First Bites: Spread the Word

You Got Your Chocolate in My... Pumpkin?
While pumpkin might not be the first ingredient that springs to mind as a pairing with chocolate, a taste of ChocoSquash from Les Fermes Marcello may change your way of thinking. Started in 1987 after a trip to Italy, Les Fermes Marcello initially had a focus on producing top-quality pestos with local ingredients. As time went on, new ideas expanded its repertoire. ChocoSquash was born in 2018 out of the desire to create a rich, delicious spread that was nut-free, palm oil-free and vegan. ChocoSquash is produced much like a traditional nut butter, minus the nuts; Canadian pumpkin seeds are roasted, ground with organic chocolate and sugar, then emulsified and smoothed with Canadian sunfl ower oil, to make a rich, unctuous spread that carries fl avours well. The original dark chocolate flavour spawned two off shoots, one featuring aromatic cinnamon and the other with a hint of chili. A non-vegan milk chocolate version is available too, for those who love their dairy. Soon to launch is KetoSquash, a higher-fat version of the original, made with coconut oil.

Les Fermes Marcello
fermesmarcello.com | 819.328.7173 | @fermesmarcello

Find it at: Hintonburg Market, Kardish Health Food centres, NU Grocery, Ottawa Organics, Natural Food Pantry

Save the Date
The sweet goodness of a date makes it a natural candidate for a part of a healthy lifestyle. But until recently, dates lacked the spreadable treatment bestowed upon other fruits. Enter Bisou Dates, advocates of these nutritional powerhouses. Along with their snackable Date Bites, they have been perfecting a line of Date Butters since starting out at various farmers’ markets in 2018. Using beautiful Jordanian Medjool dates, they cook the fruit into a thick paste with some lemon juice for acidity. Nuts and other flavourings are blended in to make a smooth, flavourful spread. Due to the natural sugars of the dates and the citric acid of the lemon, the butters have a super-long shelf life, and taste as good as they make you feel. Dates are known to be anti-inflammatory, help brain function and boost energy.

Three flavours are available as of now: Classic is the original flavour, with pistachio, cinnamon, nutmeg and clove. Chocolate mixes the date/lemon paste with walnut, cocoa and vanilla. Finally, ginger features walnuts and fresh ginger. All of the butters are vegan and gluten-free and boast a creamy sweetness all their own. Feel good about spreading these butters on your breakfast toast.

Bisou Dates
bisoudates.com | @bisoudates

Find it at: Burrow Shop, Ministry of Coffee, NU Grocery, Thyme & Again, La Bottega Nicastro, online

Sweet and Spicy
Are you looking to kick up your jam game a bit? Marissa and Michelle Peters of Mazépis have just the thing for you. Partners in life and business, the two left their government jobs during the pandemic in June of 2020 to start a small business selling Caribbean island-inspired products. “We were so nervous to get started,” Marissa recalls, “but the people of the Manotick market really embraced us.” Other markets followed and the couple began working out the Cauldron Kitchen to meet demands. Using memories of their shared Trinidadian/Haitian heritage, they started selling wares such as marinades, hot sauces and their line of sweet and spicy jams. “Our family and our clients really fuelled our product list,” Marissa says. “They’d ask for new items and we found ways to deliver.”

The jams are all made strictly by hand, with no artificial sweeteners, thickeners or preservatives. What that means for consumers is a flavour-forward product, with chunks of fruit and bits of Scotch bonnet pepper in every spoonful. The three flavours in the jam line so far are strawberry, mango and pineapple. A sweet and spicy cranberry jam will return in time for the holidays, and looking to the future, there’s talk of papaya and passion fruit jams. These jams spice up everything from your morning bagel to your next cheese platter, so try them out in all kinds of ways.

Mazépis 
mazepis.com | 613.709.3127 | @mazepis 

Find it at: Bakkers General Store (Manotick), The Original Navan Market, Richmond Village Market, Russell Community Market, Manotick Farmers’ Market, online.