Vert-à-Go

“At this festive season of the year, Mr Scrooge,” said the gentleman, taking up a pen, “it is more than usually desirable that we should make some slight provision for the poor and destitute, who suffer greatly at the present time….We choose this time, because it is a time, of all others, when Want is keenly felt, and Abundance rejoices.”

–Charles Dickens, A Christmas Carol

Today, December 26th, is Boxing Day in much of the English-speaking world. The tradition of Boxing Day most likely emerged during the English Middle Ages, when alms were given to the needy and servants were given gifts and the day off by their employers in lieu of Christmas. It is not, historically (as a person-on-the-street on CBC Radio this morning blithely declared), “a capitalist holiday”–although it certainly seems to have become one in the past couple of decades in Canada.

After a day when so many of us have been so richly blessed, it really seems more appropriate to spend it sharing some of our good fortune with others who need it so badly. Most if not all of these charities will issue tax receipts (check for a Canadian tax receipt number), so make sure you make your donation before the 31st of December to make it count on your 2008 tax return.

Here is a small sampling of organisations and programs that have a particular emphasis on feeding and providing food security for disadvantaged people–both near at home or half a world away. Most of them have secure online donation facilities, which makes it as easy as shopping online–and a lot more satisfying.

• UNICEF (Buy 25 sachets of a therapeutic high-protein nutty spread that makes the difference between life and death for severely malnourished children, or high energy biscuits which provide immediate emergency nutrition for girls and boys, amongst other Gifts of Magic) $13-30-–other gifts $10 and up
• 10,000 Villages Gift of Seeds (Provide 10 families in needy areas with vegetable seeds and fruit seedlings) $25 (other Living Gifts also available)
  
• Heifer International (Buy animals that can provide food and livelihood for needy families) US$10 and up
• Red Cross Food Security Crisis Appeal (They are stepping up food security programs in 15 African countries) any amount greatly appreciated

Don’t forget closer to home, too:

• The Saskatoon Food Bank serves 12,000 visitors each month and its goal is to close its doors. When I phoned them before Christmas they said they needed ‘everything’. Its most wanted items list suggests canned beans, canned meat, canned soup, canned fruits and vegetables, peanut butter, whole grain cereals, baby formula, and baby food are always highly welcomed. Food bank donation bins are available at most, if not all, grocery stores as well as the Saskatoon Farmers’ Market, so it is very easy to donate. You can also make a cash donation.
• The Saskatoon Friendship Inn serves 500 meals a day to Saskatoon men, women and children. They are grateful for both staple food and money donations (you can call to see if there is anything in particular that they need–for Christmas, for example, they were looking for turkeys, vegetables, coffee, and so on)
• CHEP–the Child Hunger Education Project–works with children, families, and communities to improve access to good food and promote food security. They run the (sadly, much-needed) children’s nutrition program, which provides breakfast, lunch, snacks, and supper to hungry kids in the city, as well as a wide range of other fabulous hands-on educational programs and community services.
• Station 20 West, with the help of the generous people of Saskatoon, is working towards breaking ground for the Good Food Junction–a locally owned grocery store cooperative–in May 2009. This grocery store will vastly improve access to good quality, affordable food for people living in Saskatoon’s core neighbourhoods, who have been without a proper grocery store within reasonable walking distance for a decade.

I wish you and your families a happy, safe, well-fed, and contented holiday season!

Christmas can come–the baking is done!

I don’t do a lot of baking in the run-up to Christmas, but there are a few special things that I (or my mom) make every year in the last few days before the 25th. Some of the recipes have been in the family for decades (shortbread), others I got from friends while I was growing up (chocolate toffee bars), and others have become a new tradition with my kids (gingerbread house and reindeer).

The weekend before Christmas, I make a batch of gingerbread house dough using the Joy of Cooking recipe. It makes twice as much as we need for the Lee Valley gingerbread house mold that we use, so I form two discs out of the remaining dough and stick them in the fridge or freezer until I’m ready to make cut-out gingerbread cookies. I like to make reindeer and dip their noses into red sprinkles.

If you’re well-organised, you could make everything on this plate in a morning and afternoon. Because I have two preschoolers who love to help cutting out cookies, I generally take two leisurely afternoons to get it done. All of the other little treats are extremely easy to make–shortbread that melts in your mouth, non-bake 10-minute brownies, and the most fabulous squares you’ll probably ever eat in your life.

None of this baking is Martha Stewart-fancy, but it all tastes delicious and uses good old-fashioned ingredients: butter, sugar, nuts, chocolate. I package up some of it for neighbours, friends, and family, and put out a plate of everything for dessert on Christmas Day, along with a bowl of oranges, a pot of good strong coffee and a bottle of Sauterne, muscat, or ice wine.

Great Aunt Ellen’s shortbread

My mom has made these cookies for years and I had no idea how easy they were. No rolling required–just drop them onto the baking sheet!

• 1 pound soft butter
• 3 cups flour
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1/2 cup cornstarch
• 1 cup icing sugar

Beat until like whipped cream. Drop teaspoonfuls onto baking sheets. Bake 15 minutes at 350F (I would check them at the 12 minute mark–you don’t want them to have more than ever-so-slightly browned edges and tips).

I got 6 dozen cookies from this batch; it could easily be halved

French unbaked cake

You can make this in about 10 minutes flat, which makes it both extremely handy and rather dangerous.

• 1/2 cup butter
• 2 Tbsp cocoa
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1 egg (well beaten)
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 3/4 cup nuts (I use walnuts)
• 1-1/2 cups graham wafer crumbs (pack them down into the cup a bit)

Melt butter, add sugar & cocoa–cook to bubbling point. Remove from heat, add egg, vanilla, nuts, and crumbs. Be prepared to add more crumbs if the mixture doesn’t seem right, but use a light hand. Press into a square cake pan and let cool. You can ice or dust with icing sugar but it really doesn’t need anything. It’s addictive enough as it is.

Makes about 3 dozen squares

Melody’s chocolate toffee bars

A school-girlfriend of mine introduced me to these–all I can say is thank you, Mel! I don’t think Christmas would actually come if I didn’t make a pan of them.

• 1 cup flour
• 1/4 cup white sugar
• 1 cup butter
• 3/4 cup brown sugar (firmly packed)
• 1-1/4 cups coarsely chopped nuts (I use walnuts)
• 1 cup chocolate chips

Combine flour and white sugar. Cut in 1/2 cup of the butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Press into the bottom of an ungreased 9×13 baking pan. Bake at 350F for 15 minutes; remove from oven (don’t turn the oven off).

Combine brown sugar and remaining 1/2 cup of butter in a suacepan. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly, and boil for 1 minute. Pour evenly over the baked layer. Sprinkle with nuts. Bake an additional 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and sprinkle with the chocolate chips. Swirl with a knife to spread the chocolate over the top (I find it’s easier to do if you put the pan back into the turned-off oven for a minute or two and let them melt a bit first).

Makes about 3 dozen bars

Looking for a last-minute gift for someone special? Here are some ideas that are sustainable, organic, local, and ethical!

Stocking stuffers (under $10)

• Fair trade chocolate bar (lots of different flavours–try Divine from 10,000 Villages, Cocoa Camino or Endangered Species from Steep Hill Co-op, Herbs and Health, or Dad’s Nutrition Centre)
• Fair trade peppercorns (you can get Orchard del Sol’s from Bulk Cheese Warehouse)
• Mini-bottle of black pansy or red clover syrup (from Bedard Creek Acres, available at the SaskMade Marketplace)
• Droolin’ Devil hot sauce (many delicious Saskatoon-made varieties available at various supermarkets, including Pelican Market on Lorne Avenue, or their headquarters at #5-801 7th Ave N)
• Premala’s spicy peanut spread (it’s yummy straight-up or as a marinade–get it at various supermarkets and their stall at the Saskatoon Farmers’ Market)

For bookworms

It isn’t Christmas without a new book to read. Turning The Tide bookstore has some of these titles in stock and will happily special-order anything in for you; McNally Robinson also has some of them too.

• Stuffed & Starved, Raj Patel (an illuminating look at the roots of the global food crisis)
• Everything I Want to Do is Illegal: War Stories from the Local Food Front,  Joel Salatin (a funny and inspiring book from the American alternative agriculture guru)
• Introduction to Permaculture, Bill Mollison (the original and probably best sustainable agriculture resource guide)
• All New Square Foot Gardening, Mel Bartholomew (maximise your vegetable yield in a tiny space while cutting your workload–a great practical guide to the square foot gardening method)
• How to Cook Everything Vegetarian, Mark Bittman (cut your carbon emissions with the new vegetarian bible)
• Anything by Nigel Slater. Want something to curl up and browse? Try Appetite. Want something you’ll use even after both the covers fall off and it’s spattered beyond recognition? 30-Minute Cook or Real Fast Food will become your fast friends.
• How to Cook a Wolf, MFK Fisher (an amusing and thought-provoking book on how to feed yourself during hard times (first published in 1942). “[It] reads like an issue of Lady’s Home Journal, if the editorial staff were taken over by a philosopher with an empty stomach, a slightly tipsy poet and your mischievous, foxy godmother who once kept many lovers.”

For the gardener

• Salt Spring Seeds Zero Mile Diet Seed Kit (A dozen different seed packets to help you become food self-sufficient–includes Blue Tinge Ethiopian Wheat, Faust Barley, Golden Flax, Multi-hued Quinoa, Amaranth Mix, Heritage Bean Mix, Darlaine Soup Pea, Winnifred’s Garbanzo, Manitoba Soybean, Russian Kale, 20 Lettuce Blend and Mishca Paste Tomato, as well as grower’s guide). $42
• Seeds of Diversity membership (Canada’s heritage seed program for gardeners–the source for information about heritage seeds, seed saving, plant diversity, garden history and your own garden heritage) $30 annual membership
• Sign them up for the University of Saskatchewan Master Gardener program (Become a Master Gardener–learn the art and science of gardening, meet fellow horticultural enthusiasts, and help the community) Registration fee $100 (total fees under $400)
• Subscription to The Gardener for the Prairies magazine $18 for one year, $34 for 2 years
• Urban Land Army’s Land Survey Kit (Looking for somewhere to grow? Want to assess the land you already have? This handy kit from the friendly folks at Urban Land Army has everything you need to get started–essential information, checklists, graph paper, clipboard, and pencil!) US$8

For the eager but underequipped convert

Have they read The Omnivore’s Dillemma and are now raring to go–but don’t know where to start? Help them out:

• Stainless steel compost pail (These are good-looking, easy-to-clean pails from Lee Valley that you can keep out on your countertop) $20 for 4L, $22 for 6L
• Hori hori Japanese farmer knife (I’m told that you don’t really need any other gardening hand tool if you have one of these. I’m hoping for one for Christmas myself, as my trowel disappeared this summer!) $22.50 carbon steel, $29.50 stainless steel
• Stock pot (The best way keep stray vegetables, meat bones, and assorted leftovers out of the landfill? Learn how to make stock–and soup–and nourish yourself at the same time. But you’ll need a big pot like this one from Zellers if you want to make a big batch) $29.99
• How to Boil Water, Food Network Kitchens (Want to quit eating fast food and ready-meals but don’t have the faintest idea where to start in the kitchen? This book is a fantastic primer for the absolute beginner cook) US$16.50
• Follow Vert-à-Go (Don’t miss a single post: RSS it, Twitter it, del.icio.us it, or join us on Facebook) Delightfully free
  

For kids

Start them as you’d like them to go on:

• Kid-sized garden tools (They’ll love helping out with their very own tools from Lee Valley, which are bright enough to spot even if they’re left lying on the ground) $7
• Pretend Soup and Other Real Recipes: a cookbook for preschoolers and up, Mollie Katzen and Ann Henderson (This book from the famous Moosewood Restaurant team features delicious vegetarian recipes that little kids will love. It’s designed to teach them valuable culinary skills in a fun way and inspire a love of real cooking and good food!)
• Get growing kit (Get them started with some easy-grow and satisfying seeds like carrots, beans, and lettuce–stick them in a small light-weight sturdy pail that they can use to carry rain water, harvested vegetables, or leaves/corn husks/other small bits destined for the compost bin) About $7, more or less
• Vermicomposting box (Core Neighbourhood Youth Co-op does a worm composting box that’s perfect for people who don’t have an outdoor compost bin–and kids love helping to feed the worms) $50
• Child’s sun hat (MEC’s hat is made in Canada, partly from organically-grown cotton, and has a long flap to cover the neck and keep the sun off during those busy mornings in the garden or the berry patch) $18

For the SOLE food gourmand

• Fair trade coffee or tea (Try the Ethiopian Yirgacheffe from The Roastery, Kicking Horse from Sobey’s, Salt Spring Coffee from Herbs and Health, or enjoy the aroma while choosing from the wide fair trade organic selection at McQuarries) $10 and up for 1 pound
• Fair trade olive oil (Zatoun’s olive oil, available at Turning the Tide bookstore or 10,000 Villages, benefits Palestinian farmers and children in the West Bank) $18 for a 750ml bottle
• Organic wine (There are some good ones now available at the LBS–the Bonterra zinfandel is highly recommended) $13 and up
• Locally-brewed special edition winter ale (Call Paddock Wood Brewery on 477-5632 to see if they have any of their delightful Winter Ale left. Available at the brewery store only) $3.50 apiece or $18/half-dozen
• Divine dark chocolate fair trade after dinner mints (Available at 10,000 Villages, it’s the quintessential square after-dinner chocolate mint–only fairly made) $6.95
• Saskatoon Farmers’ Market goodie basket (Assemble a basket of delicious locally-grown and produced food for an unforgettable meal–how about some artisan bread, a couple of steaks from Benlock Farms, organic potatoes and carrots, cherry swirl ice cream…or exquisite mini-cupcakes…or wild Saskatchewan blueberries…or mouth-watering mini-baklavas?) Sky’s the limit!

Share your bounty

What shows your love better than something you made with your own two hands?

• salsa
• jam
• pickles
• homemade bread
• a box of Christmas cookies, treats–or wrap up a frozen cookie dough log

For the person who has everything

• Give to UNICEF (You can buy high energy biscuits which provide immediate nutrition for girls and boys or water treatment tablets that ensures safe drinking water for large numbers of people, amongst other Gifts of Magic) $20-30–other gifts $10 and up
• 10,000 Villages Gift of Seeds (Provide 10 families in needy areas with vegetable seeds and fruit seedlings) $25
• Donate to the Red Cross Food Security Crisis Appeal (They are stepping up food security programs in 15 African countries) any amount greatly appreciated
• Make a local donation and help hungry kids and adults in your community (Saskatoon Food Bank, CHEP, Station 20 West) any amount greatly appreciated
• Urban Land Army t-shirt (Join the Urban Land Army campaign and show off your allegiance with this nicely-fitted and comfy t-shirt. Everyone needs another t-shirt to garden in, right?) US$18 taxes and shipping included

Happy holidays!

Photo by MikeMar

Join Ruth Eliason and her friends as they bring a little light to the Darkest Night of the Year, in support of Station 20 West. Celebrate the season with good music, good food and friends!

When: Sunday 21 December, 7:30-8:30pm

Where: Christ Church Anglican, 515 28th St W, Saskatoon (Google map)

Admission: by donation

For more information: Facebook event page, Station 20 West web site, phone 373-0292

photo by Speshul Ted

With only 13 days to go, most of the turkeys destined for the Christmas dinner table have already been dispatched and are in the freezer (or have been presold as fresh and will be butchered a few days before the 25th). Their time on earth is done–but you can help ensure that future turkeys will enjoy a better quality of life by buying a bird that was raised in a humane fashion this Christmas.

Just as with other factory farm-produced livestock, turkeys generally suffer crowded and extremely unpleasant living conditions. Most will have no more than 2sq feet of standing room, and they are usually kept in virtual darkness to reduce aggression. Turkeys are debeaked to reduce cannibalism caused by crowded quarters or improper food rations, but also often have their snoods (the upper part of the wattle that lies across the beak) removed, which is an extremely painful procedure. Despite this, pecking is still a problem and many are blinded. Their litter is often not changed during their time in the barns, and because they do not scratch like chickens do, it quickly becomes fouled and can cause respiratory problems and foot ulcerations. These ulcers often result in lameness, which is further exacerbated because they have been bred and fed to grow so quickly that their immature joints and muscles cannot support their own weight. Slaughter conditions are also usually far from ideal. For more information, see the Canadian Coalition for Farm Animals turkey factsheet.

So how can you help? Try taking the Turkey Challenge–buy a turkey that has been raised organically (or naturally), and that has had as much time free-range as possible. This year, I got our turkey from Mason’s Family Farm near Kenaston. Their main emphasis is still their fantastic U-cut Christmas trees, but they have started selling a few locally-produced food products too (including Petrofka Bridge Orchard’s yummy apple cider and sour cherry chocolates). Their frozen turkeys, which are $3/lb and weigh in at about 16-20lbs, were raised for them by neighbours and enjoyed a lot of time outdoors as well as a nicely varied diet (they particularly liked sprouts and watermelon!). Supplies are limited, so call (306-544-2734) or email Bob or Cora to check availability before you head out.

Pine View Farms has already pre-sold all of its fresh farm-gate turkeys, but will be providing Prairie Meats, the Co-Op, Dad’s Nutrition Centre, and Bulk Cheese Warehouse with frozen birds (you may want to call ahead to check when and what is available).

Steep Hill Co-Op also passed along details of a woman who is selling organic turkeys for $50–call Crystal on 306-246-2100.

Please let me know if you know of any other sources!

Spotted at Safeway: Earthbound organic iceberg lettuce on sale for $1.47, as well as a 4lb box of organic Chinese mandarin oranges for $4.99 (our spotter got the last box of oranges on display at the 8th St Safeway that day–we’re not sure if they had more in the back or not). I haven’t seen organic mandarin oranges anywhere else, so will try to find out if more are available. Their sale runs until Saturday 13 December.

Saw at Sobey’s today that they had Bob’s Red Mill organic flours/grains on sale, as well as organic pastas by Artesian Acres (kamut linguine, spaghetti) and Eden Organics (mini alphabet soup & curly vegetable pasta). All of these things ranged from 50 cents to a $1 off; I expect the sale will run till the end of the week.

Today was Stop Climate Chaos Day–a day of action coinciding with the UN climate talks in Poznan, Poland. Events took place across the country and across the world, spearheaded by an umbrella group of organisations ranging from the Sierra Club, Oxfam, the World Wildlife Fund, Greenpeace, and Unicef. But it wasn’t all about marches and speeches. Organisers also urged supporters to hold potlucks and write letters to the editor to show solidarity and get the word out about the need for action to decrease the concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere to 350 parts per million. Because the personal is also political, I cooked one of our favourite vegetarian dinners in honour of the day. In September, the UN declared that people living in the west could make a big contribution toward fighting climate change by eating less meat. It has been estimated that halving the average person’s meat consumption would make a bigger difference to CO2 emissions than cutting their car use in half.

I sometimes have difficulty balancing a vegetarian meal so that I don’t feel like I need to eat a bowl of pasta as big as my head to feel full. In my opinion, the true star of the vegetarian world is the humble lentil. Lentils are not only high in protein and fibre–they are also an excellent source of iron (80% of your daily dose in just one cup), magnesium, tryptophan, and folate. When you serve them wiith rice, they become a complete source of protein. They are therefore an excellent meat-free main dish that will leave everyone satisfied.

Monastery lentils have become my go-to dish on busy weeknights and I probably make it once a week. As you might infer from the recipe’s name, it has the added bonus of being incredibly easy to prepare as well as being extremely economical, hearty, and yummy (I think you could easily feed 4 people for about a dollar apiece). You can also easily substitute dried local lentils, homemade stock, or frozen tomatoes for the canned variety, thereby reducing both the sodium content (and its food miles/climate impact) even further.

Monastery Lentils (with thanks to Sam)

• 1 - 14oz can lentils
• 1 - 14oz can diced tomatoes
• 1 can (or 1 cup) vegetable/chicken stock
• splash of cooking sherry
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 2 celery sticks (if large), sliced into bite-sized pieces
• 2 carrots (if large), sliced into bite-sized pieces
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• Italian seasoning (I used dried oregano, parsley, and thyme)
• 1 Tb olive oil

In a large pot, saute the onion, celery, carrots, garlic, and dried seasonings in a tablespoon (or thereabouts) of olive oil until softened. In the meantime, add the lentils, tomatoes, chicken stock, and sherry to a medium-sized pot and bring to a simmer. Add the lentil mixture to the vegetables, bring to a boil, and simmer for about half an hour. Check whether you need to add salt and pepper, then serve on boiled/steamed rice. A small sprinkling of shredded white cheddar cheese is nice on top. I also like a dill pickle on the side.

Serves 4

For more great lentil (and other pulse) recipes, including some by celebrity chefs, check out the Saskatchewan Pulse Growers web site–you can also sign up there to get onto a monthly email recipe mailing list, or buy a copy of their excellent cookbook The Amazing Legume. Saskatchewan farmers grow a lot of lentils, and it would be terrific if everyone in the province ate them at least once a week!

Looking for a great deal on some great art? Come down and check out the used (pre-loved!) art sale this Saturday at Grace Westminster United Church from 11am-9pm. There will be over 300 pieces on sale, ranging in price from $5-$300, and a further 50 or so pieces will be up for silent auction. Make sure you come early for the best selection!

At 7pm, there will be a live auction of original works, which have been kindly donated by some of Saskatchewan’s leading artists, including John Bury, Paul Jacoby, Marie Lonneau, Greg Hardy, Clint Hunker, Marigold Crib, Jan Norris, Paul Denham, June Tinline, Jim Korpan, Leslie Potter, Alicia Popoff, Hugo Alvarado, Corrine McKay, and Lou Chrones.

All proceeds from the sale of the artwork will go towards building The Good Food Junction Grocery Store at Station 20 West. Bring the family, browse the art, enjoy refreshments (including homemade bannock) and stay for a visit with the other people helping to make Station 20 West a reality!

When: Saturday 6 December, 11am-9pm

Where: Grace Westminster Church, 505 10th St E, Saskatoon (Google map)

For more information: Facebook event page, Station 20 West web site