On the last weekend of October, a small group gathered at the Lower Similkameen Community Food Hub, Farm and Garden on Syilx territory. We pitched in to grow the vision of a food production and processing site that is created by and for the community. We worked on building a new greenhouse, a smaller greenhouse, and a tool shed, planting garlic and protecting some young fruit trees. We enjoyed home cooked meals together and shared stories into the evenings. We had helpers from as far away as Belgium and Mexico! Read on for more details and photos from the day with this beautiful group of people.
Our Farm Hosts
Dixon Terbasket is a long time organic farmer, activist, and community builder. He reached out to Young Agrarians in August to see if we could mobilize some farmers to lend a hand building a large greenhouse before winter. Dixon has attended several Young Agrarians events over the years, so we were thrilled to get a chance to see his farm and get to know him better. We also got to meet Hannah, who is helping to coordinate the project. They are both pictured above.
Another integral farm member is Sp’ic’n, pictured below. Sp’ic’n ensured we kept a tidy worksite, otherwise she would run away with our gloves. Sp’ic’n is an Okanagan name meaning rope made out of Indian hemp (dogbane).
The Farm
The farm is located on Syilx territory, specifically, the Smalqmix of the Sukwnaqin-x (Lower Similkameen Indian Band), just south of Cawston and Keremeos in the south Okanagan. This gorgeous valley is nestled between tall snow-capped mountains, with the life-giving Similkameen River running through the bottom. The Cawston area has the highest concentration of organic farms in Canada (40%), earning it the title of Organic Capital of Canada.
Mulched garlic beds with the new greenhouse frame on the left
The farm area is community land, gently sloping from the east to the west towards the river. There is open pasture space, with several rows dedicated to vegetables already, and an orchard area beside the house. Dixon farmed several acres in the 80s and 90s when he was a wholesale distributor of organic products. One of his clients was Capers grocery stores (now Whole Foods) in Vancouver. Dixon grew a lot of vegetables back then: he once filled a semi truck waist-high full of potatoes! He shared with us that one of his past farming goals was to grow a million pounds of tomatoes. You can tell that Dixon thinks big- a mindset that he is bringing to this new project as well.
Day One
We kicked off the work party weekend with the first frost of the season! The ground was frozen and the air was brisk, so we waited for the sun to peek over the mountain and warm things up for us. On the first day we divided into teams: one group attached the baseboards to the large greenhouse, another mulched the garlic with straw and squared up the prop house, and another built protectors around young fruit trees to keep the cows and deer away.
Derek and Nicola secure the greenhouse baseboard
Peter and Michi mulch the garlic
Eric and Guillermo build fruit tree protectors
Day Two
On Sunday we welcomed Roger and Nico of Similkameen Wild. Together with Michi, they completed framing the whole roof by lunchtime! Meanwhile, Eric, Guillermo, and Dixon planted a few more rows of garlic in the field. You can never have enough garlic!
After lunch we walked around the farm and discussed the site of future buildings and fence lines. The food processing building will go next to the greenhouse, and have a loading bay, small parking area, and a residence above. The goal is to provide a facility for people to process meat, fruit, and produce. Perennial gardens of berry bushes and fruit trees will be planted beside the building. A root cellar will be constructed nearby for cool food storage. The location of all these elements will be centralized so produce can easily be brought to where it will be processed, stored, or shipped. We look forward to seeing it all unfold!
Delicious Meals
During mealtimes Dixon welcomed us into his home, and we warmed up by the woodstove and watched wildlife out of the large dining room window. We saw coyotes hunting in the tall grass, hawks, and swans. We passed around the binoculars to get a closer look.
All our meals incorporated delicious local ingredients. Moose and deer chilli, smoked salmon, and homemade preserves were a few menu items we enjoyed. Thank you to Shirley for the delicious sandwiches. Much gratitude to the cooks and dishwashers who pitched in over the weekend.
Thank you!
It was so special to witness the beginnings of this project and to get to know Dixon and Hannah better, as well as the other volunteers, visitors, and family members. It was beautiful to see the community coming together around this project. We could feel the magic of these lands and the relationships of the people involved. Thank you to our hosts for welcoming us and making us feel right at home. We can’t wait to come back.
Many thanks to the volunteers: Eric, Guillermo, Jordan, Heather, Peter, Derek, Nicola, Roger, and Nico! We heard that Derek returned to the farm for several days afterwards to continue working on the greenhouse before winter- it will be ready for plastic come springtime.
If you’d like to hear about future events and work parties, sign up for our Thompson Okanagan newsletter.
One more photo of some Sp’ic’n snuggling for good measure
Lower Similkameen Indian Band are grateful to United Way British Columbia for funding this phase of the project works.
Young Agrarians is grateful to the Real Estate Foundation of British Columbia for funding this event.