Wanderlust and Words

Night Market, Dec. 12  The Saskatoon Farmers’ Market will be holding a holiday night market on Thursday, December 12 from 4-9 pm . Wine, appies, carols and a butter tart competition. (via @tammyrobert) Earth Bound Expansion Earth Bound Bakery now has permission from the City for its renovations: a new kitchen space and a larger dining area. In his blog, Trent says , “We plan to soon offer breakfast, more lunch options, more take away meal options and perhaps in the future some special event dinner functions.” Seabuckthorn Recipes  Chef Jenni was cooking with Northern Vigor seabuckthorn berries on Saturday at the Saskatoon Farmers’ Market. She shared her recipes for Seabuckthorn Tomato Sauce, Seabuckthorn White Chocolate Mousse and Seabuckthorn Lemon Chai Cider. Here’s the recipe for the tomato sauce. Email me if you’d like one of the other recipes and I’ll send it to you. *1 cup Seabuckthorn purée *796 ml can whole tomatoes or four whole fresh tomatoes *two stalks celer

Edible City, Nov. 21 Slow Food Saskatoon and the Saskatchewan Eco Network are showing the movie Edible City: Grow the Revolution at the Frances Morrison Public Library at 7 pm , November 21. Edible City profiles a diverse group of people who are challenging the status quo food system through edible education, grassroots activism and building local economies. Christmas at the Marr, Dec. 3 & 4  Actor John Huston will perform A Christmas Carol at 7:30 pm , December 3 and 4, at the Marr Residence (326 11th Street East). The performance will be followed by dessert and musical entertainment. Tickets are $15 and available by calling 652-1201. The Prairie Pantry  I’m of an age where I don’t need any more “stuff,” but I’ll always welcome gifts of food and wine, especially ones purchased and/or made by local entrepreneurs. I attended The Prairie Pantry’s Customer Appreciation Event at the Saskatoon Farmers’ Market last week, and they have brought in lots of tasty new items for Chri

Persian rice and eggplant accompanied by raclette and boiled potatoes? Why not? There is no better way to share our cultures and traditions than through food. It’s an opportunity to celebrate our differences rather than fight over them. Mahyar Behnami is the owner of the Saskatoon Persian Store . She has transformed an old grocery store just around the corner from the bus barns in Caswell Hill with an intriguing array of Iranian groceries. She recently completely some renovations and her friend Cathy Engel suggested that they host a dinner to celebrate. I was fortunate enough to be invited. The Remembrance Day meal was a surprising, but delicious, juxtaposition of Swiss raclette and a savory array of Persian dishes. Rice is a staple of Iranian cuisine, and it’s so different from Chinese rice. The grains are almost an inch long, and they are dry and fluffy, with a topping of nuts and berries. Cathy Engel works at the Bulk Cheese Warehouse , so there was a wonder

Local HOPtion Launch Party, Nov. 15 Prairie Sun Brewery is launching the first IPA made with locally grown hops on Friday, November 15, from 11 am to 10 pm . There will be pints of beer, cheese, music, and brewery tours at 2 , 5 , 7 and 9 pm .  Collectively Green Holiday Sale, Nov. 16 The Collectively Green Holiday Sale from 10 am to 6 pm , November 16, at Grace-Westminster United Church offers earth-friendly wares and a silent auction to benefit the Saskatoon Food Bank. Slow Food Salon, Nov. 17 Slow Food Saskatoon will be hosting a conversational Slow Food Salon every third Sunday at City Perks Coffeehouse. On Sunday, November 17, from 5-7 pm , we’ll be discussing “What foodie book has changed the way you cook/think about food?” Edible City, Nov. 21 Slow Food Saskatoon and the Saskatchewan Eco Network are showing the movie Edible City: Grow the Revolution at the Frances Morrison Public Library at 7 pm , November 21. Edible City profiles a diverse group of people

Root Down Sunday Brunch, Nov. 10  The Root Down Workers’ Cooperative will be serving vegan/vegetarian Sunday brunch from 10 am to 2 pm on November 3, 10, 17 and December 8 and 15 at Station 20 West. Gluten-free items will be available. Prairie Pantry Customer Appreciation, Nov. 13  The Prairie Pantry, Saskatoon Farmers’ Market, is holding a customer appreciation event in honour of their one-year anniversary from 5-8 pm , November 13. Check out the new products, sample a few goodies and meet some of their local producers.  In addition, there is a 10% discount on all items (except the new Christmas items) during the month of November. SaskMade’s Xmas Kick-Off, Nov. 16  SaskMade Marketplace will be kicking off the Christmas season on November 16 with samples, contests and in-store specials. Cake Witch, Nov. 16  The Cake Witch’s delicious German baking will be available at St. Joseph’s Craft Fair from 9 am to 5 pm on Saturday, November 16. Developing an Organizat

What does it take to successfully open a new restaurant, particularly a hotel restaurant? Geoffrey Caswell-Murphy, Executive Chef of Wild Sage Kitchen & Bar in Regina’s newly-opened DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel and Conference Centre , David McQuinn, Vice-President, Food & Beverages, and Brigitte Diem-Guy, Vice President, Sales & Marketing, Silver Birch Hotels and Resorts, outlined for me some of the ingredients they are relying on for success. First and foremost, the focus is on local food. “We want the restaurant to tell the story of our community by serving unique dishes made from organic products from local growers,” David says. Local Products Wild Sage Kitchen & Bar, which opens on November 5, will serve products from Cactus Organics, Pine View Farms, All Natural Meats, Prairie Meats, Duck Farm, Timber Creek Farm, and Living Soil Farms. Müs Knuckle beer from the District Brewing Co. , Regina’s first locally owned and operated brewery, will be on tap. “We were th