forage

Kingsland Farmers Market Grand Opening

This Wednesday is the Grand Opening of the new Kingsland Farmers Market. This new market is being run by a group that includes farmers like Tim Hoven and Gert Lund and this week is the start of the outdoor market. Then as fall arrives the indoor and year round market will open. This is all very exciting and we’ll hopefully see a host of familiar faces and also new farmers to forge relationships with. Go to the Kingsland Farmers Market website for more information.

Here’s the menu for the week of July 5^th:

Monday – Beef Shepherd’s Pie

Hoven Farms organic beef, green beans, carrots, mushrooms, and peas topped with whipped potatoes $10

Tuesday – Spanish Chicken

Sunworks Farm organic chicken simmered with potatoes, peppers, tomatoes, olives, onions, and garlic $12

Wednesday – Vegetable Curry

A variety of vegetables and chick peas simmered with curry spices served with basmati rice $12

Thursday – Beef Taco Salad

Hoven Farms organic beef seasoned with chili powder and cumin on lettuces with peppers, tomatoes, kidney beans, and cheddar with chipotle dressing and Tres Marias tortilla chips $12

Friday – Roast Organic Chicken

Sunworks Farm roast organic chicken served with our famous gravy and picnic potato salad $40 whole $26 half $15 quarter

This Week’s Side – German Potato Salad $4

Something Sweet – Buttermilk Chocolate Cake $3

Bread (Available Wednesday Until it’s Gone) – Honey Oatmeal $5

All Things Canadian

It’s a short week at Forage because of Canada Day so we thought we would celebrate in a few ways. Monday and Tuesday we have specials that reflect the diverse mix of cultures that make up our country. We have Lobster Bisque made with lobsters from Nova Scotia, a Tomato Tart featuring local ingredients, and Roast Organic Chicken with Picnic Potato Salad and a Green Salad for dining outdoors. To top it all off we have the icon of Canadian sweets the Butter Tart. Stock up for you celebrations and the extended long weekend. Have fun and safe travels.

New Canadian Citizens

I think we can really take for granted all the great things Canada has to offer and sometimes it takes a new Canadian to remind you of that. A few weeks ago Alejandro and Aurora Orozco, owners of Tres Marias, became Canadian citizens! I had a discussion about what they see as the draw for others to come to Canada and it is the ability for many people from many backgrounds to thrive together under the same flag. This isn’t the norm in the rest of the world. Alejandro came to Alberta originally to find a source of cow hides for his tanning operation in Mexico and eventually ended up here because of the weather! Next time you see them a few doors down at their store or at the farmers market, say hello and welcome them to our great nation.

Forage Holiday Hours

Forage will be closed Thursday, July 1^st through Sunday July 4^th for the Canada Day weekend. We’ll be back on Monday July 5^th.

Here’s the menu for the week of June 28^th:

Monday – Sweet and Sour Pork Meatballs

Broek Pork Acres Berkshire pork meatballs with a sweet and sour sauce, bell peppers, and rice $12

Tuesday - Lamb Pita

Cakadu Heritage Lamb patty served with a Village Pita pita bread, Greek salad, and tzatziki $13

Wednesday – Two Specials

Tomato Tart

Roasted Gull Valley Green House tomatoes and parmesan potato mousse on butter puff dough with water buffalo mozzarella served with a green salad $13

Roast Organic Chicken

Sunworks Farm roast organic chicken served with our famous gravy, picnic potato salad, and a green salad $40 whole $26 half $15 quarter

Thursday – Closed For Canada Day

Friday – Closed For the Canada Day Weekend

This Week’s Soup – Lobster Bisque $8

This Week’s Side – Lemon and Pea Shoot Potato Salad $4

Something Sweet – Butter Tarts $2

Bread (Available Wednesday Until it’s Gone) – Cinnamon Raisin $5

Asparagus Season Ends

The email was a bit of a surprise but Edgar farms has stopped picking asparagus for the season. I think we can all understand with the rather crappy weather we’ve been having and when you mix with a dryer winter you get stressed skinny asparagus that need the rest of the summer off. Luckily we got the last of the crop for our Farm Table Dinners this week! If you missed the asparagus season, check out the many seasonal summer markets that are starting to bring in the early green crops and eat it when you see it. You never know what nature with throw at us next!

On the Menu

Starting this week, and for the rest of the summer, Thursdays will be main course salad day. We start with lettuces from Alberta farms and then add meat, vegetables, and other things to create a main course sized salad that takes advantage of the great seasonal veggies we find. This week we are making a Vietnamese Chicken Salad with Sunworks Farm organic chicken, rice noodles, bell peppers, carrots, lettuces, and cilantro lime vinaigrette.

Here’s the menu for the week of June 21^st:

Monday – Beef Meatloaf

Hoven Farms organic beef meatloaf served with mushroom gravy, mashed potatoes, and vegetables $13

Tuesday – Lasagna

Our Forage meat sauce, made with Vital Green Farm organic veal, fresh pasta, mozzarella served with caprese salad $13

Wednesday – Macaroni and Cheese

Our take on the classic dish loaded with lots of Sylvan Star gouda $9

Add a side salad $4    

Thursday – Vietnamese Chicken Salad

Sunworks Farm organic chicken, rice noodles, bell peppers, carrots, lettuces, cilantro lime vinaigrette $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 Soup – Chicken Mulligatawny $7

This Week’s Side – Lemon and Pea Shoot Potato Salad $4

Something Sweet – Mom’s Chocolate Cake $4

Bread (Available Wednesday Until it’s Gone) – Apple Cider Rye $5

Summer Farmers Market Season Begins

Believe it or not, summer is just around the corner and a lot of our farmers have already been busy planting crops. A sure sign that we are about to start having an incredible abundance of fresh local foods to choose from is the opening of the summer market season. Hillhurst-Sunnyside (Wednesdays) and Northlands (Tuesdays) are up and running and the new Kingsland Market will have its inaugural opening very soon. Get out and support these markets – rain or shine. It’s tough for a farmer to pack everything up and head into town for a few hours only to have a thunder storm go through the market and all but wash away the sales. The seasonal markets that take place in parking lots around the city have low overhead and they are more affordable for farmers to be at. You are also going to find unique items at different markets so it’s worth exploring them all over our short summer season.

Here’s the menu for the week of June 7^th:

Monday – Butter Chicken

Sunworks Farm organic chicken with tomatoes, curry spices, and a touch of cream served with basmati rice $14

Tuesday – Beef Tortellini

Hoven Farms organic beef and tomato sauce tossed with Scarpone’s cheese tortellini and topped with Old West Ranch water buffalo mozzarella $10 Side salad $4

Wednesday – Asparagus Gouda Tart

Edgar Farms asparagus with Sylvan Star gouda and potato mousse on puff dough served with a side salad $13

Thursday – Chicken Pot Pie

Sunworks Farm organic chicken, spring vegetables, herb cream sauce, buttermilk biscuit top $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 Soup – Fish Chowder $7

This Week’s Side – Pesto Pasta Salad $4

Something Sweet – Carrot Cake $4

Bread (Available Wednesday until it’s gone) – Sourdough $4

Edgar Farms Asparagus Season is Here

They’ve been picking madly all week and Edgar Farms asparagus is back in season. Look for the tasty spears from Innisfail on Forage menus through the end of June and we’ll have bundles of fresh ones in the refrigerator. This week we’ve got an Asparagus Tart with roasted tomatoes, parmesan potato mousse, and a slice of the new Old West Ranch Water Buffalo Mozzarella on top on Wednesday.

Five Buck Pucks

Our frozen, puck-sized entrees are $5 each through Friday while supplies last. The selection is always changing so swing by the shop and stock up.

Here’s the Menu for the week of May 24^th:

Monday – Victoria Day

We are closed.

Tuesday – Chicken Rigatoni

Sunworks farm organic chicken, penne, spinach, tomato sauce, béchamel and mozzarella $10 Add a side salad $4

Wednesday – Asparagus Tart

Edgar Farms asparagus, roasted tomatoes, and potato mousse baked on butter puff dough, topped with Old West Ranch Mozzarella and served with a green salad $13

Thursday – Annatto Seed Bison

Buffalo Horn Ranch bison marinated with our annatto seed sauce, grilled and chilled over potatoes and peppers with green chimichurri $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 – Beef Chili $7

This Week’s Soup – Chicken Tortilla $8

This Week’s Side – Greek Salad $4

Something Sweet – Pecan Streusel Cake $3

Bread (Available Wednesday until it’s gone) – Apple Cider Rye $5

Here’s the menu for the Farm table Dinner next Wednesday:

35 day aged Hoven Farms organic beef rib steaks

Baked Upper Green Farm russet potato with sour cream, Valbella bacon bits, chives

Grilled Edgar Farm asparagus

Green salad with tomatoes, cucumber, and blue cheese dressing

Roasted beets tossed with oranges, radishes, and onions

Apple cider rye and farmhouse butter

Saskatoon berry pie with amaretto ice cream

Genevieve to Represent Calgary at Terra Madre

You may or may not know Genevieve but you’ve eaten her food. Genevieve has been working with us for almost 14 years and she is in charge of the day to day operations in our kitchen. She is simply the best when it comes to organizing a kitchen and keeping it on time, fresh, and tasty. She does all of this while raising 2 boys (3 if you include her husband Chris)!

We are excited to announce that Genevieve has been chosen by Slow Food Calgary to attend Terra Madre 2010 in October in Torino, Italy. Wade has attended the Terra Madre conference twice and now Genevieve will be joining 5000 farmers, producers, cooks, and youth delegates for 5 days of Good, Clean, and Fair food talks, presentations, and celebrations. The event also coincides with the Salone del Gusto - a giant food show and something that should be on every good foodie’s must-do list. Check out the Slow Food Calgary website for a list of the nominees and the Terra Madre website for more about the event.

On the Menu

Our first bread was a success so we are going to continue to bake a different kind every Wednesday. This week we are making Sylvan Star Gouda bread. We bake is fresh on Wednesday and when it’s gone, it’s gone. We’ve got beautiful Bison Short Ribs from Buffalo Horn Ranch on Monday, the first of the season Ratatouille on Wednesday, and our memories-of-our-youth Beef Macaroni Casserole on Thursday.

Here’s the Menu for the Week of May 10^th:

Monday - Bison Short Ribs

Buffalo Horn Ranch bison short ribs braised in wine tomatoes and herbs served with mashed potatoes and carrots $16

Tuesday - Butter Chicken

Sunworks Farm organic chicken in a curry cream and butter sauce served with basmati rice $14

Wednesday - Ratatouille

Gull Valley Green House eggplant, peppers, and tomatoes with zucchini, white wine and thyme served with cous cous $11

Thursday - Beef Macaroni Casserole

Hoven Farms organic beef, tomatoes, macaroni, green peppers, and cabbage with cheddar baked on top $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 – German Sausage Stew $7

This Week’s Soup – Tomato Basil Soup $7

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

Something Sweet – Lemon Poppy Seed Pound Cake with Saskatoon Berry Sauce $4

Bread (available Wednesday until it’s gone) - Sylvan Star Gouda Bread

On the Menu

We’re making Goat Korma again because the brave souls who tried it last time thought it was quite good. We get our goat from Ravenwood Farm near Cremona. It has a nice sweet and mild flavor very much like lamb. This korma is made with curry spices, lots of parsley and cilantro and a touch of cream. Give it a try!

We also have a couple of your favorites on the menu this week with our Macaroni and Cheese – loaded with Sylvan Star gouda on Wednesday, and the Blue Cheese and Bacon Potato Salad available all week.

Monday - Beef Shepherd’s Pie

Hoven Farms organic beef, carrots, peas, and corn with mushroom gravy topped with whipped potatoes $11

Tuesday - Butter Chicken

Sunworks Farm organic chicken in a traditional tomato and curry spice sauce with cilantro and ginger served over basmati rice $14

Wednesday - Macaroni and Cheese

Our take on the classic made with lots of Sylvan Star gouda $9 Add a green salad $4

Thursday - Italian Meatballs and Penne

Big meatballs of Broek Pork Acres pork and herbs simmered in tomato sauce served over penne $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 – Goat Korma $8

This Week’s Soup – Minestrone $7

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

Something Sweet – Mom’s Chocolate Cake $4

Easter Hours

Forage will be closed Thursday, April 1^st through Monday, April 5^th for an extended Easter Weekend. When we return on Tuesday, April 6^th we will be training our new staff member Tagen. Raina has found work as a teacher, which is her career path, and we thank her for the time she was with us. Also, Wade is taking some time off over the next couple weeks and the Twitter postings won’t be happening until he gets back.

Roast Berkshire Pork

Monday we are roasting Berkshire pork legs from Broek Pork Acres. Allan and Joanne Vandenbroek pasture raise this heritage breed of black pig just North of Lethbridge. We fell in love with the flavour of the Berkshires as soon as they started raising them a few years ago.

Here’s the menu for the week of March 29^th:

Monday - Roast Berkshire Pork

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

Tuesday - Lasagna

Our hand made lasagna with Vital Green Farm veal sauce, fresh pasta, provolone and mozzarella served with green salad $13

Wednesday - Vegetable Burrito

Tomato rice, black beans, peppers, onions, chard, and cheddar wrapped in a Tres Marias tortilla with chipotle slaw $11

Thursday - Closed For Easter Weekend

Friday - Closed For Good Friday

We’ll Be Back Tuesday, April 6th

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

This Week’s Soup – Chicken Mulligatawny $7

This Week’s Side – Lemon Lovage Potato Salad $4

Something Sweet – Apple Crisp $4

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