Flavourful Saskatoon, August 1, 2011

Foodie news and events in and around Saskatoon – cheese, beer, oil, melons – and it’s all local

Three Farmers Camelina Oil Tasting
Drop by Souleio Foods at 265 3rd Avenue South on Saturday, August 6 to taste Three Farmers Camelina Oil. 

Camelina is an ancient seed that used to be grown extensively in Europe. It is now being grown in southeast Saskatchewan. The oil is rich in omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids as well vitamin E. It keeps well and can be used for everything from marinades to frying and baking.

Local Bounty
Saskatoon Farmers’ Market: Local chefs will be preparing local food at the Saskatoon Farmers’ Market on Sunday, August 7 from noon to 3 pm. The appetizer samples will sell for $2 each.

Prince Albert: Two events at the Forest Centre on September 9 and 10. On Friday evening, CJ Katz and Doug Reichel will be hosting a food and wine pairing. There will be a dinner on Saturday featuring the “Best of Local Cuisine.” $40 per event or $75 for both. Call 1-800-868-7470 for tickets.

Paddockwood Brewing Company
Paddockwood has just released the first in a series of 12 beers dedicated to 12 gods. It’s called Ragutienne after the Slavic goddess of beer and is available at the brewery in Sutherland.

Flint
A friend and I spent several hours catching up on each other’s news at Flint (259 2nd Avenue South) last week. The selection of cheese as well as the accompaniments (relish, chutney, etc. – many from Fruition Orchards) is outstanding. I’ve heard that their martinis are well worth sampling, but I stuck to wine.

Hot Racks Bakery
Hot Racks Bakery at #50 – 304 Stonebridge Boulevard will be opening shortly. They’re planning to use social media (Groupon, Foursquare, Smartphone apps, Facebook, Google Places, QR codes) to spread the word. I’m looking forward to visiting.

Canadian Cheese
I’m always delighted to find Canadian-made cheeses that rival the best that Europe has to offer. I’m currently enjoying Baluchon, an organic cheese from Quebec, which is mild and creamy but with a tangy nip, and Geai Blue, a blue cheese that is made in New Brunswick and aged in Quebec. Both cheeses are available from Souleio Foods.

Floating Gardens
In last week’s Flavourful Saskatoon, I described Floating Gardens’ greenhouse. Unfortunately, their website is out of date so some of the information was incorrect. This is their first season and the heating system cost more than they expected, so they are only using half their greenhouse space at present and don’t have any fish.

But it’s still fabulous! The greenhouse walls are lined with strawberries, and the plants are grown on wires so they stretch up towards the ceiling, way over my head. There are a half dozen varieties of tomatoes, three kinds of eggplant, and at least three kinds of melon. The French Charentais melon (orange flesh) is so sweet and delicious.

They plan to grow year-round so we can look forward to fresh spinach and lettuce even in the coldest months of winter. More to come in a blog profile – in the meantime, be sure to buy some of their lovely produce at the Wednesday and Saturday Farmers’ Markets.

Flavourful Saskatoon is a weekly Monday feature. Email me (penny@axonsoft.com) if you have products, events or places that you would like me to include.

See also:
Flavourful Saskatoon July 25, 2011

Comments

DMDrep said…
Hot Racks Bakery is looking forward to having you visit Penny! Very cool of you to mention us, and I know Andree has told me she is excited to meet with you. In a couple of weeks Anna will be here as well and we would love for you to chat with both of the bakers, and maybe even meet our team (Money Racks, Duck Racks, Baby Racks, Granny Racks) should all be hanging around over the next little while!

Smile!
Money Racks aka Warren
August 15, 2011 at 9:03 PM
Penny McKinlay said…
I'm looking forward to learning more about your bakery. Am more than willing to taste test your cake shots :)
August 15, 2011 at 10:13 PM
DMDrep said…
It was nice to see you the other day - we are still figuring everything out and Hot Shots are upcoming. Our new baker starts soon - but if you can give us another month to figure everything out - we would appreciate it!!
August 31, 2011 at 9:18 AM
Penny McKinlay said…
Starting up a bakery is a huge undertaking. When you come up for air and have time to talk, let me know. I wish you every success in establishing yourselves.
August 31, 2011 at 2:38 PM
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