Food & Drink
Sufferin' succotash
Sep 26, 2020 / 6:00 am
Photo: Cartoon Networx Does anyone else remember that expression "sufferin' succotash?" Sylvester the cat used to say that whenever he was frustrated. I loved the sound of the words, even though I didn’t know what succotash was. Imagine my delight when I discovered
Cooking with fire
Sep 19, 2020 / 6:00 am
Photo: Contributed My motivation for writing this week was all around me. Despite having a year here that was not as hot or as dry as usual, we are surrounded by the smoke of forest fires. I send out positive vibes to all the people working to fight those fires and to the people workin
2018 Mandaray white blend
Sep 13, 2020 / 4:00 am
Photo: Contributed Wine: Mandaray (white blend), 2018 Winery: Mt. Boucherie, West Kelowna Why drink it? A collaboration with Save On, this white blend also has a partner red under the relatively new “white label”. The 2019 is available now; the 2018 is a blend of R
The taste of change
Sep 12, 2020 / 6:00 am
Photo: Contributed We have been fortunate to have warm days as the calendar page turned to September. The nights are, however, cool. Everything is different as summer sets on the horizon and autumn rises. When Ella and I walk in the orchards, the air is crisp and the aromas in
Pinot Noir Clonal Series
Sep 6, 2020 / 4:00 am
Photo: Contributed Wine: Pinot Noir Clonal Series, 2018 Winery: CedarCreek, Kelowna Why drink it? Why not have three bottles of Pinot Noir instead of one? CedarCreek has put together three pinots from three different clones – 115, 667, 777 – for the wine geek in all of u
An heirloom like no other
Sep 5, 2020 / 6:00 am
Photo: Contributed As a gardener, I look forward to the harvest all summer. All the watering, weeding, trimming, and encouragement is in hopes of a beautiful bounty this time of year. For a Prairie kid like me who grew up watching my parents hope desperately for enough warm, sunny d
2017 Fourth Dimension
Aug 30, 2020 / 4:00 am
Photo: Contributed Wine: Fourth Dimension (red blend), 2017 Winery: Time, Penticton Why drink it? Four varietals go into this bottle, hence the name – Merlot, Syrah, Cabernet Franc, and Cabernet Sauvignon, with the “Dimension” a nod to the concept of time, of cours
The food of angels
Aug 29, 2020 / 6:00 am
Photo: wallsdesk.com As summer draws to a close, many of us will be racing to grab one more moment in the sun or one more taste of the season. Here in the Okanagan there are many local summer flavours, but the quintessential flavour of summer across the world for thousands of years has
Don't steal from farmers
Aug 22, 2020 / 6:00 am
Photo: Contributed I was going to write about the wonderful abundance of fresh produce in the Okanagan and how to use it. But I had a conversation that inspired me to change my approach. Besides, I’m sure you have a zucchini loaf recipe already. Bear with me while I giv
Screaming Frenzy Meritage
Aug 16, 2020 / 4:00 am
Photo: Contributed Wine: Screaming Frenzy Meritage (red blend), 2017 Winery: Black Swift Vineyards, West Kelowna Why drink it? If there ever was a perfect red wine to define a year, such as the one we continue to endure, this is it – at least in the name. A red blend dominated
Camping memories hang on
Aug 15, 2020 / 6:00 am
Photo: bp.blogspot.com As my regular readers will know, I’m an old-fashioned gal who loves nostalgia. Apparently nostalgia is a popular thing in a pandemic world. It might be one reason why camping has been a top activity for families this summer. People are creating new
Last call for summer
Aug 8, 2020 / 12:00 am
Photo: express.co.uk Why is it that summer always seems to be the season that goes by the fastest? No matter how many sunny days we enjoy, there are green tomatoes in the garden when the days cool off and marshmallows left unroasted even as the nights expand in length. T
Moraine Pinot Noir
Aug 2, 2020 / 4:00 am
Photo: Contributed Wine: Pinot Noir, 2018 Winery: Moraine, Naramata Why drink it? A lot of care has gone into this Pinot, the “heartbreak grape”, in a bottle that expresses the Naramata Bench alongside classic hints of French pinots. Floral and dried rose petal notes mix
Sunshine in a jar
Aug 1, 2020 / 6:00 am
Photo: Contributed I remember a song when I was a kid about swinging on a star and carrying moonbeams in a jar. I always wanted to do those things Bing Crosby sang about, but I never even managed to find a firefly much less a moonbeam. One thing I did discover though, was how to cap
Liquidity Chardonnay 2018
Jul 26, 2020 / 4:00 am
Photo: Contributed Wine: Chardonnay, 2018 Winery: Liquidity, Okanagan Falls Why drink it? A beautiful golden hue in the glass, this is a chardonnay that doesn’t push any oak boundaries for the “anything but chard” crowd, but is most definitely refine
The joys of camping
Jul 25, 2020 / 6:00 am
Photo: Contributed We took our annual camping trip this past week. It has been our tradition the last 10 years to go to the Cascades and camp at a family campground on a small lake in Washington. We can sit on the dock or swim or paddle on our boards during the day and then lounge a
Township 7 Pinot Noir
Jul 19, 2020 / 4:00 am
Photo: Contributed Wine: Pinot Noir, 2018 Winery: Township 7, Penticton Why drink it? A richer Pinot Noir, as Okanagan pinots go, made with care in a Burgundian style, aged in French Oak for a year. The ruby-raspberry colour in the glass leads to complex aromas that may inspire live
The original cool: ice cream
Jul 18, 2020 / 6:00 am
Photo: Contributed The quintessential treat of summer is a frozen one. Nowadays, there are many variations on this theme, what with global eating trends and dietary restrictions being so common. Originally though, everyone knew it as “cream ice” or “iced cream.”
Old-fashioned summer fun
Jul 11, 2020 / 6:00 am
Photo: Contributed This summer is full of what we didn’t expect and absent of what we normally expect for the season. Even the weather has been cool and rainy. But amidst the craziness that has become 2020, there are chances to have some good old-fashioned fun. Have you bee
Burrowing Owl Pinot Gris
Jul 5, 2020 / 4:00 am
Photo: Contributed Burrowing Owl Pinot Gris Wine: Pinot Gris, 2019 Winery: Burrowing Owl, Oliver Why drink it? Pinot Gris should be a staple white wine for the summer. This one is very Okanagan in style, with surprisingly intense aromas right out of the bottle reminiscent of a fr