Roots and vines

For Suzan Palani, harvesting grape leaves to make Kurdish dolma is a way of connecting past and present

Dappled evening light filters through the branches above while Suzan Palani inspects an overgrown section of bush. The grape leaves she’s looking for are mingling haphazardly with other species of greenery. She wants to be certain before picking.

Putting down roots

At Rainbow Community Garden, newcomers to Canada grow food and forge relationships

Black beans, hot peppers, tomatoes and cabbage. Like many other Winnipeg gardeners, Henriette Mukesa’s seedlings are off to a slow start thanks to a waterlogged spring. Still, there’s plenty to eat in the shoulder season.

Catch of the way

Fishing almost since infancy, Eric Labaupa is devoted to the art of fishing and the taste of Manitoba walleye by way of the Philippines

WINNIPEG BEACH — The rod twitches lightly and Eric Labaupa jumps out of his seat. The telltale sign of a nibble. He pulls up to set the hook and starts reeling.

Everyday food, extraordinary memories

Handmade family cookbook holds more than recipes; it’s a portal to the past

At one point in time, Michelle Trudeau was the proud owner of more than 500 cookbooks.

Pot luck

Chance find of ceramic shard led artist to create her own clay cookware, reclaim traditional diet

There was no hunting or searching. All she had to do was look down. The jagged earth-toned pottery shard was resting in the rocky shallows waiting to be found, as if some unseen being had laid the artifact in her path.

Perogy hotline raises funds for Ukraine, nourishes the soul

A jangly ringtone breaks through the din of conversation in the basement hall. Shirley Kowalchuk, wearing a white apron and a hairnet, leaves her post at the packing table and hustles over to the landline on the opposite wall.

Wishes and dishes

Recipe Swap column’s call-and-answer format created community of home cooks

Basement floods, international moves and at least one husband who “tidied up too much” — recipes go missing for all kinds of reasons. For nearly 25 years, Free Press readers turned to the paper’s Recipe Swap column to track down long-lost and elusive dishes.

Sweet story

Traditional Chinese New Year dessert steeped in meaning, family tradition

Steam billows into the kitchen as Jimmy Le pulls the lid off the wok. He moves slowly, careful not to spill the batter, as he lowers a shallow cake pan into the hot-water bath. The next time he lifts the lid, the pale gold liquid will have transformed into a dense, sticky dessert signifying growth and upward momentum for the year ahead.

Domestic diva

In the 1930s, Free Press readers turned to Mrs. Madeline Day to help them get dinner on the (perfectly set) table

The dining room was set with fine china, gleaming silverware and crystal glasses. A lush bouquet bloomed at the centre of the table, while a canary chirped merrily in a nearby cage.