Flavourful Saskatoon July 18, 2011

Foodie news and events in and around Saskatoon – food in jars, food in trucks, and food in the park, plus a couple of cups of tea

Taste of Saskatchewan
Taste of Saskatchewan runs from July 19 to 24 in Kiwanis Park. I am disappointed that there isn’t a greater emphasis on local food/restaurants or more vegetarian options. However, there are some good choices.

You can get a great coffee (cappuccino, iced latte, espresso gelato floats, etc.) from Caffe Sola.

Cava Caffe is serving Italian sausage on focaccia from Good Spirit Bakery, grilled herbed polenta with Tuscan ragu of fresh market vegetables, and corn on the cob.

E.E. Burrito’s has bean and cheese pupusas and chorizo on a bun.

There’s ice cream from Homestead Ice Cream and Jerry’s Food Emporium.

Rembrandt’s Fine Dining and Royal Thai will both be serving vegetarian options.

Food in Jars
The Lethbridge Veg recommended the Food in Jars blog as a great resource for small batch canning and preserving recipes. Food in Jars has an eclectic collection of recipes – from peach oolong jelly, to cherry bounce, to sour cherry jam and roasted tomatillo salsa.

Edmonton’s Food Truck Extravaganza
Food trucks are all the rage in cities like Vancouver, San Francisco and New York. They seem to offer innovative food and a chance for a small business to get off the ground without the huge expense of leasing restaurant space.

Sharon Yeo (Only Here for the Food) and her husband were inspired by a Food Truck Festival they had attended in San Francisco, so they organized one in Edmonton. What the Truck?! was billed as a celebration of Edmonton’s food trucks, combining street food with pedestrianism and downtown vibrancy.

I believe that all the food trucks were locally owned, many of the offerings were creative and unusual, and at least one was offering farm-fresh food. Unfortunately, there were limited vegetarian offerings.

Banff Tea Co.
If you’re in Banff, be sure to check out the Banff Tea Co. The company donates 25% of its profits to charity and has a fantastic line-up of 180 different teas.

I am a tea snob and very picky, but I’ve already identified several favourites. The organic Earl Grey is excellent, while the Banff Earl Grey Snowflake is a milder blend combining Earl Grey and organic jasmine green teas with a hint of rose. My sister in law enjoys their Spicy Chai.

The store carries the Kusmi line of teas, which originated in Russia in 1867. The Almond Kusmi is green tea with a delicious almond aroma. (with thanks to Andrew and Shelley)

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 July 11, 2011
     EcoSask News July 12, 2011
     Petrofka Bridge Orchard

Photographs
     National Ceramics Museum, Valencia, Spain

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