Wanderlust and Words

Developing value-added food products When I talk to local food producers, many of them mention using the services of the Food Centre on the university campus for the initial development of their product. I was curious, so I contacted the Centre and Carmen Ly, the Communications Director, was kind enough to outline their services and give me a tour of the facility (complete with hair net, white coat and disposable slippers!). Getting started There’s a huge gap between making a great food product in your kitchen at home and starting to sell it commercially. The Saskatchewan Food Industry Development Centre was established in 1998 as a partnership between the Ministry of Agriculture, the Saskatchewan Food Processors Association and the University of Saskatchewan to provide one-stop, full-service assistance to food producers. The Food Centre provides assistance in three key areas: product development, manufacturing and processing, and food safety. Since it opened, the Centre has help

A relaxed atmosphere and comfort food that feels like an indulgence The sun streams through the large front window, and there are white cloths and fresh flowers on the tables. The menu tempts me with poached eggs over asparagus or French toast with caramelized apples and pears. Poached Breakfast Bistro at 259 Second Avenue South is an oasis of tranquillity and luxury in an otherwise workaday world. “I’ve had some wonderful breakfasts when I was travelling,” explains Poached’s operator/owner, Chad Venne. “I wanted to create a relaxed atmosphere where people can enjoy comfort food that feels like an indulgence.” Poached by day and Flint by night The restaurant at 259 Second Avenue South has a split personality. Flint Saloon opened four years ago and offers a wide-ranging drinks menu, cheese and charcuterie plates. It is open from 4 pm to 2 am daily. Poached Breakfast Bistro opened in July of 2010. It’s open from 8 am to 2 pm from Wednesday to Sunday. Chad and Mark Gabruch, th

Foodie news and events in and around Saskatoon – recipes, plants, cider, quinoa and barbecues Staying in touch I’m attempting to stay on top of the Saskatoon food scene by following businesses on their blogs, Facebook, and/or Twitter. Sweetsugarbean has a lovely blog full of recipes. I particularly appreciate this Saskatoon chef's sweet tooth. Be sure to check out the recipes for Pains au Chocolat and her Red Velvet Cupcakes with Dark Chocolate Ganache and Raspberry Cream Cheese Icing (with beets so this counts as eating your vegetables!). If you’re a gardener, you’ll love Mistik Acres’ blog with stories of harvesting pussy willows and tips for growing leeks and chyrsanthemums . The owners of Sushiro , just off Broadway, are renovating a nearby restaurant (I believe it’s Weczeria’s, which is moving to a bigger location right on Broadway) and turning it into a wine and tapas bar. You can follow their progress, including the making of limoncello, here . If you are fol

a Saskatchewan apple orchard: collaborating with family, community and university researchers Retirement and a new career Retirement has been the start of a new and demanding adventure for Mike and Anne Noel. “We used to work 8 to 10 hours a days – now it’s 15,” says Mike, owner of Petrofka Bridge Orchard. His wife Anne smiles quietly and says, “Mike does it for love of the trees. I do it for love of Mike.” Mike was a financial planner for many years. As he and Anne looked ahead to retirement, they purchased 50 acres of riverfront land overlooking Petrofka Bridge for their retirement home. They had no thoughts of starting a business, but Mike has always loved trees, so he was interested when his neighbour started planting apple trees. “I used to go out on the property and trim the poplar trees. I might as well prune apple trees as old trees in the bush,” he decided. Petrofka Bridge Orchard was on its way. Grower-managed test orchards Mike’s neighbour put him in touch with Rick

Foodie news and events in and around Saskatoon – from collard greens and hot cross buns to environmental films about coffee and bees Spring Greens I picked up fresh chard and collard greens from Goodlife Greenhouses at the Saskatoon Farmers’ Market on Saturday. (They had fresh basil, radishes and lettuce as well.) Collard greens are members of the cabbage family and a close relative of kale. They have a long, proud history as both the Greeks and the Romans cultivated and ate collard greens. Collard greens are also very popular in the southern United States. Hot Cross Buns Every spring, I look forward to hot cross buns – it must be part of my British heritage. I was afraid I’d miss out on them this year as I’ll be in Spain in April. However, they are already available! ( photo credit and recipe ) Earthbound Bakery on 8th Street is currently selling hot cross buns on Fridays and Saturdays. In April, they will be available from Tuesday to Saturday. All the ingredients – from th

Quality Coffee: linking fair trade producers and consumers Collective Coffee on 20th Street in Saskatoon serves various brands of high-quality coffee, including Level Ground Trading’s fair trade espresso, which has received a 90-point score from Coffee Review . Josh Del Sol, Roastmaster and Quality Control for Level Ground recently visited Collective Coffee, and I had the opportunity to talk with him and participate in a cupping (coffee tasting) that he organized. Level Ground Trading Level Ground Trading was established in 1997 by four Canadian families who wanted to establish direct relationships with groups of small-scale farmers in developing countries and help them benefit socially, environmentally and economically from the trade relationship while at the same time offering consumers ethical choices. Level Ground’s initial conversations were with a group of small-scale coffee farmers in Colombia who wanted to send their children to school. Level Ground began importing their

Foodie news and events in and around Saskatoon – vegetarian banquets, locally-roasted coffee and québecois beer Museo Roasters Jimmy, the owner of Museo Coffee at the Mendel Art Gallery, has started roasting coffee. If you’re interested in coffee, you’ll enjoy reading his blog. I found the article about coffee pricing particularly informative. Locally Grown Saskatchewan Agriculture, in partnership with the Nokomis Agricultural Society Inc., is presenting a one-day workshop to help producers respond to the demand for locally-grown food . The workshop will be held on Thursday, March 24 , at the Watrous Curling Rink . Topics will include: Food Centre Programs and Resources, Developing an Entrepreneurial Skill Set, Financing and Farmers’ Markets. Pre-register before March 21 by calling (306) 946-3220. A more detailed agenda is available on Amy Jo Ehman’s blog, Home for Dinner . St. Patrick’s Day Boffins Club at Innovation Place will be celebrating St. Patrick’s Day on Thursday,

Foodie news and events in and around Saskatoon – a carrotmob, lettuce, seeds and scotch Mob with a Cause – Moka Coffee Bar Carrotmob presents Save the Planet . . . Have a Coffee. Join your local “mob with a cause” on Saturday, March 12 from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm as we swarm Moka Coffee Bar at 411-E Herold Court in Saskatoon. 20% of Moka’s daily revenue will go towards environmentally friendly upgrades. (via DE – thanks!) Local Lettuce and Cucumbers I was thrilled to be able to purchase local lettuce and cucumbers from Grandora Gardens at the Saskatoon Farmers’ Market on Saturday. It may be bitterly cold, but spring is obviously just around the corner. Grandora Gardens also sells a wide variety of hot chile peppers. Scotch Tasting Souleio will be holding a Scotch tasting with wine educator Drayton Eldon Thomson on Saturday, March 19. The tasting will be accompanied by a selection of amuse bouches – from salad to dessert. Tickets are $50 if purchased before March 15. After that d

Bringing a little bit of Saskatchewan to the rest of the country Three farmers and a scientist Colin, Dan and Ron are second and third-generation farmers near Midale in southeast Saskatchewan. They are innovative, entrepreneurial farmers who view farming as a way of life, not simply a job, so they are always looking for new approaches. They heard mention of camelina seed, an ancient oil seed that used to be grown extensively in Europe. Camelina oil faded from view as it was replaced by other culinary oils, and its high levels of unsaturated fat worked against it as it could not be made into margarine. In recent years, camelina sativa has been reintroduced as a biofuel because it is cheap and easy to grow. It’s drought resistant and cold tolerant. It can be planted in the spring or in the fall, and it has a short growing season so it will be ready to harvest in September even if we have a late spring. It doesn’t require pesticides or herbicides. Culinary oil Colin approached Ken Gre