Stush in the Bush – Jamaica

Microgreen Heaven!

Some of the food we bring with us from home

The Amazing SITB Banana Cake!

My family and I were lucky enough to go to Jamaica on vacation this year. Because of the way we eat, we take all of our own food, except produce, of course. This year, my mom found an organic farm called Zionites Farm in Free Hill, St. Ann, Jamaica (no website yet) who was happily able to deliver to us. And, they didn’t just grow organic produce, they also baked their own cakes, breads and jarred condiments. Nut free! All vegan! And many of the ingredients used were organic from their own farm! Score!

Hot Sauce!!

The delivery arrived packed perfectly in a box with no plastic wrapping, but they used their banana and palm leaf scraps! We got lots of greens and some of the best microgreens I’ve ever had. I know we’ll be getting a lot more of what they have to offer next time!

We tried their chocolate cake with fresh mint pressed into the top as a garnish, but the mint also tasted great! We also ordered a banana coconut cake which was so delectable that I cannot describe it well enough to give it the credit it deserves. We needed to order another one for our plane ride home it was so good! They baked us a multigrain bread that was one of the best breads I’ve ever had as well. Their jarred condiments are all packaged in glass jars which is amazing. Their hot sauce we tried is called “Blow Fyah” (pronounced “blow fire) and it was so super spicy that even my parents could only take a little bit at a time, and we like spicy! You have to imagine how good their banana preserves are too, it was the best thing I’ve spread on to my toast since I discovered Sunbutter. By the way, if you combine the Stush in the Bush Banana Preserves with the Sunbutter, it tastes incredibly, amazingly awesome! I am even considering importing the preserves into Canada, is anybody interested?

The main reason we got a second delivery was because my sister was pestering my mother for fresh sugar cane and they had some from their farm. Plus, we wanted more cacao pods. Even thought the inside of them look like a giant worm, it tastes so sweet and was fun to eat, plus you can’t get those in Toronto, although I’m going to ask Chocosol now that I think of it. I also realize that with our big sugar cane delivery, I never even ate any of it, my sister devoured it! I guess I’ll need to go back!!

Also, you should know that the farmers drove two hours to deliver the second order to us, and they were SO nice and we were all glad to meet them. It’s crazy what we all are willing to do to connect over real food. I hope if you are going to Jamaica, you will support them by placing an order from them, so we can keep them in business and keep enjoying their wonderful products. Next year, if I’m lucky enough to go back, we are going to have a tour of their farm for sure.

WORMS! (April Fools! It's actually where all of your real chocolate comes from!)

Look at my ears (it's sugar cane!)

And presenting...CACAO POD!

The SITB Team (minus Lisa Binns)

Vicki’s Veggies Hot Sauces

I’ve been waiting for an entire year to have Vicki’s Hot Sauce again. Last year, her hot sauce was insanely good and I was really mad that when we ran out of our first bottle quickly, there was already none left at the market!

This year, I was overjoyed when I saw that they not only had one hot sauce, but 3 different varieties! Vicki’s farm grows the organic peppers and other veggies she uses to make the sauce. The 3 kinds are: Barrel Aged, Smoked, and XXX Hot (there is a picture of all 3 in this post). I sampled all 3 at Evergreen Brickwork’s Farmers’ Market last Saturday and decided that the XXX Hot was the spiciest hot sauce I’ve ever tasted (because I wouldn’t even try the one my mom made from the peppers in my garden since she said it was so spicy her head was going to blow off!).

I couldn’t decide which ones to get and luckily my mom came up with the GENIUS idea of getting all 3! So, now, at most meals, Vicki’s Hot Sauce is on our table.

Vicki's Veggies Hot Sauces 2011

I would go get yours before she runs out! 🙂

Earth

Earth is a very nice restaurant with a very nice atmosphere to go with it. The food is supposed to be mostly organic and local (but see further on for aggravating exceptions!). We go to Earth many Saturdays now with my 97 year old great-grandfather and he loves it there. It’s close to where he lives, they take reservations and can accommodate large groups (sometimes lots of family goes!), it’s quieter (since there is carpet), the seating is very comfortable and they have a coat check.
My mom loves the tea since it’s organic and loose leaf and comes in a pot, and I love ordering the baker’s basket because the cakes are amazing and melts in your mouth. I can’t believe I am allowed to get it since it has sugar and stuff in it. But restaurants are a treat, and sometimes I get french fries too. My favourite thing to order are the eggs benny with cured trout (hollandaise on the side always – I eat it with the french fries but don’t like it on top). The eggs are always hot and done well, I love sticking my knife into the egg and watching the yolk come streaming out. I once asked for ketchup, and I asked which kind it was, but unfortunately they said it was Heinz and when my great-grandfather asked for orange juice they said it was Tropicana – what is the deal with this? If they are organic, local, and sustainable, why have all of this crap there? (hopefully after they read this, they’ll get better products or make their own like their baked goods!!!!). I also have had the omelette of the day, and decided that although I LOVE mushrooms, I do not like truffled mushrooms because they were way too rich. And, I never say that. Their potato salad is amazing, I love the fresh herbs in it. My dad has the same food as me a lot, my sister loves the french toast with lots of maple syrup and my little brother usually eats scrambled eggs, some of my mom’s salad and some of the “donish” (he calls a danish a “donish”), but mostly he plays the ipod touch so we can leisurely eat our meal.
You should know, there is a private dining room that would be good for dinners and gatherings. Earth is a very nice restaurant, but they need to wise up on their ketchup and orange juice and probably some other things in the kitchen.

Mildred’s Temple Kitchen

I’ve been to Mildred’s Temple Kitchen twice. Once for dinner, and once for brunch. I would strongly recommend brunch (but dinner wasn’t that impressive – no offense).

Mildred’s offers a patio so you can sit outside (when it’s warm of course) although their inside is quite nice. If you go, it might be pandemonium inside because it’s always busy.

When I was there for dinner, we sat in the one booth they have and it was cool. I wasn’t impressed by their menu selection and the food wasn’t great; the burger was very salty too. I wouldn’t rush back for dinner, but brunch was another story. Their service was great and they have an excellent selection on their menu. My favourite item off the brunch menu is the Veda’s choice (eggs,smoked salmon,and bernaise sauce all in one croissant!) Sooooooooooooo good!. My dad got the Huevous Monty. If you go when it’s nice out, try to get a table on the patio outside. Also, if you’re just looking for a small bite, try the scones (they were blueberry when we were there for the blueberry festival). If you’re a vegan/vegetarian, there isn’t much for you to eat. They are really good with allergies; they’ll tell you all the things that you can’t have and will make sure what they can make is safe.

Remember, if you’re looking around liberty village, try mildred’s temple kitchen for brunch!

The Wine Bar

It is no longer Jamie Kennedy Wine Bar, it’s just the Wine Bar now since Jamie sold it. I think it’s even a bit better than it was before!

My dad spoke to the owner, Ted, who saved the corner 4 seats at the kitchen bar. I love sitting at the bar because you get to watch all the chefs prepare your food and you can ask questions and talk to them too.

All of the ingredients are local and organically grown which is very good for the planet and me too. When the waiter told me that they had the best burgers, I knew I was up for the challenge. Two mini sliders were served on english muffins with housemade condiments. They were very good and I rank them 3rd on my burger rater. My mom loved the pickled sunchokes that came on the side of the burgers. My dad loved the butternut squash soup. The fries were amazing and served with 4 housemade condiments – ketchup, mayonnaise, sour cream, chili sauce (which is by the way sweet, not really spicy). My favourite dish was the grilled ham sandwich with Thunder Oak Cheese and Kozlik’s sweet and spicy mustard (I could taste the mustard right away but I thought it was their amazing maple). My sister ate up two orders of the potato salad that came with the sandwich. It was made with Kozlik’s triple crunch mustard which our whole family loves. I liked the pickerel we ordered, but LOVED the chorizo and carrot puree it was served on top of. We are always excited when we can have dessert because my sister has a nut allergy, but they make their desserts themselves so we got to choose ones that could be safe. We ordered donuts with maple yumminess and sticky toffee pudding with whipped cream. I’m not sure which one was better, but I feel like going back there and eating 5 orders of both right now!!
It was nice that Ted, the owner, talked to us and gave us the inside scoop that they are transforming Hank’s Cafe next door into a restaurant. You can count on me to review that also!

Jaime Kennedy Wine Bar a.k.a. JK wine bar

This was reviewed in April 2009. I’ve been busy and forgot to put in on my blog.

At JK, we love to sit at the bar and watch our food be made. It’s so much fun becasue we share a lot of different dishes. My favourite thing was getting to eat there on earth day and liked the fries in the cone with the cider vinegar. The Chef Jordy had a big tattoo of a beet on his arm, i guess it’s because he really likes vegetables. It is nice to read a menu where the ingredients are organic and local and from places we buy stuff from at the farmers market. We watched the other chef make a huge flame while cooking the mushroom dish. They even made a special dessert for my sister who has a severe nut allergy, we usually don’t get to have desserts at restaurants. I would tell you what to order, but the menu changes everyday because it depends on what Jamie wants to have and what mother nature decides to give us.