Information Bulletin
For immediate release

Saanich, BC – In celebration of the 2026 BC Heritage Week’s “Stir the Pot” theme, Saanich Archives staff created a Saanich Community Cookbook featuring recipes submitted by residents alongside recipes found in the archival collection.

This 88-page cookbook includes recipes and stories of Saanich residents gathering through the generations at dining room tables, picnic blankets and at other celebrations.

What you’ll find inside the cookbook

The Saanich Community Cookbook includes an assortment of recipes for main dishes, baking, desserts, drinks and preserves—offering a mix of familiar comfort food and recipes that may introduce new flavours and traditions.

A few highlights include:

• Moroccan Carrot Dip (Saanich resident): a bright, garden-forward dip with cumin, coriander, garlic, ginger, herbs, and optional harissa. This recipe was submitted with the note that several ingredients can be grown in our local climate.

• Fruit-Ade (1978): a concentrated citrus “ade” made with oranges and lemons (juice and rind), sugar, citric acid, and boiling water—mixed, rested, strained, then diluted to serve.

• Stuffed Butternut Squash (1978): a “set it and forget it" meal that balances the sweetness of squash with savory beef.
• Barry’s Bourbon Baste (Saanich resident): a bold, BBQ-friendly baste/marinade with Dijon, bourbon, soy sauce, brown sugar, garlic, and vinegar.
• BC Lentil Gardner’s Pie (community recipe): a vegetarian comfort-food take on a traditional pie, featuring beluga lentils, herbs, and a mashed potato topping.
• San Mateo Whole Seed Mustard (Saanich resident): a from-scratch whole-seed mustard using yellow and brown mustard seeds with vinegars and a touch of sweetness.
• Preserves and pickles: including Lemon Marmalade (1936) and Peach Pickle (1936)—a reminder of long-standing home preserving traditions in the region.
• Bananas with Bacon (1936): a warm dish prepared using variation of the en papillote (in paper) cooking technique.

Cook along with Saanich history

Whether you’re exploring the cookbook for the stories, trying a new dish, or revisiting a family favourite, we hope you are inspired to share a meal, swap a recipe and keep local history alive—one pot at a time.

Access the Saanich Community Cookbook:

The cookbook is available as a digital PDF document at saanich.ca/archives and here.

Visit the Saanich Archives (in person and online)

Saanich Archives
Monday - Friday: 10:00am - 2:30pm
3100 Tillicum Road
Located next to the G.R. Pearkes Recreation Centre, within the Saanich Centennial Branch of the Greater Victoria Public Library.

Online (24/7): saanich.ca/archives

Sign up for the Saanich Archives Newsletter for updates on new collections, exhibits, research tips at saanich.ca/subscribe.

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Media contact:
Saanich Communications
media@saanich.ca