Tag: The Piggy Market

Ottawa local beef

Why Butchered Meat is Best

 

By now you should know why it’s important to choose fresh ingredients over anything else. When you choose a craft butcher over the traditional option, you’ve made the decision to put quality items and freshness over everything else.

One of the reasons why someone may choose a traditional butcher over a craft butcher is fear of stepping outside of their comfort zone. Being comfortable with the choices you make is very important. Here are some of the best ways to become more comfortable with a craft craft butcher.:

‘Better Quality and Selection

Walk into a butcher shop and I guarantee you’ll see a cut or type of meat you can’t find at the average grocery store. Not only that, it will have been humanely slaughtered, properly cut and stored. You won’t find chicken breasts plumped with saline water or vibrantly red steaks gassed with carbon monoxide. And you definitely won’t find pink slime, ever.

Knowing What You’re Getting

A proper butcher can tell you the farm the animal was raised on and what part of the animal that particular cut came from. More often than you’ll even see your butcher grind or cut pieces of meat right in front of your eyes.

They Love Animals As Much as You (If not more)

If you talk to a butcher you’ll realize they have a deep respect for animals, which is precisely why they buy from farms where animals have happy lives. Their animals are fed natural diets, not pumped full of steroids or antibiotics and are slaughtered as humanely as possible. On top of that, hardly any of their animals go to waste which, to them, is honoring the life of the animal. Animals are a butcher’s livelihood and they nourish the people who support their business.’

At The Piggy Market, your Westboro Village community craft butcher and artisan deli, you’ll be greeted with a smile by Dave or one of the other very knowledgeable staff members and will encounter a memorable experience you won’t soon forget.

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A New Year’s to Remember

The end of the year is nearly here which means that if you haven’t started planning for how you’re going to ring in the new year that now is as perfect of a time as any! Now, this doesn’t mean that you have to spend a lot of money in order to create the best memories, but it does mean that that the more thought and creativity that is put into things, the better start to 2017 you’ll have.

Here are the steps to creating a memorable new year’s eve:

“Keep things cozy and host a party at home

(Unless you really want to ring in the new year out somewhere fancy, in which case we recommend Origin Trade!)

No need to go out and rent a space for your party. Hosting at your house or apartment is not only affordable, it’s also more comfortable for both you and your guests. It also  gives you the opportunity to actually enjoy the party yourself and connect with all your guests. Limit the invite list to a handful of close friends.

Ask everyone to bring their favourite drink

This strategy can also liven up the party by giving guests a variety of new drinks to try. Also, know in advance how everyone who has been drinking plans to get safely back home. Is public transportation available? Is someone a designated driver? Or can guests crash at your place for the night? Don’t wait until 1 a.m. to decide how to handle an obviously impaired guest.”

Most importantly make sure that the menu is fresh, varied and delicious (which is where we can help out greatly). Whether you plan on snacks and lighter fare (cheese boards/charcuterie, Jamaican patties, etc) for your guests to nibble on, or want to go all out for a full and hearty meal, we have everything you need to ensure that it will be a success.

The Piggy Market family wishes you and yours a safe happy and healthy end to 2016 and start to 2017!

 

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Roasting the Perfect Holiday Turkey

 

The holiday season is here, which means creating wonderful memories with friends and family over delicious food and drinks. We love getting to be a part of different festive celebrations in various communities throughout the city through the fresh and local offerings we provide. Our ready to eat (or simple reheat and eat) options are great, but it’s the things like cooking a turkey to perfection from start to finish which can sometimes be tricky…which is why we want to be as helpful as possible!

Here are some steps to ensure you cook the perfect turkey this holiday:

  • Tuck wing tips underneath body of turkey.
  • With fingers, separate skin from turkey breast. Stuff softened butter under skin.
  • Season the inside cavity of the turkey with salt.
  • Using kitchen twine, cross the legs together and tie them securely.
  • Season turkey all over with freshly ground black pepper.
  • Put turkey into roasting pan. It’s ready to roast.

Important Note: If you’ve brined your turkey cook it for 15 minutes/lb at 350 degrees. Non-brined turkeys should be cooked for 20 minutes/lb at the same temperature. It’s also suggested to cook the turkey breast side down for the first hour and then flip it breast side up for the remainder of the cooking time. Also, if you’re going to make stuffing, cook it on the side; refrain from stuffing your bird before cooking it as raw juices will drop into the stuffing, and you will need to cook the turkey to an internal temperature of 165 degrees, which will overcook the turkey.

Make sure you stop by The Piggy Market this week to get a fresh Scotch Line turkey and our famous stuffing to help make your holiday feast a memorably delicious one!

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#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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