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BC THE ORGANIC WAY by Marya Skrypiczajko
Food festivals abound throughout Canada in the summer and well into the fall. They follow the age-old tradition of celebrating the harvest. After months of hard work, feasting, singing and dancing were the rewards.
The same energy fills gardens, fields and orchards today as we mark the arrival of such crops as garlic, tomatoes and apples, or as we gather to enjoy the wide array of flavours produced in one region. BC is no different than any other province; on any given weekend during the harvest season some town is celebrating food. A few of my favourites are the Salt Spring Island Apple Festival, Vancouver’s Feast of Fields and the Hills Garlic Festival.
Salt Spring Island seems to be a most apt place for an apple festival as it was amongst the first apple growing centres in BC starting in 1860. Still today it is an apple hotbed with a whopping 350 varieties growing on the island, many of which are organic.
This year the Salt Spring Island Apple Festival falls on Sunday, October 3 and is held at Fulford Hall, which is turned into an incredible apple education centre.
One hundred and fifty varieties of organic apples grown on Salt Spring are on display and apple experts are on hand to share their intimate knowledge of them. At the end of the day, this diverse collection of apples is sold to the highest bidders with the money going towards a bursary for someone from Salt Spring interested in advancing their practical knowledge of agriculture or the environment.
As well, 14 individual apple orchards offer tastings at the farm, children’s activities are arranged, and of course, there are apple pies and many other gourmet apple treats to enjoy. The 2004 festival will be dedicated to Albert Etter, a twentieth century apple breeder from the mountains of California. Amongst the dozens of varieties he created, at least 19 still exist including many red-fleshed apples. Tickets are $10 for adults, $5 for students and children enjoy the festivities free.
Feast of Fields is an annual event organized by Vancouver based Farm Folk/City Folk, which continually promotes eating local, fresh and seasonal foods grown in an environmentally responsible way. Chefs, food artisans, farmers, brewers and vintners gather at a Lower Mainland farm to show off the season’s produce and the diverse and delicious dishes it can be turned into.
The public can wander about the farm, taste BC wines and beers, snack on the foods from natural plates such as grape leaves or cedar shakes, and enjoy the live music. Tickets are $70 for the extravaganza. It will take place Sunday, September 12 at Westham Island Herb Farm in Ladner. This farm has been in the same family since 1916. It currently includes a display area, a flower-cutting garden and a retail shop for plants and the jellies, soaps and honeys made on site.
Vancouver Island has its own sister event, Island Feast of Fields, and it will take place the following weekend on Sunday, September 19, at ocean-front Woodside Farm in Sooke. Woodside is Vancouver Island’s oldest farm and has been in existence for over 150 years. This year the event will be a fundraiser for a local high school garden project.
And finally, there’s the Hills Garlic Festival for food lovers in the interior of BC. Hills is a little town in the mountainous West Kootenays about halfway between New Denver and Nakusp. The festival’s slogan is “Where culture meets agriculture,” which seems appropriate for a gathering of garlic farmers, food artisans, crafts folk, bluegrass musicians and food lovers. It’s a fun late-summer fair and the perfect opportunity to stock up on garlic for the winter. Choose from Chinese, Puslinch, Aliah’s, Spanish Roja, and Early Silver Skin and imagine the penne alla arrabiata, roasted garlic pesto and caesar salad dressings to come.
This is just a sampling of the many festivals happening at this time of year and if you cannot make it to one of these, you will surely be able to find one close by.
Marya Skrypiczajko is the author of BC the Organic Way - Where to Find
Organic Food in British Columbia www.bctheorganicway.com
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