Three Greater Victoria foodies are about to embark on a journey of hunting and gathering along Vancouver Island’s Inside Passage to find out just how feasible it is to not just live off the land but live well.
“I think it is possible and we’re really not limiting ourselves,” said Brendan Harris, captain of Tiki, the nine-metre 1975 Martin poised for the trip.
On July 23, Harris, a former restaurant owner, will set sail to Desolation Sound and back with head chef Janusz Urban and film director Arran Jackson. Along the way, the friends will craft gourmet meals from foraged foods and document the process.
With three guys roughing it in the small boat loaded with gear, Harris said, the reward is the luxury of slowing down their daily routine to focus on food. The plan is to hunt rabbits, in-season on Cortez Island; fish for salmon and harvest shellfish and seaweed along the way.
“The ultimate outcome would be no red tide,” he said. “Obviously some wind, good weather and lots of fish in the sea.”
Each member of the team has a culinary background and an initial interest in wild foods that sprung from harvesting and selling local mushrooms.
“We’ve always been fascinated with the wild food around here,” Harris said. “There’s something really satisfying about finding or catching your own food and cooking it nicely. There’s something about that that could never be replicated by going to a grocery store and buying your own food.”
Follow their adventure at www.foragersgalley.com.
nnorth@saanichnews.com