Flavourful Saskatoon, November 7, 2011

Foodie news and events in and around Saskatoon – fresh veggies, freezer jam, Last Mountain vodka, crackers and metal

Fresh Veggies, Wednesdays, Saskatoon Farmers’ Market
I had an email this week from Jennifer and Adi at Kaleidoscope Vegetable Gardens asking me to encourage readers to visit the Wednesday Saskatoon Farmers’ Market and pick up some fresh produce.

Grandora Gardens offers peppers, cucumbers, lettuce and tomatoes. Wally’s Market Garden has arugula, carrots and potatoes. Floating Gardens has everything from strawberries and melons to fresh basil and eggplants, while Kaleidoscope Vegetable Gardens has spinach, kale, bok choy, tatsoi, and mâche.

Kaleidoscope Vegetable Gardens is a first-time Market vendor, and they are only at the Market on Wednesdays. They minimize the use of fossil fuels in their sub-acre urban market garden by using tunnels, row covers and other passive, natural methods of season extension.

I had never heard of tatsoi so I asked for more information. Jennifer and Adi tell me that it is a cold-hardy variant of bok choy. It has a much stronger mustard flavour than regular bok choy, and it maintains its texture better in stir fries. It's also more insect-resistant than bok choy.

Kaleidoscope Gardens’ tatsoi is field grown and won't last beyond mid-November, but Floating Gardens will have some greenhouse-grown tatsoi later in the winter. Seed is available from Johnny's Selected Seeds (photo credit).

Freezer Jam Workshop, November 10
Core Neighbourhood Youth Coop (CNYC) is hosting a short interactive tutorial on creating freezer jam on Thursday, November 10 from 7-8:30 pm at CNYC, 905 20th Street East. Register by November 9 via Facebook or by calling 665-3889. (via Transition Saskatoon - thanks!)

Souleio, Holiday Open House, November 17
Souleio is holding an open house on Thursday, November 17 from 2-5 pm with complimentary canapés, egg nog, cider or bubbly for you to enjoy while shopping for holiday candies and gifts.

Last Mountain Distillery
Last Mountain Distillery in Lumsden is Saskatchewan’s first micro distillery. Their vodka is triple distilled in small batches and then filtered. They have plans to start producing rum and whiskey.

The vodka is available in Saskatoon at the Fox and Hounds Brew Pub, Maguire’s Irish Pub and Brewery, and 6Twelve (coming soon).

Check out this short video on Global Regina.

Paddock Wood Brewery
Winter ale is now available at Paddock Wood Brewery.

Crackers
For the last couple of years, my favourite cracker has been Sesmark's Savory Rice Thins – thin and crispy with a distinctive flavour that doesn’t compete with the cheese toppings.

I may have found another favourite cracker – 34° Crispbread. The crackers are wafer thin and beautifully shaped (see photo).

Both sorts of crackers are available at the Bulk Cheese Warehouse on Broadway Avenue.

Two Shows, Two Days, Two Locations
Don’t miss the metal, ceramic, print handicraft exhibits on Friday, November 11 from 1-9 pm and on Saturday, November 12 from 10 am – 5 pm.

The 330 Design Group Fall Open House (330 Avenue G South) features the work of metal artists Craig Campbell, Glen Grismer, James S. Korpan and Daryl Richardson, ceramic artists Paula Cooley and Ken Wilkinson, and print maker Paul Daniel Siemens.

Hot Stuff (233 Avenue C South) is an exhibit of works in metal and clay by the Sisters of Fire, Nancy Bellegarde, Jacqueline Hunks, Shelley Kaszefski, Jasmine Orr, Vivian Orr, and ceramic artists Teresa Gagne and John Elder. (via Vivian - thanks!)

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 October 31, 2011

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