Eating local in the Okanagan is rather effortless. I knew this before arriving, but I did not quite anticipate how much excellent regional food we would enjoy in the short time we were there. Our time spent at Deerpath Lookout B&B in Kaledon, BC succeeded in introducing us to a variety of signature Okanagan edibles.

Deerpath is a large Arizona-adobe style house built by John and Doug in the late 90’s, surrounded by the characteristic pines and dusty desert-mountains of the Okanagan.

They prepared exquisite breakfasts every morning, featuring the bounty of the local area. At 600 pounds, even the table we dined at contributed to the grand feeling of brunching at Deerpath, made of immaculately restored wood from on old submerged barge.

During our stay, we enjoyed poached apricots, eggs from their neighbours, mulberries, rainier and lapin cherries, roasted tomato salsa, bread from Cam and Dana at Joy Road, and fresh, rich and flavourful Upper Bench cheeses. The Upper Bench Winery is run by a husband and wife team, and they produce both wine as well as artisanal cheeses. Shana Miller, the cheese maker, handcrafts eight different cow’s milk cheeses including Okanagan Sun, Grey Baby, and Italian Gold.

Both John and Doug are so naturally hospitable, it’s easy to see why they do the work they do. Before we left, John sent us on the road with two bags of his incredible homemade granola. This stuff kept us extremely well-fed during the many days of camping that followed.

Deer Path Lookout B&B Granola

4 C     raw oats
3/4C    sweetened, shredded coconut
3/4C    slivered almonds

toss them together in a large bowl. Then, whisk together the following and blend completely

3/4C    vegetable oil
3/4C    maple syrup
1T    vanilla
2T    cinnamon
2T    dried ginger

toss the oat mixture to cover the dry mix completely

bake on a large baking sheet in a 375F convection oven, turning when necessary to ensure an even roast and colour – about 15 minutes – remove and cool in large bowl

then add a variety of seeds, dried fruits and nuts - add flax seeds, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, dried cranberries, dried apricots, a variety of raisins and sometimes chocolate chips – the choice is yours – and enjoy!

Thank you John and Doug!

-DV

Some of you may know that we have challenged ourselves to hike/bike/walk/run 75km per week to combat all the sitting we'll be doing in the car. It’s a lofty goal, but we’re OK with aiming high. While we were in Nanaimo, BC, Lindsay and I went on quite the grueling hike and knocked at LEAST a solid 1km off of our weekly total. How did we accomplish all this, you ask? By ‘hiking’ the Nanaimo Bar Trail, a local guide to all the hots spots in Nanaimo for this exquisite Canadian treat.

As you may have guessed, the Nanaimo Bar, a popular sweet Canadian dessert, originated in the city of Nanaimo. In response to the city’s pride, Tourism Nanaimo's Chelsea Barr (yes, that's her real name) decided to create the the Nanaimo Bar Trail in 2010. With more added each year, it currently has 28 stops and includes various edible and inedible versions. Hikers can even buy soap and get a pedicure in this Canadian dessert theme.

We spent a couple of hours talking with Chelsea as she guided us through one 'section' of the trail. We enjoyed a variety of versions of the bar including:

•   A classic Nanaimo Bar from Perkins
•   A latte and cocktail from Modern Café
•   A deep fried Nanaimo Bar from Pirate Chips
•   A Nanaimo bartini from Acme Food Co
•   A gluten free version from Mon Petit Choux
•   Nanaimo Bar cheesecake from Minnoz Steak & Seafood

Deep Fried Nanaimo Bar from Pirate Chips

Everything was enjoyable, but the gluten-free version actually stood out most to us. It had a touch of cinnamon and the middle layer was almost mousse-like - a pleasant twist on a classic dessert.

Gluten Free, French Influenced Nanaimo Bar at Mon Petit Choux

The exact origin of the Nanaimo Bar is elusive and a much-debated topic. Chelsea explained that, according to the research of the Nanaimo museum, a similar recipe likely came over from England and through various trade exchanges ended up in the Nanaimo region. The first (known) published recipe of a dessert featuring the particular ingredients appeared in the 1952 Women’s Auxiliary to the Nanaimo Hospital Cookbook and was called the ‘chocolate square’. The first appearance of the title ‘Nanaimo Bar’ appeared in a 1953 Edith Adams column in the Vancouver Sun.

Nanaimo bartini from ACME Food Co — Nanaimo *bar*tini from ACME Food Co

In 1986, there was a town-wide contest in order to determine the ultimate Nanaimo Bar recipe. The contest was 4 weeks long and nearly 100 different variations of the bar were submitted. Joyce Hardcastle’s recipe was chosen, though this choice was a bit controversial because her recipe uses almonds instead of the locally available walnuts.

Nanaimo Bar Cheesecake at Minnoz Steak & Seafood

I highly recommend checking out some stops on the trail if you are in Nanaimo; it’s refreshing to see a city so fully embrace its food legacy. We were quite exhausted at the end of our trail, but that was likely due more to an immense sugar crash than to physical exertion.

Here is the recipe for the town’s chosen ‘ultimate’ recipe. If you’re a purist, you may want to substitute the chopped almonds for chopped walnuts: