I have always loved cornbread and cornmeal muffins. When my boyfriend Greg tasted my cornbread warmed with butter, he said it would be even better with maple syrup drizzled over it. It was one of the most delicious things I have ever tasted, so I promptly put it on the breakfast menu!

Good Food Co. Cornbread

1 ½ cups cornmeal — I prefer coarser for a more rustic texture

1 ½ cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 ½ teaspoons baking powder

1 ½ teaspoons salt

½ cup salted butter, melted

4 eggs

¼ cup maple syrup

½ teaspoon maple extract

2 ½ cups buttermilk (can substitute sour cream or yogurt — thinned with milk)

Serve cut into wedges or squares, warmed with butter and drizzled with Lanark County maple syrup!

They are also good as muffins, but bake at 350°F to avoid drying out. Once baked, this recipe freezes well.

What’s Petra Up to Now?

Through 28 years of operating a small restaurant, my staff and I collected scraps from food preparation and leftovers scraped from plates into bins that were hauled by my father-in-law out to his rural property to feed the animals. Diverting organics from landfills is one of the most impactful local environmental changes that each citizen can make. And more directly observing the amount of food waste each of us produces in our homes — and public institutions and community centres and businesses — helps us to adjust our buying habits and waste less food at the front end, which is better for our local environment and our budgets. Just Good Compost justgoodcompost.com makes it easy for each of us to make a small change that has a big impact. I’m proud to be a member of our local Organics Bucket Brigade!