‘Tis the season of giving so we’ve put together our favorite local gifts for everyone on your list!

For the creative :
Pottery classes with Cheryl at Thistlewood Pottery Studio, Whitemouth MB.

For the Fitness Enthusiast :
Yoga Day Retreat at Sandy-Saulteaux Spiritual Centre with Rebecca Watson, Beausejour MB.

For the animal lover :
Small batch, Field to table, dog meatballs + kibble from Ostlund Falls Co, Whitemouth MB. Okay, these might be more for the fur baby in your life, but you get the point!

For the vintage collector :
There’s something for everyone at Osaat Farm‘s reclaimed + vintage store.

For those who want to support local makers :
Stained + Fused Glass and Art at Clara’s Cottage, Seven Sisters Falls MB.
Custom Carvings + Live Edge Work from Raven’s Woodcraft, Seddons Corner MB.
Kids + Adult Clothing with fun prints from Nimble Clothing, Seven Sisters Falls MB.
Handmade Jewelry from Rayne Creations, Whitemouth MB.
Natural Skincare from Pasture Expectations, Whitemouth MB.

For the foodie :
A gift card to the Spicy Radish or Colin’s House is aaaaaalways a good idea. Let’s be honest, no holiday needed to visit either of these local hot spots.

And of course, for those who have everything :
A stay at Wild Skies Resort is the perfect experiential gift for everyone on your list. Not biased at all. 😉

As the days get warmer and warmer, 2 and 4 legged creatures are getting antsy for spring! After a long Manitoba winter, they are huuuuungry! Wild Skies is nestled between a creek and the Whitemouth River, two main water sources for animals in the area. We’re home to foxes, coyotes, porcupines, small rodents, all types of birds, beavers and muskrats, and often see black bears passing through. It’s important that we keep the resort property free of temptations so that wild animals can stay wild.

Here’s a few tips to keep the relationship between animals and humans as harmonious as possible :

1. Keep your pets on leash when not in your accommodation or on your private deck.

2. Do not dump any food waste, coffee grounds, cooking oil, etc on the ground. (we provide compost buckets!) Keep your food in the provided refrigerator or hard sided cooler.

3. Clean up all garbage and recycling regularly. Don’t leave any waste scattered around your campsite at any time.

4. Wash your cooking utensils after using them so the smell doesn’t linger.

5. Do not feed any animals on the property, whether they are wild or our pets. Not only does human food not contain the correct nutrients they require, feeding animals can also create an unnatural reliance on human food.

6. Enjoy watching and listening to animals from a distance. You’ll get to see them in their natural habitat, which can be pretty amazing!

Move over hotdogs – wood fired pizza is the new camping meal of choice. Our clay pizza oven, made by our friends at Elm Natural Builders, is a shared amenity for all visitors to the resort. We supply everything you need to make delicious pizza – including seasoned oak firewood to get the oven nice and hot, all the pizza cooking tools, boards + peel, and semolina to make sure your dough doesn’t stick.

Cooking pizza with fire is fun for the whole family, but make sure you dedicate a day to sticking around the resort. The oven can take 3-4 hours to heat to temperature, and you can plan to check on it every 30 minutes or so. Plan a day of swimming, board games, hammock naps or leisurely walks. Full instructions for the oven are available in each unit and we’re usually around to lend a hand if needed.

If you’re dedicating a day to tending a fire, we recommend you don’t skimp on quality ingredients. This isn’t the time to quickly bake a store-bought pizza. A slow-rise, high-hydration dough will make sure you get the most flavour from the crust and ensures it doesn’t dry out in the 750°f+ oven.

Here’s my go-to recipe, you know – the one you see all those drool worthy pizza stories on insta of.

This recipe makes 4 medium pizzas. Extras can be frozen. 🙂

Ingredients :
950 g all purpose flour (I often do 50% AP/50% whole grain)
675 g warm water
30 g salt
1 tsp dry yeast
4 tsp. honey
6 glugs olive oil

1. Pre-measure your ingredients at home to make this easier while camping.
2. Mix yeast and honey with warm water. Let sit until the mixture looks foamy.
3. Combine flour and salt. Add to water mixture slowly. Towards end of adding flour, add olive oil.
4. Mix well until all flour is saturated. This dough is very wet and you will not be able to form it into a shape yet.
5. Cover with plastic wrap and a tea towel. Let rise. Option (a) : overnight in fridge. Option (b) : 4+ hours in warm room. Option (a) will give a deeper flavour profile.
6. If Option (a) 3 hours prior to cooking, remove dough from fridge and continue with step 7.
7. Divide dough into 4 even portions. If you have a scale, each portion will be 400g.
8. With well-oiled hands, knead the dough until it forms a smooth ball. Do not add any additional flour!
9. Place dough balls on oiled tray or bowl, cover, and let sit in a warm place to proof.
10. Your dough is ready to cook with when it slowly springs back if poked.
11. Cover a provided pizza board with a thin layer of semolina. This prevents the dough from sticking to the board so it slides off easily when you put it in the oven.
12. Slowly start stretching the dough over your hands until it’s your desired size. Spread it on your pizza board, ensuring no dough is sticking to the wood.
12. Top with your fave ingredients + follow cooking instructions provided at the resort.

Voilà!