Time to haul in all those garden goodies and get them safely put away for winter. This Food Preservation weekend is placed at the end of August (28th and 29th) to take advantage of the bounty available then. We're going beyond the realm of canning and investigation some new, exciting methods - from smoking and lactofermenting to making your own berry sodas and rice preserves. We'll learn how to store herbs and medicinal berries and where in our home our foods will keep best. Take a look at this lineup and our guest chefs, and don't forget we have camping on site for you out-of-towners!  Use our contact form or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it to register!

Saturday August 28

10:00 am – noon - Fermenting Foods - with Andrea Potter

This popular class is an introduction to the world of fermented vegetables. Fermenting foods is an ancient method of preserving the harvest. Rich in probiotics and enzymes for improving digestion, these raw foods are re-gaining their popularity. Reclaim this skill and learn how to make sauerkraut, kimchi and brined pickles at home. We will be making a batch of sauerkraut together for you to take home and start fermenting right away. Check out an article about Andrea’s fermentation projects at http://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/article697236.ece

Please bring two 500ml wide mouthed mason jars and a knife to class. $25

Noon - 1:00 pm - Brown bag lunch or order $5 snack lunch with beverage

1:00 – 3:00 pm - Smoking and Rubbing - with Ian Lai

Learn how to home smoke without all the fuss.  Infuse light flavours into meats and vegetables using basic ingredients found in your own pantry.  Utilize the abundance of herbs to create dry rubs for your favourites dishes or store for winter applications.  Participants will also learn how use wet cures to improve taste and texture in commonly overcooked, dry cuts of meat and fish. $25

3:00 – 5:00 pm - Vinegars and Elixirs – with Ian Lai

What is a mother anyway?  Learn how to make vinegar from all the overripe fruits that have fallen to the ground.  Understand the mechanics of turning fruit into wine and then into vinegar.  Participants will also learn how to make dandelion wine, kombucha and hard cider.  Leave with a mother of your choice, too. $25

5:30 onwards – Shared potluck dinner – please let us know if you are staying.

Sunday Aug 29

9:45 – 10:45 am - Timely Actions in Harvest with Robin Wheeler

Squash, beans, potatoes, garlic (storage) and fruits – we will walk the garden and look at what is ready to harvest and how harvest time affects storage length. Beginner class. $15

11:00 am – 12:30 pm - Harvest and Storage of Culinary and Medicinal Herbs with Robin Wheeler

Our harvesting and drying techniques make a lot of difference to the quality of our final herbal product. We will look at leaves, seeds, flowers, roots and berries and how to best preserve them, and will also understand the basics of infusions and tinctures as “shelf extenders”. $25

12:30 pm - Brown bag lunch or order $5 snack lunch with beverage

1:30 – 2:30 pm – Retrofitting your home for Food Storage with Robin Wheeler

Since modern homes no longer have pantries, root cellars or barns to contain our garden harvest, we have to think creatively to find the right climate for optimum food storage. Cabbage, grains, potatoes and onions all have different needs for longest storage and we can reproduce these zones if we plan ahead. Even apartment dwellers can benefit from these storage ideas. $20

3:00 – 5:00 pm - Fermented Beverages With Andrea Potter

Discover how to make old fashioned sodas using wild yeast, kombucha, - a fermented tea beverage, amazake- a sweet, ‘cultured’ Japanese rice beverage. Bring home recipes, nutrition information and a kombucha starter culture to impress your friends and family with your new, very old skill as brew-master. We will be making and bottling a soda concoction based on fruits and herbs that are available!

5:30 onwards – Shared potluck dinner – please let us know if you are staying!