Wanderlust and Words

Women  In 19th century Great Britain, the artists and scientists were expected to be men. And yet, women found a way to contribute. Margaret Rebecca Dickinson produced a remarkable collection of dried plants and detailed wildflower watercolours that became a valuable addition to a natural history museum’s collection. Do take a look at her work as we wait impatiently for spring flowers in Saskatoon!  Our Bodies, Ourselves was first published 50 years ago. It was influential in the lives of so many women , myself included.  Food Equality  Reinventing Food Banks and Pantries: New Tools to End Hunger by Katie Martin is aimed at people working in food banks who want to improve the system: “ What if our success is measured not simply by the pounds of food we distribute but by the reduction in people who need our services? Or the number of people who are connected to additional services? Or the number of people who make fewer trade-off decisions between paying for foo...

“We live with mystery, but we don’t like the feeling. I think we should get used to it. We feel we have to know what things mean, to be on top of this and that. I don’t think it’s human, you know, to be that competent at life. That attitude is far from poetry.” – Mark Strand  Local News  Saskatoon’s Core Neighbourhood Youth Co-op is accepting orders for wooden garden boxes.  Jane’s Walk Saskatoon is organizing virtual and/or self-directed walking tours for Jane’s Walk 2021 on May 1.  Bread   A depression and a dictatorship in Portugal shaped its bread , transforming local grains and loaves to a nutritionless industrialized product. “Just as it is intertwined with Portugal’s political and economic history, bread has also mapped human progress and it survives as we survive. Bread can be as fragile as our own democracies, as Portugal’s grains have proven. I only hope that after years of austerity, the country looks towards a brighter future, full of much better b...

“In Just-spring when the world is mud-luscious the little lame balloonman whistles far and wee and eddieandbill come running from marbles and piracies and it’s spring when the world is puddle-wonderful” – e e cummings   A Taste of Spring  What food symbolizes spring for you? For me, it’s probably fresh, locally-grown spinach (and rhubarb). By winter’s end, I’ve had my fill of root vegetables (I do try to eat local) and am longing for greens. But in other parts of the world, spring may be something else entirely – mangoes in Mexico City , kumquats in Greece , or fresh goat cheese in Provence (Oh, yes, please!). And each of these foods has a history and a story to tell that surely influences its flavour.  Another early spring crop is radishes, but they’ve never been one of my favorites. I’m planning to try the roasted radish lemony chickpea pasta in this set of 12 unusual radish recipes , but I’m not so sure about the cinnamon ice cream topped with radishes.  Creativi...

Food & Wine  This would not go over well in Saskatchewan! The town of Glastonbury in the UK has pledged to go completely vegan by 2023. “While locals will not be compelled to adopt a vegan diet, shops and hospitality in the town will no longer be permitted to sell animal products , so determined carnivores will have to travel elsewhere to purchase meat and dairy. The keeping of livestock within the town will also be prohibited, as will meat barbecues.”  Food is one of the more obvious ways that we connect with our heritage, but it can be difficult for newcomers to find the fruits and vegetables that were available in their home countries. It’s exciting to see newcomer farmers growing and selling foreign food . Leslie Wiser “primarily grows vegetables that come from her Asian and German-Polish Jewish heritage on 1.5 acres in Sebastopol, California. This includes ingredients such as bitter melon, Chinese bald head mustard and Southeast Asian herbs that many of her customer...