Category Archives: news

Creston Valley Farmers’ Market starting new season with workshops

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The Creston Valley Farmers’ Market returns on May 5, and is offering workshops on April 21 and 28 to help vendors prepare.
Brian Lawrence photo
By Brian Lawrence – Creston Valley Advance
Published: April 17, 2012 2:00 PM
Updated: April 17, 2012 3:03 PM

The Creston Valley Farmers’ Market returns in just over two weeks, and two workshops have been scheduled to help out vendors.

The first is a display workshop that runs from on 9 a.m.-noon on April 21, taught by artist Win Dinn for $10.

“That’s going to teach people the ins and outs of getting a display set up,” said market manager Jen Comer. “She’s going to be able to give tips and tricks. A lot of it is about repurposing thrift store stuff.”

A “market safe” course will be offered for $100 on April 28 to teach Food Safe guidelines. Although Food Safe is not yet required for farmers’ market vendors, Comer said it likely will be in the future, and this course will give vendors a great start.

The first farmers’ market runs on May 5 in the lot behind the Creston Valley Chamber of Commerce (the usual Millen-nium Park location will be taken up by the visiting West Coast Amusements).

Shoppers can expect to find bedding plants and perennials, honey, art and donuts, as well as early produce, including lettuce.

“Joy Tomlinson’s been growing tomatoes in her greenhouse and getting them ready since December,” said Comer.

Cassandra Viers, she added, will be there with open pollination seeds and tomato seeds.

With an average of 25 vendors expected at the spring markets, the timing couldn’t be better.

“In the spring, people get into the mindset of eating local food,” said Comer.

The farmers’ market is run by the Creston Valley Food Action Coalition, which now offers members an incentive packages, developed by food action assistant Tamara Movold . Local food makers and businesses, she said, were eager to get on board.

“Everyone said they wanted to do it,” said Movold. “It was just a matter of coming up with incentives.”

Available for a $25 membership, the package contains a dozen incentives, including a free dessert with the purchase of a meal at Real Food Café, and 50 per cent off a member’s first bottle of milk and five per cent off farm gate sales of cheese and meat at Kootenay Alpine Cheese.

Previously, membership was gained by a voluntary donation, but the charge is designed to help the coalition meet one of its goals.

“Part of the food action coalition’s strategy is to cover operating costs without relying on grants,” said Comer.

Read more stories about us:

It was a dark stormy night…

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The mud squelched under my boots as I walked the puddle-ridden shortcut to the College. Why is there no sidewalk here, I idly wondered? A question that may never be answered.

Luckily I didn’t irritate the caretaker by tracking mud into the school because I was headed into the Greenhouse for my second CVFAC meeting.  Dirt is welcome there.

As was briefly covered in a previous post this meeting focused on restaurants in Creston with a local food philosophy. I was surprisingly short on volunteers for the speaker’s panel, but the content of the meeting was hardly lacking. Featuring: A Break in Time’s Judy & Calvin Germann, Retro Café’s Corrine and Jean-Jacques Laguerre, and Joanne Schultz of The Great Canadian Cooking School.  Lisa Elsworth and Jaime O’Niel at Real Food Café were too busy providing real food that evening to make it, but they did forward answers to our questions.

I’ll share a few of the highlights I felt were important. A lot was said regarding the philosophy of local eating, challenges of sourcing, and consumer demands. When asked why local food was important to their businesses I think Corrine summed it up perfectly, “We want to share what we eat ourselves with our customers.” I jotted a few more notes down and then my pen died. Perfect.   Stealthily timing my move I sidled over and grabbed another one only to find that it too was dead. Cruel, cruel world.

Although these entrepreneurial food providers had only good to say about the quality of our locally grown and made products a few of them felt that reception of local food in their menus could be better.  Dismaying to me was the idea that people still balk at the concept of paying a few extra dollars for food grown, as Jen Comer likes to say, within a ten-mile radius.  Lovingly cared for on home soil, by people we know, and yet no. “It’s too much!” they cry.   In this respect I will side with people who know much more about me in these matters and say that education is critical. Not only education on the economic impacts of supporting our farmers in the Valley, but also understanding why it is important to be selective about what you put into your body.

The sense of detachment between the colloquialisms of “chowing down” and the reality of matter entering into your body and actually becoming a part of it, for good or worse, could stand to be dwelled on a bit more.  With that being said, what do you know about food- and what can you share?

Panelists:

http://www.realfoodcafe.ca/

http://www.retrocafe.ca/

http://www.abreakintimecaffe.com/

http://www.thegreatcanadiancookingschool.com/

Creston food action coalition meeting featuring panel of restaurateurs

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Local restaurant owners will make up a panel at the Creston Valley Food Action Coalition’s (CVFAC) monthly meeting on March 5, the first in a series of speakers to be featured at the meetings.

“The consumer demand is increasing, as is awareness of local products,” said Jen Comer, manager of the Creston Valley Farmers’ Market run by the CVFAC. “We want to bridge the gap between producers and consumers.”

The owners of A Break in Time Caffé and Retro Café are slated to attend, and the Real Food Café will send information to be read.

Comer hopes the panel will help farmers and restaurateurs to determine how best to use local products.

“It takes a lot of education and effort,” she said.

The meeting will be held at 7 p.m. at the College of the Rockies; the first 45 minutes will discuss CVFAC business, followed by the panel. The April meeting will feature a presentation by young farmers.

From the Creston Valley Advance

Creston Valley Food Action Coalition hires employs with CBT grant

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Tamara Movold, seen here at her job at Kingfisher Used Books, is the new food action assistant for the Creston Valley Food Action Coalition.
Brian Lawrence photo
By Brian Lawrence – Creston Valley Advance
Published: February 24, 2012 1:00 AM
Funding from the Columbia Basin Trust has allowed the Creston Valley Food Action Coalition (CVFAC) to hire a second employee. Until June 1, Tamara Movold is the food action assistant to Creston Valley Farmers’ Market manager Jen Comer.

“We are going to be able to accomplish so much more with Tamara on board,” said Comer.

“I really like how I’m treated as an equal,” said Movold. “I like the freedom I’m given. I have a lot of responsibility for a lot of cool projects.”

She will be writing a blog at Crestonfoodaction.ca, and is developing an incentive package for members and vendors, intended to be rolled out at next month’s Creston Valley Home and Garden Show. She is also contacting the 70 vendors listed in the CVFAC’s Farm Fresh Guide, and working with the Creston Valley Chamber of Commerce to turn the guide from a booklet into a map.

Movold, who also works part-time at Kingfisher Used Books and helped co-ordinate the fall’s town council election forum, appreciates the opportunity to help increase awareness about local food.

“I really like their philosophy,” she said. “On the surface, it’s about providing the farmers’ market, and I can get behind that in and of itself. But it’s not just about providing a market, it’s about education. It’s something I really believe in and really support.”

Meet our newest employee!

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Thanks to a grant provided by the Columbia Basin Trust’s School Works program, the Food Action Coalition is thrilled to have a new employee joining our small (but mighty!) team! We thank all of the students who applied for the job – there were way more applicants than we were expecting!

Meet Tamara Movold, a student at the College of the Rockies here in Creston. She’s planning on pursuing a career in urban planning and sustainable development and loves food. You may recognize her from around town, especially if you frequent King Fisher Used Books where she also works part-time. Tamara was also a key person behind the Unofficial Town Forum that was held during our November municipal election.

We are so pleased to have this dynamic young woman come join our team! She’s got a lot of energy, ideas and talent that we are looking forward to getting to use. Over the next four months Tamara will be updating the Farm Fresh Guide , helping develop a membership package for the FAC, helping with the Farmers’ Market , and many more things..

Tomorrow Tamara will be posting about her first experience at the Food Action Coalition meeting from earlier this month, where we heard from some of our local meat producers.

300,000 Organic Farmers Sue Monsanto

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From Nation of Change :

Little did Willie Nelson know when he recorded “Crazy” years ago just how crazy it would become for our cherished family farmers in America. Nelson, President of Farm Aid, has recently called for the national Occupy movement to declare an “Occupy the Food System” action.

Nelson states, “Corporate control of our food system has led to the loss of millions of family farmers, destruction of our soil…”

Hundreds of citizens, (even including NYC chefs in their white chef hats) joined Occupy the Food System groups, ie Food Democracy Now, gathered outside the Federal Courts in Manhattan on January 31st, to support organic family farmers in their landmark lawsuit against Big Agribusiness giant Monsanto. (Organic Seed Growers & Trade Association v. Monsanto) Oral arguments were heard that day concerning the lawsuit by 83 plaintiffs representing over 300,000 organic farmers, organic seed growers, and organic seed businesses.

The lawsuit addresses the bizarre and shocking issue of Monsanto harassing and threatening organic farmers with lawsuits of “patent infringement” if any organic farmer ends up with any trace amount of GM seeds on their organic farmland.

Judge Naomi Buckwald heard the oral arguments on Monsanto’s Motion to Dismiss, and the legal team from Public Patent Foundation represented the rights of American organic farmers against Monsanto, maker of GM seeds, [and additionally, Agent Orange, dioxin, etc.]

After hearing the arguments, Judge Buckwald stated that on March 31st she will hand down her decision on whether the lawsuit will move forward to trial.

To read the rest of this article, click here .

Food Action Coalition is hiring a student!

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The Creston Valley Food Action Coalition (CVFAC) and Farmers’ Market is looking for a dynamic, creative and versatile person to join our team as a Food Action Assistant . This opportunity is available for a high school or post-secondary student and made possible through funding provided by the Columbia Basin Trust. Job will include light physical duties, office, and organizational responsibilities. An interest in agriculture, business, community development, or education is an asset. The student will work out of the Food Action Coalition office and be supplied with a computer.

CVFAC is a network of local food producers, agricultural agencies and concerned citizens working to create awareness about how we can better feed ourselves using local resources in a sustainable, healthy, secure and environmentally sound way. The CVFAC operates a number of initiatives, including the Farmers’ Market, Harvest Share, and the Farm Fresh Guide.

This is a part-time temporary position; starting date is February 6th and ending June 1st, 2012. Wage is $10.25 an hour. Student will work 10-15 hours a week based on their availability, but Saturdays are required throughout month of May. There is a possibility of extended employment with the Farmers’ Market throughout the summer and fall on Saturdays and part-time throughout the week (approximately 15-20 hours a week) at same rate.

Deadline for application is Tuesday, January 31st, 4pm

Send email (attached cover letter and resume) to Len Parkin, President of the Creston Valley Food Action Coalition via email to lenparkin [at] telus.net

Roles & Responsibilities

Student will support ongoing operations of Creston Valley Food Action Coalition in a number of different ways:

  • Phoning, emailing, contacting organization members to update annual local Farm Fresh Guide
  • Assist Farmers’ Market manager with market duties such as distributing promotional materials, and registering market vendors
  • Assisting with Farmers’ Market set up and take down, and hosting the info booth at the market
  • Updating CVFAC and Farmers’ Market social media sites (blog, Facebook, Twitter)
  • Compiling electronic copies of Farmers’ Market radio interviews
  • Student will be supervised by Farmers’ Market manager for duration of contract

Skills required

  • Good communication skills
  • Speak and write English with a high level of proficiency
  • Comfortable using a computer, particularly email and social media, and Microsoft Office suite (specifically Word & Excel)
  • Able to assist with light physical duties, such as setting up tables, chairs and canopies at Farmers’ Market

Download the full posting here: FAC Student Job Posting

Deconstructing Dinner Flash Drives

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Are you a fan of Deconstructing Dinner ? If you’re not sure what it’s all about check out the link here on this site.

Deconstructing Dinner has recently produced a run of 2GB USB flash drives which contain 55 one-hour episodes from the past 5 years. The drives act as a great educational resource for people interested in the subjects that we’re all interested in and thereby would work great as gifts or as a tool to promote the work of the organizations you’re all a part of. If you or your organization are interested in the drives or have any questions about them, more info is available at http://www.cjly.net/deconstructingdinner/flashdrives.htm