Wanderlust and Words

It’s so easy to rush around the grocery store buying whatever is biggest and shiniest and most appealing without even thinking about what we’re buying or where it came from. But when we do that, we’re handing over control to the large multinationals who stock the supermarket shelves. It’s hard to avoid. We’re short on time, and the large corporations spend millions of dollars ensuring that their products are attractive to consumers, whitewashing any disagreeable aspects of their products, such as toxic pesticides or child labour. The fair trade movement is driven by grassroots activists who believe that individuals can make a difference. Every time we make a conscious decision to buy food that is local or organic or that provides farmers with a living wage, we are voting with our dollars. And slowly, purchase by purchase, we can change the world. Origins of Fair Trade  In 1946, Edna Ruth Byler was struck by the poverty she witnessed on a trip to Puerto Rico. She started se...

Lunch at Earth Bound Bakery I had lunch at Earth Bound Bakery this past week, and it was excellent – as always! In addition to soup and sandwiches, they’re now offering two salads: a green salad with avocado and preserved lemon and a quinoa salad with the tiniest slivers of fennel and a hint of lemon. Pain au chocolat makes an excellent dessert, but they also offer some lovely coffeecake slices (sour cherry, cardamom, etc.). Nellie’s Kitchen Nellie’s Kitchen, in the strip mall on the corner of Avenue H and 22nd Street, is under new ownership and has been renovated. Riversdale District staff ate there and enjoyed the new food and great service. Crock-Off, Feb. 2 This year’s Crock-Off includes community organizations competing to make the best crock pot dish, a guided hike of Ancient Spirals, yoga and musical entertainment. Tickets are $26 on Picatic. Fake Ingredients A non-profit group has looked into food fraud and found many counterfeit products. One of the worst...

Bodega Melipal, Jan. 26 Clarisa Aristi, owner of Bodega Melipal , will be at Ingredients Artisan Market from 12 to 4 on Saturday, January 26. Drop by and sample the Ikella and Melipal wines. Root Down Caters Root Down Workers’ Cooperative will now cater everything from breakfast meetings and office lunches to parties and evening events. What a joy – catering that is vegetarian/vegan, local and creative. Paddock Wood is Hiring If you’re interested in brewing, drop off a resume at Paddock Wood Brewery . You’ll start out cleaning and packaging, move on to shipping and eventually brewing. Seabuckthorn Spice Michelle Zimmer of Wild Serendipity Foods has introduced a new flavour of scones – Seabuckthorn Spice (I loved the spicey flavour, would have liked more fruit). Michelle is at the Market on Wednesdays and Saturdays at the moment, so head on over and check it out. Truffles Bistro I hear that Truffles Bistro will soon have a new menu – and they will be serving Herschel ...

Open Cook’s Society Intro Meeting, Jan. 14 Do you work with food? Are you a foodie? Join the Open Cook Society's Intro Meeting from 6-9 pm on Monday, January 14, at CHEP. The Open Cook Society's mission is to provide open forum for cooks to network, express interest in food and participate in community support. One of the organizers is Lindsay Adams who I profiled on Wanderlust and Words a couple of years ago. 3-Course Dinner, Jan. 25 Souleio is hosting a three-course dinner paired with wine on January 25 from 6-9 pm . I’m really excited to see vegetarian options for both appetizer and entrée. Gillian Snider will provide a musical accompaniment. Phone 979-8102 to make a reservation. Slow Money Webinar, Jan. 29 Find out more about the Ayers Brook Goat Dairy Agricultural Investment Model, designed to strengthen the local food economy, create economic opportunity and conserve land with responsible management, in the January 29 Slow Money Webinar . Saskatchewan Food...

Tracy Street Is Making It Her Own  Tracy Street hadn’t eaten bread for years, but whenever she came home to visit her family in Saskatoon, she would eat the lentil rolls her parents had purchased from Good Spirit Bakery at the Saskatoon Farmers’ Market. She tried another couple of their items and really enjoyed them as well. When Tracy heard that Peyton Leavitt and Jonathan Lee wanted to sell Good Spirit Bakery, she put in an offer, and it was accepted. Bread is Temperamental  Tracy loved to cook and she had owned catering companies in Ontario, but baking was something new. “Baking is such a science with very exact measurements,” Tracy explains. “It takes a great deal of patience. That’s why it didn’t appeal to me when I was young.” Tracy and her fellow baker, Linda Boldt, trained with Peyton at the Watson Bakery three days a week for six weeks. “We learned how to bake exactly how Peyton baked,” Tracy says. “She set us up with her poolish , which she had started 1...

Computers = Cheese Are you a computer whiz? Do you love cheese? Then, you should contact Sharon McDaniel at Herschel Hills Artisan Cheese House . She makes awesome cheese but could do with some technical help setting up her computer programs. Are you a Lucky Bastard? LB Distillers is hiring someone to cover their retail store front and lend a hand with a multitude of other tasks. If you’re interested, send your résumé to lucky@luckybastard.ca . Rainbow Carrot Gratin Here’s a great recipe to showcase the rainbow-coloured carrots from Wally’s Urban Market Garden. Balsamic Vinegar Balsamic vinegar is believed to originate in the Emilia-Romagna region of northern Italy. In its early days, it was only available to the nobility and was believed to be a miracle cure for everything from a sore throat to labour pains (hence the name - “balm”). Balsamic vinegar is an aged reduction of unfermented grapes. Authentic balsamic vinegar is only made by members of two consortiums in Mode...