forage

So we’ve had many people ask about the progress of Gert Lund and his crops. The news is not that great. On Wednesday morning he got frost that wiped out a third to half of his beans and peas, he has had only about ¾ inch of rain, and it just hasn’t been hot enough to get the carrots germinating the way they should. He did tell me that he has started to deliver spinach to Blush Lane. Spinach is a cooler weather crop so it is thriving in these conditions. He said the forecast is looking good for rain on Monday and Tuesday and then warm after that so he’s hanging on a couple more weeks.

Gert isn’t the only one dealing with a myriad of issues in local agriculture. Many of our farmers are facing drought, high hay prices, cold weather, and now the threat of grasshoppers. It’s not been a good year so far. Gert said that he really appreciates the support though and that it helps to confirm why he does what he does.

The rhubarb from my parent’s garden is finally producing enough to start picking so this week we are making Rhubarb Crisp as the special sweet. These rhubarb plants are the ones I grew up with and are a few decades old. The crisp comes in a mason jar, ready for warming. We’ve also got the last of the Edgar Farms asparagus on our tart on Wednesday. Many of the other Alberta crops are starting to slowly come in so we’ll start to feature them as the month goes on.

Don’t forget about our Forage Birthday Party on Friday, July 17^th! We’ll be serving a bison burger, cupcake, and saskatoon berry lemonade for $10 and some of the proceeds will go to Community Crop. No need to book ahead, just drop by between 5PM and 7PM.

Here’s the menu for this week:

Monday - Beef Burrito

Hoven Farms organic beef, Gull Valley Green Houses peppers, rice, black beans, and cheddar all wrapped in a Tres Marias tortilla with fresh salsa $11

Tuesday - Bison Shepherd’s Pie

Buffalo Horn Ranch bison, carrots, peas, and beans topped with whipped potatoes $10

Wednesday - Asparagus Tart

The last of the asparagus! Edgar Farms asparagus on puff dough with Sylvan Star gouda and potato mousse served with green salad $13

Thursday - Chicken Caesar Salad

Sunworks Farm organic chicken, romaine lettuce, croutons, parmesan cheese, and our caesar dressing $13

Friday - Roast Organic Chicken

Sunworks Farm roast organic chicken served with picnic potato salad and our famous gravy $40 whole $26 half $15 quarter

This Week’s Soup – Chicken and Wild Rice $7

This Week’s Stew – Italian Beef Stew $8

This Week’s Salad – German Potato Salad $4

Something Sweet – Rhubarb Crisp $4

Forage Hours Monday to Friday 2PM to 7PM – 3508 19^th Street SW – (403)269-6551

We’re gearing up for the BBQ season by stocking some of our favorite local meats in the freezer. Starting Monday we have Winter’s Turkey Smokies, Buffalo Horn Ranch Bison Patties, and Broek Pork Acres Smoked Mettwurst (the one from LOCAL 101 everyone raved about) available for sale in the freezer. The smokies are lean and only require couple minutes on the grill, the patties can be grilled from frozen, and the mettwurst also only takes a couple minutes to heat up. We’ll see what the response is to these products and maybe look into stocking other items. We will also have Lemon Rosemary Roasted Chicken fully cooked and in the cooler for picnics and oven free evenings this summer. Whole and half Sunworks Farm organic chickens will be available.

We are closed on Wednesday for Canada Day. Enjoy celebrating this great country we live in!

After the mayhem of Stampede passes, we will be celebrating Forage’s Second Birthday. On Friday, July 17^th we will have a Buffalo Horn Ranch Burger, Mom’s Chocolate Cup Cake, and Saskatoon Berry Lemonade for $10 available from 5PM to 7PM. This year we are going to raise funds for Community Crop – the group who coordinates the community gardens in South Calgary. They are working on installing new gardens a couple blocks down from Forage on 34^th avenue around a City owned building. We hope to raise dirt money for them with the burger sales and there will be representatives from CC on hand to talk about their plans. It also looks like Buffalo Horn Ranch will bring down their tasty bison for sale. There’s no need to reserve for this event, just swing by Forage and join in the fun.

For our next Farm Table Dinner will be at Chinook Honey just West of Okotoks on Sunday, August 30^th and there will be tours of the honey processing, the Chinook Arch Meadery, and a tasting of their meads. After that we hope to serve dinner at a long table in their garden. If the weather does not permit, we’ll scatter tables and eat indoors. We’ll begin at 3:00 PM and tickets are $109 which includes tours, tasting, dinner, mead, coffee, tea, and gratuity. We have a limited number of spaces so call Forage to book your spot.

Here’s the menu for this week:

Monday - Butter Chicken

Sunworks Farm organic chicken simmered with tomatoes, cream and curry spices served with basmati rice $13

Tuesday - Italian Meatballs

Broek Pork Acres Berkshire pork meatballs simmered in Forage tomato sauce with fresh basil served with penne $12

Wednesday - Happy Canada Day

Forage is closed on Canada Day

Thursday - Alberta Chicken Salad

A dinner sized salad with Sunworks Farm organic chicken, Canada Goose wild rice, Edgar farms asparagus, hickory maple pecans and saskatoon berry vinaigrette $13

Friday - BBQ Pork on a Bun

Slow roasted and smoked Broek Pork Acres pork with Carolina style mop sauce on a bun served with slaw and baked beans $14

This Week’s Soup – Chicken and Wild Rice $7

This Week’s Stew – Turkey and White Bean Chili $8

This Week’s Salad – Gull Valley Green House Greek $4

Something Sweet – Mom’s Chocolate Cake $4

Forage Hours this week Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday 2PM to 7PM – 3508 – 19^th Street SW – PH(403)269-6551

Let’s face it, gravy is good any time of the year. A couple weeks ago we changed our Roast Chicken Dinner to include a more seasonal BBQ dipping sauce. It’s good sauce, but our gravy is better, so we’re bringing back the gravy. We’ll still offer the dinner with Picnic Potato Salad through the summer and you’ll have gravy for the chicken. Best of both worlds!

We’re into the last couple weeks of asparagus season and we are starting to see some other produce come on line. The Farm Table Dinners are going to feature Edgar Farms pea tendrils, asparagus, and rhubarb, and our green salads will have leaf lettuce and spinach from Innisfail Growers. We’ll even have lovage from our gardens featured this week.

Here’s the menu for this week:

Monday - Chicken Burrito

Sunworks Farm organic chicken, tomato rice, black beans, peppers and cheddar wrapped in a Tres Marias tortilla $12

Tuesday - Italian Meatloaf

Broek Pork Acres Berkshire meatloaf with Italian seasonings served with herb roasted potatoes and pan gravy $14

Wednesday - Asparagus Tart

With a season that only lasts 6 weeks you have to eat the Edgar Farms asparagus while you can. Our tart has a potato and gouda mousse on puff dough topped with asparagus and more gouda. Served with green salad. $13

Thursday - Vietnamese Chicken Salad

A dinner sized salad with Sunworks Farm organic chicken, rice noodles, butterleaf lettuce, peppers, carrot, and cilantro with a lime and lemongrass vinaigrette $12

Friday - Roast Organic Chicken

Sunworks Farm roast organic chicken served with picnic potato salad and our famous gravy $40 whole $26 half $15 quarter

This Week’s Soup – Seafood Chowder $7

This Week’s Stew – Turkey and White Bean Chili $8

This Week’s Salad – Greek Salad with Fairwinds Farm Feta $4

Something Sweet – Mom’s Chocolate Cake $4

Forage Hours Monday to Friday 2PM to 7PM – 3508 19^th Street SW – PH(403)269-6551

When I was saying our farmers needed rain a couple weeks ago, I’m sure you all thought, here they go again, those farmers are never happy. Well, after touring 3 farms on Saturday I can tell you just how desperate it is. Peter Haase of Buffalo Horn Ranch is reducing his herd to half if rain doesn’t come soon. It costs too much to feed them hay instead of the lush green grass that there should be right now. Gert Lund’s carrots are yet to germinate and by today, his dugout will be dry. Without rain in the next week or so, he says he’ll just plow the fields and wait for next year. It costs too much to haul the water to the farm so eventually finances will dictate the outcome. He also told us about plans for new golf courses that will surround his farm. I’m sure they won’t have any trouble finding water to keep the greens lush and soft the way the golfers like them.

Here’s the menu for this week:

Monday - Braised Turkey Sausage

Winter’s Turkey smokies simmered with white beans, green beans, and tomatoes served with Edgar Farms asparagus $14

Tuesday - Chicken Shepherd’s Pie

Sunworks Farm organic chicken, peas, corn, and carrots with whipped herb potato top $12

Wednesday - Stuffed Peppers

Gull Valley Green House bell pepper stuffed with tomato rice and black beans topped with cheddar, served with salsa salad $13

Thursday - Thai Bison Salad

Buffalo Horn Ranch bison cooked in satay sauce with peppers, peas, tomatoes, lettuce and a ginger peanut dressing $13

Friday - BBQ Bison on A Bun

Slow roasted Buffalo Horn Ranch bison with tangy saskatoon berry BBQ sauce served with pan bread and picnic potato salad $13

This Week’s Soup – Seafood Chowder $7

This Week’s Stew – Chicken and Asparagus Stew $8

This Week’s Salad – Bacon and Blue Cheese Potato $4

Something Sweet – Mojito Bars $4

Forage Hours Monday to Friday 2PM to 7PM – 3508 19^th Street SW – PH(403)269-6551

The blog post is early this time around because I won’t be in town to send it on Monday. Going on a Holmquist Orchard Hazelnut run so we’ll have some available in Forage next Tuesday!

All I had to do was mention the Blue Cheese and Bacon Potato Salad and the requests came in, so we have added a weekly salad to the mix in the cooler. We also have Rhubarb Upside Down Cake featuring that beautiful tangy vegetable that marks the spring gardening season.

Our next Farm Table Dinners are on June 23^rd, 24^th, and 25^th and will feature Edgar Farms Asparagus and Lobster. Both are in season and great with melted butter! The dinners on the 24^th and 25^th are SOLD OUT and there are only a few spots available for the dinner on Tuesday, June 23^rd. If it sells out, we’ll keep a waiting list and if there is enough interest we’ll add Monday, June 22^nd. The dinner is $59 and includes a pound and a half lobster for each diner.

One spot left for the Cookie Class on Tuesday, June 9^th. Call Forage to book.

Here’s the menu for the week of June 8^th:

Monday, June 8^th - Chicken Pot Pie

Sunworks Farm organic chicken, Gull Valley Green Houses peppers, potatoes, green beans in a rosemary cream sauce with biscuit crust. $11

Tuesday, June 9^th - Bison Macaroni Casserole

Buffalo Horn Ranch bison, tomatoes, cabbage, green peppers, and macaroni baked with cheddar cheese on top. $11

Wednesday, June 10^th - Asparagus Tart

With a season that only lasts 6 weeks you have to eat the Edgar Farms asparagus while you can. Our tart has a potato and gouda mousse on puff dough topped with asparagus and more gouda. Served with green salad. $13

Thursday, June 11^th - Chicken Taco Salad

Sunworks Farm organic chicken, tomatoes, peppers, black beans, butterleaf lettuce, Tres Marias tortillas, and chipotle lime dressing. $13

Friday, June 12^th - Roast Organic Chicken

Sunworks Farm roast organic chicken served with picnic potato salad and BBQ dipping sauce $40 whole $26 half $15 quarter

This Week’s Soup – Cream of Asparagus $7

This Week’s Stew – Italian Bison Stew $8

This Week’s Salad – Bacon and Blue Cheese Potato $4

Something Sweet – Rhubarb Upside Down Cake $4

Forage Hours Monday to Friday 2PM to 7PM – 3508 19^th Street SW – PH(403)269-6551

Rain. Please rain. I know that may be against your plans for the week, but it is really getting desperate around the province. Looking back, the last substantial rain we received was in July of last year and things are getting pretty dry. Sure we got a lot of snow over the winter, but that all evaporates or goes into the rivers. Now that things have warmed up many of the farms we deal with need rain to get their crops growing. So do a little rain dance for our local farms - after all it’s spring and rain would be seasonal.

We have started to make Thursdays our entrée salad day. The salads are dinner sized and include a protein and lots of veggies to get you caught up on your weekly intake. This week we have fresh spinach from The Jungle and we’ll offer other greens as they become available. We will also be adding lemon rosemary chicken, cooked and ready for picnics, to our cooler and rotating salads as we get into the season. Remember the Bacon and Blue Cheese Salad from last year? It will be back soon…

Here’s the menu for this week:

Monday - Chicken Pesto Pasta

Sunworks Farm organic chicken tossed with Forage pesto cream sauce, fresh tomatoes, and penne $13

Tuesday - Bison Stroganoff

Buffalo Horn Ranch bison simmered with mushrooms and sour cream served over rice $11

Wednesday - Ratatouille

Our best salute to the products from Gull Valley Green Houses. we use their tomatoes, eggplant, and peppers along with fresh thyme and white wine and serve it with cous cous $12

Thursday - Italian Chicken Salad

Grilled lemon rosemary Sunworks Farm organic chicken, butterleaf lettuce and spinach, tomatoes, peppers, white beans, and roasted red pepper dressing $13

Friday - BBQ Meatloaf

Hoven Farm organic beef meatloaf served with mashed potatoes and saskatoon berry BBQ sauce $13

This Week’s Soup – Cream of Asparagus $7

This Week’s Stew – Beef and Brown Ale $8

Something Sweet – Fudge Brownie $4

Forage Hours Monday to Friday 2PM to 7PM – 3508 19^th Street SW – PH(403)269-6551

We’ve got some great specials this week including Steak and Ale Pie on Tuesday. We have started to add the fine beers from Wild Rose Brewery to our bar offerings with Infuse Catering and they have a great a tasting room over by the Calgary Farmers Market. We’re using their Brown Ale along with Hoven Farm organic beef in these pies.

It’s your last chance to get Farm Table Dinner tickets for this Wednesday’s dinner featuring Sunworks Farm organic chicken. The menu has a slight Italian feel this time around and a few tickets are left. Give us a call to book or go to the website for more information.

Edgar Farms asparagus is just coming into full production. There was a limited amount at the farmers market on the weekend so we’re going to head up on Tuesday evening to get some for the special and the dinner. We’ll also be selling bunches of asparagus in the cooler starting Wednesday. The farm is hosting an Asparagus Festival on Saturday and Sunday and Wade will be at the farm on Sunday offering samples of asparagus.

There is one spot left for the Bread Baking Class this Saturday morning. Call Forage if you want to learn how to made bread like your grandmother did.

Here’s the menu for this week:

Monday - Braised Chicken Thigh

Sunworks Farm organic chicken thigh simmered with white wine, tomatoes, and herbs served with roasted garlic mashed potatoes $14

Tuesday - Steak and Ale Pie

Hoven Farms organic beef, potatoes, carrots, peas, and Wild Rose Brown Ale baked in a traditional crust $11

Wednesday - Asparagus Tart

If everything goes well, we will have the first asparagus of the season from Edgar Farms. We make this tart with a potato and gouda mousse on puff dough topped with asparagus. Served with green salad. $13

Thursday – Chicken Indienne Salad

Grilled sambar masala Sunworks Farm organic chicken, Gull Valley tomatoes and cucumbers, spinach, and chick peas with cumin seed yogurt dressing $13

Friday - Roast Organic Chicken

Sunworks Farm roast organic chicken served with buttermilk mashed potatoes and gravy $40 whole $26 half $15 quarter

This Week’s Soup – Tomato and Basil $7

This Week’s Stew – Chicken Chili $8

Something Sweet – Fudge Brownie $4

Forage Hours Monday to Friday 2PM to 7PM – 3508 19^th Street SW – PH(403)269-6551

Asparagus season is just around the corner. If the weather is good this week we should get our first bundles this weekend at the market. Look for fresh asparagus in Forage and in our specials over the next 5-6 weeks. Edgar Farms is hosting an Asparagus Festival May 30^th and 31^st at the farm if you want to check out how the asparagus grow and are harvested.

Some of that asparagus is sure to be served at our next Farm Table Dinner on Wednesday, May 27^th. This dinner features Sunworks Farm organic chicken and you can reserve your spot by giving us a call.

Our Cookie Baking Class has been moved to Tuesday, June 9^th and there are only a couple spots left for the Bread Baking Class on Saturday, May 30^th. Go to the Cooking Class page on our website for more info.

Here’s the menu for this week:

Monday - Closed For Victoria Day

Tuesday - Moussaka

Cakadu Heritage lamb with chili spices and cinnamon, Gull Valley Green House eggplant, and potatoes topped with bechamel served with a side of greek salad $14

Wednesday - Vegetable Lasagna

Fresh pasta, green beans, spinach, and potatoes layered with fontina and stinging nettle sauce and baked with mozzarella $12

Thursday - Vietnamese Chicken Salad

A dinner sized salad with Sunworks Farm organic chicken, rice noodles, butterleaf lettuce, peppers, carrot, and cilantro with a lime and lemongrass vinaigrette $12

Friday - Bbq Bison Casserole

Buffalo Horn Ranch bison and green peppers in a tangy BBQ sauce topped with corn biscuit crust and served with picnic potato salad $13

This Week’s Soup – Chicken Minestrone $7

This Week’s Stew – Chicken Chili $8

Something Sweet – Apple Crumble Cake $3

Forage Hours this week Tuesday to Friday 2PM to 7PM – 3508 19^th Street SW – PH(403)269-6551

There are still spaces left for our Slow Food Calgary Kitchen Workshop on Tuesday. This time around we are featuring Tim Hoven of Hoven Farms Organic Beef, and in particular A3, a calf we saw born 3 years ago. The informal discussion is going to focus on the life of a cow and some of the larger issues around cattle ranching in Alberta. The evening includes wine and samples of these dishes: beef tartare, oxtail ravioli in brodo, flank steak fajita, annatto seed new york steak, and rib eye with house made steak sauce and baby baked potato. Call the Cookbook Company for tickets.

It’s the long weekend, and many of you will be thinking about gardening, so we’ve brought in some herb plants from Terra Farms. We have basil, thyme, and rosemary all ready for your indoor or outdoor garden. You’ll never have to be out of fresh herbs again. Each plant is $4.50.

Here’s the menu for the week. We’ll be closed on Friday for the long weekend:

Monday - Beef Taco Salad

Hoven Farm organic beef, kidney beans, Gull Valley Green House tomatoes and bell peppers, cheddar cheese, and butterleaf lettuce with Tres Marias corn tortillas and cilantro chipotle dressing $12

Tuesday - Chicken, Leeks, Peas, and Potatoes

Sunworks Farm organic chicken simmered with leeks, green peas, and potatoes $13

Wednesday - Vegetable Pot Pie

Carrots, green peas, potatoes, and green beans in a dill cream sauce with biscuit crust $10 Add a green salad $4

Thursday - Roast Organic Chicken

Sunworks Farm roast organic chicken served with buttermilk mashed potatoes and gravy $40 whole $26 half $15 quarter

Friday - Closed For The Victoria Day Weekend

Forage Will Be Open Tuesday, May 19^th

This Week’s Soup – Chicken Minestrone $7

This Week’s Stew – Pork Normandy $8

Something Sweet – Apple Crisp $5

Forage Hours This Week Monday to Thursday 2PM to 7PM – PH(403)269-6551 – 3508 19^th Street SW

I didn’t have a picture of the Highland cows from Buffalo Horn Ranch when we served it last time so here’s what they look like. They are awfully good looking and years of inbreeding has made them somewhat dim (according to Peter Haase), but they sure are tasty. At one time this was the only beef the Queen would eat. Wonder if she would go for our chili?

Asparagus season is just around the corner and as soon as Edgar Farms starts their harvest we’ll feature it in our specials and have bunches for sale in Forage. I’m guessing right around the long weekend is when we’ll see the first of the season. They are having an Asparagus Festival on the last weekend of the month and Wade will be there on Sunday, May 31^st serving samples of asparagus.

Eating A3 – Slow Food Calgary’s next event is happening on Tuesday, May 12^th in the infuse catering kitchen. I’ll be telling the story my trip with A3 to the slaughterhouse and Tim Hoven from Hoven farm will be on hand to talk about organic beef ranching. We will be enjoying several cuts from A3 in this informal kitchen party. Tickets are available at the Cookbook Company. More info at the Slow Food Calgary website.

The final cooking classes for the season have been added to our calendar. On Wednesday, May 20^th it will be Two Oatmeal Cookies and on Saturday, May 30^th
Bread From Scratch. Go to the Forage website and click on Cooking Classes for more information. We’ll continue with more cooking classes in September.

Here’s the menu for this week:

Monday - Roast Berkshire Pork

Leg of Broek Pork Acres Berkshire pork roasted with herbs and served with pan gravy and roasted vegetables and potatoes $14

Tuesday - Chicken Pesto Pasta

Sunworks Farm chicken, fresh tomatoes, bocconcini, and Forage basil pesto cream sauce tossed with penne $12

Wednesday - Curried Vegetables

Chick peas, cauliflower, green peas, tomatoes and carrots all simmered in curry spices and served with basmati rice $12

Thursday - Bison Macaroni Casserole

Buffalo Horn Ranch bison, tomatoes, green peppers, cabbage and macaroni baked with cheddar cheese and served with a green salad $12

Friday - Italian Meatloaf

Broek Pork Acres Berkshire pork meatloaf seasoned with Italian herbs served with rosemary gravy, garlic mashed potatoes, and steamed Beck’s carrots $14

This Week’s Soup – Fish Chowder $8

This Week’s Stew – Highland Beef Chili $8

Something Sweet – Chocolate Buttermilk Cake $3

Forage Hours – Monday to Friday 2PM to 7PM – 3508 19^th Street SW – PH(403)269-6551