I want to remind us, as we struggle to stay relevant in today’s fast paced world, where we have come from.
I started to read the 2013 ‘Eat B.C. cook book published by the South Island membership and I found the following mission statement and the Eat B.C. introduction very thought provoking.
Trish Summerhayes.
A member of the Cedar W.I.
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British Columbia Women’s Institute Mission Statement:
British Columbia Women’s Institute is an organization that focuses on agricultural awareness and education, community action, the family and personal development.
Some Women’s Institute’s achievements in British Columbia since 1909:
- Initiated the establishment of the BC Children’s Hospital and the Queen Alexandra Centre for Children (now known as the Children’s Health Foundation of Vancouver Island) in Victoria.
- Started the first “Buy BC” campaign in the 1930’s.
- Successfully lobbied for changes to the Dower Act. This Act was re-written in 1947 to ensure that a wife’s consent was necessary before a family home could be sold.
- Instrumental in naming the Pacific Dogwood as the provincial floral emblem.
- Lobbied BC Tel for a special phone number for quick response to traumas and accidents – result: creation of 911 phone number.
- Lobbied the provincial Government to paint white lines on Provincial Highways – result: prevention of countless potential accidents.
2013 Cookbook Committee members:
Anthea Archer, Donna Jack, Ruth Fenner, Val Salewicz-Warnes
Eat B.C. Introduction
Savouring the Seasons and Celebrating the Local Harvest
The first bite of the most perfectly ripe, red strawberry in Spring; carrots so sweet, you eat them before they reach the pot; tomatoes still warm from the sun; a crisp apple eaten on a day with the first hint of frost in the air; a heartwarming stew full of root vegetables bought from your farmer’s market that morning. These are the memories of food.
Today, food from all corners of the earth is available to us, all year round. We have grown accustomed to strawberries in January, peaches in April and tomatoes every month of the year. We have learned to eat food that comes from far away, grown in depleted soils, picked under ripe, and lacking in flavour and nutrition. However, only a couple of generations ago, people ate according to the season. What was available from your local farmers, from your garden, or your neighbourhood grocery is what you cooked for you and your family. You celebrated the beginning of the raspberry season, ate your fill, and froze or canned the rest for the lean winter months. You gorged on fresh asparagus, new potatoes, the first salad greens, peas…..
This cookbook shows you how to savour the seasons, celebrate the harvest, and learn to appreciate all that is local. As well, the chapter on preserving gives you the added bonus of teaching you how to extend your local food supply for the non-growing months of the year, reducing your dependence on food that has travelled thousands of kilometers to reach you.
The recipes have been collected from Women’s Institute members of the South Vancouver Island District. Some are old family favourites while others are newly acquired by women who strive to cook by the seasons. We have made every effort to exclude all prepackaged or processed food in these recipes, instead, relying on easy to find, basic ingredient. We sincerely hope you will be inspired to try some of these recipes, to learn what grows in your area of British Columbia, and to taste just how good local food can be.
See all articles by Trish Summerhayes