Getting Ready: Tall Grass Bakery provides for the holiday feast

With these unseasonably warm December days we’ve been enjoying it may not feel like winter and the holiday season, but there is no mistaking the fact that the days are much shorter and we are in fact coming up very close to the Winter Solstice and Christmas. Right now we are in the midst of Advent and Hanukkah and for many people it is a time to start thinking about family, friends and food.

For more than 30 years Tall Grass Bakery has been providing the best in holiday goodies to Winnipeggers; creating tasty food made from scratch, using only the best in locally grown and sourced ingredients.

Around the holidays Tall Grass goes all out to create rich tasty goodies. For Co-Owner of Tall Grass Bakery Tabitha Langel it is all about getting ready for the arrival of the big mystery. As Langel explains, “In medieval days…because the church shaped peoples directives and lives…you had great fasts around Christmas and Easter to prepare for the mystery, but once that period was over it was just one big celebration of eggs, sugar and butter…and all of these things we couldn’t have…that’s why Christmas baking it is so incredibly rich.”

For Tall Grass around the holidays it is no different, whether it is their plum pudding, cookies or fruit cake, everything is baked with the best quality of ingredients to create baked masterpieces that don’t skimp on tastiness.

One of the big favorites at the bakery is the Icelandic vinaterta. The recipe for the vinaterta was taught to Tabitha and her co-workers at the bakery by an Icelandic woman who insisted that no corners be cut. The vinaterta is made with the proper seven layers that are crucial to the Icelandic tradition of serving this delicious dish. “You’re honoring the creation story, it has to be seven layers,” explains Langel.

One of the other very popular baked goods at Tall Grass is their fruit cake. This is a fruit cake that really does live up to its name. Full of fruit Langel is proud of saying “You don’t need to get on a bike to find the next piece of fruit….it’s dense, rich…we swaddle it in brandy laden clothes for a week or so before we sell it… we sell more and more of it every year as a result.”

Whether it is fruit cake, plum pudding, or cookies such as the Russian tea biscuit, or the German hazelnut cookie, or perhaps the rich tasty Greek cristopomo bread or even the French puffed pastry and almond paste known as king’s cakes, Tall grass Bakery has everything for your holiday baking needs.

One of the issues with having this delicious baking on hand is that it sells very quickly, and Langel is quick to make the point out that if there is something specific you want on your coffee table while you are entertaining family and friends for Christmas, it is best to call ahead and order it ahead of time.

Tall Grass Bakery has two locations. There is one at the Forks Market and the second is at 859 Westminster Avenue in Wolseley. One of the easiest ways to get some wonderful holiday baking from Tall Grass Bakery is to go their website and see what you can pre-order to ensure that your holidays are full of tasty goodness.