Local Farm Spotlight: Woodward Christmas Tree Farm

One of the ways we are excited to be able to support our local farms this Christmas is by visiting Woodward Christmas Tree Farm to pick out the perfect tree for our home.  When we went last year our little Forager hadn't been born yet so while he was technically there for it all he didn't get quite the same experience.

Isn't it beautiful out there?  We went right at sunset and unintentionally made the evening even more magical.  The tree farm shares the same property as Privato Winery so you can stop in for a tasting and pick up some wine for the holidays.  If you make it out for their first weekend open you can also enjoy some mulled wine by the fire!  Hot chocolate and other treats are available at the concession.

Part of the fun of getting your tree here at the farm is the tractor ride that takes you out to the trees.  I think this was Little Forager's favourite part.  I tried so hard to get a photo of his smiling face on the ride but he was so interested in the tractor he wouldn't look away!

We looked and looked and finally we found the best tree.  It was hard because all of the trees are so nice.  We were looking for a blue spruce in particular since they have seriously sharp needles. 

Yes, you read that right!  

Our plan of keeping our decorated tree safe from our toddler included finding the prickliest Christmas tree we could!  So far between that and keeping non breakable ornaments near the bottom we have been successful.

I love decorating my tree, but for me it is important to do it as a family.  I like that tradition but it made it hard to find a time that worked this year.  We had the tree outside in a bucket of water for a few days.  Then we had the tree inside with only lights on for another few.  And then finally we decorated!

Make a Hops Bine Wreath

A lot of the time when I'm foraging, I am looking for something I can eat, but I also have my eyes peeled for things that I can use in my home.  Occasionally I find something that does double duty!

I posted on Instagram a while back this summer (and again in my summer recap post) about a local fruit stand that was forced to close down due to the highway expansion.  This was a really cool place where you used to be able to get ice cream, fresh juice, local produce, coffee, and even swap a book for a new one in their lending library.  The fruit stand shared the property with a mechanic's shop, and between the two an avenue of hops bines swayed in the wind. 

When we found out that the stand was closing I asked about the hops since we were interested in growing them.  I found out that they were originally rhisomes taken from crowns from Crannóg Ales in Sorrento, BC, but that the owner of the stand had no idea which was which.  We cut down some bines (yes, bines is the correct term - not vines) and dug up some of the crowns to try and plant them in our garden.  The hops currently on the bines were a bit past their prime, so we picked what we considered usable for brewing and dried those, and from the stripped bines I twisted together this wreath.  Our house smelled so intensely of hops for about a week!  I also tucked in some of the really dried out flowers (unusable for brewing) to decorate it.  These aren't structural, so I'll decide whether I always want them to be there, but for now I think they are perfect.

This was the first time I have made my own wreath without using some sort of form or other structure to get me started.  I was really excited about making a big wreath since I find the larger ones in the store to be quite expensive, and this would be completely free!  There are a lot of different ideas on the internet as far as how to put them together, but what I chose to do is:

1. Take one of the longest bines and make a circle roughly the shape you want your finished wreath to be but a little smaller.
2. Twist the rest of the bine around and around and around. 
3. Tuck the next bine in and keep twisting.
4. Keep going until all your bines are a part of the wreath.
5. Lay flat until the bines dry out completely.

Hopefully you can see by the photos how I was twisting them.  The good news is that you can make this using any kind of sturdy vine like grape, or Virginia creeper.  Have fun experimenting and see what you come up with!  I am really happy with the results of my wreath.

Foraging Rose Hips

One of the easiest things to forage in the fall are rose hips.  They are easy to identify, and there is nothing poisonous to confuse them with. 

Pictured above are a whole bunch of branches my landlady cut down when pruning a very unruly wild rose bush that was in our yard.  Before the hips completely dried out, I went out there and picked as many as I could.  I was going to dry them for storage anyway, so I wasn't worried about the fact that they were looking a little wrinkly.

Find some rose hips on your back yard rose bushes, or find some of the small shrubs that are very plentiful in Western Canada in the ditches along roadsides or in thickets in the woods.  They are especially easy to spot now that the rose hips will be bright red.

Here's what to look for.  They get a bit more bright red than this, but these branches were pruned a bit earlier than I would have picked them.  They will still be fine, though.

The best thing about rose hips is that they are so full of vitamin C.  These are a great item to keep in your pantry especially to help ward of winter colds.  Apparently very little of the vitamin C is destroyed during processing also, so that means if you make some syrup you can also use it to keep yourself healthy.

Once you have some what you want to do is dry them out for storage unless you are going to make jam or something right away.  Most of the recipes that call for rose hips require quite a lot of them, so it is nice that drying small amounts until you have enough is totally an option.

Spread them out on a screen, or use a dehydrator.  Once the hips are dry the long dry brown bits will crumble right off.  I threw mine in a mason jar until I get a chance to go out and get some more. 

Once I have a couple pounds of them, I will be trying out an old recipe from England during WWII that people were encouraged to make to help keep in good health during the food shortages.

Summer Recap

We really love ice cream.  This is a roundup of some of the places we tried this summer!

Of course we had to take Little Forager to his first Stampede!

This year marked our third Ribfest in Riverside Park.  This was one of the first things we went out to do when we moved to Kamloops, and now we always make a point of going.  It's become almost like a little Kamloops-iversary celebration for us.  Misty Mountain is our personal favourite of all the ribbers, since we really like beef ribs, and they have the best sauce.

Little Forager has grown up so much already.  It is hard to believe that his first birthday is coming up in a few months.  This summer we discovered that the absolutely loves swings.

He's already so big, but still looks small in this huge room in the Vancouver Art Gallery.

Later that summer we got a chance to visit Mr. Forager's family on their ranch in Saskatchewan.  Little Forager absolutely loved meeting the horses.

It was great to have some time with them since we are not able to make the long trip out there as much as we would like.

Stretching our legs during the ride home.

This year I actually had some success with growing beets!  This has been a goal of mine that for some reason has never been realized.  This mix of different types of beets from Westcoast Seeds was a huge hit for me this year!

We made our first (and last) visit to the Golden Ears Fruit Stand.  We were sorry to learn that it was closing down due to the highway expansion.

This summer was the most incredible year for fruit.  Many people were blessed with overabundance and felt the need to share with us.  We did not turn it down!  I also picked up a steam juicer from the fruit stand that was closing down and made a whole lot of grape juice from free grapes!  I am now excited to try to juice many other types of fruit.  It has become one of my favourite ways to process fruit!

We are now ready to welcome fall and all it entails!

Kamloops Farmers' Market Vendor Spotlight: Berry Sweet Garden, Farm Gate Market, and Laughing Swan Farm

If you know me, you know I love the Kamloops farmers' market.  Every Saturday feels like a little holiday.  We head downtown, pick up the freshest, most beautiful produce you've ever seen and then spend some time walking around downtown either shopping Victoria Street or walking in Riverside Park.  Over the past two years since moving here we have gravitated to a few different vendors at the market and I wanted to introduce them to you. 

Three vendors graciously agreed to answer a few questions for me this time, and I am hoping for a chance to interview a few more before the season is over.  I thought I had come up with some pretty boring - albiet open ended - questions, but I was really surprised by the variety of answers I received.  These three are special to us - we make sure to stop by every time we are at the market - and the more we talked the more I realized why we keep coming back.

Emma Molina - Berry Sweet Garden

berries, eggs, assorted vegetables, dry beans

What is your favourite thing to grow?

Berries.  Raspberries and strawberries.  I like growing them because they are unique.  They are special and delicate.  Not everyone can grow them.

Why did you decide to farm?

We have a passion for growing.  My husband likes to grow, and I like to sell.  Harvesting is so wonderful - it is so amazing to plant and then later to pull up a potato.  It is such a great process, to grow.

Why are markets like this so important?

We are able to sell to local people, and then the local people get the freshest stuff.  This way the money also stays in the community.

Mike Bayley - Farm Gate Market

assorted vegetables, strawberries into October

What is your favourite thing to grow?

I am an experimenter.  I love challenges and learning things.  I love to push the envelope to see what I can grow.  We'll have strawberries here at the market until October.  I've tried ginger root, sweet potatoes, and peanuts - all will grow here but it takes work.  I tried sugar cane, but that didn't work.  Light isn't an issue here.  In Kamloops we have the same amount of light in the spring as the equator but the problem is heat.  For me the growing year starts in February and I have things growing year round. 

Why did you decide to farm?

I've been gardening since I was 12 years old.  I have an attachment to nature - you have to pay attention.  I love the wild, but I love to be able to participate.  Generating abundant food is a wonderful gift but you have to be aware - we're not the master.  We think we are too smart and sometimes we mess it up.  I am very interested in permaculture and housing.  There should be a smoother blend, a transition into nature.  Humans shouldn't stand separate from nature - we are a part of it!

Why are markets like this so important?

Local food.  The structure of industrialized food is incredible, but the distance from people is a problem.  The focus on cheapness causes the consumer to suffer.  Health is integrated into that as well, and if you don't have health what do you have?

Shirley and Ken Wells - Laughing Swan Farm

tomatoes, garlic, mushrooms, shrubs, perennials, ornamental grasses, seeds

What is your favourite thing to grow?

Tomatoes!  We have 110 varieties.  My favourite are the black tomatoes.  They are rich and complicated.  The way some people feel about wines is how I feel about tomatoes (Shirley).  Afghan Rumi is a favourite as well as Purple Calabash.  I like the orange and red ones (Ken).

Why did you decide to farm?

My family have always been farmers.  Where my family comes from - the Black Sea - if you didn't save your seed you didn't eat.  Knowing what you are eating and that it is fresh is important so you are not held hostage by the grocery store.  I like to say 'There is nothing more local than growing your own, and the second best is the Farmers' Market'!

Why are markets like this so important?

One on one connection with the consumers, and the potential for education.  It's all about teaching people.  When they come here sometimes they get a botany lesson.  My goal is to change peoples' lives and to inspire them.