Celebrate BC Day with Local Produce

July 29, 2016

BC Day is here! Whether you’re using the long weekend to go hiking, camping, planning a canoe trip, having an outdoor barbeque or just relaxing at home, you’ll want to have nourishing vegetables and fruits with you. Celebrate BC Day in style with some of these in-season local produce.

Zucchini, a popular summer squash, is best enjoyed during its peak season. With a good content of Vitamin C, Vitamin C, and potassium, zucchinis are perfect for restoring loss electrolytes from your summer outdoor activities.

Carrots are rich in vitamins, potassium, and fibre, and can be seamlessly incorporated into any salads or vegetable dishes by lightly steaming them. Make sure to trim the greens so the moisture goes into the sweet orange roots.

Often hailed as one of the healthiest foods with high antioxidants and cancer-fighting benefits, Kale is also a versatile superstar in the culinary world. Whether you’re making kale chips, steaming, or having a nice cold green smoothie on a hot summer day, kale is an excellent dose of nutrients.

Of course, you’ll also want some hydrating, sweet, juicy fruits with you this long weekend. Cawston is the fruit-tree hub of British Columbia, and has an incredible variety of fruits in the area, including peaches, nectarines, apricots, and cherries.

Peaches and their cousins, nectarines, are some of the best summer fruits. Both low in fat, cholesterol, and sodium, they are also good sources of fibre, potassium, and antioxidants.

Apricots, with their beautifully orange-coloured skin and flesh, are one of the first signs of summer. They are one of the oldest fruits from China and have thrived in the BC climate. Apricots’ smooth and sweet flesh contains antioxidants, as well as boron, which helps retain oestrogen, allowing for better absorption of calcium.

Cherries are another BC delight. Sweet and full of nutrients, cherries are perfect with culinary desserts, such as ice cream, yogurt, and whipped cream. They can also be easily stored in the freezer without losing sweetness or nutrients.

Daniel Huang

Daniel is a Digital Marketing and Content Strategist at SPUD. He graduated from UBC with a degree in English and International Relations with a focus on environmental topics. A wordsmith by day and a bookman by night, he's a self-proclaimed gastronomic snob, a buck-a-shuck addict, a sub-par skier, and a devoted kingsguard of the oxford comma. He also frequents the dog park with a schnauzer named Duke. | Instagram: @dannnyellow