L2T Network Spotlight – Wise Woman Seeds

L2T Network Spotlight – Wise Woman Seeds

News, Regional News
Sarah Bradshaw - Wise Woman Seeds “If you want to control something, control its food!” For Sarah Bradshaw of Wise Woman Seeds, this perspective coincides with a strong sense of justice she has held since childhood. Saving, swapping and now growing and selling seeds grew from the environmental justice and stewardship work that Sarah was a part of from an early age. Wise Woman Seeds is a small independent seed company that takes pride in the old and interesting varieties of vegetables and fruits they have saved and grown through a network of dedicated gardeners over the years. This includes Styrian pumpkin (a rather ugly superfood with very nutritious seeds), sweet potato squash (commercially bypassed because of looks—bigger, longer, weird looking—but one of the best squashes on the market for…
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L2T Network Spotlight – Curlew Orchard

L2T Network Spotlight – Curlew Orchard

News, Regional News
Patrick Ling-Allen - Curlew Orchard in the BX area of Vernon My background is stewardship and environmental engagement. When we moved back to Vernon with kids I decided it was time to get hands off the computer and in the dirt to manage a piece of our own land. From the start we pursued organic status, added a permaculture grove to our orchard, built onsite cold storage, and implemented regenerative practises to build soil and rehabilitate the natural environment on and around the farm. Soon some of our friends’ farm animals were arriving to retire here.   I’m proud of our CSA with members who have been with us for five years. We want our CSA members to feel involved and know they are a part of supporting local food— partnering…
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A Personal Experience of the Recent “Buttergate” Fiasco

A Personal Experience of the Recent “Buttergate” Fiasco

News, Regional News
By Andrea Gunner Good quality croissants, warm from the oven, flaky and crisp on the outside, stretchy and elastic on the inside, are one of my favourite treats. Living in rural BC, this treat was not very accessible, certainly not to Paris boulangerie standards, until I learned to make them myself. I usually make a batch of croissants and pains au chocolat a few times a year, to share with family, friends and neighbours. I import special “batons” of Valrhona chocolate for the filling. On my infrequent trips to France, I buy butter at the cheese shops since they package it in labelled “fromage” paper, making it much easier to smuggle into Canada. Oh yes, one of the realities of a supply managed Canadian dairy industry is import restrictions on dairy products.  Why…
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The Monashee Community Co-op – The Little Co-op That Could

The Monashee Community Co-op – The Little Co-op That Could

News, Regional News
From December through January I played phone tag with Chris Bauman, president of the Monashee Community Co-op (in Lumby) Board of Directors. I gathered, through voice messages at first, that she had exciting news to share! What I can share with you now is not only a good-news story, inside a global pandemic full of not-so-good-news-stories, but an opportunity for us to support a local business that holds potential to strengthen our regional food system as a whole (win, win, win). As it turns out, Chris and a team of dedicated folks surrounding the community organic food Co-op have been working night and day to take the Co-op to the next level. Unlike most businesses, the Monashee Community Co-op has been blessed by COVID. They have seen membership jump from…
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Media Release | RDNO Electoral Areas B and C Retain BX Ranchlands

Media Release | RDNO Electoral Areas B and C Retain BX Ranchlands

News, Regional News
Photo: RDNO Want to visit the BX Ranchands? Trailhead (east location) and newly expanded parking lot are located on East Vernon Rd. A small parking lot and trailhead signpost are on the west side of the road, near the big wooden barn.For more details, see the BX Tour Map and visit the Ribbons of Green Society's website (see Trail #5). https://youtu.be/7lwPOKcZ9Ck FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEDATE:                           January 27, 2021MEDIA CONTACT:      Ashley Gregerson, Communications OfficerPHONE/EMAIL:           250-550-3707 / Ashley.gregerson@rdno.caRDNO Electoral Areas B and C Retain BX RanchlandsThe BX Ranchlands, located off of East Vernon Road, is a large parcel of undeveloped green space, a rare commodity for the area. The RDNO purchased the land in 2016 to create a perimeter trail through a portion of the land and discussed subdividing and selling the remaining…
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Food Access, Gaps, COVID-19, and 2021 Food Predictions

Food Access, Gaps, COVID-19, and 2021 Food Predictions

News, Regional News
This is not news... we know that sufficient, safe and nutritious food is critical to the health and well-being of us all. At this time of year, we tend to think a little bit more about the food we can and cannot afford. Tis the season to give generously... to food banks and other emergency food and support programs. The push for donations ensures that food banks can not only feed more people over the holiday season but also stock up for the year to come. And this next year is shaping up to be another hard-hitter when looking at food security (and household food insecurity). 4.4 million Canadians (including half a million British Columbians) experienced food insecurity before the pandemic. This number is expected to double over the coming…
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Conversations, Opportunities and a Stronger Regional Food System

Conversations, Opportunities and a Stronger Regional Food System

News, Regional News
On October 28th, 17 local government representatives (politicians and staff) from across the RDNO met on Zoom to discuss and learn what is on the radar for local government as it relates to local food security and food systems (planning, development, policy).  This meeting was co-hosted by Land to Table (L2T) and the Interior Health (IH) Healthy Communities Program, with the intent to build relationships with local government, provide a (virtual) networking space, and share about each of our organizations/programs and the support that we can offer to local government in food systems and food security engagement, planning and project development. In the work of L2T, to catalyze connections and collaboration and make sense of how we can best support strengthening our regional food system, this meeting was designed to…
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BX Ranchlands: A Functional Past and a Promising Future

BX Ranchlands: A Functional Past and a Promising Future

News, Regional News
Credit: BX/Swan Lake Community Association In the first week of my position as the Land to Table (then NOFSI) Coordinator, I found myself around a table, at Rancho Vignola, with a group of food system folks. Meeting participants included farmers exploring a co-op, an economic development consultant working with the O’Keefe Ranch, the BX/Swan Lake Community Association exploring opportunities to support retaining the municipal owned BX Ranchlands, amongst others. We were gathered to hear and learn about each other's work and to think about opportunities for collaboration--or at least how to minimize duplication. More so, we had gathered to share with and learn from Heather Pritchard, former Executive Director of FarmFolk CityFolk and now Executive Director of the Foodlands Cooperative of BC. Heather had been invited to visit the region…
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The Six-Month COVID Hump: What’s Next?

The Six-Month COVID Hump: What’s Next?

News, Regional News
Perhaps you have heard, we—the collective world—have hit the six-month COVID hump. At this point, within a cycle of “disaster” (as it has been for so many), experiencing a wide range of big emotions is normal. So if you are overwhelmed as you stare down from this hump-like place, know that burnout is quite likely. It may also be helpful to know that within the ag community, support (including funding and some really smart folks) is available. For example, Community Futures has developed a new REACH program designed to help agricultural businesses recover.  “From lost farmgate sales to lost harvest workers, agricultural businesses in the North Okanagan have had a tough year because of COVID-19. Now, a new business accelerator program aims to help the region’s agricultural entrepreneurs get the…
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The 100 Mile Diet (15 years later), COVID and our Attention for Local Food

The 100 Mile Diet (15 years later), COVID and our Attention for Local Food

News, Regional News
Food Action's 100 Mile Diet Challenge (2010) Would you call yourself a ‘locavore’? What does ‘local food’ mean to you? Is it food grown and processed in BC, or perhaps in the Okanagan? Maybe ‘local’ means closer to home still, from the North Okanagan. For many, this year especially, local looks like buying meat and vegetables from the farmer down the road, and harvesting from your own garden.  2020 has brought unprecedented challenges due to a global pandemic that is shining a spotlight on our food system and inspiring people to look at where our food comes from. This year also marks the 15th anniversary of the 100 Mile Diet—a movement inspired by a simple idea, as written about by authors J.B. MacKinnon and Alisa Smith, who for one year…
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