Issue Two - Summer 2008

a member of edible communities
edible Vancouver
the story on local food
issue two • high summer 2008
out of the sock drawer
overcoming restaurant anxiety
the heartbreak fruit
®
Contents
edible NOTES
3
edible SUMMER
4
What’s in season?
edible HEROES
8
edible gardens
9
Your backyard: a mini-farm?
edible ADVENTURE
10
The Sweetest Catch
12
Why is this tasty, local shrimp so hard to buy in BC?
by Jeff Nield
Overcoming Restaurant Anxiety
14
Green tables are easier on the digestion
by Debbra Mikaelsen
The Heartbreak Fruit
17
Tragedy and triumph in the coastal tomato garden
by Andrew Bose
Out of the Sock Drawer and into the Kitchen
20
Lavender is divine with chocolate, lemon, cheese and meat
by Joanne Will
field NOTES
24
To market, to market: direct sales from the farm by Michael Marrapese
edible eventS
25
Sustaining Body & Spirit
26
Finding meaning in BC’s small farms
Don’t use so much
that it tastes like
Grandma’s sock drawer.
Photo (above): Rolf Reynolds
Cover photo: Bambi Edlund
Other uncredited photos: Philip Solman
by Brian Harris
what the girls are drinking
28
what the boys are drinking
29
source guide: Where to find
30
finish
32
Letter from the Editor
edible Vancouver
Publisher
Philip Solman
Over three days in May we gave out thousands of copies of our premiere issue at the Eat!
Vancouver show. As soon as we said the words “local food” and “seasonal recipes” people
stopped in their tracks. It warmed the cold and clammy places in our hearts—really, it
did—to observe their expressions as we put it into their hands. With lit-up faces and widening eyes, they asked us time and time again: “Is this going to tell me where I can get local
produce?” and “Where can I buy sustainably caught seafood?” and “What am I supposed
to do with kale?”
A few people wanted to know why local food sometimes costs more than food that has
travelled halfway around the world. This is a simple question that has complex answers.
Part of the explanation is that consumers have not been paying the true cost of transporting
food huge distances. Another factor is that both land and labour are relatively expensive
in BC. But there’s one thing we’re sure about: most local producers are not getting rich;
almost every farmer we’ve met has a full-time job in addition to the rather demanding work
of running a farm. Now for the good news: most people we spoke to agree that it’s worth
paying a little more now to protect our local food systems—and our planet—for the future.
We see proof of this at the farmers’ markets every week.
This enthusiasm for eating locally fills me with optimism, because I think our priorities
are finally shifting. We are starting to care less about what Brad and Angelina are up to,
and more about what Alf (page 24) and Gigi (page 12) are up to. We’re ready to focus on
the things that actually matter, the things that sustain life. We are eager to connect again
with the simple pleasures of real food: shopping for it in season, asking where it came from,
taking the time to prepare it, and finally giving ourselves over to the sheer joy of eating it.
Have a delicious summer.
Debbra Mikaelsen
Editor
Editor
Debbra Mikaelsen
Art Director
Bambi Edlund
Contributors
Andrew Bose, Meeru Dhalwala, Bambi Edlund,
Daryl Egan, Brian Harris, Cecilia Leong,
Michael Marrapese, Debbra Mikaelsen,
Jeff Nield, Robert Olaj, Eric Pateman, Jenn
Pentland, Rolf Reynolds, Philip Solman,
Ben Sutton, Carole Topalian, Joanne Will
Mailing
1038 East 11th Avenue
Vancouver BC V5T 2G2
[email protected]
www.ediblevancouver.com
Advertising
Philip Solman
[email protected]
Phone: 604-215-1758
Letters
[email protected]
Edible Vancouver is published quarterly by Two
Spoons Media Inc. Subscription rate is $28 annually
($29.40 including GST) for delivery within Canada,
or $35.00 in Canadian funds for delivery to the U.S.
No part of this publication maybe be used without
written permission from the publisher. ©2008.
Every effort is made to avoid errors, misspellings
and omissions. If, however, an error comes to your
attention, please accept our sincere apologies
and notify us. Thank you.
Edible Vancouver is printed locally on 40%
post-consumer recycled paper (cover is 30%
post-consumer). Together, the result is:
28 trees left in the forest
2420 lbs net greenhouse gases prevented
10,044 gallons of wastewater flow saved
1290 lbs of solid waste not generated
19,000,000 BTUs of energy not consumed
2 | edible vancouver summer 2008
edible NOTES
Edible Who?
Go Slow
Understandably, there’s been a little confusion about Edible Vancouver and Edible British Columbia. Although we are entirely independent local companies, we are also like-minded allies who share
a first name and a passion for supporting the local food culture.
Edible BC is a retailer of fine products from all over the province.
They also organize culinary events like gourmet kayaking expeditions and chef-guided tours of food-famous neighbourhoods.
edible-britishcolumbia.com
The term Slow Food is more than a reaction against fast food culture;
it’s a celebration of food that is good, clean and fair. We’re lucky to
live in Metro Vancouver because we have two Slow Food convivia
who arrange gastro-spectacular events. In the last year alone members
and guests have partaken in gourmet sausage-making, chocolatetasting, cherry-blossom-biking and an artisan sake experience. The
Farm Cycle Tour is the Slow Food Vancouver event of the year and
is planned for Saturday, August 9th. Find out about it and other
culinary events at slowfoodvancouver.com and slowfoodlionsgate.
ca. And here’s a heads-up for foodies travelling down the coast for
Labour Day weekend: The inaugural Slow Food Nation event will
be held August 29-September 1st in San Francisco, bringing together
farmers and food artisans from all over the U.S. slowfoodnation.org
Edible Vancouver (you might have guessed) is a magazine (locally
owned, published and printed) that tells the story of local food. As
a member of the North America-wide Edible Communities family
(including Edible Toronto, Edible Seattle, etc.), our name was pretty
much a given. We’re delighted to feature seasonal recipes from Edible
BC’s Eric Pateman, while Edible BC is delighted to distribute Edible
Vancouver from their Granville Island shop. Sweet symbiosis!
Living History
If you’ve ever wondered what Vancouver gardeners might have grown
back in 1896 (10 years after our city incorporated, with a whopping
population of 1000), you can find out at VanDusen Gardens. The
Heirloom Vegetable Garden was planted for 2007, but the municipal strike kept it under wraps, so this year will be your first chance
to get close to more than 40 heirloom varieties, including Lemon
Cucumbers, French Breakfast Radishes and Brandywine Tomatoes.
Yum! The crop will be at its peak through August and September.
vandusengarden.org
Conservation Vacations
If you think summer holidays should be about more than beach
chairs and fruity cocktails, consider a Conservation Holiday with The
Land Conservancy of BC. Getaways range in length from a quick
weekend to six days, and provide you with opportunities to learn new
skills while connecting to the land and making a meaningful contribution. Delve into organic farming, bring in a fruit and vegetable
harvest, learn honey cultivation or restore sockeye spawning habitat
(the salmon really need your help!). Appropriate for all ages and skill
levels. More at conservancy.bc.ca/conservationholidays.
edible vancouver summer 2008 | 3
BARAGA Community Gardens, Burnaby BC
blueberries
Normally in the summer we consume blueberries with abandon. We
shovel them onto our breakfast granola, pour them into smoothies
and liberally heap them into deep-dish pies.
It sounds like there will be fewer than usual this year, and we will
ooze appreciation for every individual little berry that lands on our
tongue. The anticipated shortage is due in part to the cold, wet spring
(for most of us, inconvenient and depressing. For the farmer, potentially catastrophic). The other reason blueberry numbers are low is
that there have not been enough bees to pollinate all the crops.
A blueberry-less summer is too sad to contemplate, so we just
wanted to say thanks for hanging in there, blueberries. And thanks
for doing as much as you could, bees.
Blueberry facts:
They’re bursting with antioxidants and are thought to reduce the
risk of age-related diseases like Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s. A diet
rich in blueberries can also fend off cataracts, glaucoma, varicose
veins and many cancers. High in Vitamin C, they’re a good source
of fibre and Vitamin E too.
Tip: Growing your own? Blueberry bushes love coffee. Work a thin
layer of used-but-dry grounds into the soil under the branches.
Many cafés will be happy to give you their coffee grounds, and
most won’t insist that you share your berries.
edible summer:
what’s in season?
Apricots, artichokes, basil,
beets, blackberries, blueberries,
broccoli, carrots, cauliflower,
celery, cherries, cilantro, corn,
cucumber, dill, eggplant, garlic,
lavender, melons, nectarines,
oregano, peaches, plums,
peppers, raspberries, sardines,
side stripe shrimp, thyme,
tomatoes, zucchini, and more…
4 | edible vancouver summer 2008
How to Eat
Cherries
Sit in the garden with your best friend, a large
bowl of fresh cherries wedged between
you. Wear old shorts and a T-shirt you don’t
care about, and get competitive about how
far you can spit the pits. Close your
eyes in ecstasy as you suck every
bit of flesh off each cherry.
Then get ready. Draw the
pit toward the back of your
mouth, take a minute to
focus, and then catapult it
all the way to next week.
edible SUMMER
Indian Bruschetta with Paneer
from Meeru Dhalwala of Vij’s
barbecue
season
This is my Indian version of the classic Italian bruschetta, using
paneer in place of bocconcini, and cilantro instead of basil. It’s
perfect for relaxing on the deck with a glass of wine.
Organic steaks are searing and bison burgers ooze
artisan cheese. Wondering about other things to try
on the grill?
Paneer is India’s homemade cheese. Although you can buy it
in most Indian grocers, at home you can make preservativefree, organic paneer (recipe at ediblevancouver.com).
• Pizza: it gets a beautiful crisp texture and a subtle
smoky flavour. Use a special perforated pan,
available at cookware and some hardware stores.
If your paneer is firm enough, you don’t need a baguette and
can layer the tomato mixture right over your paneer slices.
• Portobello mushrooms: stuff with cheese, slather
with a mixture of pesto and mayonnaise, and cook
until soft and juicy, about 20 minutes. Stuff into a
Portuguese bun with the usual burger fixin’s.
½ cup olive oil
1 tsp black mustard seeds (optional)
2lbs (900g) BC organic red onions, sliced and then halved
4 to 6 cloves garlic (about 1 to 2 Tbsp finely chopped)
2lbs (900g) BC organic tomatoes, chopped
1 tsp turmeric
2 tsp salt
1 tsp cayenne pepper
½ to ¾ cup fresh cilantro, chopped
• Green beans: toss with a little garlicky oil and
some red pepper flakes. Use a grill basket so they
don’t fall into the flames.
• Slabs of angel food cake: place on a clean grill until
they get char marks. Serve with fresh raspberries
and ice cream.
• Peaches: halve a peach and remove the pit. Grill,
cut side down until warm and soft; drizzle with a
little maple syrup and serve.
1lb (450g) paneer
Heat the olive oil on medium heat for 1 minute. Add the
mustard seeds, stir and wait until you hear the first popping
sound. (This means the seeds have cooked through and
popping means that they are now burning.) Immediately add
the onions and sauté for 5 to 8 minutes, or until they have a
slight golden colour at the edges. Add garlic and sauté for 2
minutes. Stir in tomatoes. Add the turmeric, salt and cayenne
pepper. Stir well and sauté for 5 minutes or less; don’t let the
tomatoes get mushy. Remove from heat and add cilantro.
If your paneer is firm enough, cut it in bite-size slices. With
a tablespoon, ladle the tomato masala onto each slice and
serve.
If your paneer isn’t firm enough for cutting in stand-alone
slices, or you wish to serve with a baguette, either crumble
the paneer with your hands or chop it into small pieces. Grill or
toast slices of baguette. Spread some tomato masala on each
slice and then sprinkle paneer on top.
edible vancouver summer 2008 | 5
edible SUMMER
raspberries
Usually a deep red in colour, raspberries can also
be purple, black or golden. They’re related to
roses—but perhaps even more widely loved. When
properly ripe, they co-operate by sliding easily off
the core, leaving a hollow centre. Soft and delicate
in texture, both sweet and mildly tart in flavour,
they are gorgeous in pavlova, shortcake and puddings. They crush easily and will not take kindly
to being carried at the bottom of your grocery
bag, but if you accidentally squash a few they can
be used to make an exotic vinegar. If organically
grown, they will not need to be washed—and they
would much rather you didn’t bother.
Chilled Carrot Soup
Perfect for a light lunch on a scorching summer day.
1 Tbsp olive oil
½ Tbsp butter
1 white onion, diced
2 to 4 cloves garlic, minced
¾ to 1 tsp fresh-grated nutmeg
1 tsp dried dill (or 1 Tbsp fresh dill)
4 large or 7 medium carrots (about 450g), sliced into thin
pieces
3 cups vegetable stock
salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
1 cup plain yogurt
Heat olive oil and melt butter in a large pan. Add onion and cook
until soft, then add garlic, nutmeg and dill, stirring. Add carrots
and cook for a few minutes, then add stock. Cover and bring
to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer and cook until carrots
are very soft (about 30 to 40 minutes). Add salt and pepper to
taste. Let cool, then puree until smooth. Stir in the yogurt and
chill for a couple of hours in the fridge. Serve with a little swirl
of yogurt, a sprig of fresh dill, and a little more nutmeg.
6 | edible vancouver summer 2008
edible SUMMER
Carole Topalian photo
tomatoes
Attacked by Tomatoes?
Tomato Tips
It happens. You bite into a firm, ripe tomato, and a little squirt
of juice, sometimes an entire seed, lands smack on your favourite
shirt. The chances of this occurring are in direct proportion to the
whiteness or newness of the garment. What to do? Wet it with
cold water, no soap. There will still be a tomato-coloured spot.
Then you hang it in the sun to dry, and presto! It will disappear.
(If it doesn’t, wet the mark and hang it out again. Stubborn stains
might take three attempts, but most will vanish.) Tomatoes and
sun: made for each other.
• Don’t keep the poor things in the fridge. They like warmth; let
them bask in the fruit bowl.
• If you only need half a tomato, just pop the other half straight
into your mouth with a little salt. To store a cut tomato is to
offend its tomato-ness.
• Wondrous things happen when tomatoes cozy up next to mayonnaise. Remember this when building sandwiches.
Scallop Carpaccio
from Eric Pateman, Edible BC
The firm and succulent texture of these plump sea scallops
makes them a favourite of many chefs, and a popular local
alternative to the eastern Digby scallops. This perfect appetizer takes only a few minutes to prepare.
Serves 8
8 Qualicum Bay Scallops, frozen (available at Finest At Sea
and Seafood City)
8 Tbsp Dundarave Lemon Olive Oil
4 fresh limes
1 Tbsp smoked sea salt (like the one from C)
4 fresh shiso* leaves, julienne
Please note that all measurements are approximate, as all
good chefs improvise based on their mood at the moment.
Partially thaw scallops and then slice into very thin disks using
a sharp knife. Then let scallops finish thawing completely.
Once thawed, place 5 or 6 pieces on eight serving plates in an
attractive pattern.
Pour 1 tablespoon olive oil over each arrangement of scallops.
Squeeze the juice of half a lime over each and top with a pinch
of smoked sea salt.
Scatter the julienne of shiso leaves over scallops and serve
immediately.
*Shiso is a Japanese herb related to basil and mint, and can be
found at Fujiya, South China Seas and most Asian markets.
edible vancouver summer 2008 | 7
edible HEROES
matchmaker, matchmaker
too much information. “The most important question,” she says,
“is whether the wine is delicious.” If you’re serious about wine, she
can introduce you to some exceptional bottles. But if this is just
a casual flirtation and you don’t want to spend a lot, she’s just as
happy to recommend uncomplicated, easy-drinking wines that are
reasonably priced.
Unlike many of us, Allison has enjoyed wine since her very first sip.
Also unlike many of us, she developed standards early. Her friends
used to pool their pocket change to share a five-dollar bottle of
Lonesome Charlie, but Allison gracefully declined and saved up for
her own bottle of Blue Nun instead. Now she’s found the ideal job
for someone who loves tasting wine, talking about wine, learning
about wine and sending the perfect wines home with appreciative
customers.
Lots of people make an art of pairing wine with food, but Allison
Johnson makes an art of pairing wine with people. Mud Bay
Wines, the VQA wine store where she works, sells some 450 different wines, and Allison is on intimate terms with most of them. So if
you’ve yet to meet a BC wine that gives you the same thrill as your
favourite sexy import, ask Allison for help.
She considers herself personal sommelier to a number of regular
customers, but she’s no cellar snob and won’t overwhelm you with
Organic and
naturally-raised
meats; hand-made
sausages and
charcuterie; custom
cuts and special
orders welcome.
OPEN 6 DAYS A WEEK (CLOSED SUNDAYS)
2425 MARINE DR, WEST VANCOUVER T 604-925-1636
WWW. SEB A STIAN AN DCO.CA
8 | edible vancouver summer 2008
Like all good matchmakers, Allison will ask for information about
you and what you like before recommending your happily-everafter. Dry or off-dry? Light and crisp, or full-bodied and packing a
lot of flavour? Based on your answers she’ll suggest a few options.
The formula has proven successful; the majority of her first-time
customers rave about her picks and come back for more. Count
Edible Vancouver’s editor among them; to date she’s been set up
with three whites and a red, all wines that she’d love to date a second
time. Mud Bay Wines, 1227–56th Street, Tsawwassen
Carole Topalian photo
edible gardens
YOUR BACKYARD: A MINI-FARM?
Whether you’re a master gardener, a newbie, or just someone
with big, leafy, green plans, there’s a method that could make a
big difference to your soil’s productivity. Last February, a few eager
Salt Spring Island green thumbs attended a workshop with John
Jeavons, who encourages “backyard mini-farming” by teaching a
method called biointensive gardening. Far from new, it’s based on
principles that go back thousands of years.
Admittedly, you’ll need a fair bit of human energy in the form of
double-digging labour for the first intensive soil preparation. But
after the initial digging is done, the resulting nutrient-rich soil will
reduce the work of weeding, thinning, pest control and cultivation (presumably why the raised beds are known as “lazy beds” in
Ireland). According to Jeavons, a 100-square-foot bed can be maintained in less than ten minutes a day.
Sadly, Jeavons lives in California, and although he often takes his workshops on the road, we don’t know when he’ll next be in BC. However,
his book, How to Grow More Vegetables * than you ever thought possible
on less land than you can imagine is an extremely detailed, beginnerfriendly manual. Even better, you can borrow it from the Vancouver
Public Library before investing in your own copy.
Learn more about John Jeavons at johnjeavons.info. You can also
find out about the workshops and the non-profit group Ecology
Action at growbiointensive.org. How to Grow More Vegetables
* than you ever thought possible on less land than you can imagine
(2006) is published by Ten Speed Press.
The biointensive method is an organic approach, based on biodynamic principles such as deep soil preparation, composting, close
plant spacing and companion planting. It’s intended for areas that
aren’t obviously agricultural, making it ideal for questionable soil,
steep terrain and neglected corners of the urban landscape. Jeavons
says that the resulting crops yield, on average, between four and six
times what typical commercial agricultural methods could produce
on a plot of the same size. What’s more, the method requires
• about half the amount of water, or less
• half the fertilizer
• and roughly 1% of the energy
edible vancouver summer 2008 | 9
edible ADVENTURE
Crescent Beach
Getaway
Are rising fuel prices frustrating your summer wanderlust? If that
European holiday is out of reach, think about a daytrip within your
own backyard.
Crescent Beach is a small seaside village close to White Rock, but its
quiet pace feels a world apart from the summer chaos of those more
frequented beaches. It has dug in its heels and managed to preserve
much of the original charm of its heritage homes and beachfront
cottages. This little gem is a great place for gelato-tasting, a family
picnic, a splash in the ocean, or a cycling excursion.
From the 99 South you’ll take the first White Rock exit, King
George Highway. Bear right, following signs for Crescent Beach
that take you over a narrow bridge to Crescent Road, a tree-lined,
single-lane road with a bicycle lane on the shoulder. Along the way
you can time-travel back to 1894 at Elgin Heritage Park and the
Historic Stewart Farm, where costumed staff still do their tea-party
baking in the Victorian farmhouse’s old woodstove. In the organic
kitchen garden, seeds are saved to preserve varieties that would otherwise become extinct, providing a great opportunity to educate
kids about biodiversity.
10 | edible vancouver summer 2008
big heart.
small footprint.
fair trade certified
certified organic
carbon neutral
green facility
locally roasted
Continue along Crescent Road to the intersection of 128th Street.
If you need picnic ingredients, take a right to Fieldstone bakery
and fill your basket with gorgeous, organic-flour breads, ooh-la-la
savoury tarts or baguette sandwiches. Once you’re back on Crescent
Road you can follow it right into the village. If an energetic swim
or a stroll along the beach works up a bigger appetite, you’ll find
everything from fresh fish and chips to healthy vegan sandwiches or
sophisticated bistro fare.
ethicalbean.com 604.431.3830
Historic Stewart Farm, 13723 Crescent Road
Fieldstone Artisan Breads, #2–12823 Crescent Road
edible vancouver summer 2008 | 11
The Sweetest Catch
By Jeff Nield
Daryl Egan photo
Why is this tasty,
local shrimp so hard
to buy in BC?
Gigi Egan is excited about shrimp. A famously sweet and tender
shrimp that is abundant in BC waters, yet perplexingly hard to find
in our supermarkets and restaurants. “Side stripe shrimp are relatively unknown,” she says, wrapping a customer’s order in newspaper to keep the fish frozen. The flesh of the side stripe is a delicacy
in Japan, where most of BC’s catch is exported and served as Ama
Ebi (sweet shrimp). “To buy side stripes in BC, typically you have
to go down to the docks or know a shrimp fisherman.”
Why are side stripes so hard to get? Once caught, shrimp travel
distances that defy all logic. Egan says that nearly 87% of all shrimp
purchased in North America are imported from Asia, despite the
abundance of our own catch. “Ironically, we harvest an amazing
shrimp in BC and it’s shipped overseas. Go figure.”
Side stripes have a fairly long season that runs from June through
March, but with a little determination you can find the elusive
shrimps year-round, both direct from the boats and at specialty
12 | edible vancouver summer 2008
seafood stores. “In season we have side stripes available fresh,” says
Jordan McLean, sous-chef for Finest at Sea Seafood Boutique and
Bistro. “In the winter we’re selling the ones that were frozen at sea.”
(Consumers are beginning to understand what sashimi chefs have
always known: freezing seafood minutes after it’s hauled on board
retains its flavour.) Although sometimes called prawns, side stripes
are herbivores, and therefore shrimp. Less meaty than their spot
prawn cousins, they have tender flesh and a sweet flavour. “They’re
nice in Thai dishes,” says McLean. “They go well with lemongrass
and a sweeter flavour profile.”
Like many other shrimp and prawn species, side-stripes have an
interesting sex life: they’re protandrous hermaphrodites, starting their lives as males and after two years changing into females.
Therefore the biggest shrimp are females, and fresh product is
sometimes laden with roe, which is considered a delicacy by the
Japanese market.
BC consumers tend to be less fond of roe, and heads, and shells—
that’s probably why our supermarkets are full of farmed, imported
shrimp that come pre-cleaned and ready to eat. Here, buying shrimp
generally means choosing convenience at the expense of flavour.
Admittedly, using fresh or frozen-at-sea shrimp can take a bit more
effort to prepare, but the difference in flavour is more than worth
Jenn Pentland photo
the trouble. When the Iron Maiden is at sea, the crew often indulge
in a simple pleasure. “We row to the beach, put the side stripes on
a stick and cook them over the campfire,” says Egan.
Although the side stripe population is abundant, traditional shrimp
fishing methods have been disruptive to other sea life. “Side stripes
are a good choice, but not a best choice,” says Mike McDermid,
coordinator of Ocean Wise, a Vancouver Aquarium program that
aims to educate consumers about local and sustainable seafood
choices. “One big issue with shrimp is that they’re typically bottom
trawled,” says McDermid, referring to a net that scrapes the ocean
floor. “The trawl tracks right through the mud and the sand and can
trawl through at depths of six inches to a foot,” explains McDermid. Although to the naked eye there isn’t much on a sandy ocean
floor, animals like sea pens and sea whips that grow out through
the sand are pulled out and displaced, along with other species like
crabs and clams.
One of seven commercially fished shrimp species in BC, side
stripes are caught all along the coast by a fleet of about 100 active
boats. The fishery took it upon themselves to develop a trawl net
that reduces by-catch. When coupled with a slow boat speed, it
allows vulnerable species to escape the net. “Ninety-eight and a half
percent of what we pull in is shrimp,” explains Egan.
McDermid gives credit to the shrimp fishermen for decreasing
by-catch and working towards making the side stripe catch more
sustainable. “Nobody is aware of the issues more than the fisheries
themselves,” he says. “They are very active in making their fishery
the best choice possible.” McDermid points to a strict management plan, with variable opening times as positive steps the fishery
has taken. He suggests that the shrimp fleet considers introducing
tickler chains to keep the trawl off the sea-bed, where it disturbs
other species that live and feed in the sandy bottom. The chains
have been introduced in other shrimp fisheries around the world
with great success by “scaring up” the shrimp from the ocean floor.
Side stripe shrimp are a perfect example of a locally available
product that has an untapped local market. Brokers and the larger
fleets have stable markets overseas, yet our local supermarkets are
stocked with cheap, farmed import. Luckily, there are dedicated
fishermen who sell direct to consumers. And while McDermid
works to recommend the very best option, he does recognize that
seafood choices like side stripes have the potential to become more
sustainable. Acknowledging this potential he says, “It’s a great local
option.”
Jeff Nield lives and eats in Vancouver. He’s trying to consume as much
local seafood as possible to save it from being exported
• Visit our student-run Saturday markets: June to
October
• Organically-grown veggies, fruits, eggs, honey,
andmore,straightfromthefield!
• Find out how you can help create a future for
Vancouver’s last working farm
edible vancouver summer 2008 | 13
Overcoming
Restaurant Anxiety
By Debbra Mikaelsen
Green tables are
easier on the digestion
André LaRivière has me feeling good about restaurants again. Let’s
clarify; it isn’t that I ever actually lost my enthusiasm for having
magnificent meals prepared, beautifully plated, and cleaned up by
someone else. But restaurant-dining is complicated. (Or maybe I’m
just complicated.)
Do I know that those fluffy golden omelettes are made with eggs
from happy chickens? Or that this tuna was caught—locally—
without harming dolphins? The restaurant industry has traditionally been associated with environmental impact of the unfriendly
kind, transporting huge quantities of food all over the world and
generating a fair bit of waste. And short of actually following the
busboy into the kitchen, how can I be sure that the café of my
choice even composts its food scraps? It may be pathetic to let such
things consume me, but still. They often do.
So when André describes the ultimate Vancouver restaurant, it sounds
so good that even as I listen, I’ve got one hand on the phone to make
a reservation. As a former food journalist, André knows a lot about
restaurants, and this one meets his exacting green standards.
14 | edible vancouver summer 2008
It’s called The Utopian. The distinctive blue-green walls are actually solar panels that fuel the kitchen’s energy-efficient induction
cookers and provide most of The Utopian’s power. The seasonal
menu is predominantly vegetarian, but has a small selection of eggs
from happy chickens, sustainably caught seafoods and humanelyraised meats from a local farm. Fresh produce comes from the
organic roof garden, nearby farms and community agriculture programs, and the chefs preserve each season’s bounty, stuffing beans,
tomatoes, beets and cherries into mason jars that will last through
the winter. Rows and rows of preserves line the walls of an underground pantry that would make my mother proud, and a cold
room reduces the need for power-hungry refrigeration.
I’ll have to wait a while for that reservation. The Utopian does not
yet exist, but a growing number of eating establishments, collectively known as the Green Table Network, are bringing their own
kitchens closer to its model, and bringing the word restaurant closer
to its root: restorative. “In 18th century Paris, the restaurateur’s
table was a meeting place for those hungry for change. Perhaps it
can be again,” says André.
André saw a problem in need of a solution, and brought together
these knights of the Green Table in an effort to make dining out
easier on planet earth. “I don’t want to be the green police,” he says.
“I’m not here to tell them how to run their businesses, but I want
The restaurateur’s table
was a meeting place for
those hungry for change.
to give them value.” Members range from Granville Island food
court vendor Curry 2 U to some of the finest rooms in the city,
like Bishop’s, Vij’s and West. The Network has spread to Whistler
and Vancouver Island—and to the corporate world: Telus recently
approached André about working with their caterers to make all of
their cafeterias more sustainable. “We want to work with organizations of that size,” he says, “because every little step they take will
make a big impact.”
When he first developed the plan for the Green Table Network,
André turned to Raincity Grill’s owner Harry Kambolis, and
Andrea Carlson (chef at the time) for ideas. Now André and his
staff audit members for performance and award points for improvement in the areas of waste reduction, sustainable purchasing, pollution prevention, energy and water usage. Many of the changes
made actually reduce the business’s operating costs.
As an idea, it all sounds worthy, but is the Green Table actually
making a measurable difference? Yes. One of the more notable
examples is O’Doul’s in The Listel Hotel. They recently updated to
renewable solar energy and a heat-recovery system that will drastically reduce their carbon emissions. That’s a serious undertaking
and it required an investment of nearly $300,000, but even smaller
steps add up. The average establishment can annually put more
than 5 tonnes of organic waste into compost instead of landfill,
reduce greenhouse gas impact by 10 tonnes, and make substantial
reductions to their electricity, natural gas and water usage. Multiply
this by a quickly growing member list that already numbers almost
70 restaurants, and the math will tell the story: the Green Table
Network is making genuine, positive change.
If you’re hungry for fresh dialogue, that’s The Utopian’s house
special. All diners would be welcome to enjoy a quiet meal on their
own, but André encourages them to take a seat at the community
table and satisfy their thirst for connecting with like minds. “It’s a
very nourishing experience,” he says.
The concept is one that I find easy to digest, and I’ll take the first
table available when The Utopian opens its doors. Until it does, I’ll
be checking greentable.net for listed members before I head out
for a meal.
Debbra Mikaelsen is a freelance writer and editor. She sincerely apologizes to the many waiters she has already exasperated with requests for
humanely raised carrots and rants about patio heaters.
Back to The Utopian. This restaurant is André’s fantasy, the fromscratch project where a client says, “Help me build the greenest,
most sustainable restaurant imaginable. Let’s make it ultra-modern,
yet warm and welcoming. Let’s inspire restaurateurs and designers
all over the world.”
Nothing would ever be wasted. “All vegetable trimmings and food
scraps would go into the odour-proof, in-vessel composter down
the lane that we share with our neighbours on the block.” Even the
heat from the dishwasher’s hot water would be captured and reused,
reducing heating costs. All containers would be made from glass or
other recyclable materials, and would be refilled wherever possible.
edible vancouver summer 2008 | 15
IF THIS WINE WERE HUMAN,
IT WOULD TAKE A CLEAR,
STARLIT SKY
OVER DIAMONDS ANY DAY.
OKANAGAN VALLEY
BRITISH COLUMBIA
This wine isn’t human, but
you are. With our colourcoded labels and Stelvin
twist-off tops it’s easy to
enjoy the Tinhorn Creek
wine that goes best with
the moment. We promise
that every bottle of
Tinhorn Creek you open
will be as satisfying as the
last—an important thing
to us humans.
Proud to be a Conservation Partner of The Land
Conservancy as a result of our multifaceted
approach to protecting the environment.
16 | edible vancouver summer 2008
The
Heartbreak
Fruit
By Andrew Bose
Robert Olaj photo
Tragedy and triumph in
the coastal tomato garden
The tomato is the pop star of the vegetable world—perhaps because
botanically speaking, it’s actually a fruit. Just go to any farmers’
market at summer’s end and you’ll see a lineup of groupies, jostling
for a chance to get close and personal to this sexy sun-lover.
When first introduced to Europe from Central America, they were
most likely yellow in colour. Named pomi d’oro (golden apple) in
Italian, pome dei Moro (Moor’s apple) in Spanish, and later corrupted to pomme d’amour (love apple) in French, the tomato was
embraced with zest and relish by Mediterraneans, who must have
recognized its sex appeal at first sight. It rapidly developed a farreaching reputation as an aphrodisiac. Call me strange, but there
is something intoxicating about the smell of the plant’s green parts
when brushed or bruised. Try it for yourself the next time you’re at
a nursery—but don’t be surprised if someone promptly escorts you
off the premises.
The tomato’s popularity hasn’t always been universal. Whether
due to puritanical prejudice or botanical associations with its more
deadly nightshade cousins, Northern Europeans remained cool on
the fruit for a very long time. Lingering doubts about the safety
of the tomato persisted into the colonies of North America, but
were allegedly put to rest in 1820, when a Colonel Robert Gibbon
Johnson ate a bushel of tomatoes in front of the Boston courthouse.
The story goes that thousands of spectators turned out to watch the
colonel die from eating the poisonous fruits, only to be shocked
and amazed to see him survive the ordeal.
By the 1830s the tomato’s reputation had turned 180 degrees. It
became an important ingredient in the many patent medicines of
the day and was viewed as a health tonic of sorts. In 1858, a U.S.
seed merchant named Buist commented that:
“there is no vegetable on the catalogue that has obtained such popularity in so short a period as the one now under consideration. In
1828-29, it was almost detested; in ten years most every variety of
pill and panacea was extract of tomato. It now occupies as great
a surface of ground as cabbage, and is cultivated the length and
breadth of the country.”
The popularity of tomatoes in North America grew steadily in the
late 18th and early 19th centuries, propelling them to superstar
status by the 1920s with the introduction of commercial canning
and processing, yielding the famous (or infamous) Campbell’s
Cream of Tomato soup.
edible vancouver summer 2008 | 17
This is one sexy fruit that
has broken many a heart.
Robert Olaj photo
late August or early September, just when our tomatoes are crying
out for hot, dry conditions to complete their ripening, can result in
bushels of under-ripe fruit, or worse, fungal blight. Last year over
90% of my tomatoes stood me up, refusing to ripen to a juicy red
while sulking in their immature apple-green state under a perpetual
blanket of cloud and precipitation. While fun to do and worth the
effort, growing tomatoes definitely requires more persistence and
understanding than first meets the eye.
Tomato plants are naturally self-pollinating and tend toward genetic
stability after many generations of cultivation, with seeds producing plants that resemble their parents. As a result, early cultivars did
not change much and thrived in a community for long periods of
time, thus earning the term Heirlooms. Many of the best Heirloom
cultivars were developed in Europe over several hundred years, and
are still grown today in a spectacular array of colours, sizes and
shapes. With the rise in the tomato’s popularity, more intensive
breeding for particular traits eventually led to hybridization by the
1880s. Sadly, we couldn’t leave a good thing alone. Further breeding efforts tended to focus on uniformity, crop yield and durability,
all at the expense of flavour.
I am lucky enough to live in East Vancouver, where immigrant
Italian and Portuguese home gardeners abound. If you have access
to such knowledgeable gardeners, I encourage you to ask for their
advice. I’m sure it will be gladly offered and highly useful. Based
on feedback gleaned from many an over-the-fence conversation, I
would stress the following pointers: start your seeds early indoors,
don’t rush to plant out seedlings until the nights are warm (above
10º C), plant transplants deeply, water and feed well (tomatoes, like
most pop stars, are greedy), and most importantly, have an action
plan to tarp up your plants in the event of rain come August or
September. If you don’t, you will likely get blight, a fungal plant
disease, on your fruit and in your soil. Once in the soil, the blight
will persist for years, attacking future crops with a sickly purplish
rot just when the fruit is about to ripen. And lastly, remember that
even green tomatoes, as long as they have a tinge of yellow, will
eventually ripen if left in a coolish, dark spot such as a basement,
for a couple of weeks.
Fast forward to today. If you want the perfect tomato you will of
course avoid the picked-while-green, ethylene-gassed supermarket
fruit and its upscale cousin, the vine-ripened hothouse hybrid.
Instead you will head on down to your local farmers’ market, vegetable stand or organic grocery store to seek out local, in-season,
vine-ripened, heritage tomatoes.
Or you can try and grow your own. But a word of caution, this is
one sexy fruit that has broken many a heart. I speak from personal
experience. Living and growing in coastal BC, our growing season
is short, and our cool and frequently moist climate can be inhospitable to this native of Central and South America. Wet weather in
18 | edible vancouver summer 2008
Robert Olaj photo
Growing tomatoes can be very rewarding. It brings the grower
into a closer relationship with the environment, the plant, other
tomato growers and food in general. And whether you grow or buy
tomatoes this year, don’t forget to can some, so you can savour that
sweet, sexy taste of summer all year round.
Andrew Bose lives in a patch of Vancouver, usually containing a patch
of tomatoes, a patch of rhubarb and more rarely, a patch of pumpkins.
Here’s a recipe to help you use up those end-of-the-season green
tomatoes. For Fried Green Tomatoes and Green Tomato Mincemeat, go to ediblevancouver.com.
SPCA Certified:
Eat Locally, Choose Ethically
At the BC SPCA, we put farm animal welfare at the top of our
list by certifying farms that meet our high standards of humane
care.
Put SPCA Certified foods at the top of your grocery list and
support local farmers who care.
Cage-Free Eggs
Specialty Meats
Artisan Cheeses
For a list of retail & farmgate stores visit:
SPAGHETTI WITH GREEN TOMATOES AND MINT
From Andrew Bose
www.spca.bc.ca/farm
BCSPCA
¼ cup fresh mint leaves
¼ cup fresh basil leaves
¼ cup fresh parsley leaves
¼ cup baby spinach or arugula
6 medium green tomatoes, stem and core removed, chopped
roughly
2 cloves garlic, finely diced
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
450g dried spaghetti
Grated Asiago or Parmesan Cheese to garnish
Wash herbs and combine with garlic, green tomatoes and olive
oil in a food processor. Process to a chunky salsa consistency.
Boil pasta in salted water for 2 minutes less than the cooking
time stated on the package. Just before draining, set aside
one cup of the hot cooking water. While the pasta is draining,
bring the sauce to a boil in a large heavy-bottomed pot. Add the
cooked and drained pasta to the hot sauce and gently mix.
On medium heat, cook for one minute, adding as much or as
little of the cooking water to the pasta to keep the sauce a thick,
moist consistency. Serve immediately with grated cheese.
edible vancouver summer 2008 | 19
Out of the Sock Drawer
and into the Kitchen
by Joanne Will
Lavender is divine
with chocolate, lemon,
cheese and meat
In case you haven’t heard, here’s a culinary newsflash: lavender isn’t
just for bath time. You may know lavender as part of the mix in
herbes de provence—along with rosemary, basil, marjoram and
thyme—but it also sits pretty (and tastes great) in dishes from
cheesecake to quiche, and even martinis.
“When people think lavender, they usually think soap, candles, and
aromatherapy,” says Lynda Dowling, who along with her husband
Michael has been growing culinary lavender since 1987 at Happy
Valley Lavender and Herb Farm on Vancouver Island. “But lavender
goes well with chocolate and lemon, and it’s also great as a savoury,
with cheese or meat. You don’t want the flavour to leap out; you
20 | edible vancouver summer 2008
want it to entice you, to be subtle, so start with a small amount. You
can even grind it if you want the flavour of the buds but not the
texture. And remember—dried is always stronger than fresh.”
“I didn’t choose lavender; it chose me,” says Lynda. “My elderly
neighbour was moving, so she dug up her giant lavender plant and
brought it to my doorstep. It was January, and even though the
books tell you to make cuttings in the fall, I made 500 from that
one block. It was just contagious from there.”
On land that was once her grandmother’s goat farm, the Dowlings
grow Munstead and Hidcote, two varieties often used for culinary
purposes. “Back when we started, no one was crazy enough to farm
lavender outside of Provence or Tasmania.” In 1993, around the
time the culinary craze for edible flowers and herbs began, Lynda
was taking her produce, including lavender, to hotels and restaurants in Victoria. “Like Alice in Wonderland, I felt like putting a
sign that said “Try Me!” on the products in my basket.”
FarmFolk/CityFolk
presents
Incredible
Edible
Tours 2008
Tours include:
• Transportation from/
to Vancouver
• Interesting & Fun
Tour Guide
• 3 In-depth Farm Tours
• Regional, Seasonal
Lunch
• Farm Gate-Sales
Opportunities
Tickets $80
Phone 604 730-0450
www.farmfolkcityfolk.ca
Sacred Mountain Lavender Farm, Ben Sutton photo
Lavender typically blooms in mid-June. “It’s a lot of work, but it’s
worth it for the three weeks of bloom each year, when you really do
get to wear a long white dress and wander romantically through the
fields,” says Lynda. During a day or two in July, depending on the
year, as many as 75 people help harvest lavender at Happy Valley.
“By the end of the day, the harvesters have been exposed to so much
beautiful aroma they seem to just float out of the field.”
Fresh and dried lavender by the pound, as well as plants and products, are available at the Happy Valley farm store. “I arrange tours
for people, but I make it clear to those who don’t realize it’s a
crop—if they come expecting romantic purple fields year round,
they’ll be disappointed.”
FFCFadEdibleJune.indd 1
Chefs who use lavender from Happy Valley include David Feys,
who owns Feys and Hobbs Catered Arts Inc. in Victoria. David,
whose resumé includes five years as a chef at Sooke Harbour House,
True Farm to Table Dining
2579 West Shore Dr., Lummi Island
888.294.2620 www.willows-inn.com
1007 Harris Ave, Bellingham
Open 4:30pm daily
360.647.2801 www.foolsonion.com
119 North Commercial St., Bellingham
360.676.1307
www.nimbusrestaurant.com
When you
visit Bellingham
and Lummi
Island in
Washington
State – enjoy
fresh, organic
and local
ingredients
at these
establishments.
edible vancouver summer 2008 | 21
uses lavender in a myriad of dishes: with lamb, for curing halibut, to
pickle cherries, and in sugar cookies and jams. “Don’t use so much
that it tastes like Grandma’s sock drawer. When you just smell it,
and it’s pleasant, that’s the right amount.” Another tip from David:
lavender, lime and pepper go well together; he says lime (or lemon)
balances the perfume.
At the foothill of Mount Tuam on Salt Spring Island is Sacred
Mountain Lavender. “One day a hitchhiker told us we live on ‘the
sacred mountain’ and that’s how we named our farm. Mount Tuam
is home to a Shinto Temple, a budding monastery, and it’s also full
of quartz crystal,” says Jacqueline Sutton. She and her husband Ben
planted two acres of organic lavender there in 2001, and moved
from Vancouver in 2002. In addition to Munstead, the Suttons
grow another variety of English Lavender called Folgate. “We love
its bright blue colour; it looks great on food—especially in whipping cream, or sprinkled on fruit salad in the summer.”
Until you try some yourself, you’ll have to take my word that Sacred
Mountain lavender is divine, along with other herbes de provence,
in Jacqueline’s omelettes (made using eggs from Sacred Mountain’s
resident hens), sprinkled in salads dressed with her champagne lavender vinegar, and in the to-die-for lavender brownies she often
serves for dessert (although she and her daughter admitted to eating
them for breakfast the day I dropped by).
Until October, you can take a self-guided tour at Sacred Mountain. “People can sit on the benches and listen to the symphony of
wild bees—there are 3,000 plants, and eight bees per plant,” says
Jacqueline, who is also a psychotherapist. You can buy products
like lavender sugar, herbes de provence and lavender florets in their
farm store. In the summer, they’re also at the Salt Spring Saturday
Market in Ganges.
Like Happy Valley Lavender and Herb Farm near Victoria, Sacred
Mountain hosts a festival each year when the lavender is in bloom.
If you’ve ever wanted to run through fields of purple wearing a long
white dress (or anything else), there’s your chance.
Sacred Mountain Lavender Farm, Ben Sutton photo
Cheese and Lavender Pepper Scones
from Cecilia Leong, Edible BC
Serve these savoury scones with a bowl of soup, or use
them to make an extraordinarily tasty sandwich with ham
and mustard. Makes 16 scones.
2 cups all purpose flour, plus a little more for dusting
2 Tbsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
1 Tbsp sugar
½ cup very cold unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
1 cup cold half & half
¼ cup grated parmesan cheese
¼ cup grated cheddar cheese
2 Tbsp lavender pepper (like the one from Maison Cote**)
Preheat oven to 400ºF.
Sift together flour, baking powder, salt, sugar into a large
bowl. Add both cheeses and lavender pepper and mix
together well.
Cut the cold butter into the flour with a pastry cutter, until
the butter pieces are the size of small peas.
Add the cold half & half and mix together with a wooden
spoon, just until combined. Do NOT over-mix!
Divide the dough into 4 equal pieces and roll out each into
an 8-inch log. Roll each log onto a lightly floured surface to
a 1½-inch thickness. Cut each into 4 equal squares. Repeat
with the other 3 pieces of dough.
Joanne Will lives in Vancouver. She recently found a lavender sachet at the
bottom of her sock drawer and thought it smelled good enough to eat.
Place the squares onto ungreased baking sheets and bake
for 16–18 minutes until lightly golden brown and puffy.
Like the sound of Lavender Crème Brûlée or Lavender Chocolate
Chip Cookies? Visit ediblevancouver.com
**available at Edible BC
22 | edible vancouver summer 2008
edible vancouver summer 2008 | 23
field NOTES
To Market, To Market:
Direct Sales from the Farm
By Michael Marrapese
I hold a romantic view of the farmer down the road who raises a
few chickens and grows some vegetables, then sells eggs and seasonal produce to neighbours who drop by. Yet even though this still
happens, many BC farmers have moved away from gate sales as a
major source of income.
Driving through south Richmond or along the Fraser Valley’s secondary roads, you’ll still see roadside signs offering eggs, vegetables,
berries and other seasonal specialties. But farmers are looking for
innovative new ways to reach customers. Harold Steves of Steveston
Stock and Seed Farm recently added a new twist to gate sales:
marketing his grass-fed beef over the internet. While he only has
product for sale during the fall, he can take orders all year through
his website. “We will be going to the Steveston Market and setting
up a booth there in the summer,” he says, “and we’ll just give out
flyers and take orders.”
In order to have gate sales in a large enough volume to make a
living, farmers find themselves in a dizzying morass of health regulations, marketing board quotas and zoning bylaws. Alf Kraus of
Kraus Berry Farm has developed his farm into a destination for gate
sales with a combination of long-season berry crops, an on-farm
store and concession stand, kids’ play area and plenty of parking.
24 | edible vancouver summer 2008
Carole Topalian photo
He’s keenly aware of the challenges of farming in this peri-urban
landscape, but thinks that meeting them head-on is the only way
to succeed. “In some ways I’d like to be more like the old prairie
farmer,” he reflects. “You know, seed, harvest, and then be done. It’s
not like that anymore. In order for agriculture to survive it needs
to diversify, and it needs to be going directly to the consumer. Our
biggest issue here in the valley is land prices. Land costs drive up the
cost of production. The way to survive is by staying local, and 99%
of our product is sold locally.”
The BC Farm Fresh Guide lists nine farmers’ markets, 28 farms
and an array of specialty producers. Opening farm gates to the
public seems like it could be the best way to sell your produce,
but gate sales are problematic for a few reasons. “You can forget
about having any semblance of a personal life once you open your
farm to the public,” says Susan Davidson of Glorious Organics.
She also feels that gate sales make even less sense in the context of
fossil fuel and climate change. Selling direct to restaurants allows
her company to harvest only what has been ordered, so they don’t
waste all the value-added labour, the packaging and the shipping
costs for goods that go unsold.
Jordan Sturdy of Sturdy’s North Arm Farm also notes that having
product harvested, cleaned and prepared for gate sale involves a
significant investment in labour. And that product just might end
up in the compost. “Picked berries, after the second day on the
shelf, pretty much have to be tossed. I found myself saying ‘Man,
I just fed $80 worth of berries to the pig.’ I needed a better plan.”
Sturdy started his farming business fifteen years ago, with a sheet of
plywood on a couple of sawhorses, a spray-painted sign on the road
and a jar for change. That roadside stand has developed into an
on-farm store and processing facility with a substantial crew of shop
employees and field hands. But even with this infrastructure, he
can’t see how to make a living on gate sales alone. Today, about 60%
of his produce is sold directly to restaurants in Vancouver. Having
a direct relationship with chefs gives him a better sense of what to
plant, how much to harvest and what kind of price to expect.
Glorious Organics has a broader context than just income. Selling
an artisanal product to white-table restaurants does allow them
to get top dollar for their high-quality, certified organic produce,
but their business philosophy goes further than that. “Originally,”
recalls Davidson, “one of our goals was to create employment on
the farm, and we could add value to what we were able to grow on
a marginal piece of land by preparing it, taking a lot of the preparation out of the restaurant kitchen and moving it to the farm. That
matched our intention of sending as little as possible of the bio mass
off the farm.” All the stalks, trimmings and product returned from
market become nutrients for the fields in the form of compost—a
return that isn’t possible when selling to wholesalers and retailers.
In the late 1970s and early ‘80s, farmers were trying to survive, and the
main issue was “How can we develop local markets for our product?
Where are the local eaters?” Now the local market is clamouring for
their product, and the challenge is to meet the demand. Finally the
public is asking “Where is the local food?” And they need to understand that it will take time and commitment to unravel the current
global food system and develop a more sustainable, local one.
Michael Marrapese, based in the Fraser Valley, works with FarmFolk/
CityFolk to cultivate a local, sustainable food system. farmfolkcityfolk.ca
Edible Events
Summer 2008
July 27
Flavours of Surrey (a food-tasting feast)
Historic Stewart Farm, Surrey
surrey.ca/flavours
August 9
Slow Food Vancouver’s Farm Cycle Tour
Agassiz
slowfoodvancouver.com
August 16 and 17
Garlic Festival, Limbert Mountain Farm, Agassiz
limbertmountainfarm.com
August 30
Feast of Fields: Whistler
farmfolkcityfolk.ca
September 7
Feast of Fields: UBC Farm
farmfolkcityfolk.ca
September 15
Tableland: a screening of Craig Noble’s film about
eating locally, seasonally and organically.
Floral Hall, VanDusen Gardens
vandusengarden.org
September 21
Plenty Harvest Celebration & Farmers Market
VanDusen Gardens
vandusengarden.org
September 21
Feast of Fields: Southern Vancouver Island
farmfolkcityfolk.ca
edible vancouver summer 2008 | 25
Sustaining Body
G Spirit
One cause of the honeybee’s mysterious
disappearance (colony-collapse disorder) has
been attributed to the prevalence of vast fields of
monocrops. These can provide pollen for a twomonth blossom season, but when the single crop
stops flowering the site becomes a barren land, with
no other blossoms for the rest of the year. Fraser
Common Farm Co-operative, Aldergrove, BC
Story and photography
by Brian Harris
©brianharrisphotography.net
“Beauty is the splendour of the true.” Plato’s words are a touchstone, reminding me that the world we inhabit is like a beautiful
garment that both displays and veils a greater beauty found within.
For the past 20 years I have photographed the profound beauty
in the sacred cultures of the Himalayas and India. And now I am
beginning to discover the same source of magnificence and deep
meaning in BC’s small, sustainable farms.
Eating the harvest, a student staff member of the University of British
Columbia Farm works her way through the rows of organic kale.
Since the early 1900s, UBC’s Faculty of Agriculture has operated a
farm on campus land, but this extraordinary place is now under the
threat of development by UBC’s administration. Students, faculty,
staff and the general public have rallied together in an attempt to
keep the farm as a member of a sustainable community.
26 | edible vancouver summer 2008
A member of O.U.R Ecovillage in Shawnigan Lake composts day-old
white bread from local grocery stores. Students from around the world
come here to learn the art of sustainable food production in relation to
organic practices, biodynamics, edible landscaping and horticultural
therapy. The foundational focus is on starting your own small business.
Everything in the universe is interconnected. Believing this creates
in our hearts and minds a meaningful connection with all forms of
life. This wisdom is at the core of Tibetan and Hindu traditions—
and at the core of sustainable agriculture. Choosing to farm mixed
crops organically, on a small scale, while protecting natural habitat,
shows a respect for the land, for birds, and for all beings, human
and otherwise.
I am using photography to raise funds and public awareness for
FarmFolk/CityFolk’s programs as my own commitment to the
principle of interdependence. FarmFolk/CityFolk is a non-profit
organization that works to cultivate a local, sustainable food
system. By protecting farmland, supporting farmers and producers, and connecting Farm and City, the organization communicates, educates, and celebrates. Portraying the beauty of our province’s sustainable family and community farms awakens me to the
sacred, connecting me to my community and to my neighbours.
brianharrisphotography.net
Two Tibetan nuns burst into laughter
as they prepare to sound their gong to
announce the lunchtime meal to sister
nuns at Ganden Choling Nunnery,
Dharamsala, India.
edible vancouver summer 2008 | 27
Bouquet, schmouquet.
We just want to know if it was yummy.
what the girls are
drinking
Chardonnay (2006): Five
out of six found this a
pleasant, nicely balanced
wine they’d happily drink
again. (To be fair, the sixth
just doesn’t care for chardonnay at all. Ever.)
We regularly gather tasters (girls and a few honorary girls)
for a laidback chat about local wines. They sip and savour,
but we cannot make them spit. (Their mamas taught them
it was bad manners. Not to mention wasteful.) They make
every attempt to avoid the kind of winespeak that, quite
frankly, makes us dizzy. The Golden Mile Cellars are VQA
winemakers in Oliver. (And quite possibly magicians.)
goldenmilecellars.com
Road 13 White (2006): Wowee! A very
fruity blend that stays deliciously dry, with
a lively zip that made it dance a little on the
tongue. The girls would be tempted to slip
out of the office early some afternoon—
pretty much any afternoon, actually—and
drink this in the garden. “Brilliantly refreshing,” they said. Hints of pineapple, citrus
and guava were mentioned. An overwhelming yes please to drinking this again.
Syrah (2006): Gorgeous, smooth and velvety
syrah with 10% viognier. As for notes, some
said vanilla. Others said butterscotch, caramel,
cherry and wood. All said yum. Noteworthy
comments: “Flippin’ fabulous” and “This
is possibly the best red wine I have tasted.”
Enjoyable all on its own, but especially good
chasing a little piece of toasted baguette with
melted brie and (sigh) a dollop of Vista D’oro
Green Walnut and Grappa preserve.
These and other Golden Mile wines are
available at most VQA wine stores.
ChefmeetsGrape
- BC food designed for BC wine -
Don’t miss Chef meets Grape, the 4th annual food and
wine festival of fall, where top chefs from Vancouver’s
best restaurants pair BC cuisine with BC VQA wines.
September 18, 2008
7:00PM - 10:00PM
Rocky Mountaineer Station, 1755 Cottrell Street (off Terminal Avenue).
Tickets: $75, on sale August 1st. For further event information and a list
of ticket outlets, visit www.winebc.com
Proceeds support Ocean Wise: a Vancouver Aquarium conservation
initiative, promoting sustainable seafood in restaurants.
Creative
Department
28 | The
edible
vancouver
summer 2008
File Name: CMG__08_EdBC_ad
Client: Chef meets Grape
100% BC
Final Trim: 7.625˝ x 4.75˝
Bleed: n/a
Built: Full Size
Our opinionated tasters may not
be in the pro leagues, but they
sure do know what they like.
The boys had never heard of Lighthouse Brewing,
a Victoria-based brewery established in 1998. So of
course they didn’t know that the company has won
two Eco-Star awards for their sustainable practices.
Did they care? Sure. Green is good. But bring on
the beer already.
Lighthouse Keeper’s Stout: Rich and dark,
with a creamy head and aromas of coffee,
burnt sugar and molasses. The flavour also
delivered a hint of coffee and subtle chocolate notes. The boys were of one mind: this
is a ten thumbs-up stout
with a refreshingly lean
and clean texture. “A stout
to convert lager lovers.”
what the boys are
drinking
Lighthouse Lager: Sniffing their glasses,
the boys detected apricot, guava and citrus
(a fly on the wall would have been forgiven
for thinking it was at a Gewürztraminer
tasting). Opinion was divided as to whether
the flavour lived up; the response
ranged from “A little too subtle for
me” to an enthusiastic “It is fab”.
However most of them would say
“more, please” if the glass was wellchilled and the patio was sunny.
Race Rocks Amber: Beautiful colour with a
strong, foamy head, the flavour is a bit like
orange marmalade, balancing sweetness with
a touch of bitter. Although one of the boys
remained unconvinced, the other four liked
it just fine. One observed, “More of a snuggle-by-the-fire kind of beer than a summer
thirst quencher.” He’s right; all agreed it was
much tastier when not served too cold. The
host said “I just met my new favourite”.
You can find Lighthouse beers at many BC
liquor stores. lighthousebrewing.com
edible vancouver summer 2008 | 29
source guide: Where to find
Beer
LIGHTHOUSE BREWING COMPANY
Brewer of premium quality, craft
brewed ales and lagers, with styles
to suit any palette or cuisine. Look for
us at your favorite pubs, eateries and
liquor stores. Unit 2–836 Devonshire
Rd., Victoria. 1-866-862-7500.
www.lighthousebrewing.com
Cafés & Coffee
ETHICAL BEAN COFFEE
Ethical Bean Coffee roasts only the
finest, fair trade certified organic coffee. We’re passionate about making
both a positive social and environmental impact, while maintaining the
highest quality standards. Carbon
neutral. Vancouver, BC. 604-431-3830.
www.ethicalbean.com
Caterers
7960 Winston Street Burnaby, BC
604-421-2711
www.thenewmanhattan.com
THE NEW MANHATTAN
CATERING & DELI *
Party food should seduce the eye before it caresses the palate. Our stunning presentation is surpassed only
by a delicate balance of the freshest
flavours….Winner of Burnaby Now’s
2008 Reader’s Choice Award for
Best Caterer. 7960 Winston Street,
Burnaby. 604-421-2711.
www.thenewmanhattan.com
Events & Attractions
CHEF MEETS GRAPE
Mark September 18 in your calendars
now for an evening of fabulous BC VQA
wines, paired with “small plates” from
10 of BC’s hottest restaurants! Tickets
are $75 and go on sale August 1.
Venue: Rocky Mountaineer Station,
Vancouver. 7–10pm. www.winebc.com
30 | edible vancouver summer 2008
UBC FARM CENTRE FOR
SUSTAINABLE FOOD SYSTEMS
Managed as a productive working
farm using organic methods, we invite
you to visit our summer markets and
festivals, participate in our volunteer
program, or just come by for a visit.
6182 South Campus Road, UBC,
Vancouver. 604-822-5092.
www.landfood.ubc.ca/ubcfarm
Farmers’ Markets
EAST VANCOUVER FARMERS
MARKET
More than a market, a community
institution. Every Saturday May
17–October 25 from 9am–2pm
15th Ave & Victoria Drive.
604-879-FARM. www.eatlocal.org
KITSILANO FARMERS MARKET
Get all the fixin’s for a great local
brunch. Every Sunday June 1–October
26 from 10am–2pm.
10th & Larch, Kits Community Centre.
604-879-FARM. www.eatlocal.org
RILEY PARK FARMERS MARKET
Stock up mid-week and beat the
weekend rush! Every Wednesday
June 4–October 22 from 12:30pm–
5:30pm. 30th & Ontario Street.
604-879-FARM. www.eatlocal.org
WEST END FARMERS MARKET
Urbanites rejoice—fresh local food in
your neighbourhood. Every Saturday
June 7–October 25 from 9am–2pm
1100 Block of Comox St.
604-879-FARM. www.eatlocal.org
For a full list of local farmers’ markets
visit www.ediblevancouver.com
Financial Services
VANDUSEN BOTANICAL GARDEN
A living museum that helps preserve
the planet’s bio-diversity by protecting
and propagating many rare and endangered plant species. Always something
to see and to learn. On-site restaurant,
gift shop and free parking. 5251 Oak St
@ W. 37th, Vancouver. 604-878-9274.
www.vandusengarden.org
VANCITY
Canada’s largest credit union helps
people and communities thrive and
prosper. We do this by providing the
very best in financial products and
services from 59 branches serving
over 390,000 members.
Commercial Drive Community Branch,
1675 Commercial Drive, Vancouver.
604-877-7123. www.vancity.com
Farm Markets
Food Retailers
RICHMOND COUNTRY FARMS
MARKET *
Find fresh fruit and vegetables at
our farmgate market, great garden
ideas at our nursery and beautiful
bouquets and much more at our new
Farmhouse Flowers. Open 7 days a
week, 9am–7:30pm.12900 Steveston
Highway, Richmond. 604-274-0522
CAPERS WHOLE FOODS MARKET *
We strive to offer the highest quality,
least processed, most flavourful, naturally preserved foods. Why? Because
food in its purest state—unadulterated by artificial sweeteners, colourings
and preservatives—is the best tasting
and most nutritious food available.
www.wholefoodsmarket.com
SURREY FARMS *
Visit us and experience the fresh
blueberries from our family farm,
while you shop for other local produce at our farmstand. Open 8am to
7pm every day; now until mid October.
One block off Highway 10 at 5180
152nd Street, Surrey. 604-574-1390
DRIVE ORGANICS *
Bringing the best organic and
natural food to the Drive. We carry
an abundance of local, seasonal
produce, plus groceries from other
local companies. Open Seven Days
per Week 9am–9pm. 1045 Commercial
Drive, Vancouver. 604-678-9665
EAST END FOOD CO-OP *
Vancouver’s longest serving co-operative grocer is the local food store for
the larger community. We emphasize
buying local, healthy organic and
fair-trade products. A member driven,
unionized shop where all shoppers
are welcome! 1034 Commercial Drive,
Vancouver. 604-254-5044.
www.east-end-food.coop
WILDERNESS COMMITTEE
GATEWAY CAMPAIGN
The Gateway Project, if it goes
ahead, will cause massive damage
to farmland, wildlife and the livability
of our region. Help Canada’s largest
membership based wilderness preservation group protect our future! Find
out how: 604-683-8220.
wildernesscommittee.org/gateway
THE PUBLIC MARKET ON GRANVILLE
ISLAND *
Whether it’s produce or flowers, meat
or fish, tea or coffee, pies or pastries,
or even breads or bagels, shop the
Public Market for the finest products
from the people who know them best.
Open until 7pm, 7 days a week.
www.granvilleisland.com
Restaurants
Meat & Seafood
HILLS FOODS
We are a local, family business that
supplies organic meats, game meats
and specialty poultry to chefs, restaurants, retailers and wholesalers. Find
us at your local store, or at:
1–130 Glacier Street, Coquitlam.
604-472-1500. [email protected]
www.hillsfoods.com
SEBASTIAN & CO. FINE ORGANIC
MEATS *
Local family business offering
certified organic and naturally raised
meats, 40-day dry-aged beef, exotic
game (bison, venison, wild boar, fowl)
and all natural handmade sausages.
Custom cuts and special orders
welcome. 2425 Marine Drive, West
Vancouver. 604-925-1636. Closed
Sundays. www.sebastianandco.ca
SUPERIOR FISH MARKET *
A fifth-generation fishing family bringing you the freshest fish possible.
Also, a wide selection of wild game,
organic meats, Rogers Chocolate and
many more locally produced products.
We support BC whenever possible.
Trenant Park Square, 5229 Ladner
Trunk Road, Ladner. 604-946-2097
Organizations
SPCA CERTIFIED
Want to eat ethically? Look for the
‘red barn’ logo on SPCA Certified
foods. In 2002 the BC SPCA developed
this important program. It remains
one of the only farm animal welfare
certification programs in Canada.
1245 East 7 Ave,. Vancouver.
604-681-7271. www.spca.bc.ca/farm
FARM FOLK/CITY FOLK
A non-profit society focusing on
issues affecting food producers and
consumers. Our three programs are
protecting farmland, supporting farmers and producers, and connecting
farm and city through education, celebration and inspiration. 604-730-0450.
www.farmfolkcityfolk.ca
FOOLS ONION RESTAURANT AND
CATERING
Fools Onion is committed to bringing
local food producers and foragers
closer to our community with globally inspired seasonal menus. 1007
Harris Ave., Bellingham (Fairhaven).
360-647-2801. www.foolsonion.com
THE GRILLE
Great food, great prices and casually elegant surroundings. Seasonal
favourites with local produce sourced
from Richmond Country Farms Market
and many fabulous BC wines on offer.
Country Meadows Golf Course, 8400
No. 6 Road, Richmond. 604-241-4652
NIMBUS RESTAURANT
Nimbus offers creative upscale
dining with chef’s tasting menus, a
lively late-night menu and seasonal
cocktails in a striking top-of-the-tower
downtown setting.
119 N. Commercial St., 15th Floor,
Bellingham. 360-676-1307.
www.nimbusrestaurant.com
WILLOWS INN
True farm to table dining at one of the
most sought after B&Bs and agritourism destinations in the San Juan
Islands. 2579 West Shore Dr., Lummi
Island, WA. 1-888-294-2620.
www.willows-inn.com
Services
BRIAN HARRIS PHOTOGRAPHY
For the past 20 years, I have used my
award-winning photography and project management skills to raise funds
and public profile for not-for-profit
and non-governmental organizations.
www.brianharrisphotography.net
Wines & Wineries
TINHORN CREEK VINEYARDS
Tinhorn Creek has embraced a
multifaceted stewardship approach
to protect the critters in the vineyards
and the environment in our care. The
Land Conservancy has recognized us
as a Conservation Partner. Oliver, BC.
1-888-484-6467. www.tinhorn.com
Advertisers marked* also distribute
Edible Vancouver.
For a full list of distributors visit
www.ediblevancouver.com
edible vancouver summer 2008 | 31
finish
Deep summer is when
laziness finds respectability.
—Sam Keen