Wanderlust and Words

Local Happenings  Sandra Walker, author of The Path to Wild Food: Edible Plants and Recipes for Canada , will be hosting a workshop at The Garden Patch from 5:30-7 pm , June 12 . She’ll be sharing how to find and ways to eat native Saskatchewan plants. Community Farmers Markets of Saskatoon will be in place starting June 18 . They’re at London Drugs parking lot on 8th Street on Tuesdays and Fridays and at Peavey Mart parking lot on 51st Street on Thursdays . All markets are 9 am-4 pm . I’m looking forward to seeing Victor Cicansky’s current art exhibits in Regina – The Gardener’s Universe, a retrospective at the Mackenzie Art Gallery, and Sexing the Garden at Slate Gallery. His pottery vegetables look good enough to eat! Food for Thought  For a vacation with a difference, check out the Canadian Fair Trade Network’s upcoming trip to Honduras , Nov. 9-17 . Explore fair trade at its source: coffee and cocoa farms. Learn about agriculture, development, export, a...

Shopping  River Layne Chocolate Couture recently opened a storefront at #39 – 1736 Quebec Avenue. The individual chocolates and bars are works of art and taste delicious too! (photo credit: River Layne) The Saskatoon Co-op Liquor Store on 8th Street has a wide range of wine, both Canadian and international. I was thrilled to find a large assortment of Parés Baltà organic, biodynamic wines made by women winemakers. I was treated like royalty when I visited their vineyard near Barcelona several years ago. NatureCity Festival  May 21-26 is the 7th annual NatureCity Festival with over 60 events organized by 50 different organizations – what an achievement! Here are a couple of food-based events. I’ve listed a number of other interesting events on EcoFriendly Sask . See you at the Festival! The Path to Wild Food – 1-2:30 pm, May 24  Look for edible wild plants, from licorice to sarsaparilla, with Sandra Walker, an ethnobotanist. NatureCity Beer Release...

Happy New Year! There’s no shortage of new ideas in this week’s edition of Flavourful Saskatoon .  For Sale – Grandora Gardens Greenhouse  Grandora Gardens has been a key member of the Saskatoon Farmers’ Market for many years, and Pat and Fred have played an invaluable role in mentoring and supporting novice farmers. Pat and Fred will be sorely missed, but we wish you all the best in the next stage of your lives. Let’s hope someone buys the greenhouses and continues to produce wonderful tomatoes, peppers, and cucumbers!   Picaro & Cohen's Picaro has moved to a new location around the corner from its old location – just off 20th Street on Avenue A. In their old location, you’ll find Cohen’s Beer Republic with over 70 different varieties of beer and an international assortment of whisky. Soup of the Week Club  Here’s an interesting idea from Sarah Galvin of Swift Current. Every Tuesday, she’ll post the two soups and a bread she is making. Sign up if ...

G & T Night, Aug. 22  Black Fox Farm & Distillery is hosting G & T Nights . The next one is from 6:30-8:30 pm , Aug. 22, with music in the flower fields, gin & tonic, and a new drink they’ve concocted in collaboration with Living Sky Winery. Global Pop-Up Restaurant, Aug. 25 Global Pot Fusion Cuisine is hosting a pop-up restaurant at the Saskatoon Farmers’ Market from 11 am-3 pm , Aug. 25. Vegetarian Fall Supper, Sept. 30  Slow Food Saskatoon is planning a 100% vegetarian and vegan-friendly harvest supper at Black Fox Distillery from 5:30-8:30 pm , Sept. 30. Come out and show your support for food that is good, clean, fair, AND vegetarian! Garden Patch Workshops  The Saskatoon Food Bank and Learning Centre’s Garden Patch is offering several interesting workshops: Storing Veggies , Aug. 22, 6 pm Canning Pickles , Aug. 29, 5 pm Regrow from Scraps , Sept. 8, 3 pm Canning Salsa , Sept. 12, 5 pm September is a really busy month at the Garde...

I’m looking forward to the upcoming NatureCity Festival sponsored by Wild About Saskatoon from May 22-27. There will be  over 50 events hosted by over 40 different organizations. Quite a few of the events focus on the connections between food and nature plus a number of local restaurants are offering a “taste of nature.” Events  Plant the Saskatoon Seed Library – May 23, 7-8:30 pm (heirloom seed planting, saving, and sharing) Grow Where You’ve Never Grown Before – May 24, 12-1 pm (The askiy project engages both Indigenous and non-Indigenous youth in urban agriculture) All About Honey Bees, Urban Beekeeping, Pollination – May 24, 4:30-6 pm (Join Jeff Boone, urban beekeeper, and take a peek at a display hive) The Story of Soil: How Soil Biology Supports Life on Earth – May 24, 6-7:30 pm (Join Saskatoon Compost Coaches at the Garden Patch to find out what’s going on under the surface of the soil) Acres to Ales – May 24, 7:30-8:30 pm (Taste 9 Mile Legacy Brewin...

Orofino Wines, May 30  Sample a selection of Orofino’s wines with winemaker John Weber from 7-9 pm , May 30, at Co-op Wine Spirits Beer. Sukh in the melon patch Little Quail Ridge Orchards  Sarah Galvin, a vendor at the Swift Current & District Farmers’ Market visited Dhillon and Sukh from Little Quail Ridge Orchards in the Okanagan. Little Quail bring their fruit to both the Saskatoon and Swift Current markets. Sarah writes a regular column on food and agriculture for The Western Producer . (photos of Sukh and unripe cherries are by Sarah Galvin) Soon (but not soon enough!) we'll have fresh ripe cherries at the farmers' market Square Cup Café & Prairie Pie Company  Maduro Coffee is now selling coffee by the cup at the Saskatoon Farmers’ Market Square Cup Café. The Prairie Pie Company has switched to selling only frozen products – but that includes Mary’s full line of single-serving pies and 3 kinds of soup. Kombucha & Honey...

Post-Valentine’s Fair Trade Bash, Feb. 16  Fair Trade Saskatoon is hosting a Post-Valentine’s Bash from 8-11 pm , Feb. 16, at The Refinery. There will be fair trade wine, snacks from Chef Jenni, and music from Vesti Hanson and The Vexations Unplugged. Entrance is free, but a donation of $20 would be appreciated. Griffin Takeaway Moves to City Park  The Griffin Takeaway is moving! Effective Feb. 5 , they’ll be located at 741 – 7th Avenue North. Chef de Partie @ Le Relais  Heather Bekar-Schulte, Chef de Partie , is now caterer in residence for Le Relais, Fédération des Francophones. Waste-Free Shopping  Bulk Basket , 111-2301 Avenue C North, invites people to bring their own containers and focuses on locally sourced food. They carry everything from fresh fruit and juices to grains, lentils, and pasta. They expect to be 100% plastic-free by the end of the store’s first year. For more information on waste-free shopping, take a look at the Waste Not yxe Di...

Fruit Wine Fermentation Seminar, Apr. 27 The Saskatchewan Food Industry Development Centre is offering a day-long Fruit Wine Fermentation Seminar on Apr. 27. Edible Perennial Tour & Foraging Workshop, Apr. 30  If you live in or near Regina, Edible Landscapes is offering a tour of a permaculture garden’s edible perennials and a foraging workshop in a south Saskatchewan valley to identify edible and medicinal plants on Apr. 30. Lisa Clark, Saskatoon Food Activist  Lisa Clark is a researcher and writer. Most of her writing focuses on food politics and she recently completed a book on the organic food industry . Mariana Brito, The Backyard  Mariana Brito combines the flavours of modern Mexican cuisine with a passion for local, organic food. The Backyard served meals at Over the Hill Orchards in 2015 and is looking for a new location this summer. Mariana is a 2016 CBC Future 40 winner from Regina. BC’s Local Food Artisans If you’re planning a tr...

The kitchen on a merchant ship was called a caboose and it wasn’t very grand. It was a simple, portable shelter protecting the stove on the open deck of a ship. In Canada, the galley on a timber raft was also called a caboose. And, of course, a caboose is also a railway car. Whichever definition you choose, a caboose spells out travel and outdoor adventure, with a close link to cooking and food. It’s the perfect name for Beth Rogers' and Thayne Robstad’s catering company, Caboose Catering . A Thirst for Travel  Beth Rogers and Thayne Robstad grew up in Saskatoon and met when they were working in two Broadway restaurants. They both wanted to enhance their culinary skills, and the best way to do that was through travelling and working in restaurants across Canada. “Your learning curve skyrockets at a new restaurant,” Thayne explains. Their first stop was in Vancouver where Thayne worked in La Quercia , an Italian restaurant. “The chef had a huge influence on me,” Thayne ex...

Fresh, local spinach in November - what a treat! Cooking Class Dinners, Swift Current  Sarah Galvin will be hosting cooking class dinners emphasizing local Saskatchewan food this winter in Swift Current. Each evening is limited to 12 people, and tentative dates are Feb. 13 , Mar. 26 , Apr. 16 , and May 21 . Gift certificates will be available for Christmas giving. For more information, contact Sarah at sgalvin@shaw.ca . Sarah writes for The Western Producer , is a Swift Current & District Farmers’ Market vendor, and has a blog entitled All Our Fingers in the Pie . El Brunch Mexicano, Nov. 18  Saskatchewan Polytechnic is hosting a Mexican brunch from 11-12:30 , Nov. 18. Brunch is by reservation only; contact Maureen at 306-659-4057. Grub and Gab Wheel of Food Safety, Nov. 19  CHEP Good Food Inc.’s Collective Kitchen Partnership invites the public to join them from 6-8 pm , Nov. 19, to Play the Wheel of Food Safety . Breakfast with Santa, Dec. 6...

Nestor’s Doughnut Sale, Sept. 16-17  Treat yourself to a doughnut at Nestor’s Bakery . They’re two for the price of one Sept. 16 and 17 to celebrate the bakery's fifth anniversary. Beer Week at The Woods, Sept. 21-26  Sept. 21-26 is Beer Week at The Woods Ale House featuring Saskatchewan craft beers. Every day will feature a brewery, a beer style, or a special food-beer pairing. Winston’s First Annual Cask Festival, Sept. 25 Winston’s Pub is hosting a mini cask event on Sept. 25 featuring 5 of Saskatchewan’s craft brewers. There will be food pairings with each cask. PayDirt Farm Garlic School, Sept. 27 PayDirt Farm, Wakaw, is offering a garlic school from 1-4 pm , Sept. 27, for people who want to learn how to grow their own organic garlic. The class package will include instruction, seed garlic bulbs, organic sheep manure, and everything else you’ll need for a four-square-metre garlic plot. Mushrooms – White Raven Foraging  Text White Raven Foraging at...