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Going local at Feast of Fields

WHILE the TV show Portlandia is a satire - skewering the bike-riding, coffeeslurping, granolaloving urbanites six hours south of us - it also strikes a chord of familiarity here in hippie Vancouver.
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Feast of Fields is a fundraiser for FarmFolk/CityFolk, which supports sustainable food systems.

WHILE the TV show Portlandia is a satire - skewering the bike-riding, coffeeslurping, granolaloving urbanites six hours south of us - it also strikes a chord of familiarity here in hippie Vancouver.

Take the very first episode, wherein a couple are intensely interested in the origin of the chicken they are considering for their dinner.

"The chicken is a heritage-breed, woodland-raised chicken, that's been fed a diet of sheep's milk, soy and hazelnuts," their waitress informs them.

"This is local?" inquires one of the diners. "The hazelnuts, are they local?"

The server goes on to hand them a folder of information. "Here is the chicken you'll be enjoying tonight. His name is Colin. Here are his papers."

Funny . . . and not so far from the truth when it comes to the current generation of chefs and diners (including me!) who like knowing where food comes from, that it's from a sustainable source and raised humanely.

Lucky for me, no paperwork will be needed when I board the bus this weekend for Feast of Fields, an annual event that is one of the best at bringing us closer to our ingredients.

This year, the afternoon-long, wandering gourmet festival takes place Sept. 11 from 1 to 5 p.m. at Krause Berry Farms in Langley, and the timing is perfect. Despite a cool start to summer, these past few weeks have been glorious and many of the farm's crops are ripe for picking, including everbearing strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, and corn.

I can't think of a lovelier place to spend an afternoon in the sunshine, celebrating the harvest. More than 60 of B.C.'s chefs, vintners, brewers, distillers, farmers, fishers, ranchers and food artisans will be set up at stations around the farm. Grab a wineglass and napkin and wander between them. Sample cranberry salmon ceviche from Choices Markets, or a Read Island swimming scallop version at the Coast Restaurant table. Bao Bei plans to serve beef shortribs with hoisin, while Raincity Grill intends to dish up poached salmon on green lentils with North Arm Farm shaved vegetable salad. From The Pointe Restaurant in Tofino, look for marinated Pacific octopus with Victoria Gin, Nanoose Farms tomatoes and gazpacho gelee.

The event is a fundraiser for FarmFolk/CityFolk, a Vancouver-based organization that supports communitybased sustainable food systems. Plus it's a delicious way to spread the word about connections between farm and plate.

No paperwork necessary. Last I heard, there are still tickets left; $85 per person, available at all Choices Markets or online at www.feastoffields. com. Organizers have also arranged transportation from Vancouver for $15 per person. Tickets for the shuttle are also available online. Krause Berry Farms is located at 6179-248th St., Langley. Get more information about Feast of Fields at www.feastoffields.com.

dlancaster@nsnews.com