Wanderlust and Words

Prince and Princess Abkhazi married and settled in Victoria, BC, in 1946. They immediately set about developing their one-acre property and continued to work on it for the next 40 years. Abkhazi Garden is now maintained by The Land Conservancy of BC, and it’s enchanting. The paths meander past ponds and around large boulders. You can climb up to the Teahouse or sit and relax on a bench. My sister treated me to tea on Easter Sunday. We had Elevenses, a smaller version of the full Afternoon Tea. There is an amazing variety of flowers, shrubs, and trees and the spring blossoms were an absolute delight. See also: Abkhazi Garden in the Summer  

Brunch at Be Love vegan restaurant Firkin Friday for Meewasin, Apr. 1  They’ll be tapping a keg of Meewasin 80 beer from Prairie Sun Brewery at Fionn MacCool’s on Apr. 1. One dollar from every pint will be donated to Meewasin Valley Authority. Spring Fling, Apr. 17 (Moose Jaw) Sarah Galvin, Swift Current, will be selling her baked goods in Moose Jaw for the first time at the Spring Fling trade show . You can find out more about Sarah and her food by following her Facebook page, FoodCraft by Sarah . Café Noir / Karma  Café Noir on 2nd Avenue is rebranding itself as The Karma – Conscious Café and Eatery . Roshni and Vivek are trained baristas. They plan to serve vegetarian/vegan food, fair trade coffee, and will donate 3% of the Café’s earnings to local charities. Lunch at Ottavio's Italian Bakery & Delicatessen Local & Fresh (Regina)  Local & Fresh delivers local products to your Regina home or workplace. You can select from over 1,000 pro...

Fruit Wine Fermentation Seminar, Apr. 27 The Saskatchewan Food Industry Development Centre is offering a day-long Fruit Wine Fermentation Seminar on Apr. 27. Edible Perennial Tour & Foraging Workshop, Apr. 30  If you live in or near Regina, Edible Landscapes is offering a tour of a permaculture garden’s edible perennials and a foraging workshop in a south Saskatchewan valley to identify edible and medicinal plants on Apr. 30. Lisa Clark, Saskatoon Food Activist  Lisa Clark is a researcher and writer. Most of her writing focuses on food politics and she recently completed a book on the organic food industry . Mariana Brito, The Backyard  Mariana Brito combines the flavours of modern Mexican cuisine with a passion for local, organic food. The Backyard served meals at Over the Hill Orchards in 2015 and is looking for a new location this summer. Mariana is a 2016 CBC Future 40 winner from Regina. BC’s Local Food Artisans If you’re planning a tr...

It’s March Morpho Madness at the Victoria Butterfly Gardens and there are large blue butterflies circling our legs  and heads and leading us onwards. There are brightly-coloured fish, turtles sunning themselves on a log, and two flamingos in the pond. Butterflies land on the flowers and sometimes even on your back or shoulder. There are various parrots and some tortoises and ducks. It’s a wonderful place to visit, and it’s nice to know that they’ve begun raising their own butterflies and are certified sustainability green.

Cocktail Class, Mar. 17 Tierra del Sol/Black Fox Spirits is offering a St. Patrick’s Day cocktail class with food pairings and a tour of the distillery. Food Safe Course, Mar. 20 CHEP Good Food Inc. is offering a Food Safe course on Mar. 20. The course is free, but space is limited. Seedy Sunday, Mar. 20  Seedy Sunday is Mar. 20 at the Saskatoon Farmers’ Market. There will be workshops on seed saving, fermentation, permaculture, composting, urban agriculture, and ethical eats. Garden Patch Sponsorship If you don’t have time to adopt a plot at the Saskatoon Food Bank & Learning Centre’s Garden Patch, you can sponsor a plot instead. Global Pinoy Global Pinoy in Confederation Park offers Filipino food, newspapers, and television. "It's important because we [Filipino community] miss home. So when we have access to all these products, we bring a little bit of what's home in Saskatoon." Savour the Southeast, May 14 (Estevan) Savour the Southeast...

Hot Cross Buns  Oh, happiness! Hot cross buns are back at Earth Bound Bakery. I’m sure that The Night Oven Bakery will have them soon too. In the meantime, the Night Oven’s croissant stuffed with house-made blood orange and mixed citrus marmalade sounds amazing! Regina Farmers’ Market  Regina Farmers’ Market is open again from 9 am – 1 pm , Saturdays only, from March 5 to April 30 , at 2065 Hamilton Street. The New Bread Basket  Farm-to-fork isn’t a simple, one-step process explains Amy Halloran, author of The New Bread Basket: How the New Crop of Grain Growers, Plant Breeders, Millers, Malsters, Bakers, Brewers, and Local Food Activists are Redefining Our Daily Loaf . Farmers can’t afford to grow and sell locally unless they have seed that is suited to their location and they can be assured of a market. Enter their partners in the local food system – from university researchers to craft breweries. The book focuses on the US, in particular the ...

I broke my journey from Wales to Birmingham airport by staying in Shrewsbur y overnight. It’s a pretty town that emerged unscathed from the fires that beset so many cities in the early days as well as World War II bombings. One local described it as living in a bubble and I’m sure there are a great many constraints in order to maintain the old architecture that is sure to be popular with tourists. I admire the UK’s ability to hold on to the past and its beauty. The castle is made of lovely red stone and has an inner walled garden with a whole side devoted to camellias. Across the Severn River is Shrewsbury Abbey, the setting for Ellis Peters’ Brother Cadfael mysteries. Charles Darwin was born in Shrewsbury and went to school in what is now the library. There is an indoor market with a mix of everything from vegetables, bread and cheese to antiques and secondhand books. There are lovely walks beside the river, which loops around...