Wanderlust and Words

There are times when I’m overwhelmed by life and long to escape to a small, quiet pool of tranquillity. Now, a trip to Greece or Tuscany would fit the bill, but I’ve found something almost as good that is much, much closer to home. A few weeks ago, I headed east – grain elevators, Ukrainian Orthodox churches and slow-moving farm equipment – this is home. When I arrived in Canora, I phoned ahead to the bed and breakfast where I was planning to stay for the next couple of nights and received directions. Heading out on the highway, I turned onto a gravel road once I reached Mikado. The road curved past newly-sown fields, descending a hill to a bridge over the Whitesand River. One more leisurely curve, and I arrived at La Campagna Bed and Breakfast . I was warmly welcomed by Linda and Alfredo and their dog, Waldo, and shown to a large suite on the ground floor of the house. Large windows overlooked the garden with its graceful willow tree and lawns sloping down to the river. There wa...

Persian Picnic, June 30  Saskatoon’s Persian Store is hosting a picnic at 5:30 on Sunday, June 30, at Christ Church Anglican. Tickets cost $20 and are available at the Persian Store (223-25th Street West). Saskatoon Local Food Map The Saskatoon Local Food Map is a visual guide to farms, markets, retailers, restaurants and other businesses within 100 km of Saskatoon that feature food grown within Saskatchewan. The map is designed to strengthen the regional food system. It’s a work in progress and there are still so many gaps; I encourage you to contribute additional information. Community Farmers’ Markets  If you can’t make it to the Saskatoon Farmers’ Market, there are other options: A number of vendors, including Goodlife Greenhouses (heritage tomatoes and other goodies), are in front of London Drugs on 8th Street from 9 to 4 on Tuesdays and Fridays . St. James’ Farmers’ Market & International Bazaar (just off Broadway) is held year-round from 11 to...

Three Sisters/Nestor’s Bakery is Expanding  Three Sisters/Nestor’s Bakery is expanding! Their original location on 20th Street will make all the fancy pastries, custom orders, artisan breads and Ukrainian specialties, while the new location at 2020 Quebec Avenue (formerly the Saskatoon Bakery) will make all the wholesale bread and buns. They’ll have newer equipment in their new facility, so they’ll be able to provide a better wholesale product, faster and in larger quantities. Youth   The Three Sister’s training program for at-risk youth will run full-time out of Nestor’s, and there will now be room for classrooms. Laura is the program’s commercial cooking teacher. The cooking program is part of the Youth Development Corporation’s education and on-the-job training programs for youth who have been involved in the criminal justice system. Food Truck   Laura and her employees (recruited through the cooking program) will also be operating a food truck this summer....

Summer Solstice Supper, June 22  Weczeria is hosting a local dinner on June 22 with proceeds going to the Saskatchewan Environmental Society. Chef Dan Walker will purchase the ingredients in the morning at the Saskatoon Farmers’ Market and serve a four-course meal with wine pairings in the evening. Creekside Orchard Creekside Orchard is a u-pick apple and cherry orchard near Melfort. Their Café is open from 11-5 pm on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays and serves a light lunch (reservations required). They also host dinners with visiting chefs. Chef Jenni will be preparing a dinner on June 15 . La Campagna B & B I just spent two restful days at La Campagna B & B just outside of Canora. Wonderful Italian cuisine in a tranquil rural setting. I’ll give more details in a future blog post. Food and Travel The best holidays combine interesting places with good food. Here are three articles that offer just that: Five Stops on the California Cheese Trail (inclu...

In 1999, three young Ottawa entrepreneurs decided to set up a new business. They had worked overseas and were concerned about the ways in which conventional businesses exploited farmers in many countries around the world. They wanted to provide Canadian consumers with an organic, fairly traded alternative. Because they had chosen to work with producer co-operatives, they established themselves as a worker co-operative, and La Siembra Co-operative was born with the launch of Canada’s first Fair Trade, organic hot chocolate – Cocoa Camino . Getting Started La Siembra’s first year in business was pretty crazy. They were able to source cocoa and sugar for the hot chocolate from two co-operatives in Costa Rica, so they had the raw ingredients. They also had a market as right from the start they were able to supply natural health stores via distributors. But the hot chocolate was being packed in a church basement by volunteers, and they used bicycles to deliver the product to Canada...

Sun and Suds, June 13  The tenants at the Saskatoon Farmers’ Market are once again pairing their food with Paddock Wood beers at 6 pm on June 13. Tickets for Sun and Suds are $35 and are available from Garlic Guru, Riverbend Plantation or Wild Cuisine & Catering. Kaleidoscope Gardens  Kaleidoscope Gardens is back at the Saskatoon Farmers’ Market. Their first Saturday market will be June 8 , and they’ll be located opposite Wild Serendipity Foods. They have burgundy, white and yellow Swiss chard as well as spinach, sorrel and chives. They have planted 10 varieties of Asian and Italian eggplants which should start to be available in late July. Louis’ Loft  Browsers’ in the Memorial Union building on campus has been renovated and renamed. Louis’ Loft will serve fresh baking from Wild Serendipity Foods and Museo and fair trade coffees. Wilson’s Greenhouse   Three Sisters/Nestor’s Bakery will have a market stall at Wilson’s Greenhouse from 9 am to 2 p...