Flavourful Saskatoon, September 29, 2014

Vietnamese Roll, Stonebridge 
I had lunch at the Vietnamese Roll restaurant (#6 – 215 Stonebridge Boulevard) last week. I love the bright, sunny décor. The vegetables were fresh and crisp and the desserts are homemade. There are lots of vegetarian options and next time I’ll choose something with tofu for a more substantial meal.

Vegetarian Harvest Dinner, Oct. 23
Great news! There will be a vegetarian harvest dinner, hosted by Vinyasa Yoga for Youth, at the Saskatoon Farmers’ Market on October 23.

Sustainable Gourmet Dinner 
Every year, the Saskatchewan Environmental Society hosts a gourmet dinner with locally-sourced foods. It’s a great way to enjoy local food prepared extremely well. Judy Montgomery has organized the dinner for the past 9 years – the first dinner for 50 people was in her own home! Judy sources all the ingredients, lines up the chefs and even contributes some of her own garden produce. Congratulations!

Lemon Trees for Prairie Windowsills
Winter is fast approaching, so I love the idea of being able to grow a lemon tree on my windowsill. M.P.M. Nair and his wife, Karen Tanino, have been developing a lemon tree that will produce fruit in low light.

“The fruit that Nair finally succeeded in breeding is called the centurion lemon. The fruit looks and smells just like any other lemon, but the plants are small enough they can fit on a windowsill. The fruit grows in clusters, almost like a bouquet of lemons. Nair said the young plant can produce as many as 30 fruits a year.”

Wine Tastings: Saskatoon Co-op 
I am fascinated by wine’s back story – where was it grown, who grew it – so I always enjoy attending wine tastings where winery representatives share their winery’s history and wines. Anthony Taylor, Gabriel Meffre, did a fantastic job of presenting his La Châsse and Laurus wines on September 27 at the Saskatoon Co-op liquor store in Blairmore.

One of my favorites was the La Châsse Cȏtes du Rhȏne Prestige White. It uses some unfamiliar grape varietals (Grenache blanc, Bourboulenc, Clairette blanche, Roussanne), but they add up to a complex, refreshing wine.

Healthy School Food 
Far too often, parents and classes raise money by selling unhealthy food – pizza lunches and chocolate bars, for example. So it’s refreshing to read about parents and schools that are taking a different approach.

Farmigo distributes produce for local farmers. They’ve introduced a school fundraising campaign. Parents pick up their groceries at the school and the school receives 10% of the proceeds.

FarmRaiser has a list of products schools can sell as a fundraiser. But you won’t find cookies and desserts. Instead, there are local fruits and vegetables, locally sourced honey, artisan breads, jam.

Flavourful Saskatoon is a weekly Monday feature. I also post regular profiles of culinary entrepreneurs, new restaurants and new food products.

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