Flavourful Saskatoon, May 19, 2014

There is so much happening in Saskatoon right now. I’m not sure I can squeeze it all into one post.

Events 
French Wines, May 24
Fine Wines Sask is hosting two wine seminars at the Blairmore Co-op Liquor Store on May 24. This is your chance to sample some Bordeaux and Burgundy wines and learn about their viniculture from a winemaker and a regional expert. Sounds like fun and I’m delighted that the new specialty liquor store is offering this sort of opportunity.


Slow Food Salon, May 25 
Come meet Gordon Enns, the newly-appointed Executive Director of the Saskatoon Food Council, at the May 25 Slow Food Salon. Gord will speak about the founding of the Saskatoon Food Council, its purpose, and will answer questions about how to connect with Food Council activities.

The Slow Food Salons are now being held from 1-3 pm at the Saskatoon Farmers’ Market in the sector not normally used by vendors.

Eat These Words Community Supper, May 31
Slow Food Saskatoon is hosting a community supper on May 31 at St. James Emmanuel Anglican Church (Dufferin Avenue). Chef Jenni will be our chef and she does amazingly creative things with local ingredients. There are vegan, gluten-free options, and it's a kid-friendly event. This is the closing event of the NatureCity Festival and U of S MFA students in Writing will be reading from their works on urban nature.

Tickets can be purchased on Picatic. Last year's event was lots of fun, so I encourage you to attend.

Products 
Healthy Raw Chocolate
Those Girls at the Market  started selling chocolate at the Saskatoon Farmers' Market on May 17. And it's not just regular chocolate either. They use raw, organic ingredients that are processed at a low temperature to preserve the enzymes and anti-oxidants. They use maple syrup so the bars are only lightly sweetened, unlike the heavy sugar content in a traditional chocolate bar. They are selling 4 different flavours: vanilla, coffee, mint, and sea salt cranberry. I really like the vanilla bar, which is infused with whole ground vanilla beans, but the cranberry sea salt sells out the fastest.


Ey Zhn Greek Cuisine
I went back to the Farmers' Market on Sunday and, lo and behold, there was another new vendor. Ey Zhn is selling Greek food made from authentic Greek recipes using natural ingredients, including extra virgin olive oil. There are some standard options, such as baklava and tzatziki, but I was delighted to discover some new dishes made with vegetables and pasta. I purchased the Fasolakia (green beans  and other vegetables braised in a tomato sauce) and Lahanopita (cabbage, herbs and feta cheese). I sampled the baklava and it's excellent. Ey Zhn will be at the Market 2 or 3 times a week.


Petrofka Orchard
Petrofka Orchard has new owners – Diana and Jeff Fedosoff. It’s a small world as I have worked with Diana on a couple of communications projects. They currently have 1,200 trees and hope to grow the orchard to approximately 5,000.

You can visit the orchard and pick up some of their products – from Apple Cider Vinegar and Soft Apple Cider to pies and jams – they're on Highway 12, about 40 minutes from Saskatoon. The products are also available at various locations throughout Saskatchewan.

You may remember that I interviewed the original owners of Petrofka Bridge Orchard several years ago.

Mortal Sin Cakes
Remember those lovely single-serving cakes from Mortal Sin Foods I sampled in Stonebridge? Well, they’re now available at Ingredients Artisan Market as well.


Flavourful Saskatoon is a weekly Monday feature. I also post regular profiles of culinary entrepreneurs, new restaurants and new food products.

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