turkey and chicken are all free range. The nieghbours love to see the poultry running around and our geese soon make friends in neighbours ponds along with wild Canadian Geese. Which we end up feeding also.

We will be hosting a small BBQ for local friends, friends from Toronto and neighbours on Aug 4 to help celebrate Farmers Feed Cities. We will be serving corn on the cob, baked potatoes, steak, hamburger, and fresh garden salad. All food that we grow on our own property.

So whatever and wherever you eat on August 4, THANK A FARMER and ENJOY

Vanneck United Church says:

Vanneck United Church at Ilderton, Ontario (10km. west of London) will be holding their Annual Beef BBQ on this date. Although our BBQs will be lite up before 6:00 pm, we will be serving approx. 500 people between the hours of 5-7. The menu includes Ontario beef, baked porato, salads made from local gardens, desserts (home made fruit pies made from locally grown fruits - apples, charries, etc.) and hot & cold beverages. This is a fund raising event for our local Church.

[Editor's Note: CONGRATULATIONS AND GOOD LUCK!]

Heather Travis says:

Summer is my favourite time of year - for two main reasons:

1) living in a big city like Toronto summer means a huge selection of farmers markets to buy fresh local fruits, veggies and other tasty treats and 2) travelling up to our cottage in Haliburton - which is where our WLBBQ party will be this year!

What we're serving: great Canadian beef of course (isn't that why BBQs were invented?), a variety of local veggies we pick up on the drive north and some great baby red potatoes that manage to grow out of cottage compost pile each year - all cooked on the BBQ. For dessert - fresh Ontario peaches from my Uncle's peach farm in Grimsby served with homemade granola and drizzled with Ontario maple syrup - wrapped in foil and barbecued until heated through. Of course, no BBQ party is complete without a selection of Ontario wines and beers! Beef, beer and friends - the perfect party! Go Canada Go!!

Lisa McLean says:

My family comes from Rencontre East, Newfoundland, but many of us have settled and had children in Ontario. I'm having about 30 of my family members to our home in Guelph where we're doing a potluck selection of food from our favourite provinces!

On the menu so far:

-Real Newfoundland fish cakes made with cod that was caught, dried and salted by my uncles in NF and potatoes from my dad's garden.

-burgers made with Ontario ground beef

-partridgeberry fruit crisp with NF-picked "partridgeberries" (resembling cranberries)

-kabobs made with Ontario peppers, onions, tofu, and cherry tomatoes!

We're looking forward to a great time. Thanks for giving us an excuse to celebrate our family and our favourite foods!