forage

Finally a cold snap! Well, really, we aren’t that excited about cold weather, but it does mean it’s time to eat the things that just taste better when the temperature drops. In response, we are offering our cold weather friendly menu this week. Beef stew made with Hoven Farms organic beef, cider braised pork, pot pie, paprikash, meatloaf, a comforting bowl of salmon chowder, and a wedge of our Mom’s chocolate cake to finish with! Embrace the weather, rent some good movies, put another log on the fire and cocoon a little. It’s the end of January in Calgary, take a little time to unwind!

Here’s the menu for this week:

Monday - Chicken Rigatoni

sunworks farm chicken with penne, tomato sauce, spinach and mushrooms $13

Tuesday - Apple Cider Pork Casserole

broek pork acres berkshire pork braised in apple cider with leeks and peas topped with thyme mashed potatoes $13

Wednesday - Vegetable Pot Pie

potatoes, carrots, parsnips, peas, and chard in a light cream sauce with biscuit crust $10

Thursday - Chicken Paprikash

sunworks farm chicken simmered in hungarian paprika and sour cream sauce served with egg noodles $13

Friday - Bison Meatloaf

buffalo horn ranch bison meatloaf with saskatoon berry gravy and mashed potatoes $12

This Week’s Soup – Salmon Chowder $8

This Week’s Stew – Beef And Wheatberry Stew $9

Something Sweet – Mom’s Chocolate Cake $4

Some of the highlights this week include the return of our fantastic Borscht. The secret is that we use Lund’s Organic beets and then roast them before shredding them and adding them to the soup. Roasting brings out the sweetness of the beets. We are also offering a meat eater’s add-on for Wednesday. We have reserved Wednesdays for vegetarian entrées and many people have commented that their husband’s probably wouldn’t eat the veggie option we have. So, rejoice husbands, we are offering a wonderful black bean cake and red rice with a honey ancho chicken thigh as an add on to satisfy the carnivores! Finish it all off with one of our fudge brownies and life is good.

Here’s the menu for this week:

Monday - Butter Chicken

sunworks farm chicken in the traditional sauce with basmati rice $13

Tuesday - Italian Pork Meatballs

broek pork acres berkshire pork meatballs with italian herbs simmered in tomato sauce served on penne $12

Wednesday - Black Bean Cake

served with red rice $10 add honey ancho chicken thigh $8

Thursday - Bison Stroganoff

buffalo horn ranch bison, mushrooms, and sour cream with egg noodles $13

Friday - Roast Chicken

sunworks farm organic chicken roasted with herbs, served with mashed potatoes and gravy - $38 whole $25 half $14 quarter

This Week’s Soup – Roasted Beet Borscht $7

This Week’s Stew – Turkey And White Bean Chili $9

Something Sweet – Fudge Brownie $4

Peter Hasse of Buffalo Horn Ranch sent me this link about anew genetically modified supercarrot:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/7188969.stm 

I think one of the most important books we can all read right now is Michael Pollan’s new book In Defense of Food.  He attacks the flaws of the North American diet and its sole basis on Nutritionism.  This carrot is a perfect example of what he writes about.  All of our food has been broken down to chemical and nutrient value (Look at the proliferation of food labelling as important information for making purchasing decisions).  As nutrition and science ebb and flow with what is believed to be good and not good for us, food manufacturers are able to respond by modifying their products to meet the latest trend.  Think cereals now with whole grains or carb-free pasta.  There is an all out assault on our food system and it is being led by a lot of bad science and bad political decisions swayed by powerful lobby groups.  Those of us who want to preserve our right to an unadulterated, healthy, and pleasurable diet need to continue to raise awareness and activity.

It’s the International Year of the Potato!  Shelley Boettcher wrote an article in yesterday’s Herald that we were featured in.  Here’s the link:

http://www.canada.com/calgaryherald/news/reallife/taste/story.html?id=5822ef68-55b4-4f7f-b3ba-0b972e8a5fcc

There was also some recipes published at this link:

http://www.canada.com/calgaryherald/news/reallife/taste/story.html?id=97966b4d-ee82-4364-b8a0-daa2506e871f

So if you haven’t noticed, we love the Berkshire pork we have been getting from Broek Pork Acres. Berkshire is a heritage breed of black pig that has been around for hundreds of years. In North America, the American Berkshire Association was founded in 1875 and they have since protected the breed by keeping records of genetic origin. This breed has always been prized for flavor and tenderness. When it comes to heritage breeds, you have to eat them for them to survive. As stocks are crossbred and genetically modified for industrial purposes, we have lost the diversity and unique characteristics of the original animals. Anyone who has had the Berkshire can attest that this isn’t just the other white meat!

Here is the menu for this week:

Monday - Wild Sockeye Salmon Cake

wild sockeye salmon cake served with braised cabbage $11

Tuesday - Bison Short Ribs

buffalo horn ranch bison braised in wine and root vegetables served with crispy potato cake $16

Wednesday - Root Vegetable Tart

roasted root vegetables in a whole wheat crust topped with caramelized onions with spinach salad $12

Thursday - Chicken Tamale Pie

sunworks farm organic chicken with beans, corn, and tomato with a cornmeal crust on top $13

Friday - Roast Berkshire Pork

broek pork acres berkshire pork roasted with herbs served with mashed potatoes and pan gravy $14

This Week’s Soup – Mulligatawny Soup $7

This Week’s Stew – Beef Stew $9

Something Sweet – Apple Bundt Cake With Maple Icing $5

Hello All and Happy New Year!!!

So, don’t let the snow on the ground fool you… there are a lot of local ingredients available this time of year! I always remember a January about 5 years ago when I went to pick up some stuff from Sunworks Farm. They used to rent a conference room at the Blackfoot Inn on Thursdays along with Hoven Farms and Lund’s Organic. It was the first trip after Christmas and I stocked up on chicken, eggs, beef, pork, turnips, cabbage, carrots, beets, and parsnips. I looked at the pile of great things in front of me and said “Who says there is nothing available here in January!”

Here is the menu for this week:

Monday - Chicken Pot Pie

sunworks farm chicken, potatoes, carrots, and peas in herb white sauce with a biscuit top $11

Tuesday - BBQ Beef On A Bun

hoven farms organic beef in tangy bbq sauce on our fresh bun with coleslaw $13

Wednesday - Curried Chick Peas

chick peas and vegetables simmered in tomato cream curry sauce served with basmati rice $12

Thursday - Bison Meatloaf

buffalo horn ranch bison meatloaf with crispy potato cake and saskatoon berry gravy $13

Friday - Roast Organic Chicken

sunworks farm organic chicken roasted with herbs, served with mashed potatoes and gravy - $38 whole $25 half $14 quarter

* You’ll notice an increase in our chickens. Sunworks has had to raise their prices due to the volatile cost of organic wheat feed. We’ll get into that over the next few weeks.

This Week’s Soup – Roasted Winter Squash And Sage $7

This Week’s Stew – Hunter’s Stew $9

Something Sweet – Mom’s Chocolate Cake $4