- Story by Angela Cowan Photography by Don Denton

With its fertile fields, year-round farming and passionate growers and makers, North Saanich is a veritable bread basket of agricultural abundance, and I had the incomparable treat to explore the region and put my taste buds to work at this year91裸聊视频檚 North Saanich Flavour Trails Festival.

Set up as a self-guided tour, the 2018 festival showcased 21 venues with food, drink, sweets, plants and more.

On a Sunday morning that had a slight chill in the air, my dad and I set out for our first stop of the day: Snowdon House, tucked down a long driveway off Mills Road. We were a few minutes early, which gave me a chance to chat to owner Laura Waters while we waited for the Douglas fir waffles to finish cooking. Wait, Douglas fir waffles?

91裸聊视频淭hat91裸聊视频檚 the sustainable, renewable crop for this farm,91裸聊视频� says Waters, gesturing to the some-2,500 Douglas firs at the back of the property that were originally meant to be Christmas trees. Plans changed, and the trees now supply their young green tips for batter mixes, vinegars, cocktail shrubs and more. 91裸聊视频淥nce you get people to try it, they91裸聊视频檙e intrigued.91裸聊视频�

The waffles arrive and are a delight: thick, rich batter with a tang of fir spice, topped with cream cheese, goat cheese and the Fir and Fire brie topper. We leave with the taste of fir on our tongues as we hurry to our next stop for a sheep shearing demonstration.

At Pasture Perfect Lamb and Country Wools, owner Lorea Tomsin catches a six-month-old ewe by the hind leg with the kind of dexterity and competence that makes it look effortless, although I know very well the skill involved. She angles the sheep91裸聊视频檚 head back against her leg and readies the sheers.

91裸聊视频淚 always call this women91裸聊视频檚 work, because everything is women91裸聊视频檚 work,91裸聊视频� she says with a chuckle. The shears start whirring; long strips of wool fall away from the sheep91裸聊视频檚 belly. 91裸聊视频淪hearing is like a martial art. It91裸聊视频檚 all about the position,91裸聊视频� she says, turning the sheep steadily over as the rest of the fleece comes off in one large piece. A few seconds later, a rather nude sheep leaps to her feet and bleats before jogging off to rejoin her flock.

While Tomsin continues chatting to the crowd about breeds and flock maintenance and sharing shearing stories worthy of James Herriot, I take a peek at the goodies on the nearby table. Socks, roving, spun wool, stuffed pillows all beckon and spark a growing excitement for autumn. And though I91裸聊视频檓 tempted by the cooler full of lamb sausages, and feeling watched by several pairs of black eyes through the fence, I leave the meat this time.

Over at Millstone Farm and Organics, I spy the laundry soap and wool balls that have been a fixture at the Sidney night market in past years. I already, in fact, have a set of wool dryer balls at home, but it91裸聊视频檚 their newest venture that interests me the most. Just inside their newly opened shop, a glassed-in room holds a larger-than-life wooden grain mill 91裸聊视频� a work of art in its own right.

Made by an award-winning family company in Austria, it91裸聊视频檚 constructed of Austrian pine, stainless steel and natural stones from the same region. Co-owner and miller Laurie Kelly researched mills for about five years before settling at last on the Osttiroler, widely regarded as the very best in the world.

Committed to an organic, gluten-free product, Millstone grinds flours from sorghum, millet, brown rice, quinoa, buckwheat and more. We stay for a demonstration, watching as finely milled flour trickles slowly through a triple-sifting chamber, but we91裸聊视频檙e quickly drawn outside by the smell of buckwheat waffles.

Our next stop is Russell91裸聊视频檚 Nursery. I pause beneath a towering willow and breathe in the scents of the earth, of leaves, of the surrounding conifers. I swear heaven is a herb garden, and I91裸聊视频檝e just found the next closest thing.

With people becoming more aware of where and how their food is grown, interest in gardening has also had an upswing in recent years, says co-owner Sue Tice, who has been participating in the Flavour Trails Festival almost since its beginning.

91裸聊视频淚t gives us a chance for new people to find us, and it supports the community,91裸聊视频� she says, leading me to this year91裸聊视频檚 display, which celebrates the vast amount of food that can be grown on a small plot of land.

91裸聊视频淎nd not only that, it can be beautiful,91裸聊视频� she adds.

Container carrots and green bean trellises interlaced with flowering vines offer a gorgeous blend of greens and colours, and it91裸聊视频檚 to no one91裸聊视频檚 surprise that I end up carting home several potted herbs and a rather large dwarf Russian sage.

All this rural rambling has sparked both our appetites, so my dad and I cap off our tour at an old favourite: The Roost.

The bakery boasts the same favourites as always, but it91裸聊视频檚 a hearty meal we91裸聊视频檙e after, so dad and I wait to be seated in the dining side. The beef on the menu catches both of our eyes. It91裸聊视频檚 short rib stroganoff for him, and a short rib beef dip with au jus for me. As usual, as soon as the food arrives, our conversation takes a long pause.

The beef is meltingly tender, paired with red peppers, grilled onions and a chipotle aioli that adds just enough spice to bite. The au jus runs down my fingers and drips onto my plate as the huge sandwich steadily disappears. I glance at my dad; he91裸聊视频檚 leaning back with a hand on his belly, enormously satisfied with the stroganoff.

I91裸聊视频檓 feeling so incredibly food satisfied right now, I could easily go home and fall into my couch for an afternoon nap. But instead, I think I91裸聊视频檒l root around in my garden and find a spot to plant my new Russian sage.

This year91裸聊视频檚 North Saanich Flavour Trails run August 16 to 18. Check out the website at flavourtrails.com for more details, a schedule and a map of participating locations.