Wanderlust and Words

If you’re interested in local food and urban food production, you’ll want to visit The Glen at Crossmount , an agro-tourism event centre that is still under construction 5 kilometers south of Saskatoon. The McKercher family has owned land on Highway 219 close to Cranberry Flats for generations. They spent some time pondering what to do with the land and came up with a bold, ambitious plan that includes a seniors’ village and an event centre. I spent two hours touring the newly-opened Glen at Crossmount events centre. Here’s what I found. Event  Centre & Gardens Glenlyon Hall is a light-filled space with large windows overlooking the pond and gardens. Word is already out about this new facility, and they have been fully booked with weddings every weekend since opening in August 2015 and they’re already fully booked for 2016. The Hall seats up to 200 people. Food is provided by Picknic’s Catering. Weather permitting, weddings are held in the gardens, which have a ...

Saskatoon Food Access Saskatoon Food Access is a new Facebook page designed to discuss food access in Saskatoon. They are encouraging people to sign a petition and send a letter to Galen Weston, Loblaw’s Executive Chairman, protesting the fact that not only has Loblaws closed the Shop Easy grocery store in City Park, but they have placed a restrictive caveat on the sale of the land, prohibiting it from becoming another grocery store. Green & White’s Food Issue Green & White, the University of Saskatchewan’s alumni magazine, has dedicated its fall issue to food . The Hummus Effect: Changing North American flavour palates one pulse-based dip at a time was particularly interesting: “Canada is the world’s leading exporter of lentils, chickpeas, and peas, and Saskatchewan grows 96 per cent of Canada’s lentil crop, 90 per cent of Canada’s chickpea crop, and 70 per cent of Canada’s dry pea crop.  “This dominance is a relatively new development. SaskPulse reports that...

Summer and ice cream are a perfect match. And, if you’re going to splurge, make sure that you are eating the very best ice cream possible. I had three really great ice cream experiences in Victoria this past summer. Be sure to check them out the next time you’re on Vancouver Island. Cold Comfort  Cold Comfort makes small batch, seasonally inspired ice cream. They use mostly organic ingredients, along with local fruits and herbs. There is no shortage of unexpected flavours as Cold Comfort has created over 340 different varieties, including Rosewater & Raspberry and Rosemary & Sour Cherry. My absolute favourite was the East is East non-dairy sandwich bar. Sandwiched between thin layers of dacquoise is a rich mix of coconut milk, organic cane sugar, tamarind and cardamom. Kid Sister  Kid Sister originally sold paletas, Latin American fruit popsicles. They’ve expanded their menu to include a variety of ice cream bars and frozen yogurt. The milk and yog...

Grow Your Own Garlic, Oct. 24  Pay Dirt Farm is offering a 2-hour garlic seeding workshop for organic gardeners in Nutana, Saskatoon, from 10 am to noon , Oct. 24. You’ll take home all the materials you’ll need to grow a garlic plot in your own backyard. Fall Fest at Crossmount, Oct. 31  The Glen at Crossmount is holding a Fall Fest from 1-4 pm , Oct. 31. There will be pumpkin carving, a costume contest, hot apple cider, crafts, and games. Vector Coffee will be there will specialty coffees and steamers for the adults. Portuguese Wine Tasting, Nov. 7  Join Francisco Figueira de Chaves of Medeiros Winery on his first visit to Saskatchewan for a wine tasting at Saskatoon Co-op Liquor Store on Nov. 7. Fine Wines Sask is hosting additional events in Regina, Rosetown, Estevan, Moose Jaw, and Wolseley. Big Night for a Little Park, Nov. 10 The Nutana Community Association is hosting a fundraising dinner at the Saskatoon Farmers’ Market on Nov. 10 to raise money...

Fermentation Potluck, Oct. 23  Saskatoon Ferments is hosting a potluck on Oct. 23. Join the group to get the full details. Harvest Dinner Fundraiser, Oct. 29  Vinyasa Yoga for Youth is hosting their Fall Harvest Dinner Fundraiser on Oct. 29 at the Saskatoon Farmers’ Market. Five local chefs will prepare a five-course vegetarian dinner. Tickets are $75 and are available at Nosh Eatery, Tap, or One Yoga. Winemaker Dinner at The Hollows, Oct. 30 Join Pierre Jhean, Winemaker for Henri de Villamont, Burgundy, France, at The Hollows Restaurant , Oct. 30. Fine Wines Sask is hosting additional events in Regina, Rosetown, Estevan, Moose Jaw, and Wolseley. Fall Reading List Food Tank has put together a fall reading list . I’m eager to read A Taste of Generation Yum: How a Generation’s Love for Organic Fare, Celebrity Chefs and Microbrews Will Make or Break the Future of Food and The New Bread Basket: How the New Crop of Grain Growers, Plant Breeders, Millers, Maltste...

Restaurants for Change, Oct. 21 On Oct. 21, more than 50 restaurants in 13 Canadian cities will donate all or part of the proceeds from dinner service to Community Food Centres Canada of which the Saskatoon Food Bank and Learning Centre is a member. In Saskatoon, Riversdale Delicatessen and Wankuskewin Heritage Park Restaurant are participating in Restaurants for Change . Order a Selection of BC Wines  Saskatoon’s liquor stores have a limited collection of BC wines. You can now order a shipment of wine from 30 different craft BC wineries through New District, BC’s only online craft wine marketplace . There’s a good assortment of wineries, a fair bit of background information, and the purchasing process looks straightforward. The Beginner’s Asian Pantry  The authors of 101 Easy Asian Recipes provide a guide to what you should look for when stocking your pantry with Asian ingredients . Guide to Organic Coffee  “Higher-end coffee tends to be slathered with ...

Monday mornings can be rough. But not always. Axon Development Corporation invited Daryl Grunau of Vector Coffee Company to their office to serve coffee for two hours. The lineup began immediately for Americanos, Macchiatos, and Lattes. Those of us who don’t drink coffee were happy to receive Earl Grey Lattes and Vanilla Steamers. There were baked goods from City Perks , where Daryl also works. And seconds, sometimes even thirds, of coffee. It was a chance for people who don’t usually drink specialty coffees to try them out and to enjoy the personal service. And Daryl’s low-key approach was never intimidating. Tell him what kind of coffee you like (“sweet and frothy”) and he’ll make a drink that suits your taste. Daryl has a mobile coffee cart and comes prepared to make a variety of specialty coffees. All he needs is a plug-in. The cart is quite remarkable as it comes apart and he manages to squeeze it into the back of his very small car. Daryl Grunau was named Bes...