forage

We have new products this week from Sodu Farm in Nobleford. Nobby Sodu grows a variety green vegetables and squashes and we are using his bok choy, suey choy, and winter squash in Wednesday’s special.

We’ve posted information on our events page about our next Slow Food Calgary Kitchen Party on Thursday, October 2^nd featuring Winter’s Turkeys. Just in time for Thanksgiving we’ll be tasting a variety of products from Winter’s along with some tips for the perfect Thanksgiving turkey (Yes, Thanksgiving is just over a month away!) Darrel Winter and Corrine Dahm are Terra Madre 2008 nominees and will be there to answer all your questions about their farm and their turkeys. Tickets are available at Cookbook Company only and are limited to 24 so get them soon.

Here’s the menu for the week:

Monday - Chicken Chorizo Stew

sunworks farm chicken chorizo, gull valley greenhouses peppers and tomatoes, white beans, upper green farm potatoes, lund’s organic spinach $13

Tuesday - Roast Berkshire Pork

broek pork acres berkshire pork rubbed with garlic and herbs, served with roasted potatoes and pan gravy $14

Wednesday - Autumn Squash Stir Fry Vegetables

lund’s organic chard, sudo farms bok choy, suey choy, and autumn squash all stir fried with ginger and sesame served with steamed rice $13

Thursday - Elk Macaroni Casserole

wapiti ways elk, macaroni, tomatoes, cabbage, Taber corn, and bell peppers baked with cheddar on top $12

Friday - Roast Organic Chicken

Sunworks Farm roast chicken served with buttermilk mashed potatoes and gravy

$40 whole $26 half $15 quarter

This Week’s Soup – Taber Corn Chowder $7

This Week’s Stew – Beef Meatball Stew $9

Something Sweet – Fudge Brownies $4

Forage hours Monday to Friday 2PM to 7PM

Forage – 3509 19^th Street SW – Phone (403)269-6551

Let summer begin! It always seems like this is the week, the week after Stampede, that the summer begins and right on cue, many of our producers are starting to harvest their early crops. We are starting to see beets, lettuces, peas, cauliflower, onions, and even tiny new potatoes. The stone fruits from the Okanagan are also beginning to trickle in but generally speaking it looks like this season is going to be shorter and less fruitful due to cool weather and hail storms. We’ll keep scouting the markets to bring the best of the season to Forage. This week we have stinging nettles from our own garden in the vegetarian option on Wednesday. They have a wonderful deep green flavour and are good for you to boot.

Forage First Birthday Party – Friday July 18^th

We can hardly believe it, but Forage is one year old on Friday, July 18th! We are so thankful that we have such great customers that we want you to come down and help us mark the occasion. We are celebrating by offering a Buffalo Horn Ranch Bison Burger, Raspberry Lemonade, and Chocolate Birthday Cake for $10. The proceeds from the special will go to the Forage Future of Farming Fund - a new fund we are creating to help young local farmers. This year we are going to support a youth delegate that has been selected to attend Terra Madre 2008 in Torino Italy, this October. We’re going to close a couple parking stalls out front, put up some tables, and BBQ the burgers to order so come down and help us celebrate! Burgers will be served from 4PM to 7PM to stay or to go and Forage will be open for regular hours.

Monday - Herb Roasted Pork

Broek Pork Acres Berkshire pork slow roasted with herbs and served with new potatoes $13

Tuesday - Chicken Burrito

Sunworks Farm organic chicken, black beans, tomatoes, rice, and peppers in a Tres Marias tortilla served with salsa salad $14

Wednesday - Nettle Tart With Baby Beets

nettles from our garden with eggs and cream in a pastry tart shell served with new baby beets $13

Thursday - Greek Chicken Salad

Sunworks Farm chicken, Gull Valley Green Houses tomatoes, peppers, and cucumbers, Fairwinds Farm feta, olives, lettuce, red wine vinaigrette $13

Friday – Forage First Birthday Party

Bison Burger

Buffalo Horn Ranch bison burger on canola seed pan bread with all the fixings, served with chocolate birthday cake and a BC raspberry lemonade $10

proceeds from today’s special goes to the Forage Future of Farming Fund

we will be open our regular hours and burgers will be served from 4PM to 7PM

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

This Week’s Soup – Gazpacho $8

Something Sweet – Lemon Loaf $3

Forage Hours – Monday to Friday 2PM to 7PM

3508 – 19^th Street SW (403)269-6551

So the next early vegetable that follows asparagus is rhubarb. There has been fresh rhubarb coming in from the US and BC but I’ve been holding off for the stuff from my parent’s garden just South of Priddis. Their plant is one of those gargantuan ones that just keeps coming back each year and they are bringing in about 40 pounds on Father’s Day. We’ll use it this week in our Rhubarb Upside Down Cake.

Also, this coming Saturday June the 21^st is one of my favourite farm events. Buffalo Horn Ranch is hosting their annual Mother’s Day – a day to go out and see the new Moms and their calves and explore the farm. Peter and Judy’s ranch is 10 minute West of Olds in the rolling foothills near the Little Red Deer River. Reservations are required along with a minimum donation of $5 per person to the Medicine River Wildlife Centre. More information is available here.

Here are the specials for this week:

Monday - Braised Chicken Thigh

Sunworks Farm chicken thigh with tomatoes, peppers, potatoes, and spinach $14

Tuesday - Moussaka

Cakadu Heritage lamb and Hoven Farms beef seasoned with cinnamon and chili with Gull Valley Green House eggplant, potatoes, and bechamel $13

Wednesday - Asparagus Risotto Cake

Edgar Farms asparagus risotto formed into a crispy cake served with green salad and hazelnut vinaigrette $13

Thursday - Beef Taco Salad

Hoven Farms organic ground beef, tomatoes, red beans, cheddar, peppers, Tres Marias blue corn tortillas and cumin lime dressing $14

Friday - Roast Chicken

Sunworks Farm roast chicken served with picnic potato salad and our special BBQ dipping sauce $38 whole $25 half $14 quarter *Prices may change slightly due to size available this week

This Week’s Soup – Tuscan Chicken and White Bean $8

This Week’s Stew – Spring Beef Stew $9

Something Sweet – Rhubarb Upside Down Cake $4

Forage Hours Monday to Friday 2PM to 7PM

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

www.foragefoods.com

Here’s the recipes from this week’s spots on BTV.

Shaved Asparagus Salad

yield: 4 servings

½ lb.         fresh asparagus (dry ends removed, washed)

2 Tbsp.         champagne vinegar

4 Tbsp.        extra virgin olive oil

1 Tbsp.        honey

¼ tsp.         salt

¼ cup        toasted hazelnuts (chopped)

1. Use a vegetable peeler lengthwise to peel long thin strips of asparagus. Do this no sooner than a half hour before serving.
2. For the vinaigrette, whisk vinegar, oil, honey and salt. Stir in hazelnuts.
3. Toss the vinaigrette with the asparagus and serve.

 

Blue Cheese and Bacon Potato Salad

yield: 4 servings

½ lb.        bacon (thick cut, something like Sunworks Farm bacon)

1 ½ lb.        new potatoes (red, yellow, white, something creamy)

¾ cup        mayonnaise

½ cup        blue cheese (crumbled)

1 Tbsp.        salt (to taste)

½ tsp.        fresh ground black pepper

1 cup        fresh peas (shelled)

2 Tbsp.        chives (chopped)

1. Chop the bacon and fry it until crisp. Drain off the fat and drain the bacon bits on paper towel.
2. Cut the potatoes into 1 inch pieces and cook until tender. Drain and cool completely.
3. Place the potatoes, bacon, mayonnaise, blue cheese, salt and pepper in a bowl and work together with clean hands, breaking down some of the potatoes. Stir in the peas. Transfer to a serving bowl and sprinkle with the chives. Serve.

 

Fennel, Tomatoes and Peppers in Foil

yield: 4 servings

½ each        onion (sliced)

2 cloves    garlic (sliced)

2 each        tomatoes (ripe, cut in wedges)

1 bulb        fresh fennel or anise (sliced)

1 each        bell pepper (cored, sliced)

2 Tbsp.        olive oil

¼ cup        white wine

1 tsp.        salt

4 sprigs    fresh thyme or rosemary

1. Layer all the ingredients in the order shown in a foil pan or baking pan. Wrap tightly in foil and place on a medium high BBQ for 30-40 minutes until everything is tender. Serve as a side or spooned over grilled fish.

 

recipes by Wade Sirois of Forage – Farm to Fork Foods to Go

Hockey Night in Canada, Maple Syrup, hating Toronto, and the Grey Cup… All things uniquely Canadian!  To celebrate what should be an exciting game on Sunday, we are offering Maple Garlic Wings and Spicy Red Chili Wings this Friday, November 23^rd.  We use Sunworks Farm organic chicken wings and there is nothing like them.  They are large, meaty, tender and ready to heat!  We are offering them in packages of 6 for $5.   Preorder them by replying to this email, or by calling us at 269-6551.

Maple Garlic or Spicy Red Chili Chicken Wings - 6 for $5

Available for purchase this Friday, November 23^rd - 3PM to 8PM

Enjoy the game and go Riders!  I have to say that because half of Calgary is from Saskatchewan!