Chilliwack Agricultural Tour.

On September 26th the Chilliwack Agricultural Commission invited Slow Food Vancouver to attend the 8th annual Chilliwack Agricultural Tour. The weather was stunning and it was a privilege to get a close-up look at four farming operations as well the greenhouse at Sardis Secondary School.

The first stop was Dutch Heritage Greenhouse which grows chrysanthemums year round. The plants are propagated and grown in an expansive greenhouse where autumn light conditions are simulated 12 months a year. Once the chrysanthemums are grown and harvested, the flowers are bundled and sent to the Burnaby flower auction. From there, the flowers make their way to local florists and grocery stores.

While many of us are buying local food, we may not think we can buy locally grown flowers. Check for the Dutch Heritage logo printed on the cellophane flower wrapping.

The next stop was Rosevale Farms, a family operated dairy. We were first taken into the spotless milking area. Second-generation owner Jeremy Wiebe explained that his 130 cows are milked twice a day, and thanks to a sophisticated computer system, the amount of milk produced by each cow is carefully monitored. Mr. Wiebe emphasized the importance of keeping the cows happy, well-fed and well-hydrated to maximize milk production.

According to Mr. Wiebe, BC

While at Fantasy Farms, tour participants were served a healthy and tasty meal prepared by Cookie

Home Grown hits the high school circuit

SlowFoodie Josie Padro reports on Windemere High School’s award-winning garden initiative

Windermere High School Organic Garden Students are Digging Fresh Home-Grown Produce

by Josie Padro

In early March, row upon row of fledging basil plants took root in small pots at Vancouver

The organic garden project has created a student community at Windermere, bridging all grade levels. It

Food for thought/thoughts on food

So let

And yet, food guru Michael Pollan argues that North Americans are paying way too little for food.  It

The Intrepid Appetite

You have to understand that I am not normally an adventurous eater. As a small child, I was taught to fear garlic. Salt, pepper, and rarely, a sliver of dried bay leaf floating in a watery stew were the seasonings that normally graced our family table.  It was not until my early 20s that I truly learned to enjoy food, to appreciate that it came in a variety of surprising tastes and textures.

So the appetite in this blog