Flavourful Saskatoon, April 22

Local Happenings 
Join Venn Coffee Roasters from 1-2 pm, Apr. 27, for a free educational coffee tasting – different growing regions, processing methods, and flavour profiles.

I’m interested in checking out some of Saskatoon’s newest restaurants. A Facebook friend mentioned Nile R Café at Lawson Heights Mall. It’s run by two sisters from Sudan. Mi Tierra restaurant got its start in Davidson and has now opened a branch in Saskatoon. They pride themselves on serving traditional Mexican dishes made with imported ingredients. They also have a small grocery section.

Food for Thought 
It requires a winemaker with a sense of humour to label your wine Le Glouglou, aka Glug Glug. This is an organic, natural Beaujolais wine. The grapes are picked by hand and the wine is made without using additives. I have a choice of 3 natural wine stores in my immediate neighbourhood in Lyon.

I got lucky this week and was able to talk to and buy fruit and vegetables from a farmer. Marché St. Louis is a small market and I happened to overhear the vendor telling one of his customers that he doesn’t spray his strawberries and they were picked yesterday, just in time for the market. I started asking him questions and he showed me his hands and said, “Je suis de la terre” (I am part of the land), to which I replied, “Et nous, on mange de la terre” (And we eat from the land). He and his wife have been farming and selling at the market for 50 years and are retiring in 2 weeks’ time. His kids don't want to take over the farm. I asked him about the young people who are taking up farming in France and he said they won't survive without grants, which he believes will be cut. He only managed because he had some funds when he got started. I’d already heard from another vendor that he was selling Spanish peas, even though French ones were available, because they were half the price – and that’s what his customers were looking for.

Talk to any of the producers at the Saskatoon Farmers’ Market and they’ll tell you much the same story. It’s really, really hard to make a living as a small-scale market gardener. You’re reliant on the weather and on customers who are far too often looking for the cheapest product rather than the best, the cleanest, or the most local.

Flavourful Saskatoon is a weekly Monday feature. I also post articles about food that is good, clean and fair; travel; and books. You may also enjoy EcoFriendly Sask profiling Saskatchewan nature/environmental initiatives and events. 

You can follow Wanderlust and Words on Facebook, Twitter, or by email (top right corner).