Wanderlust and Words

Abkhazi Garden is small but oh, so lovely! And filled to overflowing with flowers of every shape, size, and colour. What a delight!

  Local Happenings  Bottles of Sentinel Bottleworks ’ cider portray images of Saskatchewan’s endangered species and they’re donating $1/litre sold to Nature Saskatchewan, which works with landowners to protect critical habitat of endangered species. Sentinel Bottleworks raised over $1,000 between June 1 and July 15. You can find their cider on tap at various local restaurants. It’s on sale at Sobeys, Metro, SLGA, and soon at Co-op liquor stores. Faith Bohn has started a stuffed cookie business that she hopes will provide employment for people like her sons with Down syndrome . Alberta Flavour is helping large institutions increase their purchases of local food as well as filling some of the gaps between farmer and purchaser. Quebec is forging its own cheese identity. Here are just a few Quebec cheeses . Food for Thought  An apple a day keeps the doctor away by promoting healthy intestinal bacteria. And organic apples are best of all as they harbour a more balanced a

Galiano Island is the Gulf Island closest to Vancouver. It’s small, not as touristy and developed as Salt Spring, and with many, many inlets and coves as it’s long and skinny. I spent 3 days on the island with my sister, Clare. We admired the sandstone at Sturdies Bay and the arbutus attracted my attention at Retreat Cove. We carefully left our treasures behind after a happy afternoon spying on the crabs in the tidal pools near Pebble Beach. We visited 5 artists’ home studios. I enjoyed the pottery by Sandra Dolph , but my absolute favorite was Marcia deVicque’s studio . The glasswork was lovely and her wild, tangled, forest garden was a feast for the senses.

Local Happenings  Vegan Comfort will be dishing up waffles, quiche, scones, tacos, and more at the Saskatoon Farmers’ Market from 9 am-2 pm , July 27 . Grandora Gardens is selling salsa kits with all the peppers and tomatoes needed to make 6-8 pints of salsa for $17.50. They also have canning tomatoes - $30 for 20 lbs. Be sure to pre-order. Beppi’s Gelato is now selling gelato sandwiches and cakes. Plus they have a whole bunch of new flavours – cinnamon, crème fraîche, rose water, tiramisu, pina colada sorbetto, pomegranate sorbetto, apricot gelato. Food for Thought  Crystallised honey is quality honey. “Honey crystallises with age, becoming granular as the glucose molecules separate from the water. This can take anywhere from two hours to two years . . . . if honey does not begin to granulate after a long time and remains clear, it’s an indication of dilution or additives.” “ The secret museum in every city is a grocery store. It’s where you can grab and squeeze a

Local Happenings  I’ve been travelling recently and have particularly enjoyed sampling flights of  3 different wines and pairing them with different courses. I highly recommend Homestead Bar à Vin in Regina. The food was great and the owner has an amazing selection of natural, limited distribution wines. My absolute favorite was a rosé from TH Wines in Summerland, which paired perfectly with a strawberry salad. They have a wine club so you can sample 4 of their wines every 2 months without leaving your own home. It’s not cheap, but having tried 2 of their wines I would highly recommend it. In Vancouver, check out Salt in Blood Alley for a great selection of cheese and wine (look closely as they have no sign at present). organic beets from Our Farm Food for Thought  A British supermarket chain plans to use unsold bread to make olive crostini and bread pudding. “ Bread is the second most wasted food in the home , with an estimated 1m loaves thrown away each day. It is al

What do you do if you’re ready for a career change? If you’re Paola Chiste, who grew up in an Italian family and has a passion for all things Italian, you start making and selling gelato. Beppi’s Gelato opened on May 28, 2019, just off Broadway, and is already a go-to destination. The store is named after Paola’s grandfather. “He was wonderful,” Paola says, “placid, kind, wise despite a lack of education, a hard worker, and he loved sweets.” What is Gelato?  Gelato is served at a warmer temperature (12°) than ice cream. Whereas ice cream relies on sugar to bring out the flavour, that’s not necessary with gelato as the flavours are stronger at a higher temperature. It’s also more malleable, so it’s served with a spatula. The ingredients tend to be more natural in gelato, and it’s much denser than ice cream. Cheap ice cream will contain as much air as ice cream, whereas there is only 18-20% air in gelato. Gelato cones are long and narrow. Flavours  One of Paola’s fa

Local Happenings   Our Farm has a stunning selection of organic vegetables as you can see in the photographs. You’ll find them at their stand on Broadway Avenue every Saturday morning. Little Quail Ridge Orchards will have peaches at the Saskatoon Farmers’ Market this coming weekend, July 13-14. Nest Saskatoon is hosting a self-guided tour of nine Saskatoon gardens from 1-5 pm , July 28 . Proceeds from the Secret Garden Tour will support refugee settlement. Food for Thought  Canadians throw away 4.3 million disposable coffee cups every single day. But coffee production is an even bigger problem. Annabel Townsend, who owns a Regina coffee bar, says , “As a business owner, I need to make sure the farmer gets a fair share of the price I pay for raw beans, so they can afford to farm more sustainably. I should encourage my customers to be prepared to pay higher prices for higher quality. Coffee is one of life's small luxuries from a fragile crop, grown with great ski

Starting a new food business is tough. How do you let the public know you exist? How do you stand out in a crowded marketplace? How do you maintain quality and standards? Sanjay Joshi and his partners at Wow Pizza seem to have worked it out. Their unique products, innovative marketing, and systemic approach strike me as a recipe for success. Unique Products  Wow Pizza’s menu is designed to stand out from the competition. They have innovative products that you won’t find anywhere else. Mac n Cheese pizza is the ultimate comfort food combining rich, creamy cheese pasta and sauce with a crispy crust. Butter Paneer pizza is for those days when you crave something a little bit different. The crust is topped with a plentiful helping of mild curry sauce, marinated paneer (small cubes of fresh cheese), jalapeño peppers, tomato, green pepper, and onions sprinkled with mozzarella cheese. There is a pleasant curry flavour that doesn’t overpower the other ingredients. Mac n Cheese p

Local Happenings Our Farm has confirmed they will be on Broadway Avenue starting Saturday, July 6 . Here is an interesting article about Edmonton farmers' markets with many applications to Saskatoon - indoor/outdoor, one day/multi-day, farmers' market/public market, municipal support/no support - and the impact these decisions have on the vendors. The Halifax Mobile Food Market uses a bus to take fresh, affordable food to neighbourhoods with limited access to healthy food. CHEP Fresh Food Markets provide a similar service, setting up weekly markets in various locations around Saskatoon. What interested me about the Halifax market is that it has evolved into a community gathering space with free wifi and library services. Newcomer families have volunteered with the service developing friendships and Canadian experience to put on their resumes. I’ve been fuelling my obsession for tea for many years now by ordering online from Camellia Sinensis in Montreal. I like t