In 2021, we held a program called “Fishing with Friends” in our neighbourhood where we taught basics on how to fish lessons including licensing, types of lures, how to read tide guides and more. Our 2024 project built on that knowledge and we incorporated how to smoke fish and can fish.
After canvassing our neighbourhood, we decided on two different Saturdays, one in July and one in August where we would get together and decided on our backyard to host the smoking and canning events. Over the two weekends we met with a total of 42 neighbours!
Neighbours brought their previously caught fish, and we had a fishing expert on site to go over the details on how to prepare the fish, different sauces and rubs to be used, and the different kinds of smoking chips and their effects. We spent the afternoon smoking the fish, learning from each others different recipes and techniques, and forming great friendships!
After each event we all left with the knowledge on how to successfully smoke and candy fish, and how to preserve it properly. We hope to continue to grow this program in the future. Learning how to successfully catch and preserve your own food helps build strength and resiliency in our community, and its a lot of fun too!
