Wild Blueberry Festival

Saturday, August 20, 2011
8am–4pm

Come celebrate the best of the wild blueberry season!

Meet growers and local chefs making delicious savory and sweet dishes, enjoy live music and story telling, take part in hands-on workshops for big and small, and enter the Blueberry Pie Bake-Off!

Head to the Wild Blueberry Festival Welcome Desk when you arrive for all the most up-to-date info and details on events.

Schedule

8am–1pmWild Blueberry Feast at the Farmers’ Market
Provided by Wild Blueberry Association of North America
Where: The Pavilions
9–9:30amFarmers’ Market Tours
Meet at the Wild Blueberry Welcome Desk in The Commons
9am–1pmWild Blueberry Tasting lead by WBANA
Where: The Commons
10am–noonChildren’s Hands-On Baking Workshop with Bettina Schormann, pastry chef and co-author of Earth to Table
Where: Sandra Simpson Kitchen
10am–1pmChildren’s Activities and Blueberry Face Painting
Where: The Commons
10am–4pmAll Day Wild Blueberry Activities
Where: Chimney Court
10:30–11amWild Blueberry Garden Talk with Laura Sabourin from Feast of Fields farm
Where: Evergreen Garden Market
Meet a blueberry grower and learn about the differences between wild lowbush and cultivated highbush and how to manage the harvest. You'll also learn about their nutritional benefits.
11am–1pmLive Music at the Farmers’ Market, organized by Merchants of Green Coffee
Band: The Starfires
12:30–4pmCafe Belong serving up specialty wild blueberry dishes
Guest Chef: Charlotte Langley of Whalesbone Oyster House, Ottawa
Where: Koerner Gardens
Outdoor patio with live music, Muskoka beer and Southbrook Winery
1–2pmBook Signing: Earth to Table by Jeff Crump & Bettina Schormann
Where: Evergreen Garden Market
1–3pmCommunity Preserving Workshop led by Voula Halliday
Presented by Slow Food Toronto in partnership with Bernardin Home Canning
Where: Sandra Simpson Kitchen
1–3pmLive Music in the Koerner Gardens, organized by Merchants of Green Coffee
Band: Samantha Clayton & Bernard Dionne
1–3pmChildren’s Blueberry Tie-Dyeing
Where: Koerner Gardens
Bring your own shirt!
2:30–4pmBlueberry Pie Bake-Off
Where: Koerner Gardens

Children's Hands-On Baking Workshop

When: 10am–noon
Cost: $10 suggested donation
Registration: Please pre-register for this workshop by emailing wildblueberryfestival@evergreen.ca. Be sure to send the following information: Child’s full name and age; Full name of Parent or Guardian.
Important: A parent or guardian has to be available to sign a registration form when dropping your child on the day of the event.

Kids aged 8–10 are invited to join Bettina Schormann in a hands-on workshop and learn to bake blueberry pie. Pies baked will be registered to compete in the Blueberry Pie Bake-Off (Beginner's category)!

Preserving the Wild: Community Preserving Workshop

Presented by Slow Food Toronto in partnership with Bernardin Home Canning
When: 1–3pm
Cost: $10
Registration: SOLD OUT
Join Slow Food Toronto advocate and chef, Voula Halliday for a Wild Blueberry Canning Workshop. Participants will enjoy an afternoon mingling with other food enthusiasts while working together to make wild blueberry preserves with the season’s freshly picked berries, provided by the Wild Blueberry Association of America. Everyone participating will take home 2-250 mL jars of delicious freshly canned wild blueberry preserves.

Blueberry Pie Bake-Off

When: 2:30–4pm
Registration: Register your pie to participate by email to wildblueberryfestival@evergreen.ca, Subject: Wild Blueberry Festival Pie Bake-Off
Make sure to include:

  • Your full name
  • Name of your pie
  • Whether you’re a professional or amateur baker
Please bring a printed recipe with you. Closer to the day we’ll send you more details.

Rules:

  • Pie must be 9″ or larger
  • Pie must be entirely made by the participant, from scratch
  • Pie must contain blueberries as main ingredient
  • Participant must provide the recipe on the day of the Bake-Off


Event Sponsor:
Wild Blueberry Association of North America

Media Partner:
The Siren Group

Event Partners:
Slow Food Toronto; Bernardin Home Canning