It is such a delight to see young people buying boxes of tomatoes, keen again on canning.  I remember canning with my mom.  In fact, there were some very old remains of those canning days when we packed up my mom’s house.  Moms of my generation were busy working and passed on other necessary skills [...]

I didn’t grow up where blackberries grew so this seasonal delight was all new to me.  It was the free part that I first noticed.  They grew in wild places and whoever got there first, picked them when they were ready.  Everyone made blackberry jam.  The old timers were always prepared with long sleeves, ladders, [...]

Wow, the sockeye is so good, plentiful and well priced right now.  I’m reminded how lovely this fish is to look at, being the slimmest, most streamlined of salmon.  And then there’s the uniquely beautiful deep red colour  of its flesh.  I haven’t enjoyed being around a fish this much in a long time. The [...]

Hearing about our sockeye bonanza and the possibility of some off the boat sales at $1 a pound I had  an instant flashback.  It was the ’70′s in Fort Langley when salmon was a dollar a pound that I first learned to clean and freeze salmon.  It involved clean, waxed half gallon milk containers water [...]

As you battle those fruit flies from no where, a few more observations about soft fruit.  For starts, it’s rarely table ready.  There is a reason soft fruit needs ripening at home.  It needs to be picked, stored stored and shipped, even if it is just from 100 miles away.  It can easily take a [...]

There’s something about apricots that just call out to me.  Peaches are easy to love, especially white peaches.  It’s the color of apricots that  comes first.  That pinky orange just glows.  Apricot color, right?  But what to do with these little jewels of color?  First rule: tart fruit needs fat-no way around it.  Other cooks [...]

In the produce business, soft fruit doesn’t mean ripe fruit.  Locally, it’s a term for fruit that needs a temperate climate and grows on trees or woody shrubs.  Small fruit usually means berries or bramble fruit.  Stone fruit are peaches, plums, and apricots.  Confused about what what to put together?  Trust your eyes. Berries, sweet [...]

Just a reminder that the recipes and food tips seen here is from a new edition of the Granville Island Public Market cookbook.  The first book came out in 1985 and while the vocabulary of food may have changed, we think somethings  still hold true.  Here’s a few meat grilling tips to keep in mind [...]

Tomatoes always have a place on the table. On a plate, on their own, they will always shine. Slice or quarter the tomatoes, depending on size or shape. Salt them once plated, sprinkle with a good olive oil and that’s it! When basil is plentiful, put individual leaves on the tomatoes. Chives, parsley, or other [...]