photo by grevillea.
Have a look at a small selection of the names of organic spinach seed varieties currently available in Canada:
Dolphin, Whale, Butterfly and Strawberry.
Compare those with the names Seminis, Monsanto’s global seeds brand for open field crops, gives to their spinach seeds:
Avenger, Hellcat, Interceptor, MIG and Tigercat.
Cetaceans, an insect & fruit VS war bombers & missiles.
I feel like some of us are about to be caught with our pants down. Seriously.
Photo by Chiot’s Run
Look what my friend Jill found in her car after she dropped me off at the ferry terminal!
The mystery is solved, and I feel somewhat abashed at thinking so ill of the women who happened to be in the Swartz Bay ferry terminal with me on Sunday. How could I have believed that anyone would take a bag of wild mushrooms from the waiting room washroom? I’m sorry.
And the morel of the story? Why, they’re back in my hot little hands, of course. 
I spent the day at Fort Rodd Hill in Victoria yesterday, attending Defending Our Backyard: the 3rd Annual Island Chefs’ Collaborative Local Food Festival and Farm Fund Raiser.
Big mouthful, eh?
Not as big as the one I had all afternoon – enjoying a feast of local, seasonal and sustainable food. And drink. Did I mention the drink? There was a lot of drink. Read the rest of this entry »
“Frikadeller?” you say.
“Danish meatballs, fried in lots of oil. Always make extra — they’re awesome cold.” I respond.
Have you ever had deep fried spinach? It’s really good.
Have you ever had deep fried nettles? They’re even better.
We had a little of both for dinner — my latest attempt to recreate a favourite dish from my childhood: Jade Chicken from Vong’s Kitchen on Fraser Street in Vancouver. I think I got it this time. Read the rest of this entry »
Here’s another from my Dad’s stable of staples. We actually called them potato pancakes at home; latkes is an affectation I developed later in life. (It also made for a better sounding title). Read the rest of this entry »
Created from a piece of beef flank (rescued from the expiring bin in the butcher’s dept.), trimmed slightly, sliced across the grain, marinated, racked, smoked and then dehydrated the rest of the way.
Howard is very, very good at drying meat. See the little nodules of fat? I’d never eat raw fat, but I’d wrestle my Grandma to the ground for the last piece of this stuff.
Did I mention that February is Nettle Month here on IV? I’m happier than a pig in sh** — for real. What? You should see all of the deer pellets near my nettle patch… Read the rest of this entry »
Before you even start with the “I don’t like eggplant,” please — just stop.
I’ve heard it before. And after I convince you to try it — “It’s fried,” I’ll say — you’ll have to eat your words, so to speak.
I have yet to meet someone I couldn’t convert to eggplant with this sandwich. Even Howard. It’s that good. Read the rest of this entry »
These are the easiest fries you’ve ever made at home. Three (or four) ingredients, 25 minutes and you’re done — done with frozen fries, oven fries, big-hassle/pre-blanched fries and any other homemade fries you can think of.
These are the tastiest fries you’ve ever made at home. But I know you won’t believe me until you’ve made them yourself, so do both of us a favour and go make a batch right now. Don’t be surprised if you find yourself asking: Read the rest of this entry »
