Wanderlust and Words

Local Happenings  The Saskatoon Farmers’ Market is partnering with Gardening at USask to offer a series of talks over the summer. Check Gardening at USask’s Facebook page for upcoming events. Congratulations, Food Renew ! In their first year of operations, Food Renew diverted 300 tons of food from the landfill, collecting the food from 14 donor businesses and delivering it to 7 social agencies for distribution. Spring Rêveries “ These festive spring eggs are the perfect combination of the hope nestled in both eggs and young herbs. You can forage your own wild herbs to use (sagebrush looks particularly lovely, and lends a slight flavor to the eggs as well) or just use herbs bought from the store (flat-leafed parsley works especially well.) . . . . All of the colors here are completely natural, derived of edible materials like red cabbage and yellow onion skins.”  Food for Thought  Over 336,000 Canadian families skip meals or spend days without eating. Ove...

A visit to Perpignan is a must whenever I’m housesitting in Quillan. I can’t get enough of the palm-tree lined boulevard leading away from the train station, the street signs in English and Catalan, the interesting mix of stores along the narrow, winding streets of the old town, the sun-filled restaurant patios, and the history of a city that was, for so many years, a leading centre of Mediterranean culture, art, and politics. I had to do a little digging on Trip Advisor to find one of the loveliest heritage buildings– the Hotel Pams . The mansion was built between 1852 and 1872 by a leading industrialist. His son-in-law inherited the house and remodeled it at the end of the 19th century, turning it into a large private museum. It was later given to the city. Parts of the building are used by the municipality for public functions, but the entrance way, elaborately decorated stairwell, two salons on the first floor, and the first-floor patio garden are open to the publ...

I had an overnight stay in Nîmes on my way to Quillan and wish it could have been longer. It was a warm evening and I enjoyed strolling down the pedestrian boulevard between the train station and the centre of town. Nîmes has been called the most Roman city outside of Italy and it’s easy to see why. The old city is a maze of narrow alleyways and sun-filled squares. It’s definitely a city that invites you to take your time and relax. The absence of cars is particularly restful.

Local Happenings  Planetary Health: Connecting Food, People, and the Planet, Mar. 12 & 13  This 2-day conference on Mar. 12 & 13 is designed to better understand our role in improving human health outcomes in a manner that is respectful to the Earth's ecosystems and inhabitants . The keynote speaker is Dr. Brent Loken, a contributor to the EAT-Lancet commission on healthy diets from sustainable food systems. Other topics include Indigenous perspectives on health disparities, healthy planet/healthy people, and resilient food systems. Quality Wines under $19, Mar. 20  Taste new-to-Saskatchewan, reasonably priced wines with Doug Reichel Wine Marketing at 7 pm , Mar. 20, at Metro Liquor. Winemaker’s Dinner, Mar. 23  Enjoy a 5-course dinner and wine pairings at Calories restaurant on Mar. 23 in the company of Dominique Hébrard, Chateau Trianon, St. Émilion Grand Cru . Springtime Rêveries  Spring has definitely arrived in southwest France w...

One way to get to know a city is through its food, so I signed up with Manchester Food Walks for a tour of Manchester’s Northern Quarter. This tour particularly appealed to me as it combined food with history and street art. The Northern Quarter used to be an industrial area and has maintained many of its old buildings so it’s often used as a film set. It’s centrally located featuring a wide variety of independent stores and restaurants. One of the most famous stores is Afflecks , an "emporium of eclecticism". As we walked around the neighbourhood, the guide, John, pointed out interesting stores and other restaurants worth visiting. I was intrigued to be told that a convenience store was actually a secret bar. Street art is encouraged in the Northern Quarter so there are places where graffiti artists are invited to contribute on a rotating basis. I particularly enjoyed the parrots perched on buildings along a street which used to be home to pet s...

Local Happenings Roughly 43% of the people using food banks in Saskatchewan are children , more than anywhere else in Canada. Consider making a donation of food or money to the Saskatoon Food Bank & Learning Centre. Most wanted items include baby food and formula, whole grain cereal and pasta, peanut butter, canned fruit and vegetables, and hearty soups and stews. Patrick Mundler, a professor at Laval University, is conducting a research project examining “the impact that direct marketing has on farms, farmers, and local development .” Direct marketing farmers across Canada are invited to complete the survey. In the Kitchen  Here’s a recipe for ratatouille that isn’t “diced, stewed together and sloppy . This method allows all of the vegetables to cook at the same time and melt into each other.” Thoughts to Ponder  “The diverse food experiences of refugees represents all of the complexities of our relationships with food – from health to culture to history...

“This is the place in the North West of England  It’s ace, it’s the best and the songs that we sing From the stands, from our bands set the whole planet shaking  Our inventions are legends! There’s nowt we can’t make”  I really didn’t know what to expect when I signed up for a week-long housesit in Manchester. I knew it was a big industrial centre, but that was it. What I discovered was a bustling city proud of its past, present, and future. I came across a poem, This is the Place , written by Tony Walsh, that encapsulates much of what I learned and felt when I was in Manchester so I’m including some quotations. Industrial City “And we make summat happen, we can’t seem to help it  And if you’re looking for history then yes, we’ve a wealth  But the Manchester way is to make it yourself”  Visit the Museum of Industry and Science and you discover that Manchester was the home of the first railway station, first computer, first television,...