Sunday 12 November 2017

More Places to Come Together - Thank you Barlow Creek!




The tagline for all Partners for Healthier Community Committees across the authority of Northern Health is "More places to come together, More space to grow food, and more ways to be active".  The final Pressure Canning Workshop under Phase 2 held at Barlow Creek Hall certainly met this mandate. Residents from across the North Cariboo met and enjoyed laughter, learning, friendship.  Thank you to Susie Myles for leading these classes and Barlow Creek Recreation for hosting them.  

 



HOME CANNING SAFELY - High vs. Low Acid Foods

With the renewed interest in food security, we are seeing a desire for people right across the North Cariboo looking to home canning, including pressure canning, as a way of preserving food for later use.  

The Government of Canada has some good information online that reviews some of the things one should consider before home canning.  To begin with, foods are classified into 2 types: high-acid foods and low-acid foods.  Each type needs to be prepared differently to prevent the growth of harmful bacteria. Before you start canning, you need to determine the acid level of the food.


  • High-acid foods (require a boiling water canner)
    High-acid foods have a pH (acidity level) of less than 4.6. A boiling water canner heats food to 100°C (212°F) at sea level. The natural acid in the food will prevent botulism bacteria from growing and the heating will kill most yeasts, moulds and bacteria that could be present.

  • Low-acid foods (require a pressure canner)
    Low-acid foods have a pH (acidity level) of more than 4.6. Tomatoes are a borderline high-acid food and need an acid, such as lemon juice or vinegar, to be added for safer canning. Mixtures of low and high acid foods, such as spaghetti sauce with meat, vegetables and tomatoes, are considered low-acid foods. The level of temperature needed to kill botulism bacteria for low-acid foods can only be reached by using a pressure canner.
Examples of High vs. Low Acid Foods
High Acid FoodsLow Acid Foods
FruitMost fresh vegetables except tomatoes
Jams, jellies, marmaladesMeat, and poultry
Fruit buttersSeafood - fish and shellfish
Pickles and sauerkrautSoup and milk
Tomatoes with added lemon juice or vinegarSpaghetti sauce with meat, vegetables and tomatoes
Check out this site for additional safety information.

Saturday 11 November 2017

WHAT'S WITH ALL THE CHAT ABOUT MOTHER?

On November 4th, the P4HC:NC, in partnership with Parkland Recreation, hosted the 1st Fermented Food Workshop lead by Esther Mann.

Considered to be “live food", fermented foods have a natural tart flavour because the sugars and carbohydrates have been broken down and used up during fermentation.” In the case of vegetables, they’re more digestible than raw ones. And, because they contain “living bacteria,” they help digest other foods in the digestive tract.


Fermented foods are foods that have been through a process of lactofermentation in which natural bacteria feed on the sugar and starch in the food creating lactic acid.  
 This process preserves the food, and creates beneficial enzymes, b-vitamins, Omega-3 fatty acids, and various strains of probiotics.Many vegetables are excellent candidates for fermentation including cabbage, daikon radishes, turnips, parsnips, cucumbers, okra, string beans and green tomatoes.


Esther also shared with the participants how to make Kombucha tea using a "Scoby" (an acronym for Symbiotic Culture Of Bacteria and Yeast). Scooby is a culture, generally associated with kombucha production wherein anaerobic ethanol fermentation (by yeast), anaerobic organic acid fermentation (by bacteria), and aerobic ethanol oxidation to acetate (by bacteria) all take place concurrently along an oxygen gradient. A gelatinous, cellulose-based biofilm forms at the air-liquid interface and is also sometimes referred to as a SCOBY.  A scoby is used to begin fermentation in Kombucha Tea.

Scoby is similar to Mother of Vinegar ("Mother" or "MOV") in Apple Cider Vinegar which is is essentially a fermenting bacteria culture used to make vinegar — an acetobacter that develops in fermenting alcohol and converts the ethanol into acetic acid (what gives vinegar its sour taste) in the presence of oxygen. 

Our next Fermentation Workshop is scheduled for Sunday, November 12th at Barlow Creek Hall.

Sunday 5 November 2017

REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS NOW BEING ACCEPTED FOR EMPOWERING FAMILY HEALTH IN COMMUNITIES ACROSS THE NORTH CARIBOO


The Partners for Healthier Communities:North Cariboo / P4HC:NC is now accepting Request for Proposals from local community groups, schools, and /or organizations so Phase 3 of the Empowering Family Health Project can be planned and implemented for 2018.  Deadline for the RPF is December 6, 2017

The intention of the RFP is to encourage organisations / groups / clubs / schools that have an idea or a project that supports the vision of the P4HC:NC to become a partner and submit a proposal to the P2HC:NC so funding can be allocated to their project in 2018.

The project or idea must:
(i) meet the criteria and conditions of P4HC grants as specified by Northern Health and
(ii) meet the vision of the Empowering Family Health Project of “Growing North Cariboo Food & Communities”.

To receive funds under this RPF, all applicants must be based in the “North Cariboo” of the Cariboo Regional District (the geographic area of Electoral Area A, B, C and I, the District of Wells and the City of Quesnel) and area of the Northern Health Authority.  

To learn more about this process, please click on the following two documents:



Please contact empoweringfamilyhealth@gmail.com or GNC@farmed.ca for additional information.

Saturday 4 November 2017

BUILDING YOUR OWN STORE

On November 4th, the final Dehydration: Meals in Jars and first Fermentation / Kombucha Workshop were held at the Parkland Community Centre in Ten Mile Lake / Moose Heights.  12 people attended Dehydration with 13 people in Fermentation.

The workshops were both very educational and fun.  In the morning all participants learnt about dehydration and how it works well for preserving food and saving space.  It is an economical way to preserve food as no freezer space is required and there is no risk of it spoiling should there be a power outage.  The message that came out loud and clear was how easy it is and how you can build your own store so you can go shopping at home.

As of today, the number of "bottoms in seats" for the EFH Project Phase 2 is 105.





Sunday 29 October 2017

REGISTRATION UPDATE!

Since the Workshops under Phase 2 of the Empowering Family Health Workshop began in June, 2017, our count for Registrations in ALL of the Workshops is 88!

Currently the highest uptake thus far has been in Baker Creek!

There are still 5 more workshops that you can register in.  They are Dehydration, Pressure Canning, and Fermented Foods.  All are hands on & in each of them, participants go home with a "Meal in a Jar".  To Register, please email empoweringfamilyhealth@gmail.com, call 250.249.0228 or 250.249.5329, & check out the Schedule on the Workshops page.

We are so pleased with this project and greatly appreciate the support from all of the communities involved, the volunteer commitment of the P4HC:NC members, and Northern Health. Without all of the collaboration between all of the groups involved this project may not be rolling out as it is.


Thank you!

Thursday 26 October 2017

FABULOUS SUPPORT IN BAKER CREEK - October 22, 2017


















The Empowering Family Health Project ventured west to Baker Creek with 2 workshops - Pressure Canning in the morning of Sunday, October 22nd followed by Dehydration & "Meals in Jars" in the afternoon.  Both workshops were extremely well attended with 13 people for Pressure Canning and 15 for Dehydration.

For the morning workshop, each participant went home with a pine of beef stew and baked beans.  For the afternoon class each got to make one jar of either dried mixed bean soup or noodle soup to take home.

Everyone enjoyed themselves. A very BIG thank you for the Baker Creek Community Association for hosting these workshops and supporting the Empowering Family Health Project.  Partnerships such as this with the Partners for Healthier Communities - North Cariboo is what the Empowering Family Health Project is all about.





Wednesday 11 October 2017

MEET THE WORKSHOP LEADERS....

Now that the Workshop Schedule has been finalized, it is time now to meet the Workshop Leaders.

Susie Myles of Paradise Hill B&B in Bouchie Lake will be leading both workshops on Pressure Canning and Dehydration.   These workshops are very much HANDS ON and all participants will go home with a sample of pressured canned product and a dehydrated meal.  Susie is the Bouchie Lake representative on the P4HC: North Cariboo and the Chair of Growing North Cariboo Society.  Susie is an active canner and dehydrator throughout the year.

Esther Mann will be leading the workshops on Fermented Veggies and Kombucha.  Esther very kindly offered to lead these workshops and we are thrilled to have her involved and her share her expertise.  Esther is an avid food fermenter.  

To register in any of the Workshops, please check out the Workshop page and /or contact empoweringfamilyhealth@gmail.com or call 250.249.5329 or 250.249.0228.


Monday 9 October 2017

FOOD SKILLS FOR FAMILIES - To Baker Creek we go on October 26th!

Growing North Cariboo Society, the non-profit society that is assisting with administering the Empowering Family Health Project, is also very thrilled to announce that it has partnered with the Baker Creek Community Association to bring the Canadian Diabetes Association FOOD SKILLS FOR FAMILIES Program to Baker Creek.  This is the second time the course will be offered in a rural community of the North Cariboo.  The program was held under the Bouchie Lake Country Club earlier this year in Bouchie Lake.   The program fits well into the EFH Program as its mandate is "Building Healthier Communities by: Connecting people in the kitchen, Teaching fun hands-on cooking skills, and making healthy eating easy, enjoyable, and affordable".

The Food Skills for Families Program is a program that has a duration of 6 weeks and is open to residents at NO CHARGE.  It begins on October 26th & is from 10 am - 2 pm.  To register, please contact either Sheila Gibbons (Baker Creek Community Association) at 250.249.5393 or Melody Peck - 250.249.0145.  The program needs a minimum of 8 people to register for it to run.


For information on the program, please check out http://www.foodskillsforfamilies.ca








UPDATED WORKSHOP AUTUMN, 2017 SCHEDULE

On behalf of the Partners for Healthier Communities Committee: North Cariboo, we are excited to announce the FINAL Schedule for EFH Workshops.  If you have been following this project, you will notice a few changes... one being the addition of a Fermented Vegetable & Kombucha Workshop & the second being Workshops being held in Baker Creek, BC.  The Baker Creek Community Association has joined the project as a partner and we are very excited about this.

The Workshop Schedule is as follows effective today (October 9, 2017):


Baker Creek Hall, Tibbles Road, Baker Creek, BC
Sunday, October 22, 2017

#5 - Pressure Canning: 9:30 am - 1:00 pm, 
#6 - Dehydration: 2:00 pm - 4:00 pm

Parkland Community Centre, Bjornson Road (Parkland Elementary School)
Saturday, November 4, 2017
# 7 Dehydration:10 -12 noon
# 8 Fermented Foods: 1 - 3:30 pm

Barlow Creek Hall, Barlow Creek, BC
Sunday, November 12, 2017
#9 Pressure Canning: 9:30 am  - 1 pm
#10 Fermented Foods: 1:30 pm - 4 pm

Baker Creek Hall
Saturday, November 18, 2017
#11 Fermented Foods: 1 - 3:30 pm

To register, please go to the Workshops Page.  Thank you.  :)

Tuesday 19 September 2017

What is the P4HC: NC?

The P4HC:NC is the Partners for Healthier Communities Committee: North Cariboo.  So what is it?

To begin with, let's chat about what it is not... 

It is NOT...
... a Non-Profit Society.
... membership based.
... a group that meets monthly.
... governed by a set of Bylaws and Regulations.

The P4HC:NC is a Stakeholder based group composed of people representing non-profits, agencies, and organizations from across the North Cariboo.  It is Co-Chaired by a representative from Northern Health and the Cariboo Regional District.   P4HC's were established by Northern Health and currently there are 21 such committees across the Northern Health Authority.  Of them all the P4HC:NC is the only one that is Regional District based.  Northern Health has recognised that community health is important and to create healthier communities, partnerships and a collaborative approach is the way to go.  P4HC's are one to make good things happen as they are partnerships between Northern Health and local government.  Check out this link for additional information on P4HC's.

The establishment of the P4HC:NC was led by Growing North Cariboo Society; hence why the Minutes of the P4HC:NC are posted on GNC's website.  GNC continues to provide administrative support to the P4HC:NC.

The P4HC:NC is...
... a Stakeholder group.
... open to everyone to join.
.... meeting at least quarterly.
.... operates as per a Terms of Reference.








Next Steps for the EFH Project - 2017 Workshops

The Partners for Healthier Communities Committee: North Cariboo / P4HC:NC met today to discuss the next steps for Phase 2 of the Empowering Family Health Project.  A good discussion was held and it was decided to move forward with the remaining workshops that were to be held.  Due to the Wildfires this past summer, many of the workshops had to be postponed.

Beginning this coming weekend the first two of the remaining workshops will be held in Kersley.  These workshops, Canning and Dehydration, will be held at the Kersley Community Hall with local Instructor Susie Myles.   The Canning and Dehydration Workshops will also be held in some of the other rural communities - including Ten Mile Lake, Barlow Creek, and either Bouchie Lake or Baker Creek.  We are also very excited to announce that a 3rd Workshop is being added to the mix... FERMENTED FOODS & KOMBUCHA.

The details of workshops scheduled for this weekend are as follows:

HANDS ON DEHYDRATION (#3) : Saturday, September 23rd, 9 am -  11 am
HANDS ON CANNING (#4): Saturday, September 23rd, 12 noon to 3 pm

Both Workshops are $10.00 each per person & require pre-payment and Registration.  To register, please email empoweringfamilyhealth@gmail.com or call 250.249.5329. Registrations can also be accepted at the Bouchie lake Country Store - 2338 Bonny Road, Bouchie Lake, BC T: 250.249.0228.  Payment via VISA, MasterCard, Cheque or Cash.

A Registration Form can be downloaded here and either faxed (250.249.5359) or emailed in.

On the Registration Form, please quote the Workshop Number (in Blue above) or Name and Date of Workshop.






Friday 25 August 2017

NEW SCHEDULE FOR THE EFH WORKSHOPS

After much consideration and discussion, the Steering Committee for the Empowering Family Health Project has decided to post-phone the Canning and Dehydration workshops that were scheduled in the latter half of this August and early September.  This is simply because the update for these workshops thus far has been very low.  

We attribute this to the wildfire situation as the ones in the latter half of September are certainly filling up.  We apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused.  

Please note the final Foraging Workshop will proceed as planned at this time.

A updated will be forthcoming with the new schedule once it is finalized.

Thank you.

Wednesday 26 July 2017

I Eat Local because I Can!!!


The next set of Workshops coming our way are the Canning & Dehydration Workshops.  
These will be hands on... and will make for great engaging and educational experiences. The presenters of both of these workshops are very experienced and have been canning and dehydrating for many years. They are Maurice & Jean Hamel and Susie Myles respectively.
The Schedule for the classes is as follows:
Workshop #, Title, Date and Time (Location)
#3 - Dehydration, August 20th, 10 am - 1 pm (Cottonwood House Site)#4 - Canning, August 26th, 12 noon - 4 pm (Bouchie Lake Hall)
#5 - Dehydration, August 27th, 9:30 am - 12:30 pm (Parkland Comm. Centre)
#6 - Canning, August 27th, 1:30 - 5:30 pm (Barlow Creek Hall)
#7 - Dehydration, September 7th, 5:30 pm - 8:30 pm (Moose Meadows Farm)
#8 - Wild Foraging, September 9th, 2-4 pm (Moose Meadows Farm)
#9 - Dehydration, September 23rd, 9:30 - 12:30 pm (Kersley Hall)
#10 - Canning, September 23rd, 1:30 pm - 5:30 pm (Kersley Hall)
#11 - Canning; Date and Location to be announced!


Monday 24 July 2017

WE LEARNT ABOUT NUMMYS!

Off we go for a stroll

What is a Weed?
A
plant whose virtues have never been discovered." - Ralph Waldo Emerson

The 2nd of 3 "Wild Foraging" Workshops occurred on Sunday, July 23rd at Moose Meadows Farm in Bouchie Lake.   13 people braved the weather ranging from sunshine to rain storms for a stroll about the farm in search of edible, wild plants.  Some folks travelled from afar with one person from Williams Lake and another from Prince George.  This workshop focused more on edible flowers, fruits and berries although the use of wild plants as vegetables was certainly discussed.  We were introduced to the term "Nummys" - the inside pith of a thimbleberry (Rubus parviflorus)...  something worth trying as it is said to be "Nummy".

Below is a list of the plants that are edible that grow on or close to Moose Meadows
Sampling Pineapple Weed

Farm.

Over 30 edible plants grow at Moose Meadows Farm.  Many were sampled...


Birch (Paper) / Betula papyrifera
Burdock / Arctium lappa  ** 
Cattail / Thypha latifolia 
Chaga / Inonotus obliquus
Common Mallow / Malva neglectaCow Parsnip / Heracleum maximumCurrants / Ribes sp.
Dandelion / Taraxacum sp. 
Fiddleheads / Matteuccia struthiopteris
Fireweed / Chamerion angustifolium
Cattails
Goldenrod / Solidago canadensis
Highbush Cranberry / Viburnum edule
Lamb’s Quarters / Chenopodium album
Lilac / Syringa vulgaris  **

Lingdon Berries / Vaccinium vitis-idaea
Oregon Grape / Mahonia nervosa
Ox-eye Daisy / Leucanthemum vulgare **
Picea sp./ Spruce
Pineapple Weed (Wild Camomile) / Matricaria discoidea
Plantain / Plantago major
Raspberry / Rubus idaeus
Red Clover / Trifolium pratense
Saskatoon / Amelanchier alnifolia
Stinging Nettle
Stinging Nettle / Urtica diocia
Strawberry / Fragaria virginiana
Thimbleberry / Rubus parviflorus
Wild Rose / Rosa Acicularis
Yarrow/ Achillea millefolium

** Non-indigenous / Invasive


Thank you to Sandrine Flament of Baker Creek for the wonderful photos of our stroll.

Next and final "Foraging Workshop" will be on September 9th.



Tuesday 11 July 2017

2017 WORKSHOP SCHEDULE NOW FINALIZED


The Workshop Schedule for the Empowering Family Health Project: Phase 2 has now been finalized.  A Registration Form can be downloaded under our WORKSHOPS page.

Here are a few notes to consider:

i. SCHEDULE IS SUBJECT TO CHANGE
ii. All workshops must be pre-paid.  Payment is your registration.  Receipts will only be issued if requested.  
Workshop Fee is only $10.00 / person.
iii. Visa and MasterCard transactions will be processed through the Bouchie Lake Country Store.  If you wish to pay this way, payment can also be received over the phone to 250.249.0228 or 250.249.5329.
iv. Cash payments and by debit can be processed at the Bouchie Lake Country Store.
v. Cheques payable to “Growing North Cariboo Society”
vi. Workshop payments are non-refundable within one week of the workshop unless the workshop schedule is altered by Growing North Cariboo Society and /or their representatives.
(vii) Maximum number of persons for the Canning Workshops is 12 persons / workshop.
(viii) Another Canning workshop will be scheduled once we know uptake for all workshops. 

2017 Schedule of Workshop, Location and Date
Workshop
Barlow Creek
Bouchie Lake
Cottonwood
Kersley
Parkland
Food Preservation - Dehydration
n/a
September 7th, 5:30 pm -
8:30 pm
(7)
(Moose Meadows Farm)
Aug. 20th,
10 am -  1pm
(3)
(Cottonwood House Historic Site)
September 23rd
9:30 am-12:30 pm (9)
(Kersley Hall)
August 27th,
9:30 am - 12:30 pm (5)
(Parkland Community Centre)
Food Preservation - Canning
August 27th,
1:30 pm -  5:30 pm
(6)
(Barlow Creek Hall)
August 26th,
12 noon - 4 pm
(4)
(Bouchie Lake Hall)
n/a
September 23rd
1:30 pm - 5:30  pm
(10)
(Kersley Hall)
n/a
Wild Foraging 
n/a
June 17th,
1- 3 pm
(1)
July 23rd
1-3 pm
(2)
Sept. 9th
(8)
2-4 pm
(Moose Meadows Farm)
n/a
n/a
n/a

Tuesday 20 June 2017

Meeting Highlights for GNC Includes EFH Project

The Empowering Family Health Project is a project of the Partners for Healthier Communities: North Cariboo / P4HC:NC.  The P4HC:NC is a stakeholder based group with representatives from across the North Cariboo and is Co-Chaired by Lynette Winsor, Environmental Health Officer with Northern Health and CRD Director Robin Sharpe, Mayor of Wells.  Growing North Cariboo Society / GNC is administering the project, including the funds.

GNC hosted a General Membership Meeting on June 19th.  The organisation has published their first "Meeting Highlights" and the EFH is mentioned.  To view a copy of these Highlights, click here.


Saturday 17 June 2017

"A Spruce Tip to Go?"



This afternoon, the Workshop Series under Phase 2 of the EFH Project kicked off with the first workshop on foraging for wild foods.  The workshop was held at Moose Meadows Farm, in Bouchie Lake, with 21 people in attendance.  


It was a beautiful day -  a perfect day for a stroll of the Back 45. The group was shown a total of 26 edible plants ranging from edible flowers / blossoms, to vegetables, to roots and herbs.  For part of the workshop, the group was accompanied by some very curious camelids (alpacas and llamas).








Tuesday 13 June 2017

UPDATE FROM THE BOUCHIE LAKE COUNTRY CLUB

One of the activities under Phase 1 of the Empowering Family Health Project was to support the creation of "Country Clubs" in the rural communities.  Thus far, the only club that has started is the "Bouchie Lake Country Club".  This club meets on an "as needed" basis and since January has hosted Painting Classes, Games Nights, a Canada Flag Parade, a Food Skills for Families Workshop in partnership with the Canadian Diabetes Association, and begun a Community Food Garden.  The success of the club is the volunteers involved and the partners, both non-profit and local businesses.

Earlier this year, the Bouchie Lake Country Club received some funding from Rotary Club of Quesnel and Northern Health through an Imagine Grant to support a project "Building Capacity for Rural Families".  These funds were leveraged with "in community fundraising" so the project could be undertaken.  The engagement that


Sunday 11 June 2017

FLOWCHART FOR THE EMPOWERING FAMILY HEALTH PROJECT

The "Empowering Family Health" Project is a project of the Partners for Healthier Communities Committee: North Cariboo / P4HC:NC.  As the P4HC:NC is a stakeholder group and does not have non-profit status, the P4HC:NC needed to work with an organization which could administer any funding received.  This is where Growing North Cariboo fits in.

All P4HC Committees across the Northern Health Authority must be associated with a local government;  in most cases these are municipalities (e.g. cities, villages, districts).  The P4HC:NC is the only P4HC Committee associated with a Regional District.  Typically, the local government would administer the funds received by the P4HC but for the Cariboo Regional District they did not want to take this on.  As such, Growing North Cariboo Society is administering the funds associated with the P4HC:NC.

Although membership with GNC society is encouraged not all members of the P4HC:NC are GNC members.

Saturday 10 June 2017

CONNECTING AT THE QUESNEL FARMER'S MARKET

Members of the EFH / Empowering Family Health Steering Committee set up a Booth at the Quesnel Farmer's Market today to promote Phase 2 of the EFH Project, chat to people about the upcoming workshops, and encourage people to get on the email distribution list.  Although the weather was cool, lots of chatting was done and connections were made.  People are beginning to sign up for next Saturday's "Foraging in the Wild Workshop" being held in Bouchie Lake.  For information on the EFH Project and /or to register for a workshop, please email empoweringfamilyhealth@gmail.com or call 250.249.5329.


Tuesday 6 June 2017

INTRODUCING THE WORKSHOP LEADERS CHOSEN FOR PHASE 2

Maurice & Jean Hamel

The Partners for Healthier Communities Committee: North Cariboo are excited to announce that the Workshop Leaders for the Phase 2 Workshops are now confirmed.  These people are all North Cariboo residents and "experts" in their field.

Maurice and Jean Hamel will be leading the workshop on Food Preservation by Canning, Susie Myles the workshop on Food Dehydration, and Heloise Dixon-Warren and Ted Traer, the workshop titled "Foraging in the Wild".  All of these workshops will be hands on.

We are absolutely thrilled that they have offered their time to support this project by sharing their knowledge.  Thank you to all of them.  For additional information on the Workshops, please click on the WORKSHOPS page.
Heloise Dixon-Warren & Ted Traer
Susie Myles

PHASE 2 WELL UNDERWAY

The Partners for Healthier Communities Committee: North Cariboo is excited to announce that Phase 2 of the Empowering Family Health Project is well underway.

On April 22, 2017,  Growing North Cariboo Society under this project was the primary funder of Seedy Saturday 2017.  The event was a one day event hosted by the Seedy Saturday Committee and it was very successful.  Over 500 people attended this event.  The event is well described in the letter that can be read here.  The P$HC:NC was pleased to be able to support this important community based event.


Please click here to read the News Release about Phase 2 that was issued on March 14, 2017.

Saturday 4 February 2017

FOOD PRESERVATION IN BARLOW CREEK

The final workshops in Barlow Creek under Phase 1 of the Empowering Family Health Project were held on Saturday, Feb. 4th at the Barlow Creek Fire Department.

Both Melinda Fellows of Bowron Lake and Suzie Myles of Bouchie Lake shared their knowledge and passion about food preservation, the importance of it for food security and its health and economic benefits.  Ideas such as using the pressure canner, how to oven can, using lower sugar pectin, and how to vacuum seal were all discussed.  A great workshop ladies!