Edible Vancouver Island Summer 2022

I have the most delicious childhood memories of summer. My grandma was a big gardener—her entire backyard was converted into a vegetable garden. She and I would walk barefoot in the warm soil and pick carrots, peas, lettuce and beans. I would often eat a few carrots before she had a chance to rinse them; I loved how those sweet, warm carrots tasted with a little fresh dirt still on the skin. Sitting on the porch with her on a hot summer prairie night devouring fresh veggies was pure joy.

PUBLISHER + EDITOR IN CHIEF Karen Elgersma

ART DIRECTOR Danika McDowell EDITOR Danielle Steiner-Janzen

COPY EDITOR Trish Weatherall SOCIAL MEDIA MANAGER Jenny Leung PHOTOGRAPHERS Danika McDowell DL Acken Elli Hart Heidi Richter Janis Jean

Another magical childhood memory was picking Saskatoons with my brothers. We ate more berries than we kept, but we got enough in the bucket for my mom to make a pie—and what a pie it was. Check out Danielle Steiner’s Saskatoon berry article on our website and our “berry” delicious story by Sabrina Currie on page 40. What would summer be without a road trip? Camilla Sampson’s road trip to Quadra and Cortes is lled with many tasty ideas on how to enjoy the islands in the summer. Or, discover Canada’s only olive oil producer on Salt Spring Island on page 16, where Emily Lycopolus dives into all things olives and olive oil. And while you’re out enjoying our Island summer, take a moment to appreciate the bees and the important role they play in our food system— and in some sweet honey-based spirits, which Joanne Sasvari gives us a look into on page 44. Nothing says summer like a backyard barbeque. Chef Michael Williams, the owner of Urban Forage, shares the secret to his new barbecue sauce with Spinnakers root beer; discover why he left his TV show to start his own culinary food line and café on page 13. Ice cream runs, picnics, farmers’ markets, roadside ower stands, long lingering dinners on a patio, and time on the beach to discover shells, sea glass and sea stars are all part of the joys of summer on Vancouver Island and the Gulf Islands. We hope this season brings new memo ries and provokes old ones—reminding everyone of simpler times, when “raiding a garden” was considered naughty, running through a freezing cold sprinkler was fun and making a whole ve dollars selling lemonade at the end of your driveway was a thrill. Karen Elgersma

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Inga Liimatta Nikki Beach Peggie Terry ediblevancouverisland.com/advertise CONTACT US 140-4392 West Saanich Road Victoria, BC, V8Z 3E9 info@ediblevancouverisland.com TO SUBSCRIBE Visit us online at ediblevancouverisland.com Edible Vancouver Island is published four times a year. Subscription rate is $35 CAD annually. LETTERS We welcome your feedback. To write to the editor, use the address above or, for the quickest response, email: editor@ediblevancouverisland.com

Edible Vancouver Island magazine is published ve times per year by Karen Elgersma Media INC. 140-4392 West Saanich Road, Victoria, BC V8Z 3E9

No part of these publications may be reproduced in any form without the written permission of the publisher. Every e ort is made to avoid errors and omissions. If you notice an error, please accept our sincere apologies and notify us. © 2022. All rights reserved.

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On the cover: Olives on the Islands—read the story on pg 16. Photo by Michael Levy.

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