Saturday, September 28, 2013

The 100 Mile Challenge: Can You Do it?


Regardless of where you live, there are great artists and great local businesses that sell local products.  Here in Freddy Beach (a.k.a. Fredericton) we are blessed with an abundance of great local treasures.  So, I started thinking, why not focus my gift giving this year on what I can find made, produced or manufactured within 100 miles of my City.  (I even made it easier on myself by making it miles instead of kilometres!)  I didn't stop at my gift giving; I challenged my family too! 

Now, the question is:  are you up to taking the 100 Mile Challenge?  Can you focus your gift-giving to 100 miles of where you live? 

To make things a bit easier here are some local products and businesses. I did my best to keep them to the 100 mile limit and checked most, but not all for the distance. I also did my best to find websites or Facebook pages for the list. Unfortunately I could not find all of them. 

And, thanks to all those that contributed to this list.  There are too many to list, but suffice it to say my Facebook friends came through with flying colours when suggesting great product/places.
D.E. MacLean Original


  1. Aitkens Pewter
  2. Alice Sahagain (stained glass murals from Hartland)
  3. Andrei Master Tailors
  4. Angel Terry (paintings)
  5. Appleman Farms
  6. Atlantic Pewter
  7. Beaverbrook Art Gallery (memberships)
  8. Boyce Farmers Market
  9. Brent Rourke (cabinetmaker)
  10. Briggs & Little Woolen Mills
  11. Brunswick Sardines
  12. Buckwheat Pillows
  13. Chickadee Larder
  14. Chocolaterie Fackelman
  15. Coburns Apple Cider
  16. Corey Nutrition Company
  17. Covered Bridge Potato Chips
  18. D.E. MacLean Originals
  19. Dale Carruthers (painting)
  20. Danny's & Trudy's 100 Soywax Candles
  21. Deborah Wybou (Jewellery)
  22. Dumfries Maples
  23. East Coast Candles
  24. Feet Freedom
  25. Flight of the Eagle Jewellery Arts
  26. Flo Greig Pottery
  27. Freddy Bear Paws
  28. Fredericton Botanic Garden
  29. Fromagerie au Fond des Bois - Fine Cheese Maker
  30. Frosted Cupcakes
  31. Gagetown Fruit Farm
  32. Ganong Chocolates
  33. Goodine's Eggs
  34. Gooselane Editions
  35. Granit Town Farms
    Flo Grieg Fiddlehead Pottery
  36. Grey's Nursery
  37. Harvey's Big Potato
  38. Hunter Brothers Farm
  39. J Kelly Pottery
  40. Joe's Woodworking
  41. John Henry's Fresh Fish
  42. Judy Blake Pottery
  43. Juliette's Pottery
  44. Kaga Knits
  45. Kenneth Maple Farms
  46. Kings Landing
  47. Kingswood Park
  48. Kris LeBlanc Art
  49. Kyle's Photography
  50. Lavish Handcrafted Soap
  51. Lemon Balm Lane
  52. Loomscrofters
  53. Mactaquac TreeGo
  54. Magzy Kettle Korn
  55. Matt Andersen ( a must listen)
  56. Maurice Gamblin
  57. McCabe's Ice Cream
  58. McCain Foods
  59. Miramichi Smoked Salmon
  60. Motts Landing Vineyard and Winery
  61. Moxon's Country Pumpkin
  62. Nashwaak Noodles
  63. New Brunswick Highland Games
  64. New Brunswick Spirits Festival
  65. New Brunswick Sports Hall of Fame
  66. Nikki's Homade Fizzy Bathbombs
  67. Northern Lights Leather
  68. Picaroons
  69. Puppy Paw Biscuits
  70. Raven Glass Studio
  71. Real Food Connections
  72. Roland's Sea Vegetables
  73. Rowan's Greenhouse
  74. Sabian Cymbals
  75. Samosa Delight
  76. Sanctuary Botanicals
  77. Sarah Irvine McIntyre (woven products)
  78. Scott's Nursery
  79. Silver Wave Film Festival
  80. Siverwood Stone
  81. Solidstone Creations (And apparently a neighbour!  My new mission is to meet the artist)
  82. Soulflower Herbals
  83. Stone Works
  84. Sweet Cheeks Treats
  85. Sweet Valley Herbs
  86. Symphony New Brunswick
  87. Tasha Tea Soap
  88. The Cheese Market
  89. The Cock & Hen Domestic Fowl
  90. The Nut Hut
  91. The Playhouse
  92. Tim Isaac Pottery
  93. T-Ray Woolies Angora
  94. Van Dyk's Wild Blueberry Juice
  95. Victor Bear (Maliseet Baskets)
  96. Weber's Wrought Iron Works
  97.  Wellwood Farm
  98. Winegarden Estate Ltd.
  99. Wooden it Be Nice
  100. Wooden Puzzles

What are your favourites?  What would you add to the list?  Remember the 100 mile condition.





Sunday, September 8, 2013

There is Just Something About Fall! Am I Right?

There is something about fall.  For me it is about new beginnings.  It always has been. 

Perhaps it is tied to going back to school each year. I was one of those kids that loved going back to school.  The new books, clothes and supplies were exciting to me.  Seeing people I hadn't see for months was thrilling.  This experience was so profound for me that I have continued to "go back to school" over and over.  While I might stray for a year or two, I can't stay away.  Hence my decision to pursue my PhD.



Maybe it is because I was born in the fall.  You can't get more of a new beginning than a birth or a birthday.  As you get older, your birthday becomes more about reflection than anything else.

Then again, it is also harvest time.  I grew up in a family that loved to garden.  We had a huge garden where we grew everything from beans to carrots to corn.  Now, I have my own assortment of gardens, including my own vegetable garden.  While it is sad to cut everything down and prepare for the next season, it is also exciting to harvest your own vegetables.  It is exciting to think about what really worked that summer and what you want to improve upon.  I barely get my garden put to bed for the winter and I am already sketching out new ideas and making plans.  I drive my husband crazy with this.



The other part of fall that I absolutely love is Thanks Giving.  Also a big part of the harvest is of course using all those great fruits of your labour to make a great meal.  Then of course Thanks Giving gives way to Christmas.  To me both of these holidays are about family and friends.  



So, I say bring on fall.  Bring on fall with all her splendour, colour and change.  After all, nothing stays the same and nothing says change more than fall.

What is your favourite memory, tradition or part of fall?