Check out this cute video for UBC Farm, a couple shots of mine in there too. I was sent a link to it today because I signed a petition last October created by Friends of UBC Farm and The Wilderness Committee to save UBC Farm from University construction and a sea of condo buildings, along with 4,949 other people who feel the same way. Woohoo! And now my ‘Jackie loves UBC Farm card’ is on it’s way.

Do you love UBC Farm? Click here to donate, and keep up to date on Farm activities and general farm fun on their blog.

courtesy of UBC Farm website

Fall in September has been stunning.  Gardens are still producing.  But in a few weeks the weather will turn, it will be raining, a lot cooler and the days a lot shorter.   One of things I love about having a garden is that you can take the bounty of today and “put it up” for tomorrow.

The last few years I have canned with some good friends every September.  We did it again this past month.  It was the usual garlic dill pickles, spicy pickled beans, and garlic jelly.  With the bounty of our tomatoes, and the generosity of a good friend I had over 50 lbs to do something with.  I made our spicy tomato salsa again, yum and then just some simple canned tomatoes to be added to stews, soups and sauces.  I love how they look in my pantry, all lined up waiting to be used!

© 2009 Bakergirl Creations

I know you can buy canned tomatoes for pennies really from the store, but there is a huge sense of satisfaction from picking from your own garden to pulling them off your shelf in the cold months of January and February and know where they came from and what’s in them.

There are several ways you can can tomatoes: raw packed with no liquid, crushed tomatoes, herb seasoned, packed in water and so on.  This option is just raw packed with no liquid. I think it is the easiest and as you can see from the picture, there is lots of liquid in the tomatoes already, no need to literally water it down.

© 2009 Bakergirl Creations

Ingredients:
Tomatoes, any variety
1 lb tomatoes usually results in about 500 mL prepared, so plan according to your volume
Salt (optional)
Bottled lemon juice
*reference point 21lbs of tomatoes produces about seven 1L jars.

Materials
Canner
Rack
Canning Jars, ring  and snap lids
Tongs (canning tongs preferably, but other tongs work ok, just use them carefully)
Dutch oven pot, full of boiling water to assist with peeling of tomatoes
1 large bag of ice

Directions:

1. Prepare canner (large pot that will cover the jars with water by at least  2 inches).  Fill with water, bring to a boil, be sure that there is a rack on the bottom of the pot as you don’t want your jars directly on the pot above the burner.
2. Sterilize jars. You can do this by running them through the dishwasher, if they are already clean you can put them in an oven and let them sterilize at 250F for at least 10 minutes.
3. Follow the directions on your snap lids to prepare them according
4. Ensure your dutch oven of boiling water is fully boiling.
5. In a clean sink , fill with cold water, and half of the ice – you will need to replace half way through.
6. Wash and prep tomatoes:  make a small ‘x’ in the bottom of the tomato with a pairing knife.
7. In small batches, immerse prepared tomatoes in boiling water.  Leave them there for about 6o seconds  until skin starts to loosen or crack.
8. Remove and plunge into ice bath in sink, slip skins off.
9. Remove cores and any bruised parts – you can leave whole, half or quarter.
10. If canning in I L jars add 2Tbsp bottled lemon juice to each hot sterile jar and if using salt, 1 tsp.
11. Raw pack tomatoes into prepared jars to within a generous ½ inch of top of jar.  You will need to press tomatoes into the jar, until the gaps are filled with the juice from the tomatoes.
12. Remove air bubbles with a non metallic stick, such as wooden spoon. Adjust for headspace, you might need to add one or two more tomatoes.
13. Wipe rim, centre lid on jar and screw the ring on, to fingertip tight.
14. Place jars in canner, ensuring they are completely covered with water.  Bring to boil and process for 85 minutes(for 500 mL and 1 L jars).  Remove canner lid, wait 5 minutes then remove jars and cool.
15. You will hear “pop” as the lids seal.  You can test for done-ness by pushing down on the centre of the lid, if it goes up and down, you don’t have a safe seal.

A short time ago I received an email rom the Food Policy Team at the City of Vancouver, and as the deadline is looming I wanted to make sure you all knew about this possibility for..get ready for it…you to have your own garden plot!

An initiative tied to the Olympics, frown if you must, but only good things can come out of the establishment of 2,010 new garden plots, right? C’mon now! I’m all over this because this year some fellow tenants in my building got together and started our own community/building garden plot, and I’ve been growing my own food since April ‘09 and lovin’ every minute of it.

© 2009 jackie connelly

Here are the details:

“2010 Garden Plots by 2010 is a challenge to encourage the creation of 2,010 new garden plots in Vancouver by January 1, 2010, as an Olympic legacy. The challenge was issued to individuals, families, community groups and neighbourhood organizations in 2006 to help establish more food-producing gardens in the city.”

The email continued on to say that several potential sites for new food producing community gardens have been identified and the City of Vancouver is currently seeking applications from community groups to manage them. If you or your organization is interested in being part of the 2010 challenge by helping to create a new community garden in Vancouver, submit an application to communitygardens@vancouver.ca by October 31, 2009.

So how do you apply?

Applications can be submitted for one or more of these potential garden sites. Please note that successful applicants must be one of the following:

A registered non-profit organization, co-operative or strata council; or,

Sponsored by an existing registered non-profit organization, co-operative or strata council

Questions about the RFP can be directed to Erin MacDonald at communitygardens@vancouver.ca

To download the Request for Applications, please visit www.vancouver.ca/gardens.

© 2009 jackie connelly

Chewing The Fat Foodie Interviews are back!

Read on to meet Justin Faubert, owner of LWF Food Service Consulting (landwaterfork). Justin has been working here in Vancouver as a chef for the past 12 years and currently offers catering/personal chefs services, as well as consulting focusing on local products and companies with an emphasis on the sustainability of our food system. He is just finishing a contract working privately as a chef for a family at their summer home on one of the Gulf Islands (very cool!) and when he’s not working with our food system, he spends his time raising two young children; his son, 4, and daughter, 2.

Is there a certain food or dish that reminds you of growing up?

Growing up living very close to my paternal grandparents, I would spend a lot of time at their house. My grandmother grew up on a farm and raising 5 children after the war, she knew how to make food (and a dollar) last. Eating according to the seasons was just the way we ate. It was the cheapest, most practical way of having meals. I can’t say there is a certain food that reminds me of growing up, but there are a few that take me back: fresh strawberries in the field, green beans and rhubarb out of the backyard garden, fresh lettuce with a buttermilk dressing, chicken & sliders, coconut cream pie, pumpkin cookies in the fall. Just a few of the many that come to mind.

What is the ideal Justin meal?

Kind of a tricky question to answer. I think the ideal meal is usually one that satisfies whatever craving you may have at the time. It could be in a high end restaurant or a “mom & pop” off the highway. There are a few meals that stand out for me. On the fine dining side, I’ve had flawless food and dining experiences at Gary Danko’s in San Francisco and 2941Restaurant just outside Washington, DC. On the simpler side, a few years ago I was part of a group of chefs and media from Vancouver and Vancouver Island visiting a supplier’s farm north of Quadra Island. On the boat back, we were having a few snacks  and I was standing beside James Barber, who was making himself a sandwich (it was more like a slice of ham folded into a slice of bread, maybe a touch of mustard). As he finished, he turned and offered the sandwich to me. How can you say no to that! James Barber making your lunch. That was a great ham sandwich and not because of the quality of the ingredients.

My ideal meal though, if I had to choose one, would have to be BBQ. If I’m down in the southern US, I always try to find the best place around. Ribs, brisket, chicken, catfish, beans, slaw, cornbread, all washed down with a cold beer. That satifies my soul.

What are you having for dinner tonight?

Dinners at home tend to be fairly simple. With kids around, it’s always best to get dinner ready in a hurry and to do something that doesn’t need your constant attention. Tonight it’s dry rubbed chicken thighs on the grill, UBC Farm yellow beans, some local potatoes and maybe a tomato from the garden. For dessert, we’ll eat a few handfuls of plums from the trees in the yard. Easy!

Is there a food that gives you the heebie jeebies?

I wouldn’t call myself an adventurous eater, but I don’t mind trying different foods. Things I tend not to like are flavours or textures that are too excessive: too salty, too sweet, too spicy, to slimy.

How and why did you start a food blog?

I started a blog for selfish reasons I guess. I wanted to practice my food writing earlier this year after attending the Fancy Food Show in San Francisco and thought starting a blog would be an easy way for me to get my food thoughts out there for others to see. It’s also a great way to let others know what I’m doing (professionally), catalogue and share recipes that I think are worthwhile and to give people an insight into some food happenings and events that I feel are important. For the most part, the food and the events have local ties, but sometimes I’ll post something that I think will have an impact on our food system, even if it is from somewhere else in the world. I’d love for “landwaterfork” to be a meeting place for others to share their views concerning our food system, (so please feel free to leave a comment or question!) and how it can become more sustainable and accessible to everyone.

Through this vast interweb and the likes of Twitter and Facebook, I recently met Bethany from Comox Valley Dwellings, a great little “online magazine (or web-log ”blog”) for Renovations and Interior Design in the Comox Valley” contributed to daily by Bethany. I think I tweeted something about heading back home to The Comox Valley for a weekend, and we came across one another. We chatted, Bethany then offered me the great opportunity to reach out her Valley readers by posting a weekly recipe and food photo, and I gladly accepted! Since the flattering intro post there, every Friday you’ll find a photo+recipe combo from me as part of their weekend round-up.

Some of the recipes and accompanying photos included on Comox Valley Dwellings so far have been  harissa prawns, Vikram Vij’s burttermilk pakoras, and red potato salad.

To keep up with Comox Valley Dwellings:

• • follow Bethany
• • become a fan on the CVD facebook page
• • Sign up for their emails

Bring on everything home reno and decor  in the Comox Valley ~ including food!

Sadly, my cooking partner Navida and I didn’t win our Social Bites cooking night. But kudos to the winner and his cooking partner, we heard they perpared some, shall we say, interesting food choices for their guests. But since we only lost by a mere 5 points (that’s right, 235 out of 240!!) I thought you might like to see some of the shots of what we made, a few more here, and click for the recipe cards Navida designed for our guests to take home with them: skewered!

Congrats Annika ~ another successful Social Bites night completed!

Chicken satays marinated in garlic, ginger, tumeric and coriander and cumin. © 2009 jackie connelly

Harissa Prawns with cucumber, tomato and fresh mint salad. © 2009 jackie connelly

Roasted skewered vegetables. © 2009 jackie connelly

Have you been to Pourhouse yet? My other half is scheming to steal a bar stool and imprint his name on it before returning it he loves it there so much. Ok so he’s kidding (kind of) but last week I photographed food, cocktails and the interior for them and I was thrilled because not only are they dear friends, but also because they’ve done such an impressive job at, well, everything.

© 2009 jackie connelly

Gold Fashioned. © 2009 jackie connelly

Dining area. © 2009 jackie connelly

Shortribs. © 2009 jackie connelly

Key Pourhouse players are also catching on to the social media world:

• • check out Jay Jones’ blog for a lot of the backstory to the Pourhouse getting up and running (love the story about the actual piece of wood that makes up the bar) and of course the cocktail side of things which he is known for
• • have a boo at Brian Grant’s blog to become familiar with his recent experiment into making bitters
• • also visit Chef Chris Irving’s blog
• • If you’re a tweeter, follow Jay here, and Pourhouse here

What to eat? I would suggest the Pourhouse Salad (pictured above), the Pork & Beans and the chocolate cake for dessert. Don’t leave without ordering the chocolate cake, I’m serious. My other half enjoys partaking on a variety of tasty items from the cocktail menu, and he’s told me the Grilled Cheese is pretty darn delicious.

Pourhouse Salad. © 2009 jackie connelly.

Prospector. © 2009 jackie connelly

Centennial. © 2009 jackie connelly

Congrats Jay, Brian, Chris, Nick & Jen ~ so proud of you guys. See you for dinner soon!

Seriously, stunning photography, inspiring reflections on the food system… what more can a person ask for ask for?!? Reading Michael’s book and seeing what he’s accomplished for the world of food and farming, plus the fact that he shoots beautiful photos and does so for all of his books, this is an event not to be missed.

“ Food  may become the dominant issue of our time. The industrial system that brings it to us is unraveling, and the cost of that system,ecologically, socially, and personally is enormous. While Ableman will  touch on this crisis, he will leave us with a deeper sense of how we can participate in the solutions; on our farms and in our gardens,  in  our kitchens and at the dining room table, and in the broader communities where we live.

Michael will inspire us with his stories and powerful photographic images of individuals who are using community land, backyard gardens as well as urban farms for creating socially and ecologically responsible ways of growing food.“

This Wednesday October 21st, 7.30pm (rideshare available)

Centennial Theatre, 2300 Lonsdale Ave North Vancouver

Tickets are $10, available at Centennial Theatre, 604-984-4484. Pay by credit card over the phone or cash at the door.

Go to the Edible Garden Project website for more details.

Until October 15th there’s a fabulous thing happening at The Roundhouse Art & Recreation Centre called The Sustenance Festival: Feasting on Arts & Culture. Directly from their press release:

” The Roundhouse, Get Local (a partnered project of FarmFolk/CityFolk and the Vancouver Farmers Market) and the BC Farmers’ Market Nutrition and Coupon Project are proud to present SUSTENANCE: Feasting on Art & Culture. A first time, unique celebration, SUSTENANCE Festival starts on Thursday, October 1 and culminates on World Food Day: October 16th. SUSTENANCE endeavours to connect the communities of art, culture, and food security. From global to local, from historic to present day, the art and culture of food will be something everyone can feast on.”

photo by Danno

If you head down to The Roundhouse and poke your head in The Exhibition Hall you’ll see the entire space filled with art, including some of mine. And, on a more interactive level, I offered two Food Photography 101 workshops and for a couple of hours we chatted tips, techniques and shot some food. It was a great! I also met a couple of food bloggers, one of which Diane who posted her thoughts on her blog Global Peasant. Here are some more shots from the workshops taken by the best volunteer coordinator (and volunteer!) I’ve ever met; Danno, you’re awesome, thank you. Thanks to all those who came down to give it a shot (no pun intended!); I had a blast and I hope you did to.

photo by Danno

To culminate both workshops, here’s some links to Food Photography 101 posts I guest-wrote for Bakergirl Creations: The Technical, The Creative and The Resources.

And I’m curious to learn if food photography (in a workshop like this) is something all you food bloggers (or any other type of foodie) would want to learn more about. If so, please fire me an email or leave a comment with your thoughts, because we could totally do this again, and more in-depth.

photo by Danno