I walked out of a foodie gathering last evening with laughter ringing in my ears. Oh, I’m sure it was intended to be friendly laughter, but all the same, they were mocking me.
Vegetarians are not taken seriously in the food community. We are odd, delusional folks who fail to appreciate that meat is the centre of any classy meal. Well, I beg to disagree. Good vegetarian food is creative, flavourful and forward-thinking.
Creative
I was a terrible cook until I became a vegetarian. The traditional “meat and two vegetables” led to boring meals with no flavour. As a vegetarian, that standard scenario was turned on its head. Every meal was different – would it be a soup or a stew, savoury pancakes or spring rolls? Meal planning was suddenly way more fun.
Trips to the farmers’ market became an adventure. What could I make with fennel? Why not try arugula on my pizza?
Cookbooks were culinary travel adventures and my spice rack expanded to include flavours from around the world. There was Brazilian Black Bean Soup, Spicy Szechwan Vegetables and Tofu, Samosas, Mushroom Moussaka, Turkish-Style Stuffed Zucchini, and so much more!
There was nothing boring about my diet.
Flavourful
Good vegetarian food is flavourful and adventurous. Unfortunately, most vegetarian meals in restaurants are dull and uninspired. Restaurants have one vegetarian option that they serve year in and year out. It’s pasta or gnocchi or eggplant. It’s often bland. You can tell that the chefs aren’t interested.
The excuse they’ll offer – and yes, a top chef offered me this excuse just last night – is that folks in Saskatchewan like their meat and potatoes so that is the focus of restaurant menus.
Well, if that’s the case, why are there so many ethnic restaurants in every city across Saskatchewan and Canada? Locals love going out for Thai, Chinese, Mexican or Indian food. And all those cultures offer great, flavourful vegetarian options.
If chefs can’t make their vegetarian options just as exciting as their meat options, then they’re failing at their job. They’re using meat as a crutch rather than focusing on creating flavourful, inventive dishes of all shapes and sizes.
Forward-Thinking
Times are changing, and people’s attitudes are changing. We’re travelling more and we want to try new dishes and unusual flavours. We’re more health conscious. Sure, we enjoy rich food, but we’re also looking to our chefs to give us tasty food that is also healthy. And many people care deeply about the health of our planet. Raising animals is resource-intensive, depleting and polluting our land and water.
It’s time for chefs to get on board with food that is creative, flavourful, forward-thinking – and possibly vegetarian. Don’t get stuck in a carnivorous rut – explore your options.
Monday, May 20, 2013
Flavourful Saskatoon, May 20, 2013
Forestry Farm Centennial Fair, May 26
Head on out to the Forestry Farm Park and Zoo from noon to 5 pm on May 26 to celebrate the Farm’s 100th Anniversary. The Centennial Fair will include concessions, wagon rides, old-fashioned games and contests, an artisan marketplace, and demonstrations.
Out with the Old, In with the New
Souleio is closing, effective May 25. Fortunately, the beautiful heritage building will house a new culinary business. Chef Dale Mackay, who won the Top Chef Canada competition, is returning to his hometown and opening a restaurant that will emphasize local food. I met Dale last evening. He is planning a 100-seat restaurant with a focus on French bistro-style food. He'll be preparing his own charcuterie and operating a small butcher shop. Dale hopes to open in mid-July.
Let’s Start Truckin’
Food trucks should arrive soon in Saskatoon (finally!). Dan Walker of Weczeria is ready to go. His truck will be called Joy Ride and will feature global fusion/global street food (via Savour Life).
Cake in the Garden
Barbara cooks from scratch with real butter and organic fair trade cocoa.
BBQ Bonanza, May 25
SaskMade Marketplace is hosting a BBQ Bonanza on May 25 from 10:30-4:30. The guest chef is Jenni Willems, and there will be lots of meaty samples from J & J Sausages and Bluestone Farms.
March Against Monsanto
There will be a March Against Monsanto on May 25 at noon, meeting at Kinsmen Park across from the Mendel Art Gallery. There will be a talk on May 22 at 6:30 pm at the downtown library entitled The World According to Monsanto, with special guest speaker Percy Schmeiser.
Rhubarb is Priceless
“In 17th-century Russia, rhubarb was so valuable that much of the country's treasury was derived from the medicinal sales of the imported rhubarb root. When Chinese emperors and Russian czars had a border dispute, withholding rhubarb was China's biggest weapon.”
Good Stalk: Rhubarb by Dara Moskowitz Grumdahl provides more history of the valuable rhubarb as well as some suggested recipes.
Flavourful Saskatoon is a weekly Monday feature. I also post regular profiles of culinary entrepreneurs, new restaurants and new food products.
You can follow Wanderlust and Words on Facebook, Twitter, or by email (top right corner).
Monday, May 13, 2013
Flavourful Saskatoon, May 13, 2013
Top of the Hops Winery Dinner, May 25
The Tops of the Hops Winery Dinner on May 25 will feature wines from Bodegas Luzón presented by the winery’s representative, Isidoro Perez de Tudela.
I have fond memories of a tour and tasting at Bodegas Luzón in Jumilla, Spain, accompanied by Isidoro Perez, and highly recommend their wine – and hence the dinner!
Saskaboom
New places and products to check out:
Leyda’s, 112 20th Street West (gluten-free, nut-free) – they are hoping to open in mid-June
Congress Beer House, 215 2nd Avenue South – opening this coming week – looks like they’ll be offering lots of craft beers on tap – rotating taps to bring in new draught all the time
Twig & Squirrel’s Wild Goods is stocking Bogart’s Bay Coffee. Bogart’s Bay roasts their organic coffee by hand on a traditional charcoal-fired roaster they imported from India. They import their coffee beans through a non-profit wholesaler of ethically traded beans.
Saskatoon Farmers’ Market
The Prairie Pantry is now selling various ready-to-eat foods – from olives to salad. I enjoyed the couscous salad with its light curry flavour and lots of raisins and fresh vegetables.
Uncle Mike’s Natural Products (soap, deoderant, healing salve) is at the market on Sundays and Wednesdays. Mike only uses natural ingredients and uses minimal, recyclable packaging.
Cake Witch Café
Barbara Harder-Lutz is looking for a partner to help her bake and run the Cake Witch Café in Rosthern. No money, but Barbara believes there is lots of potential.
Vegan Food Truck
Food trucks will soon be setting up in Saskatoon. I understand that Dan Walker from Weczeria is almost ready to roll. But I bet there won’t be a vegan food truck like Sailin’ On that has just got started in Edmonton.
They’re offering vegan fast food – from a Vegan Reuben with shaved seitan on rye to Drunken Chik’n with deep-fried lemongrass tofu to Curry Chips (fries smothered in curry sauce) and Gingembre (homemade ginger soda).
Pairing Music with Chocolate
A recent Edmonton Symphony event paired local chocolate with one of the songs. The audience was invited to eat one of the chocolates during each of the four movements. Sounds like something Saskatoon Symphony Orchestra might want to imitate, although supplies of locally-made chocolates are extremely limited.
Guide to Sustainable Beer
How do you define sustainable beer? Grist suggests that sustainable beer is local, craft beers brewed in small batches.
There’s a movement towards making beer from locally-sourced ingredients and an interest in protecting the quality of the local water, using green energy sources, reusing waste products, and supporting the local community.
Honey
Here’s a global guide to honey – from beehives in downtown Tokyo to white honey in Ethiopia and leatherwood honey from the rain forests of Australia.
Photos: Jumilla and Bodegas Luzón
Flavourful Saskatoon is a weekly Monday feature. I also post regular profiles of culinary entrepreneurs, new restaurants and new food products.
You can follow Wanderlust and Words on Facebook, Twitter, or by email (top right corner).
The Tops of the Hops Winery Dinner on May 25 will feature wines from Bodegas Luzón presented by the winery’s representative, Isidoro Perez de Tudela.I have fond memories of a tour and tasting at Bodegas Luzón in Jumilla, Spain, accompanied by Isidoro Perez, and highly recommend their wine – and hence the dinner!
Saskaboom
New places and products to check out:
Leyda’s, 112 20th Street West (gluten-free, nut-free) – they are hoping to open in mid-June
Congress Beer House, 215 2nd Avenue South – opening this coming week – looks like they’ll be offering lots of craft beers on tap – rotating taps to bring in new draught all the time
Twig & Squirrel’s Wild Goods is stocking Bogart’s Bay Coffee. Bogart’s Bay roasts their organic coffee by hand on a traditional charcoal-fired roaster they imported from India. They import their coffee beans through a non-profit wholesaler of ethically traded beans.
Saskatoon Farmers’ Market
The Prairie Pantry is now selling various ready-to-eat foods – from olives to salad. I enjoyed the couscous salad with its light curry flavour and lots of raisins and fresh vegetables.Uncle Mike’s Natural Products (soap, deoderant, healing salve) is at the market on Sundays and Wednesdays. Mike only uses natural ingredients and uses minimal, recyclable packaging.
Cake Witch Café
Barbara Harder-Lutz is looking for a partner to help her bake and run the Cake Witch Café in Rosthern. No money, but Barbara believes there is lots of potential.
Vegan Food Truck
Food trucks will soon be setting up in Saskatoon. I understand that Dan Walker from Weczeria is almost ready to roll. But I bet there won’t be a vegan food truck like Sailin’ On that has just got started in Edmonton.
They’re offering vegan fast food – from a Vegan Reuben with shaved seitan on rye to Drunken Chik’n with deep-fried lemongrass tofu to Curry Chips (fries smothered in curry sauce) and Gingembre (homemade ginger soda).
Pairing Music with Chocolate
A recent Edmonton Symphony event paired local chocolate with one of the songs. The audience was invited to eat one of the chocolates during each of the four movements. Sounds like something Saskatoon Symphony Orchestra might want to imitate, although supplies of locally-made chocolates are extremely limited.
Guide to Sustainable Beer
There’s a movement towards making beer from locally-sourced ingredients and an interest in protecting the quality of the local water, using green energy sources, reusing waste products, and supporting the local community.
Honey
Here’s a global guide to honey – from beehives in downtown Tokyo to white honey in Ethiopia and leatherwood honey from the rain forests of Australia.
Photos: Jumilla and Bodegas Luzón
Flavourful Saskatoon is a weekly Monday feature. I also post regular profiles of culinary entrepreneurs, new restaurants and new food products.
You can follow Wanderlust and Words on Facebook, Twitter, or by email (top right corner).
Saturday, May 4, 2013
Flavourful Saskatoon, May 6, 2013
Soup & Brownies at City Perks
If you’re lucky, you can pick up a one-litre container of soup at City Perks. The Shitake Mushroom Chowder is crammed full of mushroom slices and chunks of potato and carrot – absolutely delicious.
I also picked up a container of Tomato Zucchini Soup, and Coralee Abbott told me to serve it with a little feta cheese crumbled on top.
P.S. You don’t have to be following a gluten-free diet to enjoy City Perks’ gluten-free brownies. They’re amazing! And Coralee has promised to contact me when there’s a batch with sour cherries and goat cheese.
Naked Leaf Tea
City Perks is now serving loose leaf teas from Naked Leaf, a Calgary company sourcing small farm, organic teas. Naked Leaf has a large variety of teas, and you can order online. They also have a Tea of the Month Club, and you can customize your tins with labels designed by Calgary artists.
Saskatoon Farmers’ Market
The Saskatoon Farmers’ Market has extended its operations to the outdoor Market Square.
Goodlife Greenhouses has returned, and I stocked up on packages of dehydrated tomatoes for next winter. The dehydrated slices are really sweet as they’re from fully ripe tomatoes, and they crumble easily, so you can add them to everything from omelettes to stews.
Mediterranean Breeze is back with their savoury Persian pastries, hummus and date-filled cookies.
Prairie Pie Wagon is now selling slices of quiche and savoury turnovers (bean or beef).
And be sure to pick up some Seabuckthorn Syrup from Northern Vigor Berries. I love the combination of tart, fruity and sweet.
Prairie Fruit
With warmer weather, it’s time to start planning menus centred around all our wonderful prairie fruits. The Prairie Fruit Cookbook: The Essential Guide for Picking, Preparing and Preserving Fruit is an amazing resource.
It covers everything from picking and storing the fruit to canning and drying it. And there are lots of recipes – cherry martini; rhubarb barbecue sauce; sage, caramelized onion and plum pizza; pear smoothie; raspberry mint jam. Yum!
School Meals
I was horrified to hear about a Saskatchewan school that serves koolaid and fruit loops for breakfast. They say it’s what the kids want, but it sure isn’t healthy, so I was pleased to read a couple of articles about healthy school lunches in the United States.
Revolution Foods is striving to deliver healthy, locally-produced food, using children to design and test the meals. The meals don’t contain high-fructose corn syrup or transfats, and they are free of hormones and antibiotics and often organic. It took over 1,000 attempts to develop a child-approved baked chicken wing as they don’t want to serve deep-fat fried foods.
A school in Queen’s, New York, has gone one step further, becoming the first traditional public school in the country to serve all vegetarian, all the time. For kids who object to the hot meal option, there are cheese or PB + J sandwiches.
Prairie Icons – Chinese Restaurants
Head out across the Prairies and you’ll find a Chinese restaurant in almost every small town. Some have been there for almost 100 years, started by Chinese immigrants, many of whom had worked on the railroads.
Chop Suey on the Prairies, a new exhibit at the Royal Alberta Museum in Edmonton, tells their story.
Pedal-Powered Ice Cream
There’s a reward for your effort at a pedal-powered ice cream store in downtown Los Angeles. Just hop on the bicycle in front of the store and churn your own batch.
Coffee Shops
Here’s a list of the best coffee shops in Canada – none in Saskatoon unfortunately, but four from Edmonton.
Photos: Market, Tarragona, Spain
Flavourful Saskatoon is a weekly Monday feature. I also post regular profiles of culinary entrepreneurs, new restaurants and new food products.
You can follow Wanderlust and Words on Facebook, Twitter, or by email (top right corner).
If you’re lucky, you can pick up a one-litre container of soup at City Perks. The Shitake Mushroom Chowder is crammed full of mushroom slices and chunks of potato and carrot – absolutely delicious.I also picked up a container of Tomato Zucchini Soup, and Coralee Abbott told me to serve it with a little feta cheese crumbled on top.
P.S. You don’t have to be following a gluten-free diet to enjoy City Perks’ gluten-free brownies. They’re amazing! And Coralee has promised to contact me when there’s a batch with sour cherries and goat cheese.
Naked Leaf Tea
City Perks is now serving loose leaf teas from Naked Leaf, a Calgary company sourcing small farm, organic teas. Naked Leaf has a large variety of teas, and you can order online. They also have a Tea of the Month Club, and you can customize your tins with labels designed by Calgary artists.
Saskatoon Farmers’ Market
The Saskatoon Farmers’ Market has extended its operations to the outdoor Market Square.Goodlife Greenhouses has returned, and I stocked up on packages of dehydrated tomatoes for next winter. The dehydrated slices are really sweet as they’re from fully ripe tomatoes, and they crumble easily, so you can add them to everything from omelettes to stews.
Mediterranean Breeze is back with their savoury Persian pastries, hummus and date-filled cookies.
Prairie Pie Wagon is now selling slices of quiche and savoury turnovers (bean or beef).
And be sure to pick up some Seabuckthorn Syrup from Northern Vigor Berries. I love the combination of tart, fruity and sweet.
Prairie Fruit
With warmer weather, it’s time to start planning menus centred around all our wonderful prairie fruits. The Prairie Fruit Cookbook: The Essential Guide for Picking, Preparing and Preserving Fruit is an amazing resource.It covers everything from picking and storing the fruit to canning and drying it. And there are lots of recipes – cherry martini; rhubarb barbecue sauce; sage, caramelized onion and plum pizza; pear smoothie; raspberry mint jam. Yum!
School Meals
I was horrified to hear about a Saskatchewan school that serves koolaid and fruit loops for breakfast. They say it’s what the kids want, but it sure isn’t healthy, so I was pleased to read a couple of articles about healthy school lunches in the United States.
Revolution Foods is striving to deliver healthy, locally-produced food, using children to design and test the meals. The meals don’t contain high-fructose corn syrup or transfats, and they are free of hormones and antibiotics and often organic. It took over 1,000 attempts to develop a child-approved baked chicken wing as they don’t want to serve deep-fat fried foods.
A school in Queen’s, New York, has gone one step further, becoming the first traditional public school in the country to serve all vegetarian, all the time. For kids who object to the hot meal option, there are cheese or PB + J sandwiches.
Prairie Icons – Chinese Restaurants
Head out across the Prairies and you’ll find a Chinese restaurant in almost every small town. Some have been there for almost 100 years, started by Chinese immigrants, many of whom had worked on the railroads.Chop Suey on the Prairies, a new exhibit at the Royal Alberta Museum in Edmonton, tells their story.
Pedal-Powered Ice Cream
There’s a reward for your effort at a pedal-powered ice cream store in downtown Los Angeles. Just hop on the bicycle in front of the store and churn your own batch.
Coffee Shops
Here’s a list of the best coffee shops in Canada – none in Saskatoon unfortunately, but four from Edmonton.
Photos: Market, Tarragona, Spain
Flavourful Saskatoon is a weekly Monday feature. I also post regular profiles of culinary entrepreneurs, new restaurants and new food products.
You can follow Wanderlust and Words on Facebook, Twitter, or by email (top right corner).
Monday, April 29, 2013
Flavourful Saskatoon, April 29, 2013
Kaleidoscope Vegetable Gardens
Kaleidoscope Vegetable Gardens, who sold the most delectable mini eggplants and Asian greens at the Saskatoon Farmers’ Market last year, are expanding their operations and looking for more garden space. Do contact them if you can be of assistance. They’re a lovely young couple.
d’Lish
I had lunch at d’Lish by Tish Café last week and it was positively d'lish. The vegetable gumbo was bursting with vegetables and nice and spicy. The roasted vegetable panini, flavoured with basil pesto and cheese, was really flavourful, and Isobel enjoyed her salad.
Hops & Tapas, May 9
Head over to the Saskatoon Farmers’ Market at 6 pm on May 9 for the Hops and Tapas Fusion Experience. You’ll enjoy Loki and 1000 Monkeys Paddock Wood beer paired with six different tapas prepared by the Market tenants – Garlic Guru, Riverbend Plantation Café and Wild Cuisine & Catering.
Local
When is a food local? The federal government says it must be grown within 50 km of the place where it is sold. The Ontario government disagrees and says that anything grown and sold within the same province is local. I agree. Wild mushrooms from northern Saskatchewan and mustard from Gravelbourg are still local.
The Perfect Meal
Francophiles will enjoy reading The Perfect Meal: In Search of the Lost Tastes of France by John Baxter. In imagining the perfect menu for a banquet as in days of old, Baxter travels around France exploring the history and stories surrounding various food items – from anchovies to madeleines to ox roasts.
Vegan Barbecue
Are barbecues only for meat lovers? Not necessarily. I’ve had some great tempeh kebabs in my time. Now there’s a whole book full of recipes. Grilling Vegan Style by John Schlimm contains 125 recipes ranging from Italian Herb Burgers on Focaccia Bread to Seitan Flares (aka Hot Wings). (with thanks to Victor Das)
Hotels for Food Lovers
I’m ready to take an extended road trip through the United States in order to visit some of these hotels for food lovers.
Cake as Art
If you enjoy cake and modern art, be sure to check out the modern art desserts being served at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art.
Pelican Solitaire
I’ve started a new blog – Pelican Solitaire. Absolutely no mention of food – just poetry, philosophy and photographs.
Flavourful Saskatoon is a weekly Monday feature. I also post regular profiles of culinary entrepreneurs, new restaurants and new food products.
You can follow Wanderlust and Words on Facebook, Twitter, or by email (top right corner).
Kaleidoscope Vegetable Gardens, who sold the most delectable mini eggplants and Asian greens at the Saskatoon Farmers’ Market last year, are expanding their operations and looking for more garden space. Do contact them if you can be of assistance. They’re a lovely young couple.
d’Lish
I had lunch at d’Lish by Tish Café last week and it was positively d'lish. The vegetable gumbo was bursting with vegetables and nice and spicy. The roasted vegetable panini, flavoured with basil pesto and cheese, was really flavourful, and Isobel enjoyed her salad.Hops & Tapas, May 9
Head over to the Saskatoon Farmers’ Market at 6 pm on May 9 for the Hops and Tapas Fusion Experience. You’ll enjoy Loki and 1000 Monkeys Paddock Wood beer paired with six different tapas prepared by the Market tenants – Garlic Guru, Riverbend Plantation Café and Wild Cuisine & Catering.
Local
When is a food local? The federal government says it must be grown within 50 km of the place where it is sold. The Ontario government disagrees and says that anything grown and sold within the same province is local. I agree. Wild mushrooms from northern Saskatchewan and mustard from Gravelbourg are still local.
The Perfect Meal
Francophiles will enjoy reading The Perfect Meal: In Search of the Lost Tastes of France by John Baxter. In imagining the perfect menu for a banquet as in days of old, Baxter travels around France exploring the history and stories surrounding various food items – from anchovies to madeleines to ox roasts.Vegan Barbecue
Are barbecues only for meat lovers? Not necessarily. I’ve had some great tempeh kebabs in my time. Now there’s a whole book full of recipes. Grilling Vegan Style by John Schlimm contains 125 recipes ranging from Italian Herb Burgers on Focaccia Bread to Seitan Flares (aka Hot Wings). (with thanks to Victor Das)
Hotels for Food Lovers
I’m ready to take an extended road trip through the United States in order to visit some of these hotels for food lovers.
Cake as Art
If you enjoy cake and modern art, be sure to check out the modern art desserts being served at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art.
Pelican Solitaire
I’ve started a new blog – Pelican Solitaire. Absolutely no mention of food – just poetry, philosophy and photographs.
Flavourful Saskatoon is a weekly Monday feature. I also post regular profiles of culinary entrepreneurs, new restaurants and new food products.
You can follow Wanderlust and Words on Facebook, Twitter, or by email (top right corner).
Monday, April 22, 2013
Flavourful Saskatoon, April 22, 2013
Fair Trade & Ethical Investment, May 1-2
Jennifer Willems, CEO of La Siembra (makers of Camino chocolate bars), will be speaking in Saskatoon on Fair Trade and Ethical Investment on May 1 and 2:
May 1, 7:30 pm, Station 20 West – What is behind the fair trade label?
May 2, noon, St. Andrew’s College, University of Saskatchewan – Fair and Ethical Investing
Camino is a Canadian brand of fair trade and organic food products, owned by the Ottawa-based La Siembra Co-operative. La Siembra works directly with 23 producer co-ops, supporting more than 39,500 family farmers in 11 countries.
Garden Patch
The Saskatoon Food Bank’s Garden Patch is a great initiative, providing fresh vegetables to folks who must use the Food Bank. Why not lend a hand by taking responsibility for looking after a small section, supplying items on their wish list, or turning out on Wednesdays to weed?
Journey Bar
Take a look at any display of energy/nutrition bars, and you’ll see all sorts of chocolate and fruit combinations. But as a backpacker or kayaker, you may soon tire of such a sugary diet.
Journey Bar, on the other hand, offers 5 different savory options – sesame ginger, rosemary, pizza marinara, sea salt, and coconut curry. My brother and his wife found the marinara bar flavourful and a nice change from the sweet bars.
Journey bars are vegan, gluten-free, non-GMO, and made with whole grains for lots of fiber. They’re currently available at Dad’s Organic Market.
Cherry Tomatoes
It’s such a delight to find loads of cherry tomatoes once again at the Saskatoon Farmers’ Market. They’re available from both Floating Gardens and Grandora Gardens.
Herschel Hills Cheese
Locally-produced Herschel Hills cheese is now available at Souleio as well as at the Saskatoon Farmers’ Market.
Global Beer Collection
If you’re interested in tasting craft beer from around the world, be sure to check out the line-up at Ingredients Artisan Market. The photo shows just a few of the beers that they are selling. They also stock Living Sky wines/cider and Lucky Bastard spirits.
Campus Food Waste
It’s encouraging to read about these student initiatives to reduce food waste on university campuses. Interesting to note that tray-free dining can reduce food waste by 32% – and it saves on water!
Flavourful Saskatoon is a weekly Monday feature. I also post regular profiles of culinary entrepreneurs, new restaurants and new food products.
You can follow Wanderlust and Words on Facebook, Twitter, or by email (top right corner).
Jennifer Willems, CEO of La Siembra (makers of Camino chocolate bars), will be speaking in Saskatoon on Fair Trade and Ethical Investment on May 1 and 2:
May 1, 7:30 pm, Station 20 West – What is behind the fair trade label?
May 2, noon, St. Andrew’s College, University of Saskatchewan – Fair and Ethical Investing
Camino is a Canadian brand of fair trade and organic food products, owned by the Ottawa-based La Siembra Co-operative. La Siembra works directly with 23 producer co-ops, supporting more than 39,500 family farmers in 11 countries.
Garden Patch
The Saskatoon Food Bank’s Garden Patch is a great initiative, providing fresh vegetables to folks who must use the Food Bank. Why not lend a hand by taking responsibility for looking after a small section, supplying items on their wish list, or turning out on Wednesdays to weed?
Journey Bar
Take a look at any display of energy/nutrition bars, and you’ll see all sorts of chocolate and fruit combinations. But as a backpacker or kayaker, you may soon tire of such a sugary diet.
Journey Bar, on the other hand, offers 5 different savory options – sesame ginger, rosemary, pizza marinara, sea salt, and coconut curry. My brother and his wife found the marinara bar flavourful and a nice change from the sweet bars.
Journey bars are vegan, gluten-free, non-GMO, and made with whole grains for lots of fiber. They’re currently available at Dad’s Organic Market.
Cherry Tomatoes
It’s such a delight to find loads of cherry tomatoes once again at the Saskatoon Farmers’ Market. They’re available from both Floating Gardens and Grandora Gardens.
Herschel Hills Cheese
Locally-produced Herschel Hills cheese is now available at Souleio as well as at the Saskatoon Farmers’ Market.
Global Beer Collection
If you’re interested in tasting craft beer from around the world, be sure to check out the line-up at Ingredients Artisan Market. The photo shows just a few of the beers that they are selling. They also stock Living Sky wines/cider and Lucky Bastard spirits.
Campus Food Waste
It’s encouraging to read about these student initiatives to reduce food waste on university campuses. Interesting to note that tray-free dining can reduce food waste by 32% – and it saves on water!
Flavourful Saskatoon is a weekly Monday feature. I also post regular profiles of culinary entrepreneurs, new restaurants and new food products.
You can follow Wanderlust and Words on Facebook, Twitter, or by email (top right corner).
Monday, April 15, 2013
Flavourful Saskatoon, April 15, 2013
Cheese Seminar, Regina, Apr. 24
The Canadian Culinary Federation (CCFCC), Regina Branch, is hosting a cheese seminar from 7-9 pm, April 24, at the Conexus Arts Centre in Regina.
Cheese expert, Reg Hendrickson, will lead a guided tasting of 10 kinds of cheese. For more information and to reserve a place, email president@ccfccregina.ca. (via CJ Katz, Savour Life)
Eat These Words Community Supper, May 26
Slow Food Saskatoon and CHEP Good Food Inc., with The Open Cooks Society, are sponsoring Eat These Words Community Supper at 5 pm on May 26 at Station 20 West.
The supper is part of the NatureCity Festival and will feature local music and “nature in the city” readings, courtesy of the U of S MFA in Writing graduate students.
Tickets are $15 and can be purchased in advance through CHEP (306.655.4575). The event is child and vegan friendly. There will be a raffle for made-in-Saskatchewan prizes and a cash bar.
Root Down – Temporary Closure
I was sorry to hear that Root Down Workers’ Cooperative is temporarily closed. Their lease expired, and they have not yet been able to find another space. They will continue to be available for catering.
Weczeria Open Sundays
It’s good to know that Weczeria Food & Wine is open on Sunday evenings as so many restaurants are closed.
Wild Cuisine Lunch
My Sunday lunch was courtesy of Wild Cuisine Catering at the Saskatoon Farmers’ Market. The Spiced Tomato Soup has a hint of curry and a healthy dollop of pickled ginger – lovely and just the thing to stimulate your taste buds.
Dessert was Wild Cuisine’s Mango Strawberry Crisp. There was a really generous serving of fruit and the fresh fruit flavour wasn’t smothered by sugary sweetness.
Vegetarian Butcher Shop
This is so awesome! Monk’s Meats is a vegetarian butcher shop in Brooklyn. Chris Kim, who owns the store, says that they want to bring high-quality, interesting proteins that are plant based to the market. “We don’t make fake meat,” he says. “We make real food.” (via New York Times and Food.Curated)
Plastic Tea Bags
You know those fancy tea bags that feel like silk (Tea Forte, Mighty Leaf)? Well, they’re actually made of plastic – Mighty Leaf uses corn plastic.
Hard to say if paper or plastic tea bags are safe/safer. I’ll stick to loose leaf tea, thank you.
BC Truffles
They’ve harvested the first black truffles in the Fraser Valley. Excellent! I want a taste.
Flavourful Saskatoon is a weekly Monday feature. I also post regular profiles of culinary entrepreneurs, new restaurants and new food products.
Follow me on Twitter, like the Wanderlust Facebook page, or subscribe to Wanderlust and Words by email (top right-hand corner) to stay on top of Saskatoon’s evolving food culture.
The Canadian Culinary Federation (CCFCC), Regina Branch, is hosting a cheese seminar from 7-9 pm, April 24, at the Conexus Arts Centre in Regina.Cheese expert, Reg Hendrickson, will lead a guided tasting of 10 kinds of cheese. For more information and to reserve a place, email president@ccfccregina.ca. (via CJ Katz, Savour Life)
Eat These Words Community Supper, May 26
Slow Food Saskatoon and CHEP Good Food Inc., with The Open Cooks Society, are sponsoring Eat These Words Community Supper at 5 pm on May 26 at Station 20 West.
The supper is part of the NatureCity Festival and will feature local music and “nature in the city” readings, courtesy of the U of S MFA in Writing graduate students.
Tickets are $15 and can be purchased in advance through CHEP (306.655.4575). The event is child and vegan friendly. There will be a raffle for made-in-Saskatchewan prizes and a cash bar.
Root Down – Temporary Closure
I was sorry to hear that Root Down Workers’ Cooperative is temporarily closed. Their lease expired, and they have not yet been able to find another space. They will continue to be available for catering.
Weczeria Open Sundays
It’s good to know that Weczeria Food & Wine is open on Sunday evenings as so many restaurants are closed.
Wild Cuisine Lunch
My Sunday lunch was courtesy of Wild Cuisine Catering at the Saskatoon Farmers’ Market. The Spiced Tomato Soup has a hint of curry and a healthy dollop of pickled ginger – lovely and just the thing to stimulate your taste buds.Dessert was Wild Cuisine’s Mango Strawberry Crisp. There was a really generous serving of fruit and the fresh fruit flavour wasn’t smothered by sugary sweetness.
Vegetarian Butcher Shop
This is so awesome! Monk’s Meats is a vegetarian butcher shop in Brooklyn. Chris Kim, who owns the store, says that they want to bring high-quality, interesting proteins that are plant based to the market. “We don’t make fake meat,” he says. “We make real food.” (via New York Times and Food.Curated)
Plastic Tea Bags
Hard to say if paper or plastic tea bags are safe/safer. I’ll stick to loose leaf tea, thank you.
BC Truffles
They’ve harvested the first black truffles in the Fraser Valley. Excellent! I want a taste.
Flavourful Saskatoon is a weekly Monday feature. I also post regular profiles of culinary entrepreneurs, new restaurants and new food products.
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