In honour of my first harvest of the first 2 tomatoes from my community garden at City Hall Vancouver, I bring you Tomatoes.
Taste at Fairmont Vancouver Airport Globe – Caprese Salad – Heirloom Tomatoes, Boccocini, Balsamic
Taste at Kits Daily Kitchen – Stony Paradise Heriloom Tomato Salad – White Balsamic Vinegar – Salt Spring Goat Cheese
Provence Marinaside – Tomato Tart – Boullaibasse
Tomato Festival – Trout Lake Farmers Market – 9-2 pm
Did you know the tomato was once considered to be poisonous? And did you know that tomatoes are related to roses? Amazing but true facts like this can be learned at our annual Tomato Festival being held at the Trout Lake Farmers Market on September 10th. Check out the impressive display of heirloom tomatoes grown in BC and taste a few while you’re at it! Take home some recipes to make your own delicious meals featuring tomatoes. There will also be activities for the little tomato-lovers in the family – something for everyone to enjoy!
More than a dozen vendors will be selling tomatoes on festival day – the best selection you’ll find anywhere.
Fall Festivals
Cowichan Bay Wine & Culinary Festival
Nectar, Nourishment & Knowledge – Expanded 2011 Festival Line Up
The 7th Cowichan Wine & Culinary Festival invites wine and culinary aficionados to wineries, farms and restaurants doorsteps from Wed., Sept. 14th through Sun., Sept. 18th.
The 2011 Cowichan Wine & Culinary Festival is presenting five NEW major festival events in addition to our traditional weekend celebration. Designed as a self-explore experience, visitors are encouraged to pick up or download a festival map before sipping and tasting their way through the Cowichan. All 26 festival participants will have something special going on over five days, and most daytime activities are free of charge. Visitors can also choose to purchase tickets to the festival participants’ events on Thursday through Sunday. Ticketed events range from $25 to $225 per person and in size from dinners for 24 to parties of up to 200. Reservations required and tickets are limited.
“Our community has rallied around our vintners, farmers, food producers and chefs who have created tasting or tour activities and events showcasing the best of Cowichan,” commented Mike Hanson, Festival Director 2011 Cowichan Wine & Culinary Festival. “Together we are offering a truly memorable cultural destination experience.”
The festival begins Wed., Sept. 14th at 1:30 p.m. in beautiful Downtown Duncan with a community Grape Stomp at City Square Stage. After the Grape Stomp visit Bistro 161 for tasting flights of local wine by the glass and their Tapas Menu or step into elCentro Cafe for fabulous Jazz and their West Coast Latin Menu. Then at 7 p.m. join us for the Cowichan Wine Tasting in the Comeakin Room at the Quw’utsun’ Cultural and Conference Centre.
On Thur., Sept. 15th at 6 p.m., Cowichan Chef’s Table and invited BC chefs are hosting a culinary showcase in honour of the late James Barber, Canada’s Urban Peasant. This fundraiser for Providence Farm will feature stations throughout the historic buildings offering culinary delicacies paired with local beer, wine and cider. They will also be officially launching the James Barber Wood Burning Oven project, the chefs gift to Providence Farm.
A weekend day spent at the festival will take you on a journey through the scenic and meandering country roads of Cowichan, where visitors will find themselves alternating between ocean, mountain, field and rainforest views. The festival offers an assortment of the region’s best wines and ciders, tours and tastings, unique farm-fresh epicurean delights from organic farms and food producers, live entertainment, green Earth seminars, hand-blown glassware, and your favourite bottles of wine over lunch. To further enhance your experience take in a weekend session at the 1st Cowichan Wine & Culinary Festival Wine Symposium presented by Vancouver Island University at its new Cowichan Campus.
Then at 7 p.m. on Sun., Sept. 18th, you are invited to join the closing celebrations at our ticketed Wrap up Party hosted by terrain regional kitchen and the oceanfront suites in Cowichan Bay.
Join us for fine food, fine wine and fine friends in the beautiful and bountiful Cowichan.
Grape Stomp
Wednesday, Sept. 14 – 1:30 to 4:30pm
Downtown Duncan at City Square Stage
Sponsored by: DBIA
Premier event tickets available for purchase
CW&CF Wine Tasting
Wednesday, Sept. 14 – 7pm
Quw’utsun’ Cultural & Conference Centre
in the Comeakin Room
Presented by: Couverdon
Music by Dave Hart ~ solo instrumentalist
Premier event tickets available for purchase
CW&CF Wine Symposium
Saturday, Sept.17 & Sunday, Sept. 18
Series of 4 weekend day sessions
How To Taste Wine – 10am
Varietals of Cowichan – 11am
Wine and Food Pairing – 1pm
Terroir of Cowichan – 2pm
Salt Spring Island Wines and regional wines of the Gulf Islands and Vancouver Island join forces September 23-24
Salt Spring Island makes up part of the Wine Islands region of British Columbia; a region that includes Southern Vancouver Island and the Gulf Islands. Being part of the warmest growing region in Canada, the island wineries are reputed for their aromatic west coast scents and fruity tastes.
The Salt Spring Island terroir is well suited for growing cool-climate grapes. Our young vineyards enjoy warm temperate days of long sunshine intermittent with the cool shifts in weather, producing aromatic wines of higher acidity.
The Festival brings together chefs, growers and food providers from Salt Spring Island and the surrounding area with vinters showcasing wines from all of the wine growing regions of British Columbia. Experience the unique thrill of discovery as winemakers, chefs and growers group together as trios to create a mini-menu with each other’s product.
Enjoy both the Friday gala dinner and the Saturday grazing event, for a very special price of $199.00 per ticket!
For more information call 250-537-8320
Evening Gala
This event will be held at the oceanfront Hastings House Country House Hotel under a tent in their fabulous gardens!
On Friday evening we have invited our very talented local chefs and winemakers to create a seven-course dinner to be held at the oceanfront Hastings House Country House Hotel in their fabulous gardens under a giant marquee. The finest fresh ingredients from the gardens, farms and waters of Salt Spring Island will be featured.
There will only be 128 tickets sold for this gala winemakers’ dinner at $160.00 per person (wine and food, taxes and gratuity included).
Live entertainment will be provided featuring Salt Spring’s own Simone and the Soul Intentions!
Grazing Event
In a completely new concept in the area of outdoor wine-tasting events, vintners, chefs, and growers will be grouped together to create a tasting experience using locally-grown produce and ingredients, paired with local and regional wines.
On Saturday afternoon, from 1 – 4 pm, the oceanview orchard adjacent to the Harbour House Hotel will be transformed into a fabulous “grazing experience” as visitors will sip fine wines from BC and savour samples of delicious local and regional foods selected to pair with the wines, and prepared by local chefs. These tickets will be available at $49.00 per person.
The unique and compelling idea behind this event is that it will create an opportunity for vintners, chefs, and growers to group together to create a tasting experience using locally-grown produce and ingredients, paired with local and regional wines. This means that on a table-by-table basis, visitors will see the fresh produce, be able to talk to the grower directly, ask the chef how they prepared the ingredients and discuss with the vintner how the wines complement the resulting dish !
This is a completely new concept in the area of outdoor wine-tasting events. This is truly the Salt Spring fall experience and Islanders look forward to sharing this bounty with one another and with visitors from near and far.
Live entertainment will be priveded – stay tuned for details!
Enjoy both the Friday gala dinner AND the Saturday grazing event, for the very special inclusive price of $199.00 per ticket !
————————————————————————————————————-
ADDITIONAL EVENTS YOU DO NOT WANT TO MISS…
Thursday, September 22nd
DARREN SIGESMUND QUINTET – 8:00 pm Artspring Theatre
Toronto Trombonist and recipient of the 2010 Galaxy Rising Star Award at the Montreal Jazz Festival. Darren was also nominated for a Juno Award in 2010 for his CD “Strands II” 8:00 – 10:00 at ArtSpring Theatrewww.artspring.ca Adult tickets are $23, Youth $5. Call 250-537-2102 for ticket information.
GARRY OAKS WINE TASTING – 7:00 PM
Saturday, September 24th
EVENING ON THE WATER – 6:00 pm Moby’s Oyster Bar and Marine Grill
Visit Moby’s for a 4 course dinner on Saturday night as Richard Verhagen turns over his kitchen to a surprise chef, with wine pairings provided by Fort Berens Estate Winery. $69 per person with a cash bar. This is a Moby’s event in concert with the festival, and tickets can be purchased directly at Moby’s Oyster Bar and Marine Grill at Harbour’s End in Ganges. 250-537-5559. www.mobys.ca
Sunday, September 25th
BUBBLES & BRUCH WITH BRUCE WOOD – 11:00 am to 2:00 pm Salt Spring Vineyards
Sunday Bruch at Salt Spring Vineyard with Salt Spring’s own Bruce Wood 250.653.4963 www.saltspringvineyards.com
Fall fruit salad with vanilla bean sirop & poppyseed yoghurt
Chocolate & dried cherry brioche, scones & pumpkin bread with apple butter
Brunch served on the table family style ~
Strata of fall vegetables and salt spring chevre
Quiche with crab, fresh basil & roast tomatoes
Rosemary roasted potatoes & broiled tomatoes
Salad of Sally’s greens withpear vinaigrette
Apple tart with cinnamon crème anglaise
$45 per person + HST, gratuity not included
Matched with Salt Spring Vineyard wines
Please join us in the Vineyard for a wonderful meal in a beautiful setting
Space is limited to 18 people
For more details and to reserve call Bruce’s Kitchen (250) 931-3399
This event is proudly presented by the members of the Salt Spring Island Chamber of Commerce! www.saltspringchamber.com
Please follow us on Twitter and Facebook by clicking the links below:
Salt Spring Island wineries
Gulf Island wineries
