I live in a pretty stellar place. An acquaintance referred to it as “living in the best bread basket in Canada”, and I’m inclined to agree. More than inclined.
Due in large part to the surroundings, but also as a result of having gained the friendship of excellent people, I’m spoiled. Fairly regularly, at that. Great food, beautiful wines, and rockstar company. It’s true, and I’m grateful.
As of June 2013, a few hundred bloggers will visit my oasis. Sweet!
To whet a few appetites, I’m counting down the weeks (and days) to their arrival with photo-essays of what life is like in these parts – so they’ll be as stoked as I am about what goes on around here.
Cheers,
~ Jeannette
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Communal Table Dinners at Miradoro (Tinhorn Creek Vineyards)
During the shoulder seasons, executive chef Jeff Van Geest hosts the ultimate dinner parties on Tuesday night. I’ve attended two this season – and caught the most recent on camera-phone. The theme: forage. Everything was foraged from the local hills and valleys, that day or the previous day. (except the cattails – wild harvested the previous day from the greater Vancouver area, by a visiting chef)
first course: raw cattails with mustard aioli (wood ivy and dandelion)
second course: halibut elderflower ceviche, garnished with prickly pear cactus, arrow leaf balsamroot stems, wild chrysanthemum, and biscuit root flower
third course: snail ravioli with in nettle sauce, wild mustard greens salad
fourth course: grilled quail with wild watercress and chicken “cracker”
fifth course: hay ice cream (seriously delicious), tree fruit blossoms, heart nut cake, with last season’s cherry preserve
there was wine. plenty of it. at one point there were four glasses in front of me – just another Tuesday night in the Okanagan
The best part: my house is a seven minute drive from this.
Now that’s what wicked-awesome Okanagan means.
