With sunny weather here, I’m looking forward to eating lots of fresh veggies grown locally and was excited when Ontario Greenhouse Vegetable Growers reached out to me about a food styling session — featuring their delicious veggies, of course, to help me and you #SpringIntoFlavour!
Now, if you like me have never heard of OGVG, it’s a not-for-profit organization all tomato, pepper and cucumber growers in Ontario. So this includes the seedless cucumbers, tomatoes on the vine and red, yellow and orange peppers that I buy regularly and also mini and cocktail cucumbers, specialty peppers, beefsteak and specialty tomatoes. I especially loved to hear that the OGVG farmers are less than a day’s drive from the majority of markets they serve plus that it’s real farm families here in this province who own greenhouses that have been around for several generations.
I know I will have a whole new appreciation going forward for the tomatoes, cucumbers and peppers I buy that are from OGVG. If you need a brief refresher on the health benefits and why you should include more OGVG veggies in your diet:
Tomatoes:Hello, lycopene! This antioxidant can reduce risk of some cancers and the effects of the sun’s UV rays. You’ll also get vitamins A, B6, magnesium and more.
Peppers: You probably think of citrus fruit when it comes to getting your vitamin C but peppers actually have 250 percent more C by weight. They, too, boast some of the same vitamins and minerals as tomatoes and also potassium.
Cucumbers: Hydrate your body with seedless cucumbers — they’re 90 percent water and also an excellent source of vitamin C, magnesium and silica.
Now as for how to style and take better photos of food? You have to start with great looking, unblemished veggies, of course. And a handful of the other tips from the session:
When featuring a recipe, style your photo with ingredients that have been used in the dish. Add in lifestyle elements to help create a mood or tell a story, too.
Blanch or undercook veggies to tender crisp; this little old best in photos.
Using a spray bottle filled with water and glycerin, spritz veggies so they look dewy and super fresh.
In a professional food shoot, they’ll use a stand-in plate as he shot is set up and only swap in the actual plate once they are ready to shoot (so that the best plate isn’t exposed to the lights, etc., until it is go time).
Ultimately, you’re trying to control how the food will look. So pie is amongst the hardest foods to style since it is hard to control how the crust will crumble, or how the fruit will ooze out, for example.
Use tools including inexpensive mirror card (or you can even use foil), black card, white card and even a cheap white shower to help you manipulate and create the lighting you want for your food photo.
If you’ve got a Toronto library card, you’ve got complimentary access the lots of free online photography courses on lynda.com. Yes. Free.
(I hope my friends are ready to hold up some foil the next time we go for dinner so I can get the best lighting for my shot! Just kidding…)
I hope these tips have been helpful to the foodies among you. The pics in this post are of the two dishes I styled while at this session, and I’ll be putting these tips and tricks to use going forward…but not to the point that I’m sacrificing taste or having a good time. I’m not shooting it for a client, after all, and ultimately it comes down to eating the delicious and nutritious tomatoes, peppers and cucumbers and enjoying a great meal with friends and family. I’m already thinking of and craving all of the simple dishes I can make using OGVG veggies such as Greek salad, bruschetta, fajitas, Pimm’s cup, stuffed peppers and more. Bon appetit!
For more about OGVG and to #springintoflavour, visit www.ogvg.com or find them on Facebook at www.facebook.com/ONgreenhouseveg.com.
(This blog post was sponsored by Ontario Greenhouse Vegetable Growers but the opinions are all my own.)
May 31, 2016
“What’re you doing here?”
People keep asking me this because they’re surprised to see me in Toronto. And yes, it’s true, the past few months I have had quite a few trips with little time spent at home. I think my poor cats are plotting to disown me.
Besides some lonely cats, my condo also has a very bare fridge and empty cupboards; since I haven’t been home for several weeks in a row, it’s been ages since I’ve come home from the grocery store with fresh goods to make several meals. I’ve been using the Ritual app for the occasional takeout meal, or just getting a handful of ingredients to make a really basic meal (ham and cheese sandwich day after day gets really boring, though, not to mention the fact that I’m missing important vitamins and minerals eating like this).
A solution I enjoyed is Chef’s Plate. Much like Mealspirations, this meal delivery service sets you up with the recipe and key ingredients for a tasty well-rounded meal. Rather than pore through recipes and grocery shop, Chef’s Plate sets me up with just what I need for the dish, meaning I get to eat a good home cooked meal (so welcome after eating often rich meals when I travel). It’s great for anyone who’s short on time or who maybe needs help with meal ideas or who simply isn’t a fan of going to the supermarket. It also works out well for me as I’m often reluctant to buy fresh produce if I’m only home for a couple of days since I won’t have a chance to eat everything and use up all the fresh ingredients. Since Chef’s Plate just provides the amount you need, I had less waste going in the garbage.
At $10.95 per plate it’s not unreasonable in price, and there are a choice of meat, fish or vegetarian plates that change each week, and you can order two to three meals, for two people or four people. One thing I think would make my life easier though is if you could choose the delivery day, currently orders placed by midnight on Thursday are delivered on Monday. My schedule is such that I might not be cooking until Thursday, for example, so an option of delivery dates would work better for me personally.
I chose the kale and tofu salad (above), which was very simple to make and one I’d happily make again, and the veal schnitzel, which took a little longer but was a comforting meal (it’s one I picture mom’s making for their kids).
Have you tried a meal planning service? Have they been a time-saver or do you prefer to do your own grocery shopping and menu planning?
November 11, 2015
Last week, I got to test out the new recipe and ingredients delivery service Mealspirations.
The way it works is Mealspirations chefs create a weekly menu, you choose a meal package (which starts at $12/meal) and then the ingredients and recipes (all designed to be ready in 40 minutes or less) are delivered to you on Sunday. You’ll need a few staple ingredients on hand, which they outline for you (items such as olive oil and honey, for example). The meals are seasonal and ring in at 800 calories or less.
Overall, I enjoyed the service–the meals were simple but tasty, and indeed ready in 40 minutes or less. (Plus, it gave me a little break from my all-cheese, all-the-time meals — you know I’m a cheese ambassador, right?). I find I can get into phases when I feel lazy and don’t want to look for recipes to my meals for the week. So this just made it a no-brainer. My favourite meal of the three I tried was the risotto with roasted vegetables.
On the downside? It’d be incredible if I didn’t have to do some of the prep work (for example, I find chopping veggies takes a lot of time) but I understand that veggies wouldn’t stay as fresh when chopped in advance. And while I could definitely see this service as a great way to not come home to an empty fridge after traveling and having zero idea of what to have for dinner when I’ve gotten off a flight (welcome to my life lately…), Mealspirations (which is available in most of the GTA) only delivers on Sundays, which is not so helpful if I’m arriving home any other day of the week.
Verdict: I cook often (and love food, haha — you may know this if you follow me on Instagram), so for the most part, I’m happy to find recipes and whip up dinner. But I do see it as a great way to get people who may not ordinarily cook from scratch to do so even on a busy weeknight.
April 2, 2014
