If you grew up here, you probably remember when “eating local” didn’t stop at harvest season—it just moved into the freezer. Frozen food might not sound romantic, but it’s one of the biggest behind-the-scenes shifts in our food story. It changed what farmers could sell, what families could afford, and how a place like Chilliwack—so rich in berries and produce—could feed people well beyond the Fraser Valley. Before freezing became common, local food was deeply seasonal. Cannin

There’s a certain kind of Chilliwack summer that lives on long after the last berry’s been picked. You know it: the counters cleared, the kettle going, tea towels everywhere, lids clinking in a pot, and that warm, steamy feeling in the kitchen that says,  we’re putting food by.  Even if you didn’t grow up canning, you probably grew up around someone who did—Grandma’s pickles, Auntie’s jam, a neighbour who “just had extra beans,” and a pantry shelf that quietly promised: winte

For this year’s BC Heritage Week theme, “Stir the Pot,” We keep thinking about the invisible steps between a farm and a meal. In Chilliwack, livestock history isn’t only barns and pastures—it’s also the hatcheries, packing plants, and processors that quietly shaped what families could buy, cook, preserve, and share. For generations, many Chilliwack-area farms were mixed operations—raising animals alongside field crops and gardens—so the work was constant and seasonal in a d

For this year’s BC Heritage Week theme, “Stir the Pot,” We’ve been thinking about the crops that quietly shaped Chilliwack’s everyday food culture—what grew well here, who grew it, and how those seasons still show up in our memories. Chilliwack’s crop history is, in many ways, a story of soil and water. As the Sumas Lake was drained and the resulting land cultivated, parts of the valley became famously productive—supporting vegetables and small fruits that still feel like

If Chilliwack agriculture has a “flagship” sector, it’s dairy. What began with early settlers keeping a cow or two quickly grew into an organized, community-shaping industry—one that built creameries, formed producer associations, relied on rail connections, and kept families working the land for generations. The archival photos in this feature trace that evolution: from the first butter shipments and the earliest creameries, to large-scale processing and distribution, and ev