This gallery contains 7 photos.
Our early season crew has been super busy at both our farm properties this spring. Our unheated seedling greenhouses are chock-a-block full of infant plants, which eventually will be transplanted out into the field: The crew repaired our many wooden … Continue reading
Dear Nanaimo-ians, After many years of getting to know you better through our booth at the fabulous Bowen Road Farmers’ Market, we’d like to take our relationship to the next level. Specifically, we’d like to offer you our vegetable delivery … Continue reading
These chewy gingersnaps (aka molasses cookies) are super dooper. Heather’s been baking these bad boys for over a decade, and has made many cookie lovers happy as a result. MIX/CREAM TOGETHER: 1 1/2 cups butter 2 cups sugar 1/2 cup molasses 2 … Continue reading
We’ve wanted to offer a winter CSA program for years. Our spring-summer-fall CSA members have told us how hard it is to return to mainstream produce in the grocery stores when CSA season ended. And we know how hard it … Continue reading
This gallery contains 1 photo.
After six years of growing food we’ve learned that different crops thrive in different years, depending on the weather. So far, 2014 is The Year of Berries. It caught us by surprise this June. Suddenly our lush green plants had … Continue reading
It’s a beautiful Saturday and you have someone you want to entertain: friends, family, yourself. You’re in luck. The Duncan Farmers Market runs from 9am to 2pm every Saturday through the summer months, and it’s a wonderful place to shop, … Continue reading
This gallery contains 1 photo.
It’s too bad these pages don’t have a scratch-and-sniff feature. If they did, you’d be able to huff that warm, oxygen-rich smell of tomato plant leaves. I inhale that incredible smell every time I peek into one of our seedling … Continue reading
This gallery contains 2 photos.
Do you love reading? Do you love eating local, organic vegetables, conveniently delivered to your doorstep? Let’s put those two loves together into a tasty love sandwich and raise some money for Literacy Now Cowichan. The Auction Prize: 1 Full … Continue reading
This gallery contains 5 photos.
When we bought our 10 acres of pasture in 2007, we never thought we’d use all the land. But six years later, thanks to our customers and farm supporters, we’d expanded our production to the point where we were using … Continue reading
In order for us to grow more food, Makaria Farm will be moving from our 10 acre property to a much larger acreage over the next few years. This transition involves installing a well, hydro and irrigation lines, as well as … Continue reading
Shaw TV’s Go Island South team has produced a wonderful spotlight on our vegetable delivery CSA program, featuring our partnership with the super-fab Cowichan Recyclists. Thanks so much to Meg and her Shaw peeps for helping us spread the word … Continue reading
A farm is a good place for a relationship to blossom. When we decided to buy our farm in 2007, Heather and I had not even been together for a year. It seems rather rushed and crazy looking back, and … Continue reading
This gallery contains 1 photo.
I love winter on the farm. Not for the weather, but for the natural opportunity it allows us to take stock of the past year and plan ways to improve the following year. Every year at this time we work … Continue reading
In 2009, Brock and I hosted a series of workshops at Makaria Farm on how to grow wheat and other grains on a garden scale. Over 50 families from all over the islands participated in the Island Grains workshops. We … Continue reading
This gallery contains 2 photos.
We usually just eat our green beans raw as a snack or cut up into a salad, or saute them for 10 minutes or so in butter and crushed garlic. For fancier recipes, here are some good ideas we’ve found: … Continue reading
This gallery contains 1 photo.
Love garlic? Try growing your own! Garlic doesn’t need to be watered, deer don’t eat it and, if you treat your plants to some mulch, weeding isn’t a big issue either. Here’s what you do: Step 1: Get Your Seed … Continue reading
This gallery contains 1 photo.
A good salsa recipe can be hard to find, so here’s ours. We’ve eaten entire jars in a single sitting. Combine in a very large pot: 3 cups chopped onions 3/4 cup chopped sweet peppers 6 chopped hot peppers 1 … Continue reading
This gallery contains 2 photos.
We grow 10+ different kinds of tomatoes at Makaria Farm, from cherry tomatoes to heirlooms to traditional red slicers. When we choose which tomato varieties to grow each year, we prioritize flavour over ship-ability and aesthetics. If you spy an … Continue reading
This gallery contains 1 photo.
When it’s bean season, watch out: they are abundant! Luckily, there are many ways to make the most of the harvest. These snappy treats are delicious raw as well as cooked, and can even be pickled for off-season enjoyment. Fresh … Continue reading
This gallery contains 3 photos.
There are thousands of potato varieties grown around the world, and it can be exciting to see (and taste!) the differences when you use different potatoes in your everyday recipes. In addition to baking, roasting or lightly boiling potatoes, two … Continue reading
This gallery contains 1 photo.
Think of leeks as a super-tasty onion. They can be used instead of (or in addition to) onions in any meal, or can be cleaned, cut up and BBQed or sautéed and served as their own delicious side dish. Leek … Continue reading
This gallery contains 2 photos.
The classic recipe for this staple vegetable is to steam it and serve it with cheese sauce, or to serve it raw with veggies and dip, but cauliflower can do much more. Try steaming or boiling the florets until they’re … Continue reading
This gallery contains 2 photos.
Three cheers for cabbage! It fueled the workers who built the Great Wall of China, kept seafaring explorers from getting scurvy, and is jam-packed with vitamin C. If you have an older cabbage hiding in your fridge, just peel off … Continue reading
This gallery contains 1 photo.
We pull our garlic plants in June/July. Fresh, “uncured” garlic is moister than the usual “cured” garlic, but can be crushed, baked, diced, etc. just like normal garlic. Storage Store your garlic plant in a cool, drafty place, ideally out … Continue reading
This gallery contains 1 photo.
Cut off the stems and green tops, leaving up to 1” of stem on the beet bulb. Refrigerate the greens in a closed bag until you steam or stirfry them for dinner. Store your beet bulbs with the root tips … Continue reading
