Wanderlust and Words

Local News  The Western Development Museum’s Boomtown Café is now selling frozen pies, cookie dough, and cinnamon buns for you to enjoy at home. Phone or email to pre-order. “When Amy Jo Ehman looks at family, history, politics and current events, she sees stories that can be told through food .” On the Farm Millet, buckwheat, wheat – giving these precious grains a better future . In the Kitchen  “To chop garlic and ginger is to declare solidarity with ten thousand generations of cooks and shamans and doctors, with the fullness of human history, with the essence of cooking both for sustenance and health . Which is why, I suppose, a mother's kitchen smells so good.” The history of mason jars and canning – from John Landis Mason’s patent for screw-top lids in 1858 until the present: “You see these moments in American history; whether it's World War II or the counterculture or the pandemic, canning always comes back .” 5 edible plants to pick and eat : ox-eye dai...

The Black Lives Matter protests reminded me that I read a very limited number of books by writers of colour. So I went looking for some mysteries that would help address this gap. Bluebird, Bluebird by Attica Locke is about Darren Mathews, a Texas Ranger who tries to determine who had committed two recent murders in a small community in East Texas. It’s a messy, complicated situation as Darren himself explains: “Michael’s and Missy’s murders were race crimes, yes, but that was mainly because of the ways race defined so much about Lark, Texas, especially in terms of love, unexpected, and the family ties it created.” The mystery itself is totally absorbing, but so is the glimpse of life in Texas if you are African American. It’s home, but it’s also a very dangerous place to live. I expected the main character in A Rising Man by Abir Mukherjee to be Indian like the author, but of course that wasn’t be possible as the book is based in colonial India in 1919. Instead, a disillus...

“For me, it is luxurious to eat a spoonful of beans, to toast a slice of sourdough, to char an eggplant in its flesh over open fire. Every crystal of sugar, every cup of coffee, every bite of chocolate—these are luxuries; these are precious; these are from the earth and came from someone’s labor.”  ( Alicia Kennedy )  Local News  Supper on the patio at Shift was a delight. I’m giving serious thought to a return visit for a glass of wine and a slice of chocolate cheesecake. The bread pudding (pictured) is also excellent! Eat North is hosting Prairie Grid Market from 9 am-6:30 pm , Sept. 19 , at Agar’s Corner. There will be 25 vendors (food, drink, kitchenware), live music, and bar. Register for a 2-hour time slot with registration capped at 125 people per time slot. In the Kitchen Ratatouille was originally a thin, watery vegetable stew served to soldiers . How it’s changed. “A true ratatouille is a labour of love, with emphasis on labour.”  [eggpl...

Landmarks by Robert Macfarlane is about the power of words to shape our sense of place. When the majority of people lived and worked in rural areas, they developed very specific words to clearly explain the state of the weather and physical or geographical features. As city dwellers, we’ve lost so many words from our vocabulary: “The terrain beyond the city fringe has become progressively more understood in terms of large generic units (‘field’, ‘hill’, ‘valley’, ‘wood’). It has become a blandscape. . . . It is not, on the whole, that natural phenomena and entities themselves are disappearing; rather that there are fewer people able to name them, and that once they go unnamed they go to some degree unseen.”  This may seem insignificant – it’s only words, after all. But words shape how we see the world and how we interact with it. If I don’t have a name for a caterpillar, will I care enough to protect it - will I even notice it? Will a field be worth saving from a freeway i...

Local News The Saskatoon Farmers' Market Co-operative on Koyl Avenue had strawberries from Raina's Organics this week - yum! Ayden Kitchen & Bar is holding a 4-course dinner with cider pairings from Crossmount Cider on Sept. 15. Call 306-954-2590 for a reservation. I've posted a list of nature and environmental programs for Saskatchewan kids from pre-school to grade 12 on EcoFriendly Sask . In the Kitchen “Sourdough is this one space where we all agree, as a society, that microbes are helping us do wonderful things .” Here’s an article outlining the science behind sourdough bread: from how it works to tips on the caring and feeding of your starter (how much water, type of flour). A chef takes cooking lessons for kids online and teaches them to make dinner, which presents some unusual challenges : “Chef Pascal," she says, "can you please slow down? My cat got out and I need to go grab him." How many cookbooks do you own and how do you us...

Local News  The Saskatchewan Environmental Society will be celebrating its 50th anniversary with a riverside picnic from 12:30-2 pm , Aug. 30 . Registration is required as participation is limited to 30 people. Buy pasta, gnocchi, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and sodas – straight from Italy – at Beppi’s Gelato . I was sorry to learn that Little Bird Pâtisserie has closed its doors due to the COVID-19 pandemic. What a shame! It is so important, now more than ever, to support small local businesses. There are a thousand reasons why you should shop and eat local, but one of the best is making new friends.  Padrón Pepper Roulette   I’ve been enjoying padrón peppers (quick fried until they blister) from Kaleidoscope Vegetable Gardens . But you have to be prepared to take a risk, because “unos pican otros no” or “some are hot, some are not . ” The spicy ones are in the minority, but it certainly wakes you up to what you’re eating when you bite into one of t...

Did you know? Cabbage White butterfly were introduced in Quebec in the 1860s and have since spread across North America. They can be found from Nunavut to northwest Mexico.   I’m sure that none of you have a problem identifying a Saskatoon Berry  and if you’ve done any gardening at all you will be able to recognize a Cabbage White butterfly at a glance. But you may be less familiar with Water Boatman and Tiger Salamander . And I only learned to recognize Garry Oak and Camas after multiple trips to Vancouver Island. Four years ago my brother, Andrew McKinlay, was hiking in Big Bend National Park in Texas and was frustrated. He was seeing all sorts of interesting plants, insects, trees, and other wildlife but was struggling to identify them. “What I need is one app that lists the most common plants, trees, animals, insects, reptiles, and birds that I’ll find in a particular area,” he said. “There are lots of specific bird, flower, or insect guides, but nothing toget...

Colourful "candy" from Grandora Gardens Local News There is such an abundance of locally grown and produced food at the Saskatoon Farmers’ Market on Koyl Avenue at this time of year: chanterelle mushrooms, goat milk, padrón peppers, Mexican wedding cookies, green beans, peaches, tomatoes, kale. . . . Shop in person at the main market on Saturdays and Sundays , at the Stonebridge pop-up market on Wednesdays , or order online . Fill your fridge with local goodness while supporting the local economy! For the ultra-deluxe version of a fudgsicle, head straight to Beppi’s for a milk chocolate gelato – so good! From research, dentistry, software, and film to restaurant owner and food producer , the story behind Beppi’s Gelato, Botté Chai Bar, Aria, and High Key Brewing Co. I spent a very pleasant couple of hours on a patio by the lake at the  Glen at Crossmount Cider Company sampling a flight of their ciders. Shelley, my sister in law, was keen on the Cider & Bla...