Wanderlust and Words

“Imagine going to the grocery store and leaving with three bags of food, then dropping one in the parking lot and driving away. We all do the equivalent of that every week of our lives.”   Almost 40% of the food produced never gets to anyone’s plate. When Cinda Chavich , Canadian food and travel writer, became aware of the problem she was inspired to write a cookbook that would help people to eat well while wasting less food. I try hard not to waste food but I still do, so I was eager to read The Waste Not, Want Not Cookbook and see what I could do better. Using the Cookbook The book’s format is great. Cinda Chavich says that the easiest way to reduce food waste is by using up whatever is in your fridge. The book is divided into three sections with the types of food that people usually buy – fruit and vegetables, staples, proteins. If you don’t know what to do with stale bread or an abundance of lettuce or kale, just flip to the page for that ingredient and you’ll find...

Thomas Haas, North Vancouver Saturday Treats Saturday is my family’s day for visiting the Saskatoon Farmers’ Market and Earth Bound Bakery and I look forward all week to the treats that will be in store for me. Here are this week’s hits: Baklava – Ef Zeen Greek Cuisine Salted Caramel Apple Rose – Wild Serendipity Foods Savoury Croissant (kale, ricotta & walnuts), Apple-Brie Nightgown – Earth Bound Bakery And, for those of you who are wondering, how or why you would eat a “nightgown,” here’s the answer. Douillons aux Pommes , aka Apples in Nightdresses/Nightgowns, is a culinary specialty from Normandy where they grow a lot of apples. Here’s a recipe . Food Truck Rally, June 11 There will be a food truck rally to raise funds for the Children’s Hospital Foundation from 10 am to 2 pm , June 11, on the northeast side of 3rd Avenue and 22nd Street. Lunch at City Perks Lunch outdoors on a sunny spring day – what could be nicer! City Perks offers so many dif...

Food Environments in Canada, May 21 SPHERU is hosting a 3-day event in May to examine food environments in Canada. Steven Cummins, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, will present a public talk on food-based interventions at the Roxy Theatre at 6:30 pm , May 21. Eat These Words Community Supper, May 24 Act quickly to purchase tickets for Slow Food Saskatoon’s fundraising dinner on May 24. Chef Jennifer Willems and Chef dee Hobsbawn-Smith will be presenting a five-course Italian menu from locally sourced Saskatchewan food. Lexicon of Sustainability, June 5  Join the Saskatoon Food Council at their monthly Urban Ag Movie Night at 7 pm , June 5, at Station 20 West for the Lexicon of Sustainability . The Lexicon of Sustainability combines “information art” photo collages and a series of short films to introduce a discussion on food sustainability and our evolving food culture. Fresh Spring Greens  What a treat to have fresh spinach and asparagus from ...

Best Hospital Food Ever  I had the best hospital meal ever the evening after my surgery – a grape popsicle! It wasn’t a gourmet dish; it demonstrated no culinary expertise; but it was exactly the right thing for me to eat as I upgraded from ice chips to real food. Something to keep in mind when we attempt to define quality food. Shop Local  Invest $25 in a GOLOCO membership card and you’ll save money and show support at lots of local food businesses (Earth Bound Bakery, Nosh, Griffin Takeaway, City Perks, EE Burrito, Honeybun Café). Sounds like a good idea to me. Pardessi Bazaar A friend commented on Twitter that Pardessi Bazaar (1-415 51st Street East) was her favourite place to shop for Indian specialties. Just looking at their website makes me hungry. Basics of Composting Want to start a backyard compost bin but need more information? Saskatoon’s Master Composters are offering introductory presentations from 7-8:30 pm, May 13 (Alice Turner Library) , and 2-3...