My One of a Kind Finds

A couple of weeks ago I posted about the One of a Kind Show here in Toronto and I was lucky enought to get the opportunity to walk through the show before I went paintballing one day (I know, its a very odd combination). There was an overwhelming array of fantastic booths full of great works by artisans from all over, like these vibrant pieces by Edward Chan. Although I intended to pick up some Christmas gifts, I ended up treating myself to a few warm winter indulgences that wouldn’t break the bank.

There is something about the glowing flicker of a candle that makes these cold winter nights somewhat bearable, so its no wonder that I beelined over to the Pheylonian Beeswax Candles display. Pure beeswax candles are the cleanest burning candles, and are non-toxic, non-allergenic and non-carcinogenic, plus they are super yummy and create a great glowing ambiance. I picked up some small votives (3 for $12) and used them in my holiday decorating this year, but I’m looking forward to using these beauties all winter. Be sure to check out their original hand-carved and custom dripped Christmas Tree candle!

While walking about, we came across this fantastic booth that had us hooked by that candy cane, literally. These strapping young lads are the guys behind Pook, a company that makes these incredibly fun, fashionable and unique winter toques, scarves and mittens using traditional Canadian wool work socks. These creative hats can be morphed into dozens of different styles and are a real conversation starter.

…but apparently Shadow was a big fan of them as well.

She may be cute and give the most wounded puppy dog eyes, but don’t be fooled – she is a destructive monster. A lovable monster, but a monster no less. (I scolded her post photo op, but I think it was in vain). So if you are looking for a great gift to give someone this winter, head on over to Pook to see their entire amusing collection, but just be sure to keep them away from dobermans.

After sampling about every booth in the food area, we came across the award-winning jams and jellies of Henderson Farms from Wolfe Island. I’m not one to usually go on about condiments, but these were just too amazing to pass up. There was a smorgasbord of traditional flavours and then some with an interesting twists, like Cranberry Jalapeno jelly (which is out of this world with some cream cheese on a cracker) and Wild Dandelion jelly. I ended up picking up a few of their small jars (110ml, $5 each), which make store-bought jams look like a snooze-fest. And one did I discover from my taste test?

Their Wild Blueberry jam is fantastic! I had to open it right away and ended up having it on toast three days in a row. Couldn’t help myself. I’m really looking forward to trying their recipe for Blueberry Maple Cake using some maple syrup I picked up last time I was in Kingston.

Speaking of all things mapley, I had to see how they would take on our national liquid gold. This Maple Syrup jelly is a four time first place winner at the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair, and is out-of-this world on just about anything. It would be fantastic over ham or salmon as a glaze, or tossed in a fruit salad to change things up. I’m so excited to try this in some new recipes, and of course on some toast too. Yum!

I hope that you get the chance to enjoy some of these products as much as I have. If you didn’t get a chance to catch the One of a Kind Show this year, be sure to catch the Spring Show on March 31 to April 4, 2010.