Put Food First in 2017: Come to a Food Workshop

Burnaby Food First Invites you...

January 19th & 25th to

Join us & learn about Canning & Fermenting

What's Happening in November!

Happy Halloween! It's a night of sugary treats and yummy sweets...speaking of which, once you get your fill of refined sugar, consider alternative sweets!

November 16th - Learn how to create delicious and healthy raw desserts without refined sugar, dairy, eggs or flour! Yummy tastings included! By purchasing tickets, you will be supporting our work in delivering cooking and gardening workshops and programs to those who live, work and play in the City of Burnaby!

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

Now, lets check out what is happening locally in November!

Winter Farmer's Market: Royal City & Vancouver

Now that Burnaby Farmer's Market has ended for the 2015 season...Check out the Royal City's Farmer's Markets.

Saturday: 11:00am-3:00pm(Winter)

When: November to April (first and third Saturdays of the month)

Also, Vancouver's Winter Farmer's market at Nat Bailey Stadium: http://eatlocal.org/markets/winter-market/ - Every Saturday from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm from November 7, 2015 to April 23, 2016.

Homesteader's Emporium Workshops

With Christmas fast approaching, now is the time to get started on homemade gifts.

For all you interested DIYers, check out some of the wonderful workshops that is offered in November and December (leading up to Christmas) where you can make and give homemade gifts!

Website: http://www.homesteadersemporium.ca/ - some workshops may be sold out!

Burnaby Library Talks: Agricultural Roots - Nov. 4th

Join local historian Eric Damer of the Burnaby Village Museum for a presentation and an illustrated talk on the history and development of farming and food production in Burnaby.

Location: Tommy Douglas Library, 7311 Kingsway, Burnaby

More information and registration (it's free): http://www.bpl.bc.ca/events/burnabys-agricultural-roots

 

Vancouver Food Bank: Get Into Canning this Fall! - Nov.4th

When: Wednesday, November 4, 2015 - 6:00pm to 8:00pm

Location: 1150 Raymur Avenue

It's fall and the perfect time to find out if you are interested in canning. Join the Greater Vancouver Food Bank for a fantastic taster session offering you the opportunity to learn how to make your own jams and jellies! 
 

Learn the basic techniques, get some practical experience and find out if canning really is for you and your family.

Participants will also be able to take home a jar of preserves.

Cost: $15.00

For more information and to register, please contact Lisa Bouwmeester at LisaB@foodbank.bc.ca or (604) 216-3073.

Il Mercato Italian Night Market - Nov. 20th

This market brings together the tastes of Italy with fresh produce grown locally, in addition to delicious food prepared by Il Centro's chef and handmade products from local artisans.

It offers a taste of Italian cuisine and music featuring the classic mandolin and accordion. There will also be children's activities provided by the centre's Italian school teachers.

More information: http://italianculturalcentre.ca/blog/events/mercato-italian-market-7/

When: Friday November 20th

Time: 4:00 pm to 8:00 pm

Location: Italian Cultural Centre, 3075 Slocan, Vancouver

UBC Farm's Workshop - Grow Your Own Mushrooms at Home for Food & Medicine - Nov. 21st

Join Danielle Stevenson in this morning workshop that will cover some of the many ways you can grow mushrooms at your home or apartment and highlight ways you can make use of household waste as a food source for your mushrooms!

This is suitable for beginners to mushroom cultivation, and for those who have tried without success to grow mushrooms. Each participant will leave with a grow kit of a delicious edible or medicinal mushroom and detailed instructions on care.

Where: UBC Farm, 3461 Ross Drive, Vancouver, BC, Map
When: Saturday November 21, 2015
Time: 9:30 am to 12:00 noon
Cost: $58.00 + taxes
More information or to register: http://www.calendar.events.ubc.ca:80/s/6Yz

UBC Farm's Workshop - Mushroom Companions to the Garden, Orchard and Farm - Nov. 21st

Join Danielle Stevenson in an afternoon workshop on growing many delicious and medicinal mushrooms amidst your veggies, berries, bushes and trees- increasing your home-grown nutrition and boosting soil and plant ecosystem health. Mushrooms can also be grown in shadier areas where other types of growing are limited, and be used to filter runoff from chicken coops, or digest household and pet waste.

Learn how to assess your site for the best spots to incorporate fungi, and then learn hands-on how to make mushroom beds, logs, pathways, companion plant mushrooms within your veggie beds, and add beneficial mycorhizal fungi to your site.

Where: UBC Farm, 3461 Ross Drive, Vancouver, BC, Map
When: Saturday November 21, 2015
Time: 1:30 am to 4:30 pm
Cost: $47.00 + taxes
More information or to register: http://www.calendar.events.ubc.ca:80/s/6YA

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Don't forget to check back on our website for our gardening or cooking workshops. We have some great workshops in the works and events will be posted shortly!

If you have a farming/gardening/food security event that you would like to share, please email us with the information to: burnabyfoodfirst@gmail.com. We would be happy to share your events on our blog!

Canning Basics Workshop

Burnaby Food First is pleased to offer another FREE workshop!

Canning Basics

Friday, September 18
6:30 pm - 8:30 pm
Brentwood Community Centre (2055 Rosser Avenue / Burnaby - map)

Join Antonietta Gesualdi for this hands-on workshop on canning! Learn the basics of canning safely at home. Participants will take home a sample jar of canning fruit.

**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.

Review: Fall Workshops and Events

Thank you all for coming out to our fall workshops! We're done with our schedule for this year, so keep an eye out or subscribe to our email list for announcements on new workshops.

Here's what we were up to over the past couple of months:

Introduction to Canning
Credit: Christina Mak

Introduction to Canning
Credit: Leanne Zmud

Winter Container Food Gardening
Credit: Leanne Zmud

Goodlad Community Garden Party
Credit: Christina Mak

Healthy Snacks for Kids
Credit: Christina Mak

Healthy Snacks for Kids
Credit: Christina Mak

Healthy Meal Planning
Credit: Christina Mak

Healthy Meal Planning
Credit: Christina Mak

Want to be the first to hear about new workshops? Make sure to Subscribe for updates on upcoming 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.

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.

Upcoming Workshops: Food Gardening and Canning

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

Winter Container Food Gardening - Getting a Head Start

Monday, August 25
6:30 pm - 8:15 pm
Tommy Douglas Library (7311 Kingsway / Burnaby - map)

Join Athenaise Guertin to get a head start and learn how to grow food in winter! No gardening experience necessary.

**REGISTRATION CLOSED**

Introduction to Canning

Wednesday, September 3
6:30 pm - 8:15 pm
Burnaby Community Services Kitchen (2055 Rosser Avenue / 1 1/2 blocks from Brentwood Skytrain Station - map)

Join master canner Alice Macpherson to learn how to can your own fruit. This is a hands-on workshop, and you will get to take home a jar of what you have canned!

**REGISTRATION CLOSED**

Note: Parking is limited at this location. Please consider biking or taking transit.

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.

Upcoming Workshops: Whole Fruit Canning and Container Food Gardening

Burnaby Food First is pleased to present two more FREE community workshops (funded by Vancity).

Whole Fruit Canning

Thursday, August 7
6:30 pm - 8:30 pm
Cranberry Commons (4272 Albert Street / Burnaby - map)

Joyce Cameron will show you how to prepare and can fresh fruit. This is a hands-on workshop, and you will get to take home a jar of what you have canned!

**REGISTRATION CLOSED**

Winter Container Food Gardening - Getting a Head Start

Tuesday, August 12
6:30 pm - 8:15 pm
Tommy Douglas Library (7311 Kingsway / Burnaby - map)

Join Kayla Gagne to get a head start and learn how to grow food in winter! No gardening experience is necessary.

**REGISTRATION CLOSED**


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.

Eating Locally in the Winter

Even when the harvest is over and it's cold outside, there are still ways to continue eating locally throughout the winter. Our friends over at Farm Folk City Folk have some awesome suggestions.

Credit: Magnolia Lim

Why Eat Locally?

Eating food grown and raised locally is fundamental to the creation of a sustainable food system. It decreases the impact our lifestyle choices have on the environment, keeps money in our local economy, and builds community. By planting winter gardens, storing and preserving our harvest when it is abundant, and celebrating what's "in season", eating locally year round is possible.

Harvest Preservation

Preservation techniques halt ripening and prevent spoilage so our favourite flavours may be enjoyed beyond their seasonal availability.

Home canning is a traditional method of food preservation. There are two methods that are suitable to safely preserve a seasonal harvest.

• Hot water bath canning uses boiling water to sterilize food and kill micro-organisms. Suitable for high acid foods like fruits and tomatoes with a pH below 4.5.
• Pressure canning is suitable for high and low acid foods. Low acid foods have a greater potential to grow botulism and so require higher temperatures to be preserved safely.

Review: End of Summer Workshops

We marked the end of our spring and summer workshop schedule earlier this week with our second run of our Drying and Storing Foods workshop with Andrea Potter (Rooted Nutrition). Closing out our schedule of September workshops is our ever-popular (and very full) Container Gardening Workshop.

Thank you to everyone who came out and helped to make our workshops amazing!

Want to know what the fuss is all about? Check out some of these pictures from our last four workshops!



After all, we eat with our eyes, right?

And if you want to do more than ogle food, stay tuned to our Recipes page as the recipes from our cooking workshops from spring and summer are posted.

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.

Whole Fruit Canning and Summer Jam Making Workshops

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

Whole Fruit Canning - The Joy of Sweet and Sour Fruit

Monday, July 29

6:00 pm - 8:00 pm
Newcomers Centre (7009 Kingsway / Burnaby - map)

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

**REGISTRATION CLOSED**

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

Summer Jam Making - Raspberry Jam

Tuesday, August 6

6:30 pm - 8:30 pm
Cameron Rec Centre (9523 Cameron Street / Burnaby - map)

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


**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.

Correction: The original post on July 10, 2013 for the Summer Jam Making workshop said that we will be making blueberry jam. This has been changed to raspberry jam, not blueberry.

Recipe: Blueberry Chutney

Chutneys go well with chicken, fish, and many vegetable dishes. They can also be made to suit personal tastes -- e.g. sweet and not spicy -- and are suited to all kinds of fruits.

This recipe is from our Canning for Life workshop, taught by chef Alice Macpherson. It makes a spicy version that is suitable for a variety of dishes and uses blueberry jam, as per the Homemade Jam recipe from the same workshop. The below measurements are for every 2 litres of jam.

Blueberry Chutney

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

Ingredients

2 L blueberry (or other fruit) jam
5 mL salt

Any of the below:

10 mL black pepper, ground
15 mL fennel seed, ground
15 mL coriander seed, ground
15 mL ginger, ground
125 mL Balsamic vinegar

Source: The Dog's Breakfast

Instructions

1. Heat up the jam. While the jam is heating, decide which seasonings you want to add.

2. Stir the seasonings (any of pepper, fennel, coriander, ginger, and/or Balsamic vinegar) into the heated jam.

3. Heat for about 10 minutes. Taste and adjust as desired.

4. When ready, spoon the jam into clean canning jars.

5. Put on the lids and rings on and process in a hot water bath. Please see the Hot Water Canning guide for instructions. At full boil, let the jars cook for 10 minutes. This time is for kitchens at sea level (where we are), and for every 3,000 feet above 1,000 feet sea level, extend the boiling time by 5 minutes.  

Recipe: Apple Butter

Apple butter is a spread that resembles applesauce but is thicker and more concentrated in flavour. It makes a fantastic accompaniment for toast or can be turned into a spread for baked goods. Try combining and chilling a 1/2 cup of apple butter with 1/4 cup of softened butter and letting it come to room temperature before using.

This recipe is from the Canning for the Sweet Life workshop in September, taught by Francesca and Antonietta of Foodwisdom.

Apple Butter
Adapted from Fannie Farmer Cookbook.

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

Ingredients

2 1/2 lbs. apples (or apricots, plums, or peaches)
1 cup water
3/4 cups demerrara sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon cloves, ground
grated rind and juice from 1 lemon

Tools

Large pot
Potato masher
Large wooden spoon
Knife
Jars with lids and rings
Sieve (optional)

Source: Bakin' on the Side

Instructions

1. Core the apples, and slice each apple into 8 pieces.

2. Mix together with the water in a pot. Cook over medium-high heat until the apples are soft, then turn the temperature down to low.

3. Mash the softened apples with the potato masher.

4. Add the remaining ingredients.

5. Continuing cooking the mixture over low heat and mashing the apples until they have fully dissolved.

6. Stir the apple mixture continuously to ensure that it does not burn.

7. If you want a smooth apple butter, push the mixture through a sieve with a ladle.

8. Fill hot, sterilized jars with the apple butter.

9.  Put on the lids and rings on and process in a hot water bath. Please see the Hot Water Canning guide for instructions. At full boil, let the jars cook for 20 minutes. This time is for kitchens at sea level (where we are), and for every 3,000 feet above 1,000 feet sea level, extend the boiling time by 5 minutes.

Recipe: Homemade Jam

Fresh, homemade jam outplays store-bought jam, no contest, every time -- so if you've got a bit of time over the weekend and a stash of fruit in the fridge, why not whip up this simply, easy recipe?

This recipe is a perfect way to preserve (a) blueberries, currants (black, red, or white), apricots, cherries, gooseberries, and plums* or (b) raspberries, peaches, and strawberries.**

Jams can also be thinned out and used as a fruit sauce for cakes or puddings.

This recipe is from our Canning for Life workshop, taught by chef Alice Macpherson, and is based on a 250 mL mason jar size.

Homemade Jam

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

Ingredients

Fruit of choice
Water
Honey or sugar, to taste
Low methoxyl pectin (e.g. Pomona brand)
Mono calcium phosphate, if using raspberries, peaches, or strawberries
Mason canning jars

Source: Bran Appetit

Instructions

1. Put the fruit into a heavy pot. Make sure the pot is not more than halfway full. If using frozen fruit, let it thaw in the pot first.

2. Add just enough water to prevent the fruit from sticking to the sides, and cook over low heat until soft.

3. If the fruit mixture is too sour, add a small amount of honey or sugar.

4. Test to see if the fruit has thickened and gelled by dropping some on a cold spoon or plate.

5. If the jam is not thick enough, add the following, accordingly:

* For (a) blueberries, currants, apricots, cherries, gooseberries, and plums: 10 grams of low methoxyl pectin for every 2 L of juice and water.

** For (b) raspberries, peaches, and strawberries: 15 grams of low methoxyl pectin for every 2 L of juice and water. With a bit of juice, mix in 2 grams of mono calcium phosphate for every 2 L, and then stir the mixture into the jam.

6. Test the jam again to see if it will jell on a cold spoon or plate.

7. When ready, spoon the jam into clean canning jars.

8. Put on the lids and rings on and process in a hot water bath. Please see the Hot Water Canning guide for instructions. At full boil, let the jars cook for 10 minutes. This time is for kitchens at sea level (where we are), and for every 3,000 feet above 1,000 feet sea level, extend the boiling time by 5 minutes.

Guide to Hot Water Canning

This guide is for the Hot Water method of canning, as used in a number of our recipes for jams, chutneys, and other preserves. The standard size of the mason jars used in our recipes is 250 mL, but the boiling times are the same regardless of jar size.

We recommend for optimal safety to use new lids, and even jar rings, each time when re-using sterilized mason jars from previous batches. Improperly cleaned canning jars can harbour bacteria and other nasties that can lead to food poisoning and other food-borne illnesses.

Fruits must be canned using the hot water method below because of the high levels of sugar and/or acid they contain. Vegetables, meat, and some other foods should never be canned using this method; they must be treated using a pressure cooker. Canned foods that have sealed will last for about a year or a little more -- if they aren't eaten before that!

The instructions below are provided kindly on the behalf of Alice Macpherson.

Hot Water Canning

Things You Need

Large pot, with sides higher than the mason jars
Glass mason canning jars, warmed or hot
Sterilized jar rings and lids
Canner rack

Instructions

1. Jars, rings, and lids must be very clean and washed in hot water or put through the dishwasher in a hot cycle and then dried thoroughly. Lids should be put in hot water before using so that the seal is soft and ready to use.

2. Fill the pot halfway with water and heat it until it just starts to boil.

3. The food being canned should be ready at this point, as indicated by the recipe. While the food is hot, put it into your clean, warm jars. Fill the jars to the 0.75 mL line, about 1/4-inch from the rim.

4. Rinse the lids and rings in hot water again before you put them on the jars. Ensure that the sealing material on the lids is soft. Put the lids on the jars and then tighten the rings around them. If the rings are too loose, liquid may leak out, but if they are too tight, trapped air inside the jars cannot get out.

5. Load the filled jars onto the canner rack and use the handles to lower the rack into the water. If you don't have a specialized canner rack, you can use a metal steamer tray or any other heat-proof rack that fits in the bottom of your pot and keeps the jars up off the bottom of the pot.

6. Add more boiling water, if needed, so that the water level in the pot is an inch above the tops of the jars, and then put the lid on.

7. Turn the heat to high and boil vigorously.

8. Let the jars boil for the time indicated in the recipe. As needed, add more boiling water to ensure the jars are always covered with water.

9. When done, lift the jars out and put them on a rack or a towel, with 1 inch between them to allow for cooling.

10. When the jars cool, you will hear the lid click. This means that the jar is properly sealed. Check again in 24 hours to make sure the lids and rings are still tight. If a jar does not seal, put it in the fridge and use the food right away, within 24 hours or less.

Workshop Review: Canning for the Sweet Life

Thank you all very much for coming out to our Canning for the Sweet Life workshops on September 5 and 6. We had lots of fun learning how to make delicious Italian prune plumes and yummy apple butter.

Ingredients for Italian prune plums
Credit: Sofi Martinez

                                                   
Led by the great folks at Foodwisdom (www.foodwisdom.ca), Antonietta and Francesca, participants learned the skills of whole fruit canning and preserving.

Workshop participants listening closely
Credit: Sofi Martinez

At the end of the night, everyone got to take home a jar or two of what they made -- we hear the Italian prune plums are delicious on yoghurt!

Italian prune plums in progress. Yum!
Credit: Sofi Martinez

Keep watching the blog for more information on other upcoming Fall workshops. Hope to see you there!

For copies of the recipes used in this workshop, please visit our Recipe page:

Apple Butter
Canned Italian Prune Plums

Canning for the Sweet Life: Spots Still Left!

Canning for the Sweet Life
Learn how to can local fresh whole fruits

September 5 / 5:00 - 7:00 pm
Byrne Creek Secondary / 7777 18th St. (map)
Topic: Spiced Pears

September 6 / 5:00 - 7:00 pm
Cranberry Commons / 4272 Albert St. (map)
Topic: Apple Butter

As the kids head back to school, delicious local apples and pears from some of BC’s finest organic producers head to market. Come learn how to store the bounty, with Chef Antonietta Gesualdi of Foodwisdom, as she demonstrates how to make spiced pears and apple butter. Either of these will make for a great treat in the school lunch box in February.

To register, send us an email or call (604) 570-3623.

**REGISTRATION CLOSED**


Workshop Review:
Canning for the Sweet Life