Bowen Agricultural Alliance

Seed Exchange

If you’re already planning your garden, you’ll enjoy dropping by the first of the complimentary Seed Exchange, Sales and Gardeners’ Social at BICS, in the multi-purpose room, January 14, 11am-Noon featuring seeds harvested by BICS student gardeners as part of the BICS Grow to the Market and Garden program. Bring seeds you’ve collected from your garden to exchange/sell/trade, or just bring money to buy seeds. Packages of student-harvested seeds start at .50cents and include: pumpkin, sunflower, cornflower, beans, radishes, cilantro, cabbage, kale, parsley and more! Gardeners are invited to bring examples of their garden plans to show and share. BAA is assisting with this event as a partner.

BICS Farm to School Info Session

Are you interested in learning more about the BICS Farm to School program? After the seed exchange, January 14 Noon-1pm, in the MPR, there will be an info session and meeting with BICS Community School Coordinator for local growers interested in learning more about the BICS Farm to School program. We have funding to invest in our local agriculture to reach our goals of increasing consumption of locally grown produce in our Friday Lunch program and having every student at BICS visit at least one farm or garden on Bowen this year. Come to this meeting to find out more about how you can participate!

The growing season for this year is behind us, and soon it will be time to start thinking about seeds and spring gardens. We wanted to update you on what the Bowen Ag Alliance (BAA) has been up to this year, and our exciting plans for 2012.

2012 events:
We’re just now planning a series of BAA events for the New Year. We will be back in touch soon with confirmed dates, but this is what we’re discussing… If you have any ideas, or interest in leading a workshop, please let us know!
Jan/Feb – for beginner’s: planning a simple veggie garden—how-to
January 12 – food safety workshop (community offering, see below)
January 14 – seed exchange & sale with BICS student garden kids
March 10 – BAA AGM—all welcome!
April – soil amendment workshop
June to October – BowFEAST monthly community farmers’ markets
mid-August – BowFEAST annual local eating celebration in the cove
Fall – canning workshop

community news:
-Food Safety Planning Workshop:
For food processors, an introductory food safety planning workshop. Learn some basic HACCP theory and, practical monitoring procedures, plus info on employee hygiene and practices. It’s also an opportunity to network and access info that will help enhance your bottom line in these changing economic times.

Jan. 12 (8:30 am to 4 pm, registration fee $20, includes lunch and coffee breaks). At BICS Multi-Purpose Room. Info: www.ssfpa.net/foodsafety
contact: Jane Kelly, 1-866-619-7372, fssi.outreach@ssfpa.net

-Seed bank video:
A fascinating video about the Millenium seed bank:
http://www.nextworldtv.com/page/5829.html

2011 BAA recap:
-BowFEAST farmers’ market:
BAA put on six BowFEAST community farmers’ markets this year from May to October in partnership with BICS, Bowen Community Recreation and the Municipality—five at BICS and one on the library lawn. We had a great turnout, lots of beautiful produce and an enthusiastic community response. Nearly all the growers at our mid-August farmers’ market/local eating celebration sold out. Thanks to First Credit Union for donating the spiffy new tent.

-Harvest box program:
BAA launched a seasonal harvest box pilot project with two Bowen growers, “BowFEAST in a Box.” The program delivered a weekly box of fresh, locally grown produce to 10 customers from May to October. Despite the less-than-ideal spring growing conditions, the program proved a bit hit, and we enjoyed strawberries, plums, asparagus, tomatoes, potatoes and greens galore. Stay tuned for info on the 2012 harvest box program.

-Cheesemaking workshop:
With partner Artisan Eats/Tuscany, BAA presented two fall cheesemaking workshops with artisan cheesemaker and farmer David Asher of Mayne Island. These two popular sessions attracted 16 participants at each and proved lots of fun. So much so, that BAA plans to host another in the New Year.

-BICS school garden:
Despite the rain, BICS students in grades K-6 braved the weather to take part in the annual school garden seed harvest this past fall—including a load of plump potatoes. The harvest marked the end of the “Grow to the Market” program, and the start of our “Farm to School” program. Part of the Farm to School program means that the 12 lbs of potatoes we harvested will be included in the ingredients for the Friday Lunch program as we work towards the goal of having 15% of our school meals include local ingredients. (from Sarah Haxby at BICS)

-Bees on Bowen:
Bowen’s beekeeping group continues to flourish with a dozen active beekeepers throughout the island and a growing number of newcomers planning on getting started this spring and summer. “BOB” greatly benefited from the mentorship of Bruce Dobinson — a long time beekeeper from the North Shore — culminating in a successful queen breeding project this summer. Having rebuilt from the unfortunate loss of bees across the island (and much of coastal BC) in 2009/10, Bowen’s bees are looking healthy and ready for what we hope will be a productive pollinating and honey-producing season in 2012.

BAA board news:
BAA wishes to thank outgoing Board of Directors member Bruce Howlett for his enthusiasm, service and excellent berry jam! We’ll miss you, Bruce. Thanks again! If anyone is interested in joining the BAA board, please contact us. We could especially use an individual with excellent financial, bookkeeping and accounting skills.

Photo by Stephanie Vacher (Flickr)

BAA will host David Asher Rotsztain, a cheesemaker from Mayne Island for two short courses (level one and level two), October 26 and 27. (It is highly recommended that you attend the level 1 course if you plan to take level 2). Both classes will be held from 7 to 10:30 pm at Artisan Eats in Artisan Square. Follow the links below for more information and online registration. (Past event).

BAA Members receive a $5 discount. Check your email or become a member today.

• Cheesemaking Level 1, Oct 26, 7-10:30 pm
• Cheesemaking Level 2, Oct 27, 7-10:30 pm

This year after 20 years of only saving kale seeds, I am branching out. I chose open pollinated seeds, not hybrids, to grow for seed… It is my understanding that hybrids sometimes produce sterile seeds and do not come true. So I started with open pollinated seeds that are known to be quite self-pollinating: peas, beans, lettuce and tomatoes. (By the way, it is best to save seeds from several plants to help maintain biodiversity.)

Peas: I planted five little seeds that I was given — an ancient snow pea strain originally from Japan about 100 years ago. These seeds have been cultivated in the Fraser valley since their arrival in Canada. Peas generally self-pollinate before they open their flowers, so cross-pollination is unlikely. To play it safe, I planted these seeds 30 feet away from my “Jim’s Oregon Giant” snow peas. I simply waited for the plant to go brown and die back, then harvested the pods when they rattled in their pods.

Beans: Saving beans is much the same: leave the pods on the plant as long as possible; until they are dry or at least until they start to change colour. You can finish drying them in the house. Once dry, shell the pods and air dry seeds for few days.

Lettuce: Lettuce rarely cross-pollinates. But still do save seeds from a few plants to maintain bio diversity. Lettuce produces little white tufts that look like thistles; the seeds mature at different times, so harvesting regularly is a good idea. Allow the seed tufts to dry in the house until brittle, them rub them off.

Tomatoes: Tomatoes rarely cross-pollinate, especially the varieties that have the female-style (enclosed in the flower). It’s best to leave a 3- to 5-metre distance between varieties. Tomato seed-saving is fun: the little scientist comes out in you! I leave the tomato to ripen, then scoop out the center of the tomato and discard. Put the tomato in a container and add some water to cover the goo. This concoction ferments a makes a mold on the top. Empty the mold-covered liquid into a sieve to clean the seeds, then rinse. Dry seeds on a paper towel until storing them.

Kale: Saving kale seeds is simple as well, though you have to let the plant over winter as the seed is produced the second year. The kale puts out seeds on a long stalk; wait until the sprig is brown, put in a paper bag, hang to dry in the house and then shake the bag to remove the seeds.

Flowers: Countless flowers in the garden go to seed as well: cosmos, calendula, and malva. Gather these on a dry day; finish drying in house.

I store my seeds in a paper envelope, then place the envelope in a plastic bag. If I have desiccant package from vitamins, I add one to each bag. I find seeds keep well in the fridge or in a cool place. For a more information, check out the Seeds of Diversity (http://www.seeds.ca/en.php) website.

Enjoy saving your seeds, and see you at the “Seedy Saturday” here on Bowen in 2012. Happy gardening! —Cathy Buchanan

“Organics” is more than just a sign hanging over the small section of your local produce department. In the resource-recovery world, the term refers as well to the bits left over after eating an apple or peeling a peach—as well as kitchen scraps, vegetable trimmings, grass clippings, branches, leaves, and other so-called “green waste” plant materials, woody or soft, that are used or generated, as well as manures. From an agricultural perspective, all of this material is potential soil—and a precious commodity in a community not blessed with abundant native quantities of loamy rich earth.

Put simply, organics are not something we can afford to throw away. Which is why many of us are turning away from the “green waste” mindset and thinking instead of this useful material as “future soil.” However, the path from A to B is fraught with complexity.

In an effort to consider the various options against the context of a small community with limited tax base and unique challenges and circumstances, earlier this year, the Bowen Island Re-use-it Store Society—operators of the Knick Knack Nook second-hand store adjacent to the Bowen Island Recycling Center —retained islander Morganne Keplar of ReSource-Full Habitats.

Keplar researched and prepared a thorough report on various resource recovery methods, strategies, and options for diverting and processing our community’s organic resources.

The resulting Bowen Island Organic Resource Recovery Report [.PDF, 844KB] includes:

an examination of current resource management issues, the three organic processes of composting, anaerobic digestion and biochar, stakeholders and strategies, and options for future resource recovery enterprises on Bowen.

It is a comprehensive—and in places fascinating—survey of where we are at, where we could be, and what it will take to get there. Well worth a browse!

Coming Saturday August 20, 2011 …

• All island growers welcome!
• Tables $5 (kids free)
• For more information, contact: elle.glave@BowenAgAlliance.ca, 604-833-4638

Add this event to your calendar:

Come out, rain or shine, to the second in the BowFEAST farmers’ market series: Saturday June 4, 9 am to 12 pm at BICS (note time update).