on July 17, 2010Ladies and gentleman, gather your tomatoes, blackberries and zucchinis! BowFEAST is coming August 7 to 14, with the farmers’ and growers’ market on Saturday, August 14 from 10 am to 1 pm on the library lawn.
There’s something different this year. We are now officially a program of Bowen Community Recreation. So that means, folks who want to sell at the Saturday farmers’ market have to register in advance for a table at the Bowen rec office (at Bowen Island Community School x 2216) and pay $5 for a table. Registration is now open—join us! (Anyone is welcome to show up and sell their backyard goods at the community table and we invite you to donate proceeds to the BICS school garden.)
If you’ve haven’t heard of it, BowFEAST is a week-long celebration of local eating, honouring our island farmers and the harvest, in mid-August that culminates in the community farmers’/growers’ Saturday market. For that week, we’ll be challenging all Bowenites to eat as locally as possible, together!
Last year was a humdinger, and we’re hoping this year will be even better. We’ll have tables for folks selling produce, herbs, flowers, preserves, baked goods, tasty vittels from the butcher; a table for the Bowen Agricultural Alliance; a kids’ aggie fun table; beekeepers; plus info on garden composting, veggie growing, wildcrafting/foraging and recipes using local ingredients. We’ll have a set of half-hour worksops this year as well, where budding ag enthusiasts can share info on mason bees, chickens, and more. And we hope as many Bowen retailers as possible will join the fun as well.
We’re suggesting everyone gather together friends and family and feast SLOW-food-style—each at his own house, in his own way. If you can, put a 100-percent-from-Bowen dinner on the table. If you can’t, do your best: maybe a Bowen apple crisp and roasted chicken, with squash, beet salad and Okanagan Pinot Gris. Cocoa West Chocolates are a decadent dessert. Try to get it all from the island; if you need to get some menu items from the mainland, go for it; go B.C. or regional. If the weather cooperates, move the table out under a tree and take in the last scents of summer.
For more info stay tuned to the Bowen Ag Alliance website or e-mail BowFEAST organizer Elle Glave.
Related
- BowFEAST is an easy nut to crack (Bowen Island Undercurrent)
- Eating Local — It all starts here (Bowen Island Undercurrent)
- The BowFEAST Report: Register now (Bowen Island Undercurrent)
- BowFEAST local eating event set for August 14 (Bowen Island Undercurrent)
- Meet your farmer: Clemencia Braraten
- Meet your farmer: Aubin van Berckel
- Meet your farmer: Reidun van Kervel
- Meet your farmer: Vivian Pearce
Here’s what to expect at this year’s BowFEAST farmers’ market:
The stars of the show: our farmers!
* Daphne Fargher of Foxglove Ranch will be selling her jams and jellies.
* growers Aubin and David van Berckel with artichokes, fennel, berries, figs, herbs, vinegars (apple cider and raspberry), pickled nasturtium “tastes like capers.”
* the Ruddy Garden’s Kim Howden with produce
* Clemencia Braraten of Primrose Farm with purple potatoes, beets, carrots, greens, lettuce, garlic…
* Collinsia Farm’s Marion Moore and Jean Jamieson are coming with their famed greens and other produce
* the girls from the EFC (Environmental friendship club) will sell produce from their gardens and some homemade/baked goodies as a fundraiser.
* Jane Ferguson of Ferguson Farm with shiitake mushrooms and mushroom kits, herb pots, green pepper plants and small flower pots.
* Suzan Phillippe, Dane Willow Farm, with canned Bowen peaches from her property and vinegars, plus some produce.
* Bowen Brook Farm’s Marg McConnell & Andrew Burgess, with tasty produce
* gardener extraordinaire Reidun van Kervel with her own kale, arugula, herbs, lettuce and zucchini, among other produce.
* farmer Rosie Montgomery and Peter of Home Farm with lavender dried, sachets and fresh eggs.
* grower Susan Proctor, the Gardenmaker, with produce, preserves and cut flowers.
* The talented Eva Kepesova with homemade pies, jams and cakes.
* selling local burdock w/ recipes on how to prepare will be Deanna Adams and Charmaine Heffelfinger, also offering lettuce, chard and green beans, if ready to harvest.
On the retail side…
* The Ruddy Potato green grocer will be featuring locally grown produce in the store. Just look for the special signs.
* With a table or three at the farmers’ market, Tuscany/Artisan Eats cafe’s Julie Cree says: “There with MUCH bread, seasonal fruit tarts, Bowen basil pesto, and basically, we’ll try to make a bunch of baked goods with produce we find on the island.”
* Says Paul at the Bowen Island Cold Beer & Wine Store: “This weekend Aug 13-15 is our annual BC wine tasting in conjunction with BowFEAST. Lots of great wines to try between Friday evening and Sunday. We also have a truly wonderful draw prize for all tasters to enter for. Full details with wines, times, deals and prize click on the Bowen Wine Blog. This is our largest tasting of the year so do drop by, different wines each day.” Cheers!
* Phoenix on Bowen is featuring local food and ag books in the store.
* Carlos and Joanne at Cocoa West Chocolatier, are offering their popular “Bowen berry truffle” starring island blackberries.
* You can buy locally roasted coffee from Gino’s Happy Isle Café at the farmers’ market.
* Mik’sa restaurant will have an info table at the market.
NEW this year! Don’t miss our FREE foodie/ag workshops, with a new topic each half hour:
10-10:30 am Heather Joan Tam of Bowen Island Museum & archives on history of gardening/ag on Bowen Island
10:30-11 am Shasta Martinuk, Zero Waste Bowen Committee rep, on how local ag can lower our waste production
11-11:30 am Stuart Cole of the Bowen Agricultural Alliance on mason bees
11:30 am-12 pm Charles Robicheau, Ea Claire Farm, talks on buying and raising chickens for beginners
12 pm-12:30 pm Karen Wristen on community gardens and Bowen’s community garden efforts
12:30-1 pm – rep for Urban Grains, a local co-op: what is it? How to join?
1-1:30 pm Vivian Pearce on buying and raising laying chickens: you’re already up and running — how to take your operation to the next level?
