Here at Old Fashion Foods, as a local business, we love supporting other local business and community programs. We have decided to go out into our community and other communities across Saskatchewan to do a spotlight on some of our favourite locals–whether they are a vendor that we carry in-store, or just a great local staple or program.
This past June, we had the great opportunity to head out towards Lac Vert and visit Kitako Lake Honey. We met up with the CEO of Kitako Lake Honey, Steven Hawrishock. Steven got us geared up in beekeeping outfits, complete with gloves and veils, and we went to check out some of the hives.
We got to see how beekeepers use smoke to calm bees, how hives are put together, and how bees build their honey combs within the frames in the pre-built hives.
It was very cool to open up the hives: we got to see some baby drones being born, and we learned how to identify the queen amongst the hundreds of little insect bodies humming on the combs.
Steven also brought us to see where the honey gets processed after harvesting. It was too early in the season to see any honey get extracted, but we were invited to come back during harvesting, so fingers crossed for another update soon! If you want to purchase some of this delicious raw, creamed honey for yourself, you can find it here.
The second local program we had the joy to visit was the Regina Community Fridge. The community fridge, a program which has now expanded through other volunteers to bring a total of three community fridges to Regina, was spearheaded by Danielle Froh. The Regina Community Fridge is located at 3037 Dewdney Avenue, right behind Regina Family Pharmacy.
The fridge is just that: a fridge and a freezer sheltered in an insulated structure, as well as shelving for items that do not require refrigeration. The community fridge is open 24/7 so that anyone who needs access to fresh food can get it. All of the community fridges in the city run purely by donation. Donations that are encouraged, as outlined in the Regina Leader-Post, are: “…fresh fruit and vegetables, dry goods, sealed non-alcoholic beverages, snacks, breads, pastries and dairy products, provided they are labelled with the best before date. Frozen meals from grocery stores are also welcomed, but should not contain raw meat or seafood.”
Regina Community Fridge also accepts financial donations to help maintain the fridge, as well for volunteers to buy groceries to stock the fridge. E-transfers can be sent to reginacommunityfridge@gmail.com
Finally, we got to visit Handmade Saskatchewan, Regina’s original handmade-only vendor network. Handmade Sask carries products from over 95 Saskatchewan artisans and makers. We popped in and were delighted to see the variety of items, ranging from handmade jewelry, pottery, stickers, books from Saskatchewan-born writers, candles, home decor, and even apparel featuring designs from Handmade Sask’s owner, Nell. One of our favourite products was baskets and bowls designed by an artisan from Air Ronge, Saskatchewan, all made out of recycled, single-used plastics.
If you want to keep up with our Local Sask spotlight, please follow us on Instagram! We have a highlight on our page and we post our spotlights to the story.
