Farmer

Allen McWilliam of Tannadice Farms sat down with Chef Jon and Darren in the studio today. Allen treated us to the background story of how the farm has grown from its' humble beginnings to the cornerstone-of-the-valley it has become. Humble and gracious, he shared a loving history of the Valley, and was able to relate his unique view on the farming scene here and how it has evolved and grown over the years. And he brought sausages!

 Carmen Wakeling of Eatmore Sprouts sat down at
the Edible Valley table today to talk sprouts, farming, and the beautiful
Comox Valley. Carmen took us back to the beginning, those many years ago,
where it all began. It's amazing that a small backyard venture has become a
food juggernaut, producing an incredible amount of food for the entire province.
Truly one of the forefront food growers of our area, we are thankful that
Carmen was able to come in and share her story, and hopefully inspire all of
us!
Eatmore Sprouts and Greens Ltd.2604 Grieve RdCourtenay, BC, V9J 1S7Telephone:  250-338-4860Fax:  250-334-0216Email: eatmore@shawbiz.ca
Website: http://www.eatmoresprouts.com
Facebook: Eatmore
Sprouts

Arzeena Hamir of Amara Farms, Merville Organics and
many others organizations came into the Edible Valley studio today to talk
organics. Arzeena is a noted food activist from Richmond BC who relocated to
the Valley years ago to establish a farm. An authority on organics and
sustainability, she is the driving force behind Merville Organics - a group of farmers upholding high standards for collective organic farming. It was
great just to hear her take on the entire process and where organic food is
heading here in the Valley. We look forward to checking in with Arzeena on a
regular basis to see how things develop for organic farming here in the Comox
Valley. 
Amara Farm 
2631 Kirby Rd,
Courtenay, BC V0R,
Canada
Phone:
(250) 331-0543
Website: http://mervilleorganics.ca/
Email: mervilleorganics@gmail.com
Facebook: Amara Farm
                  Merville Organics
 

Today we bring you up to speed on the original co-host of the Edible Valley. Blayne Prowse left the podcast nearly two years ago, after an interview on this very show. During an interview based on permaculture, it resonated with him so astutely that after the taping, he began to dig deeper, and opted to pursue a life of permaculture and sustainable living. 
  We are very privileged and proud to bring you up to speed on Blayne's findings and adopted lifestyle. 
  Tell us what you think - we would love to hear from you!

Chef Jonathan Frazier and Local Food Entrepreneur Darren Howlett get a chance to sit down with Grace Obal of Bates Beach Farms, to talk about all of the wonderful things happening in the local farming scene during this incredible summer of amazing crop yields. Grace relates to us how her and her husband developed this special little farm, tucked away in an incredibly beautiful and lesser known area of the Comox Valley. What began as a rock filled swamp (seriously - take a listen!), was worked and reworked with love and determination into an incredibly verdant and bountiful farm. She also divulges the inside scoop on a few secret (and amazing) projects she and her husband are developing for her farm, the local youth and our community! Take a listen!

Do you ever wonder where your food comes from? What makes it so special? This week with our first studio audience we got a chance to talk to Gillian Watt from the BC association of abattoirs about BC Meats for BC Markets. We learned first of all BC does have a beef industry and a new BC beef net will allow local chefs the ability to buy BC beef. The program allows chefs to buy whole or half carcasses and have them process to there liking as well as giving a price per portion. With the North Vancouver Island Chef Association as our guests in studio we learned about the future of where our beef industry is going and how we will soon see local BC beef in many of our restaurants in our amazing province.

Guest speaker Gaetane Palardy of Island Gourmet Trails discusses the extensive opportunities we have here in the valley to showcase food through food tourism. She walks us through what a tour with Island Gourmet Trails looks like, with the emphasis on visiting the valley from a foodie angle. They also take a peek at the cooking classes Gaetane offers, and what it means to meet local producers and taste local food through product, restaurants, and other activities around food in the valley.
Jon reviews the local products he showcased over the past weekend during the event “Delicious Downtown.”

Helen Grond contacted us a few weeks ago to let us know she was appreciating the podcast, and offer some words of encouragement. She revealed that, with her husband, they own and operate Middle Mountain Mead on Hornby Island. Along with being a local farmer and producer, Helen has also been living the Paleo lifestyle for five years and belongs to a Paleo inspired group on the island. It was a great conversation with someone who is very educated about the issues of our present day food systems and wishes to help others to create food security in their own lives. Thanks Helen, it was great to meet you!

It was our great pleasure to welcome Dr. Vrain to the studio to talk to us about the issues surrounding Genetically Modified Organisms. A little back ground of Thierry from his bio on the Innisfree Farm website:
Thierry was born and raised in Paris, France. He did undergraduate and graduate degrees in biology in France and in the US. Upon arriving in Canada he taught Plant Physiology at Université du Québec in Montréal for two years. Then he had a long career as a research scientist for the federal government in Québec and BC, in Vancouver and in Summerland.
After thirty five years of research and teaching of soil biology and molecular biology – what he now calls “Chemical Agriculture”, he decided to retire young and reinvent life. A very few years later, newly remarried, co-owner of an incredibly beautiful property called Innisfree, he foresees a long future of service to the community. He has become a gardener, a teacher, and a passionate speaker about organic gardening – from soil health to GMO’s.
Thierry has numerous videos on the web, including an eye opening presentation at the Comox Valley Tedx talk. Simply Google his name and find numerous articles and videos about the problems with G.M.O.
Thierry is also looking to raise $100,000 to commence a 100 community tour speaking about the dangers of G.M.O. If you are interested in donating, please check out his gofundme site
Thanks Dr. Vrain for doing what you are to inform the public the truths behind this confusing subject.

Brian McCormick joins us for another visit, along with his wife Lia, to explore their new enterprise, Clever Crow Herbs, Spices and Sea Salt.

After much hard work completed by Jon, the Edible Valley studio is up and running and it was time to invite a guest to join us in studio. We were lucky to be joined by chef and author Joseph Forest, chef-in-resident at Innisfree Farm in Royston. After 25 plus years in the conventional restaurant and catering business, Joseph was chosen to join the team at Innisfree. He is now learning about food as medicine, ancestral ways of eating, and traditional ways of preserving the harvest. Joseph and Blayne could talk for hours about these subjects and will have many more meetings over the summer. Thanks Joseph!
Thanks for listening to the Edible Valley podcast. We gratefully accept donations to help with our hosting, as well as contributions of food ingredients to the Edible Valley test kitchen. Please feel free to contact us by email ediblevalley@gmail.com, follow our twitter feed (@ediblevalley) and like our facebook page

It was a pleasure for Edible Valley to bring Vickey Brown, manager of the Comox Valley Farmers Market, into studio for this episode. The Farmers Market is a huge draw for folks interested in local food, community support, and socializing. Now it it's 20th year listen as Vickey gives the origin story of our great market, arguably the best in the province, one of the few that runs year round, and also maintains diligent rules for vendors selling locally sourced, grown, and produced products. They also keep craft items to a minimum and focus on the agricultural side of what a Farmers Market is. Thank you Vickey, it was an honour to have you in. Visit the Comox Valley Farmers Market from 9-12 Saturdays at the Native Sons Hall in downtown Courtenay.
This week in the Edible Valley Test Kitchen, Jon surprised Blayne with making shell-less quiche. Blayne is eating a diet where he avoids grains, so anytime a meal can be made without, it is a wonderful thing. The quiche Lorraine was fantastic and contained some of Blayne's homemade bacon. Jon also made yam pav with mustard sauce and a little garnish of butter lettuce and grape tomato's, dressed with bacon vinaigrette. A quick easy meal, especially for a chef of Jon's caliber.