Wanderlust and Words

Peasant's Pick, Saskatoon Farmers' Market Cowspiracy, Oct. 8 Intuitive Path SuperFoods is showing the movie Cowspiracy – The Sustainability Secret at 6:30 pm , Oct. 8. The movie, about how factory farming, cattle and dairy in particular, is decimating the planet’s natural resources, is also available on Netflix . Global Health Nourishing Equity Conference, Oct. 17 The Global Health Nourishing Equity conference at the University of Saskatchewan on Oct. 17 will look at nutrition, food security, and equity. Frozen Entrées – Wild Serendipity Foods Wild Serendipity Foods , Saskatoon Farmers’ Market, is now selling frozen entrées – in addition to her ever-popular scones, macarons, and soups. The vegetarian option this past weekend was Yam and Black Bean Enchiladas. Perfect for those days when you don't have time or don't feel like cooking. Spices – Orchard del Sol  Whole Natural Flavors – Orchard del Sol will only be at the Saskatoon Farmers’ Market ...

Wow! What a transformation. It’s been a while since I’ve dropped in at El Mercado Las Palapas on Broadway, and I hadn’t realized that it had become a restaurant as well as a store. But it makes sense. After all, the store is owned by the same people who own Las Palapas Restaurant. And the store always sold lots of Mexican food products. The bold, bright colours of the tables and chairs in the window seating area will cheer you up on the even darkest, dreariest day. And so will the food. I had tacos stuffed with Vegetarian Scramble – scrambled eggs  tofu with mushrooms and a variety of other vegetables – prepared on the spot by John. You can add your own salsa, giving you the choice of mild, medium or hot. The tacos are fairly small, so they’d make a great mid-afternoon snack as well as a light lunch. You can also order Tortas on multigrain whole wheat buns or Molletes, open-faced sandwiches topped with broiled cheese. And you can eat in or order take-out. Next time I...

Grow Your Own Mushrooms, Oct. 4 & 7 Find out how to grow your own mushrooms at the Crossmount Arts Barn from 2-3 pm, Oct. 4 , and 7-8 pm, Oct. 7 . Fall Events at Saskatoon Co-op Liquor  The Saskatoon Co-op Liquor store has published an online event calendar for September, October, and November . It’s a great way to plan ahead and not miss out on upcoming tastings, from the history and styles of rum in October to Portuguese wine in November. A Food Co-op in City Park?  A group of community residents wants to set up a food co-op now that Loblaws is closing its store in City Park. But it won’t be easy. Loblaws has placed a caveat on the site to prevent another grocery store from opening there – they want you to drive to another one of their stores. We’ve given way too much power to large corporations – it’s time to take some of it back. Healthy Food for Kids  Quizzine, a television show made in Saskatoon , combines a cooking show with a quiz to test what...

Nestor’s Doughnut Sale, Sept. 16-17  Treat yourself to a doughnut at Nestor’s Bakery . They’re two for the price of one Sept. 16 and 17 to celebrate the bakery's fifth anniversary. Beer Week at The Woods, Sept. 21-26  Sept. 21-26 is Beer Week at The Woods Ale House featuring Saskatchewan craft beers. Every day will feature a brewery, a beer style, or a special food-beer pairing. Winston’s First Annual Cask Festival, Sept. 25 Winston’s Pub is hosting a mini cask event on Sept. 25 featuring 5 of Saskatchewan’s craft brewers. There will be food pairings with each cask. PayDirt Farm Garlic School, Sept. 27 PayDirt Farm, Wakaw, is offering a garlic school from 1-4 pm , Sept. 27, for people who want to learn how to grow their own organic garlic. The class package will include instruction, seed garlic bulbs, organic sheep manure, and everything else you’ll need for a four-square-metre garlic plot. Mushrooms – White Raven Foraging  Text White Raven Foraging at...

Downtown Victoria, British Columbia, can get really crowded, especially when there are three or four cruise ships in town. So why go downtown? I found everything I wanted in my own neighbourhood of Oak Bay, in particular the area around Oak Bay and Estevan Villages. Shopping for Food Pure Vanilla Bakery & Café on Cadboro Bay Road is amazing and everything I sampled was delicious. There are front and back patios so you have a choice of sun or shade no matter what the time of day. Across the street from Pure Vanilla is BC Wineguys Victoria selling VQA wines, a sushi restaurant, and a small grocery store with an excellent selection of fresh fruit and vegetables. On Foul Bay Road, Charelli’s Cheese Shop and Delicatessen has a huge assortment of cheeses and imported goods. You’ll leave with more cheese than you intended because they are so generous with their samples – and once you’ve tasted it, you’ll want to buy it. Almost next door to Charelli’s is Tomley’s ...

Nepal Earthquake Relief Fundraiser, Sept. 12 Lama Dorje will be speaking at a fundraising vegetarian dinner and slideshow to support Nepal after the earthquake on Sept. 12 at the Avalokitesvara Temple. Tickets must be purchased before Sept. 9 . Eat Think Vote, Sept. 14 The Saskatoon Food Council and CHEP Good Food Inc. are hosting a meeting with the four candidates for Saskatoon West from 6:30-8 pm , Sept. 14, at Station 20 West. Candidates will be asked for their positions on healthy school food, support for new farmers, and zero hunger in Canada. YXE Street Food Festival, Sept. 19  There will be over 20 food truck vendors, an artisan market, beer garden, and music at the second annual YXE Street Food Festival from 11:30 am – 9:30 pm , Sept. 19, at River Landing. Regional Grain Production Local wheat and flour are gaining momentum in the northeastern United States : “We’ve been suckered down this long, increasingly narrow chute that you’ve got to have wheat that’s ...

At 20 years of age, the Trout Lake Farmers’ Market is Vancouver’s oldest farmers’ market. It’s an outdoors-only Saturday market without a permanent location, but it’s very popular and offers a wide variety of fruit, vegetables, cheese, baked goods and more. It was threatening rain when I visited the market, but the vendors were undaunted by the weather. There were some really lovely displays of vegetables. Eye candy really does help sell. Most of the farmers at the Saskatoon Farmers’ Market avoid the use of chemicals but are rarely certified organic. By contrast, the majority of the vendors at Trout Lake had biodynamic as well as organic certification. One vendor was selling both old and new cucumbers. Old cucumbers are used in a Chinese Old Cucumber Soup : “Old cucumber is actually matured cucumber, hence its brown in color, wrinkled and hard skin. My grandma told me that old-cucumber is a cooling food. And we consume it to counte...