My Summer, So Far

Summer got off to a great start - we left for the West Coast right after the Saturday June 26th Farmer's Market. Specifically, Galiano Island was our destination. If you're not familiar with the Southern Gulf Coast Islands, they are located in the Juan de Fuca Strait, between the Lower Mainland and Vancouver Island:

Galiano is the long, thin island, the second-largest of the southern gulf coast islands, Saltspring being the largest. It is also the second largest by population, which is sitting at around 1,200 right now.

This was a trip a couple of years in the making. My father rented a fully-equipped cabin right on the water for a week, and we all stayed together. The cabin was located on Whaler Bay, just a few minutes' walk from the Sturdies Bay Ferry Dock. "Downtown" Galiano is in between the two.

You instantly knew you had been transported to "Island Time" when, at 3pm (if you're lucky) everything except the little gas station/grocery has closed down for the day. On one day, we were looking for somewhere to eat lunch, and we were pointed to a painted camper trailer (The Flying Black Dog) across the street - we were advised that they had great food, if they were still open (this was about 1:45) . There were people there, so we thought we were in the clear. As we placed our order, I noticed a sign that said "sorry, closed at 2 today - going golfing". Our order was the last one put through. It was excellent food - I had a curried chickpea roti on rice, really fresh flavours.

The food stores were stocked a wee bit better than most cabin-type grocery stores - you could find pretty much anything you'd expect in a high end food store. You could literally cook any type of cuisine while staying there. The prices were surprisingly not sky high. In town there is the Sturdies Bay Bakery & Cafe - lovely little spot, great coffee and artisan breads.

The highlight of the week was unexpected - it was the Canada Day Jamboree. We missed the parade since we assumed the community hall where it was being held was nearby. Turns out Galiano Island is so long that they have two community halls. After about a 25 minute ride to the north end of the island, we joined in the celebration already underway.




The whole thing was so well-organized, even the food venue. There were salmon burgers (my choice), meat & veggie burgers, smokies/hot dogs. Coffee was served in real ceramic cups (did I mention there is no landfill on Galiano Island? We had to take all our our garbage from the cabin back with us on the ferry), as recycling is huge on the island (any island). There was a huge selection of from-scratch pies, ice cream.

After lunch, there were several carnival type games set up for the kids, including some of the old fashioned ones like 3 legged and potato sack race. One of the kids activities was purchasing a cake for $2 and decorating it. Live music was played throughout the festivities - at one point, Hallelujah could be heard. Where else, but a remote(ish) island, kind of stuck in the 60's, would you hear that at a Canada Day Celebration? :)

At the end of the day, people were allowed to take flowers from the big cart (shown above) that was part of the parade.

Apparently there are occasionally fireworks in the evening, but a fireban was currently in effect.

This was my favourite Canada Day to date. It was such a wholesome, not-cheezy, fun event. There was such a good spirit that could be felt. We've already booked the same cabin for 2011, & will continue to do so, all planned around Canada Day. So there will be many more Galiano Jamboree Canada Day celebrations in our future!

Next up - Saltspring Island Farmer's Market!!

Summer Cooking Classes!

There is an exciting lineup of classes being offered at the kitchen of Wild Serendipity Foods over the summer months!
Two chefs, Brent Lloyd and Simon Reynolds are running a series of classes over July and into August.

Click here for Simon's schedule
and
here for Brent Lloyd's schedule

Please direct any inquiries and/or registration for the classes to each chef directly - contact information is provided on the schedule sheet.

Have a great summer!

Exciting Things at the Farmer's Market!!

There are some exciting things happening at the Farmer's Market these days............

First, an update on our first Dinner at the Market - it was a resounding success! We received nothing but great reviews from the guests, some hoping that we would continue to hold them.......weekly!! (not a chance) It was a great experience all around, & we looking forward to holding more in the future.

That was a great segway for the next bit of news:
Chef Moe Mathieu, Head Chef Instructor at SIAST's culinary program, is going to be creating a "pop up restaurant" at the Farmer's Market, set to run 4 nights per week, starting towards the end of June. Moe will be setting up a restaurant within the Market, to be run out of Riverbend's kitchen. Come & check out this first-of-its-kind in Saskatoon. Enjoy a wonderful meal, then take a stroll along the River Landing promenade!

Then, starting on Thursday, July 1st, there will be a Thursday evening market, running from 5pm to 9pm. This market is set to run until mid-September. Stop by to eat/pick up your supper, shop from the vendors & tenants, enjoy some entertainment on the Square. Just one of the exciting things beginning to happen at River Landing!

Volcanoes

I

HATE

VOLCANOES

!!!!!!

(au revoir, until sometime in the future, Tour Eiffel, Cordon Bleu class, cool apartment off the Champs Elysees...............and most importantly, the food)

Sunday Dinner at the Market

On Sunday, May 2nd, the Saskatoon Farmer's Market is hosting its first "Sunday Dinner at the Market". Each course of the menu is being prepared by a Market Vendor (Click on the link for a full description). Yours truly is preparing the Thai Carrot Coconut Soup.

Tickets are only $25 per person; a wine & beer cash bar, put on by Cava Secreta, will be available.

Buy your tickets in advance - only a limited number will be sold!! Tickets can be purchased at the Market office, or at either the Fruition or Wild Serendipity Foods stall.

Shaw TV Tortoni Recipe

Here's the recipe for the Italian frozen dessert, Tortoni:

Tortoni

~1/2 cup almonds (skin on, or blanched)
5 oz amaretti cookies (or other crisp cookie)
3 TBSP dark rum (I use spiced rum)
3/4 cup chopped/shaved chocolate
1 cup whipping cream
3 TBSP brandy (or another complementary alcohol, such as Amaretto, Frangelico)
1 pint good quality vanilla ice cream, softened

Preheat oven to 350F. Toast the almonds for ~10 - 15 minutes. Allow to cool, then coarsely chop.

Crumble the cookies into ~1/2 inch pieces, using a ziploc bag if possible. Place the cookies in a large bowl. Sprinkle the 3 TBSP rum over top, tossing to combine. Place the cooled, chopped almonds and chocolate on top of the cookies; toss lightly to combine.

Whip the cream until moderately stiff. Add the 3 TBSP brandy (or other liqueur). Spoon the whipped cream on top of the cookie mixture.

Using a spatula, lightly mix the ice cream until it is uniform consistency; softened, but not melted. Add to the bowl. Using the spatula, fold the entire mixture together until just combined.

Pour the mixture into a plastic-lined loaf pan (or a springform pan). Freeze for several hours, or until firm. To serve, cut with a sharp knife.

Tip: to make this dessert even easier, use chocolate-covered almonds, coarsely chopped. Play with the all the component flavours - cookie (gingersnaps, for example), alcohol, nuts and ice cream. You can also add dried/candied fruit.

Fascinating Figs

I've been running a series of French K.I.S.S. classes, where one of the dishes is Fig & Walnut Tapenade with Chevre. Using the Calimyrna figs, I recalled a chef on Victoria Island telling me that the flower of the fig is actually on the inside of the flesh. I thought this was interesting - wasn't really sure how that worked, but filed it away in my memory files, nonetheless.

I was mentioning this fascinating fact to participants of the class, and was met most with puzzled looks. Because I wasn't entirely sure about the whole story, I thought I should research it a bit more.

It turns out that not only is the flower on the inside, what we consider the fruit is actually a part of the flower, with the blossom opening just inside the stem. I thought this seemed peculiar enough, until I read about the pollination process. There are female & male fig trees, which, of course, have to be cross-pollinated (only the female trees produce the edible fruit/flower. This is achieved by only one specific creature, the fig wasp! What an amazingly particular set of players, all to produce a fruit, which isn't even a fruit.

Nature truly is a thing of wonder.

Here's the recipe:

Fig & Walnut Tapenade with Chevre

1 cup finely chopped Calimyrna figs (stems removed)

1/3 (or more) cup water

1/3 cup finely chopped Kalamata olives

2 TBSP olive oil

1 TBSP chopped capers

1 TBSP red wine or balsamic vinegar

2 TBSP finely chopped fresh thyme

1/2 cup chopped, toasted walnuts

salt & freshly ground pepper, to taste

1 baguette, sliced on the diagonal, lightly toasted

chevre (as much as you like)

Cook the chopped figs with the water until soft; you could also microwave them. Transfer to a bowl. Add the remaining ingredients, except the chevre & baguette. Season, to taste. Serve at room temperature. Spread a liberal amount of chevre on each baguette slice & top with tapenade.

It's mid-February, already!?

Bad blogger, bad blogger......................

Is it me, or is January the most glum month of the year? There is so much preparation and hype leading up to Christmas and New Year's, and then January feels like the crash after the big build-up. The weather here is generally the crappiest in January, it's light so late in the morning and dark so early, people are now getting their credit card bills for their likely-budget-exceeding Christmas purchases (I managed to escape that quandry this year - yippee!). Most people don't want to look at the scale (and some, of course, make promises and resolutions that seem to fade to nothingness come February), present party included.

The high point of my January is that a trip to Paris for April has been booked, including an ultra-cool apartment in the 8th arondissemnt, about 2 blocks from Champs-Elysees and about 5 blocks from the Arc de Triomphe.

And, just to sweeten the already sweet trip, I checked out the Cordon Bleu website and enroled in a one day pastry class. Complete with a certificate of completion, which will, of course, be framed & blatantly displayed.

Valentine's Day was yesterday. I had purchased a dinner & play package from La Troupe du Jour, which included a 5 course dinner at Calories, followed by the play, Encore (with English surtitles). The dinner was so wonderful, where to begin...............the special menu cannot be posted, but you can check it out on their website, which speaks for itself. Truly, I fell in love the the "Come Back Home", the beef tenderloin wellington, with a mushroom duxelle and cream sauce. Heavenly.

The premise of the play consisted of snapshots of a couple's wedding anniversaries over the span of 50 years. The coolest thing about the play was that the audience was actually in the lounge. We were seated at tables for two, and were able to order drinks from the waitress (also French), prepared in the bar, which was also part of the set. The wife had decided, prior to their first anniver sary, that they should re-enact their meeting, in a hotel-lounge, every year to keep their romance alive, and fall in love all over alive. Their relationship changes when once they have a child, and eventually collapses. They do end up getting back together, but it is bittersweet. As you watch their 50th anniversary acted out, the husband has been senile, and momentarily loses where he is, doesn't recognize his wife, and is, at times, vacant. The wife, originally very stubborn and overbearing, has grown to become sympathetic and sympathetic - their love evolved into a gentle and mature bond.

All in all, a delightful, and very sweet, way to spend Valentine's Day

Holiday Recipes for ShawTV

This is a great holiday appetizer that takes no time at all to prepare! I've written it with a Southwest flavour, but I have included Greek & Thai variations below. Happy Holidays!


Baked Garlic Lime Shrimp with Chipotle Dipping Sauce

1 pound shrimp, peeled & deveined, thawed
1/3 cup olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
3/4 TSP smoked bittersweet paprika (available at Sous Chef)
juice and zest of one lime
salt, pepper to taste
chopped fresh parsely, for garnish, if desired

Preheat oven to 425F.

Place the shrimp on layers of paper towel to absorb as much water as possible; if there is excess water, the shrimp will poach, rather than bake. In a large bowl, combine all ingredients except the shrimp, stirring well to combine. Add the shrimp, tossing to coat. Set aside while preparing the dipping sauce. Do not allow the shrimp to marinate more than 30 minutes or they will begin to toughen.

Chipotle Dipping Sauce:

equal parts mayonnaise & sour cream, roughly 1/3 to 1/2 cup each
1 TBSP honey
juice of half a lime
2 TSP pureed chipotles in adobo sauce (chipotles are ripened jalapenos that have been smoked & dried; adobo sauce is a spicy tomato sauce. These are found in small cans in the Mexican section of stores including Safeway & Walmart)
salt, pepper to taste

Mix ingredients together & set aside.

Place the shrimp on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake for approximately 8 to 10 minutes, or until the tails have turned pink & the shrimp are slightly pink and just beginning to brown.

Garnish with parsley & serve immediately.

Variations:
Greek - substitute lemons for limes in the recipe; omit paprika and subst. with oregano. For the dip, omit chipotles in adobo and add one clove minced garlic, the juice and zest of one lemon.

Thai - omit the smoked paprika and add a tablespoon of minced fresh ginger to the marinade. Serve with a spicy peanut dipping sauce. I've included a recipe, but you could always use a commercially prepared sauce:

3/4 cruncy peanut butter
1/2 cup coconut milk (unsweetened)
2 to 4 TBSP hot water
~ 1/4 cup fresh lime juice
1 to 2 TSP Asian Chili sauce (Sambal Oelek)
2 TBSP soy sauce
2 TBSP dark brown sugar
1 to 2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 TSP chili flakes
1 TSP fresh grated ginger
1 TSP fish sauce (optional)
optional: fresh Thai basil, for garnish (avail. at the Eastern market on Ave B south)

Mix together & set aside.

Sushi Demo at the Farmer's Market!

Come on by the Saskatoon Farmer's Market on Wednesday, December 2nd at 1pm for a free Sushi Demonstration done by yours truly!

We've recently started incorporating a demo of some sort during the Wednesday market, & this week, I'm up.

I'll be demo'ing california rolls & vegetarian sushi. Everyone there will be eating what I make, as well :)

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas - NOT!!

Over the years I spent living on the West Coast, we treasured these 'Fall-ish" weeks leading up to Christmas. We loved it - thought we were the luckiest people in Canada not having to endure the scraping, shivering and layers of clothing just to leave the house. I recall one Christmas in Victoria, walking along Oak Bay and observing a youth string ensemble playing Christmas carols on the sidewalk, store-fronts and streetlights decorated elaborately with live greenery. (think Charles Dickens played out in real life) I thought to myself, 'this is how Christmas should be!'.

Now, about to experience yet another Fall-ish day here in Saskatoon, on the 24th of November.......well, the feeling is shifting from enjoyment and 'lucky', to downright bizarre. No one here is in Christmas mode yet. Yes, there are a growing number of houses lit up in decoration, but it almost collectively feels forced. As if we're all looking at the calendar & thinking, "Whoa, it's the XX day of November - we should have our lights/wreath/tree/anything-to-do-with-Christmas up!!!"

I was at Costco yesterday, where a typical Monday morning at opening, a month before Christmas, could only be described as hell on earth. But wait, there were parking spots, many of them, in fact. I was able to leisurely make my way through the aisles, which were strangely less busy than just a few weeks ago. Unsettling, it was.

In my Holiday Cheer appetizer classes, I normally have Christmas carols playing in the background. I have still been making my mulled cider, so it at smells a lot like Christmas, but I haven't been able to make myself put the carols on. It just doesn't feel right. So, nu-jazz is what is on - reasonably fitting, but more for New Years than Christmas.

Snow. It's what we need, & secretly want (even those of you who claim you don't). Not a blizzard - we're not that greedy for it. Just a sprinkle, a light dusting, if you will. Something that gently announces "It IS beginning to look a lot like Christmas!"

Well, being that it's now the 24th of November, when that moment comes, and come it will.........we will have that joyful feeling for a few minutes, before widespread panic sets in. There will be ladders and lights, full parking lots with people, stores bursting at their seams......people, people everywhere, in lineups, ATMs, on sidewalks and ladders. First happy, then irritated, then just plain old irate.

With that, I'm now going to head out - in my warm car, light clothing and winterboot-less. Blissfully enjoying this unexpected, and inevitably doomed, extended Fall.

The Yoghurt Guy

This is not a happy post.

We learned today Bernie Hounjet, a.k.a. the Yoghurt Guy at the Saskatoon Farmer's Market (and also the president of the Board of Directors), has passed.

My heart goes out to his family, especially Celine, whom I have watched grow up at the Market.

Rest in Peace, Bernie. You will be missed.

Oh What Fools These Mortals Be..............

Spoken from yours truly, the Autumn Fairy (for the day). The costume was a few months in the planning (in my head, anyway), and a wee bit of work last week. Despite the snow, it was a fun market. You can see on my stand a little sign that says "bits of glitter are free! (today only)". I opted to post that once I noticed little clouds of glitter falling from me whenever I moved, as my arms were also covered in it. Going towards the costume cost recovery fund, I took in 1st prize at the market for best costume - dinner for the family at Boston Pizza :)

French-Inspired Fall Flavours

Tonight's dinner was one of those meals that somehow came together with things I already had in the pantry (a rare occurence in my house). I still had some ultra-thick boneless pork chops from Costco in the freezer - the only protein other than eggs, in the house - so I started out by thawing them.


Peaking through the refrigerator, I saw that I still had a couple of local apples, and a few local baby cabbages (so cute!). I remembered I had a couple of cans of Gaymers apple cider, and there it was.......dinner. This dish is representative of the Northern (Normandy) region of France.

Apple Cider Braised Pork Loin with Cabbage

~ 6 boneless pork loin chops (I sliced my ultra-thick ones in half)
2 TBSP butter
salt, pepper
~ 12 ounces hard apple cider (such as Gaymers, Strongbow), or about 1 1/4 cups apple juice plus 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar (drink the remaining cider while you continue with the recipe)
4 to 6 cups of finely shredded cabbage (young, if possible), without cores
2 apples, cored & sliced - I leave the peel on
2 TSP cornstarch
1/2 cup light or heavy cream

In a large, heavy-bottomed pot, heat the butter over medium-high heat. Season the pork with salt & pepper; brown, both sides, in pan. Remove the browned meat and set aside. Deglaze the pan with roughly 1/2 cup of the apple cider, scraping up bits from the bottom.

Add the cabbage and apples, tossing to coat. Season generously with salt & pepper. Saute for about 5 minutes, then return pork to pot. I placed the pork on top of the cabbage, and then heaped some of the cabbage on top, so that the pork was in the middle. Add the remaining apple cider.

Bring to a boil, then cover & simmer for ~25 minutes. The meat will be cooked through and the cabbage should be completely tender. Cook a bit longer if the cabbage is not tender enough. Check for seasoning; adjust if necessary. Remove the pork and set aside. Sprinkle the cornstarch over; stir to combine. I like the sauce to be a bit thickish - if you'd rather not add the cornstarch, skip this step.

Add the cream. Return to a boil and cook until the cabbage mixture has thickened. Place the cabbage apple mixture on a platter & top with the pork. Drizzle some of the sauce over top of the pork to serve.

Adding MAJOR Flavour

I always mention these products in my cooking classes, so I thought I'd talk about them here. These oils/extract are produced my a company called Boyajian. I started off with the lime oil, which I use in many of my southeast-asian soups, my ginger lime wasabi mustar, and now my ginger lime coconut scones. Just a drop or two adds a HUGE amount of pure, powerful lime flavour. I have since bought the orange oil, and most recently, the pure maple extract. The maple extract adds a big boost of flavour to my maple oatmeal scones. Even though they have a good amount of maple syrup, this greatly heightens the flavour - since, you can never have too much maple flavour. I highly recommend trying out these products!

I have smelled the other products, which are all available at Sous Chef in Erindale. If you have never checked out the store, and you're into interesting & exotic food items, you simply must go. You'll find an vast array of gourmet salts, vinegars, mustards, peppercorns........too much to describe, really. ie. go there, soon.........

The Birthplace of Scones (and Bannock)

During this past Saturday's market, as I was talking to a customer about the scones I tried in Scotland, I realized I had neglected to mention them in my blog.

Scotland is the birthplace of scones, and yes, the "correct" pronunciation is 'skon', not 'scone'. The original Gaelic word sounds more like "schkon". I, however, have been saying 'scone' forever, & I don't think I could change it now. (btw, the Queen of England says 'scone'..........)

The scone pictured above was from a lovely little cafe in Elie. They had several varieties to choose from, & I chose this one - a cherry scone. Of course, I was envisioning something along the lines of the sour cherry toffee scones that I make...........and was sadly disappointed. The cherries were, in fact, chopped up candied cherries. Eeww. Dismissing my unhappiness with the cherry flavour, I focused on the scone, itself. Now, anyone that knows me, knows that I am extremely humble when it comes to my own culinary creations. My scones, as popular as they are, don't strike me as anything particularly noteworthy. I am now thinking my faithfull & enthusiastic customers may, in fact, be drawn to more than my sunny disposition (and may actually be buying my scones in spite of it :) . The scone in question............pretty much sucked. The texture was somewhat dry & cakey, the flavour was lacking, well, flavour. Echos of 'these really are the best scones I ever had' from my happy customers came to mind.

I did have an opportunity to try another scone in Pittinweem, at the Cocoa Tree, which I previously talked about. There, I had what I know to be a cream scone, flavoured with chocolate chips. This scone was actually really good, albeit messy, as the scone was served warm........hence, I looked like a 3yr old with my fingers covered in melted chocolate. It was comparable to mine, definitely, although slightly more cakey in texture.

After doing a bit of research when I came home, it turns out that in North America, the base of our scones evolved into containing siginificantly more sugar and butter than the original version. Are we surprised?? Of course ours (well, mine in particular ;) taste better........how could they not?

So there you have it. In the end, I was comparing apples to oranges.........well, maybe apples to crabapples. Similar, but essentially a different beast altogether.

Now, about bannock. I noticed on the menus something called 'bannock'. As it turns out, it is exactly was we associate with the Indigenous food. I had never before heard of a link between the two, and had always assumed that the origins were in North Amercia. After researching the topic, it turns out the opposite is true. Bannock, or bread, has its origins in Scotland, first reference in the year 1000. It is leavened with baking powder & typically cooked in a greased pan, What I found even more interesting was that when the bannock is cut into wedges, the wedges were called 'scones'. The circle is complete.

Things I Learned in Scotland

To sum up:
The Scottish really do say 'aye', for yes.

• Pretty much everyone does eat Haggis, either on occasion, or frequently. And, it's not as gross as its infamy would suggest.


• "Pub grub" is, by far, the best bargain for eating out. The food is not just all fried fare - great from-scratch fare at good prices.


• Get the breakfast sausages whenever possible, they are wonderful!


• Do not look at the direction cars are parked in to determine which way to look when trying to cross the street (they are parked every which way). If possible, look every which way, & then again, quickly, before venturing off the curb...........then utter a prayer & run.


• I think there are more varities of scotch in Scotland than wine.......I'd wager on it.


• Fruit ciders (apple or pear) from the UK kick ass; I will be looking for them back home.


• Bagpipes can be more cool than you can imagine.


• The Scots really do look for a bargain. (but then again, who doesn't?)


• You don't have to search very far to hear Gaelic spoken.


• If you don't like the weather, you only have to wait about 2 or 3 minutes (never mind the usual 15). You can actually get an aerobic workout doing the following: 1: put jacket on 2:Take jacket off: 3:Put sunglasses on. 4:Take sunglasses off. 5:Open umbrella. 6: Close & shake off umbrella. Repeat, in no particuar order, as necessary.


• I observed children (from all over the UK), in public, to be much whinier than I expected. I thought North American kids were bad - holy Moses!


• Finding traditional celtic music in a pub was not so common as I thought it would be. In fact, I never heard any, other than in the dining room of our B&B in Edinburgh. I did, however, hear live blues & bluegrass.


• I was disappointed to see that, like our grocery stores, local produce is generally extinct. I was happy to have found The Farm Shop, outside Elie.


• Hospitality/service staff are infinitely more professional & friendly than back home. Your presence doesn't actually seem to be a source of aggravation to them - go figure!


• Showers can be tricky, tricky things. That's all I'll say.


• Unlike our toilet stalls that have spaces below & above, theirs go all the way to the floor/ceiling. Privacy is nice!


• Further to the toilets, the public (including portable ones at the Gathering, and ones out in the middle of nowhere) are identical, and often cleaner/better, than private washrooms. Truly a pleasant surprise. No need to test the resilience of your bladder for fear of what you might find!

The Fife Coast

We left Edinburgh on the Monday following the Gathering, and headed northeast towards the Fife Coast. My father had rented a vehicle to be picked up at the airport. He has driven in the UK before, and although it took a bit for him to become re-accustomed, I immediately knew there was NO way I would ever be able to drive on the left (without killing someone, anyway). I've always had troubles with spatial ability, & wonder now if this is somehow related?

Anyway, on we went. After a few wrong turns at roundabouts, which are everywhere, and inconsistently signed, we finally made it to Elie, on the Fife Coast. The body of water in this area is called the Firth of Forth, or was it Fourth of Fifth, Fifth of Sixth......? Firth, as I found out, means 'bay'. Elie is a lovely coastal town, very cute & picturesque. We had a self-contained townhouse there, with lots of room & a fully-equipped kitchen (yeah!).

The morning after we arrived in Elie, we set out to get groceries. I had seen an ad for The Farm Shop. This place was about 5 minutes outside Elie, also along the coast. It was a small building, housing a farm-to-market produce shop and high-end food items. It was immediately inviting, with the metal ducks leading to the front door. As you entered, this was the display - those are real veggies, not fake display models. The way the product was displayed there was how you bought it, out of the display baskets & into a shopping (woven) basket. I loved this store!

When I went to pay, I noticed that there were huge pots of fresh herbs outside, & asked how I might purchase them. The girl said I just had to say what I wanted & she would cut them. So, I asked for some rosemary, chives & parsley. She cut a few stems of each & charged me accordingly; I know she would likely not be happy with this picture, but here she is, cutting the herbs for me.

After spending a few relaxing days in & around Elie, hiking along the coast, hanging around cafes, eating crab & lobster hauled from the ocean just moments before, my last weekend was quickly approaching.

This last photo was taken in Pittenweem, during the Arts Festival. This was a really unique festival, where local artists open up their homes, converting a portion of it into an art gallery, displaying their wares. Visiting artists were also housed in many locations around the town; there were around 89 artists in total. I bought a few prints, and some jewellery - it was great fun talking to the artists in person. An amazing fireworks display was held on the Saturday evening - it was quite the display, one the the best I've ever seen (and we lived in Vancouver & saw a few of the fireworks competitions), for such a small town.

One of the more interesting artists was Derek Collins (Flaming Art), who actually ignites the paintings, yielding a lacquered effect. The art itself was really interesting, & then I saw an article he had on disply. He actually uses loved one's ashes & incorporates them into paintings - a permanent, tangible memory. I really was drawn to this idea.

Sunday, the Gathering, day 2

We had set aside Sunday as the day to check out the musical acts. The first band we saw was the Red Hot Chilli Pipers . I was expecting a somewhat comical, more or less traditional celtic band. Wrong. The show was introduced with the music by Strauss from 2001: The Space Odyssey, which quickly drew everyone to the stage. The show immediately went into their first song; the guitarist had a flourescent pink mohawk, the group (about 5 main musicians, plus brass) leader played pipes; the music was fast & full of energy. They have defined their invention of this type of music as "Bag Rock" . Check out this video on youtube for a sampling.

Later, we saw another great act, Capercaille, a unique blend of traditional celtic music (mostly in Gaelic) with a contemporary beat, with vocals sung by Karen Matheson . Really lovely - picked up their new CD entitled Roses & Tears. Check out this video on youtube for a sampling.

The rest of our day was spent catching the events at the Highland Games, wandering, eating............a great day all around.

That evening we had our formal clan dinner at the University of Edinburgh. Lord Strathnaver gave a small speech, which included a story that my father told him about our family's history. My great grandfather settled in Canada, ahead of his wife. Once settled, he sent her a ticket to come over.........on the Titanic. She had to make quite the journey to get to the port, apparently, & was furious when she found out she had been bumped by someone from higher class. Anger would have quickly turned to relief, obviously, with the demise of the unsinkable ship. Our immediate family history almost immediately snuffed out.

Clan Parade up the Royal Mile

OK - back to blogging about the trip, before all the details completely fad from memory.......... (naughty, naughty me)





Saturday evening, refreshed from our nap and another fabulous meal (beef & guinness pie for me) at the Reverie pub, we took a taxi to the bottom of the palace gates to await the parade. At first we couldn't find our clan, & they were supposed to alphabetical, yet, there were A's mixed with T's, pretty much a big clan snafu. Eventually we all found our Sutherland sign sitting up against a trailer - no one had bothered to take it out yet. So, our little group became the beacon. Lord Strathnaver, the Earl of Sutherland (our clan still has a castle, Dunrobin), was there. I didn't know until that weekend that we still had a castle, which is uncommon for existing clans. Most have clan chiefs, who were marked by wearing 3 tall feathers in their caps. The parade finally began, but of course, we were S, followed only by Taits & Unruhs, so we had a bit of a wait.

When we were finally passed the gates & began our jaunt up the Royal Mile, I was shocked to see so many spectators watching the parade & cheering the clans on. Apparently, this was THE thing to do in Edinburgh that evening. As people saw the clan names, they would yell out the name & cheer.......it was pretty cool. I even had the opportunity to carry the sign for a while!

At the top of the Royal Mile, we all entered the stadium set up in front of Edinburgh Castle to watch the pageant, which was the finale of the parade. It must have been an amazing spectacle to see from the city - there were spotlights waving up into the sky from the castle, and the castle itself was lit up with both lights & torches. The pageant consisted of a theatrical history of Scotland, and ended, of course, with a huge pipe band. Always goosebump raising........