The Galiano Club

BB: When you were a child how did you get your food?

LB: We caught a lot of fish. We also got clams and oyster from the beach at the North End of Galiano.
We hunted deer and bought other things at the North End Store. We went to Chemainus by boat where we would buy a whole wheel of cheese.

BB: When you were young how did you store your food?

LB: My Dad built a root cellar. This was a big hole dug into the bank. It was built from logs but had a dirt roof and a small door so it stayed cold. Meat would keep well for awhile. We made smoked salmon and kippered herring which did not need refrigeration. When we butchered a cow we made corned beef by cutting the meat into strips and putting it into a big crock layered with salt where it would keep for a long time. When we wanted to eat some, we put it into a pillow case and set it in the stream to wash off the salt.

BB: How was getting food different when you were a kid?

LB:We couldn't go to the store.

BB: What is your favorite local food?

LB: Deer, salmon, cod, clams and octopus. My mother's recipe for sweet and sour cod cheeks. Also her clam chowder .
BB: Tell me about a food memory from your childhood?

LB: The whole family went with galvanized tubs to pick blackberies- the little native ones growing on the ground which are much better than the ones we pick now.

BB: What seasonal foods do you eat?

LB: Spring - “hooters” - blue grouse
Summer - fresh salmon and ling cod
Fall - deer
Winter- clams and oysters

BB: How do you overwinter your food?

LB:We use a freezer. We bottle and also smoke salmon.

BB: How and where do you shop for your food?

LB: On Galiano we shop at Daystar and The Corner Store. In town we shop at Costco, Safeway and Thrifty's.