In this recipe, by McCormick Gourmet and Chef Juriaan Snellen, this delicious roasted beet recipe brings out the sweetness of the beets with a delicious balsamic glaze, resulting in a perfect blend of sweet and sour flavours.
PREP TIME: 15 min || COOK TIME: 1h 45 min || Serves 12
INGREDIENTS
3 1/2 pounds (1.75 kilograms) assorted small beets, trimmed and cleaned
Preheat oven to 425°F (220°C). Wrap 3 beets at a time in foil. Place in shallow baking pan.
Roast 1 hour or until beets are tender when pierced with small knife. Cool until able to handle. Peel then quarter beets. Toss beets, onions, oil, rosemary, thyme, and sea salt in same baking pan.
Roast 35 to 45 minutes or until onions are tender. Drizzle balsamic vinegar over vegetables. Roast 5 minutes longer or until vinegar is the consistency of syrup. Gently toss vegetables before serving.
*As seen in the 2022 Toronto Taste Recipe Collection.
With the generosity, help, and support of many, Second Harvest rescued and redistributed 53.3 million pounds of food in 2022. This means that 4.3 million Canadians were fed good, healthy meals with rescued food across the country. We know that behind these statistics are people. They are individuals, families, parents, and children—our neighbours, peers, friends, and loved ones—who struggle daily to get the nourishment they need and deserve.
This holiday season, we’re thankful for our non-profit partners who work tirelessly to help distribute rescued food to Canadians facing food insecurity. Without Canada’s invisible food network, the work we do would not be possible.
To warm your heart this challenging, yet hopeful holiday season, here are thank you notes from Canadians. Thanks to you, they got the nourishment they needed for themselves and their neighbours.
Notes of gratitude from Second Harvest partners
“We thank you from the bottom of our hearts, it’s truly because of your generosity that our drop-in members are able to enjoy a fabulous meal and feel the holiday spirit.”
—Parkdale Activity Resource Centre, Toronto, Ontario
“Kids Kottage Foundation is Edmonton’s only crisis prevention and intervention shelter for infants and children. The number of families who have benefited from the donations through Second Harvest is too many for me to count. Food means nourishment; life. Food provides a sense of security and predictability. When there is food at home, there is hope and happiness for everyone in that household. On behalf of Kids Kottage and the clients, thank you. Your donation has made such a difference and is appreciated beyond measure.”
— Kids Kottage Foundation, Edmonton, Alberta
“South Parkdale was struggling before the pandemic and since has become a COVID-hot spot. Families are struggling to pay their rent, phone bills, and everyday expenses. The help of Second Harvest has helped ease the burden by providing over 2,000 lbs of free healthy food into the community WEEKLY.”
Rescuing P.E.I.’s potatoes—and enjoying them across Canada
Potatoes, believe it or not, are a very important staple for Canadians and our local economies. This is especially true in Prince Edward Island, where 1 in 4 potatoes in Canada are produced. When there was an unforeseen surplus of 300 million P.E.I. potatoes that couldn’t be exported to the U.S., Second Harvest and the Government of Canada came to the (food) rescue. Food charities from coast-to-coast-to-coast received donations of P.E.I. potatoes and are still making delicious meals to feature them.
Caption: Heartwarming thanks all around as a delivery of rescued P.E.I. potatoes arrives!
“Thanks to this gift, over 300 families (almost 1,500 individuals) were fortunate to have a grocery box delivered right to their door to help support the community during the global pandemic. The impact of these food boxes has been incredible and would not have been possible without Second Harvest. The gratitude from families has been heartwarming, and many have told us that without this box of food, their families would go hungry. Thank you for making sure families in Saint John didn’t go without food.”
— Bee Me Kidz, St. John, New Brunswick
Connecting locals with Second Harvest’s Food Rescue App
With food insecurity and the need for hunger relief, as well as food waste on the rise in Canada, Second Harvest expanded its scope nationally with our Food Rescue App. Our app helps connect food businesses that have surplus food to donate with organizations that need it in local communities everywhere in Canada.
“The Second Harvest food rescue app has been a wonderful program to be a part of! It can be easy to overlook how important having a good meal is as it’s something many of us take for granted. I’m grateful that this program was created and that I am able to participate in allowing our residents’ easy access to healthy food. With the serious concern of food equity and access in our community, it’s great to know this food is going to good use and to know that none of it will be going to the landfill.”
—Rain City Community Housing and Support, British Columbia
Northern Canada’s summer shipment of rescued food
Getting nutritious, surplus-rescued food from southern to northern, remote Canada is no easy feat. It’s a massive logistical undertaking that would be impossible without our partner, Arctic Co-op. Our teams begin to organize food donations fit for long-haul transport in early spring for deliveries in the summer, once Arctic sea ice melts enough for sealift’s safe passage. In 2022, we rescued and redistributed over 40,000 pounds of surplus food to over 15 Northern Canadian communities in Nunavut.
Second Harvest also redistributed rescued food to Canada’s Northwest Territories. Here are some heartwarming thank-you’s from the Inuvialuit Regional Corporation in Ulukhaktok, NWT.
“On behalf of Ulukhaktok, I would like to thank Second Harvest for their generous food donations to our community members. Fresh, nutritious food is not always accessible in our remote community, so Second Harvest’s contribution is greatly appreciated as it provided multiple meals to the majority of families in Ulukhaktok. Thank you, Second Harvest!”
—Inuvialuit Regional Corporation, Ulukhaktok, NWT
“These donations provided healthy meals to hundreds of Inuvialuit living in the ISR where access to affordable, quality food is often challenging. Due to the high cost and logistical issues of shipping food to our isolated communities, as well as the socio-economic inequities that persist, food sovereignty has long been an issue in the ISR. It is in partnership with great organizations like Second Harvest that we will begin to alleviate some of the historic and systemic causes of strain on individuals and families in our region. Once again, on behalf of Inuvialuit, I would like to extend sincere gratitude to Second Harvest for their generous donations to our region. Quyanainni. Thank you.”
—Inuvialuit Regional Corporation, NWT
Wishing happy and healthy holidays to all Canadians
Every Canadian deserves equal access to healthy, nourishing food to thrive every day. Thanks to the generosity of our donors, we are able to help relieve hunger and food waste. Our work is ongoing and far from done, but sometimes it’s good to pause, look back, and give thanks for all that we’ve accomplished together.
Second Harvest’s main location in Etobicoke, Ontario, is a hub of activity and the warehouse is always buzzing. Between loading trucks, receiving donations, sorting food and engaging volunteers, there’s never a shortage of excitement for food rescue on site.
The following recipe was supplied by the Toronto Kiwanis Boys & Girls Clubs for the Second Harvest Cookbook, which featured 70 recipes from our network of over 500 partner agencies. All recipes feature a dish that staff, volunteers or community members prepared using fresh rescued food that they received from Second Harvest and our food donor partners.
INGREDIENTS
2 (120g) boxes stuffing mix
2 1/2 cups water
3 1/4 cups butter, melted
4 medium sized apple, peeled and diced
5 stalk celery, diced
6 tbsp parsley, chopped
PREPARATION
Preheat oven to 350°F.
Line standard muffin tin with paper liners.
In large bowl, blend stuffing mix, water, butter, apple, celery and parsley until fully combined.
Divide mixture evenly among muffin cups, pressing mixture gently with spoon.
Bake until stuffing is firm and tops are golden brown, about 20 minutes.
Serves 12
Tip: Serve with turkey and gravy, or eat on their own.
“Food matters to our entire club – children, staff, students and volunteers – because it’s essential to our growth holistically! Food is how we start our day.”
Food waste is extremely prevalent in our society and many organizations and brands are increasingly looking to find new ways to reduce waste and promote sustainable food systems with their platforms. Danone Canada, through a recent partnership with Second Harvest, joins this list of brands with a new Greek yogurt product called Two Good.
“As a purpose-driven company that values balancing business growth and performance with social responsibility, we are very excited to bring Two Good to the Canadian market to enable consumers to do good for themselves and their communities through a simple cup of yogurt,” Eric Maffert, Senior Marketing Director at Danone Canada said. “Like Danone Canada, Two Good operates with a shared mission to bring health through food to as many people as possible, while also doing its part to make a positive social impact and that’s why – to support the launch of the product in Canada – we’re excited to announce our partnership with Second Harvest, the country’s largest food rescue organization.”
Along with the launch of this product, Danone has committed a donation to Second Harvest that will help us rescue and redistribute enough food for 83,000 meals!
“Through the partnership, we’ll help to create a more waste-conscious food system that prioritizes feeding those in need,” Maffert said.
Did you know?
Food insecurity has links to lower diet quality, and that’s why we have a specific focus on rescuing and redistributing nutritious and perishable foods to non-profits all across Canada. In fact, in 2022, 85% of the food we rescued was perishable and 64% was nutrient-dense!
Learn more about our annual impact in the past year in this year’s Annual Report.
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