Do you have time to tootle?
by Karen Anderson
“Tootle” is not a word I had heard before I moved to Calgary. According to Webster, it refers to “proceeding in a leisurely way.” For the past nine summers, The City Palate has sponsored a “Foodie Tootle” led by food writer and chef dee Hobsbawn-Smith, where 40 or so folks slow down for a day of touring some of Alberta’s finest farms.
I run food tours around Calgary, and was delighted when a few people suggested I lead them on a pre-Thanksgiving “Turkey Tootle”. The idea was to help people organize their Thanksgiving feast in a “100 mile diet” sort of fashion. Consumers would learn where their turkey and all the fixings come from, and they would meet the people raising their food. It is exactly what people wanted. So I thought.
Ah well. September, as it turns out, is not a good “tootling” month. The ramping-up of the fall schedule leaves people harried and hurried. In hindsight, that old 20/20 perspective of possibilities, it should come as no surprise that only 15 people could slow down for a day of touring the countryside. “I’d love to but I just can’t squeeze it in right now”, was the prevailing response.
I had to cancel the tour. But I hate to disappoint anyone, so breaking the news to all the farmers and food producers involved made me even more determined that people should know about these wonderful people.
What I decided was this: If I can’t take Calgary to the farm, I’ll take the farm to the city on these pages. So I took the “Turkey Tootle” alone. Here it is. With a little spare time, you can vicariously visit these folks or check out the Calgary vendors that sell their products.
The star of the tour was Winter’s Turkey farm in Dalemead, 45 minutes south and east of Calgary. I set out on a nippy autumn morning, and with only a few wrong turns, I arrived in time to see the clouds break up and the sun shine on the cool gray barns. I broke the news to Darrel and Corrine straight away. They were disappointed, but still took the time to show me around the barns, explain the operation and have me in for tea.
What I saw impressed me. This seemed like a sort of spa for the unsuspecting birds. (Don’t call them “supper” in their hearing!) Close to 13,000 turkeys had room to roam. Of course they had clean water, excellent feed without antibiotics or hormones, fresh bedding on the ground and lots and lots of fresh air. Two flocks are raised: the free-range birds eat whole grain wheat and a non-chemical feed with extra protein and vitamins; the organic birds receive only organic feed and lots of vegetables from the family garden. Apparently they love the Swiss Chard!
I have bought a Winter’s turkey for the last ten years for all my holiday celebrations. I was glad to see how happily raised these birds are.
Can’t get there? They are available in Calgary at Bon Ton Meat Market, Calgary Co-op, Amaranth, Safeway, Community Natural and Sunnyside Market.
I left the Winter’s that day with a bag full of tomatoes, squash and onions from the garden, and a deep wish that more people could meet these kind and caring people.
The Saskatoon Farm in DeWinton was next on my radar. Paul and Karen Hamer own and run this beautiful Saskatoon farm and tree nursery. They have a wonderful café where you can get a bison sandwich, bison barley soup and fresh baked breads, pies and tarts. I wanted to pick up berry pies to take home and freeze. You don’t have to make everything yourself! The time spent driving to the farm is saved on the day you thaw that fabulous pie.
The next stop was at Chinook Honey, located on Highway 7, south of Okotoks. Who wouldn’t want a liter of honey ice cream to go with that pie? Owners Art and Cherie Andrews have expanded their honey operation to include Alberta’s first “meadery”. Mead is an alcoholic drink dating back to Biblical times. It is made from honey, water, yeast and is flavoured with fruits, herbs and spices. The new meadery should be fully operational in 2008. I am sure a bottle will be lovely with next year’s turkey.
Having worked up an appetite, I continued west to Route 40 Soup Co. in Turner Valley, where Chef Mark Klaudt cooks with all the best local ingredients he can fill his larder with. I delivered turkey from the Winter family farm to Mark, and they generously sent along some onions and shallots from their garden just because that is the way they are.
I have talked to Mark about where he sources the best local vegetables. He reels off names like Poplar Bluff Farms, Blue Mountain farms and Lund’s Organic Farm. Harvest is well underway in the autumn, so the finale of our tootle was to be a visit with one of these fine vegetable growers. (Gert Lund’s carrots have been tested, and contain nearly 100 minerals, compared to only a few minerals in imported carrots.)
These growers can be found in Calgary too. Lund’s Organic Produce is in The Calgary Farmers’ Market. Blue Mountain Farm’s booth is located at The Green Market by Mount Royal Village each Sunday from 11 AM to 5 PM, during summer and early autumn. Poplar Bluff potatoes are sold at Community Natural Foods, Amaranth, Planet Organic and Sunnyside Market.
I can never leave Route 40 without a plate of their famous “road fries”. Made with Poplar Bluff’s Yukon Gold, Russian Blue potatoes and sweet yams, they are thickly cut, fried and sprinkled with a secret herb mixture and 2 special sauces to dip them in. I was sad I didn’t get to share these with my would-have-been tootlers!
Back in the car, my trip winding down, and heading north on Highway 22X, I was besotted by the breathtaking display of gold aspens, freshly shorn wheat fields and orange and cranberry colored shrubs against the back drop of an impending storm sweeping across the snow-capped Rocky Mountains. I felt deeply relaxed and satisfied. I had made a deeper connection with the Winter family, discovered culinary magic in the form of luscious Saskatoon pies, honey-laden ice cream and fries to die for. I felt truly grateful that I had the time to tootle!
