Nettlefest

20 03, 2022

15th Annual Nettlefest 2022 – April 1st-3rd

By |2022-03-30T16:12:10-07:00March 20th, 2022|Categories: Food Program, Nettlefest, Volunteers|0 Comments

Wild Kitchen – Cooking Class – 5:00pm on Friday April 1st

Learn how to make a variety of delicious nettle dishes so that you can take advantage of all of nettle’s incredible health benefits. This hands-on class includes cooking demonstrations and is suitable for all levels of cooking skills. We will create a delicious meal to share around a communal table at the end of the evening. Cost $25/person – RSVP to register.

Forest Foraging Walk – 10:30am Saturday April 2nd

With Sustainable Food Systems Coordinator Cedana Bourne from the Galiano Conservancy Association, $10-$20.
Meet at the Mistletoe Trailhead at the end of Georgia View Rd. RSVP by email.

Communal Nettle Harvesting – Saturday 10:00am

Morgan Road – Learn how to gather nettles, and take some home for your personal use. (Plus help gather all the nettles we need for the community dinner.)

Community Kitchen – Sat April 2nd – 1:00pm

Volunteers needed to start preparing the Nettlefest Dinner.

Nettlefest Community Gathering – Sunday April 3rd

Community Hall – Doors open at 5:00.
Volunteers Needed. Musicians Needed.
More details to come……
Current health regulations mean that attendees will need to show vaccine passports and ID for admission.

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12 04, 2020

Foraging

By |2020-07-01T18:54:51-07:00April 12th, 2020|Categories: Food Program, Nettlefest|0 Comments

by Alison Colwell

Right now, getting outside could offer some fresh air and needed distraction. Just remember your social distancing!

Foraging wild food is one of our most primal activities, up there with discovering who left those tracks in the sand and learning how to build a fire. And if you can tell the difference between kale and lettuce, you will be able to identify plants and mushrooms in the wild. Foraging can be as simple as picking blackberries at the edge of the road or hiking through Bluffs Park looking for mushrooms. The more we use wild spaces to explore and forage in, the more connections we develop to our foods and the place we call home.

Come spring, stinging nettles are among the first edible plants to burst from the ground in the Galiano, then miner’s lettuce, blackberries in the late summer and chanterelle mushrooms in the fall, foraging oysters from Retreat Cove in the winter. Food surrounds us on our small island, if we know where to look. Once I learned to tap maple trees, boiling down the sap, making enough syrup for one Sunday breakfast.

Not only are foraged plants tasty, free, fresh and a good way to connect you to the place we live, they can also be good for you. Stinging nettles are high in vitamin C and calcium. Food is a necessity and also the glue that binds our community together, one neighbour to the next. So get a good book, or better, go out with an experienced friend. We all need to learn, and in learning we can save both the food and the environment it lives in, and preserve the knowledge that teaches us what to eat: grand fir tea, sword fern roots, thistle stems, nori, salmonberry, Oregon grape, to start.

Picking plants should be done in moderation. It is good to leave a bit behind for birds, deer, and slugs to feed on. Sustainable harvesting is important to remember to prevent inadvertent over-picking. There may be a lot of a plant growing in one area, but this doesn’t mean that it is abundant everywhere. Compensate for what you harvest by giving back to the land, by spreading seeds, removing invasive species and reintroducing natives, all while minimizing your footprint to maintain the health of the ecosystem. And never ever take more than you can use.

(At time of printing, we’re expecting to postpone the potluck and cooking class portions of Nettlefest for this year. Stay tuned to our newsletter for more information.)

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2 04, 2019

Galiano’s Next Top Nettle Cooking Competition

By |2019-04-02T21:17:31-07:00April 2nd, 2019|Categories: Food Program, Nettlefest|0 Comments

Chefs, cooks and foragers: It’s time to put your “pedal to the nettle” in this year’s competition at the 12th Annual Nettlefest Community Potluck Celebration at the South Galiano Community Hall. Come “test your nettle” by entering your best nettle dish against fierce island competition. And the sting: all dishes must be in by 5:30pm.

Categories
• Dan the Man Island Style (featuring 100% ingredients grown or foraged on Galiano)
• Avant-Garde Cuisine
• Homestyle Cooking

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23 03, 2019

12th Annual Nettlefest Community Potluck Celebration

By |2019-03-23T15:53:28-07:00March 23rd, 2019|Categories: Food Program, Nettlefest|0 Comments

Sunday, April 7th Doors open at 5:00pm
Come together to celebrate the return of Spring as we gather as a community for the 11th annual Nettlefest Potluck.   It’s all about gathering with friends and neighbours, sharing some wonderful food, and enjoying the entertainment of some amazingly-talented locals. Join us, and bring something to share with others.

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23 03, 2019

Forest Foraging Walk

By |2019-03-23T15:48:57-07:00March 23rd, 2019|Categories: Food Program, Nettlefest|0 Comments

10:00am, Saturday April 6, Alistair Ross trailhead parking lot
with Holistic Nutritionist Cedana Bourne from the Galiano Conservancy Association

Bring your cameras and notebooks and learn about foraging in our local forests. We’ll walk through Galiano’s wild places and talk about nettles and other edible wild greens, how and when to pick them for a sustainable harvest, where they grow, and their roles in our local ecosystems. We’ll also learn about their nutritional and health-giving properties, and how best to preserve them.

Suggested donation $15-$20. Please register at galianofoodprograms@gmail.com

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23 03, 2019

Wild Kitchen—Nettle Cooking Workshop with Alison Colwell

By |2019-04-01T22:02:05-07:00March 23rd, 2019|Categories: Food Program, Nettlefest|1 Comment

This Year we are holding 2 classes – Thursday April 4th and Friday April 5th at 5:30pm

Learn how to make a variety of delicious nettle dishes and how to remove the sting so that you can take advantage of all of nettle’s incredible health benefits. This hands-on class includes cooking demonstrations and is suitable for all levels of cooking skills. It’s a prime opportunity for those looking to develop their skills and incorporate wild foods into their diet. We will create a delicious meal to share around a communal table at the end of the evening. This is a chance to bring questions, and get ideas for your entry into the Galiano’s Next Top Nettle Cooking Competition at the Potluck.
Registration includes all ingredients for a meal we prepare in class, plus a copy of Alison’s Nettle Cookbook.
Please register at galianofoodprograms@gmail.com. Sliding scale $15-$25
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18 03, 2019

12th Annual Nettlefest by Alison Colwell

By |2019-07-18T17:47:19-07:00March 18th, 2019|Categories: Food Program, Nettlefest|0 Comments

Whenever I’m explaining the Food Program to new people (both on island and off), I always mention Nettlefest because it’s a Galiano celebration that both mystifies and inspires!

Most people think nettles are a weed, but those of us who are lucky enough to live on Galiano know better! Stinging nettles are among the first edible plants to burst from the ground in the Pacific Northwest. Around Valentine’s Day, sometimes even earlier, green shoots start emerging from the ground, and soon the nettles are everywhere! For me nothing says spring like the arrival of this tasty green plant—free for the foraging. Plus, nettles are good for you, high in Vitamin C and calcium.

When you are picking nettles for cooking, choose the young, tender leaves, usually the top four or six on a plant. Use scissors 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, nettle pakora, and a green nettle ravioli pasta.

 

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26 04, 2018

11th Annual Nettlefest

By |2018-04-27T00:01:54-07:00April 26th, 2018|Categories: Food Program, Nettlefest|0 Comments

Photos are being posted on Facebook as fast as the plants themselves are coming out of the ground. It’s the middle of February and the nettles are coming up, and I’m as excited as everyone else seems to be. Nothing says spring on Galiano quite like the prickly, tasty, little nettles that grow everywhere. Tasty, green, with Vitamin C that is especially welcome after the long wet winter we’ve had. (Anyone who’s tried Dora’s “green bull” will appreciate what a boost nettles can give.)

When you are picking nettles for cooking, choose the young and tender leaves, usually the top four or six on a plant. Use scissors to cut the tip so you don’t damage the plant. Nettles are delicious – but most first-time nettle eaters are nervous about being stung. Use kitchen or garden gloves when you are picking and in the kitchen 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 different ways to use nettles. After watching the entries for the cooking competition over the last few years I’ve learned that there’s nothing you can’t do with nettles, from scrambled eggs to ice cream! My personal favourites are nettle pizza and a nettle pakora.

This year, the Galiano Community Food Program’s 11th Annual Nettlefest runs April 6th to 8th. There will be a cooking class on Friday night, a foraging walk on Saturday morning, the community nettle pick on Saturday afternoon, and of course the community potluck on the Sunday evening, with the increasingly popular nettle cooking competition. Check the website for all the details. There’s lots to do, lots of ways to volunteer and get involved. Come celebrate spring on Galiano.

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28 02, 2018

11th Annual Nettlefest Festival

By |2018-02-28T22:53:40-08:00February 28th, 2018|Categories: Food Program, Nettlefest|0 Comments

Photos are being posted on Facebook as fast as the plants themselves are coming out of the ground. It’s the middle of February and the nettles are coming up, and I’m as excited as everyone else seems to be. Nothing says spring on Galiano quite like the prickly, tasty, little nettles that grow everywhere. Tasty, green, with Vitamin C that is especially welcome after the long wet winter we’ve had. (Anyone who’s tried Dora’s “green bull” will appreciate what a boost nettles can give.)

When you are picking nettles for cooking, choose the young and tender leaves, usually the top four or six on a plant. Use scissors to cut the tip so you don’t damage the plant. Nettles are delicious – but most first-time nettle eaters are nervous about being stung. Use kitchen or garden gloves when you are picking and in the kitchen 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 different ways to use nettles. After watching the entries for the cooking competition over the last few years I’ve learned that there’s nothing you can’t do with nettles, from scrambled eggs to ice cream! My personal favourites are nettle pizza and a nettle pakora.

This year, the Galiano Community Food Program’s 10th Annual Nettlefest runs April 6th to 8th. There will be a cooking class on Friday night, a foraging walk on Saturday morning, the community nettle pick on Saturday afternoon, and of course the community potluck on the Sunday evening, with the increasingly popular nettle cooking competition. Check the website for all the details. There’s lots to do, lots of ways to volunteer and get involved. Come celebrate spring on Galiano.

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