My coffee plant is bearing glossy red beans. I should harvest them soon, but they are so pretty. The story of this coffee plant is as impressive as that of any immigrant to this Prairie city. It came to me in a tiny burlap sack, as a hostess gift back in 1995 or so. It … Continue reading Little Coffee Plant on the Prairie
Category: Food
The Booch is Back!
I'm so excited. After weeks and weeks of brooding on my kitchen floor, my kombucha is finally ready for second bottling. If you've been following me for a while, you know that I am quite passionate about lacto-fermentation. I just love those little lactobacilli, and I consider them a major part of my healing. Last … Continue reading The Booch is Back!
Why Purim Will Kill Me
I love Purim. I really do. I love the costumes, the celebrations, the insanely bloodthirsty story. I love making Mishloach Manot for our friends. I love coming home from shul, arms full of the Mishloach Manot our friends give us. But that's where my problem begins. My name is Hadass and I am a sugar … Continue reading Why Purim Will Kill Me
Restaurant Review – Lobby on York
I have the (mis-)fortune of having been born on Valentine's Day. Not only did this very nearly get me named Valentina (although my mother assured me that possibility was entirely in my father's mind), but it means I can never go out for dinner on my birthday, at least not if I want good food … Continue reading Restaurant Review – Lobby on York
Dairy Dolour
I am sad today. I think I am going to have to bid farewell to a couple of my favourite food friends. Sigh. As my faithful readers know, I've been dealing with ulcerative colitis since the mid-eighties. It comes and goes, based on the amount of stress in my life and how good I am … Continue reading Dairy Dolour
Top 5 reasons to love your SCOBY
A SCOBY is a Symbiotic Colony Of Bacteria and Yeast. The acronym usually refers to the culture used in making kombucha, but milk kefir and water kefir grains are also SCOBYs. Yoghurt cultures are not. 5. Feeling Better While there isn't much scientific proof of the benefits of fermented drinks such as kombucha and kefir, … Continue reading Top 5 reasons to love your SCOBY
Enjoying Manitoba’s Bounty – but no Raw Milk
Sometimes there are perks to being a food blogger, even though I don't have a large audience (yet?). I received a personal invitation to the Manitoba Food Producers' Association's Christmas reception. The MFPA represents many of Manitoba's local food producers, and as an avowed locavore and champion of local groceries, of course I was pleased … Continue reading Enjoying Manitoba’s Bounty – but no Raw Milk
Happiness is a Warm Goat Cheese
The lovely Louise May (she of chicken-at-city-hall fame) taught a cheese-making class at The Food Studio last night, and I was privileged to attend. Louise has a herd of goats on her farm that she milks herself, and she demonstrated making cheese from commercially available (i.e., pasteurised) local goat's milk, licensed under the Manitoba Dairy … Continue reading Happiness is a Warm Goat Cheese
SCD and Paleo and FODMAPs, oh my!
A little knowledge is a dangerous thing ... and sometimes more knowledge is not better! I am now getting quite confused. It seems that everything is bad for me, and some of the recommendations are contradictory. What's a girl to do? I've been doing the Specific Carbohydrate Diet for a few years now, and I … Continue reading SCD and Paleo and FODMAPs, oh my!
Home-made Cultured Butter!
I am so excited, I can hardly contain myself. OK, I'm a nerd, I admit it. Shoot me. I made cultured butter that is every bit as good as the organic stuff from Quebec which I purchase at my specialty grocery for $6 a cup or so. I don't normally eat bread, but I had … Continue reading Home-made Cultured Butter!