Wanderlust and Words

Local News   It’s easy to forget how much work goes into growing and preparing food for sale. And Covid has made things even tougher. One farmer tells me he is spending an extra day to day and a half a week preparing vegetables to sell at the Saskatoon Farmers’ Market in order to comply with health authority requirements. Where does he find the extra time in what must already be a jam-packed growing season!  Trent at Scratch Provisions makes great pies with lots of imaginative flavours (e.g. harissa lentils and cauliflower; balsamic pickled beet, ricotta & sunflower seed). My family enjoyed his vegetarian Thanksgiving pies this weekend - lots of holiday spices and the tang of fresh cranberries. In fact, we enjoyed them so much, we're ordering more.  I’m really enjoying the sour leaf cabbage rolls from Kapusta & Kake at the Saskatoon Farmers’ Market Cooperative – rich, tangy, lots of flavour. Wally Satzewich says their borscht is the best he’s ever tasted. Th...

Local News   Jenn Sharp’s book, Flat Out Delicious: Your Definitive Guide to Saskatchewan’s Food Artisans , is now available from Touchwood Editions , McNally Robinson Booksellers , and Amazon . Jenn discusses the book and her interest in food in an interview with Touchwood Editions . Steep Hill Food Co-op has posted photos of all their shelves on Facebook , making it so much easier to order by phone or email. Be sure to include your phone and member numbers. Orders can be picked up at the store. Sparrow Coffee has started offering a pickup service with everything from coffee beans and lattes to soups, salads, and cinnamon buns from 10 am-3 pm , Wednesday to Friday . City Perks Coffeehouse hopes to initiate curbside pickup as well in the next couple of weeks. I picked up pies from Trent at Scratch Provisions this week and was delighted to have so many vegetarian options, among them Mushroom with Wild Rice & Toasted Walnut, Egyptian Lentil with Roasted Brussel ...

Local Happenings  Wolf Willow Winery is under new management. The wine will remain the same, but they’re expanding their menu under the direction of Chef Jenni with specially selected local menu items in addition to fresh-made pizzas. Saskatoon now has two great options when purchasing ready-made pies. Mary from Prairie Pie Company sells a wide range of frozen, ready-to-cook pies at the Saskatoon Farmers’ Market. She’s now joined by Trent Loewen, former owner of Earth Bound Bakery, at Scratch Provisions . He’ll be hosting a pop-up restaurant at the Saskatoon Farmers’ Market on Mar. 23 - hot savoury pie for breakfast or lunch, dressed with smashed potato, mushy green peas, and extra gravy. Scratch pies can be ordered online for Friday pick-up or delivery. Both companies offer vegetarian pie options. Food for Thought  So many food service jobs in North America are filled by students working part-time on a short-term basis. In France, however, you’ll frequently see...

Toffee Porter, Dec. 6 Prairie Sun Brewery is launching their Toffee Porter on December 6 between 11 and 6. Lunch will be served from 11-2 and supper from 5-8 (catered by Garlic Guru). Shoeless Joes will be performing at 8 pm. I really like the rich flavour of porter, so I’m hoping to attend. In the 1700s, porter was aged for up to a year, so brewers needed very large vats. “One of these vats, owned by Richard Meux's brewery, erupted back in 1814 releasing 320,000 gallons of Porter which demolished part of the brewery, a line of small homes and killed eight people in the wave of beer.” ( What The Hell Is A Porter?, Beer Advocate ) Prairie Pie Company  I picked up a piece of savoury squash, purple onion and goat cheese pie (walnuts and raisins too!) from the Prairie Pie Company at the Saskatoon Farmers' Market. I understand that Mary Uzelman will be offering special seasonal pies and baked oatmeal on a regular basis. And, if you haven’t tried Mary’s individual lentil pie...