forage

First off, the disclaimer… These instructions are for suggestion only. Please use your own judgement and a meat thermometer to decide if your turkey is cooked properly or not. Every oven cooks a little differently and this is the method we use but there are hundreds of ways to prepare a turkey. This is what works for us, but if you have a different method, by all means go ahead.

Remove the neck and any organs from the inside of the turkey. Rinse off the turkey with cold water and then pat completely dry with paper towel. Stuff the turkey with your favourite dressing if you prefer. Brush the turkey with about ½ cup of melted butter. Season with about 1 tablespoon of regular salt or 2 tablespoons of kosher salt. Sprinkle with pepper and other herbs. Try thyme, sage, rosemary, savoury, fresh or dry. Place the turkey in a large roasting pan with 2 heads of garlic (cut in half), about 4 cups total of 1/2 inch dice carrots and celery, ½ cup of cubed butter, and the neck and organs. Wrap the entire roasting pan and turkey in foil.

Preheat the oven to 425F. Place the turkey in the center of the oven.

Roast at 425F for 30 minutes and then turn the oven down to 350F. Roast at 350F for 15 minutes per pound less the 30 minutes already at 425F. Uncover the turkey for the last hour of cooking to baste and brown. So, for a 20 pound turkey, roast for 30 minutes at 425F, and 4 ½ hours at 350F for a total of 5 hours (5 ½ hours if stuffed). Uncover at the 4 hour mark (4 ½ hour mark if stuffed).

If you aren’t sure if the turkey is done (and aren’t too worried about the appearance of the turkey) you can cut in between the thigh and body of the turkey. Free range birds will tend to be a little pink down in here because they are so dense but the meat should look cooked. If it doesn’t, you can cut between the thigh and body on both sides and bake the turkey a little longer. When the turkey is out of the oven, wrap it in foil and let it sit for at least 15-30 minutes before carving. Enjoy!

It’s short and sweet this week. Here’s the menu:

Monday - BBQ Bison Casserole

Buffalo Horn Ranch bison, peppers, and potatoes simmered in BBQ sauce topped with a cornmeal biscuit crust $12

Tuesday - Chicken Chorizo

Sunworks Farm organic chicken chorizo with white beans, red wine, and green olives $12

This Week’s Soup – Winter Squash and Sage $7

This Week’s Stew – Beef Stew $9

Something Sweet – Sticky Toffee Pudding $4

Wednesday, December 24^th through Tuesday, January 6^th

Closed For the Holidays

We want to thank everyone for a great year and wish you all a Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, and Happy New year

forage will open in the new year on Wednesday, January 7^th, 2009

Thaw the tourtiere in the refrigerator overnight. Preheat oven to 375F. Bake the tourtiere uncovered on the middle rack for 45-60 minutes or until the pastry is golden brown and the filling is hot. Enjoy! Have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Oh the weather outside is frightful!

This week, we are introducing Forage Pate de Campagne. We make it with Berkshire pork, duck liver, herbs and spices. It has a nice mild and sweet flavour with a fine texture. It goes great with our Tomato Lavender Jam or Kayben Farms Black Currant Pepper Jelly. We are also offering Sticky Toffee Pudding as our special sweet. It is a sticky sweet cake topped with a caramel sauce and totally divine! They come in 250 mL jars ready for warming.

Today, Monday is the last day for turkey and tourtiere orders. We’ve got free range turkeys from Winter’s and our own tourtieres full of Berkshire pork, bison, elk, and beef. The tourtieres are frozen and uncooked so they’ll keep. Click on the link for Forage for the Holidays for more details.

Are you passionate about eating locally? Do you want to know more about farmers and their products? Do you want to eat more locally but not sure where to start? We are working on an afternoon mini-conference called LOCAL 101 for the new year. It will feature the Terra Madre network and other local organizations to give consumers an overview of our local food scene along with valuable information on how to get involved. We’ll keep you posted as the details get sorted out. In the mean time if you want to give us some feedback on what you would like to see at the event, email your suggestions to info@foragefoods.com.

Here is the menu for this week:

Monday - Beef Macaroni Casserole

Hoven Farms organic beef, macaroni, green peppers, and tomatoes topped with cheddar cheese $10

Tuesday - Chicken Paprikash

Sunworks Farm organic chicken in a Hungarian paprika, sour cream, and bell pepper sauce with egg noodles $13

Wednesday - Vegetable Pot Pie

Lund’s Organic carrots, Upper Green Farm potatoes, parsnips, rutabaga, turnip, and green peas in sage cream sauce with biscuit crust $10 Add raspberry slaw $3

Thursday - Bison Meatloaf

Buffalo Horn Ranch bison meatloaf with BBQ glaze served with mashed potatoes and steamed Lund’s Organic carrots $13

Friday - Chicken Rigatoni

Sunworks Farm organic chicken, spinach, pasta, bechamel, and mozzarella $11

This Week’s Soup – Winter Squash and Sage $7

This Week’s Stew – Beef Stew $9

Something Sweet – Sticky Toffee Pudding $4

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

Finally snow that is seasonal. It just wasn’t feeling like the holiday season without a fresh blanket of white! We’re in full swing with the busy catering season and there just doesn’t seem like enough time in the day! You’re probably feeling the same way so come into Forage for some comfort and joy.

This week we’ve got a few classics and something a little different. Today we’ve got Butter Chicken with Basmati Rice, Thursday the oh-so-comforting Pork Normandy, and Roast Chicken on Friday, and Roast Squash and Sage Soup all week. Tuesday we are making a dish of bison with caramelized onions, jus, and potatoes topped with croutons and Sylvan Star Gouda!

Just a reminder to get your orders in for Forage for the Holidays. Pre-orders for Winter’s Turkeys and Tourtieres need to be in by the end of the day next Monday, December 15^th. We also have some great things for entertaining and gifts: Hickory Maple Pecans, Herbes de Provence Crackers, Chickies in a Blanket, dee Hobsbawn-Smith’s Shop Talk book, and much more.

Here’s the menu for this week:

Monday - Butter Chicken

The classic dish made with Sunworks Farm organic chicken served with basmati rice $14

Tuesday - Bison French Onion Casserole

Slow roasted Buffalo Horn Ranch bison, caramelized onions, and potatoes topped with Sylvan Star gouda croutons $13

Wednesday - Vegetable Tagine

Chick peas, cauliflower, Gull Valley Green Houses peppers, tomatoes with Moroccan spices, dates, and orange served with cous cous $12

Thursday - Pork Normandy

Broek Pork Acres Berkshire pork simmered with apples, leeks, and mushrooms served with French green lentils $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 – Winter Squash and Sage $7

This Week’s Stew – Bison Chili $9

Something Sweet – Mom’s Chocolate Cake $4

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

Well welcome to December! I think the turkeys are starting to look a little nervous. We were able to avoid winter for most of the month of November so we’re already ahead of the game! The good weather meant that most farmers were able to harvest their remaining crops and even get to a few of those things that were missed in the busy summer months.

We’ve got some of your favourites and so new things for specials this week. We’ve have our fabulous Turkey White Bean Chili tonight served with some Tres Marias blue corn tortillas and a chipotle slaw made with Lund’s Organic cabbage. On Tuesday, we are making brisket for the first time. We’re going to roast it slow with BBQ spices and serve it with cheddar grits. On Wednesday we’re making Ratatouille for the last time this year because the greenhouses usually pull all their plants and start planting new ones in late January. We also have the Italian classic Pasta e Fagioli or Pasta and Beans. This is a thick soup made with pork, pasta, and beans. Finish it all off with a slice of our decadent Mom’s Chocolate cake.

Here is the menu for this week:

Monday - Turkey White Bean Chili

Winter’s Turkey and white bean chili served with Tres Marias corn tortillas and chipotle slaw $13

Tuesday - BBQ Beef Brisket

Slow roasted Hoven Farms organic beef brisket with BBQ glaze served with cheddar grits $14

Wednesday - Ratatouille

Gull Valley Green Houses bell peppers, tomatoes, and eggplant simmered with fresh thyme and white wine served on cous cous $12

Thursday - Braised Chicken

Sunworks Farm organic chicken thighs and legs braised with tomatoes, herbs, and wine served with creamy smashed potatoes $14

Friday - Bison Meatballs

Buffalo Horn Ranch bison meatballs in tomato basil sauce served with penne $13

This Week’s Soup – Turkey and Wild Rice $8

This Week’s Stew – Pasta e Fagioli $8

Something Sweet – Mom’s Chocolate Cake $4

Forage – 3508 – 19^th Street SW – (403)269-6551