OCT 6, 2019: CASTLEGAR, BC – Ferment & Feast!

Join Young Agrarians on Sunday, October 6, 2019, at the Doukhobor Discovery Centre in Castlegar for a hands-on workshop, museum tour, roundtable discussion and community potluck! This event will provide an opportunity both to those new to the area and long-time residents to familiarize themselves with the past, present and future of food and farming in their community. Join us for part or all of the event! 

WHEN:  Sunday, October 6, 2019, 2pm – 8pm

WHERE:  The Doukhobor Discovery Centre, 112 Heritage Way, Castlegar, BC, V1N 4M5

• 2:00 – 4:00 pm – Fermenting and Preserving Workshop (WORKSHOP IS FULL- register here)
• 4:00 – 5:00 pm – Guided Museum Tour
• 5:00 – 6:00 pm – Roundtable Discussion
• 6:00 – 8:00 pm – Community Potluck

Workshop 
Learn from two inspiring local fermentation experts about how to ferment and preserve food and drink!

We will have the expertise of both Happy Gut and fermenting enthusiast Jess Bowman in the house to chat with us about these timeless activities that help to sustain local food through the winter and improve gut health, among many other benefits! Come equipped with a donation, a knife, cutting board and open mind and bring home a mason jar of your very own hand-crafted, locally-sourced sauerkraut! Space for the workshop portion of the event is limited, so please register using the link above. All other activities do not require registration.

Museum Tour 
Go back in time with a guided tour of the Doukhobor museum.

The Doukhobor history and tradition in the Castlegar and surrounding area when it comes to food and farming is a rich one! This guided tour of the museum will provide an opportunity to learn how the Doukhobor culture shaped local food and farming in an interactive setting!

Roundtable Discussion
Talk food and farming with fellow locavores and find out how to grow and support local food and farmers!

We’re bringing you together with representatives from the following organizations to talk about the past, present and future of food and farming in the area and how you can get involved: West Kootenay EcoSociety, Kootenay & Boundary Farm Advisors, Central Kootenay Food Policy Council, Kootenay Food Strategy Society and Community Garden, the Castlegar Farmers Market and the Castlegar Community Harvest Food Bank.

Community Potluck 
Enjoy a potluck social with gorgeous views of the Columbia River!

Get to know your community over a potluck feast. Please bring a dish to share and warm layers for the evening. This is such an abundant time of year – we challenge you to bring something local and in season (along with an ingredient list)!

Share: Please join and share our Facebook event with your network of friends!

More event info below.

ABOUT THE HOSTS

THE DOUKHOBOR DISCOVERY CENTRE

Apple trees pepper the landscape around Castlegar as a reminder of a bygone society build on cooperation and communal agrarian land stewardship. The Doukhobors perfected communal life and assisted in transforming this fertile area into large edible landscapes. Maslow’s hierarchy of needs states that access to healthy food comprises the bare necessities of a viable city. Can the past be the key to a brighter healthier future?

Officially opened in 1971, the Kootenay Doukhobor Historical Society has continued to maintain and expand the Doukhobor Discovery Centre for more than 45 years, moving it forward from the modest initial establishment to the world class heritage museum it is today.

LEEZA ZURWICK FROM HAPPY GUT

Leeza Zurwick is the Founder of Happy Gut based in Castlegar BC and has a deep passion for living off the earth and using fermented food as medicine. After being gifted some water kefir grains, she found it difficult to find consistent information on how to brew water kefir and she found it challenging to source the right brewing supplies. Through extensive research, trial and error, Leeza developed simple recipes and systems to ensure success and delicious results. After drinking water kefir daily, she noticed a significant reduction in bloating, clearer skin and her immune system was strengthened enough to not get sick, despite working in classrooms full of germy kids! Leeza launched Happy Gut in 2017 and made it her mission to share the age old wisdom, simplicity and incredible health benefits of live, probiotic rich, fermented Water Kefir.

JESS BOWMAN, FERMENTOR EXTRAORDINAIRE

Jess began her career working in the craft beer industry fermenting alcohol in Victoria, BC after taking an interest in her hometown’s booming craft beer culture. Her passion brought her an apprenticeship with Townsite Brewing in Powell River, BC. She now lives in Nelson, where she’s taking on fermentation with food. Always working on something in the kitchen, Jess is a foodie fascinated by the “scientific and culinary experiment” of fermentation, and believes sharing food with people is a holistic and meaningful way of generating community.

• October 25th – 26th 2019, Columbia Basin Mixer, Rossland
• November 16, 2019 Land Linking Workshop, Nelson
• November TBD: Forrest Farms Tour, Stew-Making and Potluck, Salmo

GOT LAND? WANT LAND? 

Through the B.C. Land Matching Program, Young Agrarians is offering support to farmers looking for land for their farm business and landowners looking for farmers to farm their land. The Columbia Basin Land Matcher will be attending the event to answer any questions about accessing land through this program. For those unable to join us, you can send a message to hailey@youngagrarians.org for more information.