A Cow-op Cookbook
The Cow-op has much to celebrate these days!
Not only is our online farmers’ market helping residents of the Cowichan and, more recently, Victoria access local Cowichan-grown produce, baking, meat, fish and more but we are proud to have a cookbook the region can call it’s own: Cowichan Grown – Seasonal Recipes and Local Wisdom.
What sets this cookbook apart is it’s unique focus on senior food producers and elder cooking wisdom. The project, funded by the Government of Canada’s New Horizons for Seniors Program, saw the Cow-op gather recipes not only from its’ own member farmers and food processors but also from the wider community, especially those with a connection to the Valley’s deep agricultural history.
A dedicated volunteer steering committee made up of a former bakery owner, two farmers, a culinary scientist, an avid gardener, a Farmers’ Market vendor and a chef, then spent countless hours of their time combing through all of the submitted content, testing, photographing, editing, tweaking and finally selecting those recipes which most strongly showcase the region’s heritage and feature Cowichan-grown ingredients. In addition to highlighting seasonal ingredients, the cookbook celebrates the passionate folks behind the food – the Cowichan elders, farmers, wine-makers, chefs, gardeners, cooks and local-food lovers who all took part – with a generous seasoning of their tips and wisdom throughout.
As a result, this cookbook deeply reflects the Cowichan Valley with both new and old recipes that show how people here make the best of the richness of the land they live on. There is a recipe for every season and every taste. We invite you to dig in and explore the flavours of our beautiful Valley.
The Cowichan Grown cookbook can be purchased online through the www.cow-op.ca online market, for pick up on Thursdays with your grocery orders, or at Cowichan Green Community, 360 Duncan St., downtown Duncan
