Flavourful Saskatoon, March 20, 2017


Food Films Night, Mar. 24
Saskatoon Food Council is screening 11 short films about food at 7 pm, Mar. 24, at Station 20 West.

Food Unites ALL of Us, Mar. 26 
Food Bloggers of Canada are hosting potluck dinners across Canada to celebrate diversity. Noelle Chorney is hosting a dinner in Saskatoon on Mar. 26. Bring a dish that represents your family and your heritage.

Co-op Liquor Tastings
Co-op Liquor has a great line-up of tasting events. There’s Italian wine on Mar. 24, Regina’s Rebellion Brewing beer on Mar. 25, Sherry on Mar. 31, Bourbon on Apr. 1, and Prairie Bee Meads on Apr. 8.

Artichokes 
Our Farm is growing and planning to sell artichokes. Artichokes are a perennial in milder climates. In Saskatoon, they have to be replanted every year and tricked into believing they’ve experienced a mild winter. Find out all the details on Our Farm’s Facebook page.

Canada’s History in Cuisine
From pemmican and tourtière to perogies, ginger beef, Yukon gold potatoes, and wild rice, this article recounts Canada’s history through its food. There were some surprises for me. Who knew that Hawkins Cheezies became a uniquely Canadian product in 1960 and that 50 years later, they’re using more or less the same recipe and the same equipment. And Pablum was invented by a group of doctors at Toronto’s Hospital for Sick Children in 1931.


Japan’s School Lunch Program
More than 10 million children eat a healthy school lunch every day in Japan. The ingredients come from local farmers or the school’s own farm and are cooked that day. In addition, the kids take turns serving the meal, cleaning up, and recycling.

Dirty Dozen - Clean Fifteen
Strawberries and spinach top the Dirty Dozen list of produce containing the most pesticides. Also on the list are nectarines, apples, peaches, celery, grapes, pears, cherries, tomatoes, sweet bell peppers, and potatoes. If possible, buy organic.

On the other hand, organic is less important if you’re purchasing from the Clean Fifteen list of produce least likely to contain pesticides: sweet corn, avocados, pineapples, cabbage, onions, frozen sweet peas, papayas, asparagus, mangoes, eggplant, honeydew melon, kiwis, cantaloupe, cauliflower, and grapefruit.

Meals on Wheels with a Difference 
A Montreal Meals on Wheels program operates its own farm, delivers by bicycle, composts, and cans its own produce. In their efforts to reduce waste, they even make meals from leftovers and operate a small store.

Chocolate
The higher the percentage of cocoa solids in your chocolate bar, the more intense the flavour. However, even if the bars list the same percentage, they may differ greatly. The amount of cocoa butter, sugar, and milk or cream also make a huge difference. “The key thing to remember is that cacao percentage is a measure of quantity, not necessarily quality.”

 Flavourful Saskatoon is a weekly Monday feature. I also post articles about food that is good, clean and fair; travel; and books. You may also enjoy EcoFriendly Sask profiling Saskatchewan environmental initiatives and events.

 You can follow Wanderlust and Words on Facebook, Twitter, or by email (top right corner).

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Flavourful Saskatoon, August 28, 2017

Image
The Next Great Food Business Public Tasting, Sept. 7 The Local Kitchen is hosting a public tasting with samples from each of the finalists in the Next Great Food Business competition. Finalists are: King’s Jerky, Kind Condiments , Smoke and Salt BBQ, Bannock Express , and Voodoo Van . Wine Tastings Guess the most expensive wine (Sept. 8), sample some Rhône wines (Sept. 22), or attend the 2017 Premier Showcase Wine Dinner (Sept. 28) sponsored by Saskatoon Co-op Wine Spirits Beer. Premier Showcase is also offering a Portugal with a Splash of California wine seminar (Sept. 29) and a Women & Whisky seminar (Sept. 30). Refresh and Renew I had a chat with Trent Loewen about his plans now that he has sold Earth Bound Bakery. He is heading east to visit chef friends in Ontario and then off to New Zealand to explore what's happening there. After 9 years with a single focus, it's time to explore new ideas. Interestingly enough, the bakery's new owner is a business
Read more

Flavourful Saskatoon, August 21, 2017

Image
Prairie Harvest Café I was sad to learn that Prairie Harvest Café has closed its doors. It’s been one of my favorite Saskatoon restaurants since day one, and I really appreciated the fact that the chefs focused on cooking with local ingredients, many supplied by the Saskatoon Farmers’ Market. All the best of luck in your new adventures. We’ll miss you. Hug a Farmer This has been a tough summer for many farmers. Prairie Sun Orchard lost their entire cherry crop to insects. Drop by their stand at the Saskatoon Farmers’ Market, tell them you care, and have an ice cream. My favorite is the chocolate cherry fudge, but Clare Pearson, the principal ice cream maker, says her new favorite is the salted caramel. Peppers If you’re like me, you assume that all small, skinny peppers are super hot and avoid them like the plague. But that’s a big mistake. Kaleidoscope Vegetable Gardens is offering two long, skinny peppers – one can be hot, but the other isn’t. Padron chile pepper
Read more

The Golden Towns of Beaujolais

Image
Heading north out of Lyon, you pass through a long tunnel and exit into a lush green countryside leaving the city far behind. You then turn and head up the hill onto winding roads between a patchwork of vineyards. Many of the vines are really old with short, thick, twisted trunks and a thin stem of green leaves and buds. These are the Gamay vines of Beaujolais, interspersed with a few fields of greener, leafier Chardonnay vines. South Beaujolais, just 45 minutes northwest of Lyon, encompasses 25 medieval villages of orangey-gold stone (limestone and iron) that is surprisingly vibrant (I had been expecting something lighter, similar to the Cotswolds in England). Some of the villages still have the remains of 14th century castles. Oingt is classed as one of the most beautiful villages of France and it really is lovely. You can take a walk around the town on the former ramparts and the church is austere and beautiful. I was on a half-day tour , which combined stopping to
Read more

Petra Market: A Mediterranean Grocery

Image
Tucked away in a strip mall on Primrose Drive (north of Lawson Heights Mall) is Petra Market, a treasure trove of food products from the Arabic countries in the Mediterranean. I’m fascinated by grocery stores full of unknown-to-me products but also a little nervous about trying things, so I was really happy when Nour Dabbour, the owner of Petra Market, showed me around and told me about the different items. Nour is trying to stock products from as many Middle Eastern countries as possible. He even stocks the same product from a number of different countries because he says that each country’s product tastes slightly different. Za’atar , a spice mix, is a prime example with packages from Lebanon, Israel, Jordan, and each one is a slightly different colour with a slightly different taste. The most popular areas of the store are the nut and treats bars with an amazing assortment of Middle Eastern candies and mildly spiced nuts. Nour gave me a variety to try and I’m real
Read more

Spelt and Millet: Ancient Grains for Today's Healthy Diet

Image
When I was growing up, whole wheat flour and rice were exotic options. Now we have a whole range of intriguing choices – buckwheat, spelt, millet, kamut – the list goes on and on. My problem is that I don’t know very much about some of these grains, so I arranged a phone call with Nicole Davis, the Owner/Manager of Daybreak Mill near Estevan. Daybreak Mill grows and processes approximately 18 different kinds of flour, whole and de-hulled grains, flakes, cereals, and legumes. They are 100% organic. “We want people to have access to healthy, wholesome food,” Nicole explains. Two of Daybreak’s products – spelt and millet – have been nourishing people around the world for over 9,000 years. Spelt Spelt was cultivated by ancient civilizations in Europe and the Middle East for thousands of years. It grows well in poor soil and doesn’t require fertilizer. It’s resistant to frost and the thick husk protects the grain from insects. However, spelt requires more processing than wheat as
Read more