Wanderlust and Words

"the juiciness of biting into fresh fruit" The Selbach family has been cultivating Riesling grapes in the Middle Mosel valley of Germany since 1600. Johannes Selbach’s great-grandfather owned a Mosel steamship and shipped his wines in oak barrels down the Mosel and the Rhine to the North Sea ports. The barrels were made by Matthias Oster, a cooper and the great-grandfather on the paternal side of the family. The family still has three businesses – the vineyard, a négociant firm supplying a broad range of high-quality Riesling wines, and a brokerage agency. Johannes Selbach and his wife Barbara are the latest members of the family to work the soil, and I spoke with Johannes when he was in Saskatoon with Doug Reichel of Fine Wines Sask . Family Heritage Johannes Selbach is the oldest of three brothers. There was an unspoken expectation that he would join the family business, but he says he was given a long leash. As he grew up, he was expected to help in the hei...

A little local flavour to get your week off to a good start – melons and pomegranates, bouncy castles and alligator filets   New Restaurants  Saskatoon has at least two new restaurants. I have not yet been to either of them, so do let me know what you think after you’ve tried them out. Curry Garden Restaurant , 2107 – 22nd Street West Mardi Gras Grill , 239 Idylwyld Drive South (including alligator filets from Louisiana) I enjoyed my quesadillas at Las Palapas on Saturday. It was strictly research - finding out more about Mexican beer before I go to Baja in September! Toonie Tuesdays  Keith Jorgensen of Fruition Orchards has initiated Toonie Tuesdays at the Saskatoon Food Bank. He hopes to make it easier for people on social assistance to access healthy food by connecting them with farmers who have an abundance of produce. Saskatoon Farmers’ Market  The Saskatoon Farmers’ Market will be open as usual from 10 am to 3 pm on Sunday, July 1 . Weather ...

Take your time – relax, talk to the vendors, lick an ice cream cone   I’m a Saturday regular at the Saskatoon Farmers’ Market , and I love it. I run from one vendor to the next, making sure that I have enough cherry tomatoes to last the week, lettuce for my budgies, a lentil pie, macarons (an essential item!) and fresh vegetables. It’s busy; it’s crowded, and I don’t linger. There’s a completely different feel to the Market on Sundays. Sure, there are less vendors, but it’s also less crowded. I had a good chat with Chris at Floating Gardens (be sure to pick up a colourful bag of edible flowers), and I met two new vendors. Kaleidoscope Vegetable Gardens  Adi and Jennifer, Kaleidoscope Vegetable Gardens , are urban farmers with six plots around Saskatoon. “We’re following the “Wally model” [ SPIN Farming ],” Adi says. When I stopped by at the beginning of June, they had lots of greens, and I was particularly intrigued by their mixed bags. I picked up the stir fry m...

A little local flavour to get your week off to a great start – Seabuckthorn Berry and Basil Cream Scones, Roasted Dandelion Root Mousse in Chocolate Shooters, and Sonome Nomine Champagne Beer  Good Food Boxes, June 20  CHEP is looking for volunteers to help them pack Good Food Boxes from 9 to noon on June 20. They’ll supply lunch. Email goodfoodbox@chep.org to sign up. sweetsugarbean – Chef’s Tasting, June 24 Renée Kohlman, aka sweetsugarbean , will be serving up samples of fabulous food at the Saskatoon Farmers’ Market on Sunday, June 24 from 11-3 or until supplies run out. With fresh ingredients from Floating Gardens, Hestia Organics, Living Soil Farms, Northern Vigor Berries, and Rusty’s Wild Rice, she’s planning to make Seabuckthorn Berry and Basil Cream Scones, Beluga Lentil Salad with Sorrel and Asparagus, Tzatziki Potato Salad, Strawberry, Ricotta and Pea Shoot Crostini, and Wild Rice Pudding with Brown Sugar Crust. I’ll be there – my mouth is already wate...

Saskatoon and Saskatchewan have some amazing culinary entrepreneurs and fabulous food products. Visit us – the food is great! Start your day off right at Poached Breakfast Bistro . It’s an oasis of tranquillity and luxury. Have lunch on the deck at Prairie Harvest Café . The food is fresh, local and delicious with lots of vegetarian and vegan options. In the afternoon, why not tour Paddock Wood Brewing Co. or LB Distillers ? I highly recommend Paddock Wood’s London Porter. And LB Distillers’ liqueurs are made from local, organic fruit. Now, if you’re ready for an afternoon snack, you have several excellent options. You can stroll down Broadway Avenue, pick up some cheese from the Bulk Cheese Warehouse or some salsa from Las Palapas Mercado , and munch on a whoopie pie from Crave Cookies and Cupcakes . Alternatively, head over to Earth Bound Bakery on 8th Street East for a coffee and croissant. All the baked goods are made with local, organic ingredients. Then head ac...

Saskatoon's First Micro Distillery “I was flying to Europe, and I read an article about micro distilleries,” says Cary Bowman, co-owner of LB Distillers. “I came back and discussed it with Michael Goldney and his wife, Lacey Crocker. They jumped on board, and we started doing research.” Setting Up Shop LB Distillers was incorporated in October 2010, and by February 2011 they had found a building. “Finding a building was tough,” explains Michael. “We produce 100% alcohol, so they treat us like an ethanol plant. We would have liked to be located downtown or by the Saskatoon Farmers’ Market, but instead we had to find a building in an industrial area.” Once the renovations were completed, they applied to the City of Saskatoon for a business license. Once they had the license, they could apply to SLGA for approval to manufacture alcohol. “SLGA was really efficient and helpful,” says Cary. “They hadn’t dealt with this before, so they had to write the policy. There was lots o...

Food news and events in and around Saskatoon – Soup on Broadway, Seabuckthorn Splash, Persian Lime Olive Oil, and Sweets in Paris  Soup on Broadway I wandered into Herbs ‘n’ Health on Broadway Avenue last week to see how their expansion was progressing. They’ve added a small kitchen and a lunch counter beside the window. You can order soup, salads and fresh muffins six days a week, either to eat in or take out. Borscht and quinoa salad were on offer when I was there, and the muffins looked like they had just come out of the oven. Speaking of soup, Herbs ‘n’ Health is selling frozen vegetarian soups from That Guy’s Soup . I first ran into these soups at a farmers’ market in Vancouver, and I’m delighted to see that at least some of them are now available in Saskatoon. A Taste of Mexico is chipotle corn chowder, while A Taste of India is golden curried lentil. Quench Your Thirst Northern Vigor Berries , who are at the Saskatoon Farmers’ Market on Saturdays, Sundays and Wed...

Shopping at a farmers’ market is fun. The stands are heaped with lettuce and carrots and tomatoes. Maybe you’re really lucky, and there is fresh asparagus or garden-ripe strawberries. But it’s not always easy to get to the market. Perhaps you don’t have a car, and you can’t imagine toting everything home on the bus. Or you have kids and spend weekends dashing from soccer games to music lessons. Maybe the weekend is your only opportunity to sleep in, and you really aren’t eager to head off to the market first thing Saturday morning. Well, you’re in luck. You can now buy fresh, local products, and Fresh n Local will deliver them to your door. Fresh n Local Curtis Coleman was working as the facilities manager for Floating Gardens last year. Once the system was set up, he started helping to sell their vegetables at the Saskatoon Farmers’ Market. He overheard people saying, “I love your products, but I can’t always get to the Market. It’s just not practical.” Curtis thought he ha...

Food news and events in and around Saskatoon – Gluten-Free Food Fair, Birch Butter, Paddock Wood Beer, Twoonie Tuesdays Slow Food Saskatoon, June 7  Everyone is invited to attend the first planning meeting for Slow Food Saskatoon from 7-8:30 pm on Thursday, June 7 at Caffe Sola (corner of 23rd Street and Pacific Avenue). Email me if you’re unable to attend the meeting, and I will add your name to the Slow Food Saskatoon mailing list. Gluten-Free Food Fair, June 10 Don’t miss the Gluten-Free Food Fair sponsored by The Garlic Guru at the Saskatoon Farmers’ Market on Sunday, June 10 from 5-8 pm. Sample plates are $2; wine or beer is $5. (Photo of a previous gluten-free event courtesy of Victor Das – thanks!) Twoonie Tuesdays  Twoonie Tuesdays at the Saskatoon Farmers’ Market is a special market for low income people. Customers will be asked to present their health services card for verification. The Tuesday market will run from 11 am to 4 pm from June 12 to S...