Saturday

From raw materials to finished products, FOOD FACTORY goes behind the scenes to reveal how our favourite foods are made: Fish fingers are showered with batter and breadcrumbs, and fried to golden brown in just 20 seconds; corn meal is puffed to perfection and then covered with caramel; on their way to becoming crinkle cut sweet potato fries, crate loads of sweet potatoes are showered, peeled, diced, and dried; and, chunks of cookie dough batter hit the deep freeze before being smothered in milk chocolate.

From raw materials to finished products, FOOD FACTORY goes behind the scenes to reveal how our favourite foods are made: Over 3,000,000 hamburger patties are produced every single day; ribbon candy is sent through a crimper to get its signature shape; Mexican chocolate discs are based on a tradition that dates back thousands of years; and, it takes a secret sauce and loads of cheese to keep the enchilada assembly line moving.

From raw materials to finished products, FOOD FACTORY goes behind the scenes to reveal how our favourite foods are made: Every 4,000-litre batch of micro-brewed root beer contains shovelfuls of spices and birch bark; sinfully delicious mini chocolate cakes, Lil’ Devils are hand-dipped in dark chocolate; it takes up to six months to make tamari soy sauce; and, kosher matzo bread must be completed in 18 minutes or the entire batch is scrapped

From raw materials to finished products, FOOD FACTORY goes behind the scenes to reveal how our favourite foods are made: 50 million Big Hunks of peanutty nougat are produced every year; potato pellets become Smart Fries in just two minutes flat; one million gummy bears are produced every hour; and, apple chips feature one single ingredient and deliver the crispy satisfaction of potato chips without all the calories.

From raw materials to finished products, FOOD FACTORY goes behind the scenes to reveal how our favourite foods are made: One million kilograms of ChocoRocks are produced every year; pretzel nuggets get their crunch in a 15-metre oven; the secret to perfect French fried onions is a multi-step battering process; and, Italian Brio soda gets its signature zing from a citrus fruit called chinotto.

From raw materials to finished products, FOOD FACTORY goes behind the scenes to reveal how our favourite foods are made: Tabasco sauce is fermented in oak barrels for up to three years; uncover the secret to making irresistible Italian lemon ice; tumble dried for hours, nearly a million kilograms of peanuts hit the major leagues every year; and, double-chocolate mousse starts with two kinds of chocolate and lots of whipped cream.

From raw materials to finished products, FOOD FACTORY goes behind the scenes to reveal how our favourite foods are made: The secret to delicious Dijon mustard is a whole lot of Chardonnay; a single batch of rabbi-approved coconut macaroons weighs in at 15,000 kg; eight million bottles of kosher certified teriyaki sauce are blended every year; and, hazelnut cream-filled wafers are toasted for just 40 seconds.

From raw materials to finished products, FOOD FACTORY goes behind the scenes to reveal how our favourite foods are made: 1,300 cans of cola are produced every minute; it takes two strains of bacteria and a modern centrifuge to produce fat-free Greek yogurt by the gallon; more than 700,000 kg of butter cream is used every year to make mountains of Swiss roll cakes; and, 30,000 jars of pickled sliced beets roll off the assembly line every day.

From raw materials to finished products, FOOD FACTORY goes behind the scenes to reveal how our favourite foods are made: More than one and a half billion Sixlets candies are produced every year; it takes 40,000 heads of cabbage to make 400,000 cabbage rolls; sweet and salty popcorn puts a twist on an ancient snack; and, potato skins chips look just like their deli counter counterparts.

Les Stroud travels to the Mitre Peninsula, a remote peninsula located on the easternmost tip of Isla Grande in the province of Tierra del Fuego, Argentina. This part of Patagonia is known as being particularly unforgiving and inaccessible due to the ever-changing weather, the absence of roads or paths and a combination of cliffs, peat bogs, forest and valleys. For 10 000 years, the indigenous people of Tierra del Fuego lived on the land. After the appearance of white men, the indigenous population was wiped out in a matter of 200 years. Despite efforts to settle in the peninsula that included seal fur factories, gold mining, logging and cattle ranching, no venture has ever endured the harsh environment. Les will be dropped into this inhospitable landscape and left to survive with no food, no shelter, no water, and no safety gear or camera crew.

Les journeys to an active volcano chain found in the Grenadine Islands deep in the heart of the Caribbean Sea. Stranding himself on an uninhabited island called Frigate, Les is left to survive on his own. Discovered by Columbus in 1498, the island has remained untouched by civilization for centuries largely due to the fierce waves that pummel its craggy shores. Scouring the shoreline for edible marine life, Les must work to secure freshwater, build shelter and make fire. While being stranded on a Caribbean island may sound inviting, it is in reality incredibly difficult. Les is forced to eat prickly pear cactus, hunt for bird eggs and even contemplates trapping one of the thousands of turtles that occupy the island. When it comes to survival islands, the island of Frigate offers what all islands do: isolation…of your body, your mind and your spirit. Time away can be a good thing, but this is no vacation.

Les pits his jungle survival skills against the incredibly diverse mountain jungle terrain of Grenada’s largest active mountain, Mt. St. Catherine. Nestled along the invisible line where the Caribbean Sea meets the Atlantic Ocean, northeast of Venezuela, this island jungle feels mysterious, shrouded in mist, veiled from the sun by thick blankets of cloud. For this, the high-altitude jungle has earned the name “Cloud Forest”. Boasting its original ecosystem, the jungle is home to mona monkeys, tarantulas, scorpions, armadillo, iguana, parrots and possums –an abundance of food for Les if he can catch it. Les must use his years of jungle survival experience to avoid the many poisonous plants and trees indigenous to the jungle – all while carrying more than 50 pounds of camera gear on his back.

After all his years of wilderness survival around the globe, the forests of Ontario’s Temagami still rank as some of the most difficult, harrowing and challenging survival experiences Les has ever faced. Breathtakingly beautiful, Temagami’s old growth pine forests and refreshing blue lakes, bountiful with fish and wildlife, are sure to test Les’s survival skills yet again. Les returns to the oldest mountain ranges in North America to survive with no food, no water, no shelter, no safety and no camera crew. He survives eating wild edibles, hunting for food, making a fire and building a shelter. Key challenges are the incessant sting of mosquitos, blackflies and deerflies, as well as staying ever vigilant for moose, wolves, bears and other territorial wildlife.

Les and his 16-year-old son Logan find themselves trapped without supplies and without a way home while sea kayaking along the coastline of British Columbia. Staying hydrated, fed and warm takes on a whole new meaning with Logan by his side. Lack of food, unsafe water and inclement weather can wreck havoc on the body – let alone one’s mood. Logan’s better at video games than survival and better at hockey than starting a fire. Distraction can cause mistakes…and mistakes can be very costly.

Les and Logan set out for a father/son fishing trip in a tin boat. Stranded after their motor dies, Les and Logan are quickly plunged into an intense survival situation that could happen to any summer cottager. This father/son team must work together to stay hydrated, secure food, make shelter and flag down a rescue plane. Les gets creative using bug spray as a fire-starter. Father/son dynamics effect his decision-making.

Paranormal activity is revealed through a spirit box session at a bowling alley.