Orange varieties to try (clockwise from top: navel orange, tangelo, blood orange, cara cara orange).

It’s citrus season

Prairie Fare: This fruit family has more to offer than most can imagine

January to March is citrus season, the time when North American oranges, lemons, grapefruit and limes are at their peak. Take full advantage of the season and explore all the citrus fruit offered in the produce aisle. To help you make the best of the season, here are some tips and recipes for you to

Enjoy soup as your main course or a starter course.

Enjoy more slimming soup this winter

Prairie Fare: Eating more soup can help prevent weight gain

When I was young, I often was greeted by the sound of our pressure cooker hissing and the weighted gauge clicking rhythmically as I entered our home after school on winter days. After slogging through snowbanks in my snow pants and knee-high winter boots, I needed some sustenance. My favourite type of soup was homemade


Stay active and healthy in the new year

Stay active and healthy in the new year

Physical activity helps maintain a healthy heart, and strong muscles and bones, and ease stress

I found a supreme parking spot!” my husband noted as he arrived at the mall with our younger daughter. She nodded and grinned. Then she began eyeing the food court for a snack. Parking a distance from your destination is a common recommendation for increasing your physical activity. Winter tends to push that recommendation out

Happy anniversary, Canada — and canola!

Happy anniversary, Canada — and canola!

This is a year to celebrate our own ‘Made in Canada’ crop

If you’re still pondering new year’s resolutions, a good one for 2017 would be spend more time learning more about our wonderful country’s history, geography, culture and its innumerable accomplishments. 2017 marks the 150th anniversary of Confederation. It’s a year for plenty of parties, festivals, and commemorations. Canadian agriculture is reaching an important milestone of


Beat holiday weight gain

Beat holiday weight gain

Prairie Fare: Here are a few tips to help prevent holiday pounds this festive season


Everywhere I go, I see more candy and cookies to taste, and unfortunately, my willpower is not overly strong during the holiday season. In the interest of food science, of course, I need to try these things. I am testing my willpower right now as a bowl of treats sits about 10 feet from me

man reading a restaurant menu

You can cut calories and still enjoy eating out

A few small adjustments to how you order and eat can really add up quickly

What’s your favourite episode of ‘SpongeBob SquarePants’?” my daughter asked her siblings. Her brother and sister began describing the antics of SpongeBob, a yellow kitchen sponge who lives in a pineapple at the bottom of the sea. He works as a dedicated fry cook with an interesting bunch of characters at a restaurant. My kids


Syrup-titiously delicious

Syrup-titiously delicious

Maple syrup is good for our precarious planet’s forests too

Some grumble when the snow arrives, but not members of the Pumpkin Creek Ski Club at Roseisle. They rejoice, naturally. They also start leaving treats on members’ doorsteps — cans of pure maple syrup, sold as club fundraisers. Those cute little cans signal the start of ski season, and time to enjoy hearty breakfasts of

Try an unusual fruit, such as dragon fruit. It’s bright pink with green spines on the outside and white with tiny black seeds inside.

Try an unusual fruit this season

Don’t just stick with apples and oranges, be adventurous with the food you buy

What is that thing?” my husband asked, as he pointed at something in the produce aisle. “I have no idea,” I said as I walked slowly toward the bin of fruits. I reached out timidly to examine the bright-pink globular thing with green spines protruding from the sides and top. I was ready to pull


Make-ahead Mashed Potatoes (see recipe further down).

Potatoes are a forgotten vegetable

Perhaps potatoes aren’t trendy but they are delicious and nutritious and too often overlooked

If there’s one vegetable we take for granted it’s the potato. Despite being the most consumed vegetable in Canada, we rarely give potatoes a second thought. Perhaps this is because they’re not as trendy and exotic as quinoa or avocados. Maybe it’s because we’re afraid they’re unhealthy. Or maybe, we’ve just fallen into a boiled

Squash is easy to store and prepare.

Try some squash this fall

Prairie Fare: This long-storing garden staple is an excellent source of vitamins A and C

Autumn makes me think about soup and other warm, comfort foods. I like to get cosy with a bowl of soup and some hearty bread. Add some fuzzy slippers to my feet and a fire in the fireplace, and I’m set for winter. I didn’t grow up eating squash soup (see recipe further down), but