Have a "Hygge" New Year!
January 14, 2026
In this, the coldest, darkest time of the year, let’s take a page from our Nordic neighbours’ book and embrace “hygge” (pronounced hoo-gah). It’s a Norwegian and Danish word that roughly translates as “coziness” in the sense of togetherness, safety, and enjoying life’s simple pleasures. Nature walks, snuggling up with a good book, family fun times, doing crafts, having conversations with friends, and sharing homemade meals – all contribute to the hygge outlook on life. Hygge is enjoyable in itself, and it is believed to contribute to strong co-operative ethics in the Scandinavian cultures. A little hygge can go a long way, helping us build positive connections and good feelings that not only give our spirits a lift, but also help make us stronger as a community. Stop in to Steep Hill to pick up ingredients for that homemade meal - and share the hygge spirit with fellow members and staff while shopping at our little grocery store on Broadway this month.
New Paths for January
People often have mixed feelings about January; for some, the time after the excitement and activity of the holiday season is over feels like a let-down. For others, the quiet and return to normal is a relief. Some people relish the opportunity for new beginning that January brings, and look forward to the year to come. No matter which January category you may fall into, or whether you’re a new year’s resolution-maker or not, navigating through January presents both opportunities and challenges.
Since winter is a time for focusing on indoor activities, organizing your space can be a productive way to spend time. This doesn’t have to be time-consuming or large-scale thing, but reorganizing a pantry shelf, recipe binder, or sock drawer can be surprisingly fulfilling. If you’re up for more, take on a larger project.
Many people find taking on a new activity in January fulfills both their need for personal connection and learning. The City of Saskatoon’s Leisure Guide is a good source for finding activities offered by the City and community association. Saskatoon Public Library branches offer a variety of events for all ages – as an added bonus, most of these are free of charge. Maintaining physical activity is important; even walking around your neighbourhood if it is safe to do so is a good way to enjoy the sunlight and beauty of the season. If adding a new volunteer activity appeals to you, many organizations would welcome your participation (why, you could even volunteer for the Steep Hill Newsletter Committee!).
Food is an integral part of our well-being and mood. January may include comfort foods for some, while others are looking for a change in diet (possibly after eating one’s weight in butter tarts). Trying a new food or a familiar food prepared in a new way can fulfill both needs. For those of us who grew up eating boiled veg, roasting those same vegetables can be a revelation. This is where Steep Hill can really help out! Try out some meat products from our new suppliers, or some of the many meat alternatives available. A previous newsletter highlighted some of our interesting local squash, and the store always has multiple types of other vegetables and mushrooms, as well as legumes, grains, and rice available in the bulk bins.
Whatever January means to you, may you find fulfillment in whatever you do!
Closed for Inventory February 1 and 2
Steep Hill will be closed for our annual inventory and deep cleaning on Sunday, February 1 and Monday, February 2. If you would like to volunteer to help with cleaning on February 2, your help will be very welcome! As this will be more than two hours, it is an opportunity to earn additional months of working member status. Let Amielle know if you would like to sign up for this task.
Turkey Anyone?
We still have a few frozen turkeys available. They are between 18 and 20 pounds, or about 8 and 9 kg, and the price is $13.00/KG. These are local free-range, antibiotic-free turkeys. People who bought a Steep Hill turkey for their holiday celebrations were very pleased with the excellent quality and delicious flavour.
Don’t Be Shy!
Did you know that one of the best things you can do for Steep Hill is to ask staff when you have questions while shopping? If something you want is not on our shelves, please don’t go home frustrated – take a moment and ask one of our staff if they can help. They are more than happy to answer your questions and will problem-solve with you. Based on their advice, you might decide to place a special order for a specific type of produce or for a case of non-perishables, or ask us to hold a unit or two of product when we next get a delivery and call you when it’s in.
Ordering for a small store with such a wide diversity of products is a very complex balancing act. We have to consider our limited storage space, how quickly items sell in relation to best-before dates, our suppliers’ delivery schedules, minimum order requirements from our distributors, seasonal shopping patterns, etc. We get regular deliveries of local produce on Wednesdays, eggs on Thursdays, and Dairyland products on Saturdays. Original Family Farm meats are delivered every second Thursday. Our non-local produce distributor is making some organizational changes that could affect its delivery schedule. We expect a clear pattern to be established within a few weeks.
Letting staff know if you can’t find an item will help us adjust quantities for future ordering. Our computerized till provides valuable information about what we sell, but it can’t inform us of what members wanted to buy but couldn’t - only you can do that! So don’t be shy: asking staff will help you – and our co-op as a whole.
New Year, New Opportunities
As reported in the last newsletter, the store’s immediate volunteer needs have been met, thanks to your commitment and willingness to share your time. It would still be helpful to have another person who is able to pick up garbage as a back-up (understudy?) for our regular volunteers.
This does not, however, mean that there are no more opportunities to volunteer! We’re always interested in adding new people to the Board or to the Co-op’s various committees. Outreach and education are important components of Steep Hill’s mandate; if you have a passion for these areas, please contact Amielle.
On February 2nd the store will be closed for a deep cleaning session after inventory is done. If you love to make things sparkle and shine, this is an opportunity to earn an extra few months’ working member status by joining the cleaning crew!
Two hours of volunteer work gives you working member status for the following month, which provides you with the working member discount (6% off the shelf price). For in-store volunteer work, sign up for a shift in the store or by calling or emailing to request a shift.
Mushrooms for Health
Eating mushrooms is good for you. Mushrooms have essential vitamins, minerals, amino acids and fibre, are low in cholesterol and salt, contain natural prebiotics and are very low in calories. They are a rare plant source of vitamin D (other plant-base foods offering vitamin D have it added in the processing). They are one of the few non-animal foods with all nine essential amino acids, making mushrooms a complete protein. Claims are made that mushrooms are good for the heart, blood-pressure, brain health and immune system, and can reduce the risks of some cancers. Of course, mushrooms can also be poisonous!
Saskatchewan has dozens of edible wild mushrooms, and dozens of poisonous and toxic mushrooms. Safe mushrooms include chanterelles, morels, boletes (also known as porcini), honey mushrooms (called pidpenky by Ukrainian settlers) and pine mushrooms (the prized matsutake in Japan). Edible mushrooms are also cultivated indoors, such as cremini, oyster and shiitake.
Many edible mushrooms have a toxic look-alike. Don’t risk it! Trust your mushrooms to professional pickers and growers who know what they are doing. Get your healthy Saskatchewan mushrooms – both wild-picked in season and grown indoors – at Steep Hill Food Co-op. We offer the best of Saskatchewan mushrooms year round.
Polenta and Mushrooms
Discover this delightful vegetarian dish that combines earthly flavours of mushrooms along with conforming texture of polenta.
View Polenta and Mushrooms Recipe
Put Your Pop Cans To Work
You can use SARCAN’s Drop and Donate program to help Steep Hill! To “volunteer” your pop cans and returnable bottles, go to the Drop and Go entrance off to the side of the main doors. Fill in the computer screen form, and put the phrase “Steep Hill Food” to tell SARCAN where your donation should go. The machine will print a barcode sticker for your bag or box of cans/bottles. SARCAN will calculate the value of your donation and e-transfer it to Steep Hill.
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 Amielle Christopherson, Adam Douglas, Amy Jo Ehman, Cathy Holtslander, and Maryann Scott for contributing to this Newsletter! If you would like to join the newsletter crew, email board@steephillfood.ca.
Your grocery store on Broadway!