Published in Caledon Living, Winter 2007:
   Delicious food, fine drink and a beautiful stone house to enjoy them in are elements of the Canadian lifestyle to some fortunate Caledon residents. The rest of us can introduce as much of them as we can to our lives. The books below can help us appreciate local wines, meals, heritage properties and good old Canadian artifacts.

A Heritage of Stone
By Nina Perkins Chapple
     This exploration of stone buildings from the 19^th century in southwestern Ontario will make you yearn to go for a drive. Guelph, Fergus, Elora, Waterloo, Cambridge and other towns are featured; readers could name others that are worthy of a book of their own.
     Is there a building material more beautiful for a house than fieldstone? The examples photographed reveal the buildings’ great endurance and classic charm. Large or small, they’re worth preserving or restoring. Gorgeous on their own, they are enhanced by any kind of garden.
     Victorian architecture is alive and well in these Ontario towns!
James Lorimer & Co., $34.95

The Oxford Companion to Food
By Alan Davidson
The Oxford Companion to Wine
By Jancis Robinson
     Two huge reference books, each is a specialized encyclopedia on a vast subject area. The food book makes an excellent authority for almost any question regarding all the things we eat. Entries go from aardvark, said to taste like pork, to zuppa inglese, which is a dessert, not “English soup” as it would seem.
     The wine book provides information on the history and geography of wine, the cultivation of vines and grapes, and everything to do with wine making, storing, tasting and drinking. An extensive entry on Canada describes our industry, history, climate and wine laws, and reveals that “more than 50 different varieties of wine grapes are grown in Ontario, where the rich ethnic mix of grape growers is reflected in an unusually broad range…”
     Earlier editions of both books have won several prestigious awards, including the James Beard Foundation book award. Both would be impressive additions to a serious kitchen library.
Oxford University Press, 2006, US $65.00

The Maple Leaf Forever: A Celebration of Canadian Symbols
By Donna & Nigel Hutchins
     This oversized coffee table book is a glorious collection of images of beavers, Mounties, maple leaves and Canadian memorabilia. The three most-used symbols of Canada, the maple leaf, the beaver and the Mountie, have a long history. In 1834 the St. Jean Baptiste Society adopted the symbol of the maple leaf. Canada’s first coins, minted in 1876, depicted the maple leaf on all denominations.
     Adorning everything from washboards to pocket knives, these symbols continue their popularity today, on beer cans, clothing and in such TV shows as Due South. They appear on lovely wooden antique objects and furniture, toys from the 1950s and kitschy souvenirs. Browsing this volume is a walk down memory lane, as you may recognize items that you still possess or now wish you had kept. The impressive photography was done by Matthew Beverly.
Boston Mills Press, $59.95

By Gloria Hildebrandt