Flavourful Saskatoon, March 28, 2011

Foodie news and events in and around Saskatoon – recipes, plants, cider, quinoa and barbecues

Staying in touch
I’m attempting to stay on top of the Saskatoon food scene by following businesses on their blogs, Facebook, and/or Twitter.

Sweetsugarbean has a lovely blog full of recipes. I particularly appreciate this Saskatoon chef's sweet tooth. Be sure to check out the recipes for Pains au Chocolat and her Red Velvet Cupcakes with Dark Chocolate Ganache and Raspberry Cream Cheese Icing (with beets so this counts as eating your vegetables!).

If you’re a gardener, you’ll love Mistik Acres’ blog with stories of harvesting pussy willows and tips for growing leeks and chyrsanthemums.

The owners of Sushiro, just off Broadway, are renovating a nearby restaurant (I believe it’s Weczeria’s, which is moving to a bigger location right on Broadway) and turning it into a wine and tapas bar. You can follow their progress, including the making of limoncello, here.

If you are following Living Sky Winery on either Facebook or Twitter, you’ll know that they started selling their Three Day Dog hard cider at the Saskatoon Farmers’ Market on March 26th. Don’t worry – they have 9,000 bottles, so there are still a few left.

What’s your favourite foodie blog or Facebook/Twitter account? Let me know, and I’ll share it.

Saskatchewan-grown quinoa
I visited the Saskatchewan Made Marketplace on 8th Street recently and was excited to discover the wide range of locally-grown products that are available. Of particular interest was organic golden quinoa from the Northern Quinoa Corporation, a specialty grain and food processing company located in Kamsack, Saskatchewan.

Quinoa originated in the Andes and is an excellent source of protein (12-18%). It also provides vegetarians with a balanced, complete set of amino acids (unusual for plant proteins). It’s a good source of fibre, phosphorous, magnesium and iron.
Quinoa is becoming much more popular in North America. Unfortunately, a recent article in the New York Times reports that this has had a very negative effect on South American countries, such as Bolivia, as the local people are exporting their crop and can no longer afford to eat it. Another good reason for eating locally.

Barbecues and container planting
I’ve been writing some articles for Fine Lifestyles Saskatoon and came across several interesting new products.

Shaughnessy Gardens (280 Valley Road) sells a wide range of planters. This year they’ll be offering peas, beans and even pumpkins in a pot. They also have a large vegetable garden and plan to grow red romaine lettuce, purple cauliflower, fennel and salsify. Send them an email if you would like to receive a weekly electronic newsletter.

Jacuzzi Premium Spas and Billiards not only sells barbecues, they also sell barbecue tools and spices from Steven Raichlen, the author of Barbecue Bible.

Flavourful Saskatoon is a weekly Monday feature. Email me if you have products, events or places that you would like me to include.

See Also:
     Flavourful Saskatoon, March 21, 2011
     Mistik Acres
     Living Sky Winery

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