3 Delicious Culinary Adventures in Canada’s Fields, Forests, and Bays

Food and adventure have always been inextricably linked for Canadians, with local ingredients found not just in farmer’s fields, but tucked amid Canada’s pristine waterways and landscapes. From an Indigenous-led foodways expedition in Saskatchewan to mushroom foraging in British Columbia to savoring salmon cooked over a bonfire after paddling in New Brunswick, these tasty trips guarantee you’ll eat well — and will probably sleep well, too.

Bay of Fundy Adventures (New Brunswick)

On night two of the Fundy Isles Sea Kayaking Expedition, a three-day paddle through an archipelago off New Brunswick’s southern coast, our guides prep sides of local asparagus and garlic rice while salmon sizzles in a cast-iron pan during our beach fry-up. After stories around the campfire and stargazing beyond city lights, a good night’s sleep on the beach reinvigorates us for the next day’s paddle around the 25 mostly uninhabited islands, an incredibly biodiverse ecosystem where puffins, eagles, porpoises, seals, and 12 species of whales play and feed. That said, when the maple-glazed fillets hit the pan on the bonfire’s glowing embers, you’d think our flotilla is witnessing another breaching whale.

After a hearty breakfast the next day, we aren’t just buoyed by eggs and bacon but also the world’s highest tides. “Paddling near Campobello Island, we can see Eastport, Maine,” notes Mike Carpenter, a lead guide and co-owner of our outfitters, Bay of Fundy Adventures. “If more people understood what’s just across the border, they’d have a whole new world to explore. And I think they’d really like it.”

Field to Shield Culinary Tour (Saskatchewan)

Nutty prairie barley complements lake pickerel caught, filleted, and fried by a group of culinary adventurers, helped along with some gentle coaching by Métis chef Jenni Lessard. On her Field to Shield Culinary Tour, which goes from Saskatchewan’s sprawling prairie fields to deep into its boreal forests and across the Canadian Shield, Lessard leads five-night expeditions through Treaty 6 First Nations territory and her Métis homeland. “Building this experience was like building a dish,” says Lessard. Only, to enhance the experience, she wants each ingredient to tell a story, right down to the gorgeous edible flower bouquets on the communal long table.

At each stop (between short hikes, minibus trips, and boat rides), community artisans teach traditional crafts using birch bark and spruce root. Be it at a wilderness resort, national historic site, or urban museum, tales of deep connection to the land and its gifts unfold with every bite of grilled bison sauced with birch syrup and foraged berries — paired with local wine, beer, and spirits. It tastes like a radiant storybook come to life.

Gathered Farm & Florals (British Columbia)

Chef Alex McNaughton customizes his Complete Foraging Experiences to match both his clients and the seasons. Sometimes that means a five-hour, appetite-spurring forest hike, other times a short meander that leads back to his Gathered Farm and Florals near Powell River. During foraging outings, McNaughton and guests often find riverside or mountainside spots where they sit and enjoy the view, their baskets brimming with freshly gathered pine mushrooms, chanterelles, or porcini. “Together, we fry them for mushrooms on sourdough toast,” says McNaughton. “You know, something nice, something simple.”

“Alex the Forager” was picking chanterelles before he turned 10 and now supplies restaurants with farmed and foraged ingredients like spruce tips, salal berries, and wild roses. His foraged ingredients mingle with his farmed ones during seasonal alfresco feasts served around Gathered Farms’ communal long table. Thirsty diners enjoy his wild craft cocktails, and there’s a seasonality to these, too. “In spring, it’s all about botanicals, so I’ll serve a wild Nootka rose sour,” says McNaughton. “Or in fall, a warming rye or bourbon cocktail with licorice fern and foraged crab apple.” All of them boast a spirited taste of Canada.