Tag Archives: Golden Ears Farm

Kamloops Farmer’s Market: Photo Essay

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Come for a walk with me at the Kamloops Farmer's Market. I like going on Wednesdays because I can go to the library while picking up wonderful local food. Here is the booth for Silver Springs Organic.

There are two Kamloops Farmer’s Markets. One market is on Wednesdays and another market is on Saturdays:

Wednesdays
Time: 8:00am to 2:00pm
When: Wednesdays between May 2 to October 31, 2012
Where: 400 block Victoria St, Kamloops, BC

Saturdays
Time: 8:00am to 12:00noon
When: Saturdays between April 21 to October 27, 2012
Where: 200 block of St Paul St, Kamloops, BC

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I don't know everyone at the market yet. Over the years I have met more and more farmers. I don't know why, but I feel more connected when I know where my food comes from.

My favorite farmer’s market is on Wednesdays because it fits into my working schedule. I can go to the library and stock up on my weekly vegetables at the same time. I like doing as many chores as I can for each trip down the hill. This saves me time and money.

The Kamloops Farmer’s Market has really changed my buying patterns. I used to buy everything from the grocery store but the quality and freshness of the market food changed all that. The market got me thinking about local food and about eating seasonally. The market even started me growing my own food. I don’t know how that happened but it did. I love the bustle of the market and all the people gathering around for the great food. It’s like a weekly block party!

If you have never been to the Kamloops Farmer’s Market come down and enjoy the fun!

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This is the booth for Fresh is Best Salsa Company. They are a homegrown Kamloops business. They make a whole line of ready to eat salsa, sauces and snacks: www.freshisbest.ca.

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This is the Thistle Farm's booth. Dieter Dudy was within 500 votes of becoming our new major. Thistle Farm has an organic produce delivery box for people that can't make it to the market: www.thistlefarm.com.

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Here are some beautiful beets, carrots and onions. It's wonderful to see so many happy faces at the market. One thing I have learned at the market is to enjoy the seasonal bounty.

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After I started eating produce in season, I couldn't go back. There is nothing better than new potatoes, just out of the ground. Waiting for the first hot pepper, carrot, tomato or strawberry of the year becomes part of the pleasure of real food.

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Here is Anne Grube working at the booth for Golden Ears Farm. She has just received a community works award from the Council of Canadians. Look at those tomatoes, cucumbers and beans. Golden Ears Farm has a fruit stand near Chase, BC: www.goldenearsfarm.org.

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Here is the Kamloops Area Preservation Association giving a Caesar's thumb-down to the Ajax Mine. The market is a great place to find out what's on people's minds: www.stopajaxmine.ca.

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I hope you enjoyed the tour of the market. I will leave you in library square. In 2003, the Thompson Nicola District experienced terrible wildfires. The sculpture in the background remembers the efforts of firefighters, emergency workers, volunteers and evacuees.

Kamloops Farmer’s Market Videos: Golden Ears Farm

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GUEST POST by Larkin Schmiedl

Tristan Grube-Cavers runs Golden Ears Farm co-operatively in Chase, BC. In this video he shares his ethics, the reasons he went into farming, some of what he hopes to achieve on the farm, as well as the things Golden Ears grows.

Winter Storage Part II

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This is part of our dried storage area. We like to have a large section of organic dried fruits, mushrooms, spices and other organic bulk items. We buy in bulk to save on costs.

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We like having a large section of organic beans, legumes, and whole grains. We grind our own flour at home.

Our household has three types of winter storage. We use a root cellar, dry storage and freezers. The root cellar is humid and cool, which is good for storing: potatoes, carrots, parsnips, rutabagas, cabbages, onions, garlic, shallots, green tomatoes, raw cheese and crocks of fermented vegetables. The dry storage is dry and cool, which is good for storing: dried fruits, ground coconut, grains, beans, legumes, assorted herbs and raw honey. We have over 70 cubic feet of freezer space in which we store: beef, pork, lamb, chicken, turkey, organ meats, bones, raw milk, raw butter, butter, nuts, seeds, berries, tomatoes and assorted vegetables.

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This freezer used to be full of raw milk. We will run out of milk before Olivia gives birth to her next calf. Normally, I would never store anything with frozen milk to avoid off flavors getting into the milk but I ran out of space in my other freezers.

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This is my fruit freezer. It was full at the beginning of winter. I now have space for nuts. When nuts are shelled it is better to store them in the freezer to protect their delicate oils.

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This freezer would normally be empty by this time of year. One of our big freezer's compressor failed. We where lucky that we didn't lose any food. It is a good idea to have a temperature alarm on all freezers to avoid this kind of problem.

Three years ago, we came to Kamloops and moved into an old mining pit. The soil is clay, rock and gravel. The first year we were busy building the warehouse and a home. The second season we started the garden. We had to bring in compost, peat, and manure from all over the city to grow anything. We planted fruit trees, currents, raspberries and other food producing plants. We use drip irrigation and a small number of spray emitters. The soil was so hard and rocky I was using a rock pick to dig shallow holes to plant my herb garden. Many plants died that first year.

The quickest way to build soil is animals. We have run chickens for two seasons now. Shaen is the gardener in the family and he has had some production this year. We have had good production from: raspberries, strawberries, some tree fruits, spaghetti squash, beets, zucchini, chard, tomatoes, green beans, herbs and dried beans. Everything else languished or died.

The last week, has been a race with the weather to remove the remainder of our crops from the garden. We managed to put away some spaghetti squash, pie pumpkins and green tomatoes in the root cellar. We froze some raspberries and green beans. We put away a very small amount of dried beans into our dry storage. It was chickens that really worked this year. We put away 120 chicken or about 600 pounds of meat in our freezers. We have eleven turkeys still growing in the back “pasture”. Our new laying hens are consistently producing over a dozen eggs a day.

Every urban homestead starts from humble intentions. The urban homesteader must be flexible. The land can only produce what the land can produce. The urban homesteader must be patient. With careful tending and a little effort, the land will produce more and more each year. If we are in a hurry, production can be increased, but a cost will be paid in labor or money. The urban homesteader needs to be grateful. Whatever comes is a bounty, a gift, from the land. In our modern world we have forgotten how precious food is. Growing your own food counteracts this delusion.

These are some of the local producers I have used for dry stores and for our freezers:
1. Westsyde Apiaries: 250.579.8518: raw honey, raw honey comb
2. Fieldstone Granary Ltd: 250.546.4558: organic spelt kernels, golden flax seed, oat groats, green lentils, and buckwheat groats, chicken scratch
3. Healthylife Nutrition: 250.828.6680: raw pecans, raw walnuts, shredded coconut, raisins, currents, dates (Once a year fall order from www.ranchovignola.com.)
4. Jocko Creek Ranch: 250.374.9495: grass fed beef, grass fed lamb
5. Lyne Farm: 250.578.8266: grass fed beef, grass fed veal
6. Beaver Valley Livestock Services: 250.243.2257: pastured pork
7. Big Bear Ranch: 250.620.3353: pastured organic pork
8. Golden Ears Farm: 250.679.8421: unsprayed strawberries
9. Highland Farm: 250.803.0048: organic cherries
10. Blueberry Hill Farm: 250.246.4099: unsprayed blueberries
11. Avalon Dairies: 604.456.0550: pasteurized organic butter (Good for cooking.)

U-Picking Strawberries, Cherries and Blueberries for Winter

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Pitting Cherries

During cherry season we pit and freeze at least 100 pounds of sweet cherries and 50 pounds of sour cherries. These cherries can be enjoyed all winter long in desserts, smoothies and other treats.

Over the last month, we have been working hard to freeze enough soft fruit to last until next year. I try to find certified organic or un-sprayed fruit. I feel comfortable asking the farmers what growing methods they use. Over a number of years, I get to know people and what they do on their farms. This means I can get products that may not be certified organic but are just as good. I feel good knowing where my food comes from and building a long term relationship with my farmers.

I try to find organic or un-sprayed u-pick situations for soft fruit. I do this for a number of reasons. U-pick fruit is cheaper than buying picked fruit. I can get a better quality product. I know the product has been picked that day which is better for freezing. By freezing the fruit I save money even if the price is higher for organic or local fruit. I also know my money stays in my community and doesn’t go to some faceless corporation half way around the world. Of course, I’m bringing my children and I don’t want them to be picking (and eating) in a sprayed field. Nor do I want the farmers to have to get sick from working in sprayed fields to feed me!

I also want my children to know where their food comes from. A child that has picked strawberries knows it comes from a small perennial plant, blueberries from bushes, and cherries from trees. The experience of meeting the farmer and seeing the farm is a priceless experience. I want the children to have some idea of the work involved in picking, preparing and storing food for the winter. Even when they get tired and stop helping, they seem to take it all in by osmosis. They enjoy the experience many times over in the winter when the sweet fruit brings back the memory of the hot summer day picking on the farm. I am surprised at the complex detail in these remembered stories.

If you have never gone to a u-pick before, I have a few tips to make it fun with children:
1. Call ahead to ensure the picking is good and children are welcome. Find out if you need directions to find the u-pick. I try to pick near the end of the season to have really ripe fruit but this is just a personal preference.
2. Ask if there is any special equipment you need to bring for picking. I normally have a number of small pails, boxes for fruit, and plastic freezer bags.
3. Bring water and picnic food.
4. Go as early in the morning as possible to avoid the heat of the day and wear suitable clothing, especially a hat.
5. When you get there ask for picking advice if you don’t know what to do. Make sure the children hear how to pick correctly to avoid damaging the plants.
6. Ask if the children can eat while picking. Usually this is allowed and cannot be stopped in any case.
7. Bring another adult to help pick and share looking after the children if required. Bringing a group of families can be fun too!
8. Bring cash.

I have listed the u-pick farms I have visited this year. Their information is available on the website. I listed the amounts I picked for freezing for a family of four:
1. Golden Ears Farm, RR2 S25 C18, Chase, BC: 250.679.8421: 35 pounds of un-sprayed strawberries in June. I normally need 100 pounds for the winter. This year I picked too close to the end of the season and I could not get back for more.
2. Highland Farm, 4360 30St, NE, Salmon Arm, BC: 250.803.0048: 90 pounds of certified organic cherries in July. Find a good bulk pitter if you are going to freeze.
3. Blueberry Hill Farm, 4886 South Grandview Flats, Armstrong, BC: 250.246.4099: 65 pounds of un-sprayed blueberries in August. I will be going back for more. This is a favorite berry in the household. I will need about 150 pounds.