Vert-à-Go

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 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!

One of my fondest childhood holiday memories was driving into the city after school with my parents to go late-night shopping and then finishing up at the candy counter at the Bay. We were each allowed to pick out several different kinds of candies that we would set out around the house on Christmas Eve, each in its special little dish. We had to choose carefully, because we only got to do it once a year, but there were some permanent standbys. Peppermints, macaroons, rosettes, slowpokes, butter mints, chocolate-covered raisins and peanuts, chocolate buds, butter mints, After 8s, willow crisps…it was almost better than Halloween! (we graciously let the grownups keep the boring old unshelled nuts and wield the scary silver nutcracker themselves.)

I still enjoy having extra treats around the house at Christmas time as an adult. But what about the dark side of the chocolate trade, which exploits cocoa bean farmers and plantation workers (many of whom are children working in slavery?) Fair trade rules for cocoa bean production prohibit child labour, increase the amount of money paid to farmers, and encourage safer and more environmentally sustainable farming methods. And you can rest assure that there are plenty of ethically-produced (and locally-available) goodies to satisfy your seasonal sweet tooth.

10,000 Villages is a good starting point (not only for edibles but also for beautiful fair trade Christmas decorations and gifts)–there, you can pick up Divine fair trade chocolate-covered mint wafers (After 8-style), as well as charming chocolate advent calendars (the calendars are also available at Turning the Tide Bookstore). 10,000 Villages also carries Amazon Flame’s chocolate-covered brazil nuts (both milk and dark). You can also perk yourself up in festive fashion with Just Us holiday blend coffee, described as “robust and mellow with a hint of spice”.

Cocoa Camino has a wonderful range of large fair trade chocolate bars in various flavours (bittersweet, milk, dark, espresso, orange, white with cocoa nibs, moccachino, almond, and mint). One of my favourite quick and easy desserts is broken-up chocolate bars piled on a plate with fruit (thank you, Nigel Slater!). These would be fabulous for that. You can also get semi-sweet chocolate chips and cocoa powder for your baking, as well as hot chocolate mix (both dark and regular). Cocoa Camino products are available at a number of stores, including Dad’s Nutrition Centre, Herbs and Health, and Steep Hill Co-op (these stores carry other fair trade chocolate bar brands as well, including Endangered Species Chocolate).

You can also buy Cocoa Camino chocolate and cocoa from Nancy Allan, who runs a home-based fair trade business called Just Delights (call her on 664-6071). Nancy carries a wide variety of other fair trade products, including coffees and teas, and is often seen with all of them on display at her booth at information fairs throughout the year (like Seedy Saturday and World Food Day). She had a Christmas open house yesterday, where I picked up a couple of chocolate bars. Of course, yesterday was Buy Nothing Day, but having already decided that vegetables from the farmers’ market couldn’t possibly count, I went one further and decided that fair trade goodies didn’t count either!

You can also pick up chocolate cherry almond bark (made with local sour cherries) from Wayne and Clare Pearson at Prairie Sun Orchard (call 242-7573 or email prairiesunorchard@sasktel.net). They have a stall at the Saskatoon Farmers’ Market on Saturdays, where they also sell their stupendous ice cream. The cherry swirl, cherry chocolate, and raspberry flavours (again, made with their own fruit) are all divine.

The quintessential holiday treat, of course, is the candy cane, and you will be happy to know that you can get wonderful ones from Pure Fun (available at Dad’s Nutrition Centre). Pure Fun’s candy canes are made from organic evaporated cane jucie, organic brown rice syrup, organic fruit juice, and natural peppermint oil. They are really delicious and I (and my kids) highly recommend them. Now, if only I could convince myself that they won’t all surreptitiously disappear off the tree before the 25th!