This summer, the combination of hot weather, great soil conditions, and clean water supply has made for a bountiful harvest in the Fraser Valley. On August 22 & 23, join Slow Food Vancouver for a leisurely Summer Cycle Tour weekend in Agassiz & Chilliwack, respectively. With the effects of global warming, supporting our local farmers and preserving our agricultural land is more important than ever.
Cycle at your own pace with family and friends through this agricultural gem; sample and purchase local food delicacies; and learn where to best shop for your local favourites.
The scenic, self-guided cycle tours will visit over a dozen farms each day and provide educational experiences where participants will learn about the production of a variety of different foods.
On Saturday’s Agassiz Cycle Tour, you will sip freshly roasted, organic coffee from Dan and Lynda at the Back Porch, taste Ian Sparkes mouth-watering “triple-sweet Jubilee” corn, ride through shady hazelnut tree orchards at Canadian Hazelnut Farm and Poplar Grove Arbour, and sample the freshest cranberry and craisin juice from Darshan at the Shergill Cranberry Farm, before it’s bottled by Ocean Spray. And that’s just a small teaser of the Agassiz tour! New this year, delicious Slow Food lunches will be offered for an additional $10. Saturday will be a tough choice: pesto pizza (with the crust made by Anita’s Organics) served with rawsome salad & homemade herb dressing at Limbert Mountain Farms; or hazelnut veggie burgers or hazelnut pesto pizza served with salad at Canadian Hazelnut Farm.
For Sunday’s Chilliwack Cycle Tour, start your morning off right with breakfast served from Preserved Seed Cafe, next to registration. Then, hop on your bike and learn about goat cheese production from Susan Barker (the longest running goat cheese producer in the Fraser Valley), sample premium, artisan breads from Anita’s Organic grain and flour mill, get up close with the McKeen Family’s naturally raised Black Angus cattle at Greendale Pottery, learn about the satisfaction of growing grapes for wine production at Graham and Hazel’s Pinot Noir Vineyard, and so much more! Sunday’s lunch will be a real treat with the Sto:lo First Nation offering a salmon BBQ, served with corn and bannock, followed by a performance of traditional song and dance at the Great Blue Heron Nature Reserve. The cycle tours run daily from 9am to 4pm and cost $10/tour or $15/both days. Come for the day or make it a wonderful slow weekend. With Harrison Hot Springs Resort only a few kilometres away, as well as dozens of hotels/motels, B&B’s, and campgrounds in the area, it makes for a great escape from the busy city life.
The Slow Food Cycle Tour weekend is perfect for the whole family; better yet, kids 12 and under ride for free! You can also shop at the local farms and take advantage of our free shopping shuttle service that will bring your purchases back to the start/finish.
Need a bike? Not a problem! Reckless Bikes in Vancouver, our wonderful sponsor, will be offering a bicycle rental service for the Slow Food Cycle Tours. Make arrangements prior to the cycle tour day and they will deliver a rental bike for you to the tour starting point.
The idea of slow food has never been more important; global issues such as climate change make supporting our local food producers essential! Register online today and be entered to win one of two bicycles provided by Reckless Bikes, as well as other great prizes.
For more information and to register online, visit the events section of the our website at www.slowfoodvancouver.com. You can also arrange transportation and stay-up to date by joining our Facebook Event and by following us on Twitter.
We are also looking for volunteers who are interested in helping out; it’s a wonderful way to get up close and personal with our local farmers while still having time to take in the rest of the days’ activities and flavours. If interested, please contact Julie-Ann at volunteer@slowfoodvancouver.com.
