Flavourful Saskatoon, April 6, 2015

Appreciating food from a very young age

Seed Starting Workshop, Apr. 9 & 14 
Learn the basics of starting your own plants indoors at a Seed Starting Workshop sponsored by the Saskatoon Food Bank and Learning Centre’s Garden Patch. The workshop is being held at the Core Neighbourhood Youth Coop from 10-11 am on April 9 and from 7-8 pm on April 14. All supplies are provided.

Station 20 West Fundraiser, May 2 
Support Station 20 West at a supper and silent auction catered by Touch of Ukraine Restaurant on May 2.

Gangsters Italian Sandwiches Food Truck 
Bill Matthews sold Two Gun Quiche House and bought a food truck. Gangsters Italian Sandwiches Food Truck will serve classic Italian sandwiches made from local ingredients (e.g. bread from Earth Bound Bakery, herbs from Floating Gardens, peppers and tomatoes from Grandora Gardens).

Why I Eat Organic Strawberries 
Hunched over for up to 10 hours a day, Glorietta is a California strawberry picker. The foreman berates her and her wages are inadequate. And the strawberries are making her sick. “As she fills carton after carton, she experiences constant nausea, muscle weakness, and eye irritation from the chemicals sprayed. She says her employer does little to protect its workers from exposure.”

Not only do strawberries contain high levels of pesticide residue, but their production involves chemicals that don’t impact the consumer but do impact the farmworkers.

As consumers, we can make a difference. Boycott foods that are produced in unhealthy conditions. If you don’t feel you can afford to eat an all-organic diet, at least avoid the Dirty Dozen – for your own health and for the health of those who grow and pick our food.

Are CSA Farmers Earning a Living Wage?
As this article points out, there are advantages to becoming a CSA farmer, although your wage will only be slightly higher than other farmers. CSAs also represent tremendous potential:

“Farmers and members constitute a critical mass that can push for national policies to address the common needs of CSA farms …. It is the connectivity and solidarity of CSA farmers and members that holds the greatest promise for improving the business model’s viability.” 

Native American Food Culture in the Modern World
The Sioux Chef specializes in Native American pre-reservation foods of the Dakota and Ojibwe people who lived on the Great Plains with an emphasis on indigenous ingredients. Chef Sean Sherman says,

“The proteins in the meats are easy because it's just the wild animals that are out there. For me, it was a longer study in ethnobotany: what plants are indigenous and were growing around here, how Native American people were utilizing things, understanding Native American farming and agriculture, because it was such a huge scene especially in this region. And understanding how food preservation systems were working for people to maintain and keep a lot of food in their food caches to last them through the long winters. For me, it was basing my food, my pantry items, on those pieces -- the dried corn, the dried beans, the dried wild rice and all the varieties of all of that. When they were making things into meal and powder, all the different dried vegetables that were utilized. Those were the base flavors for me to really think about using in this region.” 

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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