BC Day
Celebrate the bounty of BC!
In honour of our provincial holiday, feast upon the foods we grow and harvest throughout our province. August is the peak month of our harvest with the most availability of local foods in all regions of our beautiful province.
Celebrate and show respect for the farmers, ranchers, fish and seafood harvesters by talking with the children about the hard work they do in producing the food we depend upon.
Here are a few ideas for seasonal foods for BC Day:
- Green (or Yellow, Purple) Beans—kids can help trim the ends with scissors. Steam lightly or enjoy raw.
- Carrots—they taste so much better when fresh! Explore the rainbow of carrots, beyond just orange. To prevent choking in kids under 4 years of age, offer well- cooked carrots before trying grated raw carrots.
- Dark leafy greens (e.g. kale, chard, mustard greens, spinach)—when kids can create their own salad, they are more likely to eat it. Let them choose from an assortment of leaves. Or try our recipe for Kale Chips!
- Fresh herbs (e.g. mint, parsley, dill, chives, basil)—let the children experiment with the fresh flavours of local herbs. Try them on their own, in a salad or chop to add to a yogurt dip for other veggies.
- Corn on the cob—let the children help with shucking the corn then cut the cobs in half for a more appropriate child-friendly portion. Some may even prefer to have the corn removed from the cob.
- Stone fruits—what says summer more than peach juice dripping down your chin? Sample a selection of different, cut-up stone fruits like peaches, plums and nectarines.
- Berries—grow in abundance throughout our province and many are the traditional food of our Indigenous people. Sample a selection of local berries from your area, both cultivated and wild —blueberries, blackberries, strawberries, raspberries, mulberries, salal berries, salmonberries, huckleberries, gooseberries, etc.
For more ideas specific to your region of the province
BC Farmers Markets are a great way to connect to producers in your region for the most local and seasonal food. www.bcfarmersmarket.org/fresh-market/whatsinseason