It strikes a chord, particularly now as the sun begins to shine strong enough to melt snow, teasing us with glimpses of the earth, turning thoughts to gardens and growth.

The 2010 Nutrition Month challenges Canadians to celebrate food – from where it’s grown and harvested to the delicious and healthy meals that end up on our tables.

While it’s a little early in the growing season to go to the source (at least around here), why not make March the month to make a tardy new new year’s resolution.

When thinking seeds, plan(t) to try something new. Until fresh produce is available, look on the label for products that have been grown locally, or closer to home. And vow to shop a farmers market for your produce this year.

Manitoba Agriculture, Food and Rural Initiatives publishes a fantastic listing of local producers and farmers’ markets. I’ve pulled out a few local favourites here:

St. Norbert Farmers’ Market (Le Marche)

3514 Pembina Highway
Winnipeg, MB R3V 1A1
(204) 275-8349
www.stnorbertfarmersmarket.ca
Get directions

FortWhyte Alive

1961 McCreary Road
Winnipeg, MB R3P 2K9
(204) 989-8364
www.fortwhyte.org
Get directions

Osborne Village Market

445 River Avenue
Winnipeg, MB R3L 0C3
(204) 480-8358
Facebook page
Get directions

The Forks

201-1 Forks Market Road
Winnipeg, MB R3C 4L9
(204) 942-6302
www.forks.com
Get directions

Transcona BIZ Market Garden & Crafters/Flea Market

131 Victoria Avenue West
Winnipeg, MB R2C 1S6
(204) 222-8566
www.transconabiz.ca
Get directions

Red River Exhibition Park

3977 Portage Avenue
Winnipeg, MB R3K 2E8
(204) 888-6990
www.redriverex.com
Get directions

When it comes to treats for your sweet on Valentine’s Day, chocolate is passe.

I smell sex and…bacon?

I’m sure referencing Marcy Playground’s “Sex and Candy” song makes me a dinosaur, but the sex and candy centric theme for Feb 14 is also on its way to extinction.

According to a recent national survey, when asked to choose between bacon and sex, 43 per cent of Canadians would choose…bacon!

The survey revealed some noteworthy differences on the Prairies. Nearly one in four of respondents (23%) from Manitoba and Saskatchewan wondered if “my partner loves bacon more than me.”

Maple Leaf commissioned this Angus Reid For the Love of Bacon survey to mark the launch of their newest product innovation, Maple Leaf Reclosable Bacon.

“We wanted to probe how deeply rooted Canadians’ passion for bacon is – and the For the Love of Bacon survey sure opened our eyes!” explained Adam Grogan, VP Marketing, Maple Leaf Foods. “Our research also told us that Canadians’ number one frustration with typical bacon packaging is that it can’t be reclosed and that it’s too messy (52%).”

Ah ha ha. He said probe. Look, I don’t mean to diminish advances in container design, but where does this preposterous need for reclosable packaging come from? It seems to suggest leftover bacon. Pshaw! I don’t know about you, but the existence of this beast is every bit as unfathomable as the concept of a fat little man-baby fluttering about shooting lust inducing darts into lover’s hearts.

Love me tender…

Before neglected partners go wrapping themselves in bacon (and I saw some less than appetizing pictures on Google when researching this article) try it on a juicy steak. Cash in on Keystone Processors Valentine’s Day special. They’ve marked tenderloins down to a “honey of a deal” at only $95 per 10lb box (that’s only $9.50/lb!).

The sale only lasts till February 14.

If the way to a man’s heart truly is through his stomach, this is a great way to say I love you.

Hiccup-burp you too, honey!

School, sports team, church, community org? Keystone Processors has a new way to Beef Up Your Fundraising.

A farmer-owned company with a modern beef processing plant in Winnipeg, Keystone works with local producers to deliver Manitoba produced, high quality, hormone-free beef. The products are available at numerous outlets throughout Winnipeg, and also online.

Through their online store, they’ve created an easy-to-use automated system that earns your organization money every time you and your members buy beef. There’s no commitment whatsoever and set up is a breeze…simply send  an email to info@KeystoneProcessors.com to create your organization’s membership.

Then tell your friends, family, colleagues and volunteers to identify themselves as your members when they register at the KeystoneProcessors.com online store. Every time they shop, you’ll receive Beef Up Bucks equal to 15% of each purchase. Since Keystone only sells beef by the box, those purchases can add up quickly, especially if friends and family bundle orders.

Now that’s an easy way to moo some good for the community.

Click here for more information on Keystone Processors’ Beef Up Your Fundraising initiative.

When I learned kitchen supply outfitter d.a. Niels was hosting a series of live demonstrations at their 485 Berry Street store February through March I couldn’t wait to get down there.

My eagerness was only bolstered by Destination Winnipeg’s extensive, almost exhausting, 3-part account of Bistro 7 1/4 Chef Alex Svenne’s recent performance.

d.a. Niels’ non-existent website (c’mon guys…at least have an info page…I can help you with that if you like) told me nothing. Thankfully the DW bloggers had posted a pic of the event flyer.

“Join us and these exciting Culinary Guests for our Saturday Demos. Drop by between 11:00 and 3:00 to learn new techniques, get fabulous ideas and sample great food.”

The next session, I learned, was a Knife Sharpening Demo with J.A. Henckels. Screech! I LOVE my Henckels knives. For the price point they can’t be beat. I couldn’t wait to learn about caring for them and keeping them at their sharpest.

I’d boned up on knife sharpening techniques in the Culinary Institute of America textbook, not to mention a detailed how-to in Jaques Pepin’s “Complete Techniques.” But to watch an expert might inspire enough confidence to buy that whetstone and actually try it out (on one of my older knives).

When my wife agreed to sidebar our Saturday errands, I frothed into a frenzy of anticipation. d.a. Niels boasts a bounty of kitchen tools and gadgets,  perennially featured in local food mags Ciao!, Flavours or Dish.

The store lived up to expectations. It’s a food geek’s paradise. The space is incredible. The selection…unmatched. Like a sugar addicted kid in a candy store, I swooped through the aisles, plunged into the warehouse, within minutes accumulating at least five new must-haves for my list of kitchen must-haves.

When I saw the stack of tiny paper cups beside an espresso machine I was propelled into a state of near peripatetic ecstasy. Complementary stimulants. Oh boy oh boy oh boy.

Yes, I’ve always been this easily amused but what I’ve learned about soaring to these superficially stimulated highs is the soul sucking lows that can result. Pouty, frowny lows that result from waiting behind someone at the espresso machine (I’m sure it was one of the staff) only to learn that he’d drained it to the “please replenish water…no spresso for you” point as indicated by the beautifully illuminated LCD screen. Harumph! Or the stompy, sweary impossible-to-live-with-for-the-rest-of-the-day lows that result from lame-ass demonstrations.

Sorry…”exciting” was the word used on the flyer. Hmmm…. If you consider loitering around a table while an apathetic product demonstrator runs your knives through an automatic honing machine exciting, you clearly wouldn’t need the espresso to get revved up.

What should have been an incredibly important culinary lesson proved deadly dull and would have stood as greatest waste of my weekend were it not for the fact that I discovered a treasure trove of culinary hardware just minutes from my house. Little consolation for my wife who suffered marriage to Mr. McPouterson for the rest of the day.

Check here for the next d.a. Niels demo.

d.a. Niels Kitchenware

485 Berry Street
St James, MB R3J 1N6
(204) 953-2345

Get directions

Although it was a stocking stuffer, my Microplane was one of the standout gifts of last Christmas.

A Microplane is exactly that. It uses the principles of a woodworking plane, only miniaturized and specialized for kitchen duty.

All the TV chefs seem to insist upon them. Therefore, I had to have one too. Hey, I’m completely in touch with my impulsiveness, especially when it comes to food gadgets (I’ll tell you about the impetus to buy an iPhone in a later post). Perhaps I’d been sucked in by endorsement hungry superstar chefs.  But there had to be more to this than empty hype. And there was!

When I finally figured out how to remove the plastic guard, it beamed at me, rows of razor sharp teeth set off by a cheerful green colour scheme. I was head over heels in love. Yet, even as I marveled at its ergonomic shape, and no slip handle, I wondered at the plastic housing retaining the plane.

Any misgivings over construction were quickly overcome on first use. Wisps of zest emerged  effortlessly as I first plied it against the skin of a lime. I caught myself guffawing like a gleeful but mad scientist.

The tool’s perfectly calibrated blades whizzed through the flesh of oranges and lemons with the same zeal, mounding fuzzy piles of the essential oil bearing outer layer while magically leaving the bitter white pith untouched. It made the box grater I’d been using for zesting seem…well primitive. (Although we still use stone tools in the kitchen…my granite mortar and pestle is a fave).

My Microplane proved indispensable. It became the darling of the kitchen…queen of all cuisine enhancing gadgets. Our first year together was bliss, whazzing up amazing glazes for Mexican treats, gorgeous garnishes for creative cocktails. Each use ended with a warm bath of soapy water. When fully dried, and with the plastic guard again protecting the priceless cutting surface, I’d tuck it snug as a bug in the utensil drawer. Each time I opened the drawer, I got a little tingle of joy at seeing it there.

So you can imagine how utterly betrayed I felt when, in the early stages of creating a citrus glaze for a turkey that required the zest of no less than 12, count em, 12 limes and 12 oranges, it happened. The break up. It was our first anniversary (almost to the day). There was a sudden weakening of resolve, a questioning moment, the abrupt unresponsiveness. Then SNAP. My Microplane broke in two.

No WAY! You little fucker. One year, six uses and twenty effing dollars later and it’s all over!?

Turns out my Microplane didn’t prove so indispensable after all. Its shattered remains were placed ceremoniously in the garbage can on a pyre of citrus peel.

But this isn’t a negative review of the Microplane Ultimate Citrus Tool. Yes, the break up left me bitter, but I’ve known the joy a Microplane can bring. I will most certainly seek another relationship. Not a cheap and tawdry affair with a cheap plastic piece of crap. I’m ready for a lifelong commitment, a professional grade all metal construction zester which retails, inexplicably, for only a couple of dollars more.

Microplane products are available at:

The Happy Cooker

Osborne Village
464 Stradbrook Avenue
Winnipeg, MB. R3L 0J9
204-453-2665 (cook)
1-866-634-2665
thehappycooker.ca

da Niels Gourmet Kitchenware

485 Berry St
Winnipeg, MB. R3J 1N6
(204) 953-2345

Microplane Canada

ca.microplane.com

Brewmaster Dave Rudge of Half Pints Brewing Company leads a tour of the new facility

There are a few standout dates in the Winnipeg food calendar for me.  The opening of the farmers markets, the Winnipeg Wine Festival, Flatlanders Beer Festival, and Folklorama to name a few.

How about August 1, 1997? As a beer enthusiast this is like year one for me.

That’s when Dave Rudge, looming over the bathtub he’d used to brew his latest batch, marveled at his most successful creation to date. Little did he know he’d created a monster.

It didn’t stop with that batch, or that recipe. There was a world of beer to explore, styles both ancient and new, ingredients and adjuncts yet unimagined.

“I brewed way too much,” says Dave. “We’re talking once a week, 23 liters at a time, and I’d only drink three or four beers a week.”

Two years later an ultimatum from his wife Nicole gave him the necessary shove to make his obsession a profession.

A cook by trade, Dave parlayed his passions into a Craft Beer Brewing and Science certificate from the American Brewers Guild. After a few stints with other outfits including Back Woods Brewing in BC and Bushwakker Brewing Company in Saskatchewan, he set up stakes in Winnipeg.

It was August 2006. Half Pints Brewing Company, Winnipeg’s only locally owned and operated microbrewery, officially opened on Keewatin Street in Winnipeg’s north end. Like the logo says, small brewery, BIG FLAVOUR = huge hit.

By November 2008 demand for Dave’s craft beers had grown so much they were compelled to relocate near the airport at 550 Roseberry Street.

December 5, 2009. Another milestone moment. It marks the first year of operations in the new location, but more importantly, it’s Burly Wine Day.

Burly Wine Day? Never heard of it you say? Neither had I until this time last year when Half Pints threw open their doors to the public, their annual open house, and released for sale the 2008 vintgage.

Vintage? Beer? The plot thickens. Burly Wine…is a Half Pints signature spin on Barley Wine, a style of strong beer the Brits cooked up at the turn of the century (1900 that is).

Burly indeed, at 10.5% it approaches the fortitude of its grape born cousins. But with its fluffy straw head, deep amber colour, caramel and dark fruit flavours and zesty bitter finish it’s unmistakably a beer. But this ain’t no session beer…it’s a great, big, delicious, satisfying winter beer meant for sipping and savouring, preferably in the presence of fire and leather wingbacks. It’s recommended serving vessel a brandy snifter. Do I hear cigar?

Like a wine, this beer will continue to develop character after bottling, up to ten years, claims Brewmaster Dave, but none have existed so long. Last year I was lucky, or charming enough to acquire an ‘07 and compared it to the ‘o8. Its flavours had become more integrated, the effervescence tamed. I still have an ‘08  maturing in a cool, dark corner of my basement as I write this. We’ll see if it outlasts me, or I it. Oh the temptation.

Half Pints’ Burly Wine has received recognition by the folks at Ratebeer.com, Beeradvocate.com, and was featured in the newly released “World’s Best Beers” by Ben McFarland.

But it’s not only about the Burlywine. Dave, bless him, brews beer seasonally. You’ll find a wobbly pop perfect for every month of the year. Right now it’s Sweet Nikki Brown, an American style brown beer named for Nicole because, like her, it’s a little bit sweet, a little bit bitter. Hey, I’m not judging, that’s right on the label folks.

Half Pints even brews a few special occasion suds like the Humulus Ludicrous Double IPA, although quadruple+  is more like it. It’s a hugely hoppy, bitter beer with intense citrus flavours.

“It was more of an experiment to see how far we could take it,” said Dave when I chatted with him at the Flatlander’s Beer Festival this summer. (Humulus is also featured in Ben McFarland’s new book, “World’s Best Beers“).

If you haven’t had a chance to try any of Half Pints brews, the annual open house is the perfect opportunity. Dave runs tours throughout the day and they’ll have a few samples including the seasonal Sweet Nikki Brown and Burly Wine.

Then, stop by the showroom to get your 2009 Burlys. They’re also promising a limited supply of the 2008 vintage and, get this, a few specially aged on Bourbon soaked French oak chips. O…M…G!  Dave…will you marry me.

Half Pints Brewing Company
550 Roseberry Streeet
Winnipeg, Manitoba
(204) 832-7468

For every dozen delicious, gourmet, mini cupcakes ordered by Tuesday, November 17, The Cupcake Corner will donate seven bucks to support United Way’s work in our community.

Cupcake Corner you ask? It’s that little place in Osborne Village, formerly the Cupcakery. Rumour has it some outfit in Toronto already had the name and didn’t think Canada was big enough for two of them to exist.

Dreams of going national with a chain of franchises, delusions of grandeur…whatever the case, Winnipeg’s cupcake place has been forced to re-brand and a Cupcake Day is just what the doctor ordered.  Not only is it great publicity, giving them a nice boost after being forced to change logo, website, business cards, packaging, but it does a heck of a lot of good for Winnipeg, benefiting an organization that supports fantastic work in every corner of our city.

You can check out United Way’s website for more details, but it looks like all you need to do is download the order form, get your co-workers, friends, clients to submit their orders, and send the form with payment over to United Way. They’ll do the rest.

And the icing on the proverbial cake…your entire order will be delivered right to the address you’ve specified on the order form on Cupcake Day, Thursday, November 19.

Apparently Curve 94.3 is promoting the event all week and will broadcast live from Confusion Corner (Burger King / Dollarama parking lot) on Cupcake Day where Sarah & Jay will have cupcakes along with free coffee and newspapers available for your $15.

Each dozen comes with 6 Vanilla and 6 Chocolate cupcakes with a mix of their all natural frosting flavours–chocolate, peppermint, mocha, lemon, strawberry, banana (the latter made with real fruit).

Do yourself a favour, and score a win in the ‘Peg. Get your mits on some of these sweet little treats and help the Cupcake Corner bake a difference in our community.

The St. Norbert Farmers’ Market officially opened on June 6.

I’d almost laugh if it wasn’t so worth it, but thousands of Winnipeggers eagerly await this moment and every weekend, pile into our vehicles, stomping out a massive carbon footprint as we flock to the southern-most tip of the city to scoop up pounds of fresh, organic produce (hey, guilty as charged).

And while there’s also the Osborne Village Farmers Market for the more urban inclined (opening July 2), St. Norbert’s scope and scale makes it one of the must-stop destinations in Winnipeg’s all too seasonal culinary calendar.

If you’re heading down there this weekend, you might be interested in bypassing the hot-dog carts and swinging round the corner to the St. Norbert Arts Centre for lunch.

Chef Jamie Koblanski and his wife Audrey have opened Ground Roots Cafe on the grounds of the old Trappist’s Monastery.

A graduate of Red River College’s culinary arts program, Chef Jamie comes to his first head chef position by way of his experience in some of Winnipeg’s best restaurants including Bellissimo and 529 Wellington.

Ground Roots will feature al fresco dining at its best. The picturesque patio couldn’t be a more suitable backdrop for plates inspired by produce grown miles from where you’re eating.

There’s no set menu, Chef Jamie told me, a decision that frees him to create from whatever he finds weekly at the Farmers’ Market. His emphasis, and guarantee, is that everything will be organic, and sourced locally whenever possible.

Although the restaurant was yet to debut when I visited, if the Lemon Thyme Sugar Cookies I had are any indication, Koblanski’s food will be smartly executed and scrumptious.

Ground Roots Cafe opens for lunch and dinner Wednesday through Friday (11:00am – 2:00pm & 4:30pm – dusk) and breakfast & lunch Saturday and Sunday (9:30am – 4:00pm).

Take a walkthrough of the patio by viewing the video I captured:

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dtabP7bRyCE]

Ground Roots Cafe
100 rue des Ruines du Monastère
St. Norbert, Manitoba
(204) 269-0564

For a couple of extra dollars over the regular menu price you can, in fact, tap into the kind of cravings that only a dine in experience can offer.

Enter Winnipeg’s Mobile Maitre’d.

Simply place your order at one of the participating restaurants, then call MM’s operator at 777-DINE (3463).  They’ll dispatch a driver to pick it up and deliver it right to your doorstep within the hour.

The service operates Monday through Sunday, 4:30-9:00pm, and even offers lunch delivery from a select few restaurants.

Choose from the following menus:

• 12 Restobar
• A Taste of India
• Asahi JapaneseRestaurant
• Bangkok Thai Restaurant
• Bimi Restaurant
• Brit Cafe
• Bombolini Restaurant
• Caribbean Spice Restaurant
• Cafe Carlo
• East India Company
• Oakwood Cafe
• Fude Inspired Cuisine
• Homer’s Restaurant
• Ivory Restaurant & Bar
• Kelsey’s Restaurant
• Kristina’s On Corydon
• Nikos Restaurant
• Lovey’s BBQ & Smokehouse
• One Night In Bangkok
• Pasquale’s Ristorante & Pizzeria
• Pony Corral
• Saffron’s
• Saucers Cafe
• Star Grill
• Sukhothai Restaurant
• Sushi Ya
• Tony Roma’s
• Vesuvio

Garlic Zoom: no substitute for knife skills

Got this little doo-dad in my stocking this year.  It’s a Garlic Zoom and it sells for about $15.

Cute, shiny, easy to clean.  Yes, it’s all those things, but is it a time saver?

With the little gears and wheels and spinning blades, my inner geek couldn’t resist the urge to take it for a spin.

And in one fowl swoop, I’ve taken my food geekdom to new heights.  This had video written all over it so I set up a camera and tripod in my kitchen and wazzed up a few cloves of garlic.

After busting them loose of the bulb, peeling them and removing that little woody nub where it attaches to the root mass, I was ready.

Quiet on the set (having locked my cats in the bathroom, muted the tv, and instructed my wife to sequester herself in the basement for a time) I loaded the device (three bulbs needed for my spaghetti sauce) and hit record.  I got a very nice image of the Garlic Zoom’s little rubber wheels  making black skid marks on my new bamboo cutting board.   It seized.

Okay, two bulbs.  Reset.  Quiet on the set.  Action.  And again with the skid marks.

Quick scrub of the board.  Load one bulb.  Reset.  Quiet.  Action.  And there we have it.  Garlic (cut), film (print).

Check out the video of the Garlic Zoom in action (that wailing at the end is my cat…she escaped just in time to contribute to the filming).

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kYMVpuX4CPk]

The verdict…a wonderful dice, if you’re willing to load only one bulb at a time.   But time saver?  Not for me.

Taking into account you still have to prep your garlic for the Garlic Zoom (peeling etc. since I refuse to use anything but fresh) you’re probably better off chopping everything with a knife in the first place, especially if you have good knives and good knife skills (little bragging…I totally do).

Unlike my knives, however, the Garlic Zoom goes straight from dice to dishwasher and you don’t get any of that sticky garlic goo on your fingers.

So if you’re not so hands-on with food prep, the Garlic Zoom makes this kitchen chore Chef’n easy!