FARM NEWS 

We Won!! 🤯🎉🎉🎉

We applied to win a membership to the Neversink Farm Course worth $4000. Yesterday they announced some of the recipients and we were chosen!

This course is going to be a game changer for our farm. The creator, Connor Crickmore, is known for being one of the most innovative minds in the small scale farming movement. This course will save us YEARS in mistakes and put us on a path to success.

A big thanks to everyone who showed your support on our application post. We had the most likes and comments of all the applicants and I know that played a role in us being chosen ❤️

Meet Cali and Brendan of Salix & Sedge Farm

Cali and Brendan are the owners of Salix & Sedge Farm out of Salmo. They’ve been farming for seven years here in the Kootenays and we’re really proud to be able to collaborate with such talented farmers. Our farm is still quite small and we don’t have the space to grow crops that require a lot of space, such as winter squash and cabbage. When we reached out to Cali and Brendan to ask if they would be willing to grow some of these winter crops for us last year, they said yes!

Our goal of creating year-round access to locally-grown food would not be possible without hard working farmers like Cali and Brendan. Their Carnival squash is the sweetest squash we’ve ever had and their Kuri squash is phenomenal 👌

Because you’ll most likely never get to meet them we want to share some of their story with you.

5 Things You Didn’t Know About Your Local Farmers

1. Who are you and where are you from originally?

Cali Olleck, originally from Revelstoke, BC.

Brendan Parsons, originally from Guelph, ON.

2. How did you end up in the Kootenays?

Cali - I fell in love with the Kootenays while visiting my parents, who had moved to the Nelson area while I was in university. Discovered Selkirk College and moved to Castlegar to study Recreation, Fish & Wildlife. Shortly after, I met Brendan, we bought a farm and here we are!

Brendan - I moved around BC a bit but settled in the Kootenay’s to live in the mountains with great access to climbing and skiing.

3. What inspired you to become a farmer?

Cali - While studying environmental studies at university, I became passionate about creating sustainable food systems, saving farmland, and learning how to grow my own food - a skill that seemed so basic but so lost from society. At the same time, I was frustrated with my courses and wanted to do something more physical and practical. That led me to Richmond Farm School at Kwantlen Polytechnic University which was a 10-month, part classroom and part farm work program.

Brendan - My first jobs were as a cook, and over time I wanted to deepen my connection with food and how it was produced. I completed a gardening program on Cortes Island and found the whole process of growing and harvesting food to be very rewarding on a deep level. Similar to Cali, I also was frustrated with post-secondary education and was looking for meaningful, physical work that connected me to my community and the natural world.

4. What's your favorite part about being a farmer ?

Cali - Working outside. Running our own business and figuring out how to make it work, making decisions, designing our schedules. Growing delicious food for people we care about.

Brendan - The constant learning and endless nuances of working inside an ecosystem and with a wide variety of crops. Creating nourishing food from a handful of seeds, sunshine, air, water and soil. Feeling like we are making a positive contribution to our community.

5. What are your future dreams?

Cali - To continue growing our farm and becoming better at what we do. This year we're also growing our family with another little human on the way, and planning on building a house! Once there's more time in our lives again, I would like to get back into bicycle touring and do some more traveling.

Brendan - Cali summed it up pretty well! We are quite busy but also in a really nice place in our lives. There is a lot to work towards but we are also very grateful for what we have currently achieved.

NEW PRODUCT

Prince Of Orange Potato

Description: Prince of Orange is a newer variety of potato. It has a red skin with an orangey flesh. The texture is creamy with a nice buttery flavour. These are a waxy potato, meaning they're relatively low in starch and high in moisture. They’re your best choice for dishes where you want the potatoes to maintain their shape, such as potato salad, boiling, roasting, soups and stews.

Details: Sold per pound

Grown by Spicer Farm, Nakusp.