Friday Food Film Festival – May 6th – Doors at 6pm
We’ll be playing two food documentaries with a intermission for snacks (or supper) in between. Come watch some enlightening films about food and join in the conversation.
30
04, 2016
20
03, 2016
Greenhouse Group
We have begun the Spring Program in the community greenhouse. We meet weekly, Tuesdays at 11 am, and Thursdays at 5 pm. We will start each session with a brief Seed Swap and then start our potting mixes. The group will still need to decide what they would like to grow for their own gardens and for the beds in the Greenhouse. Contact Barry anytime at galianofoodprograms@gmail.com
Everyone welcome!
20
03, 2016
Ninth Annual Nettlefest by Alison Colwell
Spring has come early to Galiano this year. The currants and salmonberry bushes are in flower, the banana slugs are out and the frogs are singing in the ponds, and everywhere there are nettles! Nothing says spring like the arrival of the tasty green plant—free for the foraging. Plus, nettles are good for you, high in Vitamin C and calcium. To quote Sandy Pottle’s famous nettle song:
And then I tried granny’s spring tonic
And now I feel simply bionic
I’m stepping more lightly
I’m looking more sightly
And my brain it ain’t quite so moronic
When you are picking nettles for cooking, choose the young, tender leaves, usually the top four or six on a plant. Use scissors to cut the tip and you won’t damage the plant. Nettles are delicious—but most first time nettle eaters are nervous about being stung. Use rubber gloves when you are picking and until the nettles are processed in some way. Once the fresh nettles are steamed, frozen, dried or cooked, the sting is neutralized. There are lots of ways to use nettles. Some of my favourites are: soup, pizza, nesto, nettle and edamame, and in stew. This year I’m working on new recipes for a green nettle ravioli pasta and a nettle pakora.
This year’s Nettlefest weekend runs April 15-17. I will be teaching a cooking class on Friday night, Patti and Cedana will be leading a foraging walk on Saturday morning, followed by the community nettle pick, and of course the community potluck on Sunday evening, with the increasingly popular Nettle cooking competition. There’s lots to do, and lots of ways to get involved and celebrate spring on Galiano.
16
03, 2016
Wild Mushroom Cooking Class – Saturday Nov 4th
The Food Program is hosting a cooking class as part of the Galiano Naturalists Mushroom Festival which runs November 4th and 5th. Come learn some tips and new recipes for cooking with Wild Mushrooms. We’ll gather at 4pm to cook together, then sit and share our supper.
Tentative Menu: Mushroom Hummus, Mushroom, Capers and Lemon Tapas, Mushroom Pate, Chanterelle Soup, Dried Mushroom Gnocchi, Wild Mushroom, Leek and Bacon tart. (All recipes included.)
Sliding Scale $15-$30
Contact Alison at galianofoodprograms@gmail.com to register – Space is Limited
Class is full – we are keeping a wait list if you want to add your name in case of cancellations.
20
02, 2016
Galiano Island’s 9th Annual Nettlefest
Are you interested in eating more local food and cooking with wild ingredients? Come spring, stinging nettles are among the first edible plants to burst from the ground in the Gulf Islands. In an intimate setting just an hour’s ferry ride from the Lower Mainland, join us for a fun celebration of local wild abundance on beautiful Galiano Island April 15th-17th, 2016, and learn all about nettles—their health and nutritional properties, how to harvest them, and how to cook them.
This weekend of foraging and feasting includes several events: Nettle Cooking Class,Forest Foraging Walk, followed by the Community Nettle Harvesting, Galiano’s Next Top Nettle Cooking Competition, and the Community Potluck Celebration
20
02, 2016
Greenhouse Growing Group Article
We have begun the Spring Program in the community greenhouse. We meet weekly, Tuesdays at 11 am, and Thursdays at 5 pm. We will start each session with a brief Seed Swap and then start our potting mixes. The group will still need to decide what they would like to grow for their own gardens and for the beds in the Greenhouse. Contact Barry anytime at galianofoodprograms@gmail.com
Everyone welcome!
We had 10 people last year for Spring Starts and for the year-round crops and we hope to continue with the same plan. You can learn and share your knowledge about potting mixes and seeds. The group meets informally once or twice a week through the spring and summer. There is a watering schedule so there are daily visits by the participants to keep the plants well-watered. It is a teaching and learning environment so we have some teaching aids and good links to help further the skills of the Gardeners.
Inside, we grew tomatoes, eggplant, basil, peppers, melons and other seasonal vegetables. The planters outside the greenhouse are for runner beans and cucumbers. There are also ‘Seniors’ Beds’ which are used by a seniors group.
We charge $20 for participants in the greenhouse group. This includes all soil amendments, seeds pots, and tools, but people are still encouraged to bring their own. We will provide some handouts related to our activities.
For more information, contact Barry at 539-2364 or galianofoodprograms@gmail.com.
Join us at the Seed Swap at our first meeting on Tuesday March 15th at 1:00pm.
We will plan our growing space with seed catalogues and your own seeds to swap and share.
Jump-start your 2016 gardening year!
31
01, 2016
Fruit Tree Pruning by Emma Luna Davis
Often in food gardening, we try to emulate nature’s cycles. But trees in the wild don’t require pruning. Why do we need to prune cultivated fruit trees? Pruning is done for lots of reasons, including:
- Safety for people and structures
- Aesthetic preference
- Removal of dead, diseased, or weak structures to increase the health of the tree
- Keeping the tree small enough that fruit is easy to access and the tree is easy to care for
- Encouraging root growth in young trees to ensure water supply
- Encouraging a branch formation that allows sunlight to reach more fruit
The Food Program is pleased to host Manon Tremblay for a workshop on pruning and grafting. Manon is a Certified Horticulturist (ITA) and Landscape Designer. She has been living on the West Coast for the past 16 years, and is passionate about edible and native gardens, organic and permaculture gardening, pruning, propagation, land reclamation and Ethnobotany. She works as a gardener, landscape designer, consultant and horticulture instructor.
The workshop will cover basic pruning methods and their effect on plant growth and development, and an introduction to winter fruit tree pruning. In the morning, we will cover pruning theory, how to maintain healthy trees and enhance crop production. The afternoon will be a hands-on supervised pruning session where participants will practice their newly-acquired skills, and a grafting demonstration as well.
Saturday, February 20th 9:30am-3:30pm
Morning at the South Hall and afternoon at a mid-island orchard.
Car-pooling will be organized. Please bring a bagged lunch.
Sliding scale $25-$35. RSVP is required. galianofoodprograms@gmail.com
30
01, 2016
Seed Library of Galiano at the Galiano Community Library
The Seed Library of Galiano is having its final lending session of the season this Saturday, April 16th from 12-2pm at the Galiano Community Library. Lifetime memberships are available to all residents of Galiano for $10. Come “check out” our seed inventory. We’ll have a “check-in” party at the end of the growing season for people to “return” seeds back to the library. We welcome all levels of growers and encourage everyone to save seeds!
View the attached PDF document to see what seeds are available from the Seed Library Inventory.
Beyond SLOG’s inventory, also available Sat. April 16th, are various wildflowers, some herbs, and a few vegetable seeds, part of a give-away thanks to Eleanor Coulthard and Marilyn Lane.
If you cannot attend SLOG’s library hours please contact Colleen at galianofoodprogram@gmail.com and special arrangements may be made.
30
09, 2015
Cheese Club – Wednesday September 16th at 5pm
The next cheese club is set for this Wednesday at the Hall.
Due to the overwhelming request – we will try to make feta cheese!
Bring your molds if you have one – Cost is $15-$20 per person.
You must RSVP if you want to come. Class size is limited.
30
09, 2015
Canning Homemade Tomato Sauce – Sept. 20th at 5pm
Are you afraid of your Pressure Canner?
It’s the safest way to can tomatoes – let us teach you how to use it!
This is a hands on class for beginners (and everyone else). You’ll get to take home a jar of tomato sauce
Sunday – September 20th – 5pm-8pm at the S. Hall. Sliding scale $10-$20