Do you have a green thumb and no garden?
Community Food Growers Co-operative hosting open house
Do you want to grow your own food? Perhaps you are limited by a lack of access to suitable land (you live in a strata or apartment)? Lack of tools? A lack of knowledge and confidence to do it yourself? A lack of time to do it alone? Then here is an option you should know about. The Community Food Growers Co-operative (CFGC) is welcoming new members.
The CFGC is hosting an open house on Saturday, June 23 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at 4745 Headquarters Road in Courtenay. (Please park on the street).
The CFGC is a group of folks who have been working together for more than three years, sharing the land, tools, knowledge and bounty of what they grow.
“We may not always get it right or do it the most expedient way, but our process allows for sharing, fun, connection and personal growth,” said Annica de Trey, in a press release. “We meet regularly for work parties and shared meals.”
And the bounty is amazing.
“It’s impressive what we grew and harvested this past year,” said Judy Goldschmidt, one of the original members. “An abundance of salad greens, peas, kale, edible flowers, basil, squash, tomatoes, potatoes, raspberries, strawberries, beans, turnips, cucumbers, zucchini, carrots, and more.”
It’s all shared collectively: there are no individual plots in this group.
This year the CFGC had a bountiful winter garden - leeks, parsnips and kale to harvest through the winter and chard, arugula and winter lettuce under plastic ready to harvest in March.
“It’s wonderful to have organic vegetables year round,”said deTrey. “Many of us like to go away in the summer and this is possible without being tied to your garden because of watering. There is always someone around to do this. Collectively we make it happen.”
The leased property in Courtenay is a short walk towards town from the Farmer’s Market on the Exhibition Grounds and from Vanier High School. All levels of skill, time, and interests are welcome.
An annual fee covers expenses, and all food is equitably shared, with some excess going towards meals that feed the homeless in the local community.
Anyone interested but unable to come to the open house on June 23 call Susan at 250-334-2375 to arrange a suitable time for a site visit.