Access to bag contents earlier to help you with your meal planning goals.
Welcome to the launch of the new Good Food Box blog.
This new feature will provide you with earlier access to the GFB contents each week. We know times are tight and meal planning to save and cut corners on your food bills is really important for households right now and we want to help with that. The contents should be posted by midnight on Monday, though likely earlier so you can set to planning your meals. Bear with me as I learn the art of blogging. As I get more savvy the contents should be posted earlier than end of day. We hope this will save you both time and your pocket book.
Each week we’ll feature at least one local farmer and related recipe to help you learn and know about our local farmers and support them further at farmgate or markets. Be sure to check the blog each week for recipes, bag contents and other newsy information, along with local food and community related events and opportunities.
Wet Weather Reminder — Bring your cloth bags or totes! Don’t forget to bring along your reusable grocery bags or totes to avoid the soggy demise of our paper bags if you’ll be hitting the elements on the way home. Even just getting to the car during this soggy season could be lethal for your produce — we want it to make it all the way home — not playing a game of 10 pin on the sidewalk!
What’s in the bags this week?
Standard ($30.00): org. BC potatoes, *org. Rainbow carrots, *yellow onions, *green cabbage, org. yams, mango, org. banana, org. orange, org. BC apples, broccoli, org. kale
Standard Plus ($40.00): *green cabbage, org. BC potato, org. yam, org. *small Delicata squash, org. *Rainbow carrots, *yellow onions, org. BC apples, org. banana, mango, org. oranges, org. *leek, org. black kale
Sustainable ($40.00): org. *Rainbow carrots, org. BC potatoes, org. BC apple, org. orange, org. yam, org. *onions, org. *leek, org. *Autumn Frost winter squash, org. lettuce
Cultural ($30.00): org. *Rainbow carrots, org. *Red Kuri squash, org. *Delicata squash, org. BC potatoes, *green cabbage, mango, org. lettuce
Staples ($30.00): org. *Rainbow carrots, *yellow onions, org. BC potatoes, org. yam, *green cabbage, org. BC apples, org. oranges, broccoli, org. banana
Fruit ($25.00): org. BC apples, org. oranges, mango, org. grapes
BC – Only ($30.00): Try our new box. See below for details.
*local, BC, organic
***Note: Some items may change due to circumstances out of our control but the value of the box will always remain the same.
Experience the best of seasonal produce with our BC-Only Box!
Feature produce of the week: Leeks from North Star Organics — learn more about them here.
Feature produce of the week: Leeks from North Star Organics — learn more about them They are a 10 acre certified organic farm growing a huge variety of vegetables and berries in our greenhouses and fields in Central Saanich. All of their food is sold in the Victoria area. They are certified organic by Island Organic Producers Association (IOPA), #1960.
What does growing certified organic food mean to them? It’s their promise to provide safe, nutritious food grown in ways that steward the soil, improve biodiversity, and provide fair employment to the people working at the farm.
You can find our produce at local farmers markets (Moss St Market, Esquimalt Farmers Market), from the small grocers we supply, as well as order online.
How to prepare leeks with Life as a Strawberry.
“Start by trimming each end of the leek: Take most of the leathery, dry, dark green pieces off the top (Image 2, above), and cut the root off the bottom, leaving as much of the white stalk behind as you can (Image 3). You’ll be left with the short, centermost piece of the vegetable.
Pro Tip: Discard or compost the root end of the leek; if you like, you can wash the tougher, dark green leaves and save them for homemade stock or parmesan broth.”
How much green you cut off will depend on the recipe you’re using. See Life as a Strawberry’s explanation and use the diagram above for different recipe preparing ideas for each part of the leek.
Learn how to make this delicious Potato Leek soup from Love and Lemons.
This is a great way to use both the whites of the leeks and the darks. Using the darks in a broth allows them to soften their tough ends and still be used, saving you more in grocery costs. Though if you hate the tough bits and decide not use them in this way, the tougher ends will still be a great contribution to your garden compost.
Learn how to make this Turkish-style leek & carrot dish: Zeytinyağlı pırasa with The Mediterranean Dish
What they have to say about this dish: “Tender leeks and carrots, braised in a flavorful olive oil sauce with garlic, cumin, and fresh herbs. This easy leeks recipe is my take on a Turkish dish called zeytinyağlı pırasa, and it is comforting in the best way possible!”
Note: This is a great recipe to use up other produce in your fridge too. You could toss in extra greens, diced potatoes, kohlrabi or other root veggies. it’s the season for comfort foods that warm the soul.
What’s happening around town?
Attention! Tonight’s Naloxone training has been POSTPONED till March 12th. Please sign up through the link below https://www.eventbrite.ca/…/naloxone-training-tickets… Wednesday March 12th 6-7pm 1701 Quadra St in our office (enter through the courtyard next to Vinyl Envy)
“The Healing City Soils program provides free soil testing to CRD growers and gatherers to evaluate whether there is heavy metal contamination in urbans soils. The soil testing results will be shared with each individual grower or gatherer along with resources to help interpret the results. We also compile the soil testing results in an anonymized and publicly available online map, with exact locations obscured to protect participants’ privacy.” Apply here: www.compost.bc.ca/get-involved/test-your-soil-quality/
Coming up! North Park Community Association is having another Bollywood Fusion dance class in the First Met gymnasium. This is a free class! All levels are welcome! Sign up on our eventbrite. 932 Balmoral Road Friday March 7th 6pm. Sign up here on eventbrite.ca
Join in for the next Caffe Fantastico Unplugged – An all ages gathering on Friday, February 21 from 6:30-9pm Pause, unplug, and reconnect. Leave your devices behind & immerse yourself in an intentional evening of games, books, crafts, & conversation. Learn more here.
Attention! Tonights Naloxone training has been POSTPONED till March 12th. Please sign up through the link found on North Park Community Association’s Social Media or their eventbrite page. Wednesday March 12th 6-7pm 1701 Quadra St in our office (enter through the courtyard next to Vinyl Envy)
Do you know someone who is interested in landscaping, horticulture, restoration, permaculture, and land stewardship? Power to Be’s Landscaping and Restoration Training Program has opened up for registration and applications will be accepted until March 24! Gain employment training and make community connections in this FREE 12-week training program. 🌿 WHAT: A 12-week skill development program in partnership with local organizations to support employable skills in the landscaping sector. WHEN: May 6 – July 24th, 2025 Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday from 10 am – 3 pm 🌳 WHO: Ages 18-25. Self-identifying as having a disability. Neurodiversity welcomed. Must be able to commit to the full 12-week program and be comfortable learning in a group setting. 🌱 WHERE: At Power To Be’s beautiful home on Prospect Lake in Victoria. There will be weekly field trips. A free shuttle will be provided from Commonwealth Place. 💚 NEXT STEPS: * Looking for a little more info? Check out our upcoming events. * March 11th, 3PM – 5:30PM: Program Have a Go – drop by to get a taste of the program! * April 23rd, 6PM – 8PM: Info Night for accepted participants! * Please direct interested participants to email victoriaprograms@powertobe.ca or fill out this form: Expression of Interest Form to book an interview and learn more about the program. If your site would like to learn more, our coordinator Kallie can come do a presentation or share at a team meeting. We have included a short video on the program below and attached a poster that can be shared as well! Landscaping Program What to Expect Video
The City will be making upgrades to Blanshard and Cook Streets in 2025-26 to improve safety and comfort for everyone. Upgrades will include pedestrian safety and accessibility improvements, dedicated space for people biking and rolling, road paving and new traffic signals. These changes will ensure our major streets stay in good condition and help meet Victoria’s climate and mobility goals. Learn more at an upcoming online or in-person information session — visit cityofvictoria.eventbrite.com for details.