Market joins in world’s longest barbecue

The “World’s Longest Barbecue” stretched across Canada this past Saturday, including at the Clover Valley Farmers’ Market here.
“The idea is that one day a year, the whole country tries to cook or prepare local foods,” said Pat Clysdale-Cornell of Cornell Farms.
The event was started by Canadian author and “food activist” Anita Stewart in 2003 to show support for Canada’s beef and farm industries after the mad cow disease crisis closed the U.S. border.
Taking place on the Saturday of August’s long weekend, the event has spread across Canada. This is the first year the Clover Valley Farmers’ Market has participated.
“We just decided this year that we’re going to do it and it’s been a real success,” said Clysdale-Cornell.
“It’s been very good,” echoed Laura Godbout, who was barbecuing away on Saturday—too busy to even keep track of the numbers.
“I know it’s gone better than our average day at the market, that’s for sure,” she added.
The menu at the farmer’s market featured a buffet of locally-produced food, including elk smokies, wild rice beef burgers, pork sun dogs, and salads made from vegetables grown by district farmers.
“It’s going real good,” said Deb Cornell of the Rainy River Elk Company in Devlin. “It’s fun to participate in [the barbecue].
“I think the more local products we can get into people’s mouths, the better because we’ve got some great products,” she added.
“It’s like anything, you just have to continue to be out there and this is just kind of a fun effort to do that, and to participate in it across country,” noted Susan Peters of Sunrise Meat and Sausages.
“Anita Stewart is a great promoter of Canadian foods . . . it’s fun to participate in that.”
“I think that we need to know that sometimes we don’t think about how much local products we have here,” said Clysdale-Cornell. “Particularly when we’re in lake country, you don’t think of the agricultural piece.
“But we’ve got [lots of] really strong vegetable growers, we have all kinds of meat you can get locally, [and] baking that you can get locally.
“I think people just need to understand that; that they can get all their local products here,” she stressed.
Proceeds from the barbecue here will be donated towards Family and Children’s Services’ “Adopt an Angel” program at Christmas.