Wanderlust and Words

Herbal Drinks & Elixirs, Sept. 5, 6, 7  Yarrow Willard, Harmonic Arts Botanical Dispensary , will lead a session on making herbal drinks to increase energy and address health imbalances on Sept. 5 . On Sept. 6 , he will lead a walk to look at some of the common plants that grow in the Saskatoon area and how they can be used as medicine and food. On Sept. 7 , he will lead a session on preparing herbal medicines (sponsored by Intuitive Path Superfoods). Solstice Celebration, Sept. 20 As the days get shorter, we’re reminded that the seasons are changing. Join Chef Jenni at the Saskatoon Farmers’ Market dinner on Sept. 20 as she celebrates the abundant summer harvest from the fields and shield. Healthy Food for Saskatoon Food Bank  Good food helps keep us healthy, but sometimes we forget that when we make donations to a food bank. The Saskatoon Food Bank is working hard to provide nutritious food – over the past 4 years, the Garden Patch has produced over 70,000 po...

Saskatoon’s annual Premier Showcase is a great opportunity for an evening out with friends trying a whole range of different wines and spirits. But I prefer the more intimate setting of the Winemakers’ Dinner and tastings that offer a chance to learn more about the wines and to discuss them with experts and fellow enthusiasts. The Saskatoon Co-op Wine, Spirits and Beer store is sponsoring the 2014 event, and for the first time the event will be showcasing craft beers as well as wine and spirits. Here are some of the smaller, more intimate events that I think look interesting. Winemaker’s Dinner, 7 pm, Sept. 24  Doug Reichel Wine Marketing Inc. and Truffles Bistro are hosting a winemaker’s dinner on September 24. The five-course meal featuring local products and producers will be paired with wines from the Rhône valley in France. Anthony Taylor, Gabriel Meffre ’s co-owner and sommelier, will introduce the wines, which will include La Châsse, Laurus and Terroirs du Rhône...

The cellar at López de Heredia winery in Rioja, Spain, is festooned with cobwebs and their oldest wine dates back to 1885. There is a long history of winemaking in Rioja, Spain’s best known wine region. French winemakers moved to the area when phylloxera destroyed their own vineyards, and they introduced a very traditional style of wine that defined quality by how long it was aged (hence the labeling hierarchy with two-year-old Crianza, three-year-old Reserva, and five-year-old Gran Reserva). Nowadays, competition with wines from around the world has led to changes and divisions within the Rioja winemaking community as traditional and modern styles of winemaking compete for market dominance. The new school wines are aged less and fit the current demand for riper, fruitier wines. Rioja: Conversations with Winemakers is edited by Christopher Barnes and published by Grape Collective (I was sent a preview copy of the ebook). The core of the book is interviews with seven winemake...

Doughnuts and Doukhobor Bread  Many of you know Carmen Dyck from Old Trail Farm and Three Sisters/Nestor's Bakery , but did you know she's selling doughnuts and Doukhobor bread on Saturdays at the Saskatoon Farmers' Market? The doughnut flavours are intriguing, ranging from Earl Grey tea and chocolate with fresh mint to peanut buster parfait and maple pecan. Make sure you get to the Market early as Carmen keeps making more doughnuts, but they keep selling out! Nokomis Craft Ales  Speaking of the Farmers’ Market – Nokomis Craft Ales is now selling their beer at the Market on Saturdays and Sundays. I read a positive review of their product. Bogart’s Bay Coffee Bogart’s Bay has a new coffee . It’s an organic, fair trade bean from Peru that has been grown at a high altitude. Bogart’s Bay uses a hand-operated, charcoal-fired coffee roaster, which is pretty cool. You can purchase their beans at Dad’s Organic Market in Saskatoon and at the North Battleford Farmers...

“My family has been growing grapes since the French Revolution,” says Pierre Jhean, winemaker for Henri de Villamont in Burgundy, France. “I grew up on a vineyard in Bordeaux and learned how to prune the vines when I was young. It was only natural to want a career in the wine industry,” says Stanislas Garaud. “As Export Area Manager for Veyret Latour , I can travel the world as well.” Pierre and Stanislas were in Saskatoon in May to present their wines, which are distributed by Doug Reichel of Fine Wines Sask . The Saskatoon Co-op Wine, Spirits & Beer Store has the largest selection of Burgundy wines in the province, including 11 of Pierre’s wines. Stanislas Garaud, Veyret Latour Growing Up in Wine Country  Stanislas Garaud, Export Manager, Veyret Latour   “I thought I knew a lot about wine because I grew up in Bordeaux,” says Stanislas, “but I was only familiar with Bordeaux wines. As an export manager, I’ve had the opportunity to travel and to taste wi...

Kokanee Creek Provincial Park Street Food Meet, Sept. 13 The YXE Street Meet food & music festival takes place on Saturday, September 13th, from 11:30 am to 11 pm , on Spadina Crescent between 2nd and 3rd Avenues. Please note change of date. Sustainable Gourmet, Sept. 27 The Saskatchewan Environmental Society is holding their 9th annual fundraising dinner on September 27 at the Saskatoon Club. The dinner features local food prepared by local chefs. Changing our Food Habits I had no problem becoming a vegetarian (31 years ago!). In fact, it was a very positive change as I became interested in international cuisine and became a much more creative cook. An article in Grist reminded me, however, that it can be hard for people to change their food habits, which are so much a part of our social and cultural identities : “Food traditions are wedded to childhood, nostalgia, memory — everything that gives us a sense of who we are . . . . Changing food traditions is hard ...

Just two doors down from Griffin Takeaway is Pars Market. Pars offers a selection of Persian groceries and a small sit-down restaurant and catering. The restaurant menu is very short – chicken or beef kebabs. There are no vegetarian options. The store offers a large selection of Persian cookies. I was intrigued by some of the flavours: saffron, cardamom, and dill. There were also biscuits with coconut, walnut, and chocolate fillings. I was told that the Special Sohan (a traditional Iranian saffron brittle toffee) is very tasty and popular. Here’s a recipe if you’d like to make it yourself . I thought that the herbal waters were an alternative to sweet juices and pop, but I was told that they are intended to be used medicinally. Some online research showed that herbal distillates have been used for centuries in traditional Persian medicine . Pars Market is located at 8-3311 8th Street East.

Open House Farm Event, Aug. 23 New Life Organic Foods is holding an open house on the Witzaney Family Farm on August 23 from 1-5 pm . There will be wagon rides, burgers, and tours of their grain facilities. Regina Fermentation Workshop, Sept. 27  Garden Therapy Yorkton is offering a fermentation workshop in Regina on September 27. It will cover sourdough bread, lacto-fermented veggies, kefir and kombucha. Three Farmers Chickpeas Three Farmers has posted an interesting account of how they developed their new product , roasted chickpeas. Every step – idea, flavour, texture, packaging – requires thought. Vegetarian Restaurant I was interested to hear that Edmonton has a new vegetarian restaurant, Loma House . It’s part of a small Canadian chain with 7 sister restaurants in Ontario and a factory in Mississauga manufacturing their vegan products. Maybe they’ll come to Saskatoon next! (via Only Here for the Food ) Milk  It’s a pleasure to purchase local (Creston...