A flower unplucked is but left to the falling, And nothing is gained by not gathering roses. For those who would gather alongside Robert Frost, roses are not just for the seeing and smelling. Nicholas Culpeper – influential 17th Century botanist, herbalist and physician – prescribed roses for all types

1000 dwarf trees, 25 types of apples, Pacific Ocean breeze, and a long history of island craftmanship. It’s with these core ingredients that Ravenskill Orchards is carrying on a decades old tradition of creating small batch premium cider on Gabriola Island. In 2002, Keith and Marti MacKenzie started their heritage

As tea fanatics, we’re always looking for new and exciting ways to get our fix. Add some sweets and we’re scraping at the door. How exciting, then, to see the incredibly creative Enchanted Forest Tea that Chef William Lew is serving at the Fairmont Hotel Vancouver until November 18th. We

Gustav Von Mink is a busy man. He is ever thinking of new ways to feature his small batch chocolate: with kentucky bourbon and fresh mint in chocolate ganache, over bacon in hand speckled eggs, sparkling with mermaid-approved sea salt. Or how about some milk chocolate ketzels rolled through caramelized

‘After Mom’s death,’ author Julia Alvarez writes, ‘we found a box of ginger cookies in her freezer. I parceled them out, having one a week to make them last. Each time I took a bite and that spicy tingling filled my mouth, I thought of how – along with all

Countdown to one sweet launch. On August 14th, Lyndsay Sung – one of Vancouver’s hyper-creative baker bloggers – will see the release of her first cookbook: Coco Cake Land: Cute and Pretty Party Cakes to Bake and Decorate, published by Roost Books. ~ ~ Inside you’ll find photos of her

Not all artists swoon over elderflowers. Shakespeare did call them ‘the stinking Elder.’  But to many, the little white flowers that precede the fat purple berry bunches smell heavenly. In Victorian floral messaging, the elderflower was said to represent compassion, kindness, humility or zealousness. 17th Century Dutch still-life painters often

Your task is to come up with a recipe inspired by the 1919 Manly MacDonald painting above. On your marks, get set, bake! What did you dream up? Canadian Chef Craig Flinn looked to the same Canadian War Museum painting for inspiration. “My mother owns an orchard in Port Williams,

If you are hiking in the deep woods and want to avoid a grisly bear encounter, the advice is clear: make lots of noise to let them know you’re coming. Avoid areas with fresh bear tracks and droppings. Keep your pets at your side and leave the bacon and fish fries

If you’re in the market for a spouse, eat your summer cherries with care. And by all means don’t leave four pits – or any pit multiplier of four – on your plate. According to an old British superstition, you can determine your wedding date by counting the cherry stones