The funky offspring of the Galiano Club, the Food Program began in 2008.
The Galiano Community Food Program strives to ensure that Galiano Island is a thriving, livable, food-secure community, where every resident feels included, welcome and empowered to build a deeper connection with their food system. In so doing, the Program improves Galiano’s ecological sustainability and community resilience in the face of climate change and uncertainty. The program seeks to set an example that reaches beyond our local community and spreads across the country.
Food Program Blog
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!
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 […]
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.
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
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 […]
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 […]
Upcoming Food Program Events
