Here’s a young agrarian story that will give you hope and remind you what this network is all about… there’s even a role for you to play, so read on!
Anyone who made it to the YA Koots Mixer this March will remember the Full Cycle Food Program and the amazing gardening and hot lunch work being done at the school in Crawford Bay. Chances are, you will also remember teacher Jessie King, one of the driving forces behind Full Cycle, and her dream to start a farm education program to draw food-passionate high school students to her community.
If you didn’t make it out… Full Cycle Food Program is a grassroots, school-based effort to engage elementary and secondary school students and community volunteers in growing, preparing, and sharing good food. For several years, the program has been serving affordable, nutritious lunches to students and the community at large. This past year it grew to include experiential learning for local students. The dream is to expand Full Cycle into an initiative that includes much more of the local community and that pulls people in from elsewhere to learn about sustainable food production.
This summer, Full Cycle teacher Jessie and her friend Elisa are teaming up to SPIN farm on five different sites in Crawford Bay. Their plans are ambitious. Their aims are many. Among Jessie’s goals are growing experience to share with her eventual wannabe farmer students and growing food for the school’s hot lunch program.
This multi-plot market garden adventure is called “Dirty Beds Produce.” It will produce beets, carrots, lettuce, kale, peas, radishes, spinach, chives, kohlrabi, cabbage, spuds, squash, zucchinis, tomatoes, basil, cucumbers, corn, beans, cantaloupe, and more. The food will be sold to the lunch program, as well as to local residents and restaurants. As one of the only market garden ventures for miles around it will be an important local food source… and hopefully an inspiration in many ways.
The “Make Our Beds Work-Bee” is a chance for you to help these ladies get all that good work done. It will also be a chance to potluck with other young agrarians on the beautiful East Shore of Kootenay Lake.
When: July 12, Work-Bee @ 3pm, Potluck @7pm
Where: Dirty Beds Garden Plot, 16521 Crawford Creek Road, Crawford Bay, Kootenays, BC
What to bring: Potluck food to share, plus plates, cups, utensils, and all that stuff… also, hand tools, gloves, etc. for the work-bee (if you can)
Join the even on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/events/1431133550494262/
To learn more about Dirty Beds Produce visit: www.facebook.com/dirtybeds
Questions? Email kootenays@youngagrarians.org.
Thanks to Columbia Basin Trust for supporting this YA event!
