Sessions

Here are the sessions for Eat Alberta 2012:

Keynote & Panel:

  • farm badgeLife On The Back 40 (Danny and Shannon Ruzicka): Ever wonder what really goes into raising grass-fed meats? And why does it cost so much? Danny and Shannon Ruzicka from Nature’s Green Acres will share with you the ins and outs of life on a grass fed farm, from brooding 1000 chicks and calving 19 cows to communicating with butchers. Learn the reality of raising chickens, pigs, and cattle and the joys and pains that accompany a life with livestock. Find out how grass affects the flavor and health benefits of the meat and how that compares to “conventional meats”; decide for yourself which truly costs more.
  • zombie badgeHow to Survive a Zombie Apocalypse (Kevin Kossowan, Jeff Senger, Amy Beaith, Shannon Ruzicka): What happens when eating local is no longer a choice but a necessity? Would you be able to endure a zombie apocalypse? Four local food advocates provide a Prairie context to this hypothetical catastrophe, and share their survival strategies.

Concurrent Sessions:

  • cheese badgeArtisan Cheese Making (Alan Roote): This is a “all hands on deck” participation session; using simple equipment and some basic ingredients, participants will be directed in how to make a quick version of mozzarella cheese.
  • sausage badgeArtisan Sausage Making (Allan Suddaby): The gastronomic pleasures and economic benefits of making sausage at home will be discussed as well as how to source ingredients and equipment. Allan will cover: basic processes and techniques, where to find recipes, and how to develop your own. Presentation includes a live hands on demonstration. Other topics of discussion: assuaging fears of saturated fat and nitrites. Each participant will taste the sausage as it is being made.
  • preserving badgeYes, You Can: Preserving Fruit from the Local Harvest (Amy Beaith): An introduction to canning principles, safety, and a demonstration of a whole fruit preserve recipe. Using sour cherries from Operation Fruit Rescue Edmonton rescued from Edmonton’s backyards, attendees will can whole cherries in a spiced syrup. Attendees will go home with one jar of preserved fruit and recipes.
  • pasta badgeArtisan Pasta Making (Kathryn Joel): Kathryn will be showing you how easy it is to make your own Fresh Pasta dough. You’ll be making a single recipe of dough from scratch, and we’ll have pasta machines on hand so that we can show you how to roll your pasta out and cut it too, with the machines or by hand. You can choose whether you want to take your dough home, or roll it out during your class. Either way you’ll be going home with what you make!
  • mushroom badgeForaging for Edible Mushrooms in Edmonton (Martin Osis): Martin Osis, one of the founding members of the Alberta Mycological Society, will share his knowledge of foraging for and identifying wild mushrooms right in your own backyard.
  • cheese badgeAlberta Cheese Tasting (Nigel Webber): Explore the flavors and textures of domestic cheeses made by artisanal cheese makers in Alberta and Canada. We will taste local cheeses made by hand with love, as well as 2 very special Canadian cheeses. We will taste some comparable supermarket variety cheeses and let you draw your own conclusions.
  • beehive badgeA Clover, a Bee, and Reverie: The Story of Prairie Honey (Patty Milligan): Honey reflects the diverse flavours of the blossoms that it comes from. In our time together, we’ll chart the journey of local honey from nectar in the field to honey in the hive and then to the jar on our table, while also learning about the situation that honeybees and other pollinators face on the prairies today. You’ll have the unique opportunity to taste honeys from several different flower sources-with a focus on Western Canada-as well as the lesser-known hive products-pollen and propolis. This session is unusual, fun, and informative; when you leave, your brain and your tastebuds will be full.
  • whisk badgeMacaron Basics (Connie Nelson): Learn to make macarons using the French meringue method. In this one hour class you will see and experience for yourself the complete process to mix, pipe, and bake macaron shells. The filling will be provided to take home and be used to assemble your macaron cookies!
  • rollingbadgeWrapping & Rolling – Making Salad Rolls at Home (Elaine Wilson): Also known as summer rolls, this light and yummy vegetable goodness is usually enjoyed as a nappetizer but made ahead, is a great portable snack or light lunch. You’ll learn how to manipulate and roll the rice paper and ingredients, and discover that the wrappers can be great camouflage for leftovers.
  • campfire badgeA Hopping Good Meal: Cooking with Rabbit (David Peters): This recipe and presentation will discuss the preparation of wild rabbit and available sides (herbs and wild roots) that exist to complement this Indigenous Alberta dish.
  • bread badgeSourdough 101: Basic Yeast Farming (Owen Petersen): Participants will bake sourdough bread with Prairie Mill Bread Co.’s very own starter, create and take home some dough to bake the next day (for Sunday breakfast/brunch) and also create their own starter from scratch for all their home baking adventures. Much fermenting discussion and laughter (because yeast is a funny thing and that’s a fact!) will take place throughout.
  • wine badgeIn Your Own Backyard: Barr Estate Winery (Rick and Amy Barr): Rick and Amy Barr of Barr Estate Winery will discuss the history of their winery, the landscape of the Alberta Cottage Wine Industry, and the challenges of producing fruit versus grape-based wines. The session will conclude with tastings of their wines.
  • knife badgeCut Like a Chef: Knife Skills (Kevin Kent): As the tin says, learn to use a kitchen knife like a chef. Kevin Kent will show you how to hold a knife, keep it sharp and some basics cuts…maybe even flute a mushroom or two.
  • beer badgeCold Isn’t a Flavour: Beer Appreciation the Right Way (Jason Foster): Beer can be more than just cold, wet and yellow. And rarely does it come with a bevy of bikini-clad women playing beach volleyball. In fact, quality craft beer offers a range of flavours and aromas that exceed wine. There is a beer out there for everyone – including people who don’t like beer; come and find out what your beer is! Local beer guy Jason Foster will discuss the basics of beer appreciation, including the different flavours and aromas found in beer, how the ingredients affect flavour and the diverse range of beer styles available. And of course, there will be beer! You will also try out some fine selections from Alberta craft brewers.
  • jar badgeYes, You Can: Preserving Vegetables from the Local Harvest (Amy Beaith): This session will include an introduction to canning principles, safety, and a full hands on workshop using local root vegetables. Attendees will create simple and delicious pickles. Attendees will go home with one jar of each pickled vegetable made and recipes.
  • pasta badgeGnocchi Making 101 (Kathryn Joel): Kathryn will show you how to make your own Ricotta Gnocchi at home. One of 3 varieties of Gnocchi enjoyed in Italy, Ricotta Gnocchi are light and delicious, and so easy to make. You’ll get to take home your own. Plus you’ll get to taste some of Kathryn’s, cooked up with a simple Cherry Tomato Sauce.
  • roll badgeGet Your Crunch On – Making Spring Rolls at Home (Elaine Wilson): It’s been said that people eat out because they don’t deep fry at home. Not anymore! Elaine will teach you how to make crispy stuffed batons of deliciousness in your own kitchen. From choosing the right wrapper to what kind and how much oil to use, we’ll cover the essentials and get creative with the fillings.
  • campfire badgeBison as an Aboriginal Tradition (David Peters): This presentation will briefly discuss the use of wild bison in traditional Aboriginal dishes as well as the availability and nutritional benefits of wild game.
  • wine badgeFrom Pig Farmer to Organic Winery and Meadery (Xina Chrapko): Learn how one family from the Ukraine took out a land claim in 1913 in northeast Alberta with great courage and a desire to give their children a better future. Hear the Chrapko’s story of the last century and follow them into the new millennium. They have been instrumental in adding a new industry to round out Alberta’s agricultural base – they answered the call to diversify, value-add, and promote sustainability. Living a philosophy of producing organic, non-GMO food, they went beyond – they started producing organic fruit wine and mead! Birds & Bees Organic Winery and Meadery is Alberta’s first and only organic winery and first producer of honey wine. Discussion will explore why: why organic, why certified organic, why sustainable production practices, and why eat local.
  • knife badgeKnife Sharpening (Kevin Kent): If you have a hard time keeping an edge on your knife, you are in luck. Kevin Kent will walk you through the basic steps of sharpening knives on waterstones. Kevin learned his skills from a Japanese knife maker so you are in good hands.