by Jennifer Ashleigh –
If you are a Peninsula local, then you will likely know of the popular North Saanich Flavour Trails festival, traditionally held over one jam-packed weekend in high August when you can (quite literally) smell blackberries ripe on the vine. This festival is envisioned as a “self-guided rural ramble” where farms and food providers invite the public in to sample the flavours, take tours, ask questions, and get to know the incredible growers of this region. It is a firm Peninsula favourite, and up to 3,500 people arrive in cars and bikes over the weekend.
So the pressing question this year: what to do in this time of COVID precautions? A few conversations and some creative thinking, and the Flavour Trails “reimagined” was born … .
Imagine a season-long, self-guided Flavour Trail route along quiet North Saanich country roads, visiting venues that offer up the best flavours of the region and season. This is a season-long love affair with local: now you can hit the Flavour Trail on a Monday morning (U-pick blueberry picking at Oakwind farm); come again on a Thursday evening for an all-local Flavour Trail Charcuterie Board at the Fickle Fig, and get up on Saturday morning to visit the North Saanich and Stonefield Farm markets, and then head over to 10 Acres for a tour and a chef-on-farm prepared lunch. Bike, walk or drive, and decide who to visit during the week; with 18 participating venues, the “seasonal attractions” and activities change each week. The regularly updated website, designed for mobile as well as desktop, allows the public to virtually tour the Flavour Trail and provides highlights of each week’s events.
A favourite aspect of the traditional festival are the intimate, up-close interactions with the farmers, and so each participating venue is featured in their own Meet Your Maker video, on the interactive Flavour Trail map. The videos serve as education and inspiration to fuel your in-person visit, where COVID precautions and protocols are in place.
The revamped website was launched in early July, with more venues being actively added to the website through summer. The reimagined Flavour Trail expects to be going into September.
To be included in weekly updates, subscribe to the mailing list at www.flavourtrails.com.
