Gregoire Lamoureux will be conducting a permaculture workshop at Thistle Farm on April 21, 2013 between 10:00am-1:00pm.
GUEST POST by Leilani Reid
Gregoire Lamoureux with Kootenay Permaculture Institute is a permaculture designer, consultant and teacher. “He is one of the most experienced permaculture teachers and consultants in Canada. Gregoire has been actively working with permaculture systems for over twenty years and teaching permaculture courses in many parts of the country.”
If you don’t know what permaculture is all about please see this series of videos by Peter Bane or watch this short video featuring Gregoire Lamoureux.
Looking for delicious local food? Would you like to visit a farm and meet the farmers that grow your food? Come to Thistle Farm’s Christmas Market.
Thistle Farm is having a Christmas Market tomorrow. Sorry, for the short notice.
Deb Kellogg and Dieter Dudy said: “We have nine vendors this Sunday so it would be nice to see support for all these local people who are bringing you delicious home made items, whether it be food, crafts or artwork. Come enjoy the country atmosphere; we are only 5 minutes past the Dunes. Come visit and have a cup of hot chocolate or hot apple cider and enjoy the warm bonfire. We hope to see you here on Sunday.”
Time: 11:00am to 5:00pm When: Sunday, December 2, 2012
Here are some heirloom squash from Sun Rivers Organics. I will be saving seeds for next year's planting. Sun Rivers Organics grows many heirloom varieties good for seed saving.
Part of the harvest bounty is saving seeds for the next growing season. There are many reasons to save seeds. Heirloom seeds breed true and keep their traits through open pollination. A gardener can collect heirloom seeds and use them year after year. Heirloom seeds from the local area have the added benefit of being more adapted to the local climate, soil and resistant to regional pests. About 97% of Sun Rivers Organics plants are heirloom varieties so if you save seeds from their produce the seeds will breed true next growing season:
Here are some seeds saved from yellow watermelon, orange watermelon, sugar baby squash and sweet pie pumpkin. The great thing about heirloom seeds from the local area is that the plants are adapted to the local climate, soil and resistant to regional pests.
Remember to label your seeds with a "name", "year" and "place". I can't remember where this squash came from. I think these seeds came from Thistle Farms but I am not sure so I didn't label with a place. The napkin can be used to sprout the seeds in the spring, if desired.
If you would like to try seed saving, find out from your farmer which fruits are open pollinators or heirloom seeds. Hybrid fruit seeds are not worth saving because they will not breed true next growing season.
Cut open the heirloom squash, pumpkin, watermelon, etc and scoop out the seeds. Enjoy eating the fruit of the plant.
Remove all the fruit from the seeds and wash well. Carefully dry the seeds at a low temperature on a paper napkin. Label the napkin with the name of the seed. I usually dry my seeds on the top of my dehydrator where it is warm but out of direct sunlight.
After the seeds have totally dried, roll up the paper napkin and place in a plastic or paper bag. Label the bag with the seed’s name, the year, and a place of origin.
In the spring, the napkin can be dampened if you would like to sprout the seeds first before planting.
Seed saving can be a way to increase the number of seeds you have. It is a common practice to get a small number of rare or unusual seeds and plant just to increase the number of seeds.
This is another use of seed saving. This is a garbage bag full of sugar beet seeds, which is a traditional winter fodder for animals.
Buying large qualities of seed can be very expensive, especially if the seed is rare or unusual. If you are needing a large number of seeds, growing a crop and saving the seeds may be cost effective. Shaen planted a small number of sugar beet seeds for harvesting a large quality of seed. Sugar beets are biannual plants and it takes two years to grow seed. He now has a large amount of sugar beet seeds for planting next year. The beets will be used as fodder for the animals. Here are some examples of fodder crops.
If you are trying to save heirloom seeds for next year, here is Fiona Hamersley of Metchosin Farm explaining why you want to save heirloom seeds and the process for removing the gelatinous coating on tomato seeds.
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
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!
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
