While Sunday, May 11, is the official date for Mother’s Day, there’s lots going on all weekend to celebrate Mom.
UBC
The University of B.C. Botanical Garden is open all weekend from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. and, if you’ve never been, it’s well worth checking out.
One of the highlights is the David C. Lam Asian Garden, a coastal native second-growth forest under-planted with Asian trees, shrubs, woody vines, evergreen and herbaceous perennials.
The Food Garden is a formal space where visitors are encouraged to explore our connection to food through displays and demonstrations. Partially enclosing the garden are espalier trained apple and pear trees. Within the espalier screen, soft fruits are grown in ground-level beds surrounding a series of raised beds where vegetables and culinary herbs are cultivated.
The raised beds allow the soil to heat up earlier in the spring, provide needed drainage and are easier to work than ground-level beds. And as featured in a recent Courier article, the garden is also home to the Greenheart Canopy Walkway made up of 10 suspension bridges connected by eight light-weight platforms harnessed to towering Douglas firs and western red cedars.
The garden is located at 6804 Southwest Marine Dr. For more information visit botanicalgarden.ubc.ca/food-garden.
False Creek
Want to really impress Mom?
Surprise her with a visit to False Creek Fisherman’s Wharf from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. this Saturday, May 10, for the annual Spot Prawn Festival presented by the Chefs’ Table Society of B.C.
Tickets are on sale now for the Spot Prawn Boil while several restaurants, including Yew Seafood and Bar in the Four Seasons Hotel, have created special, seasonal menus celebrating this local and sustainable crustacean.
Wild B.C. spot prawns are a delicacy known around the world for their sweet, delicate flavour and firm texture. The prawns are reddish brown in colour and turn bright pink with defining white spots on their tail and white horizontal bars on the carapace when cooked.
In B.C., approximately 2,450 metric tonnes of spot prawns are harvested annually, with about 65 per cent plucked from the waters between Vancouver Island and the mainland. Each year, Chefs’ Table Society members from across the Lower Mainland serve visitors fresh-from-the-boat spot prawns.
The society is a non-profit group comprised of the province’s leading chefs and culinary professionals. Tickets to the Spot Prawn Boil are $15 each — or purchase the Brine and Dine combo for a special day out.
All proceeds support the Chefs’ Table Society of BC. For more information visit spotprawnfestival.com. False Creek Fisherman’s Wharf is located at 1505 West First Ave., adjacent to Granville Island.
Downtown
Want to star celebrating Mom even earlier?
The Arthritis Research Centre is presenting its second annual ARThritis Soirée, which takes place Thursday, May 8, at the Vancouver Club, 915 West Hastings.
The evening offers an opportunity to dine on exquisitely creamy oysters and caviar from Joe Fortes Seafood and Chophouse while sipping a full-bodied Cabernet Franc and Viognier wine from Perseus Winery, not to mention the soulful stylings of Vancouver-based Kokosoul, amazing photography and a chance to win a butterfly diamond pendant from Birks — all in support of arthritis research.
For more information visit arthritisresearch.ca.
Grandview Woodland
The Trout Lake Farmers Market reopens for the season this Saturday, May 10, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Just some of the vendors returning for the season include Arila Apiary, G & K Garden, Gloucester Green Nursery, South Grove Nursery and Hannah Brook Farm. The bell to officially open the market rings at 9 a.m. in the north parking lot of John Hendry Park.
Remember to bring your own bags and walk, bike or take transit if possible.
Also in Grandview Woodland is the 10th Annual Sunflower Seedling Sale and HIV fundraiser for the Stephen Lewis Foundation offering more than 25 varieties of locally grown sunflowers.
The sale takes place from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. May 10 at 2133 East Seventh Ave.
And again in Grandview Woodland is the Blim Mother’s Day Market at Astorino’s Ballroom Sunday, May 11, from noon to 6 p.m.
Enjoy hot food created and sold by independent food vendors, while checking out the work of 50 artisans showcasing vintage-inspired designs, baked goods, crafts, chocolates and more. The first 20 moms through the door will receive a swag bag. Astorino’s is located at 1739 Venables.
Hastings Sunrise
Got Craft? Spring Edition takes place from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. this Saturday and Sunday, May 10 and 11, at the Maritime Labour Centre, 1880 Triumph St.
Got Craft? aims to bring together a community that fosters a handmade and do-it-yourself culture. Founded in 2007, Got Craft? is held twice a year — in May and December — and features more than 75 handmade designers, craft workshops, tasty treats, music, free swag bags and an average attendance of 6000 annually.
For more information visit gotcraft.com.
sthomas@vancourier.com
twitter.com/sthomas10
