Oh my, these are yummy and easy to make. 1 bunch (about 6 ounces) kale (…) 1 tablespoon olive oil Sea salt, to taste Preheat oven to 300°F. Rinse and dry the kale, then remove the stems and tough center ribs. Cut into large pieces, toss with olive oil in a bowl then sprinkle with [...]
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If you’re interested in growing things on Gabriola, or in agroforestry, there’s a blog you’ll want to read. It’s Just Another Weed Patch. The about page explains: We’re ‘Just Another Weed Patch Farm’ located Gabriola Island, in British Columbia Canada. Starting in April 2012 we began a 19 month agroforestry adventure to transform our 2 [...]
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Here’s a reminder of what life was like on our coast before Europeans arrived: Cooking in a Bentwood Box. Prior to the trade of steel cookware on the Pacific Northwest, the Native Americans prepared many foods in wooden cooking boxes. Instead of putting the box on a heat source, red hot rocks were placed inside [...]
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Gabriolan, you know that patch of burdock you posted about last year? Assuming it hasn’t been sprayed or anything, you might want to consider harvesting some of it to make cardone. Now would probably be a good time for that, while the stems are still young and tender. I was foraging at a friend’s place [...]
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Have you ever tried to sell homemade food at the Gabriola Farmers’ Market? I think there are pretty strict laws about what you’re allowed to sell. I seem to remember that if you want to sell pies, say, you have to make them in a commercial kitchen. It’s very nice of the health authorities and [...]
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If you’re interested in native plants, First Nations’ traditional diets, and health, this article is for you. From Indigenous Reporting: Uprooting diabetes: Riceroot grows again. Leigh Joseph squats down in the marshy estuary toward a grey, lifeless stem poking out of the grass. In the distance, the cliff-face of the Stawamus Chief, an iconic granite [...]
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When the Executive Chef is away, I fend for myself in the kitchen. Sometimes this is bad, like when I set something on fire that shouldn’t be on fire. But sometimes it’s good, like when I manage to make something really fantastic. And this? Oh MY this is good. It’s bacon, dipped in dark chocolate. [...]
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If you’re a supporter of organic food production, as many are on Gabriola, you may find yourself having to explain or defend that choice from time to time. In this article, you’ll find six good sound bites to throw back the next time friends, family members, or even strangers tell you we need super-chemicals and [...]
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We have a huge clump of dandelions in our raised veggie beds, because we use them as salad greens. But maybe we should be doing more with them! Root Simple explains how to make dandelion wine.
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Skunk cabbages (swamp lanterns) are in bloom all over Gabriola right now. Have you ever thought of eating them for dinner? I’ve mentioned that they’re edible, if you prepare them properly so that they don’t hurt your mouth. Here’s an account from a Washington State blogger who harvested and ate skunk cabbage: I have been [...]
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Oh wow. Seattle Local Food made my day by publishing a recipe for Nettle Saag Paneer. If you like Indian food, check this out. We’ve still got a zillion nettles growing in the Gabriola forest, and some of them might just be destined for my dinner.
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If you’re a gardener, a fruit eater, or just somebody who wants to see more locally-grown food, this NPR article on guerrilla grafters might be of interest.
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Ah, now this is tempting. Not necessary, but tempting nonetheless: a printer that prints chocolate. We could set one up at the Gabriola Commons on celebration days, like Spring Fair, Fall Fair, and the Easter Egg hunt. And then we could print your designs in chocolate. And I could eat them up!
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I came across the oddest thing at a permaculture site: Strange nettle reaction in microwave. I put a couple stems in the microwave to warm them up…… The Nettles actualy caught fire in the microwave…I am talking actual flames and scorched stem…..weird! so I tried another stem in the microwave and it caught fire to [...]
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Now, just out of curiosity: do you happen to know which types of cattle are being raised on Gabriola? (I wondered about that this morning when I happened upon two cattle-related news items: Cattle DNA traced back to single herd of wild ox and Lazing in the shade grows steaks.)
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Many on Gabriola are concerned about food security, local food production, and related matters. If you’re interested in these topics, take a look at Greece on the breadline: ‘potato movement’ links shoppers and farmers in the Guardian. The article explains how the program works: So: a town hall announces a sale. Locals sign up for [...]
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Those who’ve been reading this blog for years know that I’m not 100% happy with Village Foods. (See Spud on Gabriola: update.) But there are some things about Village Foods that please me a great deal, and this is one of them: local food! Garlic from Gabriola Garlic, beef from Boultons, pork from I-forget-where but [...]
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Now that nettles are everywhere on Gabriola, perhaps you’d like to convert them into booze. The Guardian offers Andy Hamilton’s delicious nettle wine recipe – doesn’t that look like fun? Over at Gardenspace there’s a nettle wine recipe, too. And Blagger.com has a very detailed page: how to make nettle wine. I wish you’d go [...]
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