Drying and Storing Foods

Burnaby Food First is pleased to offer another FREE workshop!

Drying and Storing Foods

Thursday, November 12
6:30 pm - 8:30 pm
Brentwood Community Resource Centre (2055 Rosser Avenue / Burnaby - map)

Join Andrea Potter from Rooted Nutrition for this workshop on dehydrating. Learn how to dry and store fruits and vegetables!

Registration is required. Space is limited! To register, please contact Leanne at (604) 618-3581 or by email.

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Enjoy Burnaby Food First workshops? Want to get involved as a volunteer?

Check out all the great ways you can get involved. All are welcome, and we'd love to have you on board! For more information, send us an email.

Annual Fundraiser: Natural Sweetness Workshop

Burnaby Food First is pleased to invite you to our first annual fundraising workshop!

Natural Sweetness: You are sweet enough already!

Monday, November 16
6:00 pm - 9:00pm
Brentwood Community Resource Centre (2055 Rosser Avenue / Burnaby - map)

In this hands-on workshop, chef and Holistic Nutritionist Andrea Potter will introduce us to the basic concepts behind creating delicious and healthy raw desserts. Now you can have your cake and eat it too!

We will be incorporating superfoods such as maca, hemp hearts, coconut oil, and more into our decadent creations.

Raw desserts are naturally free of refined sugar, dairy, eggs and flour. Yummy tastings included!

Tickets: $65 (includes a hands-on cooking session and tastings).

Tickets can be purchased through Eventbrite at http://naturalsweetness.eventbrite.ca or by calling (604) 294-7421.

Location: Two blocks from Brentwood Skytrain Station. Limited street parking is available. Please consider biking or taking transit.

This workshop is a fundraiser for Burnaby Food First. All proceeds will go to support Food First programs and community workshops. For more information, please visit http://burnabyfoodfirst.blogspot.ca/.

Get Pickling! Workshop

Burnaby Food First is pleased to announce another FREE workshop!

Get Pickling

Wednesday, July 22
6:30 pm - 8:15 pm
Brentwood Community Resource Centre (2055 Rosser Avenue / Burnaby - map)

Join chef Andrea Potter of Rooted Nutrition and learn how to turn regular vegetables into tasty goodies!

Learn how to pickle the healthy way and make tangy, crispy vegetables. Participants will take home a sample of pickles from the workshop.

**REGISTRATION CLOSED**

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Enjoy Burnaby Food First workshops? Want to get involved as a volunteer?

Check out all the great ways you can get involved. All are welcome, and we'd love to have you on board! For more information, send us an email.

Art of Drying and Storing Foods

Art of Drying and Storing Foods

Tuesday, October 7
6:30 pm - 8:15 pm
Tommy Douglas Library (7311 Kingsway / Burnaby - map)

Save the goodness of summer! Learn how to dry and store your own food at home. Led by Chef Andrea Potter.
 
**REGISTRATION CLOSED**

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Enjoy Burnaby Food First workshops? Want to get involved as a volunteer?

Check out all the great ways you can get involved. All are welcome, and we'd love to have you on board! For more information, send us an email.

Workshop Review: Summer Workshops

Thank you all for coming out to our workshops this summer!

August is about to wind down, but we still have plenty of workshops this fall. Here's some of what we've been up to in the past couple of months:

Introduction to Canning
Credit: Joyce Cameron

Introduction to Canning
Credit: Joyce Cameron

Secrets of Pickling
Credit: Joseph Amiri

Secrets of Pickling
Credit: Joseph Amiri

Healthy Meal Planning for Seniors
Credit: Silbi Kim

Healthy Meal Planning for Seniors
Credit: Silbi Kim

Couldn't make it to one of our previous workshops? Make sure to Subscribe for updates on new workshops or check back on our blog for announcements.

Enjoy Burnaby Food First workshops? Want to get involved as a volunteer?

Check out all the great ways you can get involved. All are welcome, and we'd love to have you on board! For more information, send us an email.

Secrets of Pickling Workshop

Burnaby Food First is pleased to present another FREE workshop (funded by Vancity).

Secrets of Pickling

Tuesday, July 8
6:30 pm - 8:15 pm
Burnaby Community Services, 1-1/2 block from Brentwood Skytrain Station (2055 Rosser Avenue / Burnaby - map)

Join master chef Andrea Potter and learn to pickle foods using fermentation. Take home samples!
 
**REGISTRATION CLOSED**
 

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Enjoy Burnaby Food First workshops? Want to get involved as a volunteer? Check out all the great ways you can get involved. All are welcome, and we'd love to have you on board! For more information, email us.

Volunteer Appreciation Party

Thank you to all the volunteers and organizational representatives who came out at the end of last month! We couldn't manage what we do as Food First without you.

Thanks also go out to VanCity for sponsoring us and to Andrea Potter of Rooted Nutrition for coming over to do a hands-on demonstration of her ever-popular dehydrating workshop!

Kale chips, anyone?

The Art of Drying and Seed Saving: Spots Still Left!

There are still spots left in the upcoming Burnaby Food First workshops!

Art of Drying and Storing Foods

Tuesday, September 10

6:30 pm - 8:00 pm

Tommy Douglas Library (7311 Kingsway / Burnaby - map)

Learn how to prepare and store dried fruits and vegetables, as well as how to make your own fruit leather! This will be a demonstration-style workshop.

**REGISTRATION CLOSED**

Andrea Potter is a Red Seal Chef and a Registered Holistic Nutritionist. She teaches whole-foods cooking classes and also offers nutrition counselling. She is passionate about the benefits of whole, local and slow foods. For more information on Andrea Potter, visit her website: http://wholefoodscooking.ca/.

Burnaby Seed Saving Workshop

Tuesday, September 17

6:30 pm - 8:30 pm

Tommy Douglas Library (7311 Kingsway / Burnaby - map)

Learn the basics of how to start saving and storing seeds. Saving seeds saves you money, helps biodiversity, and lets you keep growing the variety of plants that you know work for you.

If you have seeds you have saved, bring them to share and trade! This will be a demonstration-style workshop.

**REGISTRATION CLOSED**

Cylia Taryse Wong, who helped create the Cedar Cottage Seedsaving Collective (a seed bank) in 2011, is a Gaia College organic master gardener, certified permaculturist, and member of two Vancouver community gardens and Copley Commons Orchard. She brings her hands-on knowledge and experience with community gardening and seed saving to this workshop.

Upcoming Workshops: Canning, Dehydrating, and Seed Saving

Burnaby Food First is pleased to present three more FREE community workshops!

Whole Fruit Canning: The Joy of Sweet and Sour Fruit

Wednesday, August 21

6:00 pm - 8:00 pm

Cranberry Commons (4272 Albert Street / Burnaby - map)

Credit: Sofi Martinez

Learn with Karen DarWoon how to can local, fresh whole fruit in a sweet and sour style. You get a jar to take home with you! This will be a hands-on workshop.

**REGISTRATION CLOSED**

Karen DarWoon is a personal chef and former Board Member of the Richmond Sharing Farm Society who is passionate about urban farming and the fun of food!

Art of Drying and Storing Foods

Tuesday, September 10

6:30 pm - 8:00 pm

Tommy Douglas Library (7311 Kingsway / Burnaby - map)

Learn how to prepare and store dried fruits and vegetables, as well as how to make your own fruit leather! This will be a demonstration-style workshop.

**REGISTRATION CLOSED**

Andrea Potter is a Red Seal Chef and a Registered Holistic Nutritionist. She teaches whole-foods cooking classes and also offers nutrition counselling. She is passionate about the benefits of whole, local and slow foods. For more information on Andrea Potter, visit her website: http://wholefoodscooking.ca/.

Burnaby Seed Saving Workshop

Tuesday, September 17

6:30 pm - 8:30 pm

Tommy Douglas Library (7311 Kingsway / Burnaby - map)

Learn the basics of how to start saving and storing seeds. Saving seeds saves you money, helps biodiversity, and lets you keep growing the variety of plants that you know work for you.

If you have seeds you have saved, bring them to share and trade! This will be a demonstration-style workshop.

**REGISTRATION CLOSED**

Cylia Taryse Wong, who helped create the Cedar Cottage Seedsaving Collective (a seed bank) in 2011, is a Gaia College organic master gardener, certified permaculturist, and member of two Vancouver community gardens and Copley Commons Orchard. She brings her hands-on knowledge and experience with community gardening and seed saving to this workshop.

Review: Secrets of Pickling Workshop

Thank you for coming out to both of our pickling workshops!

Thanks also go out to chef and returning workshop facilitator Andrea Potter (Rooted Nutrition) and to Urban Digs Farm, which donated some of the vegetables used for the workshops.

Didn't get a chance to join us but want to know what all the excitement about pickling is about?

The list of fermented, or pickled, foods around today is staggering: bread, coffee, pickles, cheese, beer, yoghurt, tempeh, and soy sauce, among many others. These foods are transformed during the production process by microscopic organisms that help preserve foods while enhancing flavour.



So, what exactly is fermentation, and how does it work?

Fermented foods are foods that have been through a process of lactofermentation, during which natural bacteria feed on the sugar and starch in food, creating lactic acid.

Natural fermentation of foods has been shown to preserve nutrients in food while also helping to break the food down into a more digestible form.

Why eat fermented foods?

There are several great reasons to start making and eating fermented foods:

1) Probiotics: Consuming fermented foods and drinks will introduce beneficial bacteria into your digestive system and help the balance of existing bacteria. Probiotics have been shown to help improve bowel health, aid digestion, and improve immunity.

2) Absorb food better: Having the proper balance of gut bacteria and enough digestive enzymes helps you absorb more of the nutrients in the foods you eat.

3) Budget friendly: Lots of different types of fermented foods are easy to find in grocery stores these days, but you can also make your own whey at home for a couple of dollars or use sea salt and water to ferment many foods inexpensively.

4) Preserves food easily: Lacto-fermentation allows you to store foods like salsa, sauerkraut, and pickled vegetables for longer periods of time without losing nutrients as you would with traditional canning methods.

5) Taste: And, of course, fermented foods are also delicious!

Curious about other workshops this summer? Check out our Upcoming Events and Workshops schedule, and stay tuned for updates!

Summer Jam Making and Drying and Storing Workshops

Burnaby Food First is pleased to present two more FREE community workshops!

Summer Jam Making

Thursday, July 4
6:00 pm - 8:00 pm
Cranberry Commons (4272 Albert Street / Burnaby - map)

Learn how to make your own jam. Janice Bobic will show us how to use summer berries to make jam. You get a jar of jam to take home with you! This will be a hands-on workshop.

Registration is required. Space is limited! To register, email send us an email or call (604) 441-6729.

**REGISTRATION CLOSED**

Janice Bobic is a Burnaby bee expert who also owns and operates My Father's Garden, a Burnaby-based small business focusing on local artisan food production.

Also, Chanel Ly from Sustainable SFU will be giving a short talk at the beginning of the workshop about why local food matters, and about projects happening at SFU. 

Art of Drying and Storing Foods

Tuesday, July 16
6:30 pm - 8:00 pm

Tommy Douglas Library (7311 Kingsway / Burnaby - map)

Learn how to prepare and store dried fruits and vegetables, including learning how to make your own fruit leather! This will be a demonstration-style workshop.

Registration is required. Space is limited! To register, email send us an email or call (604) 441-6729.

**REGISTRATION CLOSED**

Andrea Potter is a Red Seal Chef and a Registered Holistic Nutritionist. She teaches whole-foods cooking classes and also offers nutrition counselling. She is passionate about the benefits of whole, local and slow foods. For more information on Andrea Potter, visit her website: http://wholefoodscooking.ca/.

Community Event: From Field to Fork Program

Burnaby Food First also wanted to let you know about a great program happening this summer at Burnaby Village Museum!

From Field to Fork

Every Tuesday afternoon, 3:00 pm / July and August
Burnaby Village Museum (6501 Deer Lake Avenue / Burnaby - map)

Visitors can get down and dirty in the Love Farmhouse vegetable patch on a FREE “From Field to Fork” program at Burnaby Village Museum. This hands-on, 45-minute family program highlights the importance of farming communities in Burnaby by exploring the real deal.

Led by a historical interpreter, participants will explore a variety of topics including Pioneer farmers, Chinese-Canadian market gardeners, victory gardens, large-scale agriculture, sustainability, the local food movement, and the popularity of farmers' markets today.

Participants are encouraged to help plant, weed, harvest, water, and thin the garden. Each participant will receive a free carousel ride ticket and their own pre-made heritage seed pack to take home and plant. A maximum of 20 participants can be accommodated on each tour.

Phone ahead to register at (604) 297-4565 or register on-site as a drop-in (space permitting). The program meets at the Orientation Plaza. 

Upcoming Events: Wild Spring Plants and Pickling

Burnaby Food First is pleased to present two more FREE community workshops!

Wild Spring Plants You Can Eat!
Walking and Eating Tour

Thursday, June 6
3:30 pm - 5:30 pm

Meeting Point: Burnaby Museum Entrance (Sperling Ave at Deer Lake Ave). Please refer to map for the exact meeting point.  Please make sure to get there on time so we don't leave you behind!

Come join Alexander McNaughton for a nature-walk while we learn about the wonderful wild edible plants hiding in Deer Lake Park! You will also get to taste some pre-picked and prepared edible plants.

Credit: Sofi Martinez

Wear shoes you can walk in, and bring a bag and a water bottle. We will go rain or shine, so bring your raincoat in case of rain.

**REGISTRATION CLOSED**

Secrets of Pickling

Wednesday, June 19
6:00 pm - 8:00 pm
Edmonds Community School (7651 18th Avenue / Burnaby - map)

Join master chef Andrea Potter and learn how to make your pickled foods using fermentation. Take home samples! We will be fermenting fresh local radishes from Urban Digs Farm in Burnaby.

This will be a hands-on workshop. 

**REGISTRATION CLOSED**

Andrea Potter is a Red Seal Chef and a Registered Holistic Nutritionist. She teaches whole-foods cooking classes and also offers nutrition counselling. She is passionate about the benefits of whole, local and slow foods. For more information on Andrea Potter, visit her website: http://wholefoodscooking.ca/.

See you there!

Upcoming Food First Workshops: Bee-Keeping and Pickling

Burnaby Food First is pleased to present two more FREE community workshops!

Introduction to Bee-Keeping

Tuesday, May 28
6:30 pm - 8:30 pm

Tommy Douglas Library (7311 Kingsway / Burnaby - map)

Source: Josh Gitalis

Under certain conditions, the City of Burnaby allows residents to keep bees. Come and learn how to start your own hive and how to plant your garden for pollinators. The workshop is led by Janice Bobic, a Burnaby community member and bee-keeping expert -- and also includes a honey tasting!

This workshop will be demonstration-style and is offered in partnership with the Burnaby Public Library.

**REGISTRATION CLOSED**

Janice Bobic is a Burnaby bee expert who also owns and operates My Father's Garden, a Burnaby-based small business focusing on local artisan food production.

Secrets of Pickling

Wednesday, May 29
6:00 pm - 8:00 pm
Newcomers Centre (7009 Kingsway / Burnaby - map)

Source: Serious Eats

Join master chef Andrea Potter and learn how to make your own pickled foods using fermentation. Take home samples! We will be fermenting fresh local radishes from Urban Digs Farm in Burnaby.

This workshop will be hands-on and is funded by VanCity. 

**REGISTRATION CLOSED**

Andrea Potter is a Red Seal Chef and a Registered Holistic Nutritionist. She teaches whole-foods cooking classes and also offers nutrition counselling. She is passionate about the benefits of whole, local and slow foods. For more information on Andrea Potter, visit her website: http://wholefoodscooking.ca/.

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.

Recipe: Brined Pickles

Preserving produce using salt water, or a brine, can be a good way to extend the life of vegetables. Fermentation is a great way to store food, and eating pickled foods is also accompanied by health benefits. The salt in the preserving liquid helps to encourage good bacteria while keeping away bad bacteria. 

This recipe, using baby dill cucumbers, is from our Joy of Pickling workshop, taught by chef Andrea Potter, but it can be used with vegetables such as carrots, green beans, and asparagus.

Brined Pickles

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

Ingredients

2 lbs baby dill cucumbers (or baby carrots, asparagus, green beans, etc.)
2 to 3 heads of dill (optional)
1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon salt
6 cloves garlic (optional)
2 litres filtered water
A few oak, grape, or horseradish leaves, or a 3-inch piece of horseradish root

Things you need

Ceramic or glass jar or crock with a wide mouth
Container or jug for mixing brine
Plate that fits tight in the jar opening
Weight or other object to keep the vegetables under the water
Clean cloth or apron
Elastic band

Credit: Sofi Martinez

Instructions

1. Soak and wash the cucumbers (or other vegetables) until very clean. If they are fresh from the garden, simply wash them; but if they are store-bought, make sure to soak them in cold water for 3 hours beforehand.

2. Put the leaves or horseradish in the bottom of the jar.

3. Add in the dill, garlic, and spices.

4. Pack the cucumbers tightly in the jar, and set aside.

5. In a large jar, mix together the salt and water until the salt is dissolved.

6. Fill the jar packed with cucumbers with the salt water. The vegetables and spices must stay under water; to do this, you can hold them down with a heavy plate. Keeping the plate in the mouth of the jar, put a cloth on the top of the jar and secure it with an elastic band.

7. Check the pickles every day. Using a clean spoon each time, spoon off any bubbles or foamy liquid you see on the surface of the brine, as this can cause the pickles to spoil.

8. The pickles will take from 3 days to 2 weeks to be ready. If stored in a cool place, the pickling process can take weeks or even months.

9. You can taste the pickles to see if they are ready. When you like the taste, remove the weight, cloth, and elastic, and put a lid on the jar. Store the pickles in the fridge.

Recipe: Basic Sauerkraut

Fermentation, an ancient method of preserving the harvest, produces foods that are rich in probiotics and enzymes, which help improve digestion and overall health. Some common foods like yoghurt and miso contain these beneficial probiotics, but did you know that there are a host of other fermented foods that can provide the same benefits?

This recipe is from The Joy of Pickling workshop back in July, taught by Andrea Potter of Rooted Nutrition.

Basic Sauerkraut

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

Ingredients

5 lbs (2.2 kg) green and/or red cabbage
3 tablespoons salt

Tools

Clay crock pot, or a glass/plastic jar with a wide opening
Knife, food processor with slicer blade, or hand-held shredder
Tool for "stomping", e.g. thick wooden dowel, empty beer bottle, your fist

Source: The Healthy Eating Site

Instructions

1. Cut the cabbage into thin strips.

2. Sprinkle some salt on the bottom of the crock. Add cabbage.

3. With your stomping tool, push the cabbage down to make the juices come out. Add more salt.

4. Continue adding more cabbage and salting it, and repeat until the salt and cabbage are used up.

5. Place a plate over the cabbage and weight it down. Press down on the plate until the water in the crock covers the plate.

6. Cover the crock loosely with a towel or other cover.

7. Store the filled crock in a cool place and do not move it for a couple of weeks.

8. In 24 hours, the water in the crock should cover the plate that is weighing down the cabbage. If the plate is not covered with liquid, add some salted water using a dilution of 1 tablespoon salt to 1 cup of water.

9. Check the crock every day for 1 week. If you see bubbles on the surface, remove them with a clean spoon.

10. Every few days, take off the plate and weight, and wash them thoroughly with water. Put the plate and weight back on the cabbage after washing. Ensure that the spoon used is clean, and replace the lid or cloth over the crock each time.

11. After the fermentation period of 2 to 6 weeks, the sauerkraut should be ready to eat. Taste the sauerkraut with a clean fork or spoon to test if it is sour. When the sauerkraut tastes the way you like it, fill clean jars with it and put on the lids. Once packed into jars, the sauerkraut can be kept for up to a year.

How do I know if my sauerkraut is safe to eat?

The sauerkraut should taste and smell fresh. If it smells bad and/or is soft or sticky, do not eat it. Next time, you may need to use more salt.

Recipe: Apple Fennel Sauerkraut Salad

If you're wondering what to do for dinner, why not try an Apple Fennel Sauerkraut salad? This is a simple, quick recipe to make that's healthy as well as delicious. There's enough for a dinner accompaniment... if you're willing to share.

Did you know?
Raw sauerkraut is a great source of gut-friendly probiotics and enzymes, while cabbage helps soothe the stomach lining and ease digestive difficulties. Also, flax oil contains omegas 3 and 6, which are essential nutrients for brain and nervous system functioning.

This recipe uses sauerkraut, which was part of the menu from The Joy of Pickling workshop back in July, in which Andrea Potter of Rooted Nutrition dropped by with a fount of knowledge about preserving and fermenting food.

Apple Fennel Sauerkraut Salad
(Yield: 4 servings)

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

Ingredients

For the salad:

1 medium head of fennel, thinly sliced (green fronds, optional)
1 medium granny smith apple, thinly sliced
1/2 cup to 1 cup sauerkraut
raw beet, thinly sliced (optional, if you want to add some colour)

For the dressing:

This is enough for about twice as much salad in this recipe. Extra dressing should be covered and kept in the fridge. Only make small amounts at a time and use quickly.

1/4 cup lemon juice, fresh
1/3 cup flax oil
2/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 clove of garlic, grated or finely minced
chilli flakes, cayenne, or black pepper, to taste (optional)
pinch of sea salt

Instructions

1. For the salad: Thinly slice the fennel and apple (and beet, if using). If the fennel has fronds (and you like them), feel free to cut them up, as needed, and use them as well. Toss the fennel, apple, and beet with the sauerkraut. Set aside.

2. For the dressing: Put all the ingredients into a small jar. A mason jar works perfectly for this. Screw on the lid tightly and shake vigorously before using.

3. To serve, add just enough dressing to lightly coat the salad. Eat fresh or leave it to marinate in the fridge for up to one week.