What's Happening in February

Curious about what's going on this month? Look no further -- there's a host of things to do, from workshops and public discussions to food and film events!

Vancouver Winter Farmers' Market

Location: Nat Bailey Stadium, East Parking Lot (4601 Ontario Street / Vancouver - map)
Dates: November 3, 2012 to April 27, 2013 (Closed December 29)
Hours: 10:00 am to 2:00 pm each Saturday

Thought the start of winter meant the end of locally grown and made goodies?

Continuing from last month, the winter market hosts over 60 vendors -- nearly as many as the three main Vancouver summer markets combined! -- offers a range of foods, from local produce to homemade chocolate and maple treats.

All February, there will also be a Food Truck Festival at the farmers' market.

In an effort to reduce plastic use at the market, please bring your own shopping bags.

For more information on the market, including transportation and parking at the site, please visit their website: http://www.eatlocal.org/

Philosophers' Café: Governing Food Portions

Location: Surrey Public Library (10350 University Drive / Surrey - map)
Date: February 5, 2013 at 7:00 pm
Cost: FREE -- Note that this café is for teens only

New York City recently banned the sale of oversized soda drinks -- do you agree or disagree with the ban? Do you think the government should have control over food portions? What about in a school environment?

Philosophers’ Café is a series of informal public discussions in libraries, cafés, and restaurants throughout Metro Vancouver. The cafés, which are open to everyone, have brought dialogue and discussion to thousands of people who are interested in exploring issues from the absurd to the sublime.

For more information about this public discussion, visit the event website.

You can find out more about the Philosophers’ Café here.

Philosophers' Café: Climate Change

Location: Nature's Garden Organic Deli (8968 University High Street / Burnaby - map)
Date: February 6, 2013 at 7:00 pm
Cost: FREE

What are the solutions for our environmental crises? With the increased visibility of climate change, we know that something is wrong with the planet -- but what are we doing to remedy it?

Philosophers’ Café is a series of informal public discussions in libraries, cafés, and restaurants throughout Metro Vancouver. The cafés, which are open to everyone, have brought dialogue and discussion to thousands of people who are interested in exploring issues from the absurd to the sublime.

For more information about this public discussion, visit the event website.

You can find out more about the Philosophers’ Cafe here.

Sprouting

Location: Hastings Community Centre (3096 East Hastings / Vancouver - map)
Date: February 12, 2013, from 9:30 am to 11:30 am
Cost: $8

Part of the Seasons of Food workshop series, instructor Jill Whitelaw will demonstrate how to sprout mung beans, alfalfa, sunflower seeds, and lentils for optimal nutrition and freshness.

For more information or to register, visit the Hastings Community Centre website: https://pbregister.vancouver.ca/

Note that child- and infant-minding are also available for this one-day class. Register early, because spots are limited.

Baking Bread From Around the World

Location: Collingwood Neighbourhood House (5288 Joyce Street / Vancouver - map)
Date: February 13, 2013, from 5:00 pm to 8:30 pm
Cost: Call to inquire

Join other foodies for an evening of bread making!

The Renfrew-Collingwood Food Security Institute has a new line-up of workshops for winter and spring. For more information, visit their website: http://rcfsi.blogspot.ca/2013/01/new-schedule.html

Registration is required. Space is limited! To register, send an email or call (604) 435-0323, or visit their website for more information.

One week's notice is required for child-minding and translation services.

12th Annual World Community Film Festival

Location: Langara College (100 West 49th Avenue / Vancouver - map)
Date: February 15 to 17, 2013
Cost: From $15 to $30 (Discounts available for CoDev members, students, seniors, and low-income individuals)

The World Community Film Festival, hosted by CoDevelopment Canada, returns for another year with a collection of over 40 social justice and environmental documentaries -- covering issues from food and farming to sustainability and labour issues.

For more information about the festival and this year's films or to buy advance tickets, visit their website.

Canning Rhubarb Jam

Location: Hastings Community Centre (3096 East Hastings / Vancouver - map)
Date: February 19, 2013, from 9:30 am to 11:30 am
Cost: $8

Part of the Seasons of Food workshop series, instructor Melody Kurt will lead participants through the process of making jam. Each person will also take home a jar or two of delicious rhubarb jam!

For more information or to register, visit the Hastings Community Centre website: https://pbregister.vancouver.ca/

Note that child- and infant-minding are also available for this one-day class. Register early, because spots are limited.

Seed Saving and Basic Plant Breeding

Location: Hastings Community Centre (3096 East Hastings / Vancouver - map)
Date: February 19, 2013, from 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm
Cost: $35

Part of the Seasons of Food workshop series, instructor Grant Watson will cover different strategies that plants use to reproduce, as well as how to use this information to effectively select, harvest, and store your own seeds, with an emphasis on annual food crops.

It is strongly suggested that participants take "Botany for Gardeners" prior to this workshop.

For more information or to register, visit the Hastings Community Centre website: https://pbregister.vancouver.ca/

Native Edibles (Gardening)

Location: Hastings Community Centre (3096 East Hastings / Vancouver - map)
Date: February 26, 2013, from 9:30 am to 12:00 pm
Cost: $8

Join Grant Watson to learn which greens can be started early indoors. After, take a walk through the teaching garden and beyond to find some native edible plants and then sit down together for a mid-winter salad lunch.

For more information or to register, visit the Hastings Community Centre website: https://pbregister.vancouver.ca/

Note that child- and infant-minding are also available for this one-day class. Register early, because spots are limited.

Composting Series, Part 2: Backyard Composting

So, what if your municipality doesn't have a food waste recycling program (Composting Series, Part 1)? Whether you're an avid home gardener (cheap fertilizer!) or just looking for a way to use those food scraps, if you have some yard space to spare, keeping a backyard compost bin can be a good way to reduce garbage going to our landfills while also producing a valuable resource.

Backyard composting is an effective and environmentally-friendly way to manage the organic waste that households produce. It helps to reduce pollution, our carbon footprint, and disposal costs, while also improving the environment and keeping organic matter in the ecological cycle.

And did we mention that it'll reduce the need to store (increasingly) smelly garbage indoors until garbage collection day?

Source: Enviro World

That's all fine and great, but how does composting work?

Your compost bin works through the power of bacteria -- all you need to do is create the right conditions for the bacteria in the bin to thrive, and they will produce rich, earthy-smelling compost using just food scraps.

Bacteria need three things:

1) An equal mix of carbon-rich ("brown") and nitrogen-rich ("green") material.

Nitrogen provides the protein for bacteria to grow and multiply, while carbon provides the energy that bacteria need to do the work of composting.

For every bucket of kitchen scraps or lawn clippings you put in, add an equal volume of fallen leaves or paper products. Always cover "green" material with a 3- to 4-inch layer of "brown" material.

Click here for a list of "green" and "brown" material, as well as other compostable materials.

2) Oxygen

Oxygen-loving (or aerobic) bacteria transform organic material into compost without producing bad odours. Add oxygen at least once a week to your compost using a pitchfork or strong stick or a special aerating tool. The more you aerate, the faster you will have finished compost. If the contents of your compost bin get too compacted, anaerobic bacteria will ferment your food scraps, creating ammonia, or rotten egg, odours.

For more on aerating your compost bin, click here.

3) Moisture

Without water, living organisms die. The contents of your compost bin should be moist like a damp, wrung-out sponge. The fresh "green" material you add to your bin will usually provide enough moisture; however, if your bin is in the sun, you are using a lot of dry "brown" material, or if it is a particularly hot outside, you may need to water the contents of the bin to keep the bacteria and other decomposers alive.

Source: Home Composting Made Easy

What do I need to compost?

These 10 easy steps will get you composting in no time!

1) Choose a flat, partly-sunny area with good drainage.

2) Purchase a compost bin -- you can get one from your municipality or from a store -- or build your own rodent-proof compost bin. Keeping a lid on your bin will help keep out rain and wildlife. The ideal size for a bin is one cubic metre; this will help the bin retain the heat it generates.

3) Create a 6 to 10 cm base layer using straw, leaves, or woody brushy material to promote air circulation.

4) Alternate layers of "green" and "brown" materials.

5) Whenever you add a layer of food scraps, top it off with a layer of "brown" material, about 5o to 8 cm high. If you use only "green" material (e.g. kitchen scraps), your compost will likely be wet and will break down more slowly.

Tip: To ensure you have plenty of "brown" material throughout the year, collect dry leaves in the fall in an old garbage container and use them as needed.

6) Mix the contents of your compost bin every week or two. This allows air into the bin and helps the bin to heat up again so that the contents decompose faster.

7) The moisture content of your compost should be damp like a wrung-out sponge or dishcloth. Only add water if the contents of the bin are very dry after mixing.

8) As your pile of compost shrinks, continue to add layers of "green" and "brown" materials until the bin is almost full.

9) Your compost will typically be ready after 2 to 3 months, though ageing the compost for an additional 1 to 2 months is recommended.

10) Harvest your compost when the compost at the bottom and centre is decomposed, full of healthy worms, and moist. Dig out the compost with a shovel. In a commercial bin, use the door at the bottom of the bin. If you built your own bin, move the top layers aside and dig the compost out from the centre layers.

And that's that -- not that difficult at all, eh?

But what if I don't have room for a traditional compost bin? What if I live in an apartment?

Visit back next week for Part 3 of our Composting Series on apartment composting.

Resources

North Shore Recycling Program
Metro Vancouver

Composting Series, Part 1: Food Scraps Recycling in Metro Vancouver

Have you ever wondered about to do with the food scraps you accumulate each week? Today marks the first of a four-part, month-long series on composting. Whether you're curious about starting your own composter or want to reduce your amount of household garbage each week, there's sure to be something of interest!

About one-third to a half of the average household's garbage is food scraps. But did you know that there's a good chance that you can now recycle them? Most municipalities in Metro Vancouver now collect food waste!

Cities offering food waste collection:

Bowen Island Burnaby Coquitlam Delta Langley (Township) New Westminster North Vancouver (City and District) Pitt Meadows

Port Coquitlam Port Moody Richmond Surrey Vancouver West Vancouver White Rock

Source: Metro Vancouver

Composting food scraps and food-soiled paper products provides a valuable resource, diverts waste, and reduces greenhouse gas emissions, and in the process, helps to create a more sustainable city.

So, what can you put in? Where do you put the food waste?

If your neighbourhood has curb-side food scraps collection, you can put your leftovers or spoiled food into your yard trimmings waste bin. Just be sure not to use plastic or biodegradable bags! These contaminate the compost and also interrupt the composting process.

While there might be slight variations depending on the municipality you live in, food scraps recycling is as easy as this -- simple and no fuss. You can even put in meat, cheese, dairy, and bones!

The City of Burnaby, for example, operates a curb-side food scraps recycling program for single-family households and some multi-family complexes also participate and receive food waste recycling (Green Bin) services. 

For a handy guide on what you can and cannot include, as well as how to make a kitchen compost pail liner with newspaper, check out their Food Scraps Brochure.

To find out about other cities in Metro Vancouver, visit your respective municipalities' website (see "Cities offering food waste collection" above).

How do I get started?

1. Get a lidded container to collect food scraps and food-soiled paper products for your kitchen. An old 4 litre ice cream bucket or large plastic container are both good examples.

2. Grab a few sheets of old newspaper to make a liner for the bucket.

3. Collect accepted food scraps and food-soiled paper products in your container.

4. Empty your food scraps, along with the paper liners, into your yard trimmings container.

5. Set out your yard trimmings container on your regular scheduled collection day. The container does not have to be full for it to be collected.

6. Rinse and lightly wash your kitchen bucket and yard trimmings container in between uses.

And that's all, folks!

What if your municipality isn't on the list that receives food scraps collection? Or maybe you're interested in starting your own compost bin.

Stay tuned and join us next week for Part 2 of our Composting Series, on backyard composting.

Recipe: Kale Chips

Homemade chips can be an affordable, tasty snack -- and often healthier than those you buy in grocery store aisles! Not to mention, they're a good way to increase servings of veggies in your diet. Who said that vegetables can't be fun?

You can bake chips at home using almost any tuber (white and sweet potato chips, anyone?), and even certain firmer veggies and fruits. If you're looking for something different, though, why not try kale chips?

For those yet initiated, kale is a dark leafy green from the cabbage family, characterized by curly leaves and a hard stem. It makes a good salad green -- just make sure not to overdo it on raw kale, since it can be hard for some people to digest in large quantities -- with avocado and shredded carrots, but is equally tasty sautéed or stir fried.

Did we mention that kale is also packed with nutrients? One cup contains 5 grams of fibre and is a good source of iron, potassium, and vitamins A, B6, C, and K. (Source: WebMD).

These chips are crisp, light, and crunchy, without being limp and soggy or marred by a burnt cabbage taste -- they're just a little too delicate for dipping into hummus or tahini sauce. Better yet? You don't need a fancy dehydrator to do this; just your standard kitchen oven (or even a toaster oven).

Kale Chips
Adapted from Tastefully Julie.

To email, print, or text this recipe, click here.

Ingredients

1 large bunch of kale
1 tablespoon olive oil
pinch of coarse sea salt
other seasonings (e.g. dill, nutritional yeast, sesame, garlic powder, parmesan, pepper)

Seasoning Combinations to Try

Dill, nutritional yeast/parmesan, ground black pepper
Black pepper and garlic powder
Sea salt and black pepper
Sesame and pesto (in lieu of olive oil)
Cayenne, paprika, and parmesan
Paprika and parmesan

Pictured: Cheesy dill kale chips with sesame
Credit: Christina Mak

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 300 F.

2. Wash the kale thoroughly and remove the hard inner stem. Tear the leaves into large chip-sized pieces. Make them a bit larger than you want because they will shrink as they bake.

3. Dry the kale thoroughly. You can do this by running the leaves through a salad spinner or wrapping them in a towel and shaking them until dry.

4. Put the kale pieces into a large bowl or a gallon-sized zip-top bag. Add the oil, and massage the leaves until coated.

5. Toss the leaves with salt and any other seasonings.  Use a bit less than you think you need, as the taste will intensify as the kale shrinks.

6. Arrange the kale in a single layer on a large baking sheet. You can line it with parchment for easier clean-up, but it is not necessary.

7. Bake for 20 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through (and gently flipping the chips, as needed).

8. To store (if they last more than a few minutes), cool the chips thoroughly and put in an airtight container.

Feature: Ingredient Substitutions

Simply because a recipe calls for a specific ingredient doesn't mean that you must use that ingredient. Whether you're lactose or gluten intolerant or on a special diet or just looking to reduce the fat and sugar or increase fibre and protein, the ingredients in your favourite recipes can often be easily modified to make them more nutritious, without losing out on flavour or texture.

Here's an idea of what you can do just by switching up your ingredients a bit.

Fat, Dairy, and Eggs

Instead of	Try
Shortening, butter, margarine, or solid fat	Substitute solid fat with a liquid oil: Reduce by 1/4 or, for melted shortening, butter, etc., use an equal amount of liquid oil. Coconut oil (virgin or expeller-pressed) can also be used (use the same amount you would of solid or liquid fat as in the recipe).
Shortening, butter, or oil in baking	Substitute fruit purée for half of the butter, shortening, or oil called for. Baking time may need to be reduced by 25%. Coconut oil (virgin or expeller-pressed) can also be used (use the same amount you would of solid or liquid fat as in the recipe). Vegan substitutions (butter): Use the same amount of vegan butter or shortening (e.g. Earth Balance) -- be sure to read the ingredients, as not all brands are free from dairy products and by-products -- or nut or seed butter.
Whole milk, half and half, or evaporated milk	Use skim milk, 1% milk, evaporated skim milk, fat-free half and half, or plain fortified soy or another non-dairy (almond, coconut, rice, hemp, etc.) milk. In baking or where creaminess is desired, soy and almond milk are the best substitutes due to their fat content.
Butter, shortening, margarine, or oil used to prevent sticking	To sauté or stir-fry: Use cooking spray, water, or broth or a non-stick pan. In baking: Cooking spray, unbleached parchment paper, coconut or liquid oil, or silicone baking mats can also be used.
Full-fat cream cheese	Use low-fat or non-fat cream cheese, Neufchâtel, or low-fat cottage cheese (puréed until smooth).
Full-fat sour cream, cottage cheese, or Ricotta cheese	Substitute non-fat or reduced fat sour cream or fat-free plain yoghurt, 2% or fat-free cottage cheese, or part-skim Ricotta. An equal amount of mashed soft or silken tofu, blended with a dash of lemon juice, can also be used in place of Ricotta.
Eggs	In baking, eggs have two functions: binding; or thickening and leavening. For most recipes, use 2 egg whites for each egg in the recipe. Vegan substitutions: Leavening: In cakes, cookies, muffins, quick breads, etc., replace a 1/4 cup of soy milk with 1 tablespoon lemon juice for each egg in the recipe. In cakes and quick breads, adding an additional 2 tablespoons of corn starch to the dry ingredients for each egg being replaced will help bind the ingredients and give the product a soft texture (optional). Thickening and binding: For each egg in the recipe, mix together 1 tablespoon of finely ground flax or chia with 3 tablespoons of water and let the mixture sit for 10 minutes before using.
Buttermilk	For 1 cup of buttermilk, combine 1 cup soymilk with 2 tablespoons lemon juice and let sit for 5 minutes.
Condensed milk	Substitute with canned coconut milk.
Heavy cream	Chill a can of coconut milk in the fridge for 48 hours, then open it up and use just the solidified layer of coconut cream from the top of the can.

Sugar and Salt

Instead of	Try
Sugar (reducing)	Reduce sugar by 1/4 to 1/3 in baked goods and desserts. Cinnamon or vanilla or almond extract can also be added to give impression of sweetness. (Note that baked goods with less sugar may not brown as much.)
Sugar (substitutions)	In baking: Use 3/4 cup of honey in place of 1 cup of sugar and reduce the amount of liquid by 2 tablespoons. Use 3/4 cup of maple syrup in place of 1 cup of sugar and reduce the amount of liquid by 3 tablespoons. Use 1 1/3 cups of molasses in place of 1 cup of sugar and reduce the amount of liquid by 5 tablespoons. Add 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda for each cup of molasses to combat the acidity of the molasses. Replace no more than half the sugar called for in a recipe with molasses. Substitute with the same amount of brown rice malt syrup, and reduce the liquid in the recipe by 1/4 cup per cup of rice syrup used.
Salt	Omit salt during cooking and garnish with a small pinch of coarse sea salt when serving -- the crunch from the salt crystals will give the taste of salt without requiring the addition of as much salt as might otherwise be used. Use herbs, spices, lemon juice, citrus zest, miso paste, or different vinegars to lend the food flavour.

Is there anything else you'd like to see on ingredient substitutions in cooking and baking? Do you have any tested substitutions that you make at home that you're itching to share?

Ice Cream Making Workshop

Burnaby Food First is pleased to present another FREE Community Workshop! This workshop will be demonstration-style.

Homemade Ice Cream

Tuesday, January 29
6:00 pm - 7:15 pm

Tommy Douglas Library (7311 Kingsway / Burnaby - map)

Source: 52 Scoops 

Led by self-declared "food nerd", Karin Hung, this workshop will introduce you to the basics of making your own ice cream using whole, local ingredients. Karin will demonstrate how to make ice cream both with a machine and by hand. There will also be tastings and door prizes. 

For more information on Karin, visit http://52scoops.com.   

**REGISTRATION CLOSED**

See you there!

Recipe: Fruit Leather

Foods can be preserved in a variety of different ways, from canning to smoking. Whenever preserving food, it is important to ensure that your workspace is clean and germ-free and that the food you are preserving has not gone bad or become over-ripe.

Freeze: Berries can be frozen individually and then packed together into a larger container.

Can: Fruits, tomatoes, peppers, and pickles are among the foods that can be preserved through canning.

Salt: Fish can be preserved by salting it.

Dehydrate: Fruit, and some vegetables, can be dried until the moisture in them evaporates.

Ferment: Some foods can be saved by fermenting (e.g. cabbage, in the form of sauerkraut).

(From FoodWisdom.)  

This recipe is from our Art of Drying and Storing workshop, taught by chef Andrea Potter of Rooted Nutrition.

Some delicious combinations are pear and blackberry; apple and strawberry; and peach and apricot. Mixing apples or pears with berries will also help boost the volume of purée!

Don't have a dehydrator? Don't worry! The method used in this recipe just requires an normal kitchen oven -- and some patience.

Fruit Leather

To email, print, or text this recipe, click here.

Ingredients

6 cups of fruit, plus peels* (for 4 cups of fruit purée)

*If using peaches, apricots, or nectarines, crush 1 tablet of vitamin C and add to the purée to keep it from oxidizing and browning.

Instructions

1. Put the fruit and, as needed, the vitamin C, into a blender. Process until the fruit is smooth. Add a bit more fruit, if necessary, to make 4 cups of purée.

2. Pour the purée onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. It should be about a 1/4-inch thick. You can check the thickness by inserting a toothpick into the middle of the purée. Too thin, and the leather will crack; but too thick, and it will take a longer time to dry.

3. Preheat the oven to 150 F or to the lowest setting on your oven.

4. Place the baking tray on the centre rack of the oven.

5. Dehydrate until the leather is tacky to the touch, about 2 hours. Dehydrating times vary greatly depending on the fruit and on the oven used. If you have a convection oven, using the convection setting will help the leather dry faster.

6. When the sides of the leather peel away easily from the parchment, flip the leather over and put the tray back in the oven. Dry until tacky.

7. To store, cool the leather completely. Cut the leather, still on the parchment, into 2-inch wide strips using kitchen shears. You can roll them up or simply stack the sheets. The fruit leather should be stored in an airtight jar or zip-top bag for about a month. The drier the leather, the longer it will last.