Local Delicious

Almost nothing makes me more crazy than not being able to get apples from the BC Okanagan while seeing apples from New Zealand or some other ridiculously far away place on sale in my grocery store produce section. Frankly, it’s insane.

I remember the good old days when I could harvest plump, juicy MacIntosh and Golden Delicious apples right from the trees in my grandpa’s back yard — and often did. There is nothing to compare to that sweet smell and the heavenly, crisp crunch of biting into a just-picked apple. Store bought just doesn’t come close.

Well, hello AppleBarn! My grandpa and his apple trees are long gone, but here’s a delicious alternative: an orchard in Abbotsford where you can pick your own.

Not only can you harvest as many apples as you want right from the tree, in October you can mix and match the varieties that are in season and walk away with a 10 lb. bag for $7. That’d make some mighty tasty apple cobbler, apple pie, apple sauce, apple cider…

Make it a day trip or catch them at a farmers market near you.

For the 10th year, Greater Victoria residents can have their fruit trees picked by volunteers and donate a portion of the harvest to community groups, thanks to the LifeCycles Project Society.

The Fruit Tree Project links people who have surplus produce in their yards with others who have the willingness and ability to harvest it, and then supplies that fruit to people and community groups without access to fresh produce. Volunteers harvest fruit from private trees that would otherwise go to waste.

Fresh cherries, plums, apples, pears and other fruit (or sometimes vegetables) are then distributed through Community Centers and Food Banks, and shared among volunteer pickers, tree owners and the Fruit Tree Project. Produce is generally picked from July through October.

To schedule your tree for harvesting, simply fill in the online form.

Have questions? Contact Danielle Stevenson, Project Coordinator

Have you participated in the Fruit Tree Project? Leave a comment.

Some people eat crackers with homous. I eat homous with crackers — and then only because the latter are necessary as an eating utensil.

I often make my own humous, but am not above buying it when I don’t have time or am not in the mood to haul out the food processor and get creative.

I tried Royal Gourmet Foods pesto homous a while back and, even by my standards, it was inhaled pretty quickly. I didn’t share much of it, either. (No regrets, get your own.)

Unfortunately, the company website doesn’t provide info on the product, despite a link called “Product Details” (which leads to a blank page). My email to the company didn’t get a response either. The container has gone on to its next life via the recycling depot, so all I can tell you is it tasted good, and is made by a company in Burnaby.

Have you tried this product? Add your feedback, post a comment…

Gardening season isn’t over! There’s still plenty you can plant now to ensure your garden produces year-round.

The Richmond Poverty Response Committee is offering information on how to extend the growing season (a.k.a. winter gardening). Learn how to select varieties of vegetables that will withstand the colder, wetter weather, and time their planting so they produce through the fall and winter.

Simple season extension techniques such as raised beds, row cover, cloches, and cold frames will be discussed and demonstrated. And, participants will go home with a few winter vegetable seedlings for their own gardens.

Saturday, July 25th
9am – 12 pm
Barn, Terra Nova Rural Park, 2631 Westminster Hwy
Cost: $30

For more information or to register for any of these classes, please contact Arzeena Hamir at foodsecurity@richmondprc.org or call (778) 297-2202

Are you planning to attend? Let us know how it goes — leave a comment…

The Richmond Food Security Society is offering gardeners a look into Beescaping, the sustainable art and science of integrating bees into the living landscape.

Bee conservation is widely recognized now as crucial to a sustainable future (hello, we need bees to pollinate!). This class is an introduction to beescaping, that looks at aspects of forage and nesting needed for both native bees and honeybees with an emphasis on bee health.

Creating a variety of nesting material for native bees, the basics of keeping honeybees in an urban setting, bee wrangling and other hands-on activities will be offered. This class is suitable for horticulturalists, landscape designers, farmers and home gardeners alike.

Saturday, July 18th
9am – 12 pm
Barn, Terra Nova Rural Park, 2631 Westminster Hwy
Cost: $30

For more information or to register for any of these classes, please contact Arzeena Hamir at foodsecurity@richmondprc.org or call (778) 297-2202

Are you planning to attend? Let us know how it goes — leave a comment…

I stumbled across Golda’s Fine Foods all natural Cilantro Pesto a few months ago at Famous Foods, an independently owned grocery store in Vancouver where I buy rice milk and a wide variety of other healthy, unique, and delicious groceries.

I’m a fiend for cilantro, but it’s one of those herbs that evokes a strong reaction from everyone — they either love it or hate it. Not sure what to expect, I took it home and used it as the base for one of my über delicious, healthy pizzas (Lebanese flat bread, paste/pesto, browned ground Italian sausage, shredded zucchini, diced sweet peppers, other finely chopped veggies, a dusting of parmesan, a dusting of feta, warmed in the oven till the cheese melts).

Delicious! Not only did I use it as the pizza base, I drizzled it all over the topping once the pizza came out of the oven. It is now a regular grocery list item and I simply cannot get enough!

Don’t kid yourself, this is not low fat, but it IS made from all natural ingredients and Golda’s is a local success story, based in Mill Bay, British Columbia. Find a store that carries it near you.

Oh, and if the ones you love hate cilantro, tell them it’s coriander pesto. You won’t be lying and they just might thank you.

Have you tried this product? Add your feedback, post a comment…