Talina Vander Beek tagged along with her mom, Carol, to the Blackberry Bakeoff just to see what the event was all about, and she's glad she did.
In addition to enjoying her mom's bakeoff entry, blackberry plum pastry, she got to try a variety of other sweet and savoury blackberry dishes.
The bakeoff is a community competition that uses food to spotlight the issue of invasive plants such as Himalayan blackeberry.
Talina, along with her cousin, Jane Reimer, were among a couple hundred people who attended the annual community festival at the Derek Doubleday Arboretum on a sunny Thursday afternoon.
Those attending could sample bakeoff entries and vote for the people's choice award winner, which turned to be Talina's mom, Carol Vander Beek.
A panel of judges selected the other winners who were the blackberry almond tart by Carol O.; the blackberry cupcakes by Trish Connolly; and the summer cake by Monica Diaz. The children's bakeoff winner was Isley Marples.
Ava Avaie was another first time blackberry bakeoff attendee.
"I saw it on the internet, and I thought it would be cool to see," she said.
After sampling some of the dishes, she had a decided favourite.
"They were all really good, but I really liked the cupcakes," she said.
The event also included live music, draws, kids crafts, information booths by different government agencies and community groups, and self-guided information tours of the arboretum and community gardens with information on plant care, composting, and more.
