How to make the most of your relationship with strawberries
STORY BY JANE MACDOUGALL • PHOTOS BY ARIEL PATRICH

THE STRAWBERRY CAN BE A DISSEMBLING TEMPTRESS. Come June, you’ll see these ruby-red coquettes on every street corner, their incomparable fragrance promising every good thing that is summer. It is impossible not to be smitten. We’ve waited for this moment all year: local strawberries!

No it's not a spelling mistake.

If winter is not your favourite season, perhaps you need to meet The Hermannator. Vancouver Island Brewing has been making this seasonal treat for 25 years, a Bavarian-style Ice Bock that annually warms the hearts of beer lovers throughout our region. (When we purchased a six-pack at Brewery Creek Liquor Store within a day of the October release, the cashier’s face lit up with happiness, as if she’d just caught sight of an old friend.) We call this one big and beefy not just because it’s 9.5% alcohol but because it’s a chewy beer you’ll be tempted to attack with a knife and fork. Next time the skies open up, hunker down by the fire and count on Hermannator to offer all the comfort of a caramel bread pudding.

Story & Photos: Claire Lassam

My relationship with onions is not unlike that of an old married couple. We have dinner together almost every day. It’s not uncommon for us to have breakfast or lunch, too. We nearly always run into each other at the grocery store, and when I’m out for dinner, it’s hard to imagine my meal without onions. Maybe it’s my fault that I’ve started to see them as commonplace; I’ve grown accustomed to seeing onions so often that I haven’t noticed how special they are.

BY PHILIP SOLMAN AND DEBBRA MIKAELSEN

Surveys repeatedly show that 80 to 90 per cent of Canadians and Americans want labelling to tell them when food has been genetically engineered. Yet huge corporations don’t want us to know what’s in our food, and governments are listening to them instead of consumers.

But in November 2012, Californians will vote on Proposition 37, which would require clear labelling of foods produced through genetic engineering. Why is this relevant to us in BC? A victory in California could be the catalyst that finally brings GE food labelling to other states and (because of our history of harmonizing food laws with the US) to Canada.

The corporations who profit from GE foods are spending huge amounts of money on ad campaigns designed to scare Californians into voting NO to Proposition 37. Of course Monsanto’s on that list, but so are many big grocery brands that might be on your pantry shelves. We were saddened and perplexed to see Ocean Spray among them; why would a farmer-owned co-operative fight so hard to keep consumers from knowing what’s in their food?

On a more positive note, we’re proud of Richmond-based Nature’s Path, a heroic local company that has given funds to support the YES campaign. Thank you, Nature’s Path—and all the other companies and individuals who are standing up for the rights of consumers. After all, when the citizens of countries as diverse as China, UK, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, Latvia, and many others (40+ in total) already have laws requiring the labelling of GE foods, isn’t it perfectly reasonable for us to expect the same?

For further information visit: carighttoknow.org

The California Secretary of State lists donations from businesses who oppose or support Proposition 37 here:

And anyone can volunteer to help get out the YES vote here:

Debbra Mikaelsen and Philip Solman are co-owners of Edible Vancouver magazine. They believe that we all have the right to know what's in our food and don't appreciate corporations and governments telling us that we don't. They live in Vancouver, but know that some food issues have no boundaries.

By Justice Marshall • Photos By Reine Mihtla

Is Vancouver ready for the food forest movement?

Imagine munching Asian pears and cracking hazelnuts with friends while basking in the fragrant, healing aromas of the herbaceous understory. The kids chase butterflies and explore edible plants. You relax and graze. Everyone goes home with a bundle of mint or rosemary, a few berries, and maybe some tasty rogue greens for the pot or salad bowl.

Welcome to the food forest, a multi-purpose edible green space that might just redefine urban gardening.

At Edible Vancouver, our mission is to be inclusive about food and drink. We have little tolerance for snobbery. However, we also have strong opinions about many things. Beer, for example. We think it should taste like beer. So we could definitely detect a slight curling of the lip around the office when the idea of fruit beer raised its head. But then one of our team persuaded us to try a strawberry beer, and we actually liked it.