Wanderlust and Words

My family spent many summer holidays on Vancouver Island, and I have happy memories of playing on the beach. One of my family’s favorite beaches is at Point No Point. It’s a private beach, but all you have to do is enjoy lunch overlooking the ocean or stay in one of their cabins to have access. As a child, a special treat was visiting Butchart Gardens after dark to enjoy the light display. There are free open-air concerts in the Gardens every night during the summer months. My sister and I enjoyed a performance by Ballet Étoile. The massed displays of flowers are impressive as are the fountains and amusing twig sculptures hidden in the bushes. In Victoria, my sister Clare and I walk at Willows Beach and Cattle Point most evenings.

Galiano Island is the Gulf Island closest to Vancouver. It’s small, not as touristy and developed as Salt Spring, and with many, many inlets and coves as it’s long and skinny. I spent 3 days on the island with my sister, Clare. We admired the sandstone at Sturdies Bay and the arbutus attracted my attention at Retreat Cove. We carefully left our treasures behind after a happy afternoon spying on the crabs in the tidal pools near Pebble Beach. We visited 5 artists’ home studios. I enjoyed the pottery by Sandra Dolph , but my absolute favorite was Marcia deVicque’s studio . The glasswork was lovely and her wild, tangled, forest garden was a feast for the senses.

The Next Great Food Business Public Tasting, Sept. 7 The Local Kitchen is hosting a public tasting with samples from each of the finalists in the Next Great Food Business competition. Finalists are: King’s Jerky, Kind Condiments , Smoke and Salt BBQ, Bannock Express , and Voodoo Van . Wine Tastings Guess the most expensive wine (Sept. 8), sample some Rhône wines (Sept. 22), or attend the 2017 Premier Showcase Wine Dinner (Sept. 28) sponsored by Saskatoon Co-op Wine Spirits Beer. Premier Showcase is also offering a Portugal with a Splash of California wine seminar (Sept. 29) and a Women & Whisky seminar (Sept. 30). Refresh and Renew I had a chat with Trent Loewen about his plans now that he has sold Earth Bound Bakery. He is heading east to visit chef friends in Ontario and then off to New Zealand to explore what's happening there. After 9 years with a single focus, it's time to explore new ideas. Interestingly enough, the bakery's new owner is a business...

The gardens at the Horticulture Centre of the Pacific are many and varied, from winter-flowering heather to herbs, fruit trees, vegetables, cutting flowers, roses, and bonsai. You move from sun and hot colours to shady paths, a gently flowing stream, and layer upon layer of green. Here and there are scattered sculptures, but to really enjoy art in the garden, you should attend the annual Art in the Garden as I did in 2015. You may also enjoy: Abkhazi Garden 2017 Roses, Government House Gardens  

Little Quail Ridge Orchards Dhillon and Sukh of Little Quail Ridge Orchards in Oliver, BC, have been farming a 28-acre orchard for over 15 years – and they’ve been selling their fruit at Saskatoon Farmers’ Market for many of those years. They only sell what they grow and rely on all of us who shop at farmers’ markets to support their families as they don’t sell to packing plants. Swift Current & District Farmers’ Market profiled Little Quail Ridge Orchards on their Facebook page recently and provided the following information: “Sukh moves to Saskatoon for 3-4 months in the summer to manage the sales there and Dhillon drives their refrigerated semi every week from Oliver supplying Saskatoon, Prince Albert and Swift Current with the freshest fruit possible.” Dhillon’s wife, Parvinder, minds the orchard while he is on the road. There is currently a second fruit vendor at Saskatoon Farmers’ Market, but a lot of their fruit is sourced from other farms. If you want to support ...

Salt Spring Island Market - everything is grown, produced, or made on the Island. Here are just a few of the lovely treats available.   Elderflower Cordial   All sorts of homemade bread   A fairy door for a fairy house (you'll find lots on the Island)   Flowers   Just one of many tasty treats!   Such talent!   Colourful! And, if you can't get enough of market photos, here are some from the Salt Spring Island Tuesday Market two years ago.

Summer and ice cream are a perfect match. And, if you’re going to splurge, make sure that you are eating the very best ice cream possible. I had three really great ice cream experiences in Victoria this past summer. Be sure to check them out the next time you’re on Vancouver Island. Cold Comfort  Cold Comfort makes small batch, seasonally inspired ice cream. They use mostly organic ingredients, along with local fruits and herbs. There is no shortage of unexpected flavours as Cold Comfort has created over 340 different varieties, including Rosewater & Raspberry and Rosemary & Sour Cherry. My absolute favourite was the East is East non-dairy sandwich bar. Sandwiched between thin layers of dacquoise is a rich mix of coconut milk, organic cane sugar, tamarind and cardamom. Kid Sister  Kid Sister originally sold paletas, Latin American fruit popsicles. They’ve expanded their menu to include a variety of ice cream bars and frozen yogurt. The milk and yog...