I started our agriculture and food edition back in 2009.
It seemed to me at the time that there were an awful lot of people doing an awful lot of interesting things in these industries in the Cowichan Valley, and that the Cowichan Valley seemed to have a lot more going on than many other communities I’d been in.
In all the years since, my gut feeling has been proven right every time we make the list of the farms, foods and issues we’re going to include in the annual edition.
Because there’s always something new, innovative and exciting just waiting for the story to be told.
I come by my interest in this area naturally. I love, love, love food. I love making it for myself at home (well, most nights, anyway. There are some when a bowl of cereal hits the spot for this tired editor), and I love eating out and trying the culinary masterpieces of our local chefs.
My sister is a registered dietitian and nutritionist who is all about fresh, local food that provides the best of nutrients. My mother has published her very own cookbook.
I grew up on Saltspring Island where we had a small farm with goats and chickens that provided us with eggs and milk, which my mother sometimes made into a beautiful soft, mild cheese. I don’t think I’d had cow’s milk in more than a decade by the time I headed to university.
My mother always credits it for the healthy state of our teeth as my siblings and I have grown into adulthood.
Saltspring is also home to a famous Saturday market, though when we lived there it was considerably smaller and more homespun. Our first bikes came from the guy who hauled the sometimes rusty, refurbished two-wheelers to Ganges on Saturday morning. Doll clothes came from a woman who had a table of knitting.
So when I went to the Duncan Farmers Market here in Cowichan I was instantly in love. From the produce (I bought peppers, greens and eggs there last weekend) to the honey, the wine tasting to the jewelry and soap it’s not just the products that are second-to-none, it’s the atmosphere. It’s only gotten better with age.
So what’s my point?
The annual agriculture and food edition is a labour of love for me and some of my favourite reading of the year.
I hope it is for you too, dear readers.
With more than 700 farms in the Cowichan Valley, we’ve only just scratched the surface. There’s plenty more earth to dig into in the Warm Land.