Tag Archives: food security
The 2019 Report Card on the Farm
This is my second full year of living on our 5-acre mixed farm on southern Vancouver Island in British Columbia. As you know, we are primarily a fruit and berry farm, with several varieties of each. The owner, Norrie, is a former schoolteacher and now in his 80’s. He’s still amazingly active on the farm. […]
The Miracle of Rain
It’s always amazed me when weather announcers on TV or radio almost uniformly apologize when forecasting upcoming rain. As if rain is going to irrevocably ruin the next days’ activities or permanently scar kids’ psychics when an outdoor sport is impacted or postponed. Oh, my weekend plans are disrupted. News flash. Without rain, there is […]
The Satisfying Busyness of Farming
Farm life is busy life. Always something to do. As with any activity that becomes consuming, the hours go by quickly. The days seem even more so. But it is a good kind of busy. Here on Rosemeade Farm, a berry and fruit U-Pick, we have 5 acres and is half in ‘production’. A couple […]
Warm Days Return to the Farm
It has taken a while to arrive, but the days are now sunny and warm. A far cry from 16 inches of snow during late winter. It seems like the melt was only a couple of days ago. Where do the days go! As you know, the further north one travels, the longer is […]
Wastefulness and the West
It’s probably not earthshaking news to say that we live in a world full of waste. With food alone, the stats are out there concluding that what we throw away in developed countries could feed the entire world…and more. Look around you at everything we toss. Daily. Sometimes we simply don’t notice, because it is […]
The Quiet Days of a Canadian Winter
It’s winter here on the farm. I suppose it could be categorized as quieter days, more restful days — but this is all relative. The plants are resting, and so I feel justified to relax a bit more also. This is the lull before the spring push of new growth, blossoms, and fruit. Yes, daylight […]
Eating Local – Very Local (Part 2)
Having just come off seven days, of ‘eating only what is grown on our farm’, my appreciation of a true pioneer family is immense. My last blog set the stage, and these are a few nuggets I learned. A vegetable garden is essential for self-sufficiency. It’s probably the most important piece of ground on the […]
Eating Local – Very Local (Part 1)
I recently embarked on a food security exercise. Most of you know that I live on a small (5 acre) farm, with assorted berries, fruit, and a vegetable garden. Last week, I committed to eating foods that were only grown on our farm. With my interest in food and emergency preparedness, I wanted to glimpse […]
Heat Wave
It’s stealthy and quiet. It’s relentless. And can be deadly. It gets little recognition and deserves more. And we are having one here on Vancouver Island. A heat wave. Yes, it’s summer in North America, so expected to be warm or hot. But even by Canada standards, the heat for the last three weeks has […]
A Petty Agricultural Argument between Neighbors
Usually Canadian politics is a bit on the boring side, but not when it involves the US. I actually think the 2nd most popular sport in Canada…after hockey….is bashing America, or more specifically Donald Trump. May 2018 is no exception, especially when Trump is threatening to dismantle or at least re-negotiate NAFTA, the North America […]
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