November 23rd, 2011
Lost a computer this month, and all the data. Thankfully back online now and firing on all cyber cylinders.
Looking forward to visiting Tofino in the next month for some west coast storm watching. I’ll report back soon!
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October 3rd, 2011
I spent a great Sunday afternoon hiking through the wet green forests of Central Vancouver Island in search of Wild Chanterelle mushrooms. The fall rainy season has begun on the Island, which means mushroom season has also begun. As you can see from the photos below, there’s lots to see on the forest floor right now, and even a few good things to eat if you know what to look for and how to find it.
I was lucky enough to be travelling with an experience local mushroom hunter who has spent his whole life in this area and knows it well. Please note: do not attempt to locate and eat VI mushrooms on your own as we have many poisonous varieties on Vancouver Island which can easily be mis-identified. Island visitors should also always keep to marked paths and trails in our forests, as it is easy for amateur explorers to get lost in the back country.
After a great afternoon of hiking, bucket in hand, I managed to find a nice selection of Golden Chanterelles and even a few of the rarer White Chanterelles, which have a more delicate texture and flavour than the spicy & firm Golden variety. Picking my own mushrooms in their natural habitat was a great experience, and I’ve never enjoyed a meal more than one filled with wild mushrooms picked just hours before with my own hands.
If you’re interested in trying your hand at hunting for the elusive, sought-after West Coast Chanterelle, touch base with a Vancouver Island outdoor or nature tour company. Many companies around the Island give seasonal mushroom picking/hiking tours during the fall, winter and spring and can teach you how to identify and properly pick these delicate mushrooms to protect their root system for re-growth in future years.
If you manage to get your hands on Chanterelles in season (keep your eye out at BC farmer’s markets this month for fresh selections from pickers), here’s a great source for how to clean & cook the mushrooms, as well as recipes to get you started on integrating them into your cooking.
A cooking tip from the High Tide Travel Blog: Chanterelles pair amazingly with British Columbia wines, I especially recommend splashing some BC Pinot Gris white wine into a Chanterelle cream sauce served over pasta.
Trust me, then thank me, this is local eating at its best.
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September 6th, 2011
I was on my way down to Parksville Beach on Saturday morning for an annual beach volleyball tournament when I abruptly came across a roadblock on the highway. I didn’t think much of it until I saw that the RCMP Officer blocking the road was holding a huge shotgun and there were sounds of shots being fired nearby.
I was both relieved and saddened to hear when I arrived at the beach that a cougar had been discovered in the bushes of a oceanfront resort beside the community beach and was killed by conservation officers. Relieved that no one was hurt, and saddened that a local animal had to be killed.
It’s a good wake up call to people who hike around Vancouver Island that we do, indeed, share this beautiful space with predatory animals that have called our Island home far longer than we have. There were two cougar encounters on VI this past weekend alone. I’ve hiked trails all over this area and never encountered any sort of danger with wildlife, but that doesn’t mean the animals aren’t out there. It’s never a bad idea to brush up on what to do if you unexpectedly come across a cougar, here’s a great rundown of what to do and when.
Situations like this remind me how lucky we are to have conservation officers and RCMP looking out for the welfare of locals and tourists. We are also lucky to have organizations like the North Island Wildlife Recovery Centre, who care for and rehabilitate injured birds of prey and black bears.
While we can’t save a cougar who walks into a highly populated area, we can donate our money and time towards efforts to care for local wild animals in need. Why not make a donation to the NIWRA in memory of this weekend’s cougars, and thank the next RCMP officer you see for keeping Vancouver Island visitors and locals safe.
To make a donation to the North Island Wildlife Recovery Centre, click here.
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August 3rd, 2011
Okanagan Wine Sub-Region: Okanagan Falls, known for gewurztraminer, riesling and pinot noir.
See Ya Later Ranch is a quirky winery tucked into the stunning hillside of Okanagan Falls, BC, just south of Penticton.
There’s a bit of an uphill drive to reach the winery, but it’s worth the small trip once you look down over the rolling green hills of grapes with the blue southern tip of Skaha Lake far below.
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July 21st, 2011
Covert Farms Organics & Dunham & Froese Estate Winery
Okanagan Wine Subregion: Oliver, known for Merlot, Chardonnay and Gewurztraminer
Although British Columbia’s Okanagan region is finally getting attention as a wine travel destination, the fertile land of the Okanagan Valley can do much more than just grow grapes, and there’s a rich history here of where Canadians get their vegetables from if you drive just a little off the highway and take a look.
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