Chicken A La Carte

I was forwarded this from a friend. Though it’s not directly linked to greener living, I think it’s still worth sharing here. What a humbling wake-up call. I’m reminded to count my blessings daily, to not be wasteful, and to keep in mind the many out there that have so much less than we have.

View this movie at cultureunplugged.com

Did it tug at your heart as much as it did mine?

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A Greener Dine-Out Vancouver

Back in the days when my husband and I had more free time, we used to take in one of Vancouver’s most awaited culinary affair. Now with 3 kids, unfortunately, finding some alone time for a date night every so often involves a lot of forethought and schedule juggling. So we’re not sure if we’ll be able to partake in this year’s Dine Out Vancouver before the February 1st deadline.

But for those who are able to, it’s a great opportunity to enjoy some fine dining at relatively reasonable prices. And better yet, I just found out that some of the participating places are part of Green Table, a network of restaurants and food services committed to sustainability and the earth. Here are the restaurants that are both part of Dine Out and also the Green Table: Bistro Pastis, C Restaurant, Elixir, Goldfish Pacific Kitchen, Hamilton Street Grill, O’Doul’s, Nu, Ouisi, Raincity Grill, Rocky Mountain Flatbread Co., Salt Tasting Room, West, Wild Rice, and Zin.

So if you haven’t made your reservations yet, and are planning to “dine out”, consider those restaurants that are part of this Green Table network. Or if you can’t make it for this year’s Dine Out, keep the list of Green Table restaurants in mind the next time you plan to eat out, there’s over 30 places to tempt your taste buds.

Bon Appétit! If you have a chance, tell us about your experience.

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Summer Jam’In

A recent trip to a nearby strawberry patch opened my eyes to a whole new way to savour local berries all year long. We went to a no-spray strawberry patch with some friends to pick some lush, in-season berries. The strawberries were not super sweet but they were deliciously juicy, deep crimsom red and percolated a sweet strawberry scent. Of course, we walked away with only one bucket full of strawberries but it was hard to resist looking for more and picking all the ripe strawberries in our row.

A suggestion from a friend got me looking into freezer jam recipes. I do have to admit I have always been apprehensive about the whole jamming process. I always imagined a big huge enamel soup pot, sitting on the stove, boiling away with jars of jam inside clanging against one another. Surprisingly, the recipe was relatively easy to follow, required no cooking and called for a few simple ingredients: berries, sugar, and gelling powder. I found a Club House gelling powder that required less than half the amount of sugar as other recipes that call for just plain pectin. Following the recipe on the package; I measured, my daughter smashed and mashed the strawberries, and half and hour later we had jam for our toast.

We are looking forward to raspberry, blackberry and blueberry picking so that we can make some more jam this season! Yummy!

By the way, all my jam supplies were picked up at the local supermarket, aside from the berries of course!

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‘Tis The Season

My veggie garden outside is still in need of lots of TLC and coaxing to grow. There are a handful of baby Roma tomatoes, the peas are starting to flower and the beets are thriving. Until I actually get to harvest from it I can only diligently water it and continue to hope for warm weather. My mouth is watering just thinking about the Dragon Tongue beans that are always so abundant. For the time being I have been trying to go to the farmer’s markets to get my produce or at least purchase produce that’s locally grown.

To help with my local buying I have been looking for produce that is in season. Here’s a handy guide to find out what fruits and veggies are at their best.

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