March 2011, Issue 28

March 2011•Issue 28

ISSN 1920-8200

Local Food and Recipes Arts Around The Valley Spring Cleansing and Detox Strategies Ideas For a Successful Spring Break

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Enjoy $5 off food on us, when you spend $20 or more before tax. *Not to be combined with any other special.

Teriyaki • Noodle • Tempura • Sashimi • Sushi • Nigiri • Gyoza • Party Trays

Dine In or Take Out Fully Licensed Outdoor Patio Tables Tel 250 597-0077 248 Trans Canada Hwy (Beside Romeo’s)

Lunch Specials and Daily Specials

$5 Coupon

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Community Calendar to March 5

Artist Ed Chan Imagine That! Artisans Designs, 251 Craig St., Duncan

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In-Stream Restoration Workshop at Averill Creek Pre Registration Call Cowichan Land Trust 250 746 0227

3 8pm

Martyn Joseph Duncan Garage Showroom, Duncan $15/$20

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Metropolitan Opera - Adams’ Nixon in China Cowichan Theatre, Duncan For Tickets 250 748 7529

Opens March 4

39 Steps Chemainus Theatre Festival 1 800 565 7738

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7pm

Healing Workshop with Andrew Louisy Duncan Garage Showroom, Duncan $20

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A Silent Directed Retreat: Honeymoon Bay Lodge and Retreat 250 749 4252

15 All Day

Spring Break Young Naturalists Hike and Picnic Cowichan Young Naturalists More info 250 746 0227

5, 12, 19, 26 A Mother’s Love Yoga Classes 11am -12pm Rivendell Yurt pre-register at 250 748 2089

16 6pm

Cowichan Valley Toastmasters Club 50th Anniversary Quw’utsun’ Cultural Centre Tickets $20 250 743 9316

5 10am 3:30pm

Ecological Restoration Work Party at the Cowichan Garry Oak Preserve on Maple Bay Road 1241 Maple Bay Road, Duncan FREE

17 & 18

Youth Streamkeepers Course Quamichan Creek Pre Registration Call Cowichan Land Trust 250 746 0227

5 8am -3pm

Diggers Club Antique Collectibles Show Chemainus Elementary School, $2

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5:30pm & 7pm

Third Thursday Dinner Buffet: “Taste of Ireland” Honeymoon Bay Lodge and Retreat 250 749 4252

5 7pmish

Shakti Bellydance at Bravo Greek Restaurant 5849 York Rd, Duncan Reservations 250 748 3343

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Stephen Fearing / Andy White Duncan Garage Showroom, Duncan $30 Advance

5 7pmish

Open Mic Song Writers Nite Dancing Bean Café, Chemainus Admission by donation

17 7:30pm

Cowichan Beekeepers General Meeting 5855 Clements Street, Duncan

6 10:30am 1pm

Tea and Cookies at Sunrise Waldorf School (Preschool) 4344 Peters Road, Cowichan Station 250 743 7253

Greek Night at the Satellite Bar & Grille Arbutus Ridge Golf Club, Cobble Hill 250-743-5000

6 1-3pm or 3-5pm

Bowl for Kids Sake - Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Cowichan Valley Shawnigan Lake School 250 748 2447

18 5:30pm -8pm 20 8pm

6, 13,20,27 9-2pm

Cobble Hill Sunday Market Cobble Hill Hall, Watson and Fisher Road

19 10am

Metropolitan Opera - Donizetti’s Lucia Di Lammermoor Cowichan Theatre, Duncan For Tickets 250 748 7529

7 7pm

Jay and His Crystal Bowls HealingCrystalBowls.com Duncan Garage Showroom, Duncan $20

19 5pm

Spring Jam at Kali Yoga Studio Shawnigan Lake, www.kaliyoga.ca, 250 466 0006

8-12 7:30pm

Phantom Of The Opera T.Gil Bunch Centre Brentwood College 250 743 5521

19 10am noon

Sunrise Waldorf School Open House 4344 Peters Road, Cowichan Station 250 743 7253

9 7pm

Community Supported Fishery Program Info Session Alderlea Farm Cafe 3390 Glenora Rd mrfishing@telus.net

20 7-8:30pm

Sacred Chant Circle Rivendell Yurt pre-register at 250-748-2089

10 7 -9pm

GET Solar Info Session on Solar Hot Water Heating Shawnigan Lake Community Centre 250 686 0286

Ladysmith Camera Club “Forensic Photography” Hardwick Hall, 3rd Ave @ High St, Ladysmith $5

11 8pm

Vagina Monologues Cowichan Women Against Violence Cowichan Theatre, Duncan For Tickets 250 748 7529

22 8pm 22

4 & 18 11am -12:30

Threshold Choir - Everyone Welcome, All Ages Drop In www.joythroughmusic.com 250 701 0978 $10-$15

The Ecclestons Dancing Bean Café, 9752 Willow St Chemainus $15

12 8pm

Cari Burdett and Sara Marreiros “ Spinning In Stillness” Duncan Garage Showroom, Duncan $15/$20

12 12:30 to 3:00pm

Tribute to Women Works by Margitta Ben- Oliel Cowichan Theatre, Duncan

12 8pm

Mike Ballantyne and Rick Van Krugel Dancing Bean Café, 9752 Willow St Chemainus $10

12 Doors 5:30pm

Polo Anyone? 15th Annual CTRA Gala Dinner Auction Quw’utsun’ C C, 200 Cowichan Way, Duncan 250 746 1028

12 1- 5pm 12 10am- 3pm 12

Fine Figure Artists Reception Opening Show Points Art Gallery, 225 Canada Avenue, Duncan

24 7pm 26 7:30pm 26 10am3pm 26 10am 26 Doors 7:30pm 25 - 27 29 8pm 31 6pm

For The Love of Words with Bill Levity Duncan Garage Showroom, Duncan $5 for readers /$10

2pm

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March

Seedy Saturday Cobble Hill Hall at Watson and Fisher Road Cowichan Folk Guild Coffee House “The Streels” Duncan United Church, Duncan For Tickets 250 748 3975

2pm 10am

8pm - 9:30pm

6 - 8pm

Eric Harper Spanish Guitar Duncan Garage Showroom, Duncan $15/$20

Your Eye on Health with Lorene Benoit: Diabetes, Syndrome X workshop Call 250 748-6802 $10 adv/$15

Cowichan Folk Guild: Chapel Concert “Little Birdie” Providence Farm Main Building 250 748 3975 Seedy Saturday by the Cowichan Green Community Mercury Theatre, 331 Brae Rd, Duncan 250 748 8506 Metropolitan Opera - Gluck’s Iphigenie en Tauride Cowichan Theatre, Duncan For Tickets 250 748 7529 Headwater - Vancouver Roots Band Rosedale Ridge, Cowichan Station, 250 748 4706 Tix $15 Bridge Retreat with Angela Taylor www.honeymoonbayretreat.com for details

Victoria Gin Dinner - 4 Course Dinner with Pairings Amuse Bistro, Shawnigan Lake Reservations 250 743 3667

March 2011

Vol 2 Issue 28

The monthly magazine for people who love to eat, live shop and play in the Cowichan Valley.

Published by Cowichan Valley Voice Magazine Richard & Sheila Badman Contact us at: editor@cowichanvalleyvoice.com 250-746-9319

Copy Editor Cindy Durrant

Writers’ Voice Editor John Steven

Advertising Enquiries Please Call Diana Pink

250-733-2635 or e-mail diana@cowichanvalleyvoice.com *Non Profit Community Ad Rates available please enquire.

COMMUNITY CALENDAR LISTINGS ARE FREE!

Please upload your information from our website or e-mail the Date, Time, Event Title and Place ONLY Please send info by the 16th Day of the preceding month to: events@cowichanvalleyvoice.com

Valley Voices

Heather Walker, Brock McLeod, Rick Dennis, Marisa Goodwin, Brad Boisvert, Jenn De Valk,, John Steven, Victor Vesley, Oscar Pella, Ajay Appelar, Aaron Bichard, Tracey Paleczka, Adrienne Richards, Katy Ehrlich, Beautiful Sunshine, Shannon Wilson, Cindy Durrant, Debbie Shkurtoff, Maeve Maguire, Angie Close, Robyn Radcliffe, Vye Graves-Young, Cari Burdett, David Martinello, Matt Horn, Meghan Seal, Steve and Gail Mitchell, Amanda Reimer, Margitta Ben-Oliel, Robin Massey, Pamella Moore, Sandra Greenaway, Ed Chan, Kelly Musselwhite, Rick Juliusson, John Close, Dan Jason, Joan Kallis, Marian van der Zon, Jenn Machin, Nicole Haddad, Asrael, Bruce Wood, Karen Hepp, Robert McCourty, Cindy Dreger, Diana Pink, Lorene Benoit, Jenn George, Cynthia Montgomery, Joan Cobham, Tracy Scheck, Tobi Panter, Sue McKitrick, Julia Star, Jean Crowder & The Lovely Georgia Nicols

We welcome your story ideas & photo submissions, however Valley Voice magazine reserves the right to edit all submissions for space, clarity, content and style. The opinions expressed in Valley Voice Magazine do not necessarily reflect those of the editor, publishers or other authors.

Valley Voice Magazine is distributed throughout the Cowichan Valley Malahat, Mill Bay, Shawnigan Lake, Cherry Point, Duncan, Cowichan Bay, Crofton and Chemainus and to Ladysmith, Victoria, Ucluelet, Tofino, and Salt Spring Island.

Cover Image “Tilting Toward The Sun”

by Joan Kallis Page 4 Image of Cowichan Bay also by Joan Kallis Valley Voice Magazine is published monthly.

Subscriptions are available at a cost of $35 a year within Canada and $55 a year for US or International subscribers.

Visit us at www.cowichanvalleyvoice.com

Pages

March Events 4 Table of Contents 5 Our Local Food 6 Websites, E-Mails and Verbal Lint 7 Cowichan Gourmet 8 Recipe From Bruce’s Kitchen 9 Seaside Dining at The Genoa Bay Cafe? 10 Cowichan Bay Seafood Halibut Recipe 11 Nettles: Local Superfood 12 Meet Alderlea Farm 13 Seedy Saturday: The Movement To Save Seeds 14 The Buzz on Being Bee Friendly 15 Soil Blocks 16 Helpful Garden 17 Natural Weed Control 17 On The Farm 18 Green Living 18 Helping You Go Green 19 Off The Grid 19 Why Can’t We? 20 Greener Transportation 21 Keeping Kids Safe on Bikes 22 Spring Break Guide To Staycation 23 Taste of Tea 24 Renaissance Women 24 CRAFT by Cowichan Valley Artisans 25 March Local Arts Highlights 26 Talking Arts: Ed Chan 27 Calling All Artists 28 Srping Folk Guild News 29 Fundraisers Make the Valley Fun 29 Sing 30 Rosedale Ridge 30 Winter Raptors 31 Building The Bridge 32 Walk With Me: Manley Creek Park 32 How’s Your Chi? 33 Freedom of Choice is Taken Away From Canadians 33 Pacific Rim Whale Festival 25th Anniversary 34 Wake Up Call For Daily Detox 36 Dan Jason of Salt Spring Seeds 37 The Tango of The Soul 38 Happy Spring Detox 39 Soul Coaching With the 4 Elements 40 Namaste 40 Vote For Next Top Author 41 Writers Voice: Oscar Pella Hypercubic Fantasy 41 Crowders Corner 42 Maple Bay Saga: Problems In Paradise 43 Moonbeams: Monday Moonday 44 A Time For Cleansing 44 Gratitude From TLC 44 March Horoscopes by Georgia Nicols 45 Outnumbered! by Sue McKitrick 45 Feature Listings 46

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Our Local Food Cobble Hill Sunday Market

9am to 2pm • Every Sunday at Watson and Fisher TWO HALLS FULL

of Goodies and Gifts Join us for freshed baked goods for brunch!

Vendor and Busker inquiries welcome.

Call Sheila 250-701-7647.

Bistro

Bakery and Market

Simple is elegant.

Now Open

Victoria Gin Distillers Dinner 4 Courses with Pairings

March 31st 6pm Canapes & Cocktails 6:30pm Dinner

“ Local food for local consumption”

Dinner served Wed- Sunday Open from 5pm

Eat in or Grab to Go!

1753 Shawnigan-Mill Bay Road 250. 743 . 3667

1761 Shawnigan-Mill Bay Road (beside Moziro Coffee) www.amusebistro.com

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WEBSITES, EMAILS AND VERBAL LINT IT’S IN THE CARDS: It’s a safe bet that over the centuries, the art of the tarot has been shrouded in mystery and misunderstanding. I asked Erin Lawson to demystify the process for our readers.

Erin has been reading tarot cards for 15 years and now offers her interpretations of the symbolic deck at Sunflower Cafe and her home office in Duncan. “I sit with a client and use my tarot cards as windows into their lives,” she explains.

“Each card gives me insight into their past, present and future and allows me to navigate through issues that need to be brought into the light. This then lets the client see and face the problems that may be holding them back.”

Want to learn more? Drop into Sunflower Cafe Wednesdays between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. Erin also gives classes on beginners and advanced tarot.

RYDER’S RYZES AGAIN! Musician Ron Ingram has ambitious plans to resurrect Ryder’s Roadhouse as a live music venue. Beginning March 3rd, Ron will be hosting music events four nights at week (Thursday – Sunday) in a coffee house format with non-alcoholic beverages, soup, chili, biscuits and apple pie.“Ryders is a great place to hone your performance skills and/or create a demo,” he writes. The venue boasts a flood lit stage, drum kit, bass amp, PA and keyboards, including a Hammond organ with Leslie speaker.

“We will stream performances to ustream.tv so you can review your show. Relax and visit with friends, come onstage and impress us with your amazing musical abilities.”

Ryders Roadhouse is located in Pioneer Mall, y’know - the place where Shawnigan Lake Road meets the Island Highway.

COURTS ARE NOW IN SESSION: While we’re talking about jam sessions, let’s slip in a plug for the recently launched Saturday afternoon jam (2 p.m. – 5 p.m.) hosted by Bill Levity and Martyn Jones at Courts Sports Bar & Grill in Duncan.

Jammers are always welcome.

MODEL BEHAVIOUR: New Life Community Baptist Church presents its 3rd annual “Nearly New Fashion Show” March 26. This is a fundraiser for “Women Helping Women” micro loan program and donations will be matched dollar for dollar

by Canadian Baptist Ministries Sharing Way. For more info, phone Marita Judson at 250-748-6521.

By Rick Dennis

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Victoria Gin Vinaigrette Yields 12 ounces

Ingredients

Cowichan Gourmet Victoria Gin Distillers Dinner at Amuse Bistro 4 Courses $80 1753 Shawnigan Mill Bay Rd For reservations call 250 743 3667

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muse Bistro presents an evening with Victoria Gin. Diners will be treated to 4 courses paired with a tasting of the gin or gin cocktail.

Canada’s first premium gin, Victoria Gin is hand made in

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small batches from a woodfired still on Vancouver Island. The gin is a complex spirit, essentially a neutral vodka that is infused with ten natural and wild-gathered botanicals (Juniper Berries, Coriander, Angelica, Orris Root, Lemon Peel, Orange Peel, Star Anise, Cinnamon Bark, Rose Petals and one secret ingredient!) to create a powerful but elegant spirit, then re-distilled.

Victoria Gin Olive Oil Veg. Oil Champagne Vinegar Dijon Mustard Honey Salt Pepper Chopped Parsley Juniper berries

*Best made day before.

Amount

2 ounces ½ cup ½ cup 1/3 cup 2 tablespoons 1 tablespoon ½ teaspoon ¼ teaspoon 1 tablespoon 5 (crushed Fine)

Method

1. Whisk all together in a bowl until well combined.

2. Chill and serve Chef Notes: Gin is not just for drinking. This vinaigrette is great on greens, or can be used to marinate some fresh poached prawns from Cowichan Bay Seafoods shop, or even just toss with cooked new potaA Culinary Institute of America toes to make a potato salad that trained chef, Bradford Boisvert can be served warm or cold with combines his passion for local food with his passion for French fish. cuisine at his restaurant Amusé Bistro in Shawnigan Lake.

“The botanical ingredients of Victoria Gin makes the Gin

great to pair with food.” says Brad.

Pastry Ingredients

All purpose flour Fresh yeast Lukewarm milk Eggs Sea salt Unsalted butter

Amount

2 cups 2 teaspoons 1/2 cup 2 pinch 3.5 oz, softened

Method 1. Place the flour in a bowl and make a hole in the centre of the flour, making a well.

2. Whisk together the yeast and half the warm milk and pour into the well.

3. Let rest for 5 minutes and add the remaining milk, the eggs and the salt.

4. Using your fingers mix the dough until it is a soft slightly sticky mass. Work the dough in the bowl for 5 minutes or until it is smooth and very elastic.

5. Blend in the butter, mix lightly and transfer the dough to a lightly oiled bowl. Cover the bowl with saran wrap and let rise for 1 hour.

6. Turn the dough into a lightly floured cake pan and press it to fill the pan leaving an indentation in the centre.

Filling Ingredients

King Eryngii Mushrooms Extra virgin olive oil Moonstruck Savoury Moon Vin Cotto Eggs 35 % crème Nutmeg Sea Salt Freshly Milled Black Pepper

Amount

2 large and thinly sliced 1 tablespoon 1 round, sliced 1 teaspoon 2 4 ounces pinch pinch pinch

the valley

Tart with Mushrooms & Moonstruck Camembert Recipe courtesy Bruce’s Kitchen, Salt Spring Island

VOICE

It’s time once again for your business to BLOOM! Why not contact Diana Pink for fresh ideas on promoting your business this season.

To request a Spring 2011 Rate Card contact her by phone or e-mail 250.733.2635

diana@cowichanvalleyvoice.com

* you may substitute with a large Portobello, Moonstruck cheese with an ash ripened Camembert or Vin Cotto with a good balsamic

Method 1. Mix one egg, with one egg yolk and set aside.

2. Pre heat the oven to 400 degrees.

2. In a bowl toss together the mushrooms, olive oil, a pinch of salt pepper and the balsamic vinegar. Reserve until needed.

3. Lay the sliced cheese on the dough and top with the sliced mushrooms.

4. Beat together the eggs, salt pepper, nutmeg and crème and pour over the mushrooms and cheese.

5. Cover the tart with saran wrap and let rise for 15 minutes at room temperature.

6. Place the tart into the oven and bake for 45 minutes or until the pastry is crisp and the filling well browned.

Remove from the oven, cut into wedges and serve hot.

Chef Notes: This is a great dinner for this time of year.

Accompanied with a salad Bruce Wood is the Chef/owner of Bruce’s Kitchen in Ganges on SSI. He is of Belgian endive, apples passionately committed to working with & dried cranberries it the local food community to produce would make a lovely meal. from scratch with care and love.

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Seaside Scoop On The Genoa Bay Cafe

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easide dining accessible by land and water, the Genoa Bay Cafe has been a favourite destination for recreational boaters and Vancouver Islanders in-the-know. Proud new owners Stacey Johnson, Gord Rumley and Dan Caird, along with Café chef Dave Cartner are enthusiastic to share their passion for great food and fine wine this season at the Café.

Stacey first enjoyed the hospitality of the Café back in 2008, when he happened upon what he admired as “this amazing little

Stacey, Chef Dave and Gord

restaurant on the water - a little gem of a place set into Nature herself - providing an ambience for dining that I believed was unique to anywhere else on Southern Vancouver Island”.

One evening while dining on the patio, he learned that the restaurant was for sale. “I knew this was my opportunity to fulfill a dream to own my own restaurant. And not just any restaurant! Genoa Bay Café has a long-standing tradition of providing boaters, locals and those just passing by with excellent food in a casual setting. After our first year, I am so proud of what we have accomplished -- a fresh new look for the café, exciting food created by our passionate kitchen team, as well as many new and valued friendships

View of restaurant from marina

Patio dining in springtime

established with our regular guests.”

Even though Dan’s contribution to the restaurant operation is behind-the-scenes, he is excited to be a part of it. “I love visiting the Café, particularly during the summer, when the place is packed. It is a wonderful feeling to know that you are providing the setting for so many people to enjoy great food and good times!”

Gord echoes Stacey’s enthusiasm and pride. “‘Friends and family’ is the ambience I strive for.

Cowichan born and raised, I love to welcome old and new friends to the Café, and having happily worked as front manager for three years here, I feel extremely fortunate to be a part-owner now.” He says the first day of owning the restaurant was a day that changed his life. “Family and friends all came out to support us ... it has always been my dream to run my own restaurant but never did I ever expect to be part of such a great team, in such a stunning location.”

Chef Dave Cartner’s menus showcase the foods of Vancouver Island and the Pacific Northwest with a spotlight on local seafood such as Saltspring Island mussels, Pacific halibut and BC spot prawns. “Being Chef of the Café

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as well as a resident of the Bay affords me a unique opportunity that few chefs get to enjoy”, says Cartner. “The Café is just a short 8 kilometres off the main road, but the feeling I get every time I return to the Bay from fly-fishing on the Cowichan River, going to the Duncan Farmer’s Market or just running usual life errands is that of being on a small gulf island. Life just seems to slow down here until I get into the kitchen. I feel privileged to be a part of this truly unique island destination.”

Chef Dave’s West Coast seafood chowder is loaded with a bounty from local waters, and his signature GBC calamari has become a local bay favourite. Main course offerings are plentiful - check them out at www.genoabaycafe. com and click on the lunch and dinner menu tabs. Of course, dining at Genoa Bay Café just wouldn’t be complete without one of their signature desserts - make sure you leave room for one – including this season’s new favourite -- Heirloom Carrot Cake.

Local Company Chosen For Top 5 in Best of BC

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teeples has been chosen as a Top 5 Finalist in the Best Company in BC

Category. The Steeples management team will be going via Limousine to Vancouver and will be attending the awards banquet on March 29th where the winners in each category will be announced. www.steeplesrestaurant.ca Congratulations Darren Cole and the Steeples team!

Prosciutto Wrapped Halibut with Parsnip and Apple Puree Recipe courtesy Matt Horn For Halbut Ingredients

Amount

Halibut Rosemary Thyme Salt and Pepper Canola Oil Butter Lemon

6 Ounces 1Teaspoon 1Teaspoon 1Tablespoon 1Tablespoon 1 Tablespoon 1 Halved

For Puree Ingredients

Amount

Parsnips Lemon Bay Leaf Clove Garlic Shallot 35% Whipping Cream Salt and Pepper

3 Peeled and Chopped 1Zested and Juiced 1 1 1 ¼ Cup To Taste

Puree Method

1. In a sauce pot sauté chopped shallots and garlic till transparent. Deglaze with white wine.

2. Add all the other ingredients and cover with water.

3. Bring to a boil and simmer ingredients until soft.

4. Put into a food processor and remove bay leaf and blend till smooth.

5. Finish with cream and season with salt and pepper

Halibut Method 1. Preheat oven to 400 F 2. Heat a sauté pan to high 3. Season both sides of Halibut with herbs, salt and pepper 4. Place butter and oil in pan and place Halibut in pan for 2 minutes. Flip over and cook in oven for another 3 to 4 minutes 5. Finish with squeeze of lemon

Now Open 10 am to 5:30pm Tuesday - Sunday Halibut fishery opens March 12 FRESH HALIBUT COMING SOON!

Did you know?

When halibut hatch they spend the first few weeks of their life upright (like salmon) and then gradually one eye migrates to the other side of the head and the fish starts to lay over and flatten out - hence a flat fish - with no eye on its underside and both eyes and camouflage markings developing on its top side.

Looking for best value seafood, from responsible and ethical merchants dealing in sustainable seafood and shellfish?

Cowichan Bay Seafoods 1751 Cowichan Bay Rd, Cowichan Bay 250-748-0020 E-mail: info@cowichanbayseafood.com

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to

Nettle & Onion Tarts

An easy way for first time tasters to enjoy Nettles.

Serves 4 as an appetizer.

Active Prep time 25 minutes Bake time 25 minutes

’s

rs

Ingredients

Amount

Nettle Leaves, rinsed Puff Pastry1/4 inch thickness Yellow Onion halved and cut Unsalted Butter Hilary’s Cheese Plain Chevre Fresh Thyme Sea Salt and Fresh Pepper Ice For Ice Bath

2 cups 8 x 8 inch square 1 cut into 1/4 inch slices 1 tablespoon 2 ounces 1 bunch To Taste

Method 1. Preheat oven to 375 F 2. Cut pastry into 4 equal squares - set aside.

3. To Prepare Nettles: In a large pot of boiling water blanch the leaves for 2 minutes.

4. Strain in a colander and place nettles in a ice bath for about 1 minute.

5. Strain again and gently arrange leaves on a clean towel to dry.

6. Melt butter in a large pan on medium heat and add onion. Cook stirring often for 10 minutes. Turn heat to low and cover, stirring occasionally for 10 more minutes.Your onions should be nicely caramelized.

7. Place puff pastry squares on a baking sheet. Divide the cooked onion evenly onto the center of each of the puff pastry squares.

8. Divide nettle into 4 portions and place on top of the onions.

Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

9. Top each tart with 1 tablespoon of crumbled chevre and sprinkle with fresh thyme leaves.

10. Fold the edges of the puff pastry up around the sides.

11. Bake on the middle rack of the oven for approx 25 minutes till lightly browned.

Serve immediately. *The tarts re-heats well and can be frozen.

Enjoy ! Recipe courtesy Marisa Goodwin of Organic Fair

Nettles: Local Superfood

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ettles are the first tasty green on our farm that shakes off winter’s spell.

We reward this hardy plant’s vigor by eating it. Nettles, as many of you have experienced, fight back. The hairs on the underside of Nettle leaves contain small amounts of formic acid. This is the same substance that is in bee’s venom. To ease the sting, use baking soda dampened with a bit of water to make a paste rubbed gently on the affected area. This is just simple chemistry of a base (baking soda) neutralizing an acid (formic acid).

Nettles Urtica Dioca are common here on the West Coast and often grow in the same areas as blackberries.

The Ancient Greek physician Dioscorides wrote about the medicinal aspects of Stinging Nettles in the 1st century, so using this ‘weed’ is not a new idea! Eat Nettles because they are full of minerals like iron and potassium, approx. 25% protein, rich in chlorophyll and beta carotene or simply because they are so versatile and delicious. Any dish you would use cooked spinach, you can use Nettles, as heat will neutralize the sting.

Think soups, pastas, sauces,

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spanokopita or my tarts!

Always use tongs to add rinsed, fresh Nettle leaves to any dish you will cook.

Nettles are also wonderful both used fresh and dried as a nutritive tea. On our farm we use our Nettles as an ingredient in Organic Fair’s Lemon Stinger tea. Some people juice them fresh which will neutralize the sting as well.

The best time to harvest the leaves is when they are young and tender. You can continue to harvest them until they flower, the leaves then become stringy. To enjoy harvesting: wear long pants, long sleeved shirts and good gloves. Pick the new leaves at their base on the stalk.

Remember just like spinach these will shrink significantly when cooked, so pick more!

Make healthy, tasty Nettles a part of your local diet. Happy Harvesting!

Marisa co-owns Organic Fair and is immersed in food,farm and family. www.organicfair.com

Alderlea Farm & Cafe 3390 Glenora Rd Duncan 250 715 0799 www.alderleafarm.com

A

lderlea certified Biodynamic Farm in Glenora has offered a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program for six years. This innovative farm model unites the farmer and the community as shareholders to support local sustainable agriculture. Shareholders receive twenty-four weeks of a variety of seasonal certified organic vegetables produced by farmers John and Katy Ehrlich.

Thanks to the support of the Cowichan Valley and Alderlea’s commitment to providing high quality freshly harvested vegetables, the Ehrlichs were able to upgrade the distribution barn on the farm. This was a sign that they were on the right track in the farm’s social, economic, and ecological development.

They began with fifty shareholders in 2004, and they now serve up to 200 households annually.

Shareholder Michael Kerr of Square One Design created the plans for the new distribution

barn which included geothermal and passive solar heating. The commercial processing kitchen morphed into the Alderlea Farm Café when serendipity stepped in. As the quotation commonly attributed to Goethe points out, “The moment one definitely commits oneself, then Providence moves too. All sorts of things occur to help one, that would never otherwise have occurred.”

When visiting Alderlea Farm and Café, visitors experience the flavour of farm life: there are preserves on the shelves, workers chopping cabbage and making sauerkraut, crates of freshly harvested vegetables ready to be prepared for the café or distribution, and farmers and apprentices singing in the fields. Rural farm landscapes painted by local artist Soleil Manion are featured on the walls.

Patrons of the Café come from as far as Victoria to savour the farm fresh soups, and eating in the café is another way people can support local farming. While patrons enjoy the fine, farm fresh food, shareholders pick up their weekly veggies, exchange recipes and make business contacts. Children learn to use scales and choose vegetables out of bins or pet the livestock and frolic around the farm.

The Café and CSA are really a community hub and meeting place. This is rural community development in action.

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Seedy Saturday: The Movement to Save & Share Seeds

Seedy Saturday

March 26 10am - 3pm Mercury Theatre 331 Brae Road, Duncan

C

elebrate the start of the gardening season by coming out to Duncan’s third annual Seedy Saturday event!

To promote a strong and healthy local food system, Seedy Saturdays focus on sharing organic, open-pollinated, non-GMO seeds and organic gardening knowledge.

Hosted by the Cowichan Green Community (CGC), Duncan’s Seedy Saturday will include seed experts from Seeds of Diversity, author of The Zero-Mile Diet, gardening guru Carolyn Herriot, and Jason Greenwood of Ceres Edible Landscaping, making this event one you won’t want to miss. Seedy Saturdays are exciting due to the amazing variety of organic seeds available, and vendors range from grassroots seed savers to established organic seed companies. Novice growers and green thumbs are also encouraged to bring their own organic saved seeds or cuttings to trade at the community seed exchange

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table. There will also be a wide selection of plant starts and edible nursery stock from the Tree Eater Permaculture nursery, including everything from tea plants to olives, and kiwis to figs! Or, how about some pie cherries, bamboo shoots or meyer-lemon trees?

Of course, CGC wouldn’t leave out the fun for our future farmers, so there will be planting activities for kids, artwork from upcoming artists, and local food vendors as well. This year’s Seedy Saturday is going to be an amazing community event, and CGC encourages everyone from small container gardeners to large-scale growers to attend.

For more info, contact the Cowichan Green Community at 250-748-8506 or info@ cowichangreencommunity.org.

Amanda Reimer is a writer for CGC. She lives in Mill Bay.

There is also a Seedy Saturday on March 12 at Cobble Hill Hall, 3550 Watson Ave

Herbs: Bergamot (Monarda fistulosa) – perennial Borage (Borago officinalis) – annual Lavender (Lavandula angustifolia) – p Rosemary (Rosmarianus officinalis) – p Sage (Salvia officinalis) – p Plant some bee Thyme (Thymus spp.) – p

attracting flowers and

The Buzz On Being Bee Friendly

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t is well known that we are dependent on bees for much food production. Without pollination, and bees are the most common agent of this process, seed and fruit production would be virtually non-existent. If a garden contains a good variety of pollen and/or nectar producing plants, the variety of bee species that can be observed is amazing. Honey bees may be the most familiar, but here in the Cowichan Valley, we have several species of bumblebees and small solitary bees. Some of these species are “generalists” and visit a wide variety of flowers, while others are adapted for a few flower types.

There are tree and shrub species, including big leaf maple and cotoneaster, that are good bee attractants. There are also bulb plants, such as crocuses, which provide early pollen for bees. *Please note that these are not complete lists - we are only listing plants normally grown from seed (annuals and perennials) which are good “bee plants”.

You will likely see bees on many other flowers not listed.

The first place to look for bees is in the herb garden.Many plants in the Aster family attract bees (including dandelions – don’t pull out all the “weeds”!)

Others in this family include

Echinacea, Gaillardia, sunflowers (Helianthus), and zinnia (Santvitalia). The fall flowering Aster (Symphyotrichum novaeangliae – a perennial) provides pollen and nectar at a time of the year when other flowers are finished.We use Phacelia as a cover crop in the vegetable garden. Our honeybees are often seen foraging in it.

Vegetables: We don’t usually think of planting vegetable seeds to attract bees; we just hope the bees are around to pollinate them! It is gratifying to watch bees working inside the huge squash blossoms or burrowing into a scarlet runner blossom. We are familiar with crops resulting directly from pollination, such as apples and other tree fruit, berries, tomatoes, peppers, beans, peas, squash, but consider the other crops, such as carrots and beets. Seed production is also necessary for these crops; thus, we rely on insects for these, also. Be kind to bees and other pollinators because they are an integral part of the food production process.

herbs this spring !

Flowers: Achillea (Achillea millefolium) – p Agastache (Agastache rugosa) – p Alyssum (Lobularia maritima) – a (hardy) Asters (Aster) – p Snapdragon (Antirrhinum majus) – p Spider flower (Cleome hassleriana) – ha Campanula (Campanula carpatica) –p – a good plant for Bumblebees Globe Thistle (Echinops ritro) – p Lupines (Lupinus polyphyllus) – p – another good flower for Bumblebees Phacelia (Phacelia tanacetifolia)- ha – Salvia (Salvia splendens)-a a- annual, P - perennial, ha - hardy annual

Thursday, March 10th

7:00 pm to 9:00 pm

Looking to reduce your footprint and save money?

G.E.T. Solar Solutions invites you to a community information session to find out more about making the switch to solar hot water and heating opportunities.

Shawnigan Lake Community Centre • Round Room For more information please call Jim Musselwhite 250-686-0286 www.getsolarsolutions.ca

Bee Haven Farm’s Steve and Gail Mitchell. On our 5.5 acres of mixed forest and garden, we are producing mason bees, vegetables and fruit in addition to running a small honey bee apiary.

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4 x 2” soil block maker

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Images courtesy Jason Beam of PottingBlocks.com

umans have been growing seeds in cubes of soil since the beginning of recorded history. Currently, many gardeners and farmers are using soil blocks to start their and are experiencing increased health and growth rates with their transplants.

Soil blocks are cubes made of lightly compressed potting soil, formed by a tool called a soil blocker. Combining the soil medium and container into one eliminates the expense of pots or plug trays.

Because there are no walls with a block of soil, they mimic conditions found in nature more closely than that of an artificially contained environment.

Providing an ideal microclimate for your emerging seedlings’ needs, blocks stay moist for the first few days keeping seeds in constant

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Make The Switch To Soil Blocks contact with moist soil for optimum germination rates.

Problems with becoming root bound are eliminated since the natural limits of the outer edge signal the seedling to wait as it senses the air around it. Plants grown in soil blocks tend to experience less transplant shock and become established more rapidly.

To make soil blocks you must make a small investment in a soil blocker. The blocking tool is pressed into a very wet soil medium and punched out with a planting hole divet.

Soil blockers come in many sizes, the most common being 2” X 4 blocks. Although soil blocks are remakably strong, bottom watering is best until the roots fill the block and stablize the medium. I recommend the Ladbrooke soil blocker tool called the “mini 4” which makes four 2” blocks at a time.

To make soil blocks you must make a small investment in a soil blocker. The blocking tool is pressed into a very wet soil medium and punched out with a planting hole divet.

Soil blockers come in many sizes, the most common being 2” X 4 blocks. Although soil blocks are remakably strong, bottom watering is best until the roots fill the block

and stablize the medium. I recommend the Ladbrooke soil blocker tool called the “mini 4” which makes four 2” blocks at a time. Up to 44 blocks into a nursery flat, leaving a space to add water for bottom watering. You can find soil blockers at any Dig This store in Victoria or Nanaimo or online at www. soilblocks.com

Shannon Wilson is an organic market gardener and edible landscape designer/ consultant in the Cowichan Valley.

Ecological Restoration Work Party March 5th 10am-3:30pm Cowichan Garry Oak Preserve on Maple Bay Rd 1241 Maple Bay Rd, Duncan .The day will start with pulling invasive species from the Cowichan Garry Oak Preserve, and will be followed by refreshments and a tour of the Preserve to teach participants about the traditional ecological knowledge of the Hul’qumi’num’ First Nations tribes and ecological restoration of Garry Oak meadows.Please bring water, lunch, work gloves and appropriate clothing for the weather.

FREE to participate.

Recipe For Soil Blocker Mix: (Based on a 2 ½ gallon bucket) 3 buckets peat/ coconut fibre ½ cup dolopril lime (preferred over dolomite) • mix thoroughly and break up any lumps in the peat 2 buckets coarse sand/ perlite/ rice husks 3 cups complete organic fertilizer • mix with peat mixture 1 bucket garden soil 2 buckets well finished compost, sift if necessary (to inoculate your mix) • mix all together until fully incorporated

Helpful Garden

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ately, people are talking a lot about sustainable living. One way to live more sustainably is to grow your own food. “Working your land to make it work for you” should be our motto.

Our region has an ideal climate for most food crops, and many people are growing some food, even if that means just having a few tomato plants on the deck.

When it comes to planning your vegetable beds for the year, planning ahead and growing from seed saves a lot of money, and it’s easy and fun to do, especially for the

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ater this month, when the temperature hits 12 degrees consistently (fingers crossed!), the invisible weed seeds in your lawn will wake up and stretch to the surface – especially if you have your lawn raked, dethatched or aerated.

You may be tempted at this point to turn to a spray bottle of chemicals, but with pesticide bans in

kids. March is the time to get your vegetable seeds started indoors. You need some specific supplies to get started, but local garden centres like Dinter’s and Buckerfield’s are fully stocked with everything you need, including local, heirloom, and organically produced seeds.

Here are some veggies that need to be started now: tomatoes, broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, peppers, eggplant, kale, chard, lettuce and squash. Root crops, legumes, and corn are best sown directly in the ground when their time comes, and many folks prefer to start lettuce in a cold frame later in the season.

Plan out your vegetable plots on paper before you shop for seeds so you know exactly what you need. Pick up some sterile starter mix (a blend of peat/vermiculite/perlite), seed

trays or cells, flats with good drainage, and clear plastic covers. You can also try peat pots or pellets if you prefer.

You should also pick up a good water-soluble fertilizer, or better yet, an organic liquid type. Heating mats will foster a faster and more uniform germination of seed, as will using a 40-watt fluorescent light or growlight. Another option is to buy small indoor greenhouses that are ideal for moving outdoors later in the season. These are inexpensive and collapse for easy storage.

Once you have everything you need, read each seed package for planting instructions.

Moisten the starter mix, fill the cells and tamp soil down lightly. Plant two seeds in each cell. Keep seed flats under the growlight or in a sunny exposed window, with or without a heating mat for 16 hours a day, keeping them evenly moist with frequent misting.

If using clear domes on flats,

keep them slightly offset to allow airflow. When seeds sprout and develop true leaves (not the seed leaves) pull the smaller of the two seedlings from each cell. Now, you can give the seedlings a weak fertilizer solution. In May, when you are ready to transplant into the garden, you will need to harden off the seedlings to prepare them for outdoor life.

Do this by placing them in a sheltered location outside for a few hours a day, increasing this time over a week until they are ready to stay outdoors overnight. There is an enormous amount of information available online about growing vegetables from seed, so do your research.

With a bit of time, supplies and knowledge, you can feel the satisfaction and pride that growing your own food brings to the table!

Ajay Oppelaar is VP of the Mill Bay Garden Club. For club membership information or other questions contact him at dangerboy2490@hotmail. com.

Natural Weed Control the works (Nanaimo’s ban begins April 4), and unnerving statistics on the effects of these products, you may want to reconsider. The good news is there is a better way for lawns - one that no longer involves chemicals. All it takes is education and a commitment to a healthier lifestyle.

So, what does this chemical free approach to weeds look like?

It’s simple. Once you know how

and when weeds grow, you can commit to a strategy to prevent their growth by dealing with the problem before it starts.

In organic lawn care, one of the best methods for weed prevention comes in the form of Corn Gluten Meal. CGM is a byproduct of the milling process, and it prevents weed seeds from germinating while providing a strong nitrogen fix (green-up) for the grass.

That being said, CGM also prevents grass seeds from germinating, so you’ll need to wait at least 6 weeks before seeding your lawn – which works great because May is the perfect time to seed! CGM is a truly natural weed and feed, and if applied in March and again in late August, it can prevent up to 70% of new seasonal weeds.

Unfortunately, CGM does not kill established weeds, but don’t worry - there are chemical-free options for those as well. Ask your local garden centre for allnatural weed-control products.

“Weed B Gone” is an effective, safe option, and many organic lawn care providers also have a stronger version called “Fiesta”.

There is no doubt that weed control is a crucial component to having a lush lawn, but it’s only the beginning - you must also focus on strengthening the grass.

I’ll tell you what: we’ll talk about that next month. www.lushecolawns.com John Close is the owner of Lush Eco Lawns and is about to celebrate one year in business. He’s excited to see so many people investing in organics.

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Green Living

On The Farm

The Air We Breathe

“sick building syndrome”.

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The good news is that there are many steps we can take to improve the quality of air in our homes and work places.

hen we talk about air pollution, we usually think about outside, but the reality is that the air inside our homes and workplaces is two to five times more polluted than the air outside.

Indoor air contains toxins from cleaning products, pesticides, off-gassing from carpets and furniture, pet dander, mold spores and more. Due to poor ventilation and the lack of air circulation indoors, these particles are more concentrated, creating

Statistics show that we spend close to 90% of our time indoors, be it at home, school, or office. The effects of poor indoor air quality cannot be overlooked, especially because it has a disproportionate effect on our children.

Incorporate the simple steps above to improve the quality of the air you and your family breathe.

1. Choose green cleaning products made from natural ingredients. Not spraying and wiping toxic chemicals around in the name of “cleaning” will make a great impact on reducing daily exposure to harmful substances.

2. Improve ventilation by opening windows and using exhaust fans.

3. House plants make a dramatic impact. All plants covert carbon dioxide to oxygen but some also remove chemicals. Aim for approximately 1 plant for every 100 square feet and keep their leaves clean by dusting with a damp cloth, plants need to breathe too!

4. Avoid furniture made from particleboard and other composites, they emit formaldehyde.

5. When updating rooms, choose low VOC paints, insulation and other products.

6. The use of HEPA filter units in various rooms and on your vacuum removes some particles like dust and mold spores, be sure to change them regularly.

7. Negative ions kill organisms like dust mites, pet dander, bacteria, smoke, mildew and pollen and are generated by simple and attractive rock-salt lamps.

8. Essential oils are natural air fresheners and when used in a diffuser help to combat airborne microorganisms like bacteria and viruses. Ask at your Tracey Paleczka, local natural health store for local mompreneur specific oils with disinfecting and owner/operator properties and always buy Clean Choice EcoFriendly Cleaning grade A oils.

Services

cleanchoicecleaners.com

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ick Versteeg’s new documentary Food Security: it’s in your hands is now showing in communities around the Island. One of the questions it asks is: how do we get more people into farming? The answer is quite simple. We need to make farming an economically viable occupation. There is no shortage of people, especially young people, who would like to start a farm business. However, it is very difficult to make a living from a farm in the Valley. So how do we solve this problem?

Some think the solution is to make it cheaper to farm by reducing the cost of land. I’m going to take the unpopular approach and suggest that the solution lies instead with farmers and their customers. Specifically, farmers (with the support of customers) need to increase their revenue per acre. There are many ways to do this. One way is to obtain a good price for the food they produce. This is where customers come in, by valuing fresher and healthier food by paying more for local, organic products.

Our farm is only economically viable because of customers who choose to pay a little bit more for local, organic produce.

Some may say that the cost of land makes it difficult to make a living as a farmer, but we too often overlook our great fortune: we live in a place where people support their local farmers and seek out organic food in greater numbers than in many other places in North America. While we are challenged by high land prices, we are blessed with one of the best communities.

So if we want to increase the number of people farming and, thereby, food security, we need to grow the community of people who choose to purchase local, organic products. Nick’s film really couldn’t have had a better title, because when it comes down to food security, it is truly in your hands.

Heather Walker and Brock McLeod own and operate Makaria Farm Heather is a writer, editor and passionate seed starter. www.makariafarm.com Image of Dragonfly Farm Heather Walker

Helping You Go Green Dear Adrienne, I am a mother who is trying to become more green for the health of my family and planet.

Can you please help me find ways to eliminate plastic from my home?

Thanks, Tracy, Cobble Hill

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es Tracy, plastic, especially single use plastic, is harmful in so many ways - to our oceans, our bodies, landfills, and wildlife, in addition to perpetuating our dependancy on oil. This is an extremely important and broad topic to cover. Here are a few of my favourite ways to reduce plastic: To avoid BPA : Use glass baby bottles and storage containers; avoid canned products and pop cans as they are lined with BPA; avoid plastic wrap in all instances (including freezing); use reusable water bottles and fill with our fabulous Cowichan water; ask your dentist if the sealant they use contains BPA; replace your PVC shower curtain; and bring your own to-go cup when getting coffee as the disposable lids are toxic.

Bisphenol A (BPA) is used primarily to make plastics,and is typically found in #3 and #7 these include baby and water bottles, sports equipment, medical and dental devices. BPA has been linked to everything from obesity, to damaging the brains of fetuses.

In 2010 Canada was the first country to declare BPA as a toxic substance. BPA is now

banned in Baby bottles in the EU,USA, and Canada.

To avoid plastic from stores: Bring your own bags, containers and wax paper to the deli and bulk section; buy products in glass containers; reuse orange/onion mesh bags by using a twist tie to make a great produce bag; when plastic is your only option for a container, buy the largest, and find a use for the container afterwards (planter, sand box toy, storage for dry goods etc); say no to straws and drink stoppers.

To change our everyday items: Look for recycled pens (or pens with refillable tips), wood or recyclable toothbrushes, and compostable or biodegradable bags for your garbage; replace baggies and wrap sandwiches etc. with good old-fashioned wax paper; buy a camping cutlery set to use when out; buy in bulk: shampoo, conditioner, dish washing liquid, rice, flour, etc, or buy bar soap and shampoo to avoid the container altogether.

Remember, awareness is the number one way to go green, so always ask yourself : “Do I need that plastic product?” and “Is there an alternative?” before you purchase the product.

Adrienne is a mother of two in the Cowichan Valley and is a Green Living consultant.

OFF THE GRID wash n’ squash

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ut here in Sansum Narrows where we live, it’s boat access only! It is true that there are no BC Hydro bills where we live, but neither does the municipality of North Cowichan offer garbage pick-up. “Pack it in-Pack it out” is the rule, so recycling is a must.

The Brits call it ‘wash and squash’, so with glass and tin cans, that’s what we do.

This reduces the volume, and when the bags are full, they are ready for the boat journey to the recycling depot. The washing is to avoid attracting any wild creatures to our storage bins.

Everything refundable goes to the grocery store or the bottle depot. That includes drink containers, pop cans, water bottles, liquor and wine bottles. Money from this source goes into a very large and ancient ceramic pig which yields a surprising amount when emptied.

These days, most plastic is recyclable, and all cardboard and paper is burned along with the tops of the egg cartons. Egg carton bottoms are filled with dryer lint (from friends), covered with melted candle stubs, and then sectioned into fire starters.

All uncooked vegetable, fruit and coffee grounds are composted. Cooked food scraps should go to the hens, but we haven’t ventured into that project, yet, as I’m afraid of attracting every mink, raccoon and cougar for miles around. The resident raven cleans up the mice which insist on finding their way indoors.

Pacific Steel Recycling (Harpers) on Boys Road in Duncan takes our annual collection of scrap metal, and the used engine and generator oil goes to the local auto supply store.

Our local recycling depot on Rainbow Road on Salt Spring Island takes care of most of our recycling needs, and we are happy to pay Laurie’s waste service to take our green garbage bags when necessary.

We always give ourselves a well-deserved pat on the back after we finish a recycling trip, and for a reward, we go to our favourite watering hole for a pint - paid for, of course, by the pig.

Joan and Aubrey Cobham are the parents of 7 and grandparents of 3.

They live in their “off the grid” cabin in the Sansum Narrows

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Why Can’t We? Congratulations to Mayor David Saunders of Colwood for showing some seriously impressive leadership.

If Colwood can do it, why can’t we?

This past winter,The City of Colwood announced that it would be receiving $3.9 million from National Resources Canada’s Clean Energy Fund as well as other funding partners toward what has been deemed the Solar Colwood Project.

This project plans to install 1000 solar thermal systems on residences within that municipality, in addition to strategically completing retrofits on commercial buildings with the lowest efficiency ratings.

www.cowichandale.com

Ultimately, Colwood will not only significantly reduce its gas taxes and carbon footprints, but it also will be viewed as a founder in forward thinking and action on Vancouver Island.

Rebates of $3000 to $3800 are expected to be offered to residential homeowners and such incentives contribute to the accessibility of “going green”. Progress will be quick as a team of consultants works together to officially launch the project in May. Colwood – the city with a view of the future! (See http://www.pv-tech.org/news/canadian_community_scale_solar_project_given_can3.9_million_government_fund and http://www.solarcolwood.ca/home-business.php for more details) Why can’t the CVRD put aside the Eco Depot Project, which has for nine months been heavily resisted by large populations in the Mill Bay, Shawnigan Lake, and Cobble Hill areas and focus on projects that would be embraced and viewed as proactive within these communities?

Why not use David Saunders’ example and redirect your ‘energy’ by actualizing a project embedded in ‘power’ rather than ‘waste’?

I am willing to bet that the notion of a Green Valley brought about by similar government incentives would be embraced with enthusiasm and would realign our people in passionate collaboration.

Kelly Musselwhite is a mother in the Cowichan Valley empowering her community to make a difference.

In Victoria

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T

he promise of rotting meat, fish and veggies wouldn’t get most people charged up, but I must admit, I’ve got chills. And, yes, they are multiplying.

In fact, it’s the allure of and access to grease that has me so giddy I’m almost losing control.

Last month, we told you about the City of Duncan’s soon-to-start curbside compost collection program.

What we didn’t mention was the major part the Cowichan Bio-Diesel Co-op (CB-DC) played in the delivery of the 1,250 bins. As staunch proponents of eco-transportation, while dropping each bin door-to-door, it was Cowichan Recyclists’ mission to reduce harmful emissions and find a local solution to tailpipe pollution. That challenge was simplified by the very existence of the CB-DC. Because of this progressive oil-altering organization and an ’84 Chevy, we were able to deliver the bins using only bio-diesel and human power.

With a strategically located and free public drop off for used cooking oil and grease at Bing’s Creek Transfer Station, as well as a healthy list of partner restaurants, the CB-DC is able to turn loads of landfill-destined waste veggie oil into fuel for almost any diesel vehicle.

The 24-hour cardlock at partner Cowichan Petroleum Sales makes filling up the green machines convenient and simple. When the aim of a project such as the compost program is to keep resources from the landfill, it only makes sense to keep the transportation in-line with the desired outcome. Go grease

Daryl Giesbrecht (left), Director for the Cowichan Bio-Diesel Co-op and Brian Roberts Co-op President and CEA Exec Director. The Pump is located at the Cowichan Petroleum Sales office at 2999 Allenby Rd.

Local Green Transportation is Shaping Up lightning, go! To learn more about Cowichan Bio-Diesel Co-op or to get involved visit www.smellbetter.org.

Steve Johnson, veggie oil recycling and operations “technical specialist” for CEA. “contemplating” a full truck of waste cooking oil he’s just collected from local Duncan restaurants.

Aaron Bichard co-owner of Cowichan Recyclists an ecologically sustainable and responsible company helping businesses reduce their impact on the environment.

The Co-op is focused on the distribution of sustainable, locally produced Biofuels and has over 150 members. CEA is a non-profit focused on the implementation of triple bottom line local renewable energy projects, education, energy and GHG emissions inventory and planning. The two organizations are partners in the Island Bio-Fuels Initiative with CEA responsible for waste oil recycling used for Biofuels production and the Co-op takes on the distribution of the Biofuels to its members. Two other keys partners are Cowichan Petroleum Sales (CPS) who provide the site for the Co-op biofuels cardlock, and National Energy Equipment (NEE) who made a significant donation of equipment and expertise to put together the pump .

Brian ”Mac” MacSweyn. Mac built the veggie oil drop-off kiosk seen in the pic and was one of Cowichan Energy Alternative’s (CEA) first staff.

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Image Cindy Penner

Get Ready For a Staycation!

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modern alternative to an expensive holiday and pricey fuel, is a stay-at-home vacation for Spring Break – a Staycation! In the Cowichan Valley, this option is anything but boring! Take the time and do some planning - you’ll be surprised to discover how many great sites and activities there are for the whole family within easy driving distance. Just because you’re staying home doesn’t mean you have to keep it simple.

Enjoy being a ‘tourist in your own town’, and have some fun learning about where you live!

Conquer a mountain.

Hike up Cobble Hill.

A great family hike with lots of wildlife and birds to see. Bring a bird book and see how many species you can identifyright off the path. Wear good shoes, bring water and don’t forget to dress in layers! Easy to moderate trail.

• Just off of Hwy #1, turn onto Cobble Hill Rd until you reach the intersection with Fisher Rd. Park in the lot by the tracks.

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Cowichan Aquatic Centre

Drop off the kids or have a fun family swim at the pool!

2653 James St, Duncan *Special family admission rates.

Open Weekdays 6am-9:30pm; Sat 7:30am-9:30pm; Sun11am-9:30pm

Hit ball after ball after ball at the driving range.

You don’t even need to know how to play! Explore the driving range and practice putting green. Ball machines take loonies and toonies. Great activity to burn energy. If golf isn’t there thing check out the indoor tennis bubble. * Special treat could be lunch in the clubhouse.

•Arbutus Ridge Golf Club 3515 Telegraph Rd, Cobble Hill, 250 743 5100

VIA Rail Train Adventure and Picnic

Take the train from Duncan to Qualicum Beach and clickityclack through neighbouring communities. Have a picnic at the beach, with more than enough time to walk back and catch the southbound train home.

• Check www.viarail.ca for schedules and fares.

Glenora Staging Area Playground

This great playground park also offers foot or horse access to the Trans Canada Trail, a covered picnic area and washrooms.

• Turn west off Hwy 1 onto Trunk Rd. Left onto Allenby Rd; cross the bridge then stay right (which turns into Indian Rd), right onto Glenora Rd, right onto Vaux Rd (turns into Robertson Rd).

Studio Art Tour and Artisan-At-Home Activity

Add some culture into your lives with local arts. Choose 6 local artist studios in the Valley to visit (CVA or Visions Studio Tour brochures have a great selection) Call ahead and plan the studios based on their art and locations. After your tour, stop by a local art supply shop for some new tools. Feel inspired to create something based on a style you obsrved or even just for the fun of making art. Should be at least a 2 day activity - or can even stretch to a week long art camp at home. Invite friends to

Tips For A Successful STAYCATION 1. Have A Good Plan.

Visit the Visitor Info Centre to get ideas and maps on new things to do and places to explore.

2. Set A Budget.

Setting a budget will help you decide whether the day calls for special snacks, lunch out, entrance fees or art supplies. Surprise children with special gifts or treats!

3. Avoid Routine.

Don’t be tempted to check in to work or your e-mails.

Allow yourself the rest time.

4. Get Outside!

There are many parks, playgrounds, hikes and picnic spots to explore. Be inspired to visit new spots on your STAYCATION!

come and create.

• Some local sites to check out, cowichanvalleyartisans. com, visionsarttour.ca, cowichanvalleyartscouncil.ca, artfarm.ca

Rainy Day Ideas Spa At Home Day

All girls love a spa day. Mix up some natural face masques using plain yogurt or avocados.

Bring out the fancy glasses and sip on sparkling juice (add soda) while you spa. Preshop for some fun polish for everyone to paint their fingers and toes!

In-House Tropical Holiday

Lay out your towels and crank

up the heat and tunes while getting your suits on- it’s time to use our imaginations for a great tropical holiday in the living room! Plan ahead with ingredients onhand for fresh salsa, baked nachos tacos and pineapple platters. Need more pizzaz? Pull the blender out for some frozen drink specialties.

Complete the look with some fun decorations from Crazy 8’s and a selection of tropical setting DVD’s. Inviting friends makes this special “holiday” at home lots of fun.

• Crazy 8’s Party Supplies Beverly Corners 250 748 8846

Have Fun!

Keeping Kids Safe on Bikes

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new bicycle is a rite of passage for kids. But how do you narrow down the choices and keep them safe on the roads?

The fit of a bike is very important, not only for comfort, but also for safety. Avoid getting a bicycle that your child will “grow into.” If her feet don’t firmly touch the ground when your child sits on the seat, then the bike is too big. Conversely, if his knees are rising to or past the midline of the body when pedaling, the bike is too small.

An ill-fitting bike makes it difficult to turn, use hand signals on the road, and stop efficiently.

Many local bike shops, have informed and helpful staff who can help you to choose the right size.

The essential safety equipment

that children need for cycling is simple: every child needs a helmet. Most are adjustable and come in different sizes and styles. Attaching a bell to the bike is also a good idea, and teenagers riding at night should be outfitted with a light system and wear reflective clothing.

Until your child knows the rules of the road, it would be best to restrict riding to cul de sacs, sidewalks, and groomed trails, but if your journey does take you to busy roads, ensure your child is following you closely, single file. A tall flag attached to the bike increases visibility for motorists, which is important as children are moving lower to the ground than everything else on the road.

As long as safety concerns are addressed, bicycles can give kids independence, good health, and confidence. Surely these gifts are more valuable than the latest video game?

Karen is a Salt Spring writer, triathlete, and loyal customer at Experience Cycling in Duncan.

Call or emai 737-1331 or org

Listen Globally, Play Locally.

•Classes • Performances

African-rooted community music... for everyone!

250-737-1331 www.bopoma.org Specializing in one-of-a-kind pottery, unique tiles, and contemporary clay sculpture, Daniela can be found creating and selling her wares in Tofino. Available for teaching workshop retreats and private classes. Drop-in for a visit to her studio nestled in the lush coastal rainforest.

functional & sculptural ceramics • Tofino

for studio appointments • www.danielapetosa.com • ceramics@danielapetosa.com • 250 266 0056 23

Taste of Tea

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hat do tea and astrology have in common? Nothing… actually. But the idea of combining people’s characteristics based on the Chinese Zodiac and teas blended to reflect those attributes, seemed like… a why not.

The horse occupies the seventh position in the twelve year cycle of the Chinese Zodiac. Character traits include friendliness, outgoing personality, opportunity seeking and a desire to share humour and good times. This might account for why I can be rather talkative… so I am told.

The Chinese zodiac is represented by twelve different animals: Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Goat, Monkey, Rooster, Dog, and Pig. It has been fun lately observing the attributes of the animals and how people correlate to their Chinese zodiac sign. What makes it even more interesting is that within each sign there is a further distinction based on the five elements; metal, wood, fire, water and earth. This is of course based on the year you

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Renaissance Women were born.A reasonably good resource for more information on your animal is www. chinesezodiac.com. If you do a search in Wikipedia for Chinese zodiac you will find a great chart that will help you precisely determine your sign.

If you are born in January or early February when the lunar new year comes into effect you may have the sign of the previous year.

If you already know your own sign then think of this as an opportunity to get curious about the people you around.

We are in the year of the metal rabbit. The Year of the Rabbit invites peace, serenity and tranquility into these interesting times. Be persistent in your enjoyment of life and all it has to offer and hey… have some fun too.

Victor Vesely is a tea farmer and purveyor of fine and fun organic teas. www.teafarm.ca

www.facebook.com/ RenaissanceWomen Heather writes: Can you change a tire? Do you know how to grow tomatoes from seed? Most North American adults are surprisingly inept, when it comes to basic skills. The Industrial Age took away our need to do things for ourselves. The Information Age assures us that our lost knowledge is only a YouTube search away, so why bother to learn it now. But today, post-recession, sales of home canning equipment are climbing. “Re-skilling” workshops are emerging in North American communities.

We’ve started to notice that our grandparents are aging, and we better (re)learn the skills they’re teaching, before it’s too late.

The Renaissance Women are 15 Cowichan women who have committed to learning

a new practical skill together together once a month in 2011. We have also committed to each turning our experience into some form of art every month, in order to inspire ourselves and share our experience with our community.

Cindy writes: For those of you who have never heard the term “Renaissance Man,” it was used to describe a man who was skilled in many different areas. Says Wikipedia: “It embodied the basic tenets of Renaissance humanism, which considered humans empowered, limitless in their capacities for development, and led to the notion that people should embrace all knowledge and develop their capacities as fully as possible.” Just like those forwardthinking Italians from so long ago, we know that we can keep developing and learn-

ing new skills throughout our lives. Sometimes, though, it’s a little hard to find the time in our busy lives to actually learn those things that we wish we knew how to do.

Maeve writes: “Re-skillers”: women focused on learning basic skills that are no longer standard issue in our high-tech world. Here’s an example: learning to sew from a pattern is one of the skills we’ve all agreed to learn. Eight of 12 of us have access to a sewing machine (impressive); few of us know how to use it (not impressive). By the end of this year I will know how to make a loaf of bread from an apple, milk

a cow/goat/water buffalo, and identify edible plants and mushrooms — to name a few.

Just call me McGyver.

Bill McKibben wrote a book called Eaarth in which he says when The Big One hits (earthquake, tsunami, Apocalypse, etc.), communities that work well together will survive.

Angie writes: I missed our first meeting, so off to a bit of a bad start. But it was a planning meeting, no milking or slaughtering small animals, no fermenting things. Think I can catch up all right.

quite notable. The gallery is bringing in new works, new artists, and good news.

The gallery is also excited to announce that Dale Nigel Goble (featured in last month’s Voice) is joining the roster, along with the respected Jeanette Stein.

Points Art Gallery Fine Figure

Artist Reception March 12 1- 5pm 225 Canada Ave, Duncan Regular Hours Thursday - Saturday 10am -5pm 250.701.2771 Points Art Gallery is pleased to let you know that it’s growing steadily stronger in the Valley. The response from the community has been of excitement and gratitude thus far, and it’s hoped that this enthusiasm continues - and March is shaping up to be

Regarding artists with a standing presence at the gallery, we are happy to report Anina Kunstler just took the prestigious first prize in the Arts Council of Greater Victoria’s LOOK 2011 show, beating out hundreds of other pieces for the honour. Crystal Heath, a well-known local artist, who is coming off a solo show in the Chemainus Theatre, will be promoted with new works and new techniques. As well, previously unseen works by David Martinello, Jerry Sarafan and Caulen Elder will be on display.

craft

Something new, under the Quw ‘utsun’

We sometimes say, “there is nothing new under the sun”, meaning that everything we experience has already been experienced by others before - that there is no such thing as a fresh, new idea. I strongly disagree with this, and our local artists and artisans are constantly proving me right. I always feel excited to find wonderful, new creations when I visit an art gallery or artisan’s workshop.

In the broadest definition, artisans are skilled workers who use their hands to produce functional or decorative objects and products made in small batches with the finest ingredients, including food and drink. The Cowichan Valley is blessed to have an abundance of fine artists and craftspeople living and working here.

Art is something that is unique to humans, something that unites us. It is an experience we can share together, yet gain from individually. Through art, we create connections with others and with the natural world around us. It teaches us to look at things in new and unexpected ways, and it sometimes elicits spontaneous emotional reactions. Have you ever been inspired by shape, colour or light in a painting’s delicate details or in the glorious curves of a hand-crafted vase? Has your spirit felt uplifted after eating a wonderful meal made from local organic ingredients?

While we may feel bored with the gloom of our dull winter days, the appearance of those first snow drops and crocuses should inspire us to get out and explore the exceptional creativity and talent of this area. There are so many ways to appreciate the beauty around us, and by making connections with the local artisans, our energy can be renewed.

Brochures available at Experience Cycling and Benchmark Gallery.

Pamella Moore is one half of Michael Moore Fine Woodwork and a member of the CVA. cowichanvalleyartisans.com

For more information email pointsartgallery@gmail.com.

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Spinning In Stillness

March 12 Duncan Garage Showroom Tickets $15Adv/$20 (Last year’s event sold out so get there early!)

Show runs April 6 - 10, 2011 For more information, see www.cowichanvalleyartscouncil.ca or call the CVAC office at 250.746.1633

An exploration of sounds, styles and moments. Cari Burdett and Sara Marreiros return to the Duncan Garage Showroom for evening of romantic ballads, soulful folklore and raw improvisation.

Final deadline for artist entries is March 23

Coco Jones Art Show

Tashi Delek 2011 Opening Night Reception Saturday, March 5 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm El Centro Café and Tasting Room 150 Craig Street, Duncan Works showing from March 1- 31

Newsroom: 748-1500 On Air/ Contest Line: 746-4897 Advertising Sales: 746-0897 Email: onair@897sunfm.com www.897sunfm.com 26

Tribute To Women Margitta Ben - Oliel

Opening Reception March 12 12:30 – 3 pm Cowichan Theatre Gallery Show runs to March 29

The show “Tribute to Women”soulmates, friends. sisters. mothers, wives and more... is a collection of works by talented artist Margitta Ben-Oliel.

Celebrate Tibetan New Year at El Centro Café for the month of March with the works of Coco Jones. Cd’s of Jamyang’s music will also be for sale at the opening reception. Ten percent of purchases of art and cds will go to aid the victims still suffering from last year’s earthquake in Tibet.

Images: Ed Chan, Cesar Dive, Tempera on Paper, 21” x 27”, Cesar Fly Tempera on Paper, 20” X 28” and Angela (Spring), Tempera on Paper 24” x 30”.

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ne gloomy morning more than two decades ago, I decided that the world could be a comprehensible, colourful and beautiful place.

I would distill the essence from the superfluity, extract the hue from the murkiness, and condense the convoluted into simple tales. I put tempera on illustration board - and that was that.

Talking Arts • Ed Chan

A person of few words in life, I found I can say a lot even in art by saying very little. As long as my painting can elicit a flutter in the heart or a smile on the face of the viewer, that is gratification enough. The chorus from “The Bright Side of Life” in Monty Python’s movie “Life of Brian” may well be the epitome of our existence.

My eclectic collection of paintings, exclusively in tempera, have often been described as whimsical and satirical, without words, but always strangely personal.

Personally, I look at them as trying to be funny, as I

could never tell a joke with spoken words. A number of people and public agencies in the Thompson Okanagan, East Kootenay, Victoria, the Cowichan Valley, and MidIsland in BC have graciously allowed my paintings into their lives.

brush strokes, using thicker tempera, and your imagination. Thrift Stores are my main source of picture frames, and discarded paintings go in with the paper recycling.

I continue to use tempera paint because it is very inexpensive, and I like the vivid colours I can purchase and/ or mix myself. A painting requires total image construction including colouring before one can start, and tempera spills are easy to clean. Everyone who has been in kindergarten has used tempera paints - it is simply a matter of refining one’s

Cesar is my oldest grandson. When he was younger, he was the only child and was/is full of imagination.

He had a habit of wandering off, believing that adults would always know where he went. Cesar hide: if I cannot see you, then you cannot see me. Cesar fly: if birds can fly, why can’t I. Cesar dive: I can swim. Cesar stroll: I am a big boy now, I can wander down China Town on my own.

Cesar Series

Ed Chan www.edchanart.com Now showing at Imagine That! 2 51 Craig Street, Duncan till March 5

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Artist Robert Certins.

Calling All Artists!

T

he Cowichan Valley Arts Council (CVAC) is busy preparing for the upcoming 41st annual Cowichan Valley Fine Arts Show - one of the Vancouver Island’s largest non-juried art exhibitions and

sale. This year’s edition runs from April 6 - 10 and will be held in the Quw’utsun’ Cultural & Conference Centre’s main Comeakin House and adjacent Riverwalk Cafe. CVAC is proud to provide this great opportunity

for all local artists and artisans to showcase their work.

Final deadline for artist entries is March 23. All student, emerging and professional artists and artisans living in the Cowichan Valley are eligible to enter up to 2 pieces in the main show or reserve a space in the expanded Gift Shop, located next door in the Riverwalk Cafe.

Entry Forms and information are available online at www.cowichanvalleyartscouncil.ca and at libraries and most galleries in the Valley. Artists are also able to register in person at CVAC’s new home “PORTALS”, the Centre for Arts, Culture and Heritage located in the Island Savings Recreation Centre main lobby on James Street - Monday, March 21 and Wednesday, March 23.

This year’s Cowichan Valley Fine Arts Show has several new components including children’s activities, live music performers, an expanded Gift Shop area and a pre-show arts fundraiser, playfully titled The Cowichan Catch - A Live-ly Auction. Organized by CVAC’s Sophie von Herrmann and hosted by the Valley’s own Bill Levity, this “live-auction” style event will benefit CVAC’s expanding role in providing community-based arts information and resources. Art lovers, supporters and patrons will have a great opportunity to bid on local art and other items in a lively atmosphere that is sure to entertain.

Many Valley artists have already entered the show and space in the popular Gift Shop is filling up quickly. Don’t be disappointed...enter today and be sure of your participation in this community event.

For further information, contact Sandra Greenaway, Coordinator of the Cowichan Valley Fine Arts Show at cowichanartist@ gmail.com or the CVAC office at 250746-1633.

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Come As You Are Fashion Show

March 4 7pm The Base Lounge 1303 Broad St, Victoria 778 977 4449 Come As You Are Mermaid Moon’s first fashion show in Victoria BC. Join Jessica Redditt as she showcases her yoga line at the Base Lounge in Victoria BC on March 4th at 7pm.

Mermaid Moon is a globetrotting, culturally inspired fashion design company now making their roots in Victoria BC. Come and check out their bohemian flare and fresh vintage along with their ecofriendly & recycled materials.

CFG produces over thirty events per year, so you will easily earn your money back while supporting a worthy organization.

The Streels

Little Birdie

March, we proudly present: ‘Little Birdie”, Orit Shimoni, the woman with the voice of an angel, Saturday March 26th.

Become A Member!

Spring Folk Guild News

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he Cowichan Folk Guild (CFG) monthly coffee house will be held at Duncan United Church, Sat. March 12th. This month, we feature the wild Newfoundland band “The Streels” at a pre-St. Paddy’s day party.

W

hen we think about the rich cultural and social scene in the Cowichan Valley, we often talk about the Folk Guild, the Garage and the Theatres. But our non-profit and social service agencies also form an important part of this fabric.

On the Events page every month, many of the best events are fundraisers. You can breakfast with Cowichan Green Community (March 3), go bowling with Big Brothers Big Sisters (March 6), and end up at a “Polo Anyone?” Dinner & auction at the Therapeutic Riding Association (March 12).

Event like these are always fun, often unusual, and many are family-friendly. They’re a great place to meet diverse and enthusiastic members of our community. You may walk in a stranger, but soon you feel like you’re at Cheers - everybody

Chapel Concert Series Chapel concerts have begun again in the beautiful chapel with the world class acoustics at Providence Farm - five minutes from downtown Duncan on Trunk Road. In

The CFG is currently running its membership campaign. Please join our volunteer-based organization and get free or reduced admission to most CFG events, first crack at Islands Folk Festival tickets, and reduced prices at Cowichan Theatre.

An individual membership costs $40 per year, while a couple or family membership runs $55 per year. Business and corporate sponsorships are also available. As always, check out our website for more information on all our events.

www.folkfest.bc.ca Robert McCourty is Artistic Director of the Cowichan Folk Guild and Islands Folk Festival

Fundraisers Make the Valley Fun knows your name, and they’re always glad you came.

They’re glad because fundraisers are unabashedly designed to lighten your wallet. Done right, you should feel like you’re getting good entertainment value for your money. I gladly donate at the door of Seedy Saturday (March 12/26) to get some good heritage seeds for my garden, and Glenora Farm’s handbell concert (April 17) will be a unique experience well worth what I’d normally pay for a night out.

pizza surprise, we can enjoy the “Chef’s Table” on April 3 when our money goes to the MS Society.

So don’t just think of where you want to go, but also where you want your money to go, and

what you want your community to look like. Everyone wins.

Rick Juliusson supports non-profits with sustainable fundraising and organizational development. www.FreeRangeConsulting.ca

The best part is how good it feels to support a local service project. Not only will I enjoy (I think) the Vagina Monologues at the Cowichan Theatre (March 11), I’ll be supporting the important work of Cowichan Women Against Violence. If my wife insists on someone else’s cooking instead of my famous leftover tabouli-squash

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Sing

E

ver wonder why your friend or neighbor come home happy after singing in a local community choir and why your grandma looks so young when she sings at church or why people feel good and sleep better after chanting? Statistics, doctors and even the singers themselves, say that “Singing Is Good For You! ” When we sing we develop a deeper connection to ourselves, freely express emotions through sound, release stress and ‘ feel good’ . Singing with others helps us to create a feeling of unity thus energizing the body and restoring health to the mind, body and spirit.

Studies prove that if you sing alone or with a group you: • live a longer life by a healthy heart and enhanced mental state • lower your blood pressure • reduce illnesses and diseases • have a neurochemical effect on the body that boosts the immune system causing the release of endorphins • create ‘happy’ endorphins that help you to ‘ feel good’ • help foster good posture and breathing • work muscles in the digestive system with massage & stimulation • help to relieve insomnia • open the lungs and allows more oxygen • exercise the lungs and heart – the cardio vascular system • clear respiratory tubes and sinuses • increase mental alertness through greater oxygenation • look younger as it gently massages your facial muscles

UBUNT is a classical African concept , a Zulu word meaning I am what I am because of who we all are. This heightened quality is experienced in every kind of group singing and increases the sense of community bonding, belonging and shared endeavor.

There are many choirs, chanting circles, bedside singing, church choirs and more to get involved with in the Cowichan Valley. It is never too late to sing. “ If you can walk you can run, if you can talk you can sing.”

Free your voice and come along and sing.!

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Cari Burdett opens our hearts with song, Everyone can sing! 250 701 0978 . www.joythroughmusic.com

Welcome to Our House!

Headwater Rosedale Ridge March 26 8pm Doors at 7.30pm $15

Directions can be found at www.puzzleroot.com 250 748 4706

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uzzleroot’s husband & wife team (Marian & Gary) open up their home, Rosedale Ridge, to a series of house concerts once again this spring. They live a little deeper in Cowichan Station, but for the extra 5min drive, attendees are treated to spectacular views from a warm and welcoming open concept space with windows in every direction, treats and fabulous acoustics.Marian says, “we put on the house concerts in order to create community. It allows us to share our home and love of music with the community. We’ve met many fabulous people – both from our community and from the musicians that make-up the featured acts.”

All proceeds from the house concerts go to the featured band and Puzzleroot opens up each show.

Puzzleroot is Gary Eugene on guitar & vocals, Marian van der

Zon on banjo, slide guitar & vocals, and Shelley Brown on upright bass & vocals.

They are an eclectic, genrebending and blending band from Cowichan Station. They have been labeled roots, altfolk, altcountry, bluegrass, and punkgrass. Drawing on primarily original material, this band encompasses adept vocal harmonies, with poetic and yet, often humourous and insightful lyrics.

From gorgeous vocal harmonies to foot-stomping fun, this band includes slide banjo and country picking at its best.

This spring, Puzzleroot’s house concert series features a Vancouver roots band, Headwater, on the evening of March 26th.

“Hearing Headwater is like listening to the West Coast of Canada in song. Freewheeling, fierce, sentimental and sexy, the Vancouver, B.C., quartet has earned its reputation as one of the finest acoustic roots groups around the old-fashioned way they work their asses off.”

Everyone is welcome.

several chicks hatched at PNWR

Ferruginous Hawk chick hatched at PNWR

Winter Raptors

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aptors struggle in the cold weather – some have moved southwards for more abundant food resources. Some stay here all winter though, in the Cowichan Valley. Often the juveniles spend several months feeling very hungry – if they make it through the winter at all. It’s a sad fact that many raptors do not make it through the first year of life – primarily through the cold winter months when food can be scarce and food requirements are much higher due to energy loss in cold weather. We all see juvenile Bald Eagle’s here – scavenging road kill, fish, sitting in fields plucking worms and grubs from the earth anything they can find really.

We even see them at landfills reaping the benefits of our discarded meat products.

At the same time, (even if the future seems bleak in the rainy dark days of winter), as February rolls into March and we see a few warmer days, some glimmer of the spring to come, raptors begin to think about courtship. They begin to feel their instincts kicking in, telling them to start patrolling their territory (or establishing one if one is not already chosen).

They begin thinking about nesting sites, finding suitable nesting material, and more importantly – being closer to their mates. If they already have a mate from previous years (most tend to be fairly monogamous), they start to fly together, to sit in the same tree. Slowly they begin to sit on the same perch, and play games in the sky – locking talons, circling high above the ground. Native owls have long begun their courtship.

They hoot during the evening, night and early morning, calling to each other, as they get closer to their nests and closer to rearing (hopefully) a successful brood of young.

At our centre we start seeing similar routines between some of our mated pairs.

They sit closer together, begin repairing nests (or building new ones), start calling to each other, and they get much more aggressive to passing wild raptors. During the evening the owls start hooting like crazy – it’s a wonderful place to hear them (although if you live on-site can keep you up at all hours too). The Barn Owls breed early each year and already have a clutch of several eggs, despite the chilling weather.

Most will wait a few more

weeks or months before they start laying eggs – giving them a better chance to raise young in warmer weather!

Pacific Northwest Raptors opens March 1st this year, and with hope there will be some chicks hatching anytime after then. PNWR is also proud to announce we have forged a partnership with Church and State Wines in Saanich, to create The Raptors at Church and State. Flying demos will

be occurring on a daily basis opening March 12th to the public (in Saanich). Contact us for more information.

Robyn Radcliffe is a falconer at the Pacific Raptor Centre centre, and is responsible for the care, maintenance and well being of about 75 birds.

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Building the Bridge

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ecently, Cowichan experienced the loss of two community members with the tragic death of 18-year-old Tyeshia Jones and the passing of our respected Elder and former Chief, Wes Modeste.

Tyeshia was a beautiful, kind and caring young women who touched so many lives. Wes was someone that I looked up to and had the pleasure of working with during my first few years at the band office.

He was a former Chief and

In

November 2010, I gave birth to a baby girl. Emily is heading into her 4th month of life, and she is growing into a great companion. She is inquisitive and loves to flash her toothless smile. We spend our days absorbing much of our surroundings as she is begins to stay awake longer when we venture outside. Previously, I have written about hikes and

Councillor, he served on the local School Board, and he worked for many years bridging the gap between our two cultures. During the weeks of the funerals, Cowichan Tribes asked the community and media to respect our culture and traditions in order to allow the family and others to grieve and do what was needed.

Some sacred Cowichan traditions cannot be shared with the general public, and we needed support from our friends and neighbours to allow this work to happen without

not only in the hard times, but through all times. Let’s find ways we can come together and celebrate these ‘bridges’ we have built, whether it’s through sharing a meal or walking together. Let’s spend more time getting to know our neighbours and sharing the love.

Huy ch ‘qu, Jenn Jenn K. George is the Project Manger for Water, Sewer & Energy Projects for the Cowichan Tribes and on-call news broadcaster for 89.7 SunFM

Walk With Me outdoor activities in the Cowichan Valley, and now I bring Emily along for each adventure.

Having a child has not limited my activities, but has certainly created new ones. Recently we went for a walk through Manley Creek Park, and Emily was snuggled against my front in her pack. This park is located at the end of Ratcliffe Road,which is past the the entrance to Arbutus

Kundalini Yoga Classes

Victoria, Cowichan Valley, Nanaimo, Denman Island 250-597-8849 kundalinicowichan@shaw.ca or http://kundalinicowichan.shawwebspace.ca

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interference.

In addition to the respect shown, I can honestly say I was astonished at the tremendous amount of support that came in for the family and Tribes community. We live in a place where people really and truly support each other.

From the first day Tyeshia went missing, people came forward to donate time, food and even money. Huy tseep qa - thank you to everyone in Cowichan.

My hope is that we can continue to support each other,

Ridge. It can also be reached via Aros Road, off of Telegraph Road, through Patsy Granfield trail. The view from this trail is amazing. On a clear day Mount Baker is visible, and a beautiful view of Cherry Point. At the start of Patsy Granfield trail there is a sign with different trail routes for the area. Manley Creek Park is stroller friendly in some areas, but may be best explored with children that can be carried in a backpack, or walk with you. With a cascading stream leading to the ocean, and a flat area to scope out the beach, this walk is great for

youngsters. Emily slept for most of the way, but woke up as we walked up from the beach. Fortunately there are picnic tables, and in a pinch a place to breast feed with a view. This walk is great as it has some steep areas, good for working out those glutes, but is short enough for little people to manage.

Meghan Seal has a Bachelor of Arts and enjoys writing non-fiction. She’s busy exporing the mountainous foliage of the Cowichan Valley with her daughter.

How’s Your Chi?

Vagina Monolgues

Opening Reception March 11 12:30 – 3 pm Cowichan Theatre Gallery Show runs to March 29

T

he Cowichan Theatre and Chalkboard Theatre present The Vagina Monologues – Friday, March 11, 2011 at 7:30 pm in the Cowichan Theatre. The Vagina Monologues is a benefit performance featuring Karen Davies , Kelly Barnum, Sarah Lane, Trina Sxwithul’txw, Victoria

Freedom of Choice is Taken Away From Canadians

N

o one in the Natural Health industry is against the objective of Health Canada to assign a natural product number to each imported and Canadian made natural health product. Before issuing this number, Health Canada scrutinizes each product brought forward, and this too raises no objection.

However, Health Canada is applying the same criteria used

Clements, Rosalyn Roome, Stephanie Androsoff, Kathy Harper, Jean Crowder -- Myriam Merlet (Haiti Spotlight) with proceeds going to local women’s charities to help stop violence against women and girls.

Spellbinding, funny, almost unbearably moving, the Vagina Monologues will stir your soul. Sponsored by Cowichan Women Against Violence, Cowichan Spirit of Women and Sun FM and the Cowichan Valley Citizen.

In each of us there is an underlying energy that supports our physical body. How this energy flows impacts how we feel. There are a wide variety of terms for this subtle underlying energy. In China it’s called chi or qi. In India and Tibet the yoga term is prana. In Japan it’s ki. Tuning in to and balancing this energy is an integral part of well being. This need not be anything complicated or time consuming. There are many ways to easily incorporate energy balancing into your day.

A simple chakra balancing in the shower, a meditation before bed, and deep breathing during your commute to work are all simple ways to incorporate energy balancing into your day without adding time.

The simplest way to help the flow of chi (energy) is the breath. Try this simple breathing exercise: Take a deep breath in through your nose, keeping your tongue on the roof of your mouth just behind your front teeth, hold for a count of 4, and exhale through your mouth keeping your tongue in the same place. Repeat 5 more times closing your eyes if possible. The whole process takes

for pharmaceutical drugs to the natural health products. This is greatly disturbing as it makes it almost impossible to get a product license for many current unique combinations or new products.

health products. There should be a level that falls under low risk for products with a long history of safe use, such as parsley. Because Health Canada continues to march forward along this line, we are assaulted on several fronts.

Consider that Health Canada has licensed “Red Bull” with a natural product number, yet denied one to pure parsley capsules.

This is very frustrating.

First, natural health product loss will be significant – some calculate up to 85%.

To date, Health Canada has not been persuaded to revise their licensing criteria to standards more appropriate to natural

Second, due to this selection process, Canadians are losing freedom of choice in health care.

Third, the impact on all businesses that depend on these products

less than 2 minutes and can be done anywhere.

Taking a few minutes each day to balance and improve your energy flow has some great benefits like decreasing stress, increasing focus, improving your sense of well being, and a boosting your immune system.

As you tune in to the underlying energy of your body you’ll also find that you pick up on symptoms much sooner so your able to ‘nip it in the bud’ before you get stopped in your tracks with a full blown case of the flu for example.

Keeping your chi flowing doesn’t need to take hours or years of practice. Keeping it simple and fitting it into your life in small doses can be very effective. Another way is focused breathwork, meditation, chakra balancing with breathing excercises. You can also do daily balancing excercises while going for a walk.

Debbie Shuratoff Reiki MasterTeacher, Foot Spa Detox Practitioner, Natural Health Consultant. www.reikiwellness. ca

will be devastating.

Canadians should care greatly.

If Health Canada can highjack our freedom of choice, consider what may be next. We tend to be complacent with our freedoms, but action is necessary.

A demonstration regarding this issue is being organized in Victoria for March 13th at 11:00 at the Parliament Buildings. If you care, please come. Register at http://www.savenhp.org.

More information at http://www. soscanada.net/ Vye V. Graves-Young, CLBA, CHN

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25th Anniversary Pacific Rim Whale Festival

m t t W a t o t R

Pacific Rim Whale Festival Ucluelet, Tofino, PRNPR March 19 -27 Many FREE events at various Locations www.pacificrimwhalefestival.com

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pring splashes into Canada with the Pacific Rim Whale Festival! Join us March 19th through 27th as we celebrate the arrival of upwards of 20,000 grey whales on their northbound

Tofino Waterfront Vacation Rental • A wonderful property for a family get together or a peaceful retreat

Wh a l e Fe s t i v a l Ev e n t s !

Tuesday 22nd March 11am and 2pm Meares Island Guided Walk Wednesday March 23rd “Straight from the Sea” Biologist Guided Boat Tour

Thursday 24th 11am and 2pm Meares Island Guided Walk

www.oceanoutfitters.bc.ca 34

• Beautiful custom built home features post and beam interior • Fully equipped gourmet kitchen Tofino is a bird lovers’ paradise with herons, eagles and jays.

Just a minute walk to Chesterman’s Beach for sand, surf and amazing sunsets.

Spring special : rent 3 nights and the 4th is free!

1-877-906-2326

www.blueheronhouse.ca

T n i S a w c y p m a s t a t f Situated in ToN walk from Chs y c a d i C n

A

A Great Spring Break Destination!

Photo Marilyn McEwen

migration and experience the wonders and charm of the 25th annual Pacific Rim Whale Festival, with an array of events taking place throughout the coastal towns of Tofino and Ucluelet and the Pacific Rim National Park Reserve.

favourite anchor events!

The Chowder Chowdown, Black Rock Oceanfront Resort Barnacle Blues, Sweet Indulgence and Martini Migration are all back with a bang! After an amazingly successful first year, the Winter Wave Photo Showdown is also back, put on by the Ucluelet Chamber of Commerce this event challenges local photographers to capture all the beauty and power of nature and the attendees get to reap the results and enjoy a cocktail evening. The Maritime Kid’s day features Bobs & Lolo and is an afternoon dedicated to the young and young at heart.

There are many wonderful new events and an amazing range of speakers! On Saturday, March 26th we are combining experts, local west coasters and colourful characters to discuss “25 years of Sea Change”. This panel discussion will touch on many of the issues concerning area residents, talk about success stories in conservaOver the years the festival tion and allow attendees to has grown, celebrating not ask questions and share their thoughts. Want to take beauti- just whales but also the rich heritage and unique coastal ful pictures? There will be a Nature withBay a profesSituated in Tofi no onWalk Jensen’s just a short environment found only on the West Coast of Vancouver sional photographer walk from Chesterman’s Beach helping Island. Check out the you get the most out of your Calendar of Events and find camera. Consider yourself out more information about a foodie? A Wine Maker’s the festival at: dinner was created with you pacificrimwhalefestival.com. in mind! The ever-evolving Jenn Machin, Pacific Calendar of Events is online Rim Whale Festival now with updates daily.

Coordinator And let’s not forget our

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Wake up Call to Daily Detox raised animals!)

• Don’t over eat! (even if it’s “good”, too much food can be bad for you, overtaxing and compromising the digestive process and lessening our metabolic energy)

C

ontrary to the usual cleanses that last a set amount of time, what I’m going to propose here, is that we detoxify every day. When we align the heart and mind, we can prioritize our physical well being by eliminating toxins as they occur (it’s impossible to avoid them!)

The suggestions below are also suitable for almost any other disease (cancer, arthritis, inflammation, arthritis, yeast overgrowth, etc)

How about if every day we: • Eat cleansing foods (in order of importance): fibre rich vegetables and fruits (tonnes of greens and a variety of other colours, mostly raw) whole grains, including sprouted varieties, (whole meaning “whole”, not flour or refined) nuts and seeds and cooked beans.

Note: Did you know the traditional Asian diet has 700 times the amount of fibre as the average North American diet? No that wasn’t a typo, not 7 times, 700 times!

• Eat organic so we minimize the toxins that we’re taking in (for US and the PLANET!) • If you are eating animal products, choose hormone free, pasture raised and preferably local or organic (to avoid the horrificness and cruelty of commercially

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Note: for good health and long life Michael Pollen, author of “Omnivores’ Dilemma”, sums it up beautifully; “eat whole foods, not too much, mostly plants.”

• Stay hydrated by consuming lots of pure water (avoid bottled water for less plastic in the world AND because most bottled water is just coming out of some tap anyway...)

• Take good quality, NATURAL food based supplements that aid the body in cleansing and support the organs of elimination • Eat suitable amounts of high quality, lubricating fats (including omega 3 fatty acids) that support a multitude of functions in the body • Exercise and breath deeply (you need to move your body for the lymphatic system to do its job) get outside and breath in and appreciate nature!

beings sharing this planet with us.

When you “clean up” your diet and habits, your thoughts will be clear, you’ll have more energy, you’ll be less stressed out, you’ll

sleep better, your relationships and love life will improve AND best of all, you’ll be more at peace. So come on and join me in making 2011 your best year ever!

Cindy Dreger is one of the buyers at the Community Farm Store at the Duncan Garage and offers yoga and holistic programs in the Cowichan Valley. For more information or to sign up for the newsletter email: thecommunityfarmstore@shaw.ca or cinbin@ shaw.ca – www.health-results.com

Please join Cindy for a 2 hour workshop/cooking class

Eating for Detox Sunday April 3rd 6:30pm-8:30pm

* workshop also suitable for anti: cancer, inflammation, arthritis, candida, infection…

To Register - $25 in advance Enquire at the Community Farm Store or phone Cindy at 250-715-7743.

Organic oil from Morocco, one of the world’s most precious, anti-oxidant rich oils is a key ingredient in our Pomegranate firming day and night cream.

Our organic pomegranates are hand harvested in Turkey.

Note: We are all connected by air. We are essentially a living matrix of air… We all share this same supply of air – I’d prefer mine “clean” please!

• Sweat! Your skin is your biggest elimination organ...

• Eliminate the use of any toxic body care products and toxic home and laundry products (and make sure they’re not tested on animals for heaven’s sake!!!)

We only have this ONE precious life to live and relatively speaking, it’s damn short.

Every action has a reaction and I challenge you to find ways to love yourself and all of the other

From Weleda since 1921 In harmony with nature and the human being.

15% off introductory special in March at the Community Farm Store

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Heritage Food Hero Dan Jason A passionate gardener since he planted his backyard in Montreal at age 13, Dan Jason is committed to empowering people to grow their own food and save their own seed. Since 1976 he has lived on Salt Spring Island, BC, where he created the mail order seed company Salt Spring Seeds, which specializes in heritage and heirloom open-pollinated and non-GMO seed varieties of vegetables and plants. www.saltspringseeds.com

Farm Store’s Deanna displays some non-toxic local and Canadian cleaning products…

Valley Voice: The quality and integrity of your seeds are unsurpassed, how did the idea of Salt Spring Seeds come about?

Dan Jason: In the mid 80s, I discovered that you could grow soybeans easily on the coast here and they were tasty and digestible, unlike those found in health food stores. There was a grant available for researching new crops but I was told by the people at the Saanich Research Station that soybeans wouldn’t get enough heat units here. So I started Salt Spring Seeds and have been growing them successfully ever since.

VV: For newbies to the garden, what makes heritage and heirloom seeds different?

DJ: Hybrids are bred to withstand packaging, shipping and sitting on shelves in stores. Heritage and heirloom seeds are delicious and beautiful.

VV: What are 5 of your favourite Salt Spring Seeds and why?

DJ: I love Pollock Tomato because it’s a regular red tomato but is always early, dependable and just what you hope for in a tomato.

I also know Andy Pollock of Houston BC who has been selecting it for 35 years so there is a personal connection. Wild Cherry Tomato is also a favourite because it is very blight resistant and its flavour is piercing and enlivening.

Ruckle Dry Bean is a 100 year heirloom from Salt Spring Island and is a wonderful bean for soups and baking. Rama Tulsi Basil is an amazing basil with many medicinal properties that makes an exquisite tea. My 1000 Year Tobacco was sent to me about 10 years ago. It was discovered in a buried urn in the Great Lakes area and was carbon dated to be 1000 years old. Everyone who sees the plant is stopped in their tracks by its appearance. I have sent seeds to First Nations peoople all over North America.

VV: For those without as much space or land, are there any seeds you would suggest for pots or window boxes?

DJ: A lot of herbs, such as oregano, dill and basil work well in pots and window boxes. Peppers are easily grown in pots too.

VV:As this is the March issue, what seeds should readers be thinking about starting now? For harvest when?

DJ: March is the time to start celery, leeks and onions because they need a long growing time and won’t be ready until fall.

VV: The Seed and Plant Sanctuary is such an important resource for everyone. How can people get involved and do their part to help?

DJ: A $20 membership entitles members to 5 varieties to trial. You stay a member as long as you let us know how the cultivars fare and can keeping trialling more varieties every season. Complete details are at www.seedsanctuary.com

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The Tango of Soul

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street people. Some days, I dig in my purse for spare change (an interesting term). Some days I tell myself that I have already given enough through other means. But always the sight of these people makes me feel uncomfortable and guilty.

balanced situation creating two opposites. In this case, we can call the two opposites: victim and oppressor. Our economic, social and spiritual systems create victims such as street people. The opposite or Other of these individuals are those who are given surfeit amounts of money, beyond any magnitude that could make them happy or fulfill their needs. .

here is a section of town which I walk through on the way to shops that almost As a spiritual counsellor, I always has one or two people We can feel a great deal of look to resolve these uncomail:drfeiyang@gmail.com begging on the side walk. I • Now accepting new patients fortable feelings. My emotions sympathy for the victim. With assume from the things which a little empathy, we can put • Inquire about the Spring Cleanse program and understanding of street surround them that they are people are symptoms of an un- ourselves in their shoes. We know what cold pavement feels like to sit on and we can imagine the pain of poverty.

Healthy Living

Traditional Chinese Herbal Medicine A c u p u n c t u re Diet Thera py

Dr. Fei Yang Dr TCM, Reg. AC

Improving your health & well being through a natural, personal approach

Traditional Chinese Medicine 250.733.2917

with Dr. Fei Yang

Julia Star BHD.BEd

Spiritual Counsellor Working with the Whole Person 250-709-9673 $60 / hour www.longboatcounselling.com info@longboatcounselling.com

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But it is harder to have empathy for the oppressor. The

instigator of violence, whether political, economic or personal, also suffers. Sometimes the oppressor suffers more than the victim because the victim has the pain of his or her situation to act as incentive to change. But the oppressor thinks they are justified and often is rewarded for their actions.

Further, it is much more difficult to understand these two souls dance a tango at a soul level needing the opposite to show up. These two opposites can be resolved to become a greater whole. This transformation must start within our own beings before we can go out into the world and do the work of social justice.

Try This 1. Think of one person that you feel is a victim of some injustice. Imagine yourself in their situation and allow the natural arising of empathy 2. Now think of the oppressor in this situation. Again, imagine you are this person and in their shoes. What understanding and insights arise?

3. Both of these opposites have positives and negatives, and there is a potential, a yearning, for positive change. Ask yourself, what good quality does the victim have? What good quality may the oppressor have? By looking at these two people in different ways, we are also looking at the victim and oppressor within ourselves.

4. Now visualize a resolution arising between two opposites. How can these two live in great harmony?

The good from both must be maintained; the negative must be Julia Star is a counsellor in the transformed.

Cowichan Valley. For appointments call 250-709-9673.

Questions about Going Green?

Email goinggreen1@telus.net, Join “Collaborative Future” on Facebook, or follow twitter.com/greenadrienne.

www.cowichandale.com

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Happy Spring Detox

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pringtime! The energy of renewal bursting forth with determination, the budding promise of blooming to come‌ In Chinese Medicine, spring is the time of wood element. Wood is about growth, breaking through barriers, and turning towards the light.

Wood energy is decisive and forward-moving, fresh and new. The major body organ associated with wood and springtime is the liver.

Our liver is a very hardworking organ whose job is to detoxify the many toxins we consume and generate through eating, breathing, stress, and negative emotions. Modern life is hard on the liver, and spring is the best time to give it a little extra TLC. A healthy detox through fasting, eating certain foods, and exercising are simple ways to support your liver.

Fasting, while effective, should be approached with respect and proficiency. If you’re thinking of fasting, be sure to educate yourself or consult a knowledgeable practitioner.

Adding fresh bitter greens like dandelion, spinach, col-

lards, kale, arugula and the like to your diet will support your liver, as will sipping on lemon water first thing in the morning and throughout the day. Nutrient rich seaweeds, along with algae, like chlorella and spirulina, are wonderful detoxifying super-foods. They bind with toxins, clearing them through elimination, and they help alkalize our typically over-acidic diet. Investigate incorporating these foods into your diet for great springtime and year-round cleansing! While there are specific yoga postures and breathing techniques that are especially detoxifying, all exercise, when not done to an extreme, gets the blood circulating, clears stagnant energy, and is consequently detoxifying. Just as the natural world around us rejuvenates, bursting forth with fresh new growth, so, too, does our body. In all our tissues and organs, every cell in our body lives out its life cycle and regenerates anew. A spring detox is a great way to support your new life!

Tobi Panter has a natural health care practice in Maple Bay and with mobile services. Visit Hummingbird Holistic Healing at www.humholheal.com

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Soul Coaching Using 4 Elements

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he practice of Feng Shui manifests in many areas of our lives such as our homes, businesses, and work places. As in Feng Shui – Soul Coaching also manifests itself in many ways, a major one is the relationships we have with ourselves. They go hand in hand as they are a part of each other – looking within to attain beauty, peace and knowledge in our day to day lives, from the most simple moments to the big events.

Soul Coaching at its most basic is helping humans to find the truth that has its comfy hidden home in each one of us. Sometimes the truth is comfy staying down deep and it doesn’t want to come up to the surface.

The four Elements: air, water, fire and earth have been a part of us since the beginning. Ancient cultures relied on the elements for food, shelter, medicine, healing and, well, everything.

As the centuries have passed our lives have moved further away

from nature and and our primal roots. When we use these four elements as representatives of parts of ourselves we can begin to tap into that deep knowing truth that is in all of us.

By using the elements and combining them with the four parts of ourselves we can begin to release old blockages and myths about ourselves and start to listen to our awesome truth!

Using the 4 Elements for Soul Coaching • Air represents the mental side of your self, thoughts, perceptions, stories.

• Water represents the emotional self • Fire represents risks, moving forward and facing fears of all kinds • Earth represents our physical being, getting back to nature and how we treat our bodies.

Jenn de Valk, mother of three, is a graduate of Denise Linn’s Soul Coaching Training and Instinctive Feng Shui intensive program.

Jenn is an attentive teacher and a lifelong student. www.twobees.ca

The Knowledge of Life • N a m a s t e Ayurveda, The Knowledge of Life, is an ancient healing system that focuses on creating and maintaining health and happiness through balance in mind, body and spirit.

Unlike western medicine, Ayurveda is based on the belief that we are not just physical beings - we are also expressions of energy, or consciousness.

Following this belief, treatments take place on many different levels, creating holistic balance.

Instead of “catching something” like a cold, a disease, or mental state, Ayurveda sees illness as a manifestation of imbalance. Rather than immediately using medicine to treat the problem, Ayurveda goes deeper, addressing the root causes, whether they be physical, energetic or emotional, instead of only the symptoms of the issue. Treatments often consist of working with lifestyle choices, body therapies and inner energies to create health.

You may have heard of your Ayurvedic Type, or Dosha, which is a combination of elements that are found in all things. Ayurveda holds that each of us has a unique constitution, yet underneath we are all connected. This unique constitution leads us each to have a different way of creating balance and healing in our lives.

The three Doshas are Vata (air/ space), Pitta (fire/water) and

Kapha (water/earth). A person with more Vata energy may be thinner, very talkative, anxious, or “airy”. A person with lots of Pitta energy may be very athletic, goal-oriented, fiery and generous. Kapha energy is softer and slower, exhibiting itself as sweet, easygoing, heavier, and sometimes lazy.

It is important to remember that in the west, we often exhibit imbalances, so the Dosha we think we are may in actuality be an imbalance that we have created over years of patterning and living a certain way.

These Doshas are connected to everything from seasons to times of day, from the emotional to the physical. To discover your Dosha, and what your imbalances may be, visit an Ayurvedic Practitioner, who will take your pulse, look at your tongue, and your natal birth chart. He or she may prescribe you any number of things from shifts in diet to some yoga asanas, starting small in order to make big changes in your health and your happiness.

Ayurveda relates to all things, affecting us on different levels.

It brings balance as we create space in our lives and beings for peace, routine, and energy to discover who it is we are and what it is we need.

Asrael is an Internatioally Trained Ayurvedic Practitioner, Healer, and Yoga Teacher. www.anandaayurveda. wordpress.com

alternativewoodworks.com new look - new works

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Vote For Next Top Self-Help Author vote for as many authors as you like -- there are currently over 600 authors in the competition, although not all authors submitted a video.

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he “Next Top Self-Help Author” on-line competition that was featured in the last issue of Valley Voice is now well underway, and Diana and David Pink of Cobble Hill have each posted a video on-line for people to view and vote for their book.

Diana’s book is called Reflections of a Butterfly: Embracing the Opportunity to Grow, Heal, Transform and Fly! David’s book is called Life Choice: We all know Option A, Do you know Option B?

We are in the middle of the first round of the competition, and votes do matter in the judging process, so please visit the Next Top Author website, watch as many videos as you’d like, and vote. Voting is open until the end of March.

The next assignment in the second stage of the competition is to submit a comprehensive book outline. This document will summarize what our book is about and tell more about who we are and why we want to write a book. They also request two sample chapters of our book.

Diana’s video is posted at http://www.NextTopAuthor. com/?aid=270 David’s video is posted at http://www.NextTopAuthor. com/?aid=269

We continue to receive fabulous training and assistance from seasoned veterans in the publishing business on how to navigate the waters of writing and publishing and how to promote the book once it has been written.

Visitors to the website are asked to register to view and vote for a video, and you can

Thank you for taking the time to register, view and vote.

www.NextTopAuthor.com/?aid=270 www.NextTopAuthor.com/?aid=269

Writers’ Voice Hypercubic Fantasy Oscar Pella The Spanish surrealists are constructing a Tesseract in my wife’s dream.

On one spatio-temporal aspect of this scaffold girded hypercube, a scene is depicted in which we are on our way to Tierra del Fuego, via Buenos Aires to visit the young mathematician who is married to a bird.

My wife tries to clean a bit of fuzz off of the poor bird-wife’s neck with Luis Bunuel’s bent spoon and accidentally decapitates the bird-wife!

The young mathematician, ever resourceful, places his headless bird-wife’s little body and its severed head inside his bright shirt next to his heart, and in a moment, pulls her out of his shirt with a flourish, she flies off, with whirring wings into the cloud dappled blue. wv Submissions may be sent to Writers.Voice@shaw.ca

WV Editor: John Steven

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Special thanks to Bucknucks Books for their generous sponsorship of Writers’ Voice.

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Jean Crowder has been the NDP Member of Parliament for Nanaimo-Cowichan since 2004. Crowder.J@parl.gc.ca 1-866-609-9998

Crowder’s Corner

Rail transportation is a vital link in our Island’s transportation system.

The only feed mill on the Island,Top Shelf Feeds in Duncan, depends on the rail delivery of the grains they use.

But the costs of rail freight have increased dramatically over the last few years and agricultural producers like the Canadian Federation of Agriculture are calling for a full costing review of railway services to determine what a fair charge is for consumers.

After hearing from people in my riding worried that unfair freight rates were choking the potential of the Island Corridor, I decided to submit a motion in the House calling on the Minister of Transport to order a full costing review of rail freight rates.

This follows a report last year that found prairie farmers had to pay significantly more to ship their grain by rail than they would have under previous regulations. Farmers are wondering if the new rates are fair.

It isn’t just agricultural producers that are complaining. Forestry and mining, two industries that depend on rail car service, also wonder if they are paying their fair share for railway service.

For more information, please go to my website at jeancrowder.ca.

Just what exactly is a Chamber of Commerce, Anyway?

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o the average Cowichan consumer on Craig St, the Chamber of Commerce may seem like a nebulous non-governmental entity. And, although you may think that you have no connection with the Chamber of Commerce, you will be surprised by how important the Chamber is to the community. If you are reading the Valley Voice, you likely live in Cowichan and you love it here. It is a beautiful place to live, but let’s be honest: most of us can’t live here without business, and not just any business, healthy business.

The Chamber of Commerce is a membership based organization that offers support, a business network and tangible benefits that help keep businesses competitive, viable and busy.

Healthy business means healthy community.

Membership is as diverse as the Cowichan Valley. Visitors and locals use our humble visitor center on the TCH near Coronation St to find information on an

incredible variety of valley businesses. We answer phone calls about downtown shopping gems like Cardino’s Shoes, organic farms like Alderlea Farms, and iconic businesses like Live Edge Design.

The Duncan-Cowichan visitor center helped over 10 000 people last year. We help locals and travellers stop and get a map of Duncan, directions to local attractions or find out where to shop, eat, stay, invest or relocate.

One of my favourite inquiries to date is: “I saw a business from Duncan on TV that had fish that nibble on your feet. Can you give me their phone number?”

Answer that question in an email, and I will bake you some chocolate chip cookies.

Dwight@duncancc.bc.ca Dwight Milford is a local entrepreneur that spends his spare time looking after membership services for the Duncan-Cowichan Chamber of Commerce. Call him anytime 250 748 1111

Diabetes, Metabolic Syndrome and Your Health Do you have Diabetes & Other Sugar-Related Challenges?

Tuesday, March 22 6 - 8:30pm $10 / $15 Advance 250 748 6802 White Spot Team Room 101 Trans Canada Hwy

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ype 2 diabetes has become epidemic in North America.

Diabetes mellitus, is Greek for “to run through.” In diabetes, the nourishment we take in cannot enter our cells, and literally runs through the body instead of feeding it.

Diabetics can domino into other severe medical problems including heart attacks, strokes, peripheral limb infections requiring amputations, kidney disease, blindness and dementia. None of these sound like much fun, but

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with knowledge this disease IS preventable.

Years before blood sugar increases, levels of insulin – the hormone that normally regulates blood sugar – start rising abnormally.

When this happens repeatedly, we eventually develop insulin resistance, so our cells cannot access glucose. Increased insulin causes fat cells to multiply, thus causing weight gain especially around the middle of your body. This is one aspect of a group of related medical conditions, which collectively are referred to as a metabolic syndrome. Some symptoms of metabolic syndrome can include obesity, high blood pressure, sugar imbalances (either hypo or hyper), thyroid imbalance, and atherosclerosis, to name a few.

Twenty years ago very few practitioners were aware of Metabolic Syndrome X. Just as with

Candida, it was a controversial topic. Today it is broadly accepted in orthodox medicine.

There are several factors behind the diabetes epidemic. A major contributor is Sweet Death – aka sugar. People don’t realize how much sugar, in its many disguises, they are consuming. Obesity, stress and lack of exercise are other contributing causes.

In our Duncan dinner class Tuesday, March 22nd , 6-8:30 pm., we will cover some of the warning signals besides hunger, fatigue and thirst, to enable you to make necessary lifestyle changes.

We will discuss natural versus drug based approaches that can benefit you, to both prevent and reverse imbalances.

As a Professional Herbalist, Master of Holistic Health, and Educator, people often ask me if supplements can really help conditions such as Diabetes.

Obviously I have seen the results over the past 37 years to emphatically state “YES!” At this class, I will also share some tips to help you choose quality supplements that are optimum for your health. If you cannot attend, please contact our office to request support materials, or a CD about Diabetes by Dr. Hugo Rodier, MD. Lorene Benoit, BEd, MHH, CHC, CI, CRA. Master Holistic Health, Certified Herbal Consultant and Educator. www.naturalpathremedies.com

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i f W h w o s t a t w b s t B fi w b o

B w s w h s

Work began within the month, as the Municipality of North Cowichan contracted A. Drummond to construct a road to run diagonally across the town site, greatly aiding safe and convenient movement. All of the original east-west streets were blocked off, eventually, with the exception of “the bad corner

by Mrs. Springett’s house”.

Apparently, Mr. Drummond did such a good job that the residents named the road after him!

Problems In Paradise Image, courtesy Cowichan Valley Museum & Archives

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lthough Maple Bay was one of the earliest European settlements in British Columbia, being founded in 1862, by World War I it was largely uninhabited. A wharf and hotel welcomed the periodic arrival of a steamer from Victoria, to supply local farmers, before the days of the railroad and a north-south road. After the war, folks from Duncan would come to camp near the beach, or erect rough wooden shelters. Families would set themselves up by the beautiful Bay for the summer to enjoy fishing, hiking and swimming, while the husband/father/ breadwinner would commute on weekends.

By 1919, the old steamship wharf was in such a serious state of decay that children were able to fish through its holes. The C.P.R. Gulf Islands steamer had stopped calling

in 1918, long after that service had been made redundant by the railroad going through Duncan. In the aftermath, it appears, no one wanted to take ownership of the dock to the extent of fixing it. In frustration, the residents finally took the matter into their own hands. A group of them held their first meeting on the tattered old wharf and, although none possessed a boat of distinction, called themselves “The Maple Bay Yacht Club”, with the intention of lobbying for a new dock (successfully) and tackling the Bay’s other logistic problems.

Water: The availability of fresh water was described as Maple Bay’s “one great lack”.

“The lack of water has always been the greatest drawback to Bay residents. Most wells have to supply many families, or else are not deep enough to satisfy the wants of one fam-

ily.” (The Cowichan Leader, 6/8/22 p.5).

Roads: The grid pattern of road layout dictated by the British Empire was remarkably unsuitable for a village situated on a steep incline, as is Maple Bay. All of the original east-west roads become dangerously precipitous as they approach the beach.

Reference is made to “the bad corner by Mrs. Springett’s house” (Leader, 5/19/21, p.6).

(This was the Bay of Maples Teahouse, now the Wilderness Kayaking Company.) The following year, the correspondent complains that “The roads around the bay… are anything but desirable.

Huge rocks are very plainly visible on the surface and make difficult passing on the narrow places. It is hoped that the much talked of diversion… will soon be effected before the heavy summer traffic begins” (Leader, 6/8/22, p.5).

Fishing: As mentioned, fishing was a favorite occupation.

One such summer resident was so proud of his salmon catches that he would hang them in the window of his store in Duncan! The Leader’s correspondent usually began the column extolling the prominent salmon catches of the previous week. It was noticed, however, that there were no fish to be found after Japanese fishing boats had swept through the Bay. In June of 1920, residents signed a petition to Ottawa asking that the Bay be barred from commercial fishing. This was granted, and the Dept. of Fisheries boat, The Malaspina, afterward patrolled the area.

Not uncoincidentally, the area’s MP, C. H. Dickie, was a summer resident of Maple Bay, and his cottage on the beach remains there still.

Next month: Maple Bay, The Party Place Cynthia is a teacher-on-call for the Cowichan Valley School District and an amateur folk musician.

You can see her video at www.cynthiemontgomery.com.

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A Time For Cleansing

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hen our minds are busy with the never ending “to do” list, our organs clogged with toxins from our food and environment, and our bodies are stiff with neglect – what is left?

When there is no space for anything else, it’s time to cleanse.

powers. To cleanse the spirit, you can use Jasmine, Rose, Myrrh or Lavender. Jasmine cleanses the aura, lavender is great for emotional stress, myrrh enhances emotional well-being, and rose opens the heart for love and peace.

Traditionally, when we think of cleansing, wild thoughts of being trapped in our washrooms as our bodies purge everything come to the surface. This type of cleansing may make us feel like we have taken care of the toxins and rejuvenated our organs, but what about our mind and spirit?

Mental and spiritual cleansing can be accomplished at once by combining one or more of the essential oils listed above.

Put yourself in the mindset of cleansing, and allow time to fully benefit from what the essential oils are doing for your mind and spirit. You only need a few minutes!

There are a variety of essentials oils that can be used to cleanse and detox the body. Black Pepper, Juniper, Grapefruit, Fennel, Lavender and Rosemary will not only detox the skin, but also the organs, stimulating circulation and elimination.

For mental clarity, Tea Tree, Vanilla, Neroli and Peppermint essential oils work wonders!

These essential oils clarify mental channels and dispel negative thoughts. Use in a diffuser or put a few drops in some Epsom salts to sniff when you need clarity and to stimulate mental

*Please note that the essential oils mentioned in this article should be avoided during pregnancy.

Hand crafted aromatherapy products are available in my home studio., including: “Cellulite Detox Scrub”, “Vanilla Bergamot Spritz”, and “Lavender Peppermint Spritz”.

Please contact me for a complete list.

250 597 1540

Tracy Scheck, Reflexologist, Aromatherapist, Norwex Consultant cleanliving2day@ hotmail.com ,

Moonbeams

Monday Monday

Monday Monday, so good to me, Monday Monday, it was all I hoped it would be Oh Monday morning, Monday morning couldn’t guarantee That Monday evening you would still be here with me.

The Mamas And The Papas

Monday = Moonday Middle English monday or mone(n)day Old English mon(an)dæg “day of the moon” Latin dies lunae “day of the moon” Ancient Greek hemera selenes “day of the moon”

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arch’s Virgo Full Moon on March 19th is known by several names: Worm Moon (New England & Great Lakes Native American Tribes) is a sign of the event of the warm spring ground allowing

the arrival of earthworms & robins; Lenten Moon (English) is the last moon of winter which also occurs during Lent; Crow (Northern tribes) is the cawing crows signalling the end of Winter; Chaste (English Medieval) means renewal, youth, mending a broken heart, and new love as the signs of winter begin to fade; Sap (Colonial American) signifies winter receding and the earth warming so maple tapping may begin (of course, here on the island we get to start earlier!).

Virgo Full Moon holds a theme of truth-seeking. It is a moon that helps you purify your intentions so they come from the highest vision you have for your life. Virgo moon opens us to see causes and effects and brings our body and its systems into focus. Tune in and listen to your body’s messages, either through aches and pains, or through dream imagery – or both. Commit to Virgo’s energy and explore holistic ways to heal yourself and the Earth.

Robin Massey is a yoga instructor who guides a Full Moon Gathering for Women on the eve of each Full Moon. www.theomtree.com

Gratitude from TLC and there’s nothing quite like warming up by a wood fire. Now you can do just that by renting The Land Conservancy’s (TLC’s) Cowichan River Cabin - thanks to a brand new wood stove.

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pring is in the air, but the evenings are still chilly,

When TLC approached wood stove manufacturer Pacific Energy about the need to replace the old stove in the cabin, PE offered

to donate a brand new True North model - a new line featuring user-friendly operation and a clean, simple design. Our local Pacific Energy dealer, South Island Fireplaces, helped out by giving TLC discounts on labour and material costs for the installation.

The new stove sits in the centre of the cabin, surrounded by new tile and custom wood

detailing. This riverside retreat is truly a warm and appealing gathering place.

For more information about cabin rentals, visit www. conservancy.bc.ca or call 1-888-738-0533.

Nicole Haddad is a staff member with The Land Conservancy and is the Project Assistant at Keating Farm Estate.

March Horoscopes Georgia Nicols M.A. is Canada’s most popular astrologer. A Buddhist, this Vancouver-based astrologer is featured in regional papers across Canada, the United States, and New Zealand. www.georgianicols.com

Aries (March 21-April 19)

More than a few of you are making secret plans and you’re involved in secret trysts. Now that Jupiter is in your sign, your confidence is soaring!

Nevertheless, those of you who have been in long-term relationships are facing challenges. Continue to focus on behind the scenes activities but at the same time, smooth out details about shared property, inheritances, insurance matters and such.

Taurus (April 20-May 20)

Get ready for a whirl of activities, meetings, classes, group activities and get-togethers with friends and acquaintances. Travel for pleasure will appeal. You’ll enjoy this increased popularity because it gives you a chance to use others as a sounding board. Why? Because this is perhaps the best month all year for you to think about your dreams and hopes for the future, and how you can make them a reality in your life.

Gemini (May 21-June 20)

Now the Sun is at the top of your chart acting like a spotlight on you.

This is why others notice you more than usual, especially parents, teachers, bosses and authority figures. (By the way, this also includes the police — heads up.) The good news is this great lighting makes you look fabulous in their eyes. This is why you can expect to be offered increased responsibilities. Just say yes because you won’t

have to do anything special to get their applause. Lucky you!

Cancer (June 21-July 22)

Feeling restless? All dressed up and no place to go? In the month ahead, you are looking for adventure, thrills, and something new and different.

You’re hungry for change. You also want to learn something new. You want to be stimulated by exciting new places and provocative ideas.

It’s a great time to take a class or go back to school or to study anything.

It’s also a wonderful time to travel.

Romance with someone froma different background could blossom.

Leo (July 23-Aug. 22)

Your choices lately about diet, exercise and rest have made you feel stronger and healthier. This is good because many of you are going to be much more sexually active. Woowoo! Your partner should know that no matter how you protest romantic gestures— you love attention, flowers, champagne, gifts and invitations.

You are the stuff of movies. However, underlying all this sexual passion is an increased desire to improve or become a better person.

Virgo (Aug. 23-Sept. 22)

You need more sleep. Planets sitting opposite to your sign make you feel others are opposing you. That’s why you feel easily annoyed with partners and close friends. Don’t question whether there’s something wrong with you or not because you don’t like your friends. This will pass. But you will need to be patient until well into April.

(Hey — this is no biggie. Keep smiling because in the next eight months, gifts, goodies and favours are coming your way.)

Libra (Sept. 23-Oct. 22)

You’re trying to be all things, to all people, and do it perfectly. Plus, you’re on a health kick as well. (You’re juicing.) Most Librans are not that crazy about exercise (to you, outdoors is where the car is) Basically, you’re on a self-improvement kick, which even extends to your home. This is why some of you are redecorating or buying goodies to tweak your digs. You want it all. Above all, you want your life to run smoothly and efficiently!

Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 21)

The Sun, Mercury, Mars and Uranus are all in your fellow Water Sign.

This means these planets fit very nicely with your Water Sign. Meanwhile, back at the ranch, Venus and Pluto are helping you as well. That’s why your life will become more funloving, flirtatious, and interesting!

Communications with others will be graceful and charming. You can make money talking, writing, selling, marketing, teaching and acting. Sports, playful activities with children, and romance will get top billing. Go out in full dazzle. Enjoy!

Sagittarius(Nov.22-Dec.21) Now your attention swings to home, family and domestic matters. Many of you will be involved with family members more than usual, especially a parent. Family discussions will be significant. Others are involved in home repairs, gatherings of the clan, and projects that require single-handed focus. Some projects will trigger purchases of beautiful things, while others will figure out new ways of earning money. (How sweet it is.)

Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 19)

A busy month! Short trips, increased reading, writing and studying, buying and selling, and wheeling and dealing keep you on the run. Many of you are involved with siblings. This is a good month for you to buy wardrobe items because you like what you see in the mirror. In addition, because it’s so easy to be diplomatic and gracious with others, this is a good time to mend broken fences. Conversations with others will stimulate you. You need to get out and learn new things and meet new people.

Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 18)

A number of planets now influence your money, cash flow, earnings, and even your style of spending. Money, money, money! For starters, many of you are thinking about how to earn money on the side, or how to change jobs and earn money in a new way. Others are thinking about major expenditures and how to spend money. All of you are thinking about your cash flow, assets and possessions. But at a deeper level, what is prompting this is a philosophical stirring within you about what really matters in life.

Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20)

It’s all about you dear, Pisces! This is an empowering time for you. You are still feeling the benefit of lucky moneybags Jupiter. In fact, many of you are going to see ways to boost your income in the next year. Your confidence is increasing and, along with that, your goals are becoming more ambitious. This is a good thing.

More than any other sign, you are affected by your own belief in what you can achieve. Richard Bach was right, “Argue for your limitations and they’re yours.”schmoozing with others!

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