forage

It’s Groundhog Day on Monday and I think we’ve all lived here long enough to know that there will be at least 6 more weeks of winter and that there is always a chance for snow in July! But the humble ground hogs get their day in the spotlight!

We’ve been busy renovating behind the scenes here at Forage creating a space for events and meetings. Most importantly though, we will be able to host Forage Farm Table Dinners. When we were operating the Lougheed House we held family-style dinners each month that featured a local producer. Basically you know what the protein will be and the rest of the meal will be a surprise. All the food is served family-style on platters and served at one long table. They were wildly successful, a lot of fun, and we’re excited to be bringing them back. We’re working out the details for the dinners but I can tell you the first one will be held on Wednesday, February 25^th at 7:00 PM. We’ll keep you posted on who we are featuring that night and when you can purchase tickets.

Here’s the menu for this week:

Monday - Chicken Rigatoni

Sunworks Farm organic chicken, tomato sauce, spinach, rigatoni pasta, bechamel, and mozzarella $12

Tuesday - Bison Brisket

Slow roasted Buffalo Horn Ranch bison brisket in a tangy sauce served with wheatberries and Chinook Honey glazed carrots $15

Wednesday - Lentils and Cabbage Roll

Green lentils with Lund’s Organic carrots and parsnips, served with a house made Canada Goose wild rice cabbage roll $11

Thursday - Italian Pork Meatballs

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

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 – Chicken Noodle $8

This Week’s Stew – Mushroom Pork $8

Something Sweet – Lemon Poppyseed Cake $4

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

We have 1 spot left for our Biscuit Baking Class this coming Thursday. Give us a call if you would like to join us.

We have just added Blush Lane Orchard Organic Apple Cider to offerings. This is a great tasting apple cider made from a variety of organic apples and a 1.87 L bottle is $7.50. Look for it in our cooler.

We just received a fresh Berkshire pig from Broek Pork Acres so we have Roast Pork as a special on Tuesday. If have not tried the Berkshire pork yet you really must. It has a wonderful flavor that will change the way you think about pork.

Just a reminder that our next Slow Food Calgary Producer Workshop is on Tuesday, February 10^th at 6:30 PM and we are going to feature 4 different meads from Alberta’s first meadery – Chinook Arch. Cherie and Art will be on hand to talk bees and mead making. Tickets available at Cookbook Company.

Here’s the menu for this week:

Monday - Cassoulet

Traditional French dish – we’re making ours with Sunworks Farm chicken sausages and duck, Berkshire pork, white beans $12

Tuesday - Roast Berkshire Pork

Herb rubbed Broek Pork Acres Berkshire pork roast served with buttermilk smashed potatoes and buttered root vegetables $15

Wednesday - Vegetable Pot Pie

Lund’s Organic carrots and parsnips, Upper Green Farm potatoes, and peas in a dill cream sauce with biscuit top $10

Thursday - Chicken Tamale Pie

Sunworks Farm organic chicken, beans, tomatoes, peppers, and corn topped with a cornmeal crust $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 – Cream of Asparagus $7

This Week’s Stew – Beef Stew $8

Something Sweet – Tomato Soup Spice Cake $4

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

We’ve put together a couple hands-on classes for our Buttermilk Biscuits. Wade will be doing them in the infuse catering kitchen – next door to Forage - and there will be a demonstration and then you will make your own biscuits to take home.

Upcoming dates:

Thursday, January 29^th – 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM – SOLD OUT!

Saturday, January 31^st – 10:00 AM – 11:00 AM

Tuesday, February 3^rd – 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM

Class costs $25 and includes GST, instruction, recipe, and the biscuits you bake.

Call forage (403)269-6551 or email info@foragefoods.com to book your spot. Class size is limited, spots are on a first come first serve basis, and prepayment is required.

Our next Slow Food Calgary Kitchen Workshop is happening on Tuesday, February 10^th, 2009 at 6:30 PM. This time around we are featuring Chinook Arch Meadery and Chinook Honey. We’ll sample 4 of their meads (honey wine) and food paired with them and Cherie and Art Andrews will be on hand to talk about bees and mead. Tickets are available through the Cookbook Company and you can find information about this and other Slow Food Calgary events here.

We always freeze some Edgar Farms asparagus at the end of the season in July to enjoy in January and this week we have Cream of Asparagus soup. Also, Tomato Soup Spice Cake is back this week. It’s a great rich spice cake that has a can of tomato soup in the batter! Believe us, it’s really good. Try it warm with a scoop of MacKay’s Cochrane Gingerbread Ice Cream for real decadence.

Here’s the menu for this week:

Monday - Butter Chicken

Sunworks Farm organic chicken simmered in tomatoes, cream, ginger, garlic, and Indian spices served with basmati rice $13

Tuesday - Beef Meatloaf

Hoven Farms organic beef meatloaf with a BBQ glaze served with smashed potatoes and steamed Lund’s Organic carrots $13

Wednesday - Roast Squash Pasta

Roasted Sudo Farms winter squash and penne in a light sage cream sauce baked with Sylvan Star gouda $10

Thursday - Bison Short Ribs

Buffalo Horn Ranch bison short ribs braised in red wine, tomatoes, and herbs served with parsnip puree $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 – Cream of Asparagus $7

This Week’s Stew – Bison Chili $8

Something Sweet – Tomato Soup Spice Cake $4

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

Come and learn how to make Buttermilk Biscuits with Wade in the infuse catering kitchen – next door to Forage. There will be a demonstration and then you will make your own biscuits to take home.

Upcoming dates:

Thursday, January 29^th – 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM

Saturday, January 31^st – 10:00 AM – 11:00 AM

Class costs $25 and includes GST, instruction, recipe, and the biscuits you bake.

Call forage (403)269-6551 or email info@foragefoods.com to book your spot. Class size is limited and spots are on a first come first serve basis and prepayment is required.

People always are surprised when we talk about eating locally in Alberta in January. The ground is covered with 18 inches of snow we’ve seen wind chills in the -40C range. Well it’s not perfect, but there are still lots of great Alberta ingredients available at this time of year. Produce farmers are able to sell root vegetables and cabbages in January because these vegetables can be stored for months under proper conditions. All of our protein suppliers have grown to the point where they are processing animals year round so we are able to get a steady supply of fresh meats. In the following weeks we’ll see the green houses begin to offer fresh cucumbers, lettuces, and beans grown under artificial light and then tomatoes will follow once we get more daylight. We’ll keep seeking out what’s available and offering menus that reflect the season.

We take a lot of pride in our biscuits and make them the way our mothers taught us. We’re tossing around the idea of doing a Buttermilk Biscuit Baking Workshop one evening at Forage. If you would be interested in such a class, let us know at info@foragefoods.com and we’ll put together a class if there is enough interest.

Toffee bars and brownies are back at Forage so if you need any help breaking your new year’s resolutions we’re ready for you!

Here’s the menu for this week:

Monday - Bison Shepherd’s Pie

Slow roasted Buffalo Horn Ranch bison, carrots, peas, and corn topped with mashed potatoes $12

Tuesday - Chicken Paprikash

Sunworks Farm organic chicken in a sour cream and Hungarian paprika sauce served over egg noodles $13

Wednesday - Vegetarian Burrito

Beans, red rice, and peppers wrapped in a flour tortilla baked with Sylvan Star cheddar cheese and served with Forage salsa and sour cream $10

Thursday - Pot Roast

Hoven Farms organic beef pot roast with Upper Green Farm potatoes, Lund’s Organic carrots and parsnips $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 – Turkey and Wild Rice $8

This Week’s Stew – Bison Chili $8

Something Sweet – Mom’s Chocolate Cake $4

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

Happy New Year!

Hope you all have had a great holiday and we’re looking forward to seeing you. Forage is open again on Wednesday and we’ll have a shortened week to ease back into the swing of things. Sue is still in the UK so Janice will be looking after things this week.

Here’s the menu for this week:

Forage is Closed Through January 6^th, 2009

Wednesday, January 7^th - Vegetable Curry

chick peas, green peas, carrots, cauliflower simmered in creamy curry sauce served with basmati rice $12

Thursday, January 8^th - Smoked Pork Sausage

Broek Pork Acres smoked pork sausage with potatoes, sauerkraut, cabbage, and white wine $12

Friday, January 9^{th -} 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 – Chicken Chorizo Stew $8

Something Sweet – Mom’s Chocolate Cake $4

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