Flavourful Saskatoon, November 30, 2020


“The imagination is not an escape, but a return to the richness of our true selves; a return to reality.” – George Mackay Brown 

Local News 
Blue Plate Special: 100 Years of Saskatoon Restaurants, an online slideshow sponsored by the Saskatoon Public Library’s Local History Room, will be on Facebook and YouTube at 4 pm, Dec. 3. I’ll try and include the link in a future issue of Flavourful. 

The University of Regina Centre for Lifelong Learning is offering a 4-session virtual course exploring the major wine-producing regions of the world from Jan. 21-Feb. 11.

What a fun idea! Chef de Partie is selling Christmas cookie decorating kits – as well as ready-to-eat Christmas dinners for one or many that include vegetarian options and lots of extras. 

Sparrow Coffee is now offering a weekly menu plan and delivery, while City Perks is working on a winter patio and kitchen staples – plus fresh-baked pretzels on Saturdays. 

A new website, onesmallstepsk.ca, “connects donors with non-profits to make sure the organizations' urgent needs are met.” 

Fermentation 
An article about wine and superstition: “Whereas spilling wine is an instant fail in a sommelier examination, it is good luck in both Italy and Portugal, bringing happiness to the whole house, which is something I'm excited to inform the next customer I accidentally spill a drop on.” 

Old Tree Brewery in the UK combines “brewing and gardening with forest farming and fermentation. Producing drinks that are probiotic for our gut and compost that is probiotic for the soil – living drinks for living soil. By creating living drinks for living soil with an educational model for growth, and through investing profits in edible hedgerows and forest landscapes, our purpose is to leave a legacy for wildlife and future generations which can help establish more resilient communities.” 


At the Market 
Detroit’s Eastern Market is finding new ways to support urban agriculture and local farmers. With a focus on a “healthier, wealthier and happier Detroit,” they are supporting food entrepreneurs with a market kitchen, filling food relief boxes with locally grown vegetables, and supporting health education programs and prescriptions. 

In Valencia, Spain, and London, UK, markets are championing the farm-to-market approach to buying food. “There is an assumption that farmers markets are niche and simply for the middle classes. But now, as society adjusts to living with COVID-19, is the perfect time for disruption and to reimagine how produce from rural farms and producers might come together to create a regular, reliable and affordable offering for people who need it the most.” 

Between the Covers 
Smithsonian Institute has prepared a list of the ten best books about food of 2020. There are lots of virtual travel opportunities with Mexican, Palestinian, and West African cookbooks. 

I posted an article yesterday about two books I read this past month full of hope, sunshine, and flowers. Enjoy! 

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).

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