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
Volunteers Extraordinaire – Rick and Dorothy Beauchamp
When Ralph Griffiths put out his call to recognise people who have made a difference on Galiano Rick and Dorothy Beauchamp immediately came to mind.
Rick and Dorothy first came to Galiano in 1982. They felt it was a good fit for them in that the community reminded them of Nelson. They camped at Montague and were able to do this in the spring and fall while they had only a toddler. Once their second child was born and their first child was school-aged, they decided to try to find a piece of land on which to put a trailer so that they could come to the island at other times. They managed to scrape enough money together to buy the McRae’s land with a cabin in Montague Harbour. They were able to manage this because the McRae’s carried part of their mortgage. A few years ago they renovated the old cabin into a beautiful home and garden.
Rick and Dorothy grew up in Nelson, B.C., another small community where volunteering plays a key role in the community life. They met in high school and married during university. Dorothy became an elementary teacher and Rick an orthopaedic paediatric surgeon.
As youth both were involved in guides and scouts. Dorothy volunteered in a care facility and later, as an adult, was a guide leader for over 25 years. Rick volunteered as a Classifier with the International Cerebral Palsy […]
The Galiano Club Community Food Program Celebrating 10 Years
In August 2006, the Galiano Club applied for and received funding from the Vancouver Foundation to upgrade the South Hall kitchen with a view to establishing a Food Program. We had no clear idea of what it might be, how a food program would be received or where it might lead. Some of the concerns identified at the time were that, as an island community, we were dependent on ferries for almost all our food, that we were at risk of losing the skills of previous generations of growing, foraging, canning and even some food preparation. At that time quite a few of our residents were living below the poverty line and struggling to have enough food. There also was a rather vague idea and hope that we might be able to bridge some of the divisions in the community through food.
Ten years ago this month the Galiano Club received confirmation of grant funding from Vancouver and Victoria Foundations to start a Food Program. We reached out to the community to establish an advisory committee and job descriptions. Janice Oakley and Martine Paulin were our first part-time Coordinators and became the face of the Program. They set high standards of creativity, community involvement and integrity. In addition to Janice and Martine, we have been fortunate to have had some outstanding people work for the Program – Nicole Mouner, Genny Stirling, Alison Colwell, Emma Davis, […]
Food and Culture Panel
At the Food Program, we’ve been paying extra attention to bacteria this year. In November, we hosted Alysha Punnett from the Compost Education Centre, for her workshop on soil bacteria. This month, we are hosting a panel discussion exploring the connection between how we eat and healthy gut bacteria. Did you know that:
• Out of the top 10 causes of death for Canadians, 9 of them have gut microbial links, including strokes and heart attacks;
• Brushing your teeth three times a day reduces dementia and Alzheimer’s;
• Just one course of antibiotics can negatively impact your gut microbiome for up to 1 year, but that you can also help replenish your gut bacteria through diet and probiotics;
• Fermented foods are part of traditional food cultures from all four corners of the globe?
Join us for this live event at 2:00 on Sunday April 21, and learn all about what you can do to encourage a balanced microbiome that supports living and aging well. Our panel, moderated by Nancy McPhee, will be made up of three Galiano personalities who each bring a unique perspective to this discussion
Dr. Erin Carlson, Galiano’s GP
Manisha Decosas wrote her PhD thesis on the negative impacts of the Green Revolution on crop diversity, soil, water, and seed security in India. She studied grass roots food sovereignty efforts and how they can transform both farming and policy. Her research also includes work on the […]
11th Annual Nettlefest Festival
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 […]
Globe & Mail Article: Hey kids, what’s for dinner? Yes, you can teach them to cook their own
https://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/food-and-wine/food-trends/hey-kids-whats-for-dinner-yes-you-can-teach-them-to-cook-their-own/article22311863/
Upcoming Food Program Events
