By Alison Colwell|2018-06-20T16:35:22-07:00July 20th, 2016|Categories: Book Club, Food Program|0 Comments
Want to read and discuss writing on food, agriculture, sustainability, politics? Share insights, critique, explore, and discover? Read the book and join the discussion! See weekly Food Program newsletters for titles and meeting times.
See “Galiano Gastronomic Book Club” on Facebook for more info or contact Lauren Magner.
By Alison Colwell|2018-06-20T16:32:39-07:00July 20th, 2016|Categories: Community Meals, Food Program|0 Comments
Community Games Night turns the South Hall into a giant family living room. Tables are set up with Scrabble and Battleship, Risk and Connect 4. There are decks of cards, and a Twister mat on the floor for the younger kids. It began as a way for the Food Program to hold an evening kitchen to stock the freezer with meals for seniors, but has since grown (as do so many of our food program ideas) into a much-loved monthly event.
Games Nights happen once a month, on a Thursday, between 6 and 8pm. The cost is sliding scale: $5-$10 per person. Sometimes people bring their families with them for a chance to connect over a board game, others just meet up with friends (or make friends) when they get there. Someone is always looking for a partner to play a new game with. Everyone is welcome, and we have dozens of games to choose from.
Usually we have a feature game. Someone offers to teach a game to anyone who wants to learn. We’ve featured Chess, Mancala, Mexican Domino Train…we’re always interested in getting suggestions of games you’d like us to feature.
And did I mention there’s supper? Nothing fancy. I always make lots of pizzas, a big green salad, and a couple of main dishes. Sometimes it’s Black Bean Chili, or Lasagna, or Indian Butter chicken. (And every other month there might be fresh donuts for desert!)
So if you’ve never been before, come join us for Games Night, and a chance to connect with your family and neighbours over a friendly game of Chequers or Settlers of Catan, and you can see why everyone enjoys Games Night.
And if you would like to help in the kitchen, that would be wonderful, we always need volunteers from 3pm till 6pm, or for clean up after.
Thanks to the Galiano Parks and Rec Commission for helping this program run for another year, as it gets closer to being self sufficient.
By Alison Colwell|2018-06-20T16:28:25-07:00July 20th, 2016|Categories: Food Program, Workshops|0 Comments
Apiary Inspector David MacDonald will be coming to Galiano to share his knowledge on beekeeping, with specific focus on the varroa mite and its impact on honeybee populations. This course is for all levels of beekeepers, from novice to experienced, and will combine a morning tutorial with a field inspection at a local apiary. If you are interested, please RSVP to Colleen at galianofoodprograms@gmail.com. Details have not been confirmed but the course will likely run from 9am until 2pm. Entrance fee is by donation, a sliding scale of $10-15, with proceeds going to the Food Program.
By Alison Colwell|2018-06-20T16:24:52-07:00July 20th, 2016|Categories: Food Program, Growing (Garlic Co-op, Greenhouse, Gleaning Project)|0 Comments
Are you a landowner with trees that are dripping with fruit, but you don’t have time to pick them? Is climbing a ladder getting to be too much? Did that one tree have a bumper crop this year? Do you have more than your family can use? Is your garden overflowing? Would you like to share the bounty with other members of the community? Would you benefit from access to healthy produce, but have no trees or garden of your own? Do you enjoy the simple pleasure of harvesting in a group?
If you answered yes, then Gleaning Project may be for you. The Food Program organizes volunteers to gather to pick surplus crops that are shared between the pickers, the landowners, families in need and the Food Program’s kitchen events. We bring orchard ladders and picking bags and try to gather as much as possible so there’s no waste. A staff member from the Food Program is always present to supervise the pickers and liaise with the landowners, and the Food Program carries insurance that covers our activities on your land.
If you’re interested in harvesting or having us come pick, contact us for more information. Any produce or fruit is appropriate–we love unusual offers!
Similar to gleaning, but with a twist, is the Berry Co-op, which is returning this year at the same south-end site. Thanks to a special arrangement with the landowner, the Food Program organizes community members who will pick either organically-grown tayberries (a cross between a blackberry and a raspberry) or thornless blackberries throughout the summer, with two-thirds of the harvests going to the Galiano Club and the other third going to the pickers. (Last year, Club share berries were sold as a fundraiser, were used in jam-making classes, or were baked in pies for the annual Blackberry Tea.)
Depending on weather and the pace of ripening, co-op members will likely be picking every Tuesday evening (6:30-8pm) and Friday (9-10:30am). We are looking for a commitment of at least three sessions over the course of the summer. At our trial pick we found that a person averaged 6lbs of tayberries in two hours (blackberries may yield more). Based on that rate, a co-op member could expect to take home 2lbs of berries per session.
If you are interested in participating in the berry co-op, please email Colleen as soon as possible at galianofoodprograms@gmail.ca or phone #2737 and she will send interested parties a sign-up sheet for dates, with more details to follow.
