Footnotes to a Conversation, March 29, 2021


Food 
“Hot cross buns, hot cross buns, one a penny, two a penny, hot cross buns” Well, they’re not quite that cheap at The Night Oven Bakery, but they are certainly delicious and organic. Night Oven is also selling sour cherry walnut challah on Apr. 2 and 3. If you believe English folklore, you’ll be happy to learn that a hot cross bun baked and served on Good Friday will not spoil or go mouldy for a full year and will protect against shipwreck, fire, and illness. 

Herbs 
If you’re eager to purchase herb bedding plants, you’ll be glad to learn that Bergamot & Basil will be set up at various locations this spring, including the Saskatoon Farmers’ Market. 


History 
There were rumours that Dhaka muslin was woven by mermaids, fairies, and ghosts. Or perhaps it was woven underwater. It was all the rage in 18th century Europe, although it inspired alarm as it was so fine it was almost transparent. Dhaka muslin and the plant from which it came disappeared entirely but are now being reintroduced. 

Archaeologists have tended to base their findings on sex, excluding a more nuanced approach. By using multiple variables, archaeologists find “a large area of overlap between typically “male” and “female” burial goods, suggesting that gender categories were not nearly as narrow as archaeologists had assumed. (Women could bear axes, and men could wear rings, for instance.) Likewise, an individual’s sex did not determine the position they were buried in.” 

Safe Outdoor Adventures for Kids 
I interviewed Rebecca Basset, Back40 Wilderness First Aid Training, for EcoFriendly Sask. She offers some very practical, down-to-earth advice to ensure your kids can have fun – and stay safe – outdoors. 

Footnotes to a Conversation is a weekly Monday feature covering an assortment of topics that I’ve come across in the preceding week – books, art, travel, food, and whatever else strikes my fancy. If you share my love of nature, I suggest you also read EcoFriendly Sask that I publish in collaboration with my brother, Andrew. 

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