Zero Mile Dinner

We are in British Columbia and enjoying the west coast hospitality of the Hubby's cousin Michele and her hubby Marty. M&M live on 25 acres in the hills just outside of Kelowna. The views are breathtaking. M&M grow pear and cherry trees, strawberries, red currants and, best of all, they grow dinner!

The Hubby with cousin Michele and the Beamer in the veggie garden

The Beamer bonds with Yogi the dog who lets the Beamer pull his hair with the unwavering certainty that this is the way to True Love. The Hubby annoys both Sofie and her cousin Moses who are likely quite alarmed that this strange man is somehow related to them. Marty is a family doc and has advised one of his patients that personal and spiritual growth are only possible within the context of relationships. Exactly!

 Dinner is wild B.C. salmon, a salad of arugula and other lettuces from the garden, and chocolate raspberry cake with raspberries picked that morning from the raspberry bush. As Michele says, it is a zero mile dinner. The Hubby is very impressed by how his favourite cousin has turned into some sort of Kitchen Goddess. It almost dulls the painful memory of how she kicked his butt on the cross country ski track a few years back. He could forget completely, if only I would stop bringing it up!

Dinner on the deck chez M&M

We visit several wineries and conclude that the Okanagan wine region is an underdeveloped gem. The wines we try at Gray Monk, Summerhill, and Mission Hill are excellent and much less expensive than Napa wines. We dine on the outside terraces at both Gray Monk and Summerhill. The views of Okanagan Lake surrounded by hills on the far side and vines on the near side are stunning.