Pollinators - Haley Landa

In the latest entry of our June Pollinators series, we're joined by our baking columnist Haley Landa.

This week, she brought a lovely recipe for caramelized honey sauce, which we've shared with you below. We hope you give it a try.

Haley's Caramelized Honey Sauce

You will need:

- 1 kg of wildflower honey (or honey similarly light in colour)
- 400 g of simmered water
- 4 qt. saucepan (for safety reasons, choose a larger pot for this recipe)

Method:

1. Add all of the honey to a saucepan and bring to a boil on high heat. Then, reduce heat to a simmer on medium or medium-low (depending on how hot your stove is). You don't want the honey to burn! 

2. Let honey simmer until it has thickened and reduced by 75 per cent (roughly 30 minutes). It should be dark amber in colour. While honey is simmering, bring water to a simmer in a different pot.

3. Once sauce has reduced, start to add in water (between 200 g and 400 g, depending on preferred consistency). 

4. Serve on various desserts, oatmeal, fresh fruit, as a marinade, or brush over roasted meats such as pork. 

The Microscopy Mystery - Part 3

Our June Pollinators series had us connect with scientist Elaine Humphrey of the University of Victoria's Advanced Microscopy Facility. She's crafted an ongoing "whodunnit" mystery for you to solve, using closeup images from the microscopy lab.

Note that Humphrey originally posted these images in the Friends of North by Northwest Facebook page.

And here is this week's puzzle: 

Lytton: Climate Change, colonialism and life before the fire

The village of Lytton has long been known as Canada's hot spot, but in June 2021, the town made headlines around the world when it suddenly and tragically burned to the ground. 

Since then, the spotlight on this small community in Nlaka'pamux territory has been mostly fire-focused. But the story of Lytton doesn't begin there. 

In their new book Lytton: Climate Change, Colonialism, and Life Before the Fire, Nlaka'pamux playwright Kevin Loring and Lytton-raised journalist Peter Edwards offer a deeper look into a town they both know well.

Together, they'll introduce us to the many sides of this unique place. Tune in this Saturday.  

The Chong Wah General Merchant grocery store on Main Street of Lytton, B.C., in 1905. Photo courtesy of the Chong family and Penguin Random House Canada.

Creating costumes for Cats at Theatre Under the Stars

Theatre Under the Stars (TUTS) has been a summer theatre tradition since 1940. This year, TUTS brings Cats and School of Rock to Stanley Park's Malkin Bowl.

Donnie Tejani started volunteering backstage at TUTS as a teen, which has led to a career in costume design. This summer he's returning to TUTS to create nearly 40 feline costumes for the Andrew Lloyd Webber classic Cats. 

North by Northwest visited Donnie and his team at their production centre in the Vancouver Opera costume shop, a vast wonderland of costumes from years of Vancouver theatre.
 

Cats costume designer Donnie Tejani at the Vancouver Opera costume shop.

In conversation with Robert Bateman 

Artist, naturalist, and conservationist Robert Bateman joins us this weekend to discuss his upcoming retrospective exhibition Unexpected Bateman, which celebrates his long career as one of Canada's most acclaimed wildlife and nature painters.

The exhibition, which opens on July 5 at the Penticton Art Gallery, will feature 80 paintings from the family's personal collection spanning 80 years. 

Bateman can also be heard giving a rare presentation on his life's work and journey on July 6. Doors open at 6 p.m. at the Penticton Art Gallery. 
 

In case you missed it...

Last week on NXNW, journalist and jazz aficionado Chris Wong took us through the history of Vancouver's jazz scene with his latest book Journeys to the Bandstand: Thirty Jazz Lives in Vancouver.

Stream this interview via CBC Listen.
 

Chris Wong in the NXNW studio.

Thanks for listening!

Have comments or suggestions you'd like to share? Email us!
Jeremy Ratt and Emily Blatta, editors