- Story by Angela Cowan Photography by Don Denton
With its fertile fields, year-round farming and passionate growers and makers, North Saanich is a veritable bread basket of agricultural abundance, and I had the incomparable treat to explore the region and put my taste buds to work at this yearB次元官网网址檚 North Saanich Flavour Trails Festival.
Set up as a self-guided tour, the 2018 festival showcased 21 venues with food, drink, sweets, plants and more.
On a Sunday morning that had a slight chill in the air, my dad and I set out for our first stop of the day: Snowdon House, tucked down a long driveway off Mills Road. We were a few minutes early, which gave me a chance to chat to owner Laura Waters while we waited for the Douglas fir waffles to finish cooking. Wait, Douglas fir waffles?
B次元官网网址淭hatB次元官网网址檚 the sustainable, renewable crop for this farm,B次元官网网址� says Waters, gesturing to the some-2,500 Douglas firs at the back of the property that were originally meant to be Christmas trees. Plans changed, and the trees now supply their young green tips for batter mixes, vinegars, cocktail shrubs and more. B次元官网网址淥nce you get people to try it, theyB次元官网网址檙e intrigued.B次元官网网址�
The waffles arrive and are a delight: thick, rich batter with a tang of fir spice, topped with cream cheese, goat cheese and the Fir and Fire brie topper. We leave with the taste of fir on our tongues as we hurry to our next stop for a sheep shearing demonstration.
At Pasture Perfect Lamb and Country Wools, owner Lorea Tomsin catches a six-month-old ewe by the hind leg with the kind of dexterity and competence that makes it look effortless, although I know very well the skill involved. She angles the sheepB次元官网网址檚 head back against her leg and readies the sheers.
B次元官网网址淚 always call this womenB次元官网网址檚 work, because everything is womenB次元官网网址檚 work,B次元官网网址� she says with a chuckle. The shears start whirring; long strips of wool fall away from the sheepB次元官网网址檚 belly. B次元官网网址淪hearing is like a martial art. ItB次元官网网址檚 all about the position,B次元官网网址� she says, turning the sheep steadily over as the rest of the fleece comes off in one large piece. A few seconds later, a rather nude sheep leaps to her feet and bleats before jogging off to rejoin her flock.
While Tomsin continues chatting to the crowd about breeds and flock maintenance and sharing shearing stories worthy of James Herriot, I take a peek at the goodies on the nearby table. Socks, roving, spun wool, stuffed pillows all beckon and spark a growing excitement for autumn. And though IB次元官网网址檓 tempted by the cooler full of lamb sausages, and feeling watched by several pairs of black eyes through the fence, I leave the meat this time.
Over at Millstone Farm and Organics, I spy the laundry soap and wool balls that have been a fixture at the Sidney night market in past years. I already, in fact, have a set of wool dryer balls at home, but itB次元官网网址檚 their newest venture that interests me the most. Just inside their newly opened shop, a glassed-in room holds a larger-than-life wooden grain mill B次元官网网址� a work of art in its own right.
Made by an award-winning family company in Austria, itB次元官网网址檚 constructed of Austrian pine, stainless steel and natural stones from the same region. Co-owner and miller Laurie Kelly researched mills for about five years before settling at last on the Osttiroler, widely regarded as the very best in the world.
Committed to an organic, gluten-free product, Millstone grinds flours from sorghum, millet, brown rice, quinoa, buckwheat and more. We stay for a demonstration, watching as finely milled flour trickles slowly through a triple-sifting chamber, but weB次元官网网址檙e quickly drawn outside by the smell of buckwheat waffles.
Our next stop is RussellB次元官网网址檚 Nursery. I pause beneath a towering willow and breathe in the scents of the earth, of leaves, of the surrounding conifers. I swear heaven is a herb garden, and IB次元官网网址檝e just found the next closest thing.
With people becoming more aware of where and how their food is grown, interest in gardening has also had an upswing in recent years, says co-owner Sue Tice, who has been participating in the Flavour Trails Festival almost since its beginning.
B次元官网网址淚t gives us a chance for new people to find us, and it supports the community,B次元官网网址� she says, leading me to this yearB次元官网网址檚 display, which celebrates the vast amount of food that can be grown on a small plot of land.
B次元官网网址淎nd not only that, it can be beautiful,B次元官网网址� she adds.
Container carrots and green bean trellises interlaced with flowering vines offer a gorgeous blend of greens and colours, and itB次元官网网址檚 to no oneB次元官网网址檚 surprise that I end up carting home several potted herbs and a rather large dwarf Russian sage.
All this rural rambling has sparked both our appetites, so my dad and I cap off our tour at an old favourite: The Roost.
The bakery boasts the same favourites as always, but itB次元官网网址檚 a hearty meal weB次元官网网址檙e after, so dad and I wait to be seated in the dining side. The beef on the menu catches both of our eyes. ItB次元官网网址檚 short rib stroganoff for him, and a short rib beef dip with au jus for me. As usual, as soon as the food arrives, our conversation takes a long pause.
The beef is meltingly tender, paired with red peppers, grilled onions and a chipotle aioli that adds just enough spice to bite. The au jus runs down my fingers and drips onto my plate as the huge sandwich steadily disappears. I glance at my dad; heB次元官网网址檚 leaning back with a hand on his belly, enormously satisfied with the stroganoff.
IB次元官网网址檓 feeling so incredibly food satisfied right now, I could easily go home and fall into my couch for an afternoon nap. But instead, I think IB次元官网网址檒l root around in my garden and find a spot to plant my new Russian sage.
This yearB次元官网网址檚 North Saanich Flavour Trails run August 16 to 18. Check out the website at flavourtrails.com for more details, a schedule and a map of participating locations.
