Darren Howlett and Jonathan Frazier join up again to talk food. In this episode of Edible Valley Food Facts, the boys sit down to talk chicken. Poultry being such an important part of many of our diets, we thought it would be fun to look into where it comes from and how it gets to our plate. With many questions about the terms used to describe chicken we did some investigating to find out some of the differences between organic, free range , and  free run.  Also we tried touching in on grading , inspections, breeds and classification. With an amazing amount of information out there to learn the two of us have had a chance to scratch the surface of this interesting subject.

Our great pleasure to bring to you our friend Dr. Don Wilson to the Edible Valley studio. Don has been following the show since last fall, and was happy to come in to talk about the Paleo lifestyle, indigenous foods, and oolican oil! From the early days in Bella Bella eating wild seafood, to today searching out the cleanest foods possible in "Paleo Paradise", Don has much to share about the journey to heath and wellness. Thanks Don for teaching us all a number of things for vitality, avoiding illness, fermenting (find Sandor Katz book here) and the microbiome!
Thanks for listening to the Edible Valley podcast. We gratefully accept donations to help with our hosting, as well as contributions of food ingredients to the Edible Valley test kitchen. Please feel free to contact us by email ediblevalley@gmail.com, follow our twitter feed (@ediblevalley) and like our facebook page

We failed to get organized and secure a guest for this week, so it is a chance for a catch up show with Jon and Blayne.
Blayne has been busy, touring around the island visiting people and places. He also signed up for an online Permaculture Design Course. The course is offered by Geoff Lawton, arguably the foremost instructor of Permaculture in the world, and is based at the Permaculture Research Institute in Australia. Blayne is also trying to create a list of protein producers in the Comox Valley doing it right, pasture and grass based, with no G.M.O. feed for hogs or chickens. If you have any input please join the Comox Valley Paleo group on Facebook.
Jon has been working hard in the Cafe, getting set to launch a new menu, and ramping up for the ever busy summer season. He is also taking part in the B.C. Shellfish Festival Gala Dinner. This event is sold out, and promises to be a special meal for all in attendance. The N.V.I.C.A. installation dinner is coming up soon, with a pig roast at Dove Creek hall. Should be delicious!
Thanks for listening to the Edible Valley podcast. We gratefully accept donations to help with our hosting, as well as contributions of food ingredients to the Edible Valley test kitchen. Please feel free to contact us by email ediblevalley@gmail.com, follow our twitter feed (@ediblevalley) and like our facebook page

Much to the dismay of our former producer Drex, we finally had the coffee lady in! Dyan Spink of Royston Roasting Company was able to join us in the studio to talk about there new cafe, the business of coffee, fair trade and other interesting bits of the coffee trade. With her husband Gary they have built a hugely successful business supporting local charity and fundraisers, as well as giving locals their morning buzz! Thanks Dyan!
Thanks for listening to the Edible Valley podcast. We gratefully accept donations to help with our hosting, as well as contributions of food ingredients to the Edible Valley test kitchen. Please feel free to contact us by email ediblevalley@gmail.com, follow our twitter feed (@ediblevalley) and like our facebook page

A little bit of a different show for Edible Valley, in the model of the show featuring Arzeena Hamir back in the fall about winter gardening, we welcome local compost educator Patty Rose. Patty is a familiar face in the community, teaching a variety of composting and organic gardening courses through out the year. She has a passion for local food, and clean eating. And ,of course, her worm bins. Thanks you Patty, it was a great learning experience for us! Thanks for listening to the Edible Valley podcast. We gratefully accept donations to help with our hosting, as well as contributions of food ingredients to the Edible Valley test kitchen. Please feel free to contact us by email ediblevalley@gmail.com, follow our twitter feed (@ediblevalley) and like our facebook page

After much hard work completed by Jon, the Edible Valley studio is up and running and it was time to invite a guest to join us in studio. We were lucky to be joined by chef and author Joseph Forest, chef-in-resident at Innisfree Farm in Royston. After 25 plus years in the conventional restaurant and catering business, Joseph was chosen to join the team at Innisfree. He is now learning about food as medicine, ancestral ways of eating, and traditional ways of preserving the harvest. Joseph and Blayne could talk for hours about these subjects and will have many more meetings over the summer. Thanks Joseph!
Thanks for listening to the Edible Valley podcast. We gratefully accept donations to help with our hosting, as well as contributions of food ingredients to the Edible Valley test kitchen. Please feel free to contact us by email ediblevalley@gmail.com, follow our twitter feed (@ediblevalley) and like our facebook page

This week Jon and Blayne met to discuss some current events and to experiment with some more new equipment. Exciting news including the menu for the BC Shellfish Festival Gala dinner, and a very lucrative contest! Also the North Vancouver Island Chefs Associations Pasta Day is sold out, Blayne is back on Facebook with a new group for Comox Valley Paleos, and Jon is soon getting some much needed rest with a maintenance closure of Atlas Cafe.
Thanks for listening to the Edible Valley podcast. We gratefully accept donations to help with our hosting, as well as contributions of food ingredients to the Edible Valley test kitchen. Please feel free to contact us by email ediblevalley@gmail.com, follow our twitter feed (@ediblevalley) and like our facebook page.

Hi all. After many weeks of research and learning, we are back in business. We now have the ability to do a much broader media show with the addition of an iMac and the GarageBand program! It is exciting to get back into the swing of things, and move forward with bringing attention to the food culture of the Comox Valley, to the area and beyond.
This week found Jon and Blayne in studio together with some events to chat about, including Dine Around Comox Valley and Jon's cooking demo at Beyond the Kitchen Door. News of the North Vancouver Island Chefs Associations Pasta Day is coming out, and we also touch on cooking oysters.
Thanks for listening to the Edible Valley podcast. We gratefully accept donations to help with our hosting, as well as contributions of food ingredients to the Edible Valley test kitchen. Please feel free to contact us by email ediblevalley@gmail.com, follow our twitter feed (@ediblevalley) and like our facebook page.

The guys at Edible Valley are still working on building a real studio, and had time to sit down together to chat about a favorite dish of the season, Home-made soup. Blayne also chats about his weekend away in Victoria, exploring several new to him food vendors.
Events
Dine Around Comox Valley February 20th until March 17th. Check out your favorite restaurant for special menu items for the month. Come celebrate your local food scene.
Thanks for listening to Edible Valley. Please feel free to contact us with comments or suggestion by email ediblevalley@gmail.com

After a longer than expected hiatus, we are working hard to get Edible Valley back to being a regularily scheduled podcast. We lost our much appreciated producer, Drex, over the holidays due to some unfortunate events with the radio station, and we are no longer able to access the studio. We would like to thank Drex for all his dedication and for putting himself out there to help us out in getting Edible Valley off the ground. Now we are re-grouping and plan on making some interesting changes, as well as continuing to bring you the chefs, farmers and producers in our wonderful Valley. Thanks for listening and supporting our journey! Stay tuned.

It was a pleasure for Edible Valley to bring Vickey Brown, manager of the Comox Valley Farmers Market, into studio for this episode. The Farmers Market is a huge draw for folks interested in local food, community support, and socializing. Now it it's 20th year listen as Vickey gives the origin story of our great market, arguably the best in the province, one of the few that runs year round, and also maintains diligent rules for vendors selling locally sourced, grown, and produced products. They also keep craft items to a minimum and focus on the agricultural side of what a Farmers Market is. Thank you Vickey, it was an honour to have you in. Visit the Comox Valley Farmers Market from 9-12 Saturdays at the Native Sons Hall in downtown Courtenay.
This week in the Edible Valley Test Kitchen, Jon surprised Blayne with making shell-less quiche. Blayne is eating a diet where he avoids grains, so anytime a meal can be made without, it is a wonderful thing. The quiche Lorraine was fantastic and contained some of Blayne's homemade bacon. Jon also made yam pav with mustard sauce and a little garnish of butter lettuce and grape tomato's, dressed with bacon vinaigrette. A quick easy meal, especially for a chef of Jon's caliber.

This episode we welcome Sue Smith of Beyond the Kitchen Door to the studio. Beyone the Kitchen Door is an all encompassing kitchen store that "offers hundreds of kitchen and cookware items, speciality and hard to find cooking utensils. Everything for the serious cook" They also offer very popular cooking classes, a range of artisan quality herbs and spices, including sea salt harvested and prepared in Cobble Hill. Thanks so much for joining us in studio Sue. For you holiday shopping, visit BTKD for gifts for everyone in your family and support this anchor of our downtown merchants.