forage

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