Vancouver Island: It’s farm — and field — to table at Salt Spring Island’s Foxglove Farm

An escape to a 49-hectare (120-acre) organic farm might sound tempting all on its own, but when you add a dash of instruction alongside foraging for delectable finds, a Foxglove Farm holiday may just be the best thing on your vacation menu. Situated on an original homestead on Salt Spring Island, one of the Gulf Islands between Vancouver Island and the mainland, this picture-pretty heritage working farm beckons foodies with workshops and programs set to illuminate connections between farming, land stewardship, food, the arts, and community wellbeing. Should you, for example, have a craving for culinary bootcamps, Chef Mara Jernigan will showcase her skill with the knives — along with kinder, gentler utensils — September 20 – 25. This five-day intensive instruction includes field trips to local cheesemakers and winemakers along with hands-on tutorials that include basic butchery techniques; soups, sauces and stocks; baking and preserving; handmade pasta; and knife skills and plate presentation. Beyond the burners, Mara isn’t the only expert on the area’s natural offerings. Bill Jones, a French-trained chef and wild mushroom expert, is, literally, in the field – and you will be too, come October 16. While foraging for fungi, Bill illuminates the art and science behind the hunt — a three-hour outing that culminates with a scrumptious mushroom-laden lunch back at the farm kitchen. www.foxglovefarmbc.ca

08-04-2011

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Vancouver, Coast & Mountains: Whistler sets the stage for late summer jazz

Happening four-season mountain village. Cool cats from the Canadian and International jazz music scene. Bring the two together — alongside tasty restaurants and groovy nightlife — and you’ve got Whistler’s Jazz On The Mountain, September 2 – 4. More than 30 free and ticketed shows will get fingers snapping in the town’s lively pedestrian village, while a street festival is sure to bring the beat with flavours that blend captivating rhythms and improvisational riffs (face-painters, acrobats and jugglers will also join in on the fun). On the roster, the Rippingtons and Spyro Gyra will each explore contemporary sounds while seasoned performers, including vibraphonist Gary Burton and pianist Oliver Jones, will showcase their classic styles. A high note? Guitarist Kevin Eubanks of NBC’s Tonight Show will take the helm as the festival’s Artist-in-Residence, jamming with his trio and even taking to the stage for solo performances throughout the weekend. Fusion, funk, Nu jazz and contemporary. It’s all part of this electric Jazz on the Mountain fest. www.whistlerjazzfest.com

08-02-2011

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Kootenay Rockies: Test your mettle at Revelstoke’s SkyTrek Adventure Park

In BC’s Kootenay Rockies, a forested Monashee Mountains landscape proves more than just a pretty backdrop. Case in point: Revelstoke’s SkyTrek Adventure Park. A heart-thrumming test of strength and stamina, the park’s eco-friendly High Ropes Challenge Course gets the blood pumping with treetop games that weave along a maze of ladders, nets, suspended bridges and swing logs. The day’s outdoor play follows a natural progression as thrill-seekers find their balance along the low-impact Green Course before manoeuvring the intermediate skills challenges of the Blue. Once you’ve accomplished this feat, it’s on to the Black. This new high-altitude course offers up a series of black diamond-level games and challenges that guarantee a strategic workout for the mind to match your physical exertion. And while games are good, the park also promises a thrill for the high flyers in your crew a la ziplining or skateboard sliding from perch to perch. If you’ve still got steam, head to the Tower: the Sky Swing will rush you through the trees, while the simulated free fall of the Sky Drop will have you quaking in your boots. That is, until you scramble up for another go. www.skytrekadventurepark.com

07-28-2011

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Northern BC: New Nisga’a Museum showcases First Nations treasures

Exquisitely carved masks and bentwood boxes. Head dresses and soul catchers of intricate design. Each treasure tells a story of a First Nations culture deeply rooted to the land, river and the sea. And each can be found prominently displayed, alongside other spiritual riches, at the newly unveiled Nisga’a Museum near Terrace. Officially named Hli Goothl Wilp-Adokshl Nisga’a by its people, this 929-square-metre (10,000-square-foot) stylized longhouse showcases one significant compilation — some 330 Nisga’a artifacts, dubbed the Ancestors’ Collection. What makes this treasure trove so distinctive is that these pieces were acquired from the Nass Valley in the late 19th and early 20th centuries and have been, until now, part of important Aboriginal collections on display throughout the country. Restoring each to their place of origin has been both a symbolic and historic feat for Nisga’a elders and leaders: this first-ever comprehensive display takes its permanent place of honour within the community and establishes its position as one of the preeminent collections of Northwest Coast Aboriginal art. A gift that not only restores a lasting legacy for the Nisga’a people, but one that promises insight into this thriving First Nations culture. www.nisgaamuseum.ca

07-26-2011

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Thompson Okanagan: Something’s cooking at Hester Creek

In BC’s vine-fringed south Okanagan Valley, sourcing a superlative vintage is a simple task. A delectable menu to pair with your meaty Merlot or sublime Semillon Chardonnay? Just got a whole lot easier. Enter Terrafina, Hester Creek Estate Winery’s tasty new on-site restaurant. Backed by Oliver valley views, Chef Jeremy Luypen crafts simple, locally-sourced menus rich with classic flavours, including scallops and roasted pancetta (a delightful companion for the Semillon Chardonnay), wood-fired duck prosciutto and Little Qualicum blue cheese pizzas (a natural mate for the Merlot), and caprese salad with artichoke and zucchini (sublime with the winery’s Trebbiano). Prolong the experience indoors or on the patio, or take it one step further with an overnight in one of Hester Creek’s luxury villas. Following an evening at your winery hideaway, you’re bound to be drawn back to the kitchen — just to see what’s cooking. www.hestercreek.com