Cookbook SALT SPRING
COMMUNITY
FROM YOUR FRIENDS AND NEIGHBOURS
SEPTEMBER 2016
DgiM FAMILY FAVOURITES Tried & true recipes
HEALTHY TRENDS
Fresh and gluten free
BUMPER CROPS
DRIFTWOOD GULF ISLANDS MEDIA
Fall harvest favourites
“Life isn’t life without real butter.”
Apple Spice Cake With Rum Butter Sauce
Mix flour, spices, baking powder and salt together in a small bowl. When combined, gradually add to the sugar/ butter mixture, beating until well blended. Stir in apples, nuts and raisins. Pour into a greased 9-inch baking pan or bundt pan. (The bundt pan might take a couple of minutes longer to bake in. Add 5 extra minutes to time.) Bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean. Cool on wire rack 10 minutes. Serve warm with Rum Butter Sauce. Yummy!
Submitted by Carol Siemko from Mouat’s Home Hardware
1/2 c. butter, softened 1 c. firmly packed light brown sugar 2 eggs 2 tsp. pure vanilla extract 1 c. all-purpose flour 1 tsp. baking powder 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
- A.D. POSEY
1/4 tsp. ground ginger 1 tsp. ground allspice 1/8 tsp. ground nutmeg 1/2 tsp. salt 2 c. peeled, chopped apples 1/2 c. walnuts or pecans (I use pecans)
Rum Butter Sauce
1/2 c. raisins
1 c. butter 1 c. brown sugar 1 c. whole milk
Preheat oven to 350º. Beat butter and brown sugar for about 5 minutes. Beat in eggs, one at a time and vanilla also, until blended. Set aside.
Dash of nutmeg 2 tsp. vanilla 6 Tbsp. dark rum
Melt the butter and sugar with the milk in a saucepan on medium heat until slightly thickened. Once thickened, remove from heat and slightly cool. Add the vanilla and rum and serve over Apple Spice Cake.
Stinging Nettle Pesto
Soba Noodle Slaw
Submitted by Lyn Perry
Submitted by Pharmasave
1/4 c. soy sauce 1/4 c. rice vinegar 2 Tbsp. toasted sesame oil 2 cloves crushed garlic 2 Tbsp. honey 1 tsp. sriracha (or less) 4 c. shredded napa cabbage 1 red bell pepper thinly sliced 2 green onions thinly sliced
6 c. fresh nettle (tops & leaves, no stems), blanched in boiling water for one minute, drained, roughly chopped 2 cloves garlic, chopped 1/3 c. pine nuts 1/2 c. grated parmesan 1/3 c. extra virgin olive oil salt and pepper Place the blanched nettle, pine nuts, parmesan and salt and pepper in a food processor. Blend until smooth, adding olive while the motor is running until well distributed. Place pesto in a sterilized jar and cover with a little olive oil to seal and cover with a lid. Refrigerate until ready to use. Pesto will keep for up to a month in a well-sealed jar in the refrigerator. Great on pasta, pizzas, wraps, and fajitas. SALT SPRING ISLAND’S COMMUNITY COOKBOOK 2016
1 pkg. buckwheat soba noodles Whisk together first 6 ingredients in large bowl. Toss in cabbage, pepper, onions. Bring large pot of water to boil, cook soba noodles as per directions, rinse with cold water. Gently toss with cabbage mixture. Top with thinly sliced rare steak if desired.
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The Gulf Islands Driftwood
“Wine is just a conversation waiting to happen.”
- JESSICA ALTIERI
Corn Frittata
Corn Cakes
Submitted by Anna Haltrecht
Adapted from epicurious.com by Anna Haltrecht
Makes 6 to 8 pie-shaped wedges
Makes about 12 corn cakes
2 c. tomatoes, chopped 2 c. sweet corn, fresh or thawed frozen kernels 1 c. chopped herbs 1 onion chopped 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped 1/2 to 1 hot pepper, seeded and finely chopped (optional) Coarse sea salt or kosher salt (or any other salt) Freshly ground black pepper 6 to 8 eggs extra-virgin olive oil optional: add greens such as nettles, kale, sprouts
1 c. stone-ground yellow cornmeal 1/2 c. all-purpose flour or various flours 1 tsp. salt 3/4 tsp. baking soda 1/2 tsp. freshly ground pepper 2 tsp. sweetener (sugar, honey, maple syrup, water kefir) 2 Tbsp. butter/coconut oil, melted and cooled, plus additional melted butter for brushing the griddle 1 large egg 1 c. buttermilk or milk kefir 1 c. fresh or thawed frozen corn 1/4 c. finely chopped onion 1/4 c. finely chopped, rinsed, drained and patted dry bottled roasted red pepper or fresh 1/2 to one hot pepper 1 c. coarsely grated cheese; feta works well too
Set a rack on the top rack of the oven and preheat to broil. In a large ovenproof skillet over high heat, saute onions for 3 to 4 minutes. Add tomatoes and sauté 2 minutes. Add the corn, garlic, and jalapeno and sauté for 2 more minutes or until the garlic is fragrant and the mixture thickens. Add herbs. Let cool for several minutes. In a large bowl, season the eggs with salt and pepper. Beat them lightly with a fork, only enough to mix the whites and the yolks. Add the cooled vegetables and stir to combine. Return skillet to medium heat. Add olive oil, swirling it all around and up the sides of the pan. Add the egg and vegetable mixture and stir gently with the back of a fork without touching the bottoms and sides of the pan. Cover the pan, lower the heat, and cook for 1 to 2 minutes, or until the bottom of the frittata begins to set. Remove the cover, add the optional greens, and transfer the pan to the top rack of the oven and bake until golden brown and puffed, about 5 to 10 minutes. Check regularly. Cut it into wedges and serve immediately, or cool and serve at room temperature.
The Gulf Islands Driftwood
In a bowl whisk together the cornmeal, the flour, the salt, the baking soda, the pepper and the sugar. In another bowl whisk together 2 tablespoons of the butter, the egg and the buttermilk, stir in the corn, the onion, the roasted pepper, the chili and the cheese, then stir in the cornmeal mixture, stirring until the batter is just combined. Heat a griddle over moderately high heat until it is hot, brush it lightly with the additional butter, and working in batches drop the batter by a 1/4-cup measure onto the griddle. Spread the batter slightly to form three 4-inch cakes about half an inch high. Cook the cakes for 2 to 3 minutes on each side, or until they are golden, transferring them as they are cooked to a heatproof platter, and keep them warm.
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SALT SPRING ISLAND’S COMMUNITY COOKBOOK 2016
as easy as 123 1. WEIGH IT Whether it is a jar, bag or basket weigh the container you brought with you.
Monday Friday SALT SPRING ISLAND’S COMMUNITY COOKBOOK -2016
2. WRITE IT Write down the weight of your emply container so it can be subtracted from the weight of the products.
3. FILL IT Fill your container with the locally sourced goodness and continue on your happy way!
8am-8pm Saturday - Sunday 10am-6pm The Gulf Islands Driftwood 4
“Save the Planet...Buy Organic”
- NANCY PHILIPS
Herbed Red Lentils & Quinoa
Spicy Apple Chutney
Submitted by Janice Lynn (for Green)
Submitted by Love My Kitchen
1 c. red lentils 1 c. quinoa 4 c. water 1 tsp. salt 1 tsp. dried thyme 1/2 tsp. dried rosemary 2 bay leaves 8-12 dried chive pieces
Apple and pear season is upon us so I thought it would be a good idea to make chutney. It works well with pork or any type of curry. 1 Tbsp. oil 3 Tbsp. mustard seeds 3 red peppers, diced 3 onions, diced 1 Tbsp. grated ginger 2 Tbsp. minced garlic 3 jalapeno peppers, seeded & diced
This dish is a 100% local, 100% Green store remix to one of my favourite lazy meals. It takes less than 5 minutes to prep, requires absolutely no chopping, and is ready to serve in 30 minutes. B.C. is so beautifully full of gorgeous herbs, why not use and enjoy them? This recipe uses dried herbs, which makes it perfect for fall and winter nights. If you prefer or have access to fresh herbs, by all means, use those instead. Put your red lentils in a sieve and rinse thoroughly. Combine lentils and all other ingredients except chive pieces in a medium pot and bring to a boil. Stir, reduce the heat to low, and cover. Simmer for 25 minutes, or until water is absorbed and lentils are tender. To serve, gently crumble chive pieces over top. Serve by itself for a cozy, protein-rich breakfast, or combine with your favourite in-season veggies for a hearty lunch or dinner.
1 Tbsp. allspice 3 c. sugar 3 c. water 2 c. apple vinegar 6 pears, peeled & diced 6 apples, peeled & diced 3/4 c. golden raisins
Heat oil and add mustard seeds. Stir til they pop. Add onions, peppers, garlic, ginger and allspice. Add sugar, water, vinegar and fruit. Cook on low til soft and thickened, 1 to 2 hours. Remove from heat and cool. Puree in food processor, pour into jars and store in fridge for up to one month. I think this would also be good to pack hot into sterilized jars without pureeing, and seal. If anyone is short of apples, please call me! It’s a bumper crop from my grandfather’s trees planted more than 100 years ago.
Dark Belgian Chocolate Paté Submitted by Hastings House Country House Hotel
1 c. water 1/2 c. sugar 1-1/2 lb. dark chocolate (Bernard Callebaut chocolate) 1lb. butter Melt the above ingredients together in a large bowl over simmering water. The Gulf Islands Driftwood
Whip together in a mixture until thick and pale. Fold into chocolate mixture without adding too much air. Divide into three 8x4-inch loaf pans lined with Saran wrap. Place loaf pans into another pan and fill with water. Bake at 350º F. for 60-75 minutes until set but slightly wobbly in the centre. Let cool and then refrigerate. Best made a day before cutting.
Whisk until smooth: 1 c. sugar 10 eggs
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SALT SPRING ISLAND’S COMMUNITY COOKBOOK 2016
“Until I discovered cooking, I was never really interested in anything.” - JULIA CHILD
Black Bean Brownies Submitted by Lyn Perry
2/3 c. all purpose flour Pinch of salt 1/2 tsp. baking powder 1/2 c. cocoa 1/2 c. butter 1 1/2 c. sugar 1 c. black beans (canned OK) 4 eggs 1 Tbsp. vanilla
Preheat oven to 350º F. Lightly oil a 13x9x2-inch pan. Stir dry ingredients together in a bowl. In a food processor, combine cocoa, butter, sugar, black beans, eggs and vanilla. Blend til well mixed with little or no bean texture left. Stir in dry mixture until moist. Pour batter into the pan. Bake for 30 minutes or til a knife comes out clean. Store these moist brownies in the fridge. Delicious!
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SALT SPRING ISLAND’S COMMUNITY COOKBOOK 2016
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The Gulf Islands Driftwood
“Cooking is at once child’s play and adult joy. And cooking done with care is an act of love.” - CRAIG CLAIBORNE
Oven-Baked Frittata Submitted by Merle Box
This is a versatile favourite for family brunches at our house.
Sauté a small onion, chopped fine, in olive oil until tender. Let cool. Whisk 6 eggs with salt and pepper and a dash of hot sauce. Strait of Georgia Stir in 1 c. of grated cheese. Stir in up to 2 c. of garden veggies such as chopped kale, grated zucchini and diced cooked veggies. (Cooked diced VARIATIONS: —puts your advertising where it will w potatoes are always a great addition.) Cooked chopped asparaguswhere withthe tinyit shrimp —puts your advertising will and work Stir in sautéed onion. 18,000 copies—In every mailbox, on ferries and athar th grated havarti. every mailbox, on the ferries and at the ferry Pour into greased pan and bake at 350º18,000 for 25 tocopies—In 30 Attn: Brian Chopped ham with kale and grated cheddar. minutes until a knife blade comes out clean. Attn: Brian Date: M Black beans with corn kernels, Monterey jack, diced Serves 6. green chilies, and a couple of tablespoons of salsa.
Strait of Georgia
Strait of Georgia
rve your advertising+ where it =will work hard stir, flip, fry, se—puts = = p... every mailbox, on the++ferries and at the ferry ter lean ucopies—In or c18,000 Attn: WE Brian HAVE SOMETHING FOR EVERY KITCHEN
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1370 Wain Road, North Saanich, Knowledgeable Staff BC (fi rst exit off ferry) Russell Nursery, Island Agent for Halls Greenhouses 1370 Wain Road, North Saanich, BC (first exit off ferry) • We 250-656-0384 are growers of quality 250-656-0384 www.russellnursery.com/greenhouses trees, Japanese maples, shrubs, www.russellnursery.com/greenhouses roses and perennials.
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Island Tides thanks for your patronag
For copy alterations p call: 250-629-3660 or More interested in edibles? Island 250-629-3838, or em We love food too and can supply for SALT SPRING ISLAND’S COMMUNITY COOKBOOKislandtides@islandtide 2016
seasonal veggie starts and even a greenhouse to grow them in.
• Bring us your questions and let us help with the decision-making. We can ensure you leave with the
For co Before: noon call: 2 on: Wed, Aug25027
islandt
“I cook with wine, sometimes I even add it to the food.”
Rickety-Uncle
Chocolate Fudgesicles (or Frozen Mousse)
Submitted by Sam Keating
Submitted by Merle Box
My Dad would always say, “Did you say you’re going to make some Rickety-Uncle?” (I hadn’t said any such thing, but once the suggestion was made, I could never resist and he knew it!)
GLUTEN-FREE, SUGAR-FREE, DAIRY-FREE! 1 avocado 1 c. coconut milk 1/3 c. cocoa
2 c. oatmeal pinch baking soda 1/2 tsp. vanilla 1 c. brown sugar
1/3 c. maple syrup Whip ingredients in food processor until smooth, then freeze in popsicle holders or in a pan as frozen mousse. Triple the recipe for mousse for 8.
1/2 c. melted butter Rub together until thoroughly mixed. Press into pan like shortbread. Bake for approximately 10 to 15 minutes at 400º until golden brown. Cut while still warm.
Ingredients for your kitchen
- W.C. FIELDS
hmmm...no butter ...I could use shortening I suppose
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SALT SPRING ISLAND’S COMMUNITY COOKBOOK 2016
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The Gulf Islands Driftwood
“The only thing that will make a souffle fall is if it knows you’re afraid of it.”
Mocha Bars
- JAMES BEARD
MIDDLE LAYER: 1/2 c. vegan margarine, beaten until fluffy with 3 Tbsp. instant coffee pudding. Dissolve 2 tsp. instant coffee in 3 Tbsp. almond milk and beat into butter mixtures. Add 1/2 tsp. vanilla. Gradually add 2 c. icing sugar and beat until smooth. Spread on the bottom layer and chill at least 15 minutes.
Submitted by Sam Keating
Since my family has several allergies, I have adapted my Mocha Bars to be safe for everyone, and they’re just as tasty as they ever were! These were used in the welcome baskets at our son’s wedding. FIRST LAYER: Melt 1/2 c. vegan margarine with 1/4 c. sugar, 5 Tbsp. cocoa. Add 1 well-beaten egg. Cook 4 minutes and remove from heat. Add 2 c. gluten-free graham cracker crumbs, 1/2 c. coconut and pack firmly into 9x9-inch greased pan.
TOP LAYER: Melt together 3 Tbsp. vegan margarine and 4 Tbsp. of dairy-free chocolate. Top the middle layer and cut into decadent squares and enjoy!
cell phones, satellite, landlines, accessories Stop in today, and choose from one of the latest name brand smartphones! 342 Lower Ganges Road | Salt Spring Island 250-537-8371
The Gulf Islands Driftwood
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SALT SPRING ISLAND’S COMMUNITY COOKBOOK 2016
“Cooking is both simpler and more necessary than we imagine.”
- TAMAR ADLER
Apple Bread Pudding Submitted by Peri Lavender of Salt Spring Apple Co.
454 grams bread (10 to 12 cups bread) cubed 1 Tbsp. butter, at room temperature 5 c. whole milk 6 large eggs 1 c. granulated sugar 2 tsp. vanilla 1 tsp. cinnamon (or 2 tsp. cardamom or 2-3 pinches cloves or 1/2 tsp. nutmeg) 1/8 tsp. salt 3 apples diced (with skin on) Warm oven to 350º Place bread cubes in a single layer on baking trays and toast in oven for 20 to 25 minutes, stirring once half way through cooking. When cubes are dry and hard, and still pale, remove from oven and let cool.
Rub 9” x 13” baking dish with butter, and arrange half of the bread cubes in the bottom. Gently shake dish to settle cubes. Spread diced apples evenly on top of crumbs, gently pressing them into the nooks and crannies between cubes. Spread the rest of the cubes on top, shaking the dish gently one more time to settle the crumbs on top. In a mixing bowl, whisk together the milk, eggs, sugar, vanilla, spice (cinnamon, cardamom, cloves or nutmeg) and salt. Pour this mixture slowly and evenly over the top of the bread cubes, making certain it gets into all the nooks and crannies. The cream should almost cover the bread. You may have more cream mixture than you need. Set extra aside. Cover the baking dish with plastic wrap and let sit in fridge for 1 to 24 hours.
Preheat oven to 325º. If you don’t want crunchy bits poking out of the top of the cooked pudding, gently press corners of cubes down or press with something heavy before cooking. Bake the pudding for 40 to 45 minutes, uncovered, in the middle of the oven. It’s done when a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean, and the bread tops are browning. If the crust is turning brown before the pudding is cooked, cover with a piece of tented tinfoil. Remove from oven and cool slightly before serving. Serving Suggestions: • Drizzle with sauce – Creme Anglaise or caramel are both great options. • Add a scoop of ice cream. • Leftovers are delicious served cold, room temperature or warmed.
DRIFTWOOD FILE PHOTOS BY JEN MACLELLAN
At left, saplings at Salt Spring Apple Co. Above, visitors take in info about apples and growing them at the Apple Festival in 2013. This year’s festival is on Sunday, Oct. 2. SALT SPRING ISLAND’S COMMUNITY COOKBOOK 2016
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The Gulf Islands Driftwood
“A recipe is a story that ends with a good meal.”
- PAT CONROY
Stuffed Squash By Linda Koroscil from a Driftwood Let’s Eat column published in 2007
Perfect for a holiday meal. Just in time for Thanksgiving. 2 med. winter squash, halved & pre-baked 2 Tbsp. butter 1 c. onion, minced 1/2 lb. mushrooms, minced 2 or more garlic cloves, minced 1 celery stalk, minced salt & pepper 1 tsp. fresh thyme
1/2 tsp. ground sage 2 Tbsp. lemon juice 1/4 c. nuts (pecans would be good) chopped 1/4 c. sunflower seeds 1/4 c. raisins 2 c. bread crumbs 6 to 8 dried apricots 1 c. cheddar or parmesan, shredded
Melt butter. Add onion and sauté for 5 minutes. Add mushrooms, garlic, celery, seasonings. Sauté about 10 minutes. Add the rest of the ingredients. Correct seasoning if you need to. Top with cheese. Fill pre-baked squash and bake for 20 minutes.
Local ingredients always create best recipes... Congratulations Saanich Fair the on your 149th Anniversary Blackberry Preserves
ual Identity Guide
I like this recipe, because it is so simple, yet so delicious, and blackberries are by far the largest single ingredient. I have a wonderful patch right in my garden, overhanging the sea and facing west!
10 cups (2.5lb / 1.25kg) fresh Salt Spring blackberries 3 cups (1.5lb / 750g) organic sugar 0.5 cups (4fl oz / 125ml) organic lemon juice In a nonreactive bowl gently toss Bring the sugar syrup to a boil over together blackberries and sugar. Cover medium heat, add lemon juice. The and let stand at least 8 hours, or up to mixture will foam up so reduce the overnight in the refrigerator. heat Iaswasnecessary. Cook syrup When born, my dad was the farming on until Wain For more information about correct usage, Road, North Saanich. My older brothers and my Place of a the sieveBCover a large reduced by half (5-10 minutes). or to request copies Liberal logononreactive or wordmarks, sisterstir hadintheir calves to raise saucepan. Pourthe blackberry mixture into older Gently the own blackberries and and cookmy please contact party office. oldest brother Michael was even a blue ribbon the sieve to drain. Remove the sieve with winner for 2 minutes to heat through. at the Saanich Fair! berries, and set aside. Ladle into jars and process. The Fair and my family go way back...
STEPHEN P
ROBERTS
SAANICH NORTH AND THE ISLANDS Authorized by David Goldsmith, Financial Agent for the BC Liberal Party | 604-605-6001
The Gulf Islands Driftwood
Local ingredients create11 the best recipes
SALT SPRING ISLAND’S COMMUNITY COOKBOOK 2016
Orange & Grapefruit Salad with Pistachios and Goat Cheese Serve this flavourful salad alongside grilled entrees like Grilled Chili Lime Marinated Prawns, Grilled Salmon with Garlic, Herb and Anchovy Sauce, or Grilled Chicken Breasts with Honey Garlic Glaze. These tasty recipes and more are available at thriftyfoods.com
Salt Spring: 114 Purvis Lane | Customer Care: 1.800.667.8280
SALT SPRING ISLAND’S COMMUNITY COOKBOOK 2016
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The Gulf Islands Driftwood
island September 2016
Zero-Waste
guide
Groceries on Salt Spring
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Favourite treats from island cookbooks
The Driftwood
test kitchen delivers!
DgiM
DRIFTWOOD GULF ISLANDS MEDIA
PHOTO OF DUCK CREEK FARM PRODUCE AT SALT SPRING FALL FAIR 2015 BY JEN MACLELLAN
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island LOCAVORE guide
THE GULF ISLANDS DRIFTWOOD
PHOTOS COURTESY GREEN
Crystal Lehky at her Green store in Ganges.
Green store eyes retail revolution Entrepreneur strives to eliminate waste from the food chain BY SEAN MCINTYRE D R I F T W O O D S TA F F
PHOTOS COURTESY GREEN
Produce baskets at Green. Next page: Inside store view.
When Crystal Lehky called up the country’s largest bean distributor to order products for her new food store in downtown Ganges, she met a stunned silence. Shipping beans, lentils and quinoa from the Prairies to a shop on Salt Spring Island, she was told, just wasn’t done. Lehky was shocked to learn it wasn’t just
Salt Spring. Many of the top-grade pulses grown in Canada’s breadbasket never see the light of day in Canadian supermarkets. Most, Lehky discovered, are shipped to more lucrative foreign markets while Canadians get stuck with lower-cost, inferior imports. Lehky’s supplier was so caught off guard by the request that they had to go out and find new containers to accommodate the order. “They didn’t know how to ship a 20-kilogram order, because everyone else buys by the rail car,” she said in a recent interview. Lehky’s conversation with the owners of what were supposedly Canada’s only two commercial peanut farms was equally
island LOCAVORE guide
THE GULF ISLANDS DRIFTWOOD
puzzling. Yes, the farmers said, they operated peanut farms, but they didn’t actually produce peanuts. Lehky found out the farms feature ornamental varieties to impress the tourists but rely on peanuts imported from the United States to satisfy customers in the gift shop. “I was shocked and kind of sad,” she said. Lehky’s mission to source Canadian products confirmed many of the food system’s perplexing contradictions that she observed as the manager of a major grocery store in the Lower Mainland. “You wouldn’t believe the kind of stuff that goes on,” she said. Between the abundance of packaging, overprocessing and shipping, Lehky felt a desperate need to redesign the sector. Then the light bulb of inspiration flickered at 4 o’clock one morning.
“I’m interested in changing the way people consume their food.” CRYSTAL LEHKY FOUNDER, GREEN
After watching a documentary about the northern Pacific gyre, where an infamous swath of floating plastic trash has grown to cover an area larger than the province of Alberta, she decided to build Canada’s first zero-waste, low-impact grocery store. “I thought, ‘What if we could just get rid of all that plastic?’” she said. Lehky moused through the internet early that fateful morning and found that the concept has already taken off in Germany, where a new lowwaste grocery store has inspired consumers in Berlin to rethink their shopping habits. “I found that in Europe it’s huge and getting bigger all the time, which is fantastic, so I knew this was a viable plan,” she said. Lehky has taken things a step further for the idea’s Canadian debut by merging the desire for less packaging with the growing interest in local food. The result is Green: zero-waste, lowimpact groceries. “I took the zero-waste one step further. I said we’re zero-waste, low impact, and the low impact part means that we get our products from as local as possible and with as minimal spray and processing as possible.”
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The result are nuts roasted on the Saanich Peninsula, chocolate prepared in East Vancouver, pasta from the Cowichan Valley and quinoa harvested from the Canadian Prairies. Every product is either grown or processed in Canada. As her experience with pulses and peanuts warned her, sourcing food from as many local or regional sources as possible isn’t without its challenges. Where Lehky ran into roadblocks with skeptical distributers, however, she’s found new opportunities to satisfy her vision to break new ground in a rigid retail sector. “There have been many obstacles in my way, but I also think that my customers really appreciate it so much, and it’s exactly what they’ve been looking for,” she said. “Some people like it because it’s low waste and others come because it’s low impact.” Lehky, who is originally from Fort St. John, B.C., thought Salt Spring was the perfect place to launch her retail revolution. Islanders’ progressive vibe and high awareness of the environment and food security, she said, make the island a logical place to launch her store. “Salt Spring and the other Gulf Islands have elected the only Green party representative in Parliament, and we feel like they’re on the cutting edge of green initiatives,” she said. “If there’s going to be a green initiative that might work, it’s going to work on Salt Spring first.” Should all go according to plan and customers respond favourably, Lehky plans to open her second store in Vancouver in 2017. The Salt Spring store is her starting point to develop connections with suppliers, collect customer opinions and build a buzz.
HOW IT WORKS Lehky’s store operates much like a bulk food department. Instead of relying on in-store plastic bags, customers bring their own containers or buy some at the store. Each container gets weighed before shopping and the weight is subtracted at the check-out. The concept eliminates the plastic bags shoppers use to haul away their beans, trail mix and other bulk goods. Lehky’s goal is not just to reduce the amount of trash headed to the landfill but to encourage people to reduce and re-use rather than rely on over-stretched recycling facilities.
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island LOCAVORE guide
THE GULF ISLANDS DRIFTWOOD
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An island harvest treat
island LOCAVORE guide
Wonderful beet latkes from Memento BY ELIZABETH NOLAN D R I F T W O O D S TA F F
Memento: A Coastal Recipe Treasure is a keepsake collection of original recipes from the Pacific Northwest by Salt Springer Maryanna Gabriel. Framed by 68 watercolour illustrations by island artist Bly Kaye, some depicting charming coastal scenes, the book makes a perfect souvenir for visitors — but the strength of the recipes also warrants the book having a permanent place on any islander’s kitchen shelf. During an ambitious review session for the Driftwood after the cookbook was first published in 2009, I cooked out half a dozen recipes from Memento on the gas stove in the small camper my family was living in at the time. Although I was skeptical about how some of these would turn out, I was invariably impressed by the results. The recipes are based on key ingredients that are locally available, adding other flavours to elevate freshly caught seafood and garden vegetables to even greater heights. Some of my personal favourites during the review session included the crab cakes with cooked zucchini salsa, a creamy butternut squash dip and plum chutney spiced with cardamom. But for some reason it’s the beet latkes that have remained an alltime favourite recipe. Gabriel learned how to make them while working in the kitchen of a kibbutz (a collective agriculture community in Israel). They are surprisingly simple to make, have great plate appeal and are a delicious way to celebrate the autumn harvest. The recipe can be made just as successfully with gluten-free flour, if desired.
Memento: A Coastal Recipe Treasure, published by Magic Cottage Creations, is available at Waterfront Gallery and other local outlets.
Beet Latkes Ingredients: 2 beets 1/2 minced onion 2 c. chopped spinach 2 tsp. baking powder 4 eggs 1 c. flour cooking oil salt and pepper
Directions: Wash the beets, cut off the ends and then grate. There should be roughly four cups of loosely packed, grated raw beet. Place in a bowl with the onion and spinach. Beat the eggs and add the flour, baking powder and seasoning, and mix. Form into thin patties and sauté for two to five minutes or until cooked through, depending on the size of the patty, being careful to cook thoroughly. Serve with Wasabi Dip: 1/3 c. mayonnaise, 1/4 c. plain yoghurt, 2 tsp. wasabi, salt and pepper to taste.
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From the Driftwood test kitchen Thrift store find resurrects vintage recipes
PHOTOS BY DRIFTWOOD STAFF
Clockwise from above, finished Driftwood Nut Roll with rice crackers and pita; ingredients and the cookbook; all of the nut roll ingredients before shaping. BY SEAN MCINTYRE D R I F T W O O D S TA F F
Experts agree that concocting a successful cookbook requires several key ingredients: Easyto-follow instructions, readily available and affordable ingredients, and topnotch photography are required staples. But it was none of these that aroused my appetite for Cooking in the Gulf Islands. I found the book in a Ucluelet thrift store on a shelf filled with castaway paperbacks lined up between a rack of old wetsuits and a wall of vintage trucker caps, and I was unable to resist flipping through the pages for a glimpse of some tastes of home. Sprinkled among classic, grandma’s-kitchen favourites like eggplant parmesan, spinach dip and rum balls were some intriguing island gems. Thetis Island Coleslaw, Mayne Island Oven Stew, Scott Point Filet of Sole and the Sansum Squash Puff were only the beginning. Jo Kynaston wrote Cooking in the Gulf Islands back in 1982 soon after she moved to Salt Spring following a nursing career in Vancouver. Her
brother-in-law Luke, an avid sailor and photographer, is credited with valiantly sampling most of the book’s recipes and supplying pictures of familiar island landscapes and characters. In her foreword to the book, Kynaston writes about how life in the Gulf Islands can reconnect residents with primal appetites. She writes about the region’s mild climate, unpolluted ocean and beaches rich in oysters and clams. “Living in the Gulf Islands helps to remind us that we still live upon the fruits of the earth, beasts of the field, fowl of the air and fish of the sea; although we try to prepare our food more tastefully with interesting combinations which add immeasurably to our health and happiness.” The result is a book that includes wildcrafted specialities like rose-hip ketchup, dandelion wine and miner’s lettuce salad with interesting modern-era wonders like toffee sauce, orange curry dressing and citrus steak. In keeping with prevailing tastes of the early 1980s, recipes are heavy on the butter, sugar, evaporated milk and Maraschino cherries. But signs of the Gulf Islands’ long-standing progressivism shine through with a recipe for ginger-
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bread people, published a good decade before the gingerbread “man” relinquished his monopoly on cookie jars elsewhere in the country. By the time I discovered the Driftwood Nut Roll in the book’s miscellaneous section (which also includes such mouthwatering treats as the Montague Harbour Fondue, Long Harbour Lunch Loaf and Ganges Granola), I had a toonie ready to claim my calorie-laden thrift store find. When the time came to finally assemble the nut roll, I discovered that Kynaston’s book ticks all the boxes that a good cookbook needs to tick; the log was complete within 20 minutes and made with easy-to-find and affordable ingredients, though testers suggested adding a bit more spice. With a curt “slice and serve” to conclude the recipe, Kynaston doesn’t elaborate when it comes to details on how to consume the log of flavoured cream cheese encrusted in walnuts, but deadlinehastened experimentation in the Driftwood test kitchen suggests the nut roll is best served as a chilled spread on rice crackers, sliced baguette or pita bread. “It actually looks good,” commented one reviewer. With well over a hundred recipes left to try, choosing between the Lady Minto Peach Chutney, Gabriola Cheese Bread and the Texada Shipwreck might be bitting off more than I can chew. Considering the eagerness with which my ungulate neighbours have been eyeing my vegetable patch, however, a batch of Vesuvius Venison may soon be on the menu.
island LOCAVORE guide
Mark your calendar! October 14-16, 2016
Driftwood Nut Roll 1 c. softened cream cheese 1/4 c. softened butter 1 Tbsp. chopped chives or green onions 1 tsp. paprika 2 tsp. capers 1/2 tsp. caraway seeds 1/4 tsp. dry mustard 1/2 c. chopped walnuts Mix all ingredients (except walnuts) together. Combine well and form into long roll. Roll again in chopped walnuts. Wrap in waxed paper and chill well. Slice and serve. Source: Cooking in the Gulf Islands by Jo Kynaston (Mermaid Publishing, 1982)
121 Lower Ganges Rd, Salt Spring Island, BC V8K 2T4 | (250) 537-4223 Visitor information is at www.saltspringtourism.com
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Cooking in the islands Two favourite local cookbooks recommended BY GAIL SJUBERG D R I F T WO O D E D I TO R
The Gulf Islands are blessed by an abundance of natural and cultivated food sources, so it’s not surprising the region has so many terrific cookbooks. Some of them focus on produce/products derived from the islands, while others were put
together by people with particular passions. Two of my best-loved cookbooks fall into each category.
GULF ISLANDS FOOD TOUR
Heritage & Connoisseur Apples Apple Trees - Apple Treats Oceanview B&B on the Orchard www.SaltSpringAppleCompany.com
250.537.4935
Seasonings - Flavours of the Southern Gulf Islands, by Andrea and David Spalding of Pender Island, is an absolute must-have for making the most of Gulf Islands-grown food and associated products. From Pesto Potato Salad to Glazed Rhubarb Tart, it provides unique recipes to celebrate a Gulf Islands harvest year round. (The book is divided into four season-themed segments.) It also contains interesting information about people of the islands involved in farming or producing food and drink products for sale. Not only that but it’s visually stunning, both in terms of use of photographs and its design. It was released by Harbour Publishing in 2012.
island LOCAVORE guide
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“Bitterness and Joy, sour and sweet: A necessary contrast in creative work, recipes and life itself.” BRENDA BROOKS Author, Gotta Find Me an Angel
PHOTO BY GAIL SJUBERG
Zucchini and tomatoes quickly fill a Salt Spring Island gardener’s basket in September.
decent pastry out of any combination of fat, flour and egg. One thing that stops me from making too many of these tasty galettes, though, is that the pastry and cheese combo seems to attach itself to my hips immediately. Andrea’s Roasted Winter Veggies is another oft-made dish from the book. It sees any combination of winter vegetables and several cloves of garlic rubbed with pesto, balsamic vinegar and olive oil inside a plastic bag before they’re roasted in the oven.
MANAGING THE ABUNDANCE
As a gardener, I’ve noticed how I make certain dishes every year as a particular plant is at its peak. There’s a Swiss Green Beans recipe from the Enchanted Broccoli Forest by Mollie Katzen that takes care of my excess bean crop. A small mountain of Quinoa Tabouleh uses cherry tomatoes, cucumbers and, especially, the mint that grows gleefully at the edge of a pond. When the zucchinis start to overwhelm, I’ve found the best place to put them is in a Caramelized Onion and Zucchini Galette from Seasonings. After cooking some onions and garlic, they are layered with zucchini slices and asiago and feta cheese on a generous square of pastry. Because I’m kind of “presentation challenged,” I like that the pastry can be folded over the pile of vegetables and cheese in a willy-nilly fashion. I also use the book’s Never Fail Pastry recipe, although I seem able to make
Prepare for next Fall’s harvest! We have a huge selection of fruit and nut trees available for Fall planting.
Also see our great assortment of perennials, trees, shrubs, groundcovers, fruit, flowering and nut trees year round.
Fraser’s Thimble Farms 175 Arbutus Road, Salt Spring Island BC
9:00am-4:30 Tuesday through Saturday / Closed Sunday & Monday Extended hours will start again in the spring!
www.thimblefarms.com 250.537.5788
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Join us for a memorable fine dining experience with chef Marcel Kauer. Enjoy his award-winning creations showcasing the freshest of locally-sourced ingredients, prepared in a world-class culinary style. Try our cosy, casual dining alternative - The Bistro - a comfortable, relaxed setting featuring our chef-inspired menu. Seatings for both fine dining and bistro between 5:30-7:30pm (subject to change). Reservations required.
250-537-2362 • 1-800-661-0255 • 160 Upper Ganges Road, Salt Spring Island • hastingshouse.com
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SALT SPRING ISLAND COOKING
Another island-based cookbook in my kitchen with drip-and-drop-filled pages is Salt Spring Island Cooking - Vegetarian Recipes from the Salt Spring Centre by Rodney Polden and Pamela Thornley. Published 23 years ago, it is not only an excellent vegetarian cookbook but a sweet reminder of Salt Spring Centre of Yoga life in its earlier days. Perhaps because my daughter was attending Salt Spring Centre School when I bought Salt Spring Island Cooking, I feel particularly attached to it, but I also remember being excited by how it offered so many possibilities with its delicious spreads and sauces and easy ways to sparkle up vegetables. It contains a cauliflower-carrot curry dish using fresh orange juice that is unbelievably delicious. I think it’s the addition of sliced bananas near the end of the cooking time that really makes it memorable. My absolute favourite Salt Spring Island Cooking recipe, though, is called Bitterness and Joy on the Road to Kweilin, which features tofu balls rolled in cornmeal and fried. Tofu begs to be played with and transformed, and in that respect, Bitterness and Joy is the best way to have fun with tofu I have ever found. Tofu is accompanied in the balls by finely chopped celery, leeks, water chestnuts (or Jerusalem artichokes), mushrooms, tahini and some herbs and spices. The crispy-coated balls are then served with a sauce that has pineapple as its dominant ingredient.
FROM COOKBOOK TO A NOVEL
Having Googled the recipe title to see if it had any obvious significance, I discovered that it is mentioned in a novel called Gotta Find Me an Angel by Salt Spring Islander Brenda Brooks. Like me, Brenda was intrigued by the recipe’s title. When I inquired about her experience with the recipe, she shared the following: “Bitterness and Joy on the Road to Kweilin: It’s such a beautiful line, even just standing all alone. A perfect title for a poem about life’s little journey, or, in this case, the recipe that follows it. And like all poems, the recipe never turns out the same no matter how many times it’s made (at
least if I’m the cook). So many “finely chopped” things, and the grinding, the frying. And then the very necessary sauce. And then the presentation of the hot delights on that bed of basmati rice with the steamy accompaniments. The timing. The serendipity. The disappointment (and even sorrow and embarrassment) if in spite of all the sweat and tears it just didn’t turn out. The little victory dance of the mind if you hit the thing dead on. Bitterness and Joy, sour and sweet: A necessary contrast in creative work, recipes and life itself. And there’s always another chance to make all the variables add up to beauty — as long as you’re still on the road and haven’t yet arrived in Kweilin.” ...................................................... Unfortunately, I couldn’t get hold of Rodney Polden before we went to press to ask him about the recipe and title. (Co-author Pamela Thornley confirmed that it was his contribution to the book.) But I’m sure there’s an interesting story there too!
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Caramelized Onion and Zucchini Galette
From Seasonings - Flavours of the Southern Gulf Islands by Andrea and David A.E. Spalding, published by Harbour Publishing, 2012. www.harbourpublishing.com
Makes 4 to 6 servings 2 medium zucchini, sliced 1 1/2 tsp. salt 1 Tbsp. butter 1 tsp. olive oil 1 large onion, thinly sliced 3 cloves garlic, minced 1/2 recipe ‘Never Fail Pastry’ (Or enough for one generous pie shell) 1 c. grated asiago or any hard island cheese 1/4 c. Salt Spring Island Cheese Company feta cheese, crumbled Pepper 1 egg yolk, beaten with 1 tsp. water Spread the zucchini slices over the surface of a large sieve, sprinkle with salt and let drain over the sink for about 30 minutes. Pat pieces dry before using. Meanwhile, melt butter and oil together in a large skillet. Add garlic, onion and cook over medium heat until soft and beginning to caramelize to a golden brown. Cool. Preheat the oven to 400° F. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or a silicone liner and grease. Roll out pastry into a 12-inch circle and place on the cookie sheet. Mix cheese together. Layer one-third of the cheese in the centre of the pastry, leaving at least 2 inches of pastry bare on all sides. Top cheese with half the onion, then all the garlic, followed by all the zucchini and a grind of pepper, and then another one third of the cheese. Finish off by adding remaining onion and top with remaining cheese.
PHOTO BY GAIL SJUBERG
Caramelized Onion and Zucchini Galette made with leftover pastry bits. Recipe from Seasonings - Flavours of the Southern Gulf Islands by Andrea and David Spalding, published by Harbour Publishing, 2012.
To form the galette, gently lift and fold the edge of the pastry up and over the filling, pleating and gathering the edge attractively so that the pastry is like a drawstring bag that’s not fully closed. The pastry will not completely cover the filling, which will be visible in the centre of the galette. Brush the pastry with egg wash. Bake until the pastry is a golden brown, about 30 to 40 minutes. Serve immediately. Also from the Seasonings cookbook: What is a Galette? Galette is a wonderfully sophisticated term for a rustic, free-form pie. Galettes are quick and unfussy to make using vegetables or fruit. As the name suggests, galettes originated in France, reputedly in Brittany. Apparently, they were first made in the form of large buckwheat pancakes folded around a savoury stuffing. These are still sold in French Canada and known as galettes bretonnes. Adapted by pastry cooks, this easy method of making a pie not only has eye appeal, but is very practical. You can use pastry scraps to make small individual galettes, or quickly make one large enough to serve a family as an entrée or dessert.