Workshops

Making jam can be daunting if you’ve never tried it. But there are different methods, and some are very easy. In this class we will be using commercial pectin and the only skills needed are the ability to measure a few cups of fruit, and the ability to time a boil—skills everyone has. That’s it. No thermometers, no wrinkle tests. Using commercial pectin also gives you the freedom to use honey or skip the sugar all together—things not possible with traditional long boil jams.

Last June’s Seaweed Harvesting Workshop was one of the most popular we’ve run, and so we are thrilled to be able to bring Amanda Swinimer back. Participants appreciated being given the opportunity to learn both at the beach and in the classroom, as well as getting to taste many varieties of seaweed. Here’s some of what they had to say about the workshop:

“Prior to this workshop I knew little about seaweed harvesting. Now I feel confident about my abilities to forage sustainably. Thank you for this great learning opportunity.”

“Delighted that we can contribute by harvesting as much of the invasive species as possible.”

“I have been around the ocean my whole life and learned so much in the hours spent with Amanda. Thank-you!”

“Amanda was fabulous! She was so smart and knowledgeable, but made the information accessible. You could tell how passionate she is about edible seaweed.”

“All aspects were fabulous. The instructor was very knowledgeable; I learned a lot; the outdoor harvesting was meaningful, and the tastings at the end in the classroom were delicious. The day was an excellent balance of practical and technical. Well organized.”

“Learning outside with my neighbours, learning more about our shorelines and ecosystems, learning what is closely available to us to harvest sustainably and how that promotes our health.”

“I loved learning about how to ethically harvest and where, and learning about the nutritional and medicinal benefits of the tea.”

Join us on Sunday, January 27th for an immersive experience in Ukrainian culture and cuisine. We will pinch, cook and eat together as our workshop presenters share stories and songs from this rich traditional culture. Bring a rolling pin and a tray!

“While pyrohy were a regular part of meals in our household, they were especially important during festive events like weddings, church functions or Christmas. On Ukrainian Christmas Eve (Svyata Vechera) pyrohy were made with homemade cottage cheese, sauerkraut, potato and prune fillings as part of the twelve traditional meatless dishes. The prune filling was especially memorable to me as a child as it was made only during Christmas and it was like having a dessert during the main part of the meal. Sour cream and a sauce made from high bush cranberries (kalyna) were used as a dressing.” -Ed Andrusiak, Galiano resident, Ukrainian- Canadian

“To me, pyrohy are the ultimate comfort food from my childhood. They evoke memories of my grandmother, mother and all my female relatives in somebody’s big kitchen, laughing, singing, talking and arguing while peeling potatoes, grating cheese, chopping onions, mushrooms and sauerkraut, and making and rolling out paper-thin dough. Then we would put potato and cottage cheese or sauerkraut and mushroom filling, my two favourites, gently into each circle and finally fold and lovingly pinch it closed before plopping them—one by one—into huge pots of boiling salted water. Dining on a plateful of these precious, delicious dumplings, sliding around in butter and sour cream, is heaven on earth. – Christina Stechishin, Galiano resident and great-niece of Savella Stechishin, author of Traditional Ukrainian Cookery

I grew up eating pierogies and they are deep in my Polish soul. I love to eat them but I also really enjoy the way people gather to make them. Spreading flour on a kitchen table, making the dough, preparing filling and

boiling the water in a big pot. Everyone got their hands dirty to create a mythical half-moon shape stuffed with their favorite filling. After a few minutes in boiling water, the pierogies would land on our plates and the feast began. We shared the work together and we also shared stories about our best pierogi recipes. We reminisced about people in our lives and all the moments spent with our family and friends preparing pierogies to celebrate the beauty of life. -Konrad Dwornik, Galiano resident, born in Poland

“It was my favourite food as a child. I grew up being part of the assembly line. There would be at least three generations at the table pinching the pyrohy, cousins, aunties, grandmas, and kids. The matriarchs always bragged about how many they made. You don’t just make a few!” -Beverly Dobrinsky, founder of Zeellia, Slavic Soul and director of Barvinok Ukrainian Choir

“Homemade perogies remind me of my aunt Beverly’s kitchen, her Christmas Eve dinner and her way of bringing Ukrainian music and food together. I’ve always stuffed them too big and I still do. Before dinner, I would pester my aunt to find out how many dozen we had made this year as my mom nudged me to leave my busy, flour-dusted aunt alone. As kids, my brother, cousins and I would compete over who could eat the most. I was so greedy and just wanted to stuff as much as I could into this one magical night of the year. Maybe that’s why I love to make and share perogies now.” -Brahmi Benner, Galiano resident

RESCHEDULED to MARCH 25 9:00am-3:00pm

This workshop looks at different techniques to help you grow the plants you always wanted without having to buy them! We will learn about hardwood and softwood cuttings, layering, air layering, division, grafting, as well as looking at different seeding techniques to ensure germination. Morning at South Hall, afternoon at Community Greenhouse. Car-pooling will be organized. Please bring a bagged lunch. Sliding scale $25-$35. Registration is required – just email galianofoodprograms@gmail.com

More details below:

Perhaps you have seen the videos on Facebook teaching you how to “magically regrow” vegetables from your table scraps, such as celery or onions from discarded ends. While that is definitely one use for propagation techniques, there are other benefits too, such as growing plants that are hard to find in a nursery (but spotted in your neighbour’s plot), growing cuttings to give away as gifts, or saving the cost of buying seeds or nursery starts when you’re expanding your garden.

Plant propagation is “the process of creating new plants from a variety of sources: seeds, cuttings, bulbs and other plant parts.” (Thanks Wikipedia.) It’s surprisingly simple, as well as sustainable and cheap. And it reduces your dependence on multinational seed producers, while building community too.

We are very happy to host Manon Tremblay for a Propagation workshop in March. This workshop looks at different techniques to help you grow the plants you always wanted without having to buy them! We will learn about hardwood and softwood cuttings, layering, air layering, division, grafting, as well as looking at different seeding techniques to ensure germination.

Last year we were hosted Manon for a pruning workshop that was very well-received. Here’s just some of the enthusiastic feedback we got: “One of the best workshops I have attended” … “Manon was full of information, I would sign up for any workshop that she was leading. She was fantastic with questions, explained things really well, was completely approachable” … “Yes, I had attended other pruning workshops in the past, but Manon was so knowledgeable and presented her material so clearly, that I walked out feeling much more confident, and really understanding the rationale behind the pruning. I am grateful that you brought in such an outstanding teacher.”

Manon is a Horticulturist and Environmental Educator passionate about edible plants and organic gardening. She has been working as a Landscaper and Landscape Designer for the past 15 years and loves to share her experience and interests with enthusiastic gardeners.

Beginning at 10am at the South Hall, the Seed Library of Galiano will have its inventory on hand for those interested in browsing and borrowing seeds for the upcoming growing season. Yes, the time for spring starts is just around the corner! There will also be some seeds available for free, and those who wish to swap seeds with others are welcome to bring them along for a mini Seedy Day. Please contact Colleen with any questions.