D
serving fair trade certified organic island roasted coffee
T (
delicious homemade soups artisan teas
fresh baked goods
specialty coffees
Food to go
At Whippletree Junction
250 597 4490 Compost Segment Courtesy Mooswa Films Inc
of beef per acre per day. With our small herd, this means our beeves are grazing paddocks of about 5000 to 6000 sq ft each day. The cattle had to be brought along our temporary corridor for about 350 metres back to the barn. Even though a close encounter with the film crew was a new experience for them, they behaved themselves and made us look and feel like we’d been at this for a lifetime. The DOP (director of photography), Chris Johnson, was thrilled. A two-day-old bull calf and his mother who had been in a separate paddock, joined the herd. The little fellow quickly became the crowd pleaser and stole the show. Next. Footage around the compost pile.
local • organic • salads • entrees • wheat/gluten free options • certified fair trade espresso bar • juice bar • delicious desserts • breakfast • muffins cinnamon buns • 14 varieties of bagels • catering and more!
Our approach to growing grass is a combination of the grazing techniques and the application of rich compost and compost teas. We hot compost between 70 and 100 tons of manure and bedding material each year before spreading most of this on our fields. From raw manure, to early stage compost reaching in excess of 135 F, to finished compost ready for spreading. By composting we kill weed seed and create a rich smelling organic product that carries beneficial microorganisms and nutrients.
more than just bagels!
48 Station Street, Downtown Duncan 250 748-1988
8
quickly – foods like blackstrap molasses. We then suspend the compost inside a fine mesh bag in a tea brewer, a Microbulator™ while it strips out the nutrients and micro organisms into the oxygen-rich water to make compost tea. This tea is promptly spread onto the fields following grazing. By the time we finished explaining the importance of composting and making and spreading compost teas, Chef Dan was becoming a bit impatient. After all, as he put it, “… we came here to get some meat!” Once the cameras and lights were in position, I brought out a fresh, 7 lb untrimmed tenderloin roast. This is what Dan had requested. It had been cut a day earlier, after dry aging for the previous 2+ weeks. I explained that this steer was 31 months old when slaughtered and was very nicely finished. As I unwrapped the roast, Dan and Art fell silent. Dan picked up a sharp 5 inch chef’s knife and shaved off a paper-thin slice. With a glance at Art, he put the meat into his mouth and savoured the taste and texture. A big grin formed on his face and he declared… “I can hardly wait to get this back to the kitchen!”
We start with our best compost and inoculate this with foods that help the beneficial microorganisms multiply
Valley Voice Magazine -Your Monthly Guide to Living in the Cowichan Valley
Tim Mock of Windhorse Farm in Glenora. www. windhorse organics.ca