Pam R

According to my dad, we picked them in Bird's Hill when I was a kid. For U-Picks, there's a great list at the Prairie Fruit Growers Association. Most of them are a drive from Winnipeg, but it's not too bad. Kathy's Saskatoons is in Stony Mountain, Pic-N-Pay Lockport Berries is in, well, Lockport and then there are places listed in Mordon, Brandon, Stonewall, Winkler, Portage la Prairie, etc. If you want something a little easier, I got an email from Crampton's Market (Bishop Grandin & Waverley) and they are expecting local Saskatoon (raspberry, gooseberry and strawberries too) to be in the store over the next week or so.

I was very excited to hear that they're available locally now. My grandmother always made Saskatoon perogies that were amazing. I always think of them as a good sub. for blueberries (maybe even a better sub?). Whatever blueberries work in, you can use Saskatoon. Saskatoon pancakes are outstanding. This year, armed with a few books on preserving I'm thinking of trying some jam.

I'm with you. I use pecans 99% of the time. I find that good walnuts are really good, but too often, they aren't good (remember when you use to get the big bag of mixed nuts in the shell at Loblaws and you had to crack them yourself? Those were good walnuts). The one thing I still use walnuts for is carrot cake. But only after tasting them to make sure they're up to it - if they're not, I use pecans.

I think you just fill a pot with good, rich soil and plant it. Keep it well watered. I have not tried it, but have been told it's easy to grow. I keep my ginger in small 1 tsp. cubes, frozen in the container I buy it in. OR I buy a piece each time I want to use it.

I'll save up all my orange, yellow and green ones and trade 'em for pink/red, purple and blue. btw - I checked the box of coffee ones - they are called 'Columbia' and made be jelsert.

They're freezies around here. When I was in school, my friends and I would get off the bus on our way home from school 2 stops before our regular stop so that we could buy them to enjoy on the walk home. They had these giant freezies - they had to be about 18" long. Lasted all the way home. Apparently, in Canada it's Kisko that has the monopoly. But I usually get some of Flavor-Ice ones for my store (waiting on a shipment now). We keep them on the shelves, but try to keep one box in the freezer to give out to kids when they come in with their parents. We also bring in coffee-flavour freeze-pops - the adult version.

Lawyer - check! I hadn't given UPC codes a thought. Have to get some info. on that. Thanks.

Sorry I haven't responded earlier - I was waiting on a callback from the FDC. I just spoke with their business development person and I'll be emailing him a couple of recipes for the product development people to take a look at, and then we'll set up an appointment (hopefully for the week after next). There's no charge at this point. Once they take a look at it and we have a meeting, if we choose to proceed, we discuss money. What kind of packaged goods? Please keep us posted on the 'new deal' - and good luck. Rona - great ideas! Clodhoppers is a really great example. We have been selling our dressings for years (using deli containers for them) - they've gone as far as London, England! This is a confusing issue. I just did a search to try to find out how much the testing would cost and I couldn't. What I did find, from this government site is that there are some exceptions to the law: It seems that if I make it here, in my store, I will still be able to sell it out of the store without the nutrition label. Of course, this won't help my domination of the bottled salad dressing world.

You can use them to make cherry lekvar (bring them to a simmer with a little water/liqueur and sugar - cook them, pressing them with a wooden spoon until they start to come apart, then puree). This could be swirled in, maybe even mixed into a batter.

I quite agree. Jared should be ashamed. Subway is mostly useful for tuna sandwiches in the middle of Manitoba. ← Word. I agree. I'll also put this out there. There are certain sandwiches that benefit from being pre-made - like party sandwiches. Really.

I picked up a bag at a Shell station in Winnipeg on my way out of town last night. Who knew? I almost wish I didn't . .

These books just arrived this morning: Quick Pickles: Easy Recipes with Big Flavor, Chris Schlesinger, John Willoughby, Dan George Ball Blue Book of Preserving The New Preserves : Pickles, Jams, and Jellies, Anne V. Nelson I'm going to take at least one of them to thumb through with post-it notes on my road trip this weekend. I've quickly flipped through the Quick Pickles book, and the pictures are gorgeous.

I really wish I was getting to Fargo. But it's not going to happen this time. Mr. Delicious - North Dakota is a great get-away place for Manitobans. I pass through or visit a few times a year, so I'll be able to use these recommendations in the future, as will other members. I've seen Space Aliens in Fargo, and had no idea what it was. I never stopped in, assuming it was just another chain out to catch the kid market.

I have no idea about the beets, I've never actually tasted a pickled beet to the best of my knowledge. But fried eggs is such an obvious addition I'm surprised it even raises eyebrows. The key is to cook the egg on high heat until it's over easy. You get the crunch of the egg whites which plays off the soft texture of the meat and then you get the lovely gooey yolk which mixes in with the tomato/barbeque sauce and runs all over everything. Chefs have been topping everything under the sun with fried eggs, I would have thought burgers are one of the most obvious candidates for this treatment. I didn't say it was a bad addition, just that most of the places I visited in Australia (from Hungry Jacks to a stand at a market to the local pub I frequented) put beets, fried eggs and often sprouts on the burgers. They were standard toppings. Eggs may be obvious candidates for topping, but I don't know of other countries that seem to have adopted them across the board. (But then, I haven't been to every country.)

Nandos. I enjoyed the lemon/herb marinade. For those of us in North America, Nando's sauces used to be available here (they may still be, but my suppliers no longer carry them). Shalmanse - What's the deal with pickled beets and fried eggs on burgers?

Thanks for the suggestions. Due to poor planning on my part, I won't get to Fargo - but will be in Grand Forks for a few days. (Fargo suggestions are still appreciated - I'll get there this year, I'm sure.) Paradiso - Great suggestion. Haven't been there in years. Sanders - I forgot about it! I wanted to try it years ago - this may be the time. Green Mill - There is one in GF, though I've never been. There is a slim chance that I'll still make it to DL for an afternoon, so I'll keep the Lodge in mind. Has anybody been to the Riverbend Supper Club, the Blue Moose or Whitey's in the last 5 years? I did ask for non-chain restaurants, but I'm also aware that some of them may be the best options in the area. I can always hope. A local or regional chain may be a good choice.

One of my favourite things to do, when I have some free time, is work my way through older topics. It no longer surprises me when I come across one of Linda's posts and get a laugh out of it, along with some interesting tidbit. I was never lucky enough to meet her, but her personality came through in her posts. We only had a very short time volunteering together, but it was enough for me to experience how kind and generous she was. I'm terribly sorry that we didn't have a chance to get to know each other better. My deepest sympathy to all that knew and loved her. We'll miss you, fifi.

I'm with Sheena - I've never had bitter bok choy. I often use it in a stir fry with garlic, ginger, soy, and sesame oil or add it to soups just before serving. What have you tried doing with it?

Ah Leung, Thank you for your service as a specialist and wonderful contributions to the eG Forums. So many of us have enjoyed your cooking demos, and we will continue to learn from them. I do hope that you continue to share your knowledge with us. All the best - and thanks again! Pam

The meringue might work. Don't worry about it being too thin (though that will help) - just bake it at 200 for a few hours. Can't you use dry ice to freeze-dry something - maybe a chocolate-mint mousse? (I'm thinking of the Alton episode where he dried strawberries with dry ice.)

Is there a difference between a date square/bar/slice and a matrimonial cake/bar/slice?

Hmm. What about using a good-quality strawberry extract instead of strawberry puree? I realize the point was to use up some of your strawberries, but this could give you the flavour hit without all the moisture.

Yes. And if there aren't any good bags, I'll open them up and take out the good ones, leaving the bad ones there. Why should we knowingly pay for rotten produce? I'm picky. I thump, squeeze, sniff, etc. I open the containers of grape tomatoes to make sure they aren't soft. I pull the bags of pea pods from the back of the cooler and check them all to make sure I get the best ones.

Great to see you blogging, Shalmanese. Nandos brings back great memories. It really is great fast food - especially when you've been in the car all day and you come across a gas station with a mini-Nando's in it. (You can get an occasional Nando's fix even in NA - head to Vancouver.) (Do I remember chicken ribs?) I'm looking forward to your week.

Excellent. Thanks - I'm looking forward to her list. I haven't spent a lot of time in Fargo since I lived in Crookston during the flood of the century and our weekend trips to GF turned into trips to Fargo. Do you ever get out there to visit - and if so, where do you eat?