Evergreen is a national charity that makes cities more livable and this past Sunday, they held a harvest celebration at Great Northern Way Urban Orchard. It celebrated the diverse heritage of Vancouver and featured multicultural foods and performances.



I had no idea this orchard existed here, tucked away in an industrial looking area. Created in 2011, the orchard provides edible plants, fruits and nuts to the community and is 100% organic.



A creative way to recycle old tires - use them as planters!




There were a lot of foods available to try - cider, bannock, mexican food.


Here volunteers were grinding up apples to make cider.


Boiled to make cider,




On another table was some Bannock from Salmon n' Bannock Bistro served with some kind of dip. It's flat bread and it didn't have any flavour on its own.



Arturo's Mexico to Go food truck was on site serving up delicious Mexican snacks.

Bowls of Salsa Pico de Gallo con Mango & Guacamole, and tostadas chips and Tostadas de Salpicon de Res (Shredded sirloin beef and dressed with Falsa Fresca, served on a mini tostada)

Croissants with tinga

Nopales al pico de gallo con Chile Ancho & piloncillo Salsa (Cactus Salad with corn tortillas tostadas and ancho salsa)

Bocadillos de Mole con Pollo (Chicken in mexican chocolate and chipotle sauce served on french bread)

The Siyamin Stamsh Canoe Family of the Squamish Nation explained some history of the area (False Creek used to extend all the way to Main Street and it was good elk hunting area) and shared some songs with us.



Then there was a Drumming performance with KUNDA African Culture Music & Dance.



There were lots of activities to do at the festival:


Planted some seeds to take home.





Arts and Crafts.


Patch planters were there on display. They officially launched the day before!


Origami.


 Making seed bombs!


Learned about native medicinal plants. Spearmint helps relieve stomachaches!



Everyone also helped paint a community mural.