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**

----

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**
 

---

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.

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!

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!

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: 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.

Food Swap & Pickling Demonstration

Rescheduled from last month is the Food Swap & Pickling Demonstration held in partnership between Food Swap Burnaby and the Burnaby Art Gallery and The Moveable Feast project, with a demonstration hosted by Chef Andrea Potter of Rooted Nutrition.

Food Swap & Pickling Demo

Location: Burnaby Art Gallery (6344 Deer Lake Avenue - map)
Date: September 13, 2012 from 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm
Cost: $5 per person

Pre-registration and a signed release are required for all participants. Hurry and get tickets while they're available!

To register and for more information on the event, please visit http://moveablefeastfoodswap.eventbrite.com/.

Workshop Review: The Joy of Pickling

Thank you all for coming out to the second Joy of Pickling workshop on July 25!

It's a little late coming, but here's the review, for interested parties -- and as usual, a few pictures from the day of.

For those who missed the first workshop in June, Andrea Potter returned to teach another group of students about fermentation as a way of preserving food and about the health benefits that come with eating pickled foods. 

Chef Potter with her students, demonstrating pickling techniques.
Credit: Sofi Martinez

 

At the end of the night, everyone took home a sample of sauerkraut -- and the confidence to delve into fermentation at home with the skills they learned.

Workshop participants are hard at work.
Credit: Sofi Martinez

The event overall was a success, and thank you to all attendees who helped make it an amazing evening!

Jar, meet pickles-to-be. Pickling cucumbers are stuffed into mason jars.
Credit: Sofi Martinez

Missed the workshop? The rest of the Summer Workshop Series is still to come, with plenty of opportunities to learn about canning fruits and vegetables and making the most of local harvests. Spots go quickly, so make sure to register early.

Check out the Summer Workshop Series post for most information, and stay tuned for workshop reminders later in the week!

FREE Workshop: The Joy of Pickling

Burnaby Food First is pleased to present another FREE community workshop. Join Andrea Potter to learn how to make your own delicious pickled food safety and easily. 

This workshop is a repeat of our successful June workshop of the same name - for all those who couldn't make it the first time!

The Joy of Pickling

Wednesday, July 25

5:00 pm - 7:00 pm

Byrne Creek High School (7777 18th St., Burnaby - map)

Space is limited - please register by email or by phone at (604) 570-3623. 

**REGISTRATION CLOSED*

What are pickled foods?
Pickling is a simple way to preserve food through fermentation. People in many parts of the world have been fermenting food for thousands of years. Fermented foods are full of beneficial bacteria. These foods improve digestion and have many other health benefits. 

What will you learn in the workshop?
In this workshop, you will learn how to make fermented vegetable sauerkraut and brined pickles. We will make a batch of sauerkraut together for you to take home. This will help you get started fermenting your own food. 

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 go to wholefoodscooking.ca.


Workshop Review:
The Joy of Pickling

Featured: The Moveable Feast

On now is The Moveable Feast, a season-long garden project by Vancouver artist and Emily Carr University graduate Holly Schmidt, at the Burnaby Art Gallery. The exhibition explores the current movement of food around the world in the context of rapidly dwindling food varieties and deals with issues of urban farming and food production and consumption.

The Moveable Feast @ Burnaby Art Gallery

Location: 6344 Deer Lake Avenue (map)

Dates: May 2012 to September 2012

The Feast hosts a number of workshops, edible events, and youth programs near Ceperley House from July until September.

Workshops for Adults

Cost: Varies; fom $20 to $55, depending on the workshop

Urban Bee Keeping: July 28, 2012 from 11:00 am to 1:00 pm ($20)

Explore the world of bees with bee master Brian Campbell. Learn what we can do to help these insects flourish. If weather permits, there will be a bee safari to see native species at work in the garden.

Making Mason Bee Homes: July 28, 2012 from 2:00 pm to 4:00 pm ($20)

Join Christine Cooper, a landscape architecture student with a background in conservation ecology, for a discussion about mason bee habitat and guidance on the proper methods of building a mason bee home.

Food Swap and Pickling Demo: August 18, 2012 from 2:00 pm to 4:00 pm ($20)

Join Roberta LaQuaglia and Holly Schmidt for an afternoon of food swapping. Bring food you've made or grown and trade it for goodies that others have brought. A pickling demonstration will also be offered.

Simple Cheese and Yoghurt Making: August 19, 2012 from 1:00 pm to 4:00 om ($30)

Learn the basics of making your own yoghurt and soft-bodied cheese curds with organic farmer and cheese-maker David Asher Rotsztain.

Fermented Beverages: August 25, 2012 from 2:00 pm to 4:00 pm ($55)

Learn about traditional fermented beverages with chef Andrea Potter and make some old-fashioned, wild-fermented sodas using herbs, local fruits, and kombucha (a popular tea beverage). Please bring a small jar to take home a kombucha starter.

Spaces are limited for these workshops! To reserve your spot, call (604) 297-4422 or email gallery@burnaby.ca.

Youth Workshops

Cost: Free! (Pre-registration is required.)

Making Seed Paper: August 11, 2012 from 11:00 am to 1:00 pm (Ages 6 to 8)

Mason Jar Terrariums: August 18, 2012 from 11:00 am to 1:00 pm (Ages 9 to 13)

Youth workshops are free. Spaces are limited, however, so please reserve your spot by calling (604) 297-4415.

Edible Events

Cost: $15

Explore local and global food issues through a taste theme. For details, please visit The Moveable Feast website: http://www.moveablefeastburnaby.ca/edible-events/

Savoury: July 19, 2012 from 6:00 pm to 9:00 pm

Sweet: August 9, 2012 from 6:00 pm to 9:00 pm

Sour: September 15, 2012 from 4:00 pm to 7:00 pm

For adults only. Please call (604) 297-4422 to reserve your spot.

For more information on The Moveable Feast and any of the above events, please visit the event website: http://www.burnaby.ca/Things-To-Do/Arts-and-Heritage/Burnaby-Art-Gallery/Programs/Adult-Programs.html

Workshop Review: The Joy of Pickling

Thank you for coming out to the pickling workshop on June 25!

A lucky group, under the skilled eye of Andrea Potter, got the lowdown on basic techniques for fermenting vegetables and brining pickles at home and also took home samples and pickling starter goodies.

Chef Potter explaining the process of pickling to a keen group of ladies and gents.

Credit: Sofi Martinez

The event was a success, and thanks to all attendees who helped make it a fabulous afternoon.

Some colourful reasons to be jealous.

Credit: Sofi Martinez

Missed the community workshop? There's no need to fret, folks: Burnaby Food First has many more workshops this summer - including another free workshop 'The Art of Drying and Storing Foods' being held this Friday, July 13 at the Newcomers Centre (7009 Kingsway) from 5:00 - 7:00 p.m. See the previous post for all the details.

Also, we'll be hosting another pickling workshop at the end of July - so stay tuned!

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

Basic Sauerkraut
Apple Fennel Sauerkraut Salad

FREE Workshop: The Joy of Pickling

Burnaby Food First is pleased to present another FREE community workshop. Join Andrea Potter to learn how to make your own delicious pickled food safety and easily.

The Joy of Pickling

Monday, June 25

1:30 pm - 3:30 pm

Cranberry Commons (4272 Albert St. / North Burnaby - map)

Space is limited - please register by email or by phone at (604) 570-3623.

**REGISTRATION CLOSED**

What are pickled foods?

Pickling is a simple way to preserve food through fermentation. People in many parts of the world have been fermenting food for thousands of years. Fermented foods are full of beneficial bacteria. These foods improve digestion and have many other health benefits.

What will you learn in the workshop?

In this workshop, you will learn how to make fermented vegetable sauerkraut and brined pickles. We will make a batch of sauerkraut together for you to take home. This will help you get started fermenting your own food.

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 go to wholefoodscooking.ca.


Workshop Review:

The Joy of Pickling