Off The Eaten Track, a local Vancouver company run by co-owner Bonnie Todd (with partner Alexis Ragan) is aiming to get you up and walking (around town, that is) to explore the growing trend toward urban gardens while squeezing in the right amount of sipping and tasting that the company’s culinary tours are synonymous for.
On September 14th, Off The Eaten Track will host a culinary event that will take guests to two urban farms and three local restaurants during a three-hour walking tour around Gastown and Chinatown. “Vancouver has some very interesting urban farms and the city has really embraced the idea of promoting local food and a lot of local restaurants use the ingredients from these urban farms because the produce tends to be cheaper and fresher,” says Todd.
With Vancouver having recently planned an overall increase in the number of urban farms to 35, and rumors that we can also expect to see an additional 13 new farmers markets open in the very near future, one thing is certain: this city has more than gone green.
What you need to know about the tour: First, it costs $65 and tickets can be purchased here.
Second, bring your appetite.
You’re going to need it and here’s why: The tour starts at a hidden farm on the top of a parking garage with amazing views of the city. Owned by a company called Local Garden, you’ll get a private tour of their incredible vertical urban farm and get first shot at sampling their fresh micro-greens.
Next up, the tour will wind its way on over to one of our Notable favourites, The Juice Truck, for a smoothie sampling (made with local fruits and vegetables, of course) before heading over to Bestie, the finally opened sausage hot-spot in Chinatown.
After sampling a plethora of German-inspired street food, the tour continues to Harvest Union for some Earnest Ice Cream and finally lands at a private urban apiary where you’ll learn all about Mellifera bees. Sound tempting?
It’s definitely got us abuzz… pun intended.
All images courtesy Off The Eaten Track