Crabapples don’t get much credit in Canadian culinary history. They grow on schoolyard edges and old farm shelterbelts, often dismissed as ornamental or too sour to bother with. Yet for more than a century, these hardy little fruits were a staple of prairie kitchens—and long before settlers planted their first orchards, Indigenous communities were already incorporating crabapples into their seasonal diets. What we see as a decorative afterthought once anchored food traditions across the Prairies

When people speak of Canadian food, it’s often in generalities—maple syrup, poutine, butter tarts. But the real story of Canadian cuisine is one of interwoven legacies. Ukrainian food, especially on the Prairies, is not just a cultural layer; it is a foundational thread in how rural communities fed themselves, celebrated, and built resilience on new soil.

The cast-iron pan sizzles as golden rounds of bannock puff and crackle over an open fire. Around the flames, elders trade stories while children sneak handfuls of wild saskatoon berries from a nearby bowl.