What I buy - a list

These are the Saskatchewan foods that I buy regularly. It is not meant to be an exhaustive list of what's available in this province. If you know of a great food item that I haven’t mentioned here, please tell me what it is and where to get it.

I buy just about all my vegetables (any many other items) at the Saskatoon Farmers' Market. There are too many vendors to list them all here so I have mentioned just a few that I rely on the most.

MEAT
Wild West Steelhead – near Lucky Lake. This is the largest inland fish farm in Canada, producing steelhead trout. Most of its fish are shipped to market in Vancouver, Toronto and New York. You can find these beautiful 5-pound trout at some fish markets in Saskatoon, Regina and Prince Albert, or you can place an order for fresh delivery. 306-858-2208. For store locations and mail order prices go to www.wildweststeelhead.com.

Al Bennett – Meacham. Al was a conventional farmer who decided to go 'au natural'. Now he raises grass-fed pastured cattle, what you might call 'home on the range' like the buffalo once were. (He does not give his cattle daily antibiotics, supplemental feed or grain.) He sells by the half or quarter animal, and he also has steaks, roasts and ground beef already wrapped and frozen for quick sale. The meat is very lean and tasty. 306-944-4340.

Natureworks Farm – near Saskatoon. An organic grass-fed meat/egg farm run by Lori Bilanski and her family. They have lamb, pork, chickens, turkeys, beef and eggs. They sell at the Saskatoon Farmers’ Market, or call 306-283-4638. We bought a half a pig and are quite pleased with Lori’s cured hams and bacon.

Sage Hill Buffalo Ranch – near Cudworth. Joe and Delphine Saxinger raise and sell organic bison. They also sell delicious bison salami and summer sausage that are great for sandwiches. We buy their product at the Saskatoon Farmers’ Market and I have also visited their ranch near Cudworth. You can also buy soup bones with lots of meat on them, perfect for a bison-barley soup. 306-256-3232.

Emco Meats – Saskatoon. The German butcher processes meat in the European fashion: bratwurst, weisswurst, dry cured pork, Hungarian paprika sausage, etc. We’ve become addicted to his dry pork – it can be used as a bacon substitute without all the fat. 306-652-7474.

Karen and John Dale – near Meacham. They raise and sell free-range chickens. Orders are placed in the spring and the birds are delivered cleaned and frozen in late summer/fall. If you like chicken livers, be sure to ask for them because they are sold separately. 306-944-4241.

Co-op – The Co-op grocery stores make its own sausages in-house. It's also the grocery chain most likely to carry local products. I enjoy browsing the shelves and reading labels looking for something new to try.

Pine View Farms – near Osler. Melanie and Kevin Boldt sell natural chicken, beef, pork, lamb and sausages. They have a store on the farm and a weekly farmers’ market in the summer. You can also find their chickens in Co-op grocery stores in Saskatoon. www.pineviewfarms.com. 306-239-4763.

Also, look for these brands of prepared meats: Drake, Harvest, Mitchell’s.

FRUITS AND VEGETABLES
Mumm’s Sprouting Seeds – Parkside. The Mumm family sells locally-grown sprouting seeds as well as seeds from around the world. They are the largest supplier of organic sprouting seeds in North America, a business they operate out of an old one-sheet curling rink. Sprouts are a great way to get fresh vitamins in wintertime. 306-747-2943. www.sprouting.com.

Grandora Gardens – Grandora. Pat and Fred Gittings grow greenhouse lettuce, cucumber, tomatoes, herbs and peppers. By late February, they are usually selling the first greens at the Saskatoon Farmers’ Market, and by May there are ripe tomatoes. I am especially grateful for the early-spring vegetables from Grandora’s greenhouses.

Yoanna Orchard – near Radisson. This is largest apple orchard on the prairies, run by Craig and Yvette Hamilton. They also have wonderful Saskatchewan cherries and plums. It’s all organic. U-Pick only. They don’t advertise because word-of-mouth is sufficient to sell out. 306-827-2269.

FLOUR AND GRAINS
Daybreak Farm – near Estevan. Ray and Marianne Aspinall have a mill on their farm to produce superior organic flours and milled grains. They ship across Canada by mail and they sell their product in some local health food stores. It's also known by the name Scheresky's (he's the retired farmer who started the mill). I visited their farm store and bought wheat flour, pearl barley and rolled oats, all of superior quality. 306-927-2695. www.daybreakschereskymill.com.

Cerridwen Farms – Medstead. The Dunk and Haubold families produce and package organic lentils, split peas, flax, bran and flours through the mail. Most of their product goes to East Indian markets in British Columbia, but it's also sold in some small-town stores around their farm. 306-342-4516.

Riese's Canadian Lake Wild Rice – La Ronge. We were given a pail of this wonderful wild rice, so I’m not sure where you buy it outside of La Ronge. Try asking them at 306-425-2314.

President’s Choice Organic Chickpeas – Superstore and Extra Foods grocery stores. In fact, any can of chickpeas which says "Product of Canada" will contain Saskatchewan chickpeas. I prefer to buy organic because some farmers have started the practice of dessication, which is the application of herbicide on the mature plant.

Christie’s Bakery – Saskatoon. I make most of the bread we eat at home but when we need to buy some we go to Christie’s Bakery. Not only is the artisinal bread absolutely delicious, they source many of their grains and flours in Saskatchewan. Quite new on their menu is bread made with red fife wheat, an tasty old-fashioned wheat that was grown by the pioneers.

Primo Pasta – I buy this brand because the label indicates it's made of Canadian durum wheat, most of which is grown in Saskatchewan. Any pasta made in Canada would have Saskatchewan durum in it. I also make pasta with free-range Saskatchewan farm eggs.

DAIRY
Saputo/Dairyland/Armstrong – Saskatoon. There is one dairy facility in Saskatchewan, located in north Saskatoon. It makes cheese, yogurt, sour cream, milk and other products. Look for the number 4015 on the package, which indicates it was made at this facility. However, the cheese made in Saskatoon is packaged elsewhere and therefore has different code numbers. Cheddar and mozzarella made in Saskatoon carry the label Armstrong and Co-op. You can also find a saskatoon berry yogurt at the Co-op.

SPICES AND FLAVOURINGS
Sifto Salt – Unity. This mine is tapping into the salt from an ancient seabed 4000 feet before the wheat fields if Saskatchewan. They turn it into table salt, kosher salt, pickling salt, salt licks for livestock and salt for water softeners. Look for the number 69 on the box to indicate it came from this mine.

McKormick’s – from the grocery story. Saskatchewan produces a number of spices such as coriander, anise seed, fenugreek, dill and cumin. I visited a spice farm near Eston which markets Saskatchewan spices to large companies around the world. They do not sell in quantities less than a semi-truck load! McCormick’s is one of their customers.

Chatty’s spices – Chatty and her husband PK produce East Indian spice mixes in Saskatoon. They sell at the farmers’ market and in local stores. All the spices may not be from Saskatchewan, but their products are made here.

French’s Mustard – from the grocery store. Saskatchewan is one of the leading mustard growers in the world. Even French Dijon mustard is made with Saskatchewan seeds (although the French are trying to grow enough locally). There are also some wonderful locally-made artisinal mustards such as Pat's Mustard (at the Co-op) and Serendipity Mustard (at the Saskatoon Farmers' Market). I love mustard so I am always looking for local jars to try out.

RESTAURANTS
Want to eat Saskatchewan out? I have eaten at (and can recommend):

Calories restaurant in Saskatoon. They take pride in sourcing most of their food in Saskatchewan. Chef Remi, trained in France, has a light flavourful bistro-touch to all his menu.

The chef of Weczeria restaurant (pronounced vee-chair-ee-a) in Saskatoon is often seen laden with bags of produce at the Saskatoon Farmers’ Market.

If you’re driving to Prince Albert take the secondary road through Birch Hills and stop at the New Ground Cafe on Main Street. Jenny Willems makes just about everything with foods she buys locally.

In Prince Albert, Amy’s Restaurant on the main drag has a great reputation for its wild rice soup and salads.

In Rosthern, north of Saskatoon, Joan Yoder cooks up a daily local menu at the Station Place Tea House (in the old train station).