Warm Holiday Greetings, One and All!
December 7, 2024
Warm holiday greetings from the Staff and Board of Directors of the Steep Hill Food Co-operative. Welcome to the most festive and anticipated season of the year! Most families have their own special holiday traditions that are followed year after year. In many homes, this includes the food prepared and served over the festive season where holiday celebrations bring extra light and warmth to short wintery days. While you are mulling over your own holiday meal offerings, let’s take a short whirlwind tour to some other parts of the world!
From mainland Europe to South Asia, the festive season looks and smells very different from place to place. In Denmark and Finland, pickled herring and smoked pork ribs steal the show on Christmas Eve, while in India and Ethiopia, spicy stews served with fermented rice cakes or flatbreads break the Advent Fast. Kwanzaa, which originated in the USA, celebrates the heritage and culture of the African diaspora, with menus that might feature collard greens, jerk chicken, okra, yams or groundnut stew. In Poland and Ukraine, the 12 meat-free Christmas Eve dishes, representing both the 12 apostles and months of the year, include carp, pierogi and a selection of fruit and poppy seed desserts, kicked off by beetroot soup. Fried potato pancakes called latkes are traditional fare for Chanukkah in Jewish homes around the world. Hawaiians enjoy a traditional lu’au which includes a whole pig slow roasted in an underground oven, chicken long rice, and poi, a dish made from fermented taro root. Solstice meals in Northern countries often celebrate the abundance of nature, incorporating wild foods like berries and venison, and a Yule log cake representing connections with the forest.
Has all this talk of deliciousness stimulated your appetite? If so, you’re in luck! Steep Hill Food Co-op is brimming with mouth-watering, fresh holiday foods and treats that are sure to make your festive meals memorable. Amielle and staff are waiting to warmly welcome you into your grocery store on Broadway.
From all of us, to all of you, may you be surrounded by good people, thoughtful conversation, delicious food and drink, a heart full of gratitude for the outgoing year, and a spirit full of optimism for the new.
Speaking of Festive Meals…
Just like that: time to reserve your Christmas turkey! Pre-orders are open for fresh, never frozen Sovereign Valley Farm turkeys. The deadline to order is December 16 and turkey pick-up will be after 2PM December 20. Orders can be made in-person at the store, over the phone, or via email, and we do require a $60 deposit at the time of reservation.
For those who might not be turkey people, you can place an order for an Original Family chicken! They will be frozen, but we’ll be sure to have them available with enough time for you to thaw them out for your holiday dinner.
Prefer a non-meat option? We’ve got that covered, too! We have Torfurkey Veggie Roasts with wild rice stuffing in stock!
If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out. You can call us at 306-664-4455 or email us at hello@steephillfood.ca.
Turkey - Good to The Last Drop!
After feasting on hot roasted turkey and having left-over turkey sandwiches and turkey-pot pie from your Christmas or New Years bird, you can make nutritious bone broth from your turkey (or chicken) carcass. It only takes minutes to put the ingredients together, then a few leisurely hours bubbling on the stove. You can freeze the broth to use later as a base for cozy winter soups.
After removing most of the meat from the bones, put your turkey carcass into a large stock pot or Dutch oven. Add water to cover. Add one or two onions, peeled and quartered, a couple of celery sticks, peeled carrots, and a clove or two of peeled garlic if you like.
Put the pot on a back burner, bring it to a boil, then turn the heat down to a gentle simmer. Let it bubble for 4 to 6 hours. This gentle slow cooking process will cause the bones to release a protein called collagen into the broth. This is very nutritious, and gives the stock umami, a satisfying taste-texture combination.
In the last half hour or so, throw in some herbs. A bay leaf, along with some sage, rosemary and basil leaves add nice aromatic flavours. Just before you take the broth off the stove, add salt to taste.
Let the pot cool a bit before pouring or ladling into jars or plastic containers for storage. You may want to tip the last bit from the pot into a colander or strainer to get all the stock. Discard the bones and let the stock cool.
Once the broth is cool you can skim the fat from the top. You can use that fat for cooking too – melt a bit in a frying pan for sautéing vegetables or frying eggs, or use it as a soft fat instead of butter or oil when making muffins or biscuits. It will add a nice flavour to your baking.
You can store the broth in the fridge for a few days or freeze it in plastic containers or Ziploc bags for longer keeping. Bone appétit!
New Products
Here are some new products you might be interested in trying.
- Gusta Express: Udon Teriyaki and Mexican Bowl
- Vegan five minute meal boxes.
- Save Da Sea Smoked Salmon
- Plant based smoked salmon.
- if you care 8” Basket Coffee Filters
- Made from unbleached totally chlorine-free (TCF) compostable paper.
- if you care No 4 Coffee Filters
- Made from unbleached totally chlorine-free (TCF) compostable paper.
- Maison Orphee The Perfect Oil TM
- A mixture of organic unrefined sunflower oil, organic unrefined sesame oil, organic unrefined canola oil, extra virgin olive oil and organic virgin flaxseed oil.
- Maison Orphee Organic Unrefined Canola Oil
- Cold-pressed in a Québec factory from organic non-GMO seeds.
- Fontaine Santé ORGANIC hummus
- We now stock organic traditional hummus and organic roasted garlic hummus.
- Bob’s Red Mill Organic Spelt Flour
- 100% stone ground from delicious, easily digestible grains.
- Bob’s Red Mill Red Bulgur
- A quick-cooking whole grain.
- Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free Vegan Egg Replacer
- A simple, clean, and easy-to-use vegan baking essential.
- Bob’s Red Mill Textured Vegetable Protein
- An ideal meat extender or gluten-free vegetarian meat substitute.
If you have ideas or requests for other new products, feel free to write them on the white board near the door or mention them to staff when you’re at the till.
Steep Hill and the Broadway BID
Steep Hill is a proud member of the Broadway Business Improvement District (BBID).
The BBID is a collective of local businesses working together to enhance the economic vitality and appeal of the Broadway area. The BBID focuses on promoting the neighbourhood as a vibrant, attractive destination for shopping, dining, and activities. It organizes markets and other events that draw visitors and foster a sense of community. Additionally, the BID undertakes beautification projects, such as maintaining green spaces, installing public art, and ensuring the cleanliness of the streets.
For Steep Hill, being part of the BBID offers numerous benefits. Firstly, the co-op gains increased visibility through the BBID’s marketing and promotional efforts. Events organized by the BBID, such as street fairs, provide Steep Hill with opportunities to showcase its products to a broader audience, attracting new customers who might not have discovered us otherwise.
Moreover, the BBID’s focus on creating a welcoming and attractive neighbourhood environment directly benefits Steep Hill. The improved streetscape and community events enhance the overall shopping experience, making the area more appealing to both locals and visitors. This increased foot traffic can lead to higher sales and greater community engagement for the co-op.
Additionally, the BBID fosters a sense of collaboration among local businesses. Steep Hill can network with other businesses, share resources, and participate in joint initiatives that promote sustainable and ethical practices. This sense of community and shared purpose aligns well with Steep Hill’s mission of supporting local food production, providing high-quality products, and being a positive member of the neighbourhood.
Steep Hill’s membership in the BBID not only boosts its visibility and customer base but also contributes to a thriving, attractive neighbourhood that benefits all local businesses and residents.
Dashing Through The Snow
Unless we have volunteers to help shovel it! The recent snowfall has highlighted Steep Hill’s need for volunteer shovelers to clear the front and back of the store, in order to keep paths safe and accessible for everyone. Please reach out to Amielle if you are willing to have your information placed on a shoveler contact list.
In terms of other volunteer opportunities at the store, we are still in need of people to dispose of garbage once or twice per month. Also, City of Saskatoon had considered the option of reducing the frequency of compost pick-up during the winter. If this happens, it would be beneficial to have someone with a farm or larger home compost operation who is willing to collect the store’s compostable material.
In every newsletter issue, you’ll read about Steep Hill’s current volunteer needs, but please don’t feel limited by those specific requests. If you have particular skills and interests that you think could benefit the co-op, please don’t hesitate to reach out to Amielle.
For members, two hours of volunteer work in a given month means that you’re eligible for the working member discount (6% off the shelf price) for the following month.
Email Amielle at hello@steephillfood.ca to learn more about any of the volunteer needs outlined above. As always, we rely on the work of our in-store volunteers for packaging and other necessary tasks – you can sign up for a shift in the store or by calling (306-664-4455) or emailing (hello@steephillfood.ca) to request a shift.
Thank you again to our current volunteers for your work in keeping Steep Hill a vibrant, vital, and dynamic community!
Take Your Bottles and Cans to SARCAN and Help Steep Hill
Did you know that you can donate to Steep Hill Food Co-op through SARCAN Recycling? If you’re looking for a way to support the co-op and help us with some of our long-term planning and resource upgrades, you can take your returnable containers to your local SARCAN drop off location and direct the refunds to Steep Hill.
When using SARCAN’s handy Drop & Go option, use the phrase “Steep Hill Food” and your returns will be automatically deposited to the store’s account. If you don’t currently have a Drop & Go account, you can make one online or in person at SARCAN.
We’ll be using these funds to help with some needed updates and upgrades around the store, including a new freezer and store signage. Every little bit counts towards reaching that goal.
For more information visit SARCAN’s website.
We Want to Hear From You!
For information about products and the store, email us at hello@steephillfood.ca or call 306-664-4455.
To contact the Board of Directors with ideas, feedback, concerns or questions, email board@steephillfood.ca or fill out a “How did we do today” card when you are in the store.
Thanks to Jasmin Carlton, Amielle Christopherson, Adam Douglas, Cathy Holtslander, Maryann Scott, and Ann Smith for contributing to the newsletter!
Your grocery store on Broadway!