QUIZ: How much local food do you catch / hunt / gather / grow?
Map of local Farms, Farm Gates & Stands
If you’re growing food, Top Shelf is the place to go!
• Seed potatoes in stock now!
• HealthiStraw for your garden. It’s perfect for strawberries and potatoes.
• Organic fertilizers including bone and blood meal, worm castings and more. Available in bulk!
• Peat moss • Hanging baskets
• Fencing • Soaker hoses
• Shovels and other tools
• Free-range, farm-fresh local eggs
• and much more...
Powell River Farmers’ Agricultural Institute
What do we do?
PRFAI provides connection, education and social activities. For example, the following are some of our projects:
Fall Fair - Sept 6 & 7, 2025
Farmers’ Market
Seedy Saturday (March)
Scholarship
Paradise Exhibition Grounds
Quonset Hut Rentals
Website at prfarmers.ca
Who are we?
2024 DIRECTORS
President: Juhli Jobi
Vice President: Erin Lurkins
Treasurer: Jolene McGill
Secretary: Emily Jenkins
Directors at large:
Aaron Ash
Aaron Mazurek
Alexis McRae
Ellen deCasmaker
Ken Day
Rowwie McKeown
Supporting farmers, farming & agricultural education, and food systems in our region.
Buying local is more than a duty: it’s a pleasure
By Ron Woznow City of Powell River Mayor
Every year, I use the map in qathet Living ’s Home Grown magazine (Page 24) to help me discover new farms, and new food. South of town, I buy eggs from the small stands that dot the highway. From farm stores, I buy greens, carrots, and sprouts. And I always go to the Powell River Farmers’ Market. I love seeing the kids, grandparents, and everyone in between on the train. There is so much community spirit. And, the quality of food I get at this market never disappoints.
My great-grandparents were farmers, and so were my grandparents; farming is a part of me. Growing up in Edmonton, my family and I spent Saturday mornings on Whyte Avenue, shopping at the little farm stalls that popped up along the downtown street.
I have continued that tradition, when I can: buying local.
This year, I’m certainly feeling more political and economic pressure to shop for groceries locally. With tariffs, droughts, and California wildfires, the era of cheap, plentiful American produce may end abruptly.
But because of what local farmers, fishermen, and gatherers have built here, I’m not worried. I know that this region has what it takes to rise
to whatever challenge comes before it. The more we buy and eat, the greater the local capacity becomes.
Growing and gathering food is a constructive way to use the land. It’s sustainable and life-giving. Local farmers know the importance of maintaining the soil they’re growing vegetables in. When we choose local, we’re choosing food that has never been on a cargo ship or airplane.
I hope you’ll join me this summer in re-committing to sourcing as much food as you can from within the region. I’d love to see every square foot of our Agricultural Land Reserve used for growing food. And, the more we eat, the more will grow.
Happy feasting!
Local Food Systems Support Communities
Clay Brander qathet Regional District Board Chair
There’s never been a better time to celebrate the incredible local food system that helps nourish the qathet Regional District.
From family-run farms to backyard gardens, roadside stands to bustling farmers’ markets, our region is rich with people and places that grow, raise, harvest, and prepare food close to home.
While we often rely on food that travels hundreds or even thousands of kilometres to reach our plates, we’ve seen how fragile those long supply
ON THE COVER: Amber Gould, a co-founder of qathet Flax to Linen Community, and president of the Skookum Food Provisioners Society, with sheaves of locally-grown flax.
Publisher & Sales Manager • Sean Percy
Editor & Owner • Pieta Woolley
Sales & Marketing • Suzi Wiebe
Oxford Comma Commander • Lauren Diemer
chains can be. Weather disasters, global conflict, fuel prices, and even distant policy changes can quickly disrupt access or drive up the cost of essentials.
Local agriculture is part of the solution. When we grow more food here at home, we build a stronger, more resilient community—one that’s less dependent on forces beyond our control.
Local food systems create jobs, support the economy, and build connections between neighbours. For every farm in our region, there’s a web of local people involved in everything from growing and harvesting to processing, transporting, selling, and preparing food.
Every dollar spent on local food
We gratefully acknowledge the support of the City of Powell River, qathet Regional District and Tla’amin Nation for helping make this publication possible. To an even larger degree, this publication is supported by the advertisers you see on these pages. Please support them.
circulates through the community, supporting livelihoods and keeping our region vibrant.
The qathet region’s weekly farmers’ markets are so much more than places to shop. They’re where we catch up with friends, listen to live music, ride the mini train with the kids, and savour the season with fresh veggies, local honey, handmade bread, and more.
Food security matters because it grounds us with the ability to feed ourselves and each other. It’s about knowing your farmer, sharing abundance, and celebrating the hard work that goes into every bite.
Food isn’t just about economics or logistics—it’s also about culture, connection, and community.
Farmers’ markets & the $78.9 million dollar question
Sea Fair’s midway. Logger sports. Thursday night markets. Since the original arena was demolished, the gravel parking lot at Willingdon Beach has been a blank slate in the centre of town. Sometimes it’s full of people, riding a ferris wheel or chainsawing logs into sculpture. Usually, it’s mostly empty – a pleasant view corridor featuring a graffiti wall, food trucks, and folks out for a walk.
On June 14, though, the gravel gets a new identity. Several of the region’s most prolific food farmers are moving in Saturday mornings, betting that a new central location for a farmers’ market will dramatically increase their sales. Expect to see Terra Nostra Farm, Blueberry Commons Farm, GG’s Good Greens, Brut Charcuterie, Myrtle Point Heritage Farm, Townsite Village Market & Noodle Nook, Nancy’s Bakery, Full Circle Donuts, Wild Scoop Ice Cream, Wild Edge Keto, and Windfall Farms there, among others.
Why? The Powell River Farmers’ Market, under the umbrella of the Powell River Farmers’ Agricultural Institute, has been at the Paradise Valley Exhibition Park since 1987. On Saturdays and Sundays through the summer, it’s a busy hive of locals and tourists. However, two surveys – one in 2012 and one in December of 2024 – suggest that locals would buy substantially more locally-grown food if the location were more convenient. That dynamic was confirmed elsewhere: Duncan’s farmers’ market moved from the edge of town to downtown in 2005, and the amount of local food sold through the market mushroomed – plus the surrounding stores reported a positive impact, too.
Although farmers have been chatting about the need for a central market for years, it wasn’t until the 2024 Food Unconference at VIU tiwšɛmawtxʷ that the movement crystallized and a committee formed, explained Aaron
Mazurek, owner of Terra Nostra Farm and spokesperson for the new Central Market.
“Farmers want to increase their sales,” said Aaron. Only about 10% of his produce gets sold at the current market, he said, with the rest sold at Terra Nostra’s farm store, through his Community Supported Agriculture program, in local stores such as the Chopping Block and Pacific Point Market, and elsewhere.
Why not just sell through existing grocery stores? The money doesn’t work out, said Aaron. His bag of mixed salad greens, for example, sells for $8. That’s about $2 more than a similar product that’s shipped in by truck and sold at Quality Foods, FreshCo, and Save-On-Foods. But if he sells through grocery stores, he has to account
MAKING A MARKET SCENE: Top left, Coming Home Farm’s Aaron Ash and Lisa Hau sell their Wildwood-grown produce in a permanent stall at the Powell River Farmers’ Market at the Paradise Exhibition Grounds, as well as online, at their farm gate, and as farm shares. Above right, Aaron Mazurek in his farm store at Terra Nostra Farm – with an $8 bag of salad mix. Below left, Andtbaka Farm’s Pat Hanson, with Farmers’ Market manager Juhli Jobi and vendor coordinator Emily Jenkins.
for the mark-up. On vegetables, that’s usually 50%, meaning his $8 bag of greens would go for $12 – double the price of other salad mixes at the store, and likely attracting very few buyers.
Alternately, he could sell that bag of greens for less to the store.
“At $8, I’m just breaking even,” he revealed, noting that total sales at Terra Nostra hit $250,000 last year – and out of that came three yearround employees’ wages, 10 summer employees’ wages, all the farm costs, and his own wage. “The only way this works financially is when farmers sell direct to people.”
The single-minded goal of the farmers behind the Central Market is to sell much more locally-grown food in this region, ensuring food security and sustainability, as well as an enhanced local economy. As Aaron told Home Grown, most local farms have
the capacity to at least double their current production without much more investment; his Byron Road farm could increase production 10fold. But the demand has to be there.
The opening of the Central Market isn’t the only change in farmers’ markets this year. The City of Powell River-run Thursday Night Markets – which were in the gravel parking lot – may disappear if a new organizer isn’t found soon. The Uptown Market which normally runs Wednesday afternoons through the summer and Saturday mornings through the winter outside the Community Resource Centre on Joyce, chose to nix the summer season for the second year and will be running in Dr. Ash Varma’s parking lot starting again in the fall. 32 Lakes Café and Bakery hosted a weekend market outside its Marine Avenue location; since the
“You have to be incredibly stubborn and obsessed...”
– 32 Lakes owner Nevada McCarthy, on what it takes to go all-local
Café moved to Alberni that market has ended – although Gathered Farm plans to keep selling in the 32 Lakes’ back lot – the Café’s commitment to local food and farmers continues to grow. Meanwhile, the number of farm gates selling eggs, greens, bread, and other food is booming.
In other words, the locally-grown food scene is shifting, trying to find its footing and appeal to local shoppers at the same time as the trade war between Canada and the US threatens our food supply.
One market that is not changing its fundamentals this year is the biggest one: the Powell River Farmers’ Market at the Paradise Exhibition Grounds at the top of Paradise Valley. In a grassy field surrounded by forest, this Saturday and Sunday market merges locally-grown produce and meat, baking, hot food, coffee, and artisan goods with a bucolic experience, live music, a playground, and a miniature railway on Sundays.
Since Juhli Jobi started managing the market 12 years ago, the number of vendors has nearly quadrupled, from 35 in 2013, to 120 at the end of last year’s summer season. Vendor revenues have quadrupled, too, from $200,000 in 2013, to $800,000 last year. Don’t let those numbers fool you though; they don’t mean that four times as much local food is being purchased there.
“There’s been a shift in the people who are growing and providing food for the community, but the amount of food is similar,” Juhli reports, noting that 12 years ago, a larger number of market gardeners came, alongside a few large farms, today the market sees mostly large and medium-sized farms. But again, the volume of fresh
with Abigail Lardley, also sells at Hearth & Grain, plus both the Central and Powell River Farmers’ markets, and Springtime Market, above. On the menu: fancy meats, including salami luigi, juniper saucissons, “and a veritable rodeo of other hogadjacent wonders.” Below, 32 Lakes uses local and small-farm ingredients in all of their goods, says owner Nevada McCarthy.
food sold at the market is only slightly higher than it was a decade ago. Many of the increased dollars are spent on clothes, lattes, jams, bread, and lotions, among other things.
Juhli isn’t surprised some of the larger farmers have created another market; it’s been discussed for years, she said. When they approached the Powell River Farmers and Agriculture Institute (PRFAI) about sponsoring the Central Market last year, the board discussed it. The sticking point was that both markets would run Saturday mornings, one at Willingdon and the other at Paradise Valley, putting them in competition for prime time shoppers.
The Central Market found another non-profit to take them on: the Skookum Food Provisioners Society.
Now, both markets are members of the BC Association of Farmers’ Markets, meaning that 100% of the vendors make, bake, grow or wild harvest their products and at least 51% of vendors . The provincially sponsored Nutrition Coupon Program also operates through the BCAFM and supports low-income families, new and expecting moms, and seniors. These are the only two markets in the region who are members of the Association.
Ultimately, the markets are planning to be different enough that customers will benefit from visiting both locations and support increase local food sales overall, rather than competitors that will rob customers and dol-
lars from each other.
The original Powell River Farmers’ Market in Paradise Valley will continue to be a weekend-long destination for food, flowers, toys, live music, the railway, playground, and lunch.
The new Central Market will be more shopping-focused, with easy parking and a simple beach-side layout where a five-minute stop can fill your fridge for the week.
Markets aren’t alone in the often-uphill drive to bring local food to local people, and increase demand. 32 Lakes Café and Bakery, The Boardwalk Restaurant, and Supercharger Pizza, among others, have worked to dramatically localize their menus.
“I don’t think people realize the depth of how excruciatingly hard it is to do this,” said Nevada McCarthy, who owns Alberni Street’s 32 Lakes with her partner Ryan, and operates with locavore-passionate kitchen leader Charles Gerein. “Building relationships with farmers, every day our product is different, the price point… you have to be incredibly stubborn and obsessed to execute this properly.”
For example, the sandwich of the day featured maple flowers foraged by Gathered Farm, local pickled nettle, peppers from Paradise Valley Farm, and more. In the case, cookies featured flax grown by the qathet Flax to Linen Community at Humble Ground Farm (see Page 13), a fund-
MEAT YOUR MAKERS: Christopher Young’s Brut Charcuterie Inc. is a staple at 32 Lakes Café and Bakery (left). Fritz Berkshire,
raiser for the project. All the milk for espresso drinks comes from Little Qualicum Cheeseworks in Parksville.
Would it be easier to just order her raw ingredients from Sysco Canada – a mega food distributor that offers very consistent and very cheap food to many BC restaurants? Absolutely. But that would miss the whole point.
Nevada grew up in Whistler, where her “granola” parents had a large garden. There, she learned to appreciate food, and not take it for granted. As a child, she recalls heading out with her family’s salad bowl in search of fresh food for dinner. Now, she shops as much as she can at farm gates and farm stores.
Fresh, local food, Nevada said, is nutritionally-rich. It’s environmentally superior. It builds local economies. It’s ethical. It’s worth investing in, even when it’s hard. Although 32 Lakes can’t run
an outdoor market in the same way it did in its former location, look for produce inside the store. Nevada plans to sell local eggs, meat and greens inside the Café every day, as well as hosting CSA pick-ups for Gathered Farm and Paradise Valley Farm.
Together, the efforts of local farmers, farmers’ markets, commercial fish boats, butchers, grocery stores, restaurants, and shoppers have grown the local food fresh scene exponentially over the last 20 years.
Now the future of local food security is in the hands of the shoppers – those who spend $78.9 million on groceries here each year. With four weekly farmers’ markets in qathet through the summer, one in the woods, one at the beach, one on Texada, and one on Savary, buying fresh, local food can hardly be described as a chore.
THE $78.9 MILLION QUESTION: WHERE WILL YOU SHOP FOR FOOD THIS SUMMER?
Canadians spend an average of $306 per person, per month on groceries, according to Canadian Grocer. Multiply that by 12 months, and again by 21,496 – the number of qathet residents at last census (2021) – and you get $78.9 million, the approximate amount locals spend on groceries in a year.
How much of that is spent on locally-grown food? There is no easy answer, but probably, very little. American studies put it between 1.5% and 7%, so a 4% guess is often used in BC. Here, some gets spent on fish at the wharf in Westview; some at farmers’ markets and farm gates. You could argue that the money that some locals spend on hunting and processing game or fishing would be part of this number. Or, money spent on seeds and other gardening supplies.
But if we want local farms to supply more of our food, they need more of that $78.9 million spent directly on the food they produce. They will build capacity, if we build demand.
How much energy are we willing to spend diverting our grocery dollars from the imported produce, meat and dairy, to local farmers? Will we rise to this?
That is the $78.9 million question.
Garden & Landscape Supply
custom soil blends
3 types of mulch
river rock decorative stone drain rock
driveway materials pathway gravel retaining walls
C A L L F O R
yard pick up hours or delivery schedule
CSAs, Bonds & Boxes
Paradise Valley Produce CSA
Frequency • Weekly or bi-weekly for 21 weeks
Cost • Varies depending on options, please check website for details. What’s in it
• From our farm to your kitchen our weekly box provides a huge variety of certified organic produce that is nutrition-rich and delicious. Our system is fully customizable (never get produce you don’t like or already have!) and vacation holds are available. A week-to-week “build your own CSA” option is also available this season. Voted #1 CSA in qathet!
Contact • paradisevalleyproduce.ca/ csa, or Info.ParadiseValleyProduce@ gmail.com
RICH IN NUTRITION: This “Week 11” Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) box from Paradise Valley Produce is many meals worth of farmfresh and fabulous food.
Gathered Farm Harvest Box
Frequency • Weekly for 20 weeks, starting May 28
Cost • $30 per week
What’s in it
• Includes, fruits, veggies and prepared foods like pesto and compound butter. Optional add-ons include bread, cultivated mushrooms, eggs, and flowers
Terra Nostra organic CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) Frequency • Weekly, 18 weeks June to October.
Cost • The Salad-Box is $33 per week. The Large Veg-Box is $55 per week, and Farm-Box is $44 per week. Free delivery in Westview, Cranberry, and Townsite. Pick-up also available. What’s in it • The Salad-Box has five or six items each week, including lots of greens/lettuce, carrots and a mix of other popular items such as tomatoes, peas, radishes, beets, green onions, cukes, peppers, basil, and more. The Large Veg-Box contains eight or nine items each week, and a larger selection of the 40+ vegetables Terra Nostra grows. It will contain some favourites that are not included in the Salad-Box, like potatoes, sweetcorn, melons, broccoli, cauliflower and beans. Farm-Box is a medium sized box, with a selection of six or seven different vegetables each week. The Farm-Box is the only option that will allow you to make a couple of substitutions each week. However, it must be picked up at the farm (3244 Byron Road) on Saturdays between 1 pm and 5 pm. (No delivery.)
When • Every Saturday from 10:30 am – 12:30 pm and Sunday from 12:30 pm – 2:30 pm
Where • 4365 McLeod Road
What to expect • Community vibe with local produce and meat, eggs, baked goods, plants, flowers, prepared food (lunch!), arts, crafts, live music, a miniature train, playground, kids market on Sundays, and much more.
When • Every Saturday June 14 to October 18, from 10 am to 1 pm
Where • Willingdon Beach, Old Arena Site (gravel lot)
What to Expect • Local produce, organic produce, local meat, prepared food, hot beverages, lunch options, ice cream, baked goods, flowers, arts and crafts, community info table, and so much more.
Contact • CentralFarmersMarketManager@gmail.com
Savary Island Market
When • Tuesdays 11-1:30 pm in July and August
Where • Hacienda – 2778 Brian’s Way at Vancouver Boulevard. Across from the church.
What to expect • Fruit, vegetables, local art, wine, spices, and ice cream. Hot food vendors, including fish & chips.
Contact person • Margaret Hunt, 604-832-0833
Texada Island Farmers’ Market
When • Sundays 12 noon to 1:30 pm from early June until mid-September Where • Ball field in Gillies Bay
What to expect • Sweet and savoury prepared food, local produce and meat, jewelry, artisans, live music, community info, and more.
Contact person • Dawn Hughes, Market Coordinator: 604-486-7529
Springtime Garden Centre Markets
When • Spring Into Summer Market
Saturday June 21 & Sunday June 22, 11-3; Fall into Autumn Market Saturday October 11 & Sunday October 12, 11-3; Winter Market Saturday December 6 & Sunday December 7, 11-3
Where • 5300 Yukon Avenue
What to expect • Local makers’ market, plants and flowers, hot food and treats, coffee truck, beer garden, al fresco dining area, childrens’ creation station. Community fundraiser. Contact Person • Nicole Quigley, springtimegcevents@gmail.com
Lang Bay Hall markets
When • First Saturday of the month, February to October, from noon till 2 pm
Where • 11090 Hwy 101
What to expect • Collectibles, crafts, canning, local produce, plants, food stand, small carvings, Malaspina Mat Works, prepared foods, baked goods, sewing, crocheting, knitting, jewelry, and so much more.
Contact person • Kathy Maitland 604-483-1440 kmait@hotmail.com market coordinator.
Uptown Winter Market
When • Saturdays 10 to noon Oct through April
Where • In Dr. Varma’s parking lot, 4742 Joyce Avenue
What to expect • Local produce and meat, baked goods, arts & crafts.
Contact person • Rose Fleury: 604-483-4748
Certified Organic U-Pick Berries, Veggies and Herbs
JUNE TO OCTOBER
blueberrycommons.ca/shop/upick Family Friendly · Farm Fresh · Local Abundance
Food & Plant Events
Invasive Plant Drop-Off
May 1 to 31, 10 am to 4 pm, Mon/Wed/Fri Resource Recovery Centre
Garden Club Plant Sale
May 4, noon til 2:30 pm Curling Club
United Church Plant Sale & May Market
May 10, 9 til 1 pm
United Church on Crofton
Lang Bay Plant Sale
May 10, noon til 2 pm
Lang Bay Hall gardens
Spot Prawn Season begins Mid-May
Local by-the-pound sales
Two Block Diet Workshop May 16, 6:30-8:30 simpli.events/e/2BlockDiet
The Lund Chowder Challenge
May 24, 6 to 9 lundbc.ca
Catholic Women’s League Plant Sale
May 31, 9:30 til 1 pm
Assumption Gym
Powell River Garden Tour
June 8
Various Locations
Family Fishing Weekend
June13 to 15 gofishbc.com
Blackberry Street Party
August 15
Marine Avenue
Powell River Fall Fair
September 6 & 7
Paradise Exhibition Grounds
Powell River Salmon
Society Salmon Expo
October, dates TBA
qathet Flax to Linen:
growing textiles, food, connection & community
By Juliette Jarvis, Co-founder of qathet Flax to Linen
It’s all in the casting rhythm.
Broadcasting handfuls of cool, slippery flax seeds across hard pressed dirt is when I feel it most: that vague sense of ancestral ghosts watching over my shoulder.
Not only from my own heritage of flax dressers, but the heritage of greater humanity. People have been turning plants into fabric since at least the Paleolithic era.
For over 36,000 years, different varieties of flax have traveled over much of the world. Grown extensively for food, fibre, and oil. Yet it took less than five generations for the once-common knowledge of flax production to become largely at risk of being lost.
Today, on quiet farms and micro-plots around qathet, we’re reanimating these vital skills in an ultimate slow fashion experiment.
Seed to Shirt in Local Dirt
Those little seeds in your cereal, did you know it makes some of the finest, softest, most durable cloth? Each year late in March, my friend and fellow weaver Amber Samaya and I begin watching the sky and sniffing for rain.
For a 100-day crop to be successful, we need to catch the last spring showers and the first of those gloriously warm sunshiny days. We can’t rely on historical planting dates. The climate has changed too much and flax doesn’t have much history here on the Upper Sunshine Coast – at least as far as I know.
Fortunately, my flax growing mentor, Sharon Kallis down in Vancouver, taught me to rely instead on observational skills and intuition.
This is my third year growing the delicate blue flowered, 2.5-foot tall, firstgreen-then-golden stalks of Linore flax. Linore is a variety bred for both its food and fibre – although Amber and I originally began with interest solely in practicing, and sharing, traditional fibre processing skills rather than for eating. That is, until our 600 square feet of flax last year went to seed and 32 Lakes Cafe & Bakery reached out to support us through a Maple & Flax Cookie Fundraiser!
By that time, Amber and I were standing south of town, thigh deep in our first crop of homegrown flax under a scorching August sun. We were on land donated from Humble Ground Farm (famous for their garlic!), had been joined by a loveliness of ladybugs, and about a dozen
intrepid members of the newly formed qathet Flax to Linen Community.
Casually plucking the harvest a few stalks at a time and bundling them by the handful into sheaves, we were only one-quarter of the way to our goal of wearable clothing, but 100% enamoured by community support and interest.
Under ideal conditions, a 50-square-foot plot provides enough fabric for two tea towels. In 2024, we’d planted enough for about 15 shirts – that’s 600 square feet! Despite the vast amount of work such success creates, there was much laughter, great conversation, delicious snacks, and a real feeling of connection; with each other, the land we were on, this beautiful plant, and a sense of something much greater than ourselves. Most of us
hadn’t done any of this before and were motivated to learn through hands-on shared experiences.
You see, the end goal is not to have yards of fabric or homegrown shirts for sale, but for the third space that we create when coming together and participating in these old, slow-crafted ways of textile sovereignty.
How it started
The urge came in 2022, from somewhere over my shoulder. I like to think it was my ancestors whispering for me to try, at least once, the entire process from seed to shirt much like they had. Shortly afterward, early in 2023, I spied notice of an online cohort offered by the BC Flax Growers Network about to begin. Just in time for ordering seed, and follow-
ing along monthly through the growing season learning both growing and processing techniques. It was okay to be new, and it was okay to not have any traditional equipment. We would put our creative solution skills to the test instead.
My first crop was a small plot near my house. A sudden heat wave stunted growth severely, but I was still able to achieve a tiny ball of inexpertly handspun coarse linen line from it. Not even enough to weave a washcloth!
Despite my dismal results, I fell in love. Flax is deceptively sweet-looking for how strong it is. It sways with the smallest of breezes. The pale blue petals are as delicate as a butterfly wing and drop off if you look at them sideways.
Yet it’s been the top choice for making the strongest rope and the sails of ships for longer than we can fathom. It can also be so finely crafted as befitting royal garments from Egypt to Aztlán. Linen can be incredibly soft and can last well over 100 years. Although the labour involved to take bast fibres from ground to garment is enormous, it can all be done one handful at a time. I was proud of my little ball and felt like I had met a new plant ally.
That winter is when Amber felt her own call to these old ways too, and approached me with a dream to go big. We’d invite folks in the region to
IT REALLY GREW:
Clockwise from top left, Skookum president Amber Samaya amongst the flowering green Linore flax; a purple flax flower; harvesting in community at Humble Ground Farm; and ripening flax. Photos courtesy of qathet Flax to Linen
“Every seed type, be it rye, wheat, flax, or something else, has its own broadcasting rhythm. Some are drop and fling with each step forward, others are like a park water sprinkler chuck, chuck, chucking seed from left to right while walking across a field. Flax is a thick but even sprinkling before tamping it down into the dirt.”
join us on this seed to shirt journey, learning as we go, and establish a community based on skill sharing that wasn’t profit dependent.
Speaking of profits, we had next to nothing to invest in this venture either, but the generous support we’ve received continues to blow my mind and expand my heart.
Instead of ordering seeds online, we road-tripped to Saanich to meet Carol at Alderley Grange. Creating real face-to-face relationships is important to us, plus we could soak up expert growing tips and learn more about the history of the Linore variety. That rainy day in March 2024, we came home with 11 pounds, or about 7,500,000 seeds – to be sown by hand.
Every seed type, be it rye,
wheat, flax, or something else, has its own broadcasting rhythm. Some are drop and fling with each step forward, others are like a park water sprinkler chuck, chuck, chucking seed from left to right while walking across a field. Flax is a thick but even sprinkling before tamping it down into the dirt.
Danielle and Ian Gibson kindly offered us all the land on Humble Ground Farm that we’d need and even tilled enough ground that if we did our jobs well and had great luck with weather, we could grow enough flax to eventually end up with about 15 shirts.
Alex McNaughton and Mackenzie Alsager of Gathered Farm provided long billowing sheets of fabric cover to protect our seed from hungry birds, saving
us from potential disaster. A flock of birds can decimate a crop in just one day! Without the generosity of these two farms, we would have been relegated to tiny plots and flax in pots.
How it went
I set about creating the qathetflax.weebly.com website to showcase our project, the 16 steps of turning flax into wearable linen, and our greater vision of co-creating a community focused “fibreshed” – a regional network dedicated to natural textile fibre that’s cultivated with sustainable and restorative practices.
Our Instagram account began fleshing out with updates and calls for the community to join us, and an email list was established. During our first
QATHET FLAX TO LINEN
It may be a couple years yet before we have our first homegrown shirt, but you can keep connected through our Instagram @qathetflaxtolinen and get on our mailing list for invitations at qathetflax@ gmail.com.
year, interested members have ballooned to about 50 keen and curious qathet residents. We’ve had interest from florists to incorporate dried flax stems in their bouquets and soap makers wanting chaff for making scrubby gardener’s soap, even a sewist has offered to design us an easy to follow
PRODUCTS: Clockwise from top left, rippling and then carding the linen fibres; spinning indigo-dyed linen onto a drop spindle; flax seed in 32 Lakes Bakery & Café fundraising cookie; flax seed for planting; sharing knowledge with the community at Seedy Saturday in March.
Photos courtesy of qathet Flax to Linen
shirt pattern! Amber and I have begun hosting demonstrations at local events like threshing at Seedy Saturday and weaving linen at the ReNew Faire, and we’re part way through winnowing over 200 sheaves of bundled flax, each topped with a golden boll full of rattling seeds. Our crop was so successful, we’ve decided to alternate summers growing large on the farm
and at home on a smaller garden scale. Each qF2L member is highly encouraged to keep a pot (or few of their own) as a means to stay connected with the seasons, the process, and each other.
What’s next?
A lot! Once all the seed has been collected, and the weather gets warmer, each flax stem needs to be “retted”. Essentially it’s a controlled rot. Then we begin: breaking, hackling, and scutching; all terms for different steps turning flax stalks into long, golden, strands of fibre that looks very much like blond hair. Then it’s on to carding, spinning it into thread, weaving it into fabric, and finally tailoring into a wearable shirt!
Money raised through fundraisers and member donations will go to covering costs for local wood craftsman, Brian Hiebert, to build us a proper flax break, along with other administration and supply expenses like equipment building plans.
Amber and I also have new seed in the ground at our homesteads, along with other qathet Flax to Linen Community members. Many hands makes light work and we’ll soon have flax at every stage between seed to shirt for those who’d like to join us. Processing days are usually outside with potlucks encouraged. There are similarities enough among all bast fibres that learning with flax also informs us about other plants with textile histories.
SIDE BY SIDE: Tla’amin Nation’s new cultural building, Ɂəms ʔayɛ (left) abuts the new food processing building (right). In late April, both were under construction just off Highway 101 at t̓išosəm . Together, the $4.2 million complex “will play a vital role in the promotion of Tla’amin language, culture, food security, and well-being,“ reads the media release.
Beautiful, local food is at the heart of Tla’amin Nation
If you want to know how important food is to the vibrancy of Tla’amin Nation, look no further than the new food processing building. It’s under construction right off the highway in the centre of t̓išosəm, and due to open in June.
Along with an industrial kitchen, the building is a place where community members can butcher and preserve deer, elk, salmon, shellfish, and other locally-harvested food. It’s in the same neighbourhood as the new cultural building – also under construction – and Cousin’s House, the youth centre at the sports field.
“Our philosophy is about doing the best we can to take care of our people,” explained Losa Luaifoa, Tla’amin Nation’s Director of Community Services. “Food is really important. You gather around food. It brings people together. We’re raised to appreciate it, because it’s nourishment for our bodies.”
“You gather around food. It brings people together.”
– Losa Luaifoa
For the past several years, the Nation has doubled down on food programs.
One is the Good Food Box. Although the program has morphed a little since it started in 2018, the heart is the same: a large box of food is made available for free for any household that needs it, once a month. Last year, 210 households accessed the program each month, distributing 50,000 pounds of food.
“Last year, we started to partner with Paradise Valley Produce and Blueberry Commons Farm Cooperative,” Losa recalls. “And wow – looking at all the veg was great, but I was not sure if this is the kind of food people
were using. But they loved it. People were just amazed with berries we got from the farms. We’d lay it out on the table and people would pick what they wanted. The lettuce and salad mix went first.”
When the salmon runs are strong, food fish is delivered to Tla’amin households and to citizens living off lands, too. Losa said it is a great representation of how the Nation cares for its members through food.
“I recall driving through the Nation and just seeing families preparing the fish,” said Losa, noting that each member may receive as many as 20 large salmon. “You have to gut them. I sat with my parents and we did all of ours together. We were laughing and joking for hours together.
“Some of the fish gets put away in the community freezer. We do the same with elk. When there’s a funeral or any large gathering, we’ll pull from that.”
FARM BRIEFS
Composting for a Healthier Future: qathet Expands Organics Program
The qathet Regional District (qRD) is making it easier than ever to turn food and yard waste into a valuable resource. With a recent shift in its composting program, the Resource Recovery Centre (RRC) has become the region’s primary drop-off location for organic materials—supporting healthier soil, more sustainable food systems, and a cleaner environment.
All organics collected at the RRC are sent to Salish Soils on the lower Sunshine Coast for composting, where they are transformed into nutrientrich material used to build healthy topsoil. Diverting food and yard waste from the landfill not only reduces greenhouse gas emissions but also supports regenerative agriculture and improves water retention in the soil.
Residents can now drop off food and yard waste at the Resource Recovery Centre and at the Tla’amin Recycling Depot.
Note: Yard waste must not include invasive plants or branches over two inches in diameter.
Recent operational changes that consolidate organics collection at the RRC are expected to increase transportation efficiency and save local taxpayers around $50,000 annually. Additionally, composting programs align with the qRD’s goal of working toward zero waste by diverting a large portion of our everyday waste from landfill to an investment in community health, food security, and climate resilience.
For more information on the qRD’s organics program, please contact the Resource Recovery Centre Scale House at scalehouse@qathet.ca or call 604413-6861.
GO WEST YOUNG MEN:
Jacob Neath, Esteban LaPointe, and Evan Ashopenace pose with plants at Springtime Nursery in April. The trio are part of VIU tiwšɛmawtxʷ campus Worksite Essential Skills and Training program (WEST), which is currently focusing on food services and retail work. The students are cultivating several garden beds and learning about farm-to-customer food production and service. Skills include retail math, MS Word (sign making), and FOODSAFE. WEST is for neurodiverse learners with developmental, cognitive and learning disabilities. Students work on vocational, academic, work and essential life skills with instructors and work-site trainers guiding them every step of the way. The program is now accepting applications for September. Contact Lynn Price, Program Coordinator at lynn.price@viu.ca for more details.
Growing Food and Neighbourly Connections
If you want to grow food and community connectedness too, join others by bringing the Two Block Diet approach to your neighbourhood.
Like two women from Grief Point who connected at a workshop on the Two Block Diet last April. Inspired, they invited everyone on their street to a meeting. Eight people came. The group has shared knowledge (including touring each other’s gardens), traded plant starts, covered watering for those away, and more.
There are other TBD collaborations
Photo courtesy of Vancouver Island University
in Cranberry and Townsite and a workplace (showing the versatility of the approach).
Join co-founder Kate Sutherland and Skookum’s Amber Gould for a workshop on May 21 from 6:308:30 pm.
You’ll hear stories from the first Two Block Diet group. We’ll explore how to invite people, what a first meeting might look like, the power of work parties, and helpful guiding principles for unleashing wonderful things with near neighbours.
More info/registration online here: simpli.events/e/2BlockDietinMay ~ Kate Sutherland
Seeding Hope in Troubled Times: volunteering for food
By Amber Gould
In late winter of 2021, my partner and I moved to qathet. It was quite the adventure, as we moved during a snowstorm on Valentine’s weekend, arriving at a little house we’d never seen before!
We knew this town was full of gardening enthusiasts, small farms, and kind folks committed to regenerative lifeways. As fate would have it, days after we arrived we discovered a sweet “Welcome to the neighbourhood” card from our new neighbors, Kevin Wilson and Alfie Bolster, inviting us to call or email if we needed anything or had questions about the area.
As the weather warmed and the bees made their cheery appearance, I was delighted to begin working on remediating a small garden plot on the property. It was full of weeds, yet the soil was wormy, and I knew it had great potential.
I’d never done much real gardening but had basic knowledge picked up from living on a biodynamic farm. For most of my life I lived in a city without access to good soil or time to devote to a garden. Yet, here I finally was, standing at the precipice of viriditas – the great greening I was yearning for.
I was ready to put my hands in the soil. Ready to be shaped and claimed by the land and sea, setting intentions to cultivate a rooted sense of place as a guest on Tla’amin lands through the simple and humble act of growing food.
SKOOKUM VOLUNTEERS
This year is the Year of the Cooperative, and Skookum is celebrating this by creating new opportunities for engagement and volunteerism that fit a variety of capacities and will surely uplift the spirits! If you want to volunteer locally, we invite you to do hope with us!
To become a Skookum member, please visit skookumfood.ca.
I noticed Kevin and Alfie had a beautiful garden covering their front and back yard, chock-full of all kinds of good things growing. My hunch was that these fellows knew what they were doing!
On one particular occasion, as I was puttering around looking a bit bewildered, trying to figure out garlic, Kevin asked me about my garden plans. Following my explanation, he very kindly offered me some valuable tips, followed by an invitation to join the Skookum Food Provisioners’ Cooperative, which he was president of at the time. He mentioned the cooperative was supporting food security and provisioning, and provided gardening skillshares over Zoom.
I joined Skookum promptly, feeling the nudge to “put my oar in” and paddle with this cooperative that aligned with my commitment to regenerative land ways, practicing transition, and nurturing community. It provided an opportunity for me to get involved in
an initiative that felt inspiring to me.
This reflects something I refer to as “Active Hope;” a term from activist and buddhist scholar, Joanna Macy, who teaches that hope is not something we have or don’t have, rather it is something we do.
For me, this concept brings sweet relief, as I am not required to “have” hope, which can feel like a tall order at times. I can simply go about the good work of doing hope, taking meaningful action aligned with my values to nurture the wellbeing of my community, honour my interbeing, and make a contribution to global shift.
In this spirit, I gradually increased my involvement with Skookum and was eventually nominated as Skookum’s president to support it through a time of regeneration in the COVIDever-after.
Running of the Skookum coop -
erative along with the wonderful members of the Skookum board has become a valuable tether to community life. My gardening practice has become robust, and my connection to my ecocommunity feels second nature now; keeping me in rhythm with cycles and seasons, death and renewal, and the forces of intuition, emergence, and adaptation. It has supported ease in my nervous system, and engendered in me a sense of sovereignty.
I has also helped me find my place in the invaluable volunteer cycle that creates, what I refer to as Community Sufficiency – a community’s ability to support its members across all walks of life, ability, income, age, and culture with access to sources of connection, mentorship, skillshare, celebration, and collectively-cultivated resources.
“For me, this concept [‘Active Hope’] brings sweet relief, as I am not required to ‘have’ hope, which can feel like a tall order at times. I can simply go about the good work of doing hope...”
To me it’s not only for the good feeling of helping others; without volunteers, Skookum’s vision of serving the qathet community couldn’t exist. Co-operatives like ours cannot survive or grow without volunteers.
Volunteering is a powerful force in addressing pressing social, economic, and environmental challenges at the local level, helping to revitalise communities, enhance social cohesion and bolster resilience to societal pressures and shocks, such as pandemics, climate change, and financial unrest like the recent tariffs imposed by the US.
Although not a substitute for public services, volunteering can help complement or fill gaps where public services are constrained due to financial pressures, it can also be a tool to address loneliness.
Beyond this, it has direct positive impacts on the volunteers themselves in terms of physical, mental health, and civic mindfulness.
The best part, and often overlooked one, is that volunteering is just plain fun.
Chris Neill Skookum volunteer
I believe community-building is dependent on giving of ourselves, participating in community for the betterment of all.
Volunteering helps me become a part of the community in a tangible way, creating connections and honouring the dependence we share together. Modern society tends to malign the idea of dependence on each other, but our lives are richer when we accept, even embrace, our need for each other.
Volunteering with Skookum helps homeowners with too much food and not enough time, helps community organizations share the harvest with those most in need, and helps gleaners make connections, while reaping the shared benefits of the food we harvested. I also support the Two Block Diet in my micro community.
As we enter these potentially difficult times, living in support of one another, building community, growing food together, and sharing as we are able will become more and more essential.
Volunteering is never time wasted; it’s a win-win-win all around.
FireSmart Your Home Protect Your Community
The qathet FireSmart
program focuses on reducing fire risks in our coastal forest setting.
Wildfires are a natural part of these ecosystems, helping to recycle nutrients and shape the landscape. Recent hot dry summers have seen increasing damages to properties from disastrous fires. Research shows that 90% of homes lost in wildfires catch fire from embers—not from direct flames. That means small changes around your home to minimize places where embers could land and ignite can have a big impact on keeping it safe.
FireSmart uses a Priority Zone approach to wildfire safety. This means focusing on the areas closest to your home first and working outward:
Zone 1a (Minimum Requirements): Use non-combustible materials for exterior walls, roofing, gutters, vents, decking, and fencing, maintain proper clearances, and keep surfaces free of combustible debris to enhance fire resistance.
Zone 1 (0-10m from your home): Keep this area clear of flammable debris, trim overgrown vegetation, and use fire-resistant materials where possible.
Zone 2 (10-30m): Reduce wildfire fuel by thinning trees, removing deadfall, and limbing lower branches to prevent fire from climbing up.
Zone 3 (30-100m): Manage forested areas to slow fire spread, remove lower limbs on trees, and remove fallen branches and dense undergrowth.
Dangerous fires can occur in coastal forests if conditions are right and if accumulations of “fuels” on the ground are not managed. Reducing the amount of dry twigs, fallen branches, and limbing branches up to at least 2 metres can reduce the fuel load while the forest canopy provides a shady and cooler environment. Slash piles (leftover debris from land clearing) can become a fire hazard,
especially in summer, so removing, chipping, or burning debris piles is a safer option.
The qathet FireSmart program helps homeowners make their properties more fire-resistant. Homeowners may be eligible for up to $1,000 back for FireSmart improvements. To qualify, you need to own the property and have a FireSmart property assessment from a qualified qRD FireSmart representative. The process starts with a free home assessment from a wildfire specialist, who will walk through your property, point out risks, and suggest ways to reduce them.
After your assessment , you can start following the FireSmart advice given. When the work is done, you’ll need to send in before-and-after photos, a record of what was completed, and any receipts to apply for the rebate. Funds are first come, first served, so it’s best not to wait. It usually takes about six to eight weeks to process applications and issue rebate checks. Your home’s building materials and landscaping choices can also make a difference. Fire-resistant siding, roofs, and decks reduce the chances of ignition. Keeping gutters clean, installing ember-resistant vents, and storing firewood at least 10 metres from the house all help too.
Community fire safety is a shared responsibility—the more neighbours work together, the safer everyone is. You can check out FireSmart Canada and the qathet Regional District’s website for more emergency preparedness tips. Taking small steps now can help prevent big losses later. The big takeaway?
Damaging fires have unfortunately become more common.
Taking steps to FireSmart your home can make a huge difference in protecting it. Contacting the qathet Regional District’s FireSmart Program to inquire about a residential FireSmart property assessment and potential rebate can make it easier to do just that. For more information contact emergency@qathet.ca.
Local Food Map
Get your hands blue and juicy at Ed’s U-Pick (pictured), meet the chickens, or just smell the soil at qathet’s nearly 60 farms, all listed on the next pages.
Farm Gate Tour
There are at least 15 stops selling berries, greens, eggs, meat, fish, honey and much more. How many will you visit this summer?
Near Lund:
Andtbaka Farm & Farmer’s Gate
Wildwood:
Coming Home Farm
Blueberry Commons
Calico Meadows Farm
Padgett Road
Do Little Farm
Hammil Hill Farm
Glade Gardens Farm
Terra Nostra Farm
South of town
Three Chicken Farm
Humble Ground Farm
Myrtle Point Heritage Farm
Ed’s U-Pick Blueberries
Silver Wood Acres
Texada
Welcome Harvest Farm
K&S Greens & Things
QATHET U-PICKS
For more details, see the farm list on the next pages.
Ed’s U-Pick • Lang Bay
Blueberries
Blueberry Commons • Wildwood
Blueberries, strawberries, melons, vegetables (tomatoes, peppers, corn, cabbage, squash, peas, beans, lettuce, onions, eggplant, cucumbers, garlic, and many more!
Merry Berry Blueberries
• Manson Ave
Blueberries
Family Farm B&B • South of Town
Pumpkin Patch and farm tours
1. Okeover Oysters
Oyster shore and net leases dot Okeover Inlet, some owned by independent individual operators and others by large corporations. Because of food safety regulations, nearly all their product is sold through distributors outside of Powell River.
2. Hardpan Farm
2795 D’Angio Road
Erin Innes • 604-414-0972
Chickens, ducks, eggs, vegetables. Not taking new orders this year, but call to get on the wait list.
3. Andtbaka Farm & Farmer’s Gate 2440 Highway 101
Pat Hanson • 604-483-9890
Find Andtbaka products on Sundays at Powell River Farmers’ Market and at the farm gate. On-site store featuring locally produced farm products.
4. GG’s Good Greens
9235 Krompocker Road
Lori Brouwer • 604-223-8608 ggsgoodgreens@gmail.com
Growing vertically year round. At the market, Terra Nostra, Townsite Fruit & Veg and Andtbaka. Home delivery available, year round.
5. Bushmans Farm
8556A Plummer Creek Road
Darren Solowan • 604-483-3700
Fresh and canned produce. Hothouse tomatoes, cucumber, broccoli, hot peppers, and much more. Call for farm gate sales.
6. Barndance Farm
8136A Old Mine Road
Paul Keays • 604-483-3102
Produce, including salad greens, fry mixes, and herbs sold in local stores. Call ahead for farm gate sales.
7. Windfall Farm
5760 Taku Street
Lisa & Mike Daniels
604-414-9879
windfallfarmpr@gmail.com windfallfarm.ca
Contact for farm gate sales. Garlic. Beef, pork, lamb and chicken.
8. Solsken Farmstead
6701 McMahon Ave
Tilberg Family
604-414-6715
solskenfarmstead@gmail.com
Free range pasture raised eggs. Small scale seasonal veggies/greens. Garlic. Wine grapes, jams, chutney, apple juice, salsa. Registered Icelandic sheep, fleeces, some handspun yarn, dryer balls, hand knit items. Basketry willow. Farm gate store Sun & Mon 10-6.
Raw natural honey in season, honey candies, as well as natural bees wax products like soaps, salves, creams and balms. Also beekeeping tools, clothing and wooden ware. Live bees when available. Mentorship program to assist new and seasoned beekeepers. Bee removals and swarm catching.
11. Favorita Farm Hazelnuts
6480 Sutherland Avenue
Gerry & Liz Brach
604-483-3428 favoritafarm@gmail.com
Favorita Farm Hazelnuts on FB Hazelnut farm with 220 trees. Taking orders via email in August and September.
12. Powell River Cattle Company
6624 Sutherland Avenue
Tim McDonald
604-483-4007
Former cattle operation now growing hazelnuts (filberts) with approximately 40 bushes.
13. K&A Acres
6638 Sutherland Avenue
Megan Hourd
“K&A Acres” on Facebook
Registered Nigerian dwarf goats, kunekune pigs, chicks, and hatching eggs.
Lund
Okeover
14. Blueberry Commons
6619 King Avenue
604-223-4800
info@blueberrycommons.ca blueberrycommons.ca
Certified organic farm grows over 40 fruits, berries, vegetables, and herbs including: blueberries, strawberries, figs, cherries, apples, pears, corn, melons, squash, onions, garlic, dill, basil, cucumbers, carrots, lettuce, kale, chard, leeks, sweet potatoes, tomatoes, peppers, cabbage, snap peas, beans, zucchini, asparagus, beets, and more. Farm Stand is open every day from 10 am to 7 pm at the very end of King Avenue in Wildwood. U-pick your own on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday. October Pumpkin Patch.
15. Calico Meadows Farm
6439 King Avenue
Sebastien Lagors and Alexis McRae alxs.mc@gmail.com
Year round farm gate items: Organic-fed, free range chicken eggs; organic sourdough bread, jams, salsa and hot sauce. Seasonally available: Organic-fed, free range heritage turkeys; organically-grown garlic, seasonal veggies and garden starts. Available at the farm gate, the Farmers’ Market or by pre-order.
16. All the Mushrooms
6254 Sycamore Street
Jason Leane
604-781-8391
Mushroom kits, sawdust and grain spawn, pre-sterilized materials for growing, mushroom cultures, and tinctures/extracts. Classes and consulting.
17. Cranberry Farm
6650 Cranberry Street
Carol Battaglio & Eva van Loon
604-578-1199 • 604-483-4940
Colourful free range chicken eggs, ducks and duck eggs. Various fruits and vegetables in season. At the UpTown Market Wednesdays 4:30-6:30.
18. Wildwood Queens
6630 Cranberry Street
Donna Moseanko 604-344-0622
donna.moseanko@gmail.com fb.com/wildwoodqueens
Honey bees, queen bees, wax, honey, pollen, propolis tincture, votive candles, beeswax cotton food wraps and bee-related supplies, training/mentoring service, pollination. By appointment 10-5 year round. Bees and queens available April to Sept. Products at Chopping Block, Mitchell Brothers and Terra Nostra Farm. On-site training, youth teaching, visits to a bee yard.
Preserves, mostly from fruit and veggies grown in Elaine’s large garden. Very large selection – from jams, jellies, syrups, shrubs, concentrates to savory chutneys, pickles, relishes, salsas, barbecue and hot sauces, pepper jellies, and flavored vinegars. Available at The Nutcracker Market on Marine and select items at Andtbaka Farm. Llamas for birthday parties, photo sessions, or llama walks. Llama manure sales.
20. Merry Berry Blueberries
5060 Manson Avenue
Linda Robichaud
604-389-8892
lindaannrobichaud@hotmail.com
Small blueberry orchard with about 50 plants. Open for U-Pick in mid-July.
21. Westview Urban Farm
4692 Willingdon Avenue
Gipsy Burnett
Bedding plants, flowers for cut bouquets, veggies, especially garlic. Also freeze dried fruit and candy. At the Farmers’ Market.
22. Juniper Gardens
6963 Egmont Street
Jennifer Burry @juniper.gardens
Landscaper, turned florist, now microfarmer, Jen creates long-lasting, locallygrown bouquets. Sold weekly at Terra Nostra Farm (available anytime at the floral stand outside the farm store; restocked Tuesdays and Fridays) and 32 Lakes Café, during store hours (restocked Thursdays).
23. Cedar Forest Farm
4593 Claridge Road
Laurette Hamoline 604-414-3994
hamolinelaurette@gmail.com Farm fresh eggs.
24. Do Little Farm
4347 Padgett Road
Rosie Temple & Greg Rebane 604-485-6961
fb.com/dolittlefarmpowellriver r_temple@telus.net
Chicken and pork. Composted and fresh manure. Farm gate open weekends. Best to call if open sign is not out.
25. Primal Pastures
8101 Verkerk Road
Kristen & Luke Hilton 778-888-3540
info@primalpastures.ca @primalpasturesbc
Lamb, sausage, tallow, ancestral supplements, beef, chicken, eggs and more. Available Sundays at the Farmers’ Market. Delivery available weekdays.
Offering pork and some produce. Provides butcher and smoking services to farmers and hunters.
27. Mayana Adar Family Farm
7873 Valley Road
The de Villiers family 604-489-0046
ingriddevilliers@telus.net
Organic fed, free range, soy free eggs and chicken. Grass-fed lamb and beef.
28. Hodgins Farm
7819 Valley Road
Roger and Kathy Hodgins 604-485-7025
holidayfarm@telus.net fb.com/HodginsFarm
Horse and cattle hay; pasture-raised beef.
29. Paradise Valley Produce 3959B Padgett Road
Rachael and Dane Sherstad info.paradisevalleyproduce@gmail.com paradisevalleyproduce.ca
Certified organic mixed vegetables. Available at Townsite Fruit & Veg, Save On Foods, 32 Lakes Cafe, and Sechelt Farmers’ Market. CSA is customizable and allows vacation holds.
30. Hammer Valley Ranch
3734 Padgett Road
Mark & Bronwyn Gisborne 604-485-2935 markg4b@gmail.com Pork and honey.
31. Hammil Hill Farm
3674 Padgett Road
Ros Sherrard and Claude Marquis
604-485-7784 fireweedjazz@gmail.com
At roadside stand you will find eggs year round. Seasonal (April-October): Vegetable starter plants, salad greens, vegetables, cut flowers, fruit, honey, jams, relishes. Horse and cattle hay off the field at the time of harvest. Open 7 days a week 9 – 6. Look for the ‘OPEN’ flag. Self-serve, honour system.
32. Glade Gardens Farm
3320 Padgett Road
Carla & Thomas Gray gladegardens@grayagritech.com fb.com/gladegardens
A. Springtime Garden Centre 5300 Yukon Avenue springtimepowellriver.ca 604-483-3681
A zen-like garden centre with free roaming chickens and peacocks, offering plants, seeds, trees, berry bushes, herbs and vegetable starters. Manure, fertilizer and gardening accessories.
B. Mother Nature 7050 Duncan Street mother-nature.ca 604.485.9878
A fully-stocked, year-round gardening store, with a large greenhouse filled with everything from asparagus plants to zucchini seeds. Huge selection of seeds and seed starter kits, including microgreens. A wide selection of starter plants, soils and fertilizers, equipment, plus trees and berries.
34. Terra Nostra Farm
3250 Byron Road
Aaron Mazurek
TerraNostraFarm.com
terranostrafarmstore@gmail.com
At the store you will find vegetables such as tomatoes, cukes, lettuce, onions, corn, carrots, beans, peas, broccoli, kale, turnips, potatoes, squash, fennel, fruit and more. Local preserves, and many other locallymade foods, local crafts, and more. Farm gate store is open 10-5 Monday to Saturday. Also at the Central Farmers’ Market on Saturdays. CSA Veg Box by subscription, 20 weeks starting in mid June.
Free-range, heritage livestock, including Berkshire pork, old-fashioned smoked ham, sausage and bacon. Pastured heritage chickens, eggs. Meat box packages. Seasonal produce, cut flowers, honey, goats milk soap, bee balms and creams. Farm shop hours Thurs-Sat, 11-5:30. Soaps and creams are available at Paperworks, Kelly’s Health Shop, and Owl & Bear.
AT THE GATE: Many of the qathet region’s farmers sell food directly from their farms. But a lot of them require you to either be on their pre-arranged list or to call ahead. However, the ones we’ve flagged in green here welcome drop-in visitors most anytime during their season. Frankly, at even the largest of farms, you still run the risk of farm-gate sales being sold out if you don’t call ahead, but you’ll usually find something worth the visit, even if it’s just relaxing farm scenery.
36. Three Chicken Farm
2198 McLean Road
Pat & Jenn Kinahan
604-578-0157
threechickenfarm@gmail.com
threechickenfarm.net
Free-range eggs, chicks, pullets, and pasture-raised broiler chickens and pork. Make an appointment for sales. The farm also has two B&Bs and hosts weddings, private events, birthday parties, barnyard days, and barrel train rides.
Apples in season. Apple trees available in winter and spring. Apple press fresh juice in season. Custom grafting. Farm gate sales by appointment.
38. Sunny Acres 10067 Highway 101 South
Don & Sandra Macklem 604-487-0433 donsandra@shaw.ca
Eggs at roadside stand.
39. Humble Ground Farm 10152 Hwy 101
Ian & Danielle Gibson 778-266-0477
humblegroundfarm@gmail.com
Specializing in a variety of garlic cultivars, with farm gates sales of asparagus and seasonal vegetables in the spring, and garlic and pumpkins in the fall. Farm gate open late April to October, 9-4 Fri/Sat/Sun. Self-serve stand with an honour system for the veggies. Garlic sales by order for pick up, or at the stand in September. Also loaning land for growing flax.
40. Eternal Seed
2309 Zilinsky Road
Ellen & Gary De Casmaker 604-487-1304 eternalseed.ca gmofreeseed@gmail.com
Seeds, vegetables, and plant starts from locally grown heirloom seed as well as gluten-free baking. Find them at the Saturday and Sunday markets.
41. The Valdi Homestead
9958 Serendipity Road
Vanessa Adams-Valderrabano & Alex Valderrabano 604-578-8416 thevaldis24@gmail.com fb.com/thevaldihomestead thevaldihomestead.ca
Eggs, poultry, hatching. Seasonal produce. Custom and portable milling.
42. Gathered Farm
2802 Zilinsky Road
Alexander McNaughton & Mackenzie Alsager 778-971-6625
Fruit, vegetables, and flowers. Available at Pacific Point Market on Wednesdays 2-5 pm and at 32 Lakes Café market Saturdays 9-2 pm, June-September. Farm store now open 7 days a week on the farm. 20-week box subscription available, sign up online. Also hosting private farm-to-table dinners and weddings.
43. Coast Berry Farm
10084 Nassichuk Road
The Duyvesteyn Family 604-414-5390
coastberrycompany.com
Fresh blueberries, strawberries, honey, and more. Fresh berries July-Sept at the Farmers’ Market and Coast Berry farm gate stand. You can also find Coast Berry frozen berries at the Farmers’ Market, Save-On Foods, Quality Foods, and The Chopping Block.
44. Family Farm B&B
2590 Oxford Road
Jessie and Eric Peterson, and Ginny Kuboniwa 604-487-0544
familyfarmbnb.com familyfarmbnb@gmail.com
Farm gate sales include heritage poultry hatching eggs, chicks, ducklings, and colourful eggs from chickens on pasture. Registered Nigerian Dwarf goats as well as Registered Oberhasli goats. B&B is open year round. Farm tours year-round by appointment. Yearly Easter hunt and Pumpkin patch events, as well as petting zoos.
45. DC Harvest
2782 Wilcox Road
Jeff Dela Cruz
604-414-8780
dcharvest@gmail.com
Salad greens and vegetables, starter plants, and eggs around the neighbourhood and at the Saturday Farmers’ Market.
Brenda and Ed Audet 604-487-4235 edaudet@shaw.ca fb.com/edsblueberries.langbay
U-pick blueberries since 1999, boasting about 1,200 bushes with varieties including Blue Crop, Patriot, Toros, Chandler, Reka, Northland, Nelson and Spartan. Open late June til August.
49. Silver Wood Acres 11233 Tiller Road
Tia and Keith Wood 250-808-6906 silverwoodacres@gmail.com
Honey, chicken eggs, and ducks eggs can be found at the 4865 Bowness farm stand.
50. Stillwater Farm 12188 Highway 101
Carlos Williams • 604-487-0704 carlosdubya@hotmail.com
Wool and seasonal organics (non certified).
51. Willow Hollow Farm 12328 Highway 101
Pete Baillie & Janice Treloar 604-487-4104 janicetreloar@hotmail.com
Pork, beef, chicken, turkey, eggs. In-season red currants, gooseberries, elderberries.
52. Willow Hollow Tree Farm 12460 Highway 101
Jason Robinson & Allison White fb.com/willowhollowtreefarm Christmas trees in season.
53. Maude Bay Ranch & Retreat 12724 Scotch Fir Point Road
Jackie McRae • 604-483-1340
maudebayretreat@gmail.com
Third generation farm established in 1888. Hay by appointment or directly off the field at the time of harvest.
MISSING?
Despite our best efforts, it’s possible we don’t know all of the qathet region’s farmers. At least not yet... But we want to! So if we’ve left out a farmer, or got something wrong, please email sean@qathetliving.ca
Texada Island Farms
1. Rock Island Farm
Katrin Glen and Kelly Hughes
604-414-3826 rockislandfarm.ca
Beef, sheep, horses, chickens and Big Leaf Maple Syrup.
2. Blacktail Farm
6268 Shelter Point Road
Debbie Shapter and Richard Gilbert
604-486-6911
Eggs, asparagus, garlic, lavender and other produce.
3. Woodhead Farm
Brad & Dawn Hughes
604-486-7529
At 110, one of BC’s oldest generational farms. Beef, eggs, walnuts, carrots, basil, squash, corn, tomatoes, zucchini, beets, peas, potatoes, onions, lettuce, beans, raspberries, blueberries, figs and heritage apples. Available by private order or at the Texada Market.
4. K&S Greens N Things
Sheila & Kevin Corman
5120 Leaper Road. Halfway between Van Anda and Gillies Bay.
604-486-1022
ksgreensnthings@gmail.com
Preserves, seasonings, greenhouse vegetables, strawberries and more. Farmstead storefront.
5. Woodlot Mushrooms
John Whitehead
604-483-1680
whiteheadwoodlot@gmail.com
Shiitake mushrooms, fresh and dried, or help starting your own with kits.
6. Welcome Harvest Farm
2001 Crescent Bay Road
Dave & Branka Murphy welcomeharvestfarm.com
604-486-7137 bbmu@protonmail.com
Organic vegetables and blueberries, breeder of Nubian/Boer goats and Morgan horses. Manufacture 100% natural and organic fertilizers. Welcomes farm stays and visits. Products available at the farm gate, Powell River and Texada markets.
LOCAL WINE MAKER: Jeremy East has been working with Wildwood’s Solsken Farm to test winemaking with local grapes. His successes in competitions bodes well for the future of winemaking in qathet, so much so that Jeremy has purchased a winery with the intent of moving it here.
Winery noses around for space
Local sommelier purchases Island operation
By Sean Percy
Jeremy East is looking for a piece of land in qathet to grow grapes. At deadline, he was in the final stages of purchasing the Rocky Creek Winery in Cowichan Valley, and he wants to move the operation here.
“We just need to find a little bit of farmland that would be a suitable location for it,” Jeremy told Home Grown. In the meantime, he’s leasing back the operation as is, including the vineyard. But his goal is to have the winemaking operation here in qathet, making wine with both local and Vancouver Island grapes.
The purchase includes the equipment, the name, the company assets, a long-term lease on the Cowichan Valley vineyard to ensure a supply of grapes, and, most importantly, the winery license.
In addition to wines already made by Rocky Creek (their signature is a Cabernet Foche, a genetic mix of cabernet sauvignon and Marshal Foch),
Jeremy plans to make wines that he has been developing from Wildwood’s Solken Farm, including award-winning white varieties Silvaner and Ortega, as well as Siegerrebe. He has also developed a Marshal Foch red.
Over the past three years, the local vintages have proved widely varied, influenced by the heat dome one year, a rainy spring the next, followed by a drought. Berry wines are also on the menu. He’s hoping to have local fruit and grapes in production at least in time for Blackberry Festival and summer farmers’ markets.
Moving production to qathet will depend on finding the right location, but Jeremy says he hopes that will happen within the next couple of years, complete with a tasting room and vineyard.
Jeremy, who owns Westview U-Vin U-Brew with his wife Susanna, says the U-Brew will continue to operate, and they are currently deciding whether to sell, look for partners, or hire staff to keep it running.
Locavore lore
How much of your food comes from this region?
qL will report the results from this quiz in the September issue, alongside Fall Fair coverage.
What food do you generate yourself?
Gather mushrooms
Gather berries
Gather seaweed
Gather shellfish
Hunt meat
Fish in saltwater
Fish in freshwater
Grow vegetables
Grow fruit or berries
Grow grains
Keep chickens for eggs
Keep livestock for meat / dairy
What are your other sources of local food?
Gifted from family / friends / neighbours
Traded with family / friends / neighbours
Traded on an app or online
A non-profit program
(e.g. Food Bank or Family Place)
Bought online
Grocery store
Other brick & mortar store
Farm gate store or stand
Westview wharf
Farmers’ Market
A parked truck or food stall
Where do you learn about local food?
VIU
Powell River Garden Club
Online
Seedy Saturday
Skookum Provisioners or PRFAI event
Tla’amin Nation
Local store (e.g., Powell River Outdoors, Mother Nature)
Library
Recreation Complex class
Family, friends and neighbours
What would encourage you to eat more locally?
More / better land to grow on
More time to garden / hunt / fish / gather
More skills
Lower price to buy local food
Lower price to garden / hunt / gather / fish
Easier to find local food to buy
Different kinds of local food
Different preparation of local food
What percentage of your summer food supply is local (May to October)?
What percentage of your winter food supply is local (November to April)?
Where do you grow food?
My property in the City
My property in the qRD outside the City
Property of friends or family in the City
Property of friends of family in the qRD outside the City
I rent/lease land in the City
I rent/lease land in the qRD outside the City
Other
On a scale of 1-10, how important is it to you that qathet produce enough food to feed itself?
1 2 3 4 5
6 7 8 9 10
On a scale of 1-10, how likely do you think it is that qathet will produce enough food to feed itself in the next 10 years?
1 2 3 4 5
6 7 8 9 10
Submit your answers by taking a photo of this completed page and sending it to editor@qathetliving.ca, or fill this out at qathetliving.ca (you can use the QR code, above). Open until August 15.
How much of qathet’s food should we expect to be produced locally within the next 5 years?
5%
10%
25%
30%
50%
100%
Other:
How much of a premium are you willing to pay for local food?
I like local food, but I’m not willing to pay more for it.
5%
10%
25%
30%
50%
100%
Other
Where would you prefer to buy local food if it were available?
Grocery store
Other brick & mortar store
Farm gate store
Farm gate stand
Wharf
Farmers’ Market
A parked truck or food stall
Online/delivered
What else should planners know about your local food habits?
