forage

My head is spinning from my weekend in San Francisco and Slow Food Nation. It was very exciting to see the momentum that the movement is gaining. Quite simply, the events of the weekend will shape the way you eat in the decades to come. People are taking back the food system and discussing what is needed to ensure good, clean, and fair food for all. There were panel discussions, garden tours, taste pavilions, and lots of great food. If you are looking for more information go to the Slow Food Nation site and I’m still posting about the weekend on At the Root.

Welcome to September! As a student, I always got really nervous about the first day of school. Not for any particular reason - I just got so wound up about the change in routine from summer holidays. In honor of back to school, we are offering puffed wheat squares this week. They just remind me of bagged lunches from my school days and the comfort that a simple puffed wheat square can give.

Here is the menu for this week:

Monday - Labour Day

we are closed for labour day

Tuesday - Italian Sausage Rigatoni

Sunworks Farm rosemary and garlic sausage with tomato sauce, Lund’s Organic spinach, and rigatoni pasta topped with bechamel and mozzarella $13

Wednesday - Spinach and Gouda Frittata

Lund’s Organic spinach, chard, and new potatoes with Sunworks Farm eggs and Sylvan Star gouda served with green salad $13

Thursday - Vietnamese Chicken Salad

Sunworks Farm organic chicken, carrots, cucumber, bell peppers, lettuce, cilantro, rice noodles and a chili lime vinaigrette $14

Friday - BBQ Meatloaf

Broek Pork Acres Berkshire pork and Buffalo Horn Ranch bison meatloaf with BBQ glaze served with buttermilk mashed potatoes and Jensen Taber corn $14

This Week’s Soup – Taber Corn Chowder $7

This Week’s Stew – Elk And Pepper Stew $9

Something Sweet – Puffed Wheat Squares $3

Forage Hours Monday to Friday 2PM to 7PM – Phone (403)269-6551

3508 – 19^th Street SW – www.foragefoods.com

In my opinion, we are entering the best time of the year here in Alberta. The days are warm, the evenings are cool, and the harvest is in full swing. We are closed this Friday through Labour Day so we can enjoy one last weekend of summer.

I went out to the Flavours of the Foothills harvest festival on Saturday and had a great time. Flavours is Kayben Farms, Chinook Honey, and Canadian Rocky Mountain Ranch. I am familiar with Chinook and Kayben, but I had not been to the CRM Ranch. The ranch is located just West of Red Deer Lake Packers and has farm gate sales of bison, elk, and caribou along with supplying the RMR restaurants. Each farm had demos, tours, and samples and it was a great way to spend a Saturday afternoon. Chinook was offering Melissa’s Gold, a new sweeter mead, and look for a pumpkin festival at Kayben near Thanksgiving. They tell me they’ll have an air cannon ready for the event!

I’m off to San Francisco for Slow Food Nation this weekend so look to my blog for reports on that. Here is the menu for this week:

Monday - Chicken Fried Steak

Hoven Farms organic beef cutlet with our fried chicken coating served with pan gravy and Taber corn grits $14

Tuesday - Italian Meatballs

Broek Pork Acres Berkshire pork meatballs in tomato sauce with Lund’s Organic spinach and pasta $13

Wednesday - Vegetable Tagine

cauliflower, broccoli, carrots, peas, tomatoes, and chick peas simmered with moroccan spices served with cous cous $13

Thursday - Roast Chicken

Sunworks Farm roast chicken served with picnic potato salad and our special BBQ dipping sauce. Take some extra for the weekend!

$40 whole $26 half $15 quarter

Friday - Closed For The Long Weekend

the last long weekend of summer – enjoy!

This Week’s Soup – Sausage and White Bean $7

This Week’s Stew – Beef Chili $8

Something Sweet – Peach Upside Down Cake $4

Forage Hours this week Monday to Thursday 2PM to 7PM

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

We’re into the prime season for local products. The markets are bursting at the seams with so many great things it’s hard to eat them all. We’re going to give it a good try this week though.

First things first though… we are currently hiring cooks for full time positions in our catering kitchen. The labour market is tough so if you know of someone who might be interested please send them our way. Send resumes to info@foragefoods.com.

This week we are adding a vegetable pack that will include cauliflower, broccoli, and baby carrots from Innisfail Growers. We’re going to cut them into florets and prepare them to be eaten fresh or steamed a little for a vegetable side.

On Thursdays and Fridays we are adding beautiful bouquets of flowers from Eagle Creek Farm for $15. John Mills is one of the Terra Madre Youth delegates for Southern Alberta and he operates a corn maze, U-pick flowers, and is also about to harvest fresh garlic that we’ll be using at Forage. The flowers are very fresh and last a long time with a little care.

We are also featuring some of the vegetables from our gardens on this week’s menu. We have kale on Tuesday’s special and we are going to have purslane in the salad with the vegetable pot pie on Wednesday. Also on the menu this week is peach cobbler and we’ve even brought in some of Vital Green Organic Heavy Cream for those who want to take it over the edge!

Here is the menu for this week:

Monday - Warm Chicken Caesar Salad

lemon and garlic Sunworks Farm chicken with Lund’s Organic lettuces, croutons, parmesan and creamy caesar dressing $12

Tuesday - Smoked Sausage And Vegetables

Broek Pork Acres ham sausage with Upper Green Farm new potatoes, Lund’s chard, and kale from our garden $13

Wednesday - Market Vegetable Pot Pie

new potatoes, baby carrots, beans, peas, and whatever else we can find at the market in a light dill cream sauce with butter puff dough crust served with green salad $13

Thursday - Spanish Chicken Salad

Sunworks Farm chicken, roasted peppers, tomatoes, green olives, and potatoes tossed with smoked paprika and lemon vinaigrette on Lund’s Organic lettuce $13

Friday - BBQ Beef Short Ribs

slow roasted Hoven Farms beef short ribs in a tangy BBQ sauce served with red pepper roasted potatoes $14

This Week’s Salad – Gull Valley Greek Salad $5

This Week’s Stew – Beef Chili $8

Something Sweet – Peach Cobbler $4

Forage Hours Monday to Friday 2PM to 7PM

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

Well we are all back from our time off and ready to get back in to the swing of things. Thanks to everyone for allowing us to take the time off and understanding how important it is to us. Sue went to Victoria, Jaclyn to the Oregon coast, Wade to Seattle, Paul to Ontario and Ohio and Lynn to Vancouver so it’s going to take us a few days to catch up.

Wade brought back some of the Holmquist Orchards Dry Roast Ennis Hazelnuts and we are offering a limited supply of them at $4 for 4 oz. Also, it seems like we haven’t done the roast Sunworks Farm chickens for a month and that’s because it has been a month! This Friday the roast chickens are back and we will continue with offering them every other Friday. If you want to reserve a chicken just send an email or giving us a call. Hope to see you this week.

Here’s the menu for this week:

Monday - Chicken Chorizo Stew

Sunworks Farm chicken chorizo, tomatoes, peppers, white beans $13

Tuesday - Bison Meatloaf

Buffalo Horn Ranch bison meatloaf with BBQ glaze served with herb roasted potatoes $13

Wednesday - Vegetable Curry

cauliflower, broccoli, carrots, and chick peas in a tomato curry sauce with basmati rice $12

Thursday - Saskatoon Berry Chicken Salad

Sunworks Farm chicken, wild rice, candied pecans, spinach, field lettuces, saskatoon berry vinaigrette $13

Friday - Roast Chicken

Sunworks Farm roast chicken served with picnic potato salad and our special BBQ dipping sauce $38 whole $25 half $14 quarter

This Week’s Salad – Italian Pasta Salad $4

This Week’s Soup – Seafood Chowder $9

Something Sweet – Mom’s Chocolate Cake $4

Forage Hours Monday to Friday 2PM to 7PM

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

First off, the housekeeping… Forage will be closed for our Summer Break as of Friday, August 1^st, and we will return Monday, August 11^th. We operate with a small crew and in past summers we weren’t as refreshed as we should have been after the slower summer months. We realized that everyone was talking vacations at different times and we were operating a man down all summer long. So, this year we are closing everything down for a week and everyone should return refreshed and ready for a busy fall. Thanks for understanding. I’ll hopefully be posting from my trip to Seattle on my blog At the Root.

There is now an abundance of great Alberta products available at the markets. This week we have first-of-the-season carrots from Beck’s, Super Sweet peas from Edgar Farms, romaine lettuce and beets from Lund’s, new potatoes from Upper Green Farms, and the Chicken Tortilla soup will feature epazote from our garden. Epazote is a Mexican wild herb that has a pungent cilantro like flavor that will go nicely with the flavors in the soup.

It’s been a whirlwind at Calgary Farmers Market and as the week has gone on more details have emerged. The first one is that the building that the Market is in is coming down no matter what, so hopes of it staying where it is at are for not. With less than 18 months to plan for a future, the CFM still does not have a decision from Canada Lands on their proposal to be the anchor food store for the redevelopment of the Currie Barracks and the vendors are getting antsy. What the response from the public has shown is there is a real demand for access to local products and CFM is the premiere location for this. The public is going to have to get involved if they want to make sure that farmers get the best possible outcome. If you have the chance be sure to tell the farmers and producers of CFM that you’ll continue to support their businesses whatever happens. And be sure to get out to the other Farmers Markets around the city like Northlands and Bearspaw. Support in the form of purchases is most necessary to save our Farmers Markets and encourage growth for the future.

Here is the menu for this week:

Monday - Bison Macaroni Casserole

Buffalo Horn Ranch bison, macaroni, tomatoes, and peppers baked with cheddar $12

Tuesday - Italian Chicken Sausage

grilled Sunworks Farm rosemary and garlic sausage with peppers and tomatoes served with pasta salad $14

Wednesday - Goat’s Cheese and Beet Tart

Lund’s Organic beets and Fairwinds Farm cheese on puff dough tart served with green salad $13

Thursday - Vietnamese Chicken Salad

Sunworks Farm organic chicken, carrots, cucumber, peppers, and cilantro on rice noodles with lime chili vinaigrette $13

Friday - Closed For Our Summer Break

we are all taking a well deserved break - Forage will be open monday, august 11^th

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

This Week’s Soup – Chicken Tortilla $9

Something Sweet – Raspberry Brownie $4

Forage Hours This Week – Monday to Thursday 2PM to 7PM

Forage is closed for our Summer Break August 1^st through August 10^th

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

What a success! We were blown away with the response to our first birthday party on Friday night. In spite of the apocalyptic weather you came out in droves and we were able to raise $1000 for our Future of Farming Fund. In our wildest dreams we did not expect the crowd so thank-you for your patience and support. We’ll be looking at which youth farmers we are going to support for Terra Madre and let you know as we get closer.

That same storm shredded my parent’s garden south of Priddis so we have 60 lbs. of slightly damaged rhubarb and we are going to offer as Rhubarb Crisp as our special sweet. The rest of their garden did not fare so well.

Also, a frenzy of response has been created by the announcement that the Calgary Farmers’ Market may close at the end of October 2009 when their lease ends. The Calgary Herald broke the story and the story has also reached CBC radio. The CFM submitted a proposal in the spring of 2007 to Canada Lands to be the anchor food store for the soon to be redeveloped west Currie Barracks. The market is hoping that public outcry will assist Canada Lands in their decision making, but realistically, they would rather see a Whole Foods or Soby’s service the 20,000 plus new residents. Check out the Calgary Farmers Market website for more information. Forage and Infuse Catering are the biggest purchasers at the CFM so we are concerned with how this is all going to play out. Regardless, we will continue to seek out fine Alberta ingredients wherever we have to.

And lastly this week… we are closed this Friday to celebrate with Jaclyn and Andy on their wedding day!

Here is the menu for this week:

Monday - Chicken and Rigatoni

Sunworks Farm organic chicken tossed with rigatoni, fresh tomatoes, peppers, basil, and spinach $13

Tuesday - Korean BBQ Ribs

Hoven Farms organic beef short ribs marinated with soy, ginger, and honey and grilled, served with potato salad $14

Wednesday - New Vegetable Pot Pie

new potatoes, Edgar Farm peas, carrots, and beans in a dill cream sauce with a green salad $12

Thursday - Beef Taco Salad

Hoven Farms Organic beef, lettuce, tomatoes, peppers, black beans, cheddar, Tres Marias tortillas and chipotle buttermilk dressing $13

Friday - Closed For Jaclyn’s Wedding

we are celebrating with jaclyn and andy on their wedding day

sorry for any inconvenience

This Week’s Salad – German Potato Salad $4

This Week’s Stew – Turkey And White Bean Chili $9

Something Sweet – Rhubarb Crisp $4

Forage Hours This Week Monday to Thursday 2PM to 7PM

Forage will be closed August 1^st to August 10^th for our summer break

3508 – 19^th Street SW ph. (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 we debated whether we should offer Stampede type fare this week or not. We decided not to and instead just offer good summertime meals. So if you are looking for the alternative to beef on a bun and mini doughnuts, Forage is the place.

This week we have the last of the Edgar Farms asparagus on our Thursday salad. The asparagus ferns need about 6 weeks frost free in order to grow back next year. We are also starting to see the great Alberta produce beginning to arrive. It’s been a cool wet spring so everything is about 1 to 2 weeks behind the norm. Our menus will soon overflow with the abundance of seasonal fruits and vegetables found locally and in our own gardens.

Here’s the menu for this week:

Monday - Grilled Chicken Chorizo

Sunworks Farm chicken chorizo sausage with potatoes, tomatoes, and peppers simmered with a touch of smoked paprika $13

Tuesday - Maple Mustard Pork Chop

Broek Pork Acres Berkshire pork loin chop with a maple syrup and grainy mustard glaze served with herb roasted new potatoes $14

Wednesday - Balsamic Roasted Vegetables

bell peppers, zucchini, and mushrooms roasted with balsamic vinegar and herbs served with a rosemary and white bean salad $12

Thursday - Saskatoon Berry Chicken Salad

Sunworks Farm chicken, grilled Edgar Farms Asparagus, wild rice, candied pecans, spinach, butterleaf lettuce, saskatoon berry vinaigrette $13

Friday - Fried Chicken

Sunworks Farm chicken fried in our special coating served cold with picnic potato salad $13

This Week’s Salad – East Indian Three Bean $4

This Week’s Stew – Beef Chili $9

Something Sweet – Butter Tart $2

Forage Hours Monday to Friday 2PM to 7PM

Forage First Birthday - Friday July 18^th

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

I hope you are all enjoying a long weekend and here’s to a short week this week! Forage is closed today and Tuesday, July 1^st. We’ll be back in the shop on Wednesday.

Keep Friday, July, 18^th marked on your calendar for Forage’s first birthday party. We cannot believe it’s been a year already!

Here’s the menu for this week:

Monday - Closed

we are enjoying a long weekend

Tuesday – July 1^st - Happy Canada Day!

closed

Wednesday - Vegetarian Chili

black, kidney, navy, and garbonzo bean chili with cheddar cheese and fresh tomato served with a green salad $12

Thursday - BBQ Chicken Salad

Sunworks Farm chicken, potatoes, tomatoes, corn, and peppers on gull valley butterleaf lettuce with bbq ranch dressing $13

Friday - Roast Chicken

Sunworks Farm roast chicken served with picnic potato salad and our special BBQ dipping sauce $38 whole $25 half $14 quarter

This Week’s Salad – Yukon Gold Potato Salad $3

This Week’s Stew – BBQ Bison and Pan Bread $9

Something Sweet – Mom’s Chocolate Cake $4

Forage Hours Monday to Friday 2PM to 7PM

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

The weather has finally improved and summer is here! This Tuesday evening take our fried chicken and potato salad to the park for an outdoor dinner. We are also adding a Weekly Salad in single serving portions to add to your meal. This week we are offering Gull Valley Green House Greek Salad.

Forage will be closed on Monday, June 30^th and Tuesday, July 1^st for Canada Day and we will open on Wednesday, July 2^nd so be sure to stock up towards the end of the week.

Here’s the menu for this week:

Monday - Italian Meatloaf

Broek Pork Acres Berkshire pork and Hoven Farms beef meatloaf seasoned with italian herbs served with herb roasted potatoes $13

Tuesday - Fried Chicken

Sunworks Farm organic chicken fried with our own special seasoning and served with picnic potato salad $14

Wednesday - Asparagus Tart

Edgar Farms asparagus and Sylvan Star gouda on butter puff dough tart served with a green salad $13

Thursday - Vietnamese Chicken Salad

Sunworks Farm chicken, cucumber, carrots, peppers and cilantro on rice noodles with lime vinaigrette $13

Friday - BBQ Beef Casserole

Hoven Farms organic beef slow roasted and sliced thin in a tangy BBQ sauce with peppers, corn, potatoes, and a biscuit crust served with creamy coleslaw $13

This Week’s Salad – Gull Valley Green House Greek $4

This Week’s Soup – Tuscan Chicken $8

This Week’s Stew – Beef and Bean Chili $9

Something Sweet – Mom’s Chocolate Cake $4

Forage Hours Monday to Friday 2PM to 7PM

Forage will be closed Monday June 30^th and Tuesday, July 1^st for Canada Day.

3508 – 19^th Street SW (403)269-6551