FROM LOGGER TO LOCAVORE

That’s Not So Difficult when you have lived
your life repeating the mantra…”Buy Local”. When Onion Lake Logging was struck hard by the economic slowdown Ron Everett, a partner in the business, launched into his new venture with gusto. We’ve all watched the old Arby’s restaurant on 11^th St. arise from its “ashes” like a Phoenix and slowly transform into a bustling food market and very cool eaterie.

Aptly named, the Local Market & Café is a reflection of Everett’s belief system, one that he incorporated into the logging business as well. The first thing that catches one’s eye when entering the market is the wonderful mix of woods used in the furniture, display cases and wainscoting. The material comes from the wood waste left on the logging sites after the trees have been felled.

The selection of veggies, meat and fish in the containers leaves absolutely no doubt that the customer is buying local produce. “ My first choice is to support ‘mom & pop’ farms” explained Everett. “Our meats such as beef from the Sayward Valley and McClintock Farms, bison from Island Bison on Hamm Road and Mennonite beef from Black Creek are processed at Gunter Bros.” He said that there is a full time Govt. meat inspector on site there at all times. Tannadice Farms pork is also packaged by the same processor. The chickens are processed at Sunshine Farms where the certified inspector is in attendance three days a week. Shellfish is brought in from the waters of Quadra, Cortez and Read Island and packaged at Walcan.

A steaming bowl of seafood chowder, prepared by Chef Gernot Arps, is a life-changing experience. Chef Gernot is European trained and has performed some kind of magic on his recipe. My friend and I both ordered a bowl of chowder the other day. She is a serious foodie and actually writes a blog on food and wines so it was interesting to watch her reaction. She was like Pooh Bear with his pot of honey. Humming quietly to herself as she consumed each spoonful, when the soup was finished she very daintily licked clean each mussel and swimming scallop shell . I was expecting her to lift up the bowl and also give it a through lick!

It’s Time For You Avid Small Space Gardeners to get the seedlings started and prepare your outdoor containers. Just make sure the top 12” of soil in the containers is replaced with fresh high quality compost. The weather resistant stir fry greens such as arugula, corn salad, kale, collards, oriental greens and spinach are the among the few veggies that can be safely direct seeded into your pots prior to April. West Coast Seeds has a planting chart in its spring catalogue that is an invaluable guide. So far the only place I have located the booklets is at C.R. Garden Centre. Starting a garden journal is a great way to mark the passage of time and recall the performance of last season’s plantings.

OUR TOWN, THROUGH THE EYES OF AN EASTENER

Showing Off Campbell River to my friend from Ontario last week was a reminder of how special it is to live on our beautiful coast. Food expert Anita Stewart, who has authoured 14 books on Canadian regional foods, was on the west coast to host a culinary conference in Vancouver. She managed to slip in a side trip over here and I was fortunate to spend an afternoon with her. It was one of those glorious early spring days on the Island when everything sparkled, even the air. Anita is always eager to find out what’s new in regional food and farm initiatives so what could be more fitting than to head off to Connie Kretz’s fledgling commercial vegetable gardens at the Hudson family farm. There were still a few over-wintering crops to examine including arugula, raddichio and kale. Connie is now experimenting with soil conditions and crops that survive our long winter rainy season but her first year in the farm market business has produced a fine summer crop and the next season will be worth waiting for. It was Anita’s first opportunity to view this splendid waterfront property. With the back drop of ancient trees framing the Discovery Passage and sheep eyeing us warily as we tramped the Hudson farm trails, nature provided us with a perfect show.

The Bigleaf Maple Sap-Tapping Workshop I attended at Duncan in mid February was another recent regional activity that interested Anita. Fortunately, I came home from the workshop with an extra bottle of maple syrup which I shared with our guest. She was raised in Ontario where maple syrup production is just part of the local food mix and I was curious about what her reaction would be to our island product. I observed her with some anxiety as she sipped on her first spoonful of local syrup. It passed the test! She was surprised at its quality and impressed by its taste.

Winter Dinners Are My Favourites with heaps of mashed potatoes, at least two or three vegetables and a lovely piece of local fish or Island beef and a generous ladle of sauce to complete the feast. I almost always include Brussel Sprouts, which are at their peak in the winter months, when a good frost helps to sweeten their leaves. They are so full of valuable nutrients it is a pity so many people don’t like them, including President Obama. I have a cooking technique which I will share with you. Prepare yourself to be amazed! You may be able to convince your entire family to munch a few sprouts. Heat up your frying pan and melt a large dollop of butter or margarine plus add half a teaspoon of brown sugar. Cut the sprouts in half, lengthwise. Arrange them face down in the pan and cover with a lid. Don’t add water. Cook them at medium heat for about five minutes. You’ll know they are ready if the sprouts turn intensely bright green and can be pierced with a fork. Remove immediately and serve with a smile. If they pass muster with you the readers, then let’s send the recipe to Mrs. Obama.

COULD GOATS BE THE NEW CHICKENS?

Urban Gardening Is Taking Off in North America but nowhere more than on the west coast. California, Oregon, Washington and B.C. have always been leaders in new trends so it should be no surprise that a bylaw approving urban backyard goats has been approved in major cities in all three American states. The City of Vancouver has been leading the way in our province by supporting downtown gardening ventures. Vancouver’s council members may soon be facing a recommendation for zoning changes to allow goats to reside within their city’s boundary. For some, owning a Pygmy or a Nigerian dwarf goat is purely about companionship of an intelligent, affectionate animal that grows no bigger than a Labrador retriever and is funny, full of antics and keeps the landscape tidy, according to an article in the City Farmer Newsletter . In Seattle city council voted unanimously to allow each home three goats under 100 pounds each. The council’s action resulted from a spirited campaign by the city’s Goat Justice League with the motto “I’m pro goat and I vote”. League founder Jennie Grant says many people are drawn to goat owning by the back to the land movement that disdains milk and meat from large factory farms.

Could Campbell River’s city council consider such a bylaw? Why not? There is a refreshing new breed of staffers gradually filling positions at city hall who are totally in touch with the massive changes sweeping North America. They grasp the importance of urban agriculture and its vital contribution to environmental sustainability, food security and economic prosperity in our urban lives. Later this year we can expect work to begin on a new Official Community Plan. There will be town hall type meetings where we can bring our ideas and visions for community forward. We need to form an umbrella organization that advocates and negotiates for land access, community gardens and favourable city bylaws. The time has come to speak out effectively for goats and chickens and “cabbages and kings”.

Speaking of people who are taking effective action on changing our food procurement habits, Connie Kretz has returned to Campbell River after many years spent in Taiwan. During those six years in Asia she worked as a copy editor for an English language paper. When not checking out stories Connie dreamed about returning to the farm which her grand father Tom Hudson developed so many decades ago. “My parents Diana and Jim built their home on the farm property and I was raised with cows, sheep, hay fields and raspberries so the idea of establishing a market garden just evolved naturally. I saw that the community was becoming aware of the value of locally grown food and that gave me the courage to convert my dream into an action plan”. This past summer she had produced enough vegetable products to stock a booth at the Pier Street Market. It was a successful first venture which included selling produce at the farm gate as well. She is now considering other ways in which to connect with residents who are committed to locally grown food. One of her innovative ideas is to develop a cadre of customers who agree to a weekly delivery of seasonal vegetables from her farm. She says the idea makes sense in reducing the commercial footprint. So rather than have several dozen customers driving to the farm she will deliver to their door. To support Connie in her new venture, Coastal Roots Vegetables, give her a call at 250 204 4598.

LEARNING TO TAP FOR ISLAND SYRUP

Learning To Tap A Bigleaf Maple Tree can provide you with an endless supply of sweet syrup. The chance to taste the unique flavour of West Coast maple syrup attracts people from all over Vancouver Island to the Maple Syrup Festival held in Duncan each spring. Last spring 2,000 islanders showed up and the coordinator, Aimee Greenaway, told me that they are expecting an even greater crowd for the next event to be held the 6th Feb at the BC Forest Discovery Centre. She said that almost half of the visitors to last years event were from outside of the Cowichan Valley and it has become a truly Vancouver Island wide attraction.

We think of maple syrup as an eastern Canadian product but those who have sampled the island supply say it surpasses the taste of any imported product. The festival is more than a syrup tasting opportunity. Visitors can participate in tapping and syrup making demonstrations, taste testing, syrup finishing, hot maple tea samples and a maple cooking demo by a celebrity chef.

On a wild food foraging workshop I attended last spring we learned how to strip the young maple shoots of the thin outer bark in order to reveal the pale green inner core. The stems were crisp with a very subtle sweet maple taste. The flowers as well are quite sweet and can be used as a unique addition to a wild greens salad, in fact they could be used as an additional ingredient in a fruit salad and be an interesting talking point for your guests. I am so intrigued by this use of maple shoots that the next addition to my patio food garden will be a small maple stump. The maple outstrips any other hardwood tree in its ability to produce prolific numbers of young shoots and what a fun way to learn to value the much maligned Bigleaf Maple. You will never again think of it as a nuisance tree with enormous leafs that strain your patience and your back as you rake away at the autumn supply of unwanted ground cover.

Spring Comes Early To The Island and with it the opportunity to poke around in the woods for edible greens. There will be workshops available to those eager to learn about wild food harvesting in our bio-region and there are wonderful books available as well. My recent purchase is Food Plants of Coastal First Peoples but there are several other books available covering the harvesting of edible native plants in our specific area.

Harvesting Our Most Popular Native Fruit is a different matter. If you’ve ever flown over Vancouver Island in September you may be able to spot those gorgeous pools of flaming red cranberries. There is little chance of walking amongst the plants and munching a few berries although cranberries are a native North American food plant. Now under cultivation in 88 Lower Mainland and Vancouver Island farms, more than 80 millions lbs. of annually harvested cranberries make it the largest berry crop in the province. The next time you are sipping on a chilled glass of Ocean Spray cranberry juice the berries likely came from the province.

TEA WITH TIBET

What A Pleasure to be remembered for some special event or activity in one’s life. I teasingly asked my youngest son what he’d remember me for. “Your soup,” he replied without missing a beat. “I often think of when we were kids and those huge pots of Saturday soup you used to make and the basket of chunky baking powder biscuits.” That was a delightful reminder that basic nourishing foods can be the touchstone that triggers warm memories of family life. That remark tied in with my good fortune in being able to have the five Tibetan monks, who were performing at the local art gallery, to lunch a few Saturdays ago. What on earth to feed them was my first response. But, when in doubt I always turn to my old soup pot. Watching these five husky men and their driver delve into their bowls of 9-Bean soup followed by murmurs of satisfaction, reminded me of my sons so long ago slurping down overflowing bowls of soup and looking around for seconds.

In Talking To Friends about meals and ingredients it is always a surprise to hear that there are contemporaries who don’t enjoy making soup. It is such a wonderful basic food and in these times when families particularly are having difficulty with the costs of feeding their youngsters an inexpensive bowl of soup can provide a high level of nutrition. The secret ingredient in fabulous soup is the stock. I keep a large jug in the freezer and every scrap of cooking water from steaming or boiling vegetables is poured into the container. I also toss in any turkey, chicken or beef bones. As well I freeze broccoli stalks, coarse green leek leaves and overripe tomatoes. Now this will surprise some readers, but all my eggshells are crushed and added to the container as well. The shells are highly nutritious as the lining is a wonderful source of hyaluronic acid which supports healthy joints and skin. Once the shells, bones and veggies have simmered gently for a few hours then discard them by using a strainer. You now have a broth enriched by calcium, minerals, vitamins and the hyaluronic acid that can be used as a base for any soup recipe. If you follow these suggestions for creating a rich stock you will wonder why you’ve neglected making soup for all these years.

Sometimes I Do a “Clear The Fridge” soup by pulling out the vegetable container and using fresh uncooked left-overs, particularly potatoes. They help to thicken the soup. Another basic ingredient of most soups is onions. Just take the time to sauté the onions in a splash of oil for about five minutes before adding them to the other ingredients. That releases a delicious sweetness that greatly enhances the taste. If you like a soup that is a combination of creamy and chunky then take half of your cooked soup and either mash it or whip it in the blender and return it to the pot.

Who Was The Great Writer Anonymous that said “ The discovery of a new soup does more for the happiness of humanity than the discovery of a new star”. It’s true that food remains one of our greatest pleasures. And, when the food is satisfying to the soul as well as satisfying to the body, then we’ve got a winner when we make a delicious pot of soup. According to a favourite food writer, Jean Hoare, a French proverb says that a well made soup keeps a coin from the doctor’s pocket…which is another way of saying that a bowl of chicken soup will fix us right up. For comments email msostler@telus.net To refer to previous columns that appeared in The Mirror please google Urban Gardener Campbell River.

WILL COUNCIL CHICKEN OUT?

Will Council Chicken Out on a bylaw to raise backyard hens? A recent report says that we can expect a omnibus rezoning amendment for Quinsam Heights to be prepared which will include a section herding horses, sheep, goats and chickens into one bylaw.
Already the cluck, cluck, clucking has begun about how much space a horse requires as compared to the space needed to raise a few chickens. The report states that councilors are willing to agree on one point…that chickens are smaller than horses! Good thinking.

If the urban chicken issue is lumped in with other farm animals it will get fowled up in the hot debate that is sure to follow. We need to separate the question of a chicken bylaw and bring it forward on it’s own merit for the City of Campbell River rather than entangling it with the Quinsam Heights zoning. If Victoria, Vancouver, Burnaby, Richmond, Esquimalt, Oak Bay, Ladysmith and New York City have urban chicken bylaws do we need to squawk over a few hens. Ask Esquimalt about their bylaw. The spokesperson says they haven’t received a single complaint since it was approved 18 years ago.

There Is A Need for city councils everywhere to get involved in the support of community food sources. According to a researcher there is a flock of chicken and fresh food activists across this country, standing up for the right to keep egg-laying hens in their backyards. A current green Party report states that 85 per cent of Vancouver Island’s food was produced locally 25 years ago, now it’s down to only 10 per cent. We all remember what happened last winter when a snow storm cut off fresh food delivery to the Island. Within three days the grocery shelves were emptying fast. This is the best example of what is meant by food security. If we can grow some of our food locally and raise chickens for their eggs and meat then we are taking small steps towards food sustainability…we become part of the solution.

Chickens provide healthy, pesticide-free eggs. They consume kitchen waste, produce great compost for the garden, make great pets. Times have changed and we have to think about being environmentally smarter and being sustainable. Raising chickens fits that goal. We activists are buck-buck-bucking for change.

Foraging For Mushrooms trek, sponsored by the Museum, attracted my interest and I was fortunate to tag along as the course was fully booked. The local mushroom expert Sequoia Letosky led us along a Beaverlodge Land trail and from there we veered off into the bush. The first fungus along the route turned out to be the deadly Amanita. With our leader instilling the fear of God into us, we neophytes peered timidly at every sighting after that warning. Despite anxieties it turned out to be a great learning experience and I particularly was excited about discovering the Lobster mushroom. These fungi are an intense orange in colour and can be found around or under rotting logs. One needs to get down on hands and knees and scratch around as they are not obvious at first, being generally covered over with soft moss. The lobsters do not have the traditional shape, more like shrivelled potatoes. I filled up my small basket and left for home in a state of great anticipation. I washed them thoroughly, cut away the black spots and grilled them lightly in butter and bacon fat with a sprinkling of pepper. Served on a toasted slice of whole wheat sourdough bread my meal turned out to be akin to a religious experience! I can hardly wait to go back to same area. This time I’ll take a compass as it is very easy to get disoriented, especially when one is crawling around on one’s hands and knees.
For comments msostler@telus.net

BUT CAN SHE GROW A CAN OF GUINESS

Watching Our Irish Neighbor experience planting her first window garden was a great reminder that growing things can be a joyous experience. Our friend Maureen looked on this as week my sister Shelagh and I replanted our window boxes with a selection of wintering herbs and veggies. She was emitting clucking and ooohing noises which is a strong sign that she had caught the growing bug. So off we went to the local garden shop with Maureen leading the way, in search of some good over-wintering starter plants and a four foot long plastic window box. Chives, parsley, mixed lettuce and pak choi were her choice and a small bag of organic compost. We also added a six pack of deep purple violas to the list as they provide colour and eye appeal throughout the coldest season.After the window box was planted and she placed it outside, on the kitchen window sill, she stood there entranced. Her son Jamie commented, when he saw the display. “Oh b’God, now me mudder is growing them greens we’ll have to be after eating the stuff”.

While In London three weeks ago I visited my cousin Rebecca’s allotment garden. She lives in a flat on the 14^th floor near New Cross. The mixed population is dense and obtaining a much sought after allotment often means a long wait to qualify. Taking the train through Wales and south through central England to London I spotted allotment gardens every where, but particularly under bridges, railway right-of-ways and empty lots.

Rebecca’s site includes 67 other plots on a steeply sloped terrace beside the railway. Each plot has it’s own small garden shed, some ornately constructed and others just a few planks hammered together with a sheet metal roof. Nevertheless, each plot is someone’s tiny kingdom and the shed becomes a place to brew a cup of tea, munch on rough cheese sandwiches and observe the bounty of one’s toil. Rebecca’s plot is roughly 20’ by 40’ and has room for four types of berry bushes, artichokes, asparagus, runner beans, onions, spuds, salad stuff, courgettes, leeks and eggplants. Tomatoes didn’t do well last year so this season she has them in grow bags propped up against the shed. The camaraderie amongst the gardeners was a pleasure to watch and the mix of plot holders is like a mini United Nations gathering.

When I Return to Campbell River at the end of September I will be interested to see the progress that has been made on expanding the community gardens on St. Peter’s church property. Gold River also has plans to designate property for allotment gardening as does Quadra Island so that indicates a growing interest in encouraging people with limited space to take advantage of community property.

Here’s an interesting item spotted in an international paper. Neilsen Canada reports that demand for canning supplies has gone through the roof and sales are up more than 100 per cent over 2008. I remember the pride our mother took in lining the cellar shelves with jars of fruit, jam and vegetables. Nothing can compare with the earthy pleasure of growing one’s own food and storing supplies for the winter months. Our lives are changing so rapidly and one cannot open a newspaper without being made aware of the impact of our lives on the planet. The effect of our short sightedness is becoming increasingly obvious but we are also witnessing a shift in the way we treat the earth around us. Consumer demand for alternatives has meant that organic food has grown from something only lentil munchers ate to mainstream produce. We can make a difference, simply by growing some of our own food and the pleasure it gives is immeasurable. For your comments please email msostler@hotmail.com