Flavourful Saskatoon, December 2, 2019


The Christmas tree has gone up by the war memorial in Clifford where I’m currently staying and I’m looking forward to going out for a walk every evening as different residents are taking to turns to decorate their windows as a living Advent calendar. This has put me in the Christmas spirit so here are some suggestions for supporting local when you purchase drinks this Christmas.

Christmas Spirits 
Black Fox Farm & Distillery’s liqueurs sound yummy – raspberry, honey ginger, and sour cherry. Lucky Bastard Distillers has everything from Christmas orange vodka to seabuckthorn & wildflower honey liqueur and bitters.

You have three options for cider. Crossmount Cider Company has a winter variety pack that includes ginger apple, winter spice, and crisp and gold. Purchase your cider from Prairie Sentinel Bottleworks and you’ll be helping to support endangered species. Petrofka Orchard has soft apple cider.

Living Sky Winery has fruit wines, liqueurs, and cider. There are other local fruit wine companies, but I haven’t tried their products.

There are far too many local brewers to mention them all by name. Why not visit each of them in turn and discover your favorites? Paddock Wood has a new option: coffee moonshine infused Red Hammer developed in collaboration with Bandits distillery in Weyburn.

And, last but not least, you can attend a Christmas Spirits Market at Black Fox from 5:30-7 or 7-8:30 pm, Dec. 5, where you’ll find products from Black Fox, Living Sky, 9 Mile Legacy Brewing Company, Saskatoon Spruce, Those Girls at the Market, and Road Coffee.


Local Happenings 
There’s a Ukrainian Christmas Buffet at The Berry Barn on Dec. 8.

I haven’t been to Taste of Saskatchewan for years and years. I’m afraid it’s hard for me to sympathize with Councillor Zach Jeffries who is concerned that he might not be able to get his annual fried Mars bar. As they rethink the future of the festival, I hope they also rethink its format and purpose. Is there a way to make the event one that recognizes and supports local farmers and producers along with local ingredients for home cooking?

Food for Thought 
Slow Food International has teamed up with Airbnb to offer Slow Food Experiences. Their goal is to give travellers “the opportunity not only to contribute to local, artisanal, and small-scale food practices, but also provide them with knowledge and experience they can take back home with them as conscious consumers.” The first 45 Slow Food Experiences can now be reviewed online.

Photos are from the small market town of Wetherby, Yorkshire, where I was delighted to discover an excellent cheese store with a very friendly owner and a chocolate shop right across the way. 

 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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