Wanderlust and Words

Foodie news and events in and around Saskatoon – we’re ready for summer with ice cream cookies, French fries, cream soda, iced tea and much, much more Saskatoon Farmers’ Market Five Six more reasons why you should visit the Farmers’ Market. La Plaine Trail Produce I picked up spinach and lettuce on Saturday from Michael Henderson and Jordan Regier, La Plaine Trail Produce . I’ll buy sorrel next week. Michael and Jordan are still really keen on kale – they’ve started growing dinosaur kale, also known as Tuscan kale, which is reputed to be sweeter and even healthier than other varieties. They’re also growing husk cherries (ground cherry, cape gooseberry) and arugula. Living Soil Farms Steve Guenther of Living Soil Farms has great organic produce – potatoes, flax seed, lentils, and – this is new – hemp hearts (good source of protein and omega 3). (article about Living Soil Farms here ) Starting next week, he’ll be dishing up organic French fries topped with housemade ketchup ...

the road less travelled – from theatre arts and business to restaurants and vegetarian cuisine Lindsay Adams is in the second year of a three-year cooking program at SIAST and an apprentice under Chef Moe Mathieu of White Birch Catering . She loves what she is doing, but it has been a steep learning curve as she has transitioned from a university degree in business and the arts to hands-on experience in restaurant kitchens. Italy: simple food, amazingly fresh produce Lindsay grew up in Calgary and obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree from Redeemer University in Hamilton, Ontario. She majored in theatre arts with a double minor in business and creative writing. “It wasn’t a practical degree,” she says, “but it covered everything I enjoyed and I learned a lot.” After university, Lindsay lived in Italy for a year and started learning about food. She worked in a hostel in Rome where the young staff shared all the duties, from reception, to laundry, to cooking. “The owner was Italian,” ...

As we drive north from Jumilla, the vineyards stretch out to the rock faces of the surrounding hills. It’s mid- April and the fields are brown and stony with only hints of greenery on the gnarled vines pruned close to the ground. It’s a stark landscape that reminds me of my home on the Canadian prairies. The climate, the soil and the geography are harsh and demanding. They bring out the best in the people and in the wines. The vines Bodegas Juan Gil is a fourth-generation family winery that has earned a world-wide reputation for quality wine. At 700 to 850 metres in altitude, their vineyards are harvested much later (end of September to middle of October) than the vineyards at a lower altitude (and warmer temperatures) south of Jumilla. The winery has over 350 hectares of vines. 120 hectares immediately surround the physical plant, which was constructed in 2000. The rest of the land has been purchased, one parcel at a time, from neighbouring farmers. The vast majority of th...

From great recipe to great store: growing a business one step at a time Carolyne and Jodi Willoughby grew up on a farm near High River, Alberta. The house was always full of home baking. In fact, store-bought goodies were a treat because they were so unusual. Both of them loved to cook, particularly Carolyne who has a degree in Food and Marketing Management. And they had some great family recipes – their mother’s recipe for vanilla cake and their great grandmother’s recipe for chocolate cake. In 2004, Carolyne suggested that they start a cookie business in Calgary. They hit dead ends at first when they were turned down by the local farmers’ market. But a large retail space became available in Kensington, so they opened a store instead. Crave Cookies and Cupcakes was off and running. They now have four and a half locations in Calgary (one spot is tiny and doesn’t have its own kitchen) and they opened a store in Edmonton in February. And last, but certainly not least, they’ll be ...

Foodie news and events in and around Saskatoon – bees and beer, movies, handicrafts and elBulli Beer and Bratwurst Join Steve Cavan of Paddock Wood Brewing at Souleio Food’s on June 11 at 7 pm for a pairing of sweet and savoury foods with Paddock Wood beers. Tickets are $30 and are available in advance from Souleio. Every ticket entitles you to entry in a prize draw. Handmade Alternatives to Plastic Bags The Rural Crafter makes reusable produce bags in a variety of different styles, sizes and materials – from crocheted drawstring bags made from yarn to bags made out of recycled plastic grocery bags. Check out her Facebook page as she makes all sorts of other items as well – from really cool hats to reversible washable swiffers. Cava in Clavet Cava Wines are now available from Neen’s Nook (Race Trac Gas) in Clavet. Neen’s Nook carries 16 types of wine, from $15 to $25. Day of the Honey Bee – May 29 Clinton Shane Ekdahl , a Saskatoon beekeeper, initiated the Day of the...

“Terroir” is a term commonly bandied about by wine experts to refer to the relationship between a wine and the land where it originates, but what does that mean? I know that carrots grow better in some soils than others, but I really doubt whether I could taste the difference between a carrot that was grown in Regina and one that was grown in Saskatoon. I gained a much greater appreciation for terroir – the importance of soil, climate and geography – by spending 4 days in Jumilla, Spain, and visiting 6 of its wineries. History Jumilla is located in south eastern Spain. As you drive to Jumilla, either from Valencia on the eastern Mediterranean coast or Murcia in the south, you see fields full of table grapes (draped in netting to protect them from the birds) and fruit trees, particularly oranges, that flourish in a warm, moderate climate with significant rainfall. But as you get closer to Jumilla, you start climbing and, as the altitude changes, so do the crops. Almond and oliv...

On the very edge of the Jumilla’s industrial zone, tucked among fields of grapevines and almond trees, is Bodegas Viña Campanero , a tiny, artisanal winery. Winemakers, regardless of the size of their operation, are passionate about their vines and their wine. Perhaps it is because there are so many variables – the weather, the grapes, the many different choices of timing and methodology. The link between the winemaker and his wine is particularly strong at Viña Campanero where a father and son team share responsibility for every phase of the winemaking process. Viña Campanero is a family winery that was founded in 2002 by Pedro Cutillas Jimenez and his father. They produce 20,000 bottles of wine a year from grapes grown on their own property. Hands-on operation All the work is done by hand by Pedro and his father. Because they only have a small acreage, they are able to tightly control the harvest, harvesting each parcel individually when the grapes are ripe. The grapes are...

Bodegas Bleda – a fourth-generation family winery producing award-winning wines in a brand-new facility I hadn’t intended to visit Bodegas Bleda . It was out of town and I had no car. But they had recently won 7 awards in the Certamen de Calidad de los Vinos de Jumilla (awards presented to the top wines in each category by the Designation of Jumilla), so I made sure that I tried their wines at the mini wine festival in Jumilla’s central park. It’s no wonder that Bleda is winning awards, because their wines are great. I particularly enjoyed the Castillo de Jumilla White, but the rosado and the reds were lovely as well, and the Amatus (dulce or dessert wine) is a wonderful marriage of complex wine flavours with a sweet, spicy finish. The wines were being served by Pascual Tomas Solax, Jefe de Bodega, and the care and attention he paid to serving the wines indicated the deep respect he has for his winery. When he saw how interested I was in Bleda’s wines, Pascual went out of his way t...

White Birch Catering – May Fundraising Dinner The correct phone number for White Birch Catering is 881-2033 . Acadian Cuisine – Thursday, May 26, SIAST Kelsey Campus Dining Room Stacey Cornish, a Saskatoon Culinary Apprentice, will be representing her trade and her province at the 2011 Skills Canada National Competition in Quebec City in June. Skills Canada is a national, Olympic-style, multi-trade and technology competition for young students and apprentices. Stacey is hosting a fundraising dinner on Thursday, May 26 at SIAST’s Kelsey Campus Dining Room. The six-course meal will feature traditional Acadian cuisine, including tourtiere and cassoulet. Vegetarian options are available upon request. Contact White Birch Catering at 881-2033 to reserve your spot.

Foodie news and events in and around Saskatoon – cookies on a stick, hens and chicks, Acadian cuisine, Argentine wine, panini, vegetarian recipes and cooking classes Saskatoon Farmers’ Market New Vendors The Market was alive with colour and new vendors on Saturday, and we can look forward to more fresh produce and more vendors in the coming weeks. Sol’s Cookie Shop offers fancy, decorated cookies on a stick (cookie bouquets!) as well as other goodies. Super Salsas has fresh salsas and homemade corn and flour tortillas. Cathy Mumford has an attractive display of pottery – both practical and decorative. And I’ll be doing some research into sea-buckthorn products from Northern Vigor Berries . Solar Gardens has an intriguing collection of succulents – I’ve always been partial to hens and chicks. Check out their website – they offer everything from plants to wood oven pizzas to ceramic art to succulent bowl classes and specialty Christmas cooking classes. I’m all in ...