Bringing Home the Bacon (and Sausage)

Since I was a young boy, I have been plagued by an undiagnosed medical condition known as ridiculouspunitis. This is a rare condition characterized by the uncontrollable use of puns. Last week, upon pulling into the parking lot of the Meadowbrook Meat Market, I was delighted to discover a fellow sufferer of this condition. We are few and far between. The presentation was obvious: use of ridiculous pork-related puns to individually label porking parkingspaces. To be honest, I never sausage saw such a creative collection of signs. I knew before I had even walked into the shop that my Meadowbrook Meat Market experience would be far from boaring boring.

Parking in STY-le
I’ve only shown two of 12 signs…to see them all, you’ll have to head to the shop in Nova Scotia’s Apple Capital of Berwick for yourself (Exit 15 off the 101 in the Annapolis Valley).

My visit to Meadowbrook was focused on tracking down ingredients for the greatest breakfast of all time.  I wanted to impress my girlfriend, Kelly, who had been working in the Commonwealth of Dominica for the past six months under the Canadian International Development Agency. While the small Caribbean island is known for its delicious tropical produce, world-class scuba diving, and Roti, Kelly greatly missed hearty Canadian breakfasts while working overseas.  It was therefore my mission to bring home the bacon.

After a good laugh at the creative signage, I was greeted in the shop by cheerful, helpful, and knowledgeable staff. I had the opportunity to chat with market owner Jimmie Lamb, a soft-spoken man who shared the story of Meadowbrook’s success. A true entrepreneur, Jimmie explained that one of the key aspects of Meadowbrook’s success has been its innovative approach to production – including becoming the first Atlantic Canadian pork producer to offer fully organic products. Speaking with Jimmie really drove home the importance of buying local and knowing where your food is coming from.

The Market in Berwick stocks a wide variety of pork and beef goods, as well as a full suite of goodies from over 30 other local producers. While my focus was on breakfast, I will most certainly be making a return trip for ready-made chili and stuffed pork tenderloin.

My breakfast options were many. From a bacon perspective, I had to choose between maple, Montreal spiced and naturally smoked. Obviously, I couldn’t decide, so I bought a package of each. To make sure Kelly didn’t think I was one a one-dimensional chef, I also picked up some sausage, selecting maple and apple. As I made my way back to Halifax, I couldn’t wait to taste the results!

The maple sausage was the first to hit the grill, unleashing a rich aroma throughout the kitchen, setting the stage for an epic start to the day. Both the maple and apple varieties exhibited a subtle essence that didn’t overwhelm the flavour of the pork. The maple sausage in particular worked very well as a compliment to roasted vegetable frittata (I cannot take credit for this delicious egg-based dish and must give credit to my dear friend Blair Williams).

All three types of bacon were thickly sliced and packed with taste. The Montreal Spiced bacon was delicious – the seasoning brought a complex dimension of salt that won Kelly’s approval. The winner of the bacon challenge was naturally the Naturally Smoked – which she described as “the perfect classic-style bacon”. Later in the evening, the maple smoked bacon made the perfect topping on a freshly prepared pot of potato and leek soup. All in all, delicious!

I’d encourage you to make your way to Meadowbrook Meat Market in Berwick, but if you can’t make it – their products can also be found at a number of retailers and restaurants across the province. I’d also encourage you to have a peak at their website, in particular the nutrition section, which is complete with fun pig facts for the kids.