forage

Our last Forage Farm Table Dinner for the year is Wednesday, November 4^th and this time we are featuring Hoven Farms organic beef. The menu is going to consist of NY striploin, Canada Goose wild rice with squash and kale, roast beets with house made chevre, Lund’s Organic parsnip purée, cabbage and kohlrabi slaw with toasted pumpkin seed dressing, buttermilk biscuits, and warm sugar pumpkin spice cake with pear caramel sauce and heavy cream for dessert. The ticket price is $55 and that includes food, gratuity, and coffee or tea. Give us a call to purchase tickets by Friday October 30^th.

We’ve got a lot of exciting things going on all while we are gearing up for the busy catering season on the Infuse side. Tonight we’re hosting the Terra Madre group and reconnecting with everyone after a fairly difficult growing season. On Tuesday, November 3^rd we have a Slow Food Calgary Kitchen Workshop featuring Kris Vester of Blue Mountain Biodynamic Farm. This week Wade is attending the first steering committee meeting for an exciting new culinary tourism initiative for the province of Alberta. And last but not least, we should have a good supply of Holmquist Orchard hazelnuts next week!

Here’s the menu for the week of October 26^th:

Monday - Bison Meatloaf

Buffalo Horn Ranch bison meatloaf with a BBQ sauce glaze served with smashed potatoes and autumn vegetables $13

Tuesday - Chicken Paprikash

Sunworks Farm organic chicken, tomatoes, peppers, Hungarian paprika, sour cream served with egg noodles $13

Wednesday - Ratatouille

Gull Valley Green Houses eggplant, Broxburn tomatoes and peppers, zucchini, white wine and herbs served with cous cous $12

Thursday - Teriyaki Beef

Hoven Farms organic beef with soy sauce and ginger served with vegetable stir fry and rice $13

Friday - Roast Organic Chicken

Sunworks Farm roast organic chicken served with smashed potatoes and our famous gravy $40 whole $26 half $15 quarter

This Week’s Stew – Beef and Barley Stew $8

This Week’s Soup – Chicken Mulligatawny $8

Something Sweet – Fudge Brownie $4

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

Some of our favorite items and a couple new ones are on our specials this week. We’ve got our Butter Chicken on Tuesday and then Bison Brisket on Thursday. I picked up the brisket last weekend when we were tagging calves at Buffalo Horn Ranch. We’re going to rub the brisket, smoke it lightly and then slow braise it with tomatoes, onions and garlic. Our soup this week is Chicken Mulligatawny made with basmati rice, apples, curry powder, and Sunworks Farm organic chicken. We have also started keeping chicken stock for sale in the freezer. Then we have our Brown Ale Chicken stew all week and this one has become one of our more popular stews. We make it using Wild Rose Brewery Brown Ale which is great on its own and makes the stew rich and deep in color. And then don’t forget our Pumpkin Spice Cake made with Sudo Farm pumpkins and molasses icing.

A lot of people have been asking us about the next LOCAL 101. We are just nailing down a venue and are trying for March 13^th, 2010. We are planning the same type of event as last year with LOCAL 201, a more in depth look at local food issues, planned for the morning. As soon as we have more details, we’ll pass them on.

Here’s the menu for the week of October 19^th:

Monday- Beef Shepherd’s Pie

Hoven Farms organic beef, carrots, peas, corn and root vegetables in a herb gravy topped with mashed potatoes $11

Tuesday - Butter Chicken

Our classic recipe uses Sunworks Farm organic chicken, tomatoes, onions, curry spices, and a touch of cream served with basmati rice $14

Wednesday - Vegetarian Burrito

Tomato rice, black beans, cheddar, and autumn greens wrapped in a Tres Marias tortilla served with salsa salad $12

Thursday - Bison Brisket

Buffalo Horn Ranch bison brisket smoked and then slow roasted served with tangy slaw and herb pan bread $14

Friday - Braised Chicken

Sunworks Farm organic chicken braised with red wine and herbs served with garlic mashed potatoes and carrots $14

This Week’s Stew – Brown Ale Chicken Stew $9

This Week’s Soup – Chicken Mulligatawny $8

Something Sweet – Pumpkin Spice Cake $4

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

Hope you all have a great Thanksgiving weekend!

We want to welcome Raina to the Forage team! Sue has almost fully switched over to kitchen duties and Janice is about to take on some Infuse tasks for us so we’ve hired Raina to look after Forage on a day to day basis. It will take her a bit of time to get to know all of you and we know that she can offer the same level of service that you have come to expect at Forage.

If you want to help shape a food policy for the city of Calgary this Friday night is your chance to get involved. The Calgary Food Policy Council is hosting the Calgary Food Summit from 6PM to 9PM at the International Hotel. You may have heard Paul Hughes speaking recently about trying to keep his backyard chickens. He heads the CFPC and has been instrumental in bringing this event together. For more information got to the Calgary Food Summit website. There is another food policy conference planned for February next year and we hope to continue the discussion the morning of LOCAL 101 in March 2010.

We have a couple of upcoming events we want you to know about. On Tuesday, November 3^rd we will be hosting a Slow Food Calgary Kitchen Workshop with Kris Vester of Blue Mountain Biodynamic Farm. Kris calls himself a proud peasant and his speech on farming at LOCAL 101 was published in the food issue of Alberta Views this past summer. We’ll be hearing about his passion for farming and tasting food made with products from his farm including something very special. Go to the Slow Food Calgary website for more details. And, our next Farm Table Dinner is on Wednesday, November 4^th featuring Hoven Farm organic beef.

Here’s the menu for the week of October 13^th:

Monday - Closed For Thanksgiving

Tuesday - Bison Macaroni Casserole

Buffalo Horn Ranch bison, macaroni, tomatoes, green peppers, and cabbage topped with cheddar $10

Wednesday - Roasted Tomato and Chevre Risotto Cake

Roasted Broxburn tomato and Fairwinds Farm chevre risotto cake served with white beans and braised greens $13

Thursday - Italian Meatloaf

Broek Pork Acres pork meatloaf made with Italian herbs and a tomato glaze served with roasted smashed potatoes and rosemary pan gravy $13

Friday - Roast Organic Chicken

Sunworks Farm roast organic chicken served with smashed potatoes and our famous gravy $40 whole $26 half $15 quarter

This Week’s Stew – Beef Chili $8

This Week’s Soup – Roasted Squash $7

This Week’s Salad – Blue Cheese and Bacon Potato Salad $4

Something Sweet – Chocolate Zucchini Cake $4

Forage Hours this week Tuesday to Friday 2PM to 7PM – 3508 129^th Street SW – PH(403)269-6551

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!

Well it seems fall and Thanksgiving have really come out of now where this year. That late heat wave had us thinking summer might stick around a little longer but the snow on the weekend was a reminder that things are predictably unpredictable here!

We think Thanksgiving is ultimately an agricultural holiday. It’s about family and friends coming together to celebrate around a meal and reflect on everything there is to be thankful for. We’re thankful for all the farmers and producers that take on the task of raising and growing the food we eat. I know I wouldn’t be able to last through a growing season like the one we just had and we’re lucky to have people who, in spite of huge amounts of uncertainty, keep doing what they do. We’re also thankful for our customers who support us and the farms we support. This weekend, if you find yourself in front of a farmer, stop and say thank-you. I know they always appreciate the support.

If you have preordered a Winter’s turkey, they will be available for pick up at Forage during regular hours this Thursday and Friday. Forage will be closed Monday for Thanksgiving. Have a great weekend.

Here’s the menu for the week:

Monday - Chicken Chorizo

Sunworks Farm chicken chorizo with potatoes, peppers, spinach, and tomatoes $13

Tuesday - Chicken Fried Steak

Hoven Farms organic beef cutlet with a Southern coating served with pan gravy, macaroni and cheese, and Lund’s Organic collard greens $14

Wednesday - Wild Rice, Squash, and Mushrooms in Phyllo

Canada Goose wild rice, roasted winter squash and mushrooms wrapped in phyllo with a roasted tomato sauce served with broccoli $13

Thursday - Chicken Burrito

Sunworks Farm chicken, red rice, black beans, peppers and cheddar wrapped in a Tres Marias tortilla with salsa salad $13

Friday - Bison Short Ribs

Buffalo Horn Ranch bison short ribs braised with red wine and herbs served with garlic mashed potatoes and carrots $17

This Week’s Stew – Bison Stew $8

This Week’s Soup – Roasted Squash $7

This Week’s Salad – Red Pepper Feta Potato Salad $4

Something Sweet – Chocolate Zucchini Cake $4

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

Here’s the menu for the week:

Monday - Chicken Chorizo

Sunworks Farm chicken chorizo with potatoes, peppers, spinach, and tomatoes $13

Tuesday - Chicken Fried Steak

Hoven Farms organic beef cutlet with a Southern coating served with pan gravy, macaroni and cheese, and Lund’s Organic collard greens $14

Wednesday - Wild Rice, Squash, and Mushrooms in Phyllo

Canada Goose wild rice, roasted winter squash and mushrooms wrapped in phyllo with a roasted tomato sauce served with broccoli $13

Thursday - Chicken Burrito

Sunworks Farm chicken, red rice, black beans, peppers and cheddar wrapped in a Tres Marias tortilla with salsa salad $13

Friday - Bison Short Ribs

Buffalo Horn Ranch bison short ribs braised with red wine and herbs served with garlic mashed potatoes and carrots $17

This Week’s Stew – Bison Stew $8

This Week’s Soup – Roasted Squash $7

This Week’s Salad – Red Pepper Feta Potato Salad $4

Something Sweet – Chocolate Zucchini Cake $4