forage

Wing, wings, wings! We missed out on Grey Cup for the chicken wings because we were too busy ion the catering side so we are making it up by having chicken wings this week for you Super Bowl enjoyment (or maybe you just like wings). We start with 2 pounds of Sunworks Farm organic wings (approx. 15) and then roast them with our maple BBQ sauce. They come ready to heat in foil containers for $10. We’ll have them ready for pick up on Wednesday, Thursday or Friday and they are first come first serve.

Our second annual gathering of farmers, cooks, and consumers is happening on Saturday, March 13^th. LOCAL 101 – Eating Food You Know From People You Know is an afternoon of presentations by farmers and cooks followed by a mix and mingle sampling of local foods and drinks. This year we have added LOCAL 201 – Connecting People Making a Difference in the Local Food Movement a morning session of presentations from the people involved in the broader food movement in and around Calgary followed by panel discussions and lunch. Both parts are for anyone wanting to know more about where their food comes from and how to get involved in the local food movement. Mark the date on your calendar and keep checking the LOCAL 101 tab on our website for more information. Tickets will go on sale sometime in February.

Here’s the menu for the week of February 1^st:

Monday - Pork Normandy

Broek Pork Acres Berkshire pork simmered with apple cider, mushrooms, and leeks served with green lentils $13

Tuesday - Chicken Pot Pie

Sunworks Farm organic chicken, potatoes, carrots, and peas in a light herb sauce with biscuit top $10

Wednesday - Macaroni and Cheese

Our classic version of the ultimate comfort food. We use several kinds of cheese including Sylvan Star gouda $9 add a green salad $4

Thursday - Mushroom Beef Cutlet

Hoven Farms organic beef cutlet smothered in creamy mushroom sauce served with white rice and carrots $14

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 – Bison And Wheatberry $8

This Week’s Soup – Chicken Tortilla Soup $8

Something Sweet – Peanut Butter Cup Brownie $4

This Week’s Vegetable Side – Saskatoon Berry Cole Slaw $3

It’s back… Who cares if it is minus ten, good potato salad should not be just for the summer! This week we have our Blue Cheese and Bacon Potato Salad because we’ve missed it. We make it with creamy Upper Green farm potatoes, Valbella bacon, blue cheese, green onions, and Hellman’s mayo. It practically is a meal in itself, not to mention that it covers a couple of our food groups – bacon and mayonnaise.

Our next Slow Food Calgary Kitchen Party is Monday, February 8^th at 6:30 PM. This time we are featuring Kris Vester of Blue Mountain Biodynamic Farm. Kris is a passionate speaker and his talk from LOCAL 101 last year was published by Alberta Views. We’ll be sampling goat’s cheeses, pork, and two kinds of chicken – one heritage breed and one more common variety – all raised on his farm. For ticket information or to purchase tickets go to the Slow Food Calgary website.

New products on the shelves this week: Gull Valley Green Houses Baby Cucumbers, Blush Lane Apple Cider, Silk Road Spice Merchant spices.

Here’s the menu for the week of January 25^th:

Monday - Chicken Cacciatore

Rustic Italian classic made with Sunworks Farm organic chicken simmered with tomatoes, carrots, and celery served with rosemary white beans $13

Tuesday - Bison Meatloaf

Buffalo Horn Ranch bison meatloaf with saskatoon berry gravy and buttermilk mashed potatoes $13

Wednesday - Chevre and Roast Squash Tart

Butter puff dough topped with roasted squash from Sudo Farm, caramelized onions, and Fairwinds Farm chevre served with tomato cucumber salad $13

Thursday - Maple Mustard Pork

Braised Berkshire pork finished with a touch of maple syrup and grainy mustard with root vegetables, potatoes, and cabbage $12

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 – Turkey White Bean Chili $8

This Week’s Soup – Chicken Tortilla Soup $8

Something Sweet – Carrot Cake $4

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

Eagle Creek Farm Garlic

John Mills is someone we get excited about. He’s a youth farmer from West of Innisfail who is working on expanding his variety of crops. Right now his corn maze and flower operation is the bulk of his business, but he also grows garlic and is looking into heritage potatoes. If you haven’t tried his garlic you really must. We still have a good supply of it for $1 per bulb. This week we are also roasting some and putting it into a potato soup.

Buttermilk Chocolate Cake

At Forage, we like to celebrate classic prairie recipes. The ones that our parents and we grew up on. One of those recipes is Buttermilk Chocolate Cake. It’s a sheet pan cake with a touch of cinnamon with a buttermilk cocoa glaze over top. Growing up south of Calgary there were 2 and a half channels and not a lot to do on Friday nights but watch Tommy Hunter. To pass the time I started baking things like our Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies, Rickety Uncles, and this cake. So much of food is connected to memories and this cake brings back a lot for me.

Specials for this Week

Monday - Butter Chicken

Sunworks Farm organic chicken simmered with curry spices, tomato, and cream served over basmati rice $14

Tuesday - Meatballs and Penne

Broek Pork Acres Berkshire pork meatballs simmered in Forage tomato basil sauce and served over penne pasta $11

Wednesday - Roast Squash Risotto Cake

Risotto cake made with roasted squash from Sudo Farm served with red wine braised cabbage $12

Thursday - BBQ Bison Casserole

Buffalo Horn Ranch bison with potatoes, onions, and peppers in a BBQ sauce topped with a corn meal biscuit crust $11

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 Stew $8

This Week’s Soup – Roast Garlic and Potato $6

Something Sweet – Buttermilk Chocolate Cake $3

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

PUCKS FOR FIVE BUCKS

The freezers are full and we need to do something about it so for this week only all pucks of frozen food are $5.  Our pucks are the pre-portioned entrees and we have a variety of items available.  Stock up for lunches, colder weather, and weekends!

FARM TABLE DINNER SCHEDULE

They are back!  We have the dates and schedule for this year’s Farm Table Dinners.  This February through May, on the last Wednesday of the month, we host a family style dinner in our Forage room that features a different farmer each month.  The menu is homey and seasonal and these dinners are a great way to celebrate the fruits of our farmers labour.  February 24th will be Buffalo Horn Ranch, March 24th will be Broek Pork Acres, April 28th will be Cakadu Heritage Lamb, and May 26th will be Hoven Farms Organic Beef, and then at the end of June it’s Asparagus and Lobster Fest!  Tickets for the February dinner are now available and are $49 plus GST and that includes dinner, dessert, coffee/tea, and gratuity.  Beer and wine are provided by infuse catering and all dinners start at 7:00 PM.  Space is limited so drop by Forage or give us a call to book your seat.

Here’s the menu for the week of January 11^th:

Monday - Roast Berkshire Pork

Broek Pork Acres Berkshire pork roasted with herbs and served with mashed potatoes, carrots, and gravy $14

Tuesday - Brown Ale Chicken

Sunworks Farm organic chicken simmered with Wild Rose Brewery Brown Ale and root vegetables topped with a biscuit crust $10

Wednesday - Vegetable Burrito

Black beans, tomatoes, chard and spinach with rice and cheddar wrapped in a Tres Marias tortilla served with chipotle slaw $12

Thursday - Shepherd’s Pie

Hoven Farms organic beef with peas, carrots, corn, and parsnips topped with whipped potatoes $10

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 – Turkey Sausage Stew $8

This Week’s Soup – Roast Beet Borscht $6

Something Sweet – Pear Upside Down Cake $3

Welcome to 2010!

For those of you who made a resolution to try new things here’s your chance to make good on that promise. This week our special stew is a Goat Korma. In November I was sourcing some venison when I received a package from Ravenwood Farm Fresh Meats in Caroline. This family owned business raises their own natural beef, Berkshire pork, goat, and rabbits. They also have a retail meat shop that carries a variety of other meats. I had been looking for a source on goats meat so I ordered dome from them. I have to tell you, the samples I had were silky in texture and with a mild lamb like sweetness. We are making this Korma with toasted almonds, curry spices, and yogurt. It’s delicious and you really should give it a try!

For those of you who resolved to not make resolutions we have Mom’s Chocolate Cake to help ease the bite of the frosty weather and the alarm clock.

People always ask what kind of local products are available in January in Alberta. Well actually there are a lot of things available, you just have to eat a little more seasonally. Alberta is blessed with cooler nights that make our root vegetables a little sweeter than those from further south. This week we have our Roast Beet Borscht to highlight one of those crops that stores well for the winter months. We roast the beets before adding them to the borscht and this intensifies and mellows their flavor.

Here’s the menu for the week of January 4^th:

Monday - Beef Macaroni Casserole

Hoven Farms organic beef, macaroni, tomatoes, and cabbage baked with cheddar cheese on top $10

Tuesday - Chicken Normandy

Sunworks Farm organic chicken, leeks, mushrooms, thyme, and apple cider served over egg noodles $13

Wednesday - Vegetable Curry

Lund’s Organic carrots, Sudo Farm squash, green peas, cauliflower, and chick peas in a rich curry sauce served with basmati rice $12

Thursday - Asian Meatloaf

Broek Pork Acres Berkshire meatloaf with hoisin glaze served with fried rice and ginger carrots $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 – Goat Korma $8

This Week’s Soup – Roast Beet Borscht $6

Something Sweet – Mom’s Chocolate Cake $4

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