The first Earth Day was April 22, 1970 … after U.S. Senator Nelson witnessed the ravages of the 1969 massive oil spill in Santa Barbara, California. On the 22nd of April, 20 million Americans took to the streets, parks, and auditoriums to demonstrate for a healthy, sustainable environment in massive coast-to-coast rallies. And so became an annual event.

Earth day .. should be every day. We all can take steps to help our earth.. to leave this earth a better place for our kids, grandkids .. their kids. Be a good ancestor! Think ahead, what are YOU leaving for our future generations?

In our home we do our best to teach our kids to be conscious of the impact they have on this earth. We each have to do our part.

Trim your Waste …. We recycle anything that can be recycled (and nowadays there are more and more opportunities to recycle).

We use reusable bags when shopping. Think about it… when you grocery shop, on average how many bags do you use? Let’s say 5? How often do you shop? Twice a month? More?… So if you used reusable bags for the entire year you alone could avoid using at least 120 plastic bags!

Shop local or grow your own food. I love when it’s Farm Market season. We will buy our berries in large quantities and freeze them for the year. You can find jams, veggies, fruit all sorts of goodies at our local farm market

Plant your own food. Don’t have room in your yard/condo? Why not check out a local community garden. Only a 5 min drive away from us is Maples Discovery Garden you can rent a plot from them and start growing your own herbs/veggies etc.  My friend Ginger and her family have a plot there, they have inspired our family to look into renting a plot and growing our veggies/herbs etc. as well!

Not only are you eating local you are also then increasing the number of plant based meals you consume! And who can’t use more green in your life! (spinach or kale salad anyone?)… and you just can’t beat fresh herbs!

Maples Discovery Garden

And if you want a glass of wine at dinner… there are so many local wineries and even breweries for you to sample from.

Carpool when possible. Often in our household we are pulled in so many directions with little time between activities or activities at the same time in different cities, we do our best to arrange for car-pooling. Not only does it help schedule wise, it also helps the environment.

Unplug and power down unneeded electronic devices and appliances. Chargers, computer peripherals, home entertainment devices and other appliances can all be unplugged when not in use. This can help reduce your utilities bill and carbon emissions simultaneously. This morning when I left for work, I shut down my computer (it won’t be used all day and often I am in the bad habit of leaving it on… all the time!), I unplugged the toaster oven, microwave, cell phone chargers (those tend to get left in the wall even without the phone attached)…

Disconnect and Reconnect… if you have teenagers in your house, you know they love their phones, electronics etc. (we have 2 teens and they are attached to their phones – okay, so am I!) Even our 2 year old loves the iPad etc. So disconnect, leave the phone, the TV, the iPad grab the kids, family, friends … and go outside… play, go for a walk, enjoy nature! If you go for a walk bring along a garbage bag and pick up any garbage along the way.

I encourage you to make one positive change for our earth today and every day…

BC Tree Fruits, part of a co-operative that represents 580 apple growers in the province, wants people to bite into locally-grown apples in an effort to compete with the much larger industry south of the border.

“We have so few cartons compared to what Washington state can produce,” marketing manager Chris Pollock said, noting that B.C. produces about 3 million 40-pound cartons of apples per year compared to the Washington’s 130 million.

“It’s important to have that support from local consumers – it’s for fellow Canadians, you’re supporting your provincial economy as well.”

The push to buy local comes the week Vancouver passed its first food strategy, a plan that hopes to localize the supply of healthy, sustainable food.

But the annual promotion started more than 60 years ago, long before the locavore craze, to encourage people to eat the fall’s harvest before it turned to “mush or apple sauce,” Pollock said.

Technology now prevents the fruit from spoiling – the apples are stored in a sealed room with no oxygen so they don’t mature – so “fresh” B.C. apples can be consumed until early summer.

Next week, the co-operative will send an orchardist and nutritionist to elementary schools across Vancouver to teach children how an apple gets to the grocery store.

Chefs at local restaurant Forage will serve apple dishes to celebrate the fruit, too.

The tree fruit industry in B.C. employs 1,500 people and brings in $150 million annually.

1. Eaten as nature intended: rubbed on the sleeve and consumed with abandon.

2. Sliced and topped with a piece of organic, raw milk aged cheddar.

3. As part of a homey crumble.

4. To add a hint of sweetness to cabbage or Brussels sprouts.

5. Magically transformed into Desiree’s favourite cider.

6. Dipped into almond or peanut butter.

7. Baked into a decadent muffin.

8. As part of a cool weather take on panzanella.

9. Paired with fennel.

10. Cored and packed with cinnamon, maple syrup and walnuts and baked until ridiculous.

11. Layered with pesto, provolone and arugula on traditional rye bread.

12. Cooked down with some honey and cardamom and topped with greek yogurt.

13. Sliced thinly and topped with fig compote and chèvre.

Stay local…spring is just around the corner!

Whew, I’m still catching up on blogs from the weekend, shame on me. People who follow me on Twitter would be justified in wondering…which dish won that apple competition at NAIT on Saturday?

Well, it was the Savoury Apple Rugelach, prepared by student chef, Paulina Klassen, who put bacon fat in her pastry, clearly a stroke of brilliance. (That’s Klassen in the photo above.)

Klassen was the eighth and final contestant in the Sobeys Apple Challenge, a contest to celebrate the diversity of B.C. tree fruits. The contest was also to mark February as Apple Month. Second place went to Krystle Duquette for her Glazed Apples and Frisee Salad, which featured a clever, but difficult to execute, apple caviar. In third spot was Pan Pan, who made a Curried Apple Soup (served in a cunning little apple bowl) with a Grilled Apple Salad.

I joined fellow judges and food bloggers Sharon Yeo and Valerie Rodgers Lujonga bright and early on Saturday morning to taste the efforts of the first and second-year NAIT culinary arts students.  It was a taste adventure, and we were all impressed with the innovations in style and flavour shown by the students, who were competing for nearly $1,000 in prizes. Here are the names of the other contestants, and what they made:

Ren Ping Pui: Crisy Pancetta Cheesecake with Apple  Compote, Apple Crumble, Apple Sorbet and Berry Kissel Sauce; Chloe Lomas:  Pork in Apples with Herbed Chevre, Cremini Mushrooms, and Apple and Peach Puree; Ashley Broad:  Roast Duck and Apple Tart;  Terry McNeil:  Apple Sausage with Apple Slaw, Cheese Crisps, and Cranberry Apple Compote; Christina Schell:  Apple Stuffed Pork Tenderloin with Apple Parsnip Mash and Seasonal Vegetables.

NAIT students never fail to amaze me with their talent and enthusiasm, and ability to rise very early in the morning to cook. We are so lucky to have them in our midst as a source of inspiration, and great tastes.

To celebrate all things apple, Sobeys has teamed up with culinary arts students from NAIT in a fun event that I’ll be judging on Saturday morning. It sees the budding chefs create dishes (and not just pie) inspired by apples. I hear there will be a couple of savoury dishes, as well as a few sweets. I’ll be live tweeting from the event and plan to eschew breakfast in favour of the flavours NAIT students will be conjuring with apples. Joining me to judge are bloggers Sharon Yeo (onlyhereforthe food.ca) and Valerie Rodgers Lugonja (acanadianfoodie.com).

This February, the largest producer of local apples in Western Canada, BC Tree Fruits is inviting Canadians to celebrate apple month by loading up on local apple varieties. We might not always equate February with fruit season however BC Tree Fruits apples are available in multiple delicious varieties. Apple month encourages supporting local growers while adhering to Doctor’s orders of an apple a day!

The 2012 Apple Month also marks a milestone for BC Tree Fruits as it is the Okanagan organizations 75th anniversary.  75 years ago in1936 a group of dedicated farmers came together with a goal to provide the finest tree fruits worldwide. From that first planted seed grew a co-operative of over 700 producers that continues today.

To commemorate Apple Month this February, BC Tree Fruit is launching is first nation wide contest – The Artful Apple. Artful Apple asks fruit fans to decorate their favorite variety of BC Tree Fruit apples and upload the works of art to share. The public will vote for their favorite Artful Apple. The individual with the winning apple will be awarded an exclusive Okanagan vacation package for four. Full prizing and details at www.artfulapple.com

“Apple Month is an initiative that dates back to 1960 as a way to celebrate and promote fruit grown locally,” said Rick Austin Director of Sales and Marketing for BC Tree Fruits. “Some consumers think the winter months leave no opportunity for fresh or quality fruit, however we are proud to have multiple apple varieties in the produce aisles and Apple Month aids in spreading this awareness,” Austin adds.

During Apple Month, shoppers will notice additional displays of B.C. Tree Fruits apple varieties available at this time of year, including Ambrosia, Fuji, Granny Smith, McIntosh, Red Delicious, Royal Gala and Spartan. Consumers will be able to sample varieties in stores during the month.

“Red  Apple”

An Un-named Stranger Rides Into Town Source

And here’s what one looks like after it sat in Safeway for a week, wrapped up in straw, just inside the door, and I saved it and brought it home in honour:

Blushing Yellow Apple

Waxy, too. Reminds me of a Winter Banana or a Newtown Pippin with a tan.

Here it is doing a somersault.

Orange Apple Standing on Its Head

It looks like a late ripening variety: note the cut stem, like a Northern Spy. Some of those things, that’s the only way to get them off the tree. They do so hang on. That mildew from water collecting in the deep stem bowl isn’t so pretty, mind you. It really shows up on the shelf. Perhaps they’re planning on marketing it as an organic variety, where such niceties don’t matter. Let’s hope so.

And here it is, the moment we’ve been waiting for, the unveiling:

Nice Looking Apple from this View, eh!

Big flat seeds. Yellow flesh. Pale aroma.

Ah, but what does it taste like? It all comes down to that, doesn’t it. Well, after a week in Safeway, and who knows how long in the packing house before that, it still had a nice solid (but not snappy) crunch, tasted most excellently of cold storage, with lingering sweetness that hadn’t yet evaporated, very low acidity, and, all in all, god I hate to say this, dull.

Compare that to that evening in 1991 when we tasted the first Ambrosia in Cawston (OK, I’d tasted one on the way, while gathering apples for the evening, and no doubt a few other orchard wanderers had chanced upon the tree), set up against such wonderful apples as a Kandil Sinap, a Maigold, a Spigold, a Jonagold, a Ribston Pippin, and even a Fuji, if I remember right. Among three experienced farmers, it was the favourite (not mine, mine was the Ribston Pippin), and it was named right there and then. (Stupidly, I chose a different name. Luckily, it didn’t stick.) It has gone on to great success.

Compared to it, this one seems more destined to go the way of the Sunrise or the Sumac or the Shamrock, all from Summerland in the 1980s, all pretty, all rather great off the tree, all rather bland once they’re picked (usually immature), stored, commercially packed, and offered for sale — all virtually forgotten.

3 likes on FaceBook. Maybe that says it all. But red? Even in the store it doesn’t look red.

Bye!

I’m walking north on Water Street

In defense of local farmers he has complained that BC Tree Fruits Ltd., a subsidiary of his employer, undermines local orchardists by importing US apples. In reply, his employer, the Okanagan Tree Fruit Cooperative, has combined suspension with the warning that another protest could result in termination. His hunger strike is the other protest, and Jeff Byrde believes that he will be fired when he returns to work at the end of his suspension.

He consents when I ask to take a photo, but his two supporters demure out of fear. Nevertheless, I am touched by the sincerity and genuine concern that this trio on the corner express for the welfare of local productivity.

The clouds have not staunched the flow which irrigates the orchards Jeff defends, and I am soaked. So I thank them for their heartfelt disclosures and walk on weighing the logic of importing apples. I reason that on the surface it seems to make as much sense as the Inuit importing Antarctic ice. And by the time I reach my office, reason turns to alarm when I consider this insinuation of foreign apples into the greater scheme of things.

The orchard is a symbol of what makes us who we are. It has shaped our sensibilities and values for over a hundred years, and has secured our identity. We are no longer a sleepy little orchard town, but its spirit lives within us and impels us into the future. Whether he knows it or not, Jeff intuitively protects that vision, and upholds the notion that without one the people perish.

At the end of the day I drive by a pear orchard which is no more. At its foot was once a large pool populated by bull rushes, frogs, dragon flies and birds of many species. But now it is a crowded ghetto of modern condominiums. As they recede in the rear view mirror I imagine that imported apples, like condominium developments, are a well-intentioned idea that may do more harm than good.

We visit the island a lot, but not so much in the height in the summer, so it was a real treat to take part of summer festivities. One of them being… fruit!This BC Tree Fruits logo was predominate, and although advertising fruits grown in the Okanagan, it is usually surrounded by locally grown fruits as well. When I see this logo, I am instantly transported back in time and our camping trips through the Okanagan and stopping at vendors along the highway selling cherries, and the juiciest peaches I’ve ever eaten.This trip, we came across baskets of these luscious berries, and the teensiest little cantaloupes I’ve ever seen.

Of course, being the good Ukrainian girl I am, I opted to buy some large-headed garlic on account of its ability to be easily transported home (and it’s already been whirred up into a hummus that had Michael rummaging through all the cupboards for some minty fresh breath cleansing gum for afterwards).

This last trip to Victoria turned into a musical affair. It seemed every corner we turned we were watching live bands. Inside, outside, daytime, nighttime. It was marvelous, and we were particularly charmed by this guy, Tom Watson, from the Honeycrooners.

He serenaded us with the music of Dean Martin, Frank Sinatra and others of the Rat Pack at the Laurel Pointe Inn where the food was “meh”, but the entertainment was “wow”. We enjoyed Tom’s show so much (or perhaps it’s because we enjoyed being victims of his between set banter), we saw him in his other incarnation as “Contraband” where he and his gang played live music of the 70′s, 80′s and 90′s at Haro’s Restaurant at the Sidney Pier Hotel. The food at the Sidney Pier Hotel was far better, yet I have to admit I’m having a pre-senior’s moment and have no recollection of what we had! And I call myself a food blogger…..

So that, in a nutshell is our summer vacation. We spent far more time touring, nosing around, and exploring the universe than eating out. Yes! The WHOLE ENTIRE UNIVERSE! We we so lucky, we got to go in an observatory, with real live astronomers and look at the most amazing things in the night sky through an honest to goodness telescope. Look! Here’s an exciting picture of the event:

Cool, huh?!!! And for my computer geek friends, you will be amazed to learn, as I was, that they still use an old 286 computer to turn the telescope.

I’ll leave you with a picture of my most favourite things from the coast…. boats!

Michael and I were very lucky to be at Victoria’s Inner Harbour at the same time as the Victoria Classic Boat Festival.

So, not much to report in the food world. But wait for it… next week Walshcooks goes to Philadelphia, where I plan to try, for the very first time, IN MY LIFE, a Philadelphia Cheesesteak! In Philadelphia!! Which reminds me that I have to add “antacid” to my packing list.

Dorenberg Orchard in Winfield, BC. © Claudia Kwan 2010

There’s no doubt about it – despite my best efforts, I fall short pretty much every day on eating the right number of servings of fruits and vegetables. I’m busy, which makes prep time a precious commodity, fruits and veggies can be a little awkward to eat or transport when you’re on the road, yada yada. They’re not excuses so much as obstacles.

I figure the best solution is to trick myself, by using that old mom standby of hiding fruits and veggies in other food, and I’m getting a little help after an evening at the Dirty Apron Cooking School in Crosstown, sponsored by BC Tree Fruits.

First, nutritionist and grower Darcel Markgraf pointed out the obvious benefits of having an apple a day — one decent size apple is already two servings of fruit, there’s lots of fibre and good vitamins in there too. I’ve got the message for sure.

Before we could have dinner, we had to make our dessert of olive oil and apple thyme cake. The Dirty Apron is what I would call a gentleman’s cooking school, where, in order to make the experience as enjoyable as possible, everything is beautifully laid out and lots is pre-prepped for you.

Cake ingredients, including pre-buttered and sugared pan. © Claudia Kwan 2011

We briskly whisked and folded under the supervision of David Robertson and his crew, each picking a different way to decorate our individual olive oil cakes, and sneaking in some additional apple in the process. Then it was off to the oven.

Olive oil cakes, decorated with Ambrosia apples. © Claudia Kwan 2011

We tucked into dinner, ably prepared by the crew,  with lots of BC apples in all their variety: Fujis, Spartans, Galas, Ambrosias, Red Delicious, Granny Smiths.

We began with seared duck breast flavoured with maple syrup, cinnamon, cardamom, and black pepper, and accompanied by a potato and apple blini.

Seared duck breast with potato apple blini at the Dirty Apron. © Claudia Kwan 2011

Potato apple blini recipe

Ingredients

1/2 Spartan apple, finely diced

1 large Yukon potato (about 200g)

1 egg

25g all purpose flour

70 ml milk

1 tbsp chives, sliced

vegetable oil, salt, pepper

Method

Boil the potato, skin on, until cooked through. Strain from water and peel while the potato is still hot. Push peeled potato through a food mill and place into a bowl.

In another small bowl, beat the eggs until smooth and stir into the potatoes, incorporating the milk, flour, diced apples, and sliced chives. Season with salt, pepper.

Heat vegetable oil in a non stick pan over medium-high heat. Spoon potato mixture into the pan, approximately 2 cm deep.

Cook the blinis for two minutes per side until golden. Keep warm until needed.

Berkshire pork tenderloin topped with sauteed apples. © Claudia Kwan 2011

Sometimes it can be as simple as adding an extra handful of fruits or veggies onto an entree, as with these bits of sauteed apple adding some crunch and sweetness in contrast to the tender savouriness of this pork tenderloin.

My olive oil cake, waiting to go into the oven. © Claudia Kwan 2011

During all of this, my cake was going from the above, to what you see below.

The lattice didn't work out as well as planned. © Claudia Kwan 2011

Next time I’ll have to make the strips of apple a little thicker, to avoid the burning. These cakes were delicious — a bit of a sugary crust complimenting the dense, not overly sweet cake, with the apple and thyme adding contrasting flavour elements. They were even better once we added in some ice cream and pretty touches.

Olive oil cake with ice cream, apple wafer and powdered sugar. © Claudia Kwan 2011

Olive oil and apple thyme cake recipe

Ingredients

1/2 Ambrosia apple, peeled and diced

40 ml extra virgin olive oil

50g butter

100g sugar

1 egg

3/4 cup all purpose flour

1/4 tsp baking powder

2 tsp fresh thyme

pinch of salt

Method

Preheat the oven to 325F. Butter a small loaf pan and coat with sugar (a 5″ by 2 1/2″ pan works well.)

In a small bowl, whisk together the butter, egg, and sugar until light and fluffy. Slowly drizzle in the olive oil and continue to whisk. Using a spatula, fold in the thyme and apple. Sift together the remaining flour, baking powder, and salt. Gradually stir into the creamed mixture. Spread evenly into the prepared pan.

Bake for 25-30 minutes in the preheated oven, or until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean. Allow the cake to cool in the pan for about 10 minutes before inverting onto a wire rack to cool.

Okay, so armed with all of the above, I hope that I’ll slowly knock down some of my obstacles to eating enough fruits and vegetables. If I don’t, the only one I’m hurting is myself.

The cold and dark of winter may be reason for gloom for most people, but it’s a season of celebration for apple farmers — it means the hard work of getting the harvest in is over, and they can relax a little before the hard work begins anew in the spring.

Above is a multimedia piece I put together for www.cityfood.com, talking about how it is that we consumers are responsible for a lot of the waste in BC’s apple industry.

Food for thought — while you’re digesting it, I thought I would share a recipe created by chef Ned Bell specifically for BC Tree Fruits, the group in charge of marketing the apple industry in this province (as well as other fruits of course.)

This soup is a perfect winter pick me up. I’m going to experiment with doing it in a Crock Pot too.

Ambrosia Apple, Winter Squash, Corn and Cheddar Soup

Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 20 minutes

Ingredients:
1 lb peeled and grated Ambrosia apples
1 lb frozen cubed winter squash
2 cups frozen corn
1 litre vegetable or chicken stock
1 cup cream (or use half milk to reduce fat, and creaminess)
¼ stick butter
1 white onion, diced
2 cups grated white cheddar

Method:
• Sauté the onions in the butter for 5 minutes
• Add the Ambrosia apples, the cubed squash and corn, cook for 10 minutes
• Add the stock and the cream, cook for 10 minutes
• Add the grated cheddar, puree with a hand blender until smooth
• Season with salt and cracked black pepper

I would serve with some cheddar cheese toast, salad, and a little apple pie for dessert.