Editor’s Note: Bite-Sized Specialty Foods is going to be at Brambles from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. today. There is some serious yumminess going on, so I would head in the direction of downtown Courtenay and check it out.
I would also like to encourage you to take some time out at Noon today and attend the peaceful assembly against racism in front of the Sid Williams Theatre. Earlier this week, a Courtenay man was attacked by three other men in a racially-motivated incident that has stunned the entire community. A group motivated by peace and inclusion will gather to take a stand against hate. Please join us.
Today, Wendy Johnstone is here with her lovely stories of family and generations of food.
Here she is:
Forgive me Mother Nature, for I have sinned in the past 36 years. I am accused of the following sins:
- I’m a city girl. Born and bred in “The Big Smoke” or as my Dad would say, “The Centre of the Universe”, I spent my first 25 years with bright lights, a lot of smog, a sprawling population and not a farm in sight.
- I was born in the 70s – the era of processed, pre-made foods and preservatives. A favourite in our house was Cheez-Whiz.
- You will, on occasion, find me in the grocery store buying grapes from Chile and cantaloupe from Mexico.
Mother Nature, I am sorry for my sins and ask you to forgive these sins as well as any Washington Apples I bought and forgot to confess (even if they were organic and from the West Coast).
When Robin asked me to incorporate the Eating Locally Challenge as a sub-theme to their monthly contributions, I replied very quickly and with great confidence, “No problem Robin, I’m all over it”.
It wasn’t until the next day when I was sharing my ideas with friends that one piped in, “Ummm, Wendy – you grew up in Toronto with a Mother who made the bulk of her meals out of a can with processed, pre-made goods (sorry Mom!!) You helped your grandmother make salads using Jell-O moulds and made Trifle with Jell-O, powdered custard and DreamWhip. What exactly are you going to write about?”
(By the way, that friend is SO NOT my friend any more:))
Although my grandparents didn’t necessarily educate me on eating locally or the importance of supporting local farms, many of my memories of baking and enjoying Sunday night suppers with my grandparents bring back feelings of being part of family, happiness and joy.
It was a treat going out grocery shopping with my Nana because she made it feel special and fun (and educational unbeknownst to me). I loved helping set the table, measuring, stirring in the kitchen with Nana. My joy of cooking was very much influenced by my grandmothers (as well as my Dad).
For all the reasons above, my motivation is very high to educate myself and my daughter about the importance of supporting the economy and livelihood of our farms on Vancouver Island and the benefits of eating fresh, locally produced and made food.
And my daughter’s grand-community can play a significant role.
A recent study from Alberta suggests the new norm for an increasing number of Canadian families is “Dashboad Dining”. That is – fewer sit down meals and, less time with our families and on meals altogether and eating while watching television, working on the computer, and in our vehicles.
Ask your Grandparents where they spent most of their time when they were young. I’d be surprised if they didn’t make a comment along the lines of the dining room or kitchen tables as being the central piece of family furniture.
Eating together as a multi-generational family is where kids learn “please” and “thank-you,” how to carry a conversation, to chew with their mouths closed and eat their vegetables. To read the entire thought-provoking and interesting article, go HERE
Interestingly, a 2002 Grandparent Study by AARP revealed that the most popular activities among grandparents and grandchildren include: having dinner together (86%), eating out (84%), watching TV (76%), going shopping (75%), and reading together (75%). This shows that grandparents or our grand-community still bring their values and beliefs around meal time to the table.
Fun in the Kitchen
Depending on the age of the child, cooking for grandchildren can be as simple as cutting sandwiches with plastic knives to planning and producing a gourmet meal. Younger grandchildren are often happy to measure ingredients, stir, and taste test the finished products while older kids and teens often relish participating in deciding on the menu, shopping for ingredients, food preparation, presentation, and sometimes clean-up.
Being in the kitchen is a perfect opportunity to talk about your experiences with eating locally, be it from your own garden or farm, present or in the past.
Mostly, cooking is fun for grandchildren. Remember it’s the process and experience, rather than a perfect meal. Grand buddies: be prepared for a few mistakes and a whole lot of mess!
Why not ask your child’s grand-community to take part in the 2009 Comox Valley Food Challenge?
Cooking with Auntie Daphne: From Local Farm to the Beach
Meet Auntie Daphne. Her husband, Uncle Jeremy and I worked on the Comox Valley Quality of Life Project in 2004. It wasn’t until I was pregnant that the Triggs and the Ram-Johnstones developed a lovely and meaningful connection.
The Triggs have become another set of grandparents for Carly and we treasure their warmth, caring and loving relationship they’ve created with our daughter, and with us. Never afraid of challenges, Daphne and Jeremy play a big role in supporting Carly to develop healthy food choices and making it one big fun adventure. It’s not uncommon for Daphne to initiate baking cookies or having Carly help in her kitchen.
It’s a myth that most grandparents want to spoil our children by giving them candy, buying them ice cream and other treats. In fact, most grandparents understand the “food struggle” and want their grandchildren to acquire good eating habits.
It’s our job as parents to create an environment and opportunity of healthy habits while being crystal clear about expectations around food specific to the grandparent and grandchild relationship. As parents, we need to review those specifics with our parents and talk about issues such as our home’s “picky-eater policy”. My rule of thumb with our grand-community is to ask them to join us in our moderation motto – 80% smart and healthy food choices, 20% anything goes.
According to author and nutritionist Elizabeth Ward, “The best thing grandparents can do is talk to their grandchildren’s parents about how to feed their kids, and listen closely to their preferences and the recommendations of their paediatrician”
Saturday morning: Our cooking adventure starts at ASHberry Farms near Cumberland. Carly picks her usual three berries and loses interest, immediately. She toddles off to see the pigs and to be with her friends at the playground while I continue to pick the sweet and juicy berries.
Although Daphne and Jeremy didn’t accompany us on this trip, it’s something grandparents can easily incorporate as an activity. Not interested in picking berries? Call ahead and reserve some local pre-picked berries and enjoy the pigs, tractor and trampoline! Louisa and Don are incredibly supportive of families coming to their farm and always have time to educate their customers on their farming practices and what it’s like to operate and run a farm in the Comox Valley.
Check out the July Events at OBE for a calendar of great activities for multi-generational enjoyment including many tours of local farms here in the Valley. Or check out the Farmer’s Market on Wednesdays and Saturdays where you can pick up your fresh, local farm products.
The beauty being everything at the Market is produced in the Regional District of Comox Strathcona and sold to you by the person who grew or made it.
Monday morning: Daphne arrives to a rather excited and spirited child. Carly wiggles her bum and says, “We’re making pie today!” followed by 10 jumps and a squeal, “We’re going to the beach for a picnic”, followed by two laps around the house with, “You’re coming too Auntie Daphne!”
Carly leaps into her apron and reminds me to “get the big chair Mommy”. You’d think she wouldn’t have the ability to stand still and stir. Ah, but she loves to cook, measure, pour, stir and with her Auntie Daphne nearby, the two embark on making a rather delicious and healthy “Strawberry Devonshire Pie. We chose a very simple, limited-bake recipe with fresh strawberries as the main ingredient.
We pack up our picnic basket including potato salad, cheese from Natural Pastures, local raw veggies from Sieffert’s, turkey breast from Gunther Bros and of course, the PIE. Off to the car we go and head down to Kye Bay.
I drop the gang off and watch my child take her shoes off and run in the sand. I drive away back to my office with a smile on my face knowing that Daphne and Jeremy truly relish the pure unmitigated joy of spending time with Carly who delights in their company and fills her belly with good-to-eat, healthy, locally produced food.
I sit down at our dining room table and have my own mini-picnic before going back to work. It’s the most satisfying meal I’ve made and enjoyed today.
Question of the day: What are your favourite food memories of your grandparents. I can think of so many.
I’ve got a local cookbook for a lovely random commenter.
Melanie P. won yesterday’s giveaway.
This giveaway is closed. Bethany won!
My grandmother would get off work, come home to her very modest little home, and then spend time cooking and baking. She always had the patience to involve me in her work, cutting potatoes, shaping scones, or stirring batter. Every week I had more than enough to eat, and always home-made dessert, when I visited my grandmother. Those times are special memories for me.
oh my goodness – by best memories for me FOR SURE are those of my Dad’s mom “Bonma”. Belgian through and through – this woman knew how to cook!
She passed away only a couple of years ago. my sister and I talk about her often – mimmiking her accent like so:
“taaawww u put a lit’le of dis in and mix et like dis… den som butt’er. And more butt’er… ”
She made the best “cookie cake” ever – which pretty much consisted of wafer cookies, sugar, and butter. Calling this dish “Rich” would be an understatement.
She lives on in our memories – especially when we start cooking. She also lives on in Natty and I as we have inherited her very strong personality. Our family breeds extremely confident women… (watch out me – Ruthie is going to be one of us too!)
Love these “grandparent” themed posts. It’s such a fantastic reminder.
First of all, thanks to everyone for posting comments. I love reading them and musing along with your thoughts.
I have to be honest, my best memory of cooking with my Nana was making her trifle. Oh, the layers, the mixing, the eating whip cream off the beaters, waiting for the Jello to set, sticking my finger in the custard when Nana wasn’t looking and of course assembling the final product over the course of two days!
It was sooooo fun!
I love cookbooks but there is probably something about contributors not able to win
And Robin, that’s so not to make you feel guilty 
My gran was one of those “I must feed you so you know I love you” types. Whenever we arrived at her house, there was a turkey or ham dinner waiting for us (even if it was 10 or 11 at night). She had the biggest garden and would spend time every day in the garden. The meals we ate were from the garden that day… if we picked some cucumbers, then it was cucumber salad, if we found some carrots, then it was carrots and peas with fresh potatoes. Grandpa’s corner of the garden was the pumpkin patch and he grew HUGE pumpkins. He won a prize one year with the heaviest pumpkin. Gran would then turn all of those pumpkins into pies and freeze the pies for the winter. My Gran was the queen of food preservation… canning, freezing, pickling, drying. I wish I had paid more attention!
My parents both worked full time, but my grandparents lived with us and did all the meal preparation together. They would start chopping in the morning with a heavy cleaver on a thick wooden cutting board that looked like a slice of tree trunk. My favorite thing that they made, though not very often, were steamed buns with red bean paste or lotus seed paste or chinese sausage inside. I’ve got to get around to making some for my own family!
My sister and I were very, very lucky to be close to my grandparents (my mom’s parents) growing up. They had 5 acres in Chemainus with two very large vegetable/fruit gardens. We spent a week or two on our own at Grandma and Grandpa’s each summer and one of my very favourite things to do on our “summer holiday at Grandma’s” was helping with the garden–a daily event! I especially loved picking rasperries or peas from the garden… (more went in my mouth than the bucket) and then eating them as part of dinner or dessert! My grandparents always had us help with meal preparations and setting the table. I have many, many fond memories of food and meals with my grandparents!
That’s easy. I have a super vivid memory of my very proper British Granny, whipping a dinner role across the table at my Grandad (in a playful way), but we were all so shocked and delighted with her behavior, it set the tone for one of the funnest family dinners of my childhood.
My parents were (and still are) hardcore hippies, and their philosophies around food were instilled in me at a very young age.. I had no idea what white bread was, and all the food in our cupboards was in those big glass jars, purchased in bulk. we used to go to edible island in the summer to pre-order 20lbs boxes of Okanagan cherries to freeze..My Dads mother eventually moved into a trailer on our property, and she had a different approach to food..everything was processed, she had wagon wheels and bugles and sugary frozen strawberries on hand all the time. she had a bowl of those pink and white hard candy mints on a low table, accessible for my little fingers. . i remember thinking for the longest time that homemade fruit leather was candy, as i’m sure my mother intended..but I have very fond memories of my grandmother sneaking me processed sugary crap, and i can’t help but wonder if that’s part of why i associate sugar with warm feelings.