forage

We are nearing the end of the growing season for Gull Valley Greenhouses so this week we are featuring some of the last of this season’s crop. We’ve got Paprikash on Tuesday, Stuffed Peppers on Wednesday and the last of the butterleaf lettuce in fridge. One of the greenhouses has installed grow lights so this means we’ll be able to get cucumbers and tomatoes in January after the Christmas break. There is a bit of a premium with the addition of the lighting but it will increase the season by about 3 months over last year.

This weekend I helped finish the tagging at Buffalo Horn Ranch and this is the time of year when the bison is at its best. The herd has been grazing on grassy pastures all summer and fall and so the meat is flavourful and full of nutrients. We’ve got bison in the Bison
Pot Roast Stew all week and amazing Bison Short Ribs on Thursday.

Here’s the menu for this week:

Monday - Mushroom Beef Cutlet

Hoven Farms organic beef cutlet breaded and fried, served with mushroom pan gravy and a baked Lund’s Organic potato $13

Tuesday - Chicken Paprikash

Sunworks Farm organic chicken in a hungarian paprika and sour cream sauce with Gull Valley Green Houses peppers and egg noodles $13

Wednesday - Stuffed Pepper

Gull Valley Green Houses bell pepper stuffed with tomato rice, salsa, black beans, topped with cheddar cheese served with mexican slaw $12

Thursday - BBQ Bison Short Ribs

Buffalo Horn Ranch bison short ribs braised in smoky tomato sauce with root vegetables and white beans $16

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 – Turkey and Wild Rice $8

This Week’s Stew – Bison Pot Roast Stew $9

Something Sweet – Fudge Brownie $4

Forage Hours Monday to Friday 2PM to 7PM – (403)269-6551

Make your Grey Cup party truly Canadian by feasting on local party snacks from Forage. We have Maple BBQ Sunworks Farm chicken wings for $16 for 2 dozen and a Forage Football Party Pack that has 2 dozen wings, 1 jar of Forage Salsa, 1 bag Tres Marias Corn Tortillas, Lund’s Organic Carrots and Canola Seed Buttermilk Dip, Hickory Maple Pecans, and 4 Buffalo Horn Ranch Honey Garlic Sticks all for $45! The pack is suitable for about 4 people to enjoy. Please pre-order your wings and Party Packs, by phone (403)269-6551, by closing on Wednesday, November 19^th for pick up on Thursday the 20^th or Friday the 21^st.

We’ve put together an exciting menu this week with lots of lovely late fall dishes. We’ve cured and smoked Berkshire ham hocks and cooked white beans in with them for the soup. We’re wrapping chicken and rice inside big beautiful Taiwanese cabbage leaves for the Asian Cabbage Rolls. If you haven’t tried the Broek Pork Acres smoked mettwurst, Monday is your chance to taste how delicious this sausage is.

New to Forage this week is Canada Goose Wild rice from Fort Assiniboine about 100 km North of Edmonton. That’s Ruedi on the airboat harvesting one of his lakes. The rice is in Thursday’s special and we are also selling it for $6.50 for 7oz. or about 1 cup.

Here’s the menu for the week:

Monday - Choucroute Garnie

Our take on the classic dish with Broek Pork Acres smoked mettwurst on top of cabbage, potatoes, and sauerkraut simmered with white wine $13

Tuesday - Asian Cabbage Roll

Sunworks Farm chicken and rice wrapped in Sudo Farm Taiwanese cabbage leaf served with vegetable stir fry $14

Wednesday - Winter Squash Penne

Sudo Farm winter squash, Gull Valley Green Houses peppers, Innisfail Growers parsnips, penne pasta, and sage cream sauce $11

Thursday - Bison Hunter’s Stew

Buffalo Horn Ranch bison simmered with root vegetables, tomatoes, and red wine served with white and Canada Goose wild rice $13

Friday - Elk Meatloaf

Wapiti Ways elk and Hoven Farm beef meatloaf with saskatoon berry gravy served with buttermilk smashed potatoes and steamed Lund’s Organic carrots $14

This Week’s Soup – Ham Hock and White Bean $8

This Week’s Stew – Chicken Chorizo Stew $9

Something Sweet – Carrot Cake $4

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

It is with some sadness that I have to report that after 7 and a half years of writing a column for the Calgary Herald, dee Hobsbawn-Smith has been released as a free-lance writer. dee is Calgary’s strongest advocate for eating local and her voice will be missed. Her last article runs Wednesday and I think a little local response to the issue is necessary. dee will find other places to write about our land and the people on it, but it is sad to see our mainstream media becoming more and more homogenized and centralized. That’s a picture of dee enjoying the Canada picnic at Terra Madre a couple weeks ago.

Grey Cup is coming and the Stampeders are one win away from being there. Once again Forage will be offering tasty Sunworks Farm chicken wings to enjoying while watching the classic Canadian event. This year we are making Maple BBQ Wings and offering them for $16 for 2 dozen. We also have the Forage Football Party Pack that has 2 dozen wings, 1 jar of Forage Salsa, 1 bag Tres Marias Corn Tortillas, Lund’s Organic Carrots and Canola Seed Buttermilk Dip, Hickory Maple Pecans, and 4 Buffalo Horn Ranch Honey Garlic Sticks all for $45! The pack is suitable for about 4 people to enjoy. Please pre-order your wings and Party Packs, by phone (403)269-6551, by closing on Tuesday, November 19^th for pick up on Thursday the 20^th or Friday the 21^st.

Forage is open Remembrance Day, Tuesday, November 11^th.

Here is the menu for this week:

Monday - Chicken Tagine

Sunworks Farm chicken simmered with tomatoes, chick peas, sweet spices, mint, dates and orange served with cous cous $14

Tuesday – Remembrance Day - Beef Tamale Pie

Hoven Farms organic beef, Gull Valley Green Houses peppers, corn, black beans all baked with a cornmeal biscuit top $13

Wednesday - Winter Squash Risotto Cake

Roasted Sudo Farm winter squash risotto formed into a cake and served with braised cabbage $12

Thursday - Braised Beef Shank

Hoven Farms organic beef shanks braised for hours with vegetables and red wine served with honey roasted root vegetables $14

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 – Fish Chowder $9

This Week’s Stew – Bison Chili $9

Something Sweet – Carrot Cake $4

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

So it’s taking some time to digest the experience at Terra Madre this time around. There were several positives and a few negatives but the movement as a whole is growing and expanding in influence. The purpose of Terra Madre is to give those people who are part of a Good, Clean, and Fair food system a chance to share, exchange ideas, and gain some self esteem that what we do is important and worthy. The Canadian contingent gathered for a picnic on Sunday afternoon and the event wrapped on Sunday night with a big multinational dance party and everything seemed right in the world.

No sooner had we landed back in Calgary and Canada Lands announced that they are not going with the Calgary Farmers Market’s plan for redevelopment. Not exactly a positive result for eating more locally in Calgary but we are optimistic about farmers markets in Calgary. The whole issue of the CFM closure raised Calgarians voices and they expressed a need for markets to be a part of our communities. Hopefully this will lead to several smaller and more accessible markets integrated into our communities.

If you want to hear more about the Alberta team’s experience and thoughts on Terra Madre 2008, Slow Food Calgary is hosting a Tales of Terra Madre on Monday, November 17^th at the Wild Rose Brewery on Currie Barracks. I know many of the participants were inspired by TM and it is going to be great to hear their thoughts and observations. This event will sell out. Tickets can be purchased from the Cookbook Company (403)265-6066.

Here’s the menu for this week:

Monday - Chorizo and Lentils

Sunworks Farm chicken chorizo, Gull Valley Green Houses peppers, tomatoes, and red wine served with green lentils $13

Tuesday - Berkshire Pork Normandy

Broek Pork Acres Berkshire pork braised with apple cider, leeks, and mushrooms served with egg noodles $14

Wednesday - Vegetarian Chili

A variety of beans, GVGH peppers, onions, GVGH tomatoes, and chili spices served with a green salad $12

Thursday - Chicken Rigatoni

Sunworks Farm chicken, spinach, tomato sauce, and rigatoni pasta topped with bechamel and cheese $12

Friday - Meatloaf and Mashed

Hoven Farms organic beef and Broek Pork Acres pork meatloaf with tangy tomato glaze served with smashed potatoes and steamed carrots $14

This Week’s Soup – Fish Chowder $9

This Week’s Stew – Boeuf Bourguignon $9

Something Sweet – Apple Crisp $4

Forage Hours Monday to Friday 2PM to 7PM – (403)269-6551