Sooke Harbour House quoted as one of the most important places in the 40th Anniversary Issue of Western Living
The Gardens at Sooke Harbour House ’1979
“Now that everyone gushes about their three month-old hobby garden, it’s easy to forget that, when Sinclair and Frederique Philip first served guests homegrown tomatoes in their fledgling inn, they were starting a revolution in food”
as seen in the December issue of Western Living Magazine, 40th Anniversary Issue featuring the 40 Most Important People, Places & Things.
In 1979 when we bought the small Bed & Breakfast that Sooke Harbour House was we never dreamed that we were starting a “food revolution”, we just wanted to showcase what our West coast place on Vancouver Island had best to offer. It was our idea of the most natural simple thing to do, eat seasonally and locally and purchase what we couldn’t grow in our gardens from local farmers, artisans and foragers. As we lived at Sooke Harbour House (in the basement!) it was also the only way we wanted to raise and feed our family. Thirty two years later we still have the same philosophy and have been blessed with having strong relationships with wonderful passionate food providers.
Our Chef, Robin Jackson is sharing some excitement about great wild , fresh ingredients he gets to work with.
Getting ready to welcome our guests in our dining room on a calm, sunny beautiful evening in August.
The view from every table in our ocean front dining room on a summer evening.
Edible flowers are a lot of fun to experiment with. Yet little (and much contradictory) information exists about them. This list excludes all known poisonous and questionable flowers as well as most tropical flowers and some edible flowers with little culinary merit. Please note that this list pertains only to the edibility of the flower portion of the plant. Finally, never eat any plant or flower you cannot identify with certainty.
Anise Hyssop (Agastache foeniculum)
Arugula (Erusca vesicaria)
Basil (Ocimum basilicum)
Bee Balm (Mondarda didyma)
Tuberous Begonia (only Begonia x tuberhybrida)
(Note: Wax Begonia is carcinogenic)
Borage (Borago officinalis)
Brassica (Brassica spp.)
Calendula (Calendula officinalis)
Clove Pink ( Dianthus caryophyllus)
Chamomile (Matricaria recutita)
Chevril (Anthriscus cerefolium)
Chive (Allium schoenoprasum)
Chives, Garlic (Allium tuberosum)
Chrysanthemum (Chrysanthemum x morifolium)
Coriander (Coraindrum sativum)
Cress (Lepidium sativum)
Dill (Anethum graveolens)
Daisy, English (Bellis perennis)
Dandelion (Taraxacum officinale)
Day Lily (Hemerocallis fulva)
Fennel (Foeniculum vulgare)
Garlic Mustard (Allaria petiolata)
Geranium, Scented (Pelargoniums)
Herbs (all culinary flowers)
Hibiscus (Hibiscus spp)
Hyssop (Hyssopus officinalis)
Jasmine (Jasminum gradiflorum)
-do not confuse with Carolina Jessamine (gelsemium sempervirens) which is poisonous.
Lavender (Lavendula spp)
Johnny Jump Up (Viola tricolour)
Lemon Balm (Melissa officinalis)
Lemon Verbena (Lippia citriodora)
Lily (lilium auratum) Only true lilies are edible. There are many other ‘lilies’ such as Aztec, Calla, Mariposa, African and Lily of the Valley- all of which are poisonous).
Lovage (Levisticum officinale)
Marjoram (Origanum majorana)
Maple (Acer macrophyllum; A. rubrum)
Marigold (Tagetes erecta, T. tenuifolia, T. lucida)
- most marigolds while edible, don’t taste good. Try “Lemon Gem”, “Tangerine Gem”, and “Mexican Tarragon.”
Mint (Mentha spp)
Mitsuba (Cryptotaenia japonica)
Mustard (Brassica spp)
Nasturtium (Tropaeolum majus; T. mius:
T. tuberosum)
Nootka Rose (Rosa nutkana)
Nodding Onion (Allium cer nuum)
Oregano (Oreganum vulgare)
Pansy (Viola x Wittrockiana)
Peas (Pisum sativum) –not Sweet Pea flowers (Lathyrus odoratus) which are toxic.
Pineapple Guava (Feijoa Sellowiana)
Pineapple Sage (Salvia elegans)
Rose (Rosa spp)
Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis)
Sage ( Salvia spp)
Scarlet Runner Bean (Phaseolus coccineus)
The Painted Lady Runner Bean is also edible and quite beautiful.
Shungiku (Chrysanthemum coronarium)
Sorrel (Rumex acetosa)
Savory, Summer (Satureja hortensis)
Savory, Winter (Satureja Montana)
Sunflower (Helianthus annuus)
Sweet Cicely (Myrrhis odorata)
Tarragon (Artemesia dracunculus)
Thyme (Thymus spp)
Tulip (Tulipa spp.) Do not eat the tulip bulb.
Vegetables, All except: tomato, potato, egg plant, bell peppers and asparagus.
Viola (Viola cornuta)
Violet (Viola odorata)
Watercress (Nasturtium officinale)
Yucca (Yucca spp)
Note: Treat edible flowers as you might mushrooms. Different people have different sensitivities even to commonly eaten edible flowers. An excellent resource for further information is Cathy Wilkinson Barash’s “Edible Flowers: From Garden to Palate”.
Prepared by Dr. Sinclair Philip, Sooke Harbour House, 2004
1528 Whiffen Spit Road, Sooke, British Columbia, V9Z0T4, Canada
Email Byron (our Head Gardener) at gardens@sookeharbourhouse.com Phone: 250-642-3421
Please follow the link to read a recent Dutch article on Diane Bernard, the seaweed lady, and also on how seaweed is used in cooking at Sooke Harbour House. LINK TO ARTICLE
