Defending Our Backyard 2009

Sun shone down on the more than 1,200 Vancouver Island locavores gathered last Sunday for the 2nd Annual Defending Our Backyard festival in Metchosin outside of Victoria. As much a giant kitchen party, as it was planned event, guests ambled, chatted, noshed and sipped as they took in the message that local foods are best. Organized by The Island Chefs Collaborative, a group of 120 Island chefs, the event brought together eaters, farmers, food activists, wineries, breweries and chefs on the sprawling pitch out historic Fort Rodd where the four-hour festival took place. The Collaborative’s goal - to promote, educate and celebrate local food on Vancouver Island - easily found a receptive audience in this green corner of Canada and attendance was well up over year one.

Entering the grounds, each guest picked-up a wine glass and a small wooden board (to hold food samples) that had been made by chief organizer Ken Hueston and his dad the night before. Volunteers were easy to spot as they sported carrot necklaces. Guests then made their way from tent to tent sampling from a menu prepared by volunteer chefs and donating producers.

Over the loudspeaker, Heuston announced that each of three main food tents were flying a coloured flag to indicate what was being cooked inside: a blue flag represented foods from the ocean, red was the meat tent and under the green flag were foods from trees and gardens. While some of the line-ups to the tents at times were a bit long no one minded as people of all ages chatted and sipped local wine and beer picked up from beverage stations nearby. The mood was casual and amiable and when not munching on the small bites in the food tents guests browsed overflowing farm stands, purchased just picked veggies and bottles of pickles and chatted with farmers. There were also displays of local art, music performances, a section with chickens and Berkshire pigs and plenty for the kids to do.

Among the small tastes available in the tents were wonderful mini Albacore tuna burgers topped with Sun Wing Farms tomatoes (the tuna had been slathered with paprika and grilled by Brad Heron of Aura); pork and lamb sausages on sticks (made by Peter Zambri and crew) and pizza baked in a mobile wood-burning oven (from Prima Strada and the Italian Bakery). Other bites included raw oysters, a seafood bouillabaisse, shitake mushroom burgers and local hazelnut gelato. The complete menu can be found here. 

It is worth noting that the proceeds from the festival go to local farms as grants to assist farmers and improve farm infrastructure. For more information on the I.C.C. visit their website at www.iccbc.ca