Flavourful Saskatoon, September 23, 2019

Local Happenings 
Both the Empress Hotel in Victoria and Christ Church Anglican in Saskatoon are 110 years old. But the similarities end there. High tea at the Empress would set you back over $600, while high tea at Christ Church on Sept. 28 with sittings at 1 pm and 3:30 pm is a much more reasonable $25.

You have your choice of cakes and goodies at the Farmers’ Market. MODA Cakes is a new venture out of Christie’s Il Secondo. Order a cake online and upload the photograph of your choice to decorate the top. There’s a choice of cake sizes. For something a little less elaborate but with a story to tell, stop by the Mexican Bakery stand. I bought a Pan de Pueblo, which is often served at small town fiestas.

I was very impressed by the appetizers served at a Nature Conservancy of Canada event at the Delta Bessborough this past week. The hotel and event organizers made sure that at least half the appetizers were vegetarian or vegan. The tofu skewers and mushroom tarts were really good.

It’s exciting to see The Night Oven Bakery working with local farmer Marc Loiselle to fine-tune a heritage grain such as purple barley

210 fruit-bearing trees have been planted along the Meewasin Valley trail north of the train bridge to address issues of sustainability and food security. The university group that initiated the project received a $1000 EcoFriendly Action Grant.

Recipes 
Miso is an additional way to add fermented foods full of probiotics to your diet. “Sweet white miso is chirpy and savoury in equal parts; it makes a great salad dressing and adds sparkle to chocolate brownies. Then there are the dark, brooding types, such as the brown rice miso I’ve used in today’s recipe.” – Wild Mushroom Miso Broth.

Food for Thought 
“What are the odds of half of Americans being vegetarian in 10 years? I’d say zero. But what are the odds of half of the meals eaten in America being vegetarian in 10 years? I would say really good. And in terms of the impact, on the environment or on the animals or whatever it is that you care about, the impact is the same. But they are radically different ways of looking at the same problem and conclusion.”

Grin! 
I’m delighted to learn that “regular tea drinkers have better organized brains than their non-tea-drinking friends” with “less age-related decline in brain structure.”

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. 

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