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
Wild Kitchen – Nettle Cooking with Alison
If I told you that there was a fantastically tasty, nutritious and absolutely free foodstuff growing probably meters, and certainly no more than five minutes’ walk, from where you now sit, would I pique your interest? If I said it was easy to cook and very versatile, might I be whetting your appetite? And if I mentioned that it beats both spinach and broccoli for vitamins and minerals and protein, would that seal the deal?
I am talking about nettles: nature’s well-armoured and plentiful offering at this otherwise rather sparse time of year. Sting-y as they are, these plants are a magical gift to anyone who favours cooking with local, seasonal, fresh ingredients.
The flavour of nettles is irrefutably “green”, somewhere between spinach, cabbage and broccoli, with a unique hint of pepperiness: a sort of slight, earthy tingle in the mouth. If you like your greens, you’ll like nettles, I promise you.
In this class we will learn about the many different ways we can cook nettles, how to remove the sting so that you can get all the incredible health benefits. We will make soup, nesto, nettle bread, nettle gnocchi and nettle tarts.
This is hands-on class that includes cooking demonstrations, and recipes and is suit-able for all levels of cooking skill but a prime opportunity for those looking to develop their skills and incorporate wild foods into their […]
Linda Gilkeson – March 29th
Renowned local food gardener Linda Gilkeson will be returning for a workshop on Saturday, March 29th, 10:00am-4:00pm at the South Hall.
Make 2014 your best garden yet: Tips, techniques and troubleshooting for spring, summer and fall harvests. Sliding scale $25-$35.
Light lunch provided. Pre-registration required.
Please let us know now what questions or subjects you’d like her to address and we’ll get those to her in advance.
Salt Spring Island Seedy Saturday
This event is a great opportunity to get geared up for the start of the growing season, and get started on your seed shopping. The main hall will be full of tables from seed suppliers, nurseries, local farms, community organizations and other garden-related product vendors. There will also be local food vendors offering their wares. The main attraction is the seed exchange, where you can swap and share regionally-adapted seeds and help ensure genetic diversity. There will also be a roster of presentations from gardening experts. This year’s program includes workshops on pruning, soil health, seed saving, GE Free BC, and Salt Spring’s new Seed Library.
The food program is organizing a group of local residents to travel to Salt Spring together to take part in the event (Saturday only). We will boat over from Retreat Cove and then take a taxi to the venue, in time to arrive for the 10:00am start, and we’ll return after 3:00. Total cost for roundtrip transportation and event admission will be $24. If you’re interested, reply to let Emma know.
(And don’t miss the Galiano Garden Club’s Annual Seed Exchange! Feb 12th, 2:00pm at the North Hall.)
Fermentation with Cedana – Sunday March 16th from 2-3:30pm
Demystify what a kombucha SCOBY is (or refresh your knowledge!), what the health benefits are and how to brew it at home.
By adding herbs and flavours, you can customize your brew (and impress your friends!)
In this class you will taste different flavours and ages of kombucha, get the recipe and brewing tips.
Using a Salt brine and sugar ferment, learn how to transform fresh produce into tangy, probiotic-rich, pickled vegetables. Made the oldest-fashioned way; without any heat or canning!
This class includes: Hands on practise making your own pickled vegetables to take home and start fermenting right away! Plus nutrition information about the benefits of fermented foods and Recipes.
Class cost: $15-25 Sliding scale
Documentary Film Night – Friday Feb. 21st
On Friday Feb 21st we are going to be screening two food/farm related documentaries:
7pm – To Make a Farm
8:30pm – King Corn
with Intermission and treats between the two films
To Make a Farm was Named one of the ten most popular Canadian films at the Vancouver International Film Festival, To Make A Farm asks: what might the future of local food and farming look like? This beautifully photographed documentary explores the lives of five young people who have decided to become small-scale farmers. VIFF calls To Make A Farm “exceptionally hopeful, giving us a close-range view of humanity along with a detailed portrayal of the nuts and bolts of agriculture.”
King Corn is a feature documentary about two friends, one acre of corn, and the subsidized crop that drives our fast-food nation. In the film, Ian Cheney and Curt Ellis, best friends from college on the east coast, move to the heartland to learn where their food comes from. With the help of friendly neighbors, genetically modified seeds, and powerful herbicides, they plant and grow a bumper crop of America’s most-productive, most-subsidized grain on one acre of Iowa soil. But when they try to follow their pile of corn into the food system, what they find raises troubling questions about how we eat—and how we farm.
This event is a fundraiser for the Galiano Community Food Program.
Seedy Saturday on Salt Spring Island by Emma Luna Davis
Happy New Year, everyone! It’s time to start thinking about this year’s garden.
Did you know that over 110 Seedy Saturday events were held in Canada last year? A Seedy Saturday is a non-profit grassroots event that provides an opportunity for gardeners, seed companies and nurseries to exchange seeds and ideas.
The 2014 Salt Spring Island Seedy Saturday will be held on Saturday, February 8th 3:00pm at the Farmers’ Institute on Salt Spring.
The main hall will be full of tables from seed suppliers, nurseries, local farms, community organizations and other garden-related product vendors. There will also be local food vendors offering their wares. The main attraction is the seed exchange, where you can swap and share regionally-adapted seeds and help ensure genetic diversity.
There will also be a roster of presentations from gardening experts. This year’s program includes workshops on pruning, soil health, seed saving, GE Free BC, and Salt Spring’s new Seed Library. There is also a film night on Friday Feb 7th on Sunday, Feb 9th from 10:00am, there will be a workshop with Daniel Brisebois and Rupert Adams on Integrating Seed Production into Market Gardens (advance registration requested, contact ssiseedysaturday@gmail.com).
This event is a great opportunity to get geared up for the start of the growing season, and get started on your seed shopping.
This year, the food program is again organizing a group of local residents to […]