Wanderlust and Words

“The mind is like an umbrella – it functions best when open.” – Walter Gropius   Local News    There’ll be an old-time outdoor dance at the Saskatoon Farmers’ Market from 12-2 pm , Feb. 13 and 20 .  Longing for bagels and cream cheese? Check out The Bagel Shop at 200 Avenue B South (old location of Little Bird Patisserie). I’ve heard it’s owned by the group that also operates Congress Beerhouse and a few other Saskatoon restaurants. It may be winter, but Our Farm is still providing Saskatoon with fresh, organic greens. You can pick up their microgreens at Dad’s Organic Market or enjoy during a meal at Calories or Citizen Café.  I was so sorry to hear that Collective Coffee ’s last day of business will be Feb. 28, 10 years after they opened in 2011.  It’s winter, we’re in the midst of a pandemic, and there are so many hungry people in Saskatoon. I donate on a regular basis to both the Saskatoon Food Bank and Food Not Bombs Saskatoon . Here are some ot...

“Many people say they enjoy the winter, but what they really enjoy is feeling proof against it.” – Richard Adams  Local News  I was so sorry to hear that Chef Jenni had lost her sense of taste and smell due to Covid – I do hope it’s only temporary. Nic Miller, Tales from Topographic Kitchens , talks about the importance of taste and smell , moving beyond the realm of food to encompass, memory, imagination, and beauty. She provides a list of additional resources on the importance of taste and smell and what is often discounted until it is lost.  Order a 3-course Valentine’s Day dinner from Trent at Scratch Provisions . Proceeds will support programming for student parents at Nutana Collegiate.  Second Harvest is Canada’s largest food rescue organization. In Saskatoon , they’ve partnered with the Saskatoon Public Schools Foundation to distribute food to families in need. You can support their efforts by encouraging local food businesses to contribute their surplus f...

Local News  You can enjoy cider and yoga on Wednesdays from 7-8 pm from now until the middle of September at the Crossmount Cider Company. Farmers’ Markets A first-year farmer says farmers' markets can be key for beginning farmers . “That farmers’ market already is doing a lot of the marketing for you, [and] already has a customer base that is coming regularly. So it’s a lot easier.” Podcasts Food Tank lists quotes from 15 recent podcasts/articles that highlight the challenges of building a sustainable, equitable food system . They range from How can we understand and prepare for the connections between COVID-19 and diet health? to What is the importance of middle-man food processors in supporting local farm-based food systems? In a recent episode of Telus Talks , the host sits down with two restaurant owners to talk through the challenges they’ve faced with nation-wide shutdowns and gradual re-openings. The Economics of Food In a recent interview with In Dige...

Local News  Congratulations to 9 Mile Legacy Brewing who are launching a brewing and canning facility a few blocks from their current location. The current nanobrewery will focus on creativity, collaboration, and innovation. “This will not only give us more brewing capacity but it will help us add jobs, continue to work with local suppliers such as @prairiemalt @makersmalt and @saskatchewanhops and be a second sizeable investment by us in @riversdaledistrict. Plus it will get our beer to more people! . . . Grateful for the thirst everyone has for local, craft beer and excited to keep building the legacy with you!” Botté Chai Bar is now serving food for pre-order and pickup. It’s an interesting menu with appetizers (dolmeh, pickled vegetables), mains (vegetarian and carnivore), and desserts. Pickup is between 4:30 and 8 pm with 24 hours advance notice. Food for Thought  I was somewhat surprised to read that a large international study has found that “eating at least ...

Local Happenings  Happy New Year! I’m so pleased to see that the Saskatoon Farmers’ Market attracted a good crowd at its first market in its temporary location at 2604 Koyl Avenue. Change is hard, but it’s also an opportunity for renewal. I’m hoping that this move will provide the Saskatoon Farmers’ Market Co-operative with a chance to focus on their long-term goal of connecting the urban public with the source of their food. I look forward to seeing new vendors coming forward who really value that connection with the people who eat their food and new customers who are eager to meet the person who grew or baked their food – whether it’s the farmer who tells you about the hailstorm that played havoc with their crop or the baker who tells you about the Mexican festival origins of their different baked goods. There has been an interesting conversation on City Perks’ Facebook page this past week (Jan. 3 post) about ways of reducing the number of disposable coffee cups. S...

Local Happenings  For all the Norwegians in the crowd – Saskatoon Berry Barn is hosting a Norwegian Christmas Buffet on Nov. 30 and Dec. 1 . Gud Eats has been acquired by Leo’s Group and is opening a second restaurant in Regina. Cookbooks Two Alberta-based authors have new cookbooks this fall: Julie Van Rosendaal has published Dirty Food , a cookbook celebrating all things sticky, gooey, and messy. Shane Chartrand and Jennifer Cockrall have published tawâw: Progressive Indigenous Cuisine , which traces Chartrand’s culinary journey and includes 75 recipes. Jennifer Cockrall and Shane Chartrand will be signing copies of their book at 7 pm , Monday , November 25 , at McNally Robinson Booksellers. Recipes  Carpaccio, poke, tacos, lasagna – all vegetarian and all made with portobello mushrooms. Food for Thought  When I go out for a meal, I’m looking for good food in pleasant surroundings. I don’t feel a glorified food hall fits the bill. Apparently,...

Local Happenings  Dennis Skoworodko of Our Farm will teach you how to make sauerkraut in a fermentation workshop at MakeSpace from 9:30-11 am , Oct. 26 . Celebrate Hallowe’en Mexican style with Pan de Muerto from the Mexican Bakery at the Saskatoon Farmers’ Market. Or, enjoy a kiss of strawberry or Saskatoon berry jam with one of their Besos. I’m delighted that Dad’s Organic Market is now carrying some Miyoko’s vegan cheeses made from fermented cashew cream. They’re the best of the bunch in my opinion, especially the smoked and aged farmhouse cheeses. Of course, you may prefer a regular dairy cheese. In which case, I highly recommend Saskatoon Spruce ’s cheese. Be sure to try the smoked variety, which has lots and lots of flavour. Have you tried Black Fox Farm & Distillery ’s haskap gin? It incorporates haskap berries from boreal forests around the world. A percentage of the profits goes to the Saskatchewan branch of the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society...

Local Happenings  Both the Empress Hotel in Victoria and Christ Church Anglican in Saskatoon are 110 years old. But the similarities end there. High tea at the Empress would set you back over $600, while high tea at Christ Church on Sept. 28 with sittings at 1 pm and 3:30 pm is a much more reasonable $25. You have your choice of cakes and goodies at the Farmers’ Market. MODA Cakes is a new venture out of Christie’s Il Secondo . Order a cake online and upload the photograph of your choice to decorate the top. There’s a choice of cake sizes. For something a little less elaborate but with a story to tell, stop by the Mexican Bakery stand. I bought a Pan de Pueblo, which is often served at small town fiestas. I was very impressed by the appetizers served at a Nature Conservancy of Canada event at the Delta Bessborough this past week. The hotel and event organizers made sure that at least half the appetizers were vegetarian or vegan. The tofu skewers and mushroom tarts w...

It’s a pleasure to walk into a vegan/vegetarian restaurant and be able to order absolutely anything on the menu – no more being confined to one or two token vegetarian options. Yay! Thai at 152 2nd Avenue South is Saskatoon’s newest vegetarian restaurant. It’s a bright, colourful space. I particularly appreciated the tropical mural and the children’s area with small tables and chairs. Dishes on the menu range from green curry and pad thai to appetizers, soups and tac’o bao – Asian steamed bun tacos. A Thai chef helped them establish their menu items. Asian cuisine incorporates lots of mushrooms, mostly fresh, so you’ll find vegan calamari made with oyster mushrooms and a bun taco with stir-fried wild mushrooms. They also plan to serve chaga mushroom latte made with mushroom powder (no caffeine). I had the Bangkok Pad Thai with rice noodles, bean sprouts, crispy tofu, garlic chives, preserved radish and fried onion, topped with roasted almonds, tamarind sauce, and a squeeze ...

Local Happenings CHEP ’s Good Food Mobile Market Bus launches Sept. 10 . They’ll be bringing fresh, low-cost food to King George, Downtown, Sutherland, and Nutana neighbourhoods on Tuesdays . Night Oven Bakery is now open 7 days a week. Sunday hours are 9 am-4 pm . Margot Hurlbert, Canada Research Chair in Climate Change, Energy and Sustainability Policy, will speak on climate change, land, and food from 10:30 am-12 pm , Sept. 13 . The Friends of the Forestry Farm House are holding a harvest dinner with seatings at 5 and 7 pm , Oct. 6 . Email c.bear@sasktel.net or call 306.373.1787 to reserve. Slow Food Saskatoon is holding a fundraising dinner featuring local and northern bounty on Oct. 6 . Food for Thought What are your daycare options if you are vegan or vegetarian and want to ensure your child receives healthy meals at day care/preschool? With Chef Justin O'Reilly , formerly of Nosh restaurant on Broadway, in the kitchen at the Building Brains Early L...

Local Happenings  The Saskatoon Food Bank & Learning Centre is holding its  annual community barbeque at the Garden Patch from 3-7 pm , Aug. 14 . There will be facepainting, games, and family activities. Recipes  Here are some interesting takes on how to dress up a baked potato . A topping of slow-cooked leeks or wrapped in seaweed and roasted sounds good to me. Food for Thought  The strange science inside your sourdough uncovered in Belgium’s sourdough library : “What is clear is that sourdough starters, and the bread made with them, represent human manipulations of the evolution of microbial communities. We channel the growth of particular members of these communities by raising or lowering the temperature of our dough, by feeding starters more or less frequently, and by giving them different kinds of flour.” Eating and drinking in Africa’s largest slum – in pictures. “Not only do these ‘compostable’ bowls not actually biodegrade, they end up...

Local Happenings  Sandra Walker, author of The Path to Wild Food: Edible Plants and Recipes for Canada , will be hosting a workshop at The Garden Patch from 5:30-7 pm , June 12 . She’ll be sharing how to find and ways to eat native Saskatchewan plants. Community Farmers Markets of Saskatoon will be in place starting June 18 . They’re at London Drugs parking lot on 8th Street on Tuesdays and Fridays and at Peavey Mart parking lot on 51st Street on Thursdays . All markets are 9 am-4 pm . I’m looking forward to seeing Victor Cicansky’s current art exhibits in Regina – The Gardener’s Universe, a retrospective at the Mackenzie Art Gallery, and Sexing the Garden at Slate Gallery. His pottery vegetables look good enough to eat! Food for Thought  For a vacation with a difference, check out the Canadian Fair Trade Network’s upcoming trip to Honduras , Nov. 9-17 . Explore fair trade at its source: coffee and cocoa farms. Learn about agriculture, development, export, a...

Shopping  River Layne Chocolate Couture recently opened a storefront at #39 – 1736 Quebec Avenue. The individual chocolates and bars are works of art and taste delicious too! (photo credit: River Layne) The Saskatoon Co-op Liquor Store on 8th Street has a wide range of wine, both Canadian and international. I was thrilled to find a large assortment of Parés Baltà organic, biodynamic wines made by women winemakers. I was treated like royalty when I visited their vineyard near Barcelona several years ago. NatureCity Festival  May 21-26 is the 7th annual NatureCity Festival with over 60 events organized by 50 different organizations – what an achievement! Here are a couple of food-based events. I’ve listed a number of other interesting events on EcoFriendly Sask . See you at the Festival! The Path to Wild Food – 1-2:30 pm, May 24  Look for edible wild plants, from licorice to sarsaparilla, with Sandra Walker, an ethnobotanist. NatureCity Beer Release...

Local Happenings  The Saskatoon Food Bank is in urgent need of baby food and baby formula . If you choose to donate in person, powdered Similac is the preferred option. Check out the new vendors at the Saskatoon Farmers’ Market. Treasure House Bakery is selling traditional Mexican pastries on Wednesdays and Saturdays. Bannock Heart is offering bannock on a stick . I am incredibly fortunate to be enjoying a wide range of fresh fruit and vegetables that aren’t yet available in Saskatchewan – there were locally grown shelling peas at the market today as well as delicious strawberries. But Saskatoon isn’t completely left behind as its greenhouse growers are all hard at work. Grandora Gardens is selling cucumbers and hopes to have grape tomatoe s for Easter, while Kaleidoscope Vegetable Gardens transplanted their spinach a couple of weeks ago and the radish seeds went in the ground this past week. Floating Gardens has heated greenhouses so they already have beet greens...

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...

Saskatoon Farmers’ Market Open for Business The Saskatoon Farmers’ Market will remain in its current premises until the end of 2019 . The City of Saskatoon cancelled its search for new tenants when they realized the roof needed major repairs. It’s good news for Farmers’ Market shoppers, but I don’t understand why it took so long for the City to recognize that the building needed repairs. Job Opportunity Jackson Wiebe, Collective Coffee , is looking for a new team leader. Recommend the successful applicant and you’ll get free coffee for a year. Coffee and Donuts Venn Coffee Roasters has Darkside donuts every Saturday and Sunday. Darkside Donuts got a great review in The Globe and Mail this week: “Darkside Donuts uses a blend of Saskatchewan organic flour and heritage-grain flour, the latter of which the baker grinds himself several times a week. . . . ‘There’s an emptiness to regular, bleached white flour,’ the baker says adamantly. ‘I truly believe in the flavour of grai...