Flavourful Saskatoon, July 28, 2014

Phillip’s Beer Tasting, Aug. 13 
Boffin’s is hosting a Fare & Ale event from 5-8 pm, August 13, featuring beer from Phillip’s Brewing in Victoria, BC. The food isn’t vegetarian, but I highly recommend the beer. I’ve visited Phillip’s Brewing; they have good beer and a great sense of humour.

Food Truck Festival, Sept. 6
YXE Street Food is organizing Street Meet, a gathering of Saskatoon’s nine food trucks on September 6. Their website provides a list of all the food trucks and they tweet their locations to help you find them.

Farmers’ Market Dinner, Sept. 20
Chef Jenni Willems is hosting a series of four Solstice dinners at the Saskatoon Farmers’ Market. I attended the first dinner in May and enjoyed good food and good conversation. The solstice marks a seasonal turning point and is such an appropriate time to pause and appreciate local, seasonal food.

The May dinner was all about rhubarb (tiny chunks in the salad were memorable). The fall dinner will take place on September 20 and the theme is From the Shield to the Field, so it will obviously commemorate our provincial diversity.

Chef Jenni is compiling the recipes and planning to publish a cookbook. Recipes from past tastings and dinners are available on the Saskatoon Farmers’ Market website.

Taste-It Food Tours 
Patti Rodger, a retired principal, has started offering Saskatchewan food tours. The Moose Jaw tours have already started, to be followed by Regina in early August, with plans for Saskatoon at a later date.

The Moose Jaw walking tour includes luncheon (Thursday) or dinner (Tuesday) tours with samples at seven food establishments.

Yorkton – Dad’s Organic Grocery 
The Yorkton branch of Dad’s Organic Grocery has re-opened.

Street Food
I attended Market Fest in Nelson, BC, last Friday and was most impressed by the diversity of food that was on offer. It ranged from burgers and crepes to quesadillas, pad thai and pizza.

I couldn’t resist trying out the individual pizzas made from local, organic, seasonal ingredients and cooked in a wood-burning oven on the Gypsy Wagon. Dessert was organic cotton candy.

Mobile pizza ovens must be a growing trend as I learned that Edmonton has a vintage fire truck outfitted with a wood-burning brick oven. (via Only Here for the Food)

Preserving Seasonal Food 
Local Food in the Kitchen workshops will teach East Kootenay, BC, residents how to preserve seasonal produce. The workshop series is comprehensive, ranging from pickles and jam to teas, apple cider vinegar and fermented condiments. It would be great to see something similar in Saskatoon.

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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