Local Food and Farming

Groundworks volunteers have broken some major ground

By David Parkinson

To date, we have built a tool shed and fence, prepped the fruit-tree holes, put in paths, and built garden-bed frames.

Now we are laying out the garden, transferring our paper plan to the ground. Once this is complete, we can use the materials that have been donated and collected (seaweed, straw, manure and topsoil) to build up the soil for planting. We’ll also finish the physical infrastructure, such as the compost bins and the prep table and maybe some benches.

This season, the garden will be a work in progress, just like every garden!

The youth are currently out on work-experience placement in the community, busy entering the “real” work force. Some of us top up our hours by coming back to the garden to finish up the remaining tasks.

How can you get involved?

We are going to have regular garden work parties every Friday from 1:00 - 4:00 p.m.; so you’re invited to come early, bring a lunch and then dig in!

We could use some more garden tools, such as garden forks, rakes, pitchforks, trowels, etc. We are also looking for strawberry plants. Any extras you have from your spring gardening can be dropped off at the Community Resource Centre.

Thanks to the following people and organisations who have helped us out: Julie Bellian, Diana Wood, David Parkinson, Heinz Becker, Len Menard, Adams Concrete, Rona, Therapeutic Riding, Tanglewood Cedar products, Goat Lake Forest products, Rainbow Valley Feed and Supplies, The Garden Tour committee, Kiwanis Club Of Powell River, Work And Play, and Rachel Hilleran.

Get in touch with us by calling 604-414-4868 or email groundworks.project@gmail.com.

by Corey Matsumoto

Despite advances in medicine over the decades, there is evidence of a rapid increase of disease and the general unhealthiness of our population. There are many factors that continue to contribute to this trend (environmental pollution, physical and emotional stress, and a downward trend in physical activity), however, the most obvious factor is the North American diet.

When we think of an unhealthy diet, most of us envision fast food, fatty meats, and sugary treats. Although the problems with such foods are commonly known, we seldom consider that many of the foods we deem “healthy” may not have the health effects we expect, and in fact may have disastous effects on the earth.

Food production used to belong primarily to local small farmers who produced fresh produce and meat for their area. Farm animals worked the land, grazing on the natural grasses and insects before being slaughtered, and produce was cultivated from heritage seed in its natural state. In our seemingly endless quest for cheaper goods and services, we’ve unwittingly undermined the quality of our food supply by choosing cheaper foods created by large-scale, centralised, production and distribution systems.

Although these systems produce cheaper goods, we should be asking ourselves, “At what cost?” Such systems honor quantity over quality, and many of the fruits and vegetables are hybridised to create varieties that grow faster and can withstand the long and rigorous journey to the supermarket shelves. This hybridisation process leads to vitamin-deficient varieties that lack the rich flavor of their distant relatives. Simularly, factory-farmed animals, fed on the cheapest grains available and pumped full of antibiotics and growth hormones, can never contain the same vitamins and flavor of the family-farmed, grass-fed animals of the good ol’ days.

by Erin Innes

In an isolated community like Powell River, providing our own food seems almost a no-brainer, but the question of how looms large in peoples’ minds. Farmers in small communities everywhere have created a model called Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) that offers one way to make it happen.  Here’s how it works.

Shared Risk; Shared Reward In the Community Supported Agriculture model, members buy a share of the whole years’ harvest at the beginning of the season. Thus the farmer doesn’t have to go into debt to buy seeds and supplies, and can grow a greater variety of produce instead of gambling on a few high-value items.  The shared risk lowers the farmers’ financial risk; members allow the farm to choose what to grow and how, based on best practices for healthy farms and good produce, rather than on cutting costs and fetching highest prices. Members’ food dollars go straight to the farmer, instead of distributors, processors, and retailers who all take their cut.

Each member receives an equal share of the harvest every week once crops start coming in; so, when the farm does well thanks to community’s support, everybody benefits. Members can try a little of everything, getting a feel for what it means to eat by the seasons instead of by what gets shipped to the grocery store.  The shared reward comes by helping the farm attain a solid financial footing, allowing the farmer to focus on farming—meaning more and better produce for everyone. 

by David Parkinson

With all the interest in local food, isn’t it odd that there’s no not-for-profit organisation in the region which aims to help regular folks become more self-reliant in food production, processing, and storage? Many people are interested in learning how to grow more food and how to preserve and store that food but it can be overwhelming to tackle all of this on your own. Why not create a formal structure to bring people together to cooperate: to share knowledge, skills, and ideas; to own equipment such as a cider press or rototiller collectively; to work together to growing crops to be divided up among the participants? To unleash the creative energy of people who are passionate about local food economy?

We’re on the verge of filling that gap: by the time you read this, the Skookum Food Provisioners’ Cooperative will have applied for incorporation as a community service cooperative, the BC government’s designation for a not-for-profit cooperative. This means that all profits resulting from the activities of the cooperative will go to fund the operations of the cooperative, or to worthy community projects.

Once incorporated, we can sign up members and get to work. Within three months, we will hold a general meeting to elect directors from among our members. There’s already a buzz about the projects we want to take on: how about a common potato patch, for starters? We’ve also been talking with Anne Michaels, coordinator of the Fruit Tree Project, to see how we can pick and process even more fruit this year. The only limit is the imagination and ambition of our members!

by Eva van Loon

It’s been a rough year on the Powell-River-restaurant front. We lost Local Loco’s, Bakewell’s, 5th Avenue Bistro, Westview Pizza, Ljubo’s…sad for the community as well as the restaurateurs. Powell River is said to be better off than most communities in BC, and BC may be doing better than any other province, but you can’t prove it by our people in business for themselves. Even the Farmers’ Market reports lower sales than usual—shouldn’t that be going the other way as we focus on becoming a self-resourceful community?

We still have great dining spots—the stylish Alchemist (try that pear appetiser), the funky La Casita (oh, the mole!), and the tasty and affordable Curry Hut which has cleverly snuggled into the same locale as the always fabulous Bemused Bistro still make Marine Avenue a major dining destination. The Westview area along Joyce, Marine, and Willingdon Avenues also offers half a dozen Asian restaurants which offer excellent value; take your pick of Thai, Vietnamese, Chinese, Japanese. Granada, the Shingle Mill, and Manzanita keep Townsite going, Lund has an embarrassment of dining riches, for such a small place, with The Laughing Oyster, Nancy’s Bakery, the re-opened Boardwalk, and the Lund Hotel. South of town, do not miss The Savoury Bite, Skeeter Jacks, Cherie Lou’s Diner, and Eagle’s Landing Bistro, especially on gloriously sunny evenings.

We’ve said this before but it bears repeating: Eat out at least once a week! Even if breakfast at Jane’s Edgehill Grocery, tea and a little something at Breakwater Books, an appetiser at Kane’s sports bar or the shopping centre, or a special coffee at Rocky Mountain, the Jailhouse, or River City is all you can afford, support your local eateries! As the sign outside a Maui restaurant says, “Come in and eat or we’ll both starve!”

Wanted: Philanthropist land owner or community group looking for a way to make a diffenence in our community/world. Unlimited growth potential. Matching funding available to right groups.
email with subject heading "Grow me How" to valenasher@gmail.com

by Wolffy

With even the provincial government getting on the local-diet bandwagon, however awkwardly, wouldn’t it be great to make 2008 the year Powell River gains fame for its local cuisine?

We have some fine restaurants in this small city—but how do our visitors find out?

Put on that chef’s hat, cher restaurateur! Tie on the apron, closet cooks! Immanence launches the first-ever Powell River Eminently Local Cuisine Championships! You have about two months to whomp up an appie, beverage, entrée, salad, or dessert with local ingredients that will woo the taste buds of our summer visitors back to our city for R&R year after year.

Cultural capital? Fine. Musical hotspot? Great! Why not add Bijou Gastronomique to our city’s string of pearls?

Well, that’s a silly appellation but it spells out the truth: that the way to tourists’ hearts probably is routed through the gastronomic system. If we are serious about re-inventing Powell River in its second century as a model of sustainability, why not start with the fun part—eating out!

Take this column as an initial invitation to all restaurants and food preparers from Lund to Texada to Saltery Bay to devise a gustatorial marvel composed of largely local ingredients (as in the 100-mile Diet). Try your creation out on your family and customers before entering it in the Eminently Local Cuisine Championships. Appetisers, beverages, salads, entrees, and desserts will win tiers of prizes in each category, and there will be plenty of publicity, splash, and rounded tummies on the party night Immanence is planning for the awards.

by Stacey Forbes

Do you enjoy downtown Marine? Well, you can do most of your food shopping there. It’s wonderful: start at the north end of Willingdon and purchase properly stored nuts, and gluten-free breads at Kelly’s; move next door to Chopping Block to buy store made lard or tallow, meat and fresh seafood. Heading south on Marine itself, there’s the well-stocked Asian grocery store that is Golden Gate Variety. There are quality Middle Eastern items at The Flying Yellow Bread Bowl just behind. Across the street Aaron service, sells (unfortunately not Canadian) recycled bathroom tissue and “Kleenex” in nice big boxes. Rene’s pasta, next door, makes tender fresh pasta, sauces, soups, baguettes—all takeaway. His homemade gelato is as good as I’ve had.

Another block south and you arrive at BC’s first certified organic food store, Silke’s Organic Market. A pleasure to shop at, Marine Avenue’s newest addition features all organic dairy, chicken, fresh-ground flour and colourful produce, including an array of vegetables, fruit, and eggs from local certified farms. Aside from a very few items—this is real food. For good salami, prosciutto, seasonal cheeses and pastas in many wonderful shapes, stop in just 3 doors down at The Italian Grocery Store.

Unfortunately, south of the popular stores mentioned, there begins a decided lack of food items (hmm... we need a specialty food store and an all-butter organic bakery... anyone?) until you reach Rocky Mountain, lastly, for delicious country breads and fresh ground coffee. Be sure to ask your purveyors if they use any hydrogenated shortenings or margarines—you don’t want these trans fats. Here’s to quality food, and bon appetit!

by David Parkinson

No matter how old I get, the end of the summer always feels like time to go back to school, time to look back on the summer and forward to the winter, time to make plans and get back to work again.

So what’s your back-to-school project?

Here’s mine. We hear a lot lately about the importance of eating locally. The 50-mile diet here in Powell River is a great example, and a good way of teaching people about what is and isn’t available in the local food-growing area. More than that, it connects people to their local farms and food-growers, whether they go to the open-air market or shop at the places in town that support local food production. Additionally, participation in the eat-local challenge builds relationships between neighbours, since people often share their produce over the back fence (think: zucchinis!).

I believe that local economy will become more important over the next few years as the need for locally-grown food increases, while the need for local economic networks of all kinds becomes more apparent. But how are we supposed to get from here to there?

Here’s one idea: let’s share knowledge about how to become more self-sufficient, grow more food, and preserve what we grow. By the time you read this, there will already have been two workshops on food gardening and preparing a garden for winter. On October 20, local wilderness expert Brian Lee will be leading a workshop on foraging for edible plants and mushrooms.

I’m excited about these workshops, since they allow people to connect with other people who have similar interests and similar concerns about our local food economy. I’m also more than willing to consider all kinds of ideas for workshops that might interest people, whether you yourself are the expert or you want me to find one. Contact me at (604) 485-2004 or fsp@prcn.org. Let’s spread the knowledge!

by Lyn Adamson

Last year, Powell River made history by hosting the first annual 50-Mile Eat-Local Challenge. 253 people pledged to add more local food to their diets for a period of 5 weeks. 11 people went all the way, aiming for 95% of their food from sources within our local food shed. The 95% option still allowed for a guilt free cup of java (hopefully from a fair trade company!) and the occasional spices not found in our area.

Was it boring? Far from it!

People shared stories about meeting their neighbours, traipsing gravel roads to find farm gate sales, slicing zucchini to make pasta, and learning to enjoy the fresh diversity that is available right here in our own backyard. Friends swapped recipes, and a number of 50 mile diet dinners were hosted. Even some restaurants got in on the action, with The Flying Yellow Bread Bowl featuring 10-mile Soup, Local Loco’s putting on salmon specials and the 5th Ave Bistro cooking up a local dinner special every Friday night during the challenge period.

People from around the country and beyond were curious about our project, with the Tyee featuring the challenge in their 100 Mile Diet series. From that exposure, we were dubbed the Eat Local Capital of North America!

This year, we’re on again! And it promises to be bigger and better. Over 400 people have already taken the pledge and add more local fare for the 6 week period from August 11th – September 23rd, ending at the celebration of farmers and growers at the Fall Fair.