We had a great time at Harbourfront Centre’s annual Hot & Spicy Food Festival! Not Far From The Tree was asked to take over the HarbourKids Tent where we found 800 mini-mouths to feed. It was the perfect opportunity for a grand peach debut.

Kids and folks of all ages were invited inside the HarbourKids Tent to create tasty peach galettes, learn how to make fruit leather and to colour and craft the day away. The smell of sweet peaches brought many into the shade of our decorated tent to go through a step-by-step peach-pastry making process.

A wonderful crew of volunteers helped us make this weekend experience a fun and fruitful one.

Communications Intern, Visha Ghandi, came back with a baking vengeance to help us prepare for this event! While a troop of volunteers went on a peach picking adventure outside the city, Visha baked up a storm, creating 800 mini pastry shells, ready to be topped with tasty peach filling. After presenting her mini-cherry galettes at our rooftop birthday party we just couldn’t resist her pastry power. Mini Peach Galettes = Yum.

At the HarbourKids Tent, families and friends were encouraged to grab some peaches, chop them up, mix in some sweet and spicy ingredients, then add the peachy mixture to home-baked tart shells to eat and enjoy! The kids enjoyed a 5-minute make-it-yourself local culinary experience, while learning a little bit more about the value of picking and eating local fruit. We even taught some how to make their own peach leather with this recipe. It’s easier than peach pie!

Thanks to everyone who came out to taste sweet peaches on such a Hot and Spicy weekend. An added thanks to the wonderful Harbourfront Centre staff and volunteers, Real Food for Real Kids for helping us transport our supplies, and to our very own stellar Not Far From The Tree volunteers.

Check out the photos from this event here.