Tag: ottawa craft butcher

#SupportLocal: Scotch Line Turkey Farms

When you support local, it goes beyond just getting something freshly made at your favourite artisan deli and craft butcher shop food market. The locally sourced items that we use here at The Piggy Market are not only special because they help us create wonderful culinary creations, but they have their own unique story.

This is the first entry in a monthly series that we’re calling #SupportLocal where we will be showcasing the people behind some of the locally sourced items that we use in our store. First up is Scotch Line Turkey Farms where we get our fresh (never frozen) birds for the holidays.

Colin and AmyBeth Brubacher along with their three children are the people behind Scotch Line Turkey Farms; they are the third generation of Brubachers to run the farm. “Colin and AmyBeth took over the farm management from Colin’s parents nine years ago, but actually started building a succession plan over 16 years ago. To help things run smoothly, the couple work alongside Colin’s dad, Landis, and employ local part-time students to help them on evenings and weekends. ‘We love working with animals and the satisfaction you get from raising healthy turkeys,’ says Colin. “It’s very rewarding being able to produce healthy, great tasting food and just being a part of the agricultural community.’” The turkeys they raise and sell are 100% Ontario grown, with no antibiotics, and are free run (outside in a fenced area).

What’s truly special about the Brubacher family and their farm is that they take the time and care to provide a quality product, which also helps to stimulate the Ontario economy. Make sure to pre-order your own fresh Scotch Line Turkey (sized between 14-24 pounds) for the holidays from our store. They will be in between Dec 22nd-24th, while supplies last!

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Exterior signage for The Piggy Market

What being an Artisan Shop Really Means

 

There are many times when a lot of trendy buzzwords get thrown around simply because they are popular, but sometimes there isn’t a lot of real comprehension behind the word, which means it can either get misused, or get lost in translation completely. The word ‘artisan’ is one of those words. As of late, many brands have used the term to describe their particular offerings but aren’t actually artisans themselves; they used the word to bring about a new and special type of attention to themselves which may not even work for their specific audience.

The question then is: what is a true artisan in the first place? The term is defined as ‘a worker in a skilled trade, especially one that involves making things by hand.’ That right there should eliminate many of the artisan items you may have seen out there. Chances are the bigger the brand, the less likely they are to be making anything by hand (it’s still possible of course, just less likely).

True artisans usually only make things in limited quantity as supplies may be limited or because they do not want to jeopardize/saturate the overall quality of the final product. At The Piggy Market we are happy to call ourselves and be considered by many as true artisans. From the freshly baked bread, to full on take home meals made with some of the freshest and locally sourced meats, everything is crafted by hand and made and/or completed in house. Our non store made products are sourced from true artisans as well. Whether it’s cheeses, salamis, preserves, and honeys, Dave and the team make routine visits to their suppliers and friends to make sure they’re getting the best, and making new contacts in the community as well. In doing this, we are able to offer a full and authentic Piggy Market experience for our customers. We strive to ensure that everything we make is of a certain standard and quality in order to facilitate said experience. Stop by to see our piggy process in action and get familiar with true artisans.

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Deconstructing Your Holiday Feast

With The Piggy Market in your corner you’re holiday meal will be a tasty and memorable success.

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Perfect Pairings

Peanut butter and jelly, french fries and ketchup, and your home with anything from The Piggy Market are some examples of perfect pairings. Some food items are able to thrive quite well on their own, however sometimes the addition of another item will serve to heighten certain flavours and improve the overall culinary experience that one will have.

Take for example seasoning; all of our finely cut artisan butchered meats are fantastic and provide their own unique flavour profiles on their own, but without the basics of salt and pepper to properly season them to help to bring out those flavours, the meat can’t truly be appreciated. We proudly carry the Vancouver Island Salt Co product line of flavoured seasoning salts that will help elevate any type of meat to another level of flavour!

When you take some of our freshly baked bread and add some of our amazing jam and jelly options (such as the Moss Berry Farm Jams, Ashton Naturals and Top Shelf Preserves product lines) you transcend that already delicious and flavourful bread into something new and exciting for your taste buds to enjoy.

Visit The Piggy Market today to create your own perfect flavour pairings with our many tasty options!

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Pork Fit for any Fork

We may be so much more than a craft butcher and artisan deli, but what type of place would we be if prime cuts of pork weren’t available? We are called ‘The Piggy Market’ after all!

We feature pork exclusively from Haanover View farms, located in Marysville, Ontario (between Kingston and Belleville). They raise a Tarmorth/Duroc Blend breed pig, which creates an excellent old world flavour with the fat composition of a newer breed, which makes for truly delicious pork all around.

A really simple way to cook a Coppa (boneless shoulder roast) is to season with salt, barbecue spice, and roast in a 350 degree oven until done to an internal temperature of 151 degrees. It is then ready to be sliced for dinner, or also great for sandwiches. Make sure to stop by for the best pork that is perfectly suited for any and all forks (and mouths!).

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