Each summer, we have a many tourists from all over the world come visit the Temagami wilderness through Smoothwater. The long weekend in August is about as busy as it gets. All of our guests have one desire: to connect with Nature, and we help them do that through our cuisine.

I want to impress upon my guests that protecting the environment starts with what they eat. Perhaps they can better respect the land if they know what is clean, or not so clean to eat. That means buying local foods, buying from farmers, and surprise, even harvesting from your own backyard. It means taking charge of your food chain, and knowing that your health and the planet’s is one and the same. Environmental activism starts with the food choices we make every day.

My Canada Day menu is all about fresh from the garden, wild from the forests, and organic from local farms. C’est terroir.

Garden salad pickings including dandelion, arugula and soporific weeds like prickly lettuce.

Flower-flour buns made with wild flowers (bergamot, St. John’s wort, mallow, angelica) and locally gown and milled flours.

Grassfed Temiskaming lamb burgers spiced with balsam fir needles (think of it as if using rosemary. You can substitute with pine, cedar, or spruce).

Wild white fish cakes tarted up with wild ginger and juniper berries

Corn-tomato-chive salsa

Spicy northern beans with beet green tops (for the vegans in the house)

Simply steamed garden peas in the pod

Wild blueberry chutney

Poutine with roasted new potatoes, herb chicken drippings and Lorrainville raw milk cheddar cheese

Twenty pound chocolate cake (I know chocolate is not regional but I cannot live without it) topped with homemade raspberry ice cream

Sweet fern tea / organic coffee

Editors note: AWESOME MENU CARYN!