Thanks Mayne Island

for being such a nice place to live....

What a lovely Thanksgiving weekend we're having!
Mayne Island's last outdoor Farmer's Market of the year happens on Thanksgiving weekend. So on Saturday, the sun came out and we just had to make sure to go....

Deacon Vale Farm's truck stand is always a pleasure to see at the market, brimming full of all the wonderful veggies, fruit and other things they grow and make (as long as you get there early enough) ...there's always a lineup!

Look at this beautiful celery! Why didn't I get any?!! I was so distracted by taking my photos and chatting that I didn't even think of it....can you imagine the amazingness of those beautiful and nutritious green leaves in a soup?....silly, silly me.

Some beautiful yellow tomatoes on their trusses from Deacon Vale Farm. The farm website is here.

A friend's basket of Mayne Island grown goodies that he was collecting as he walked through the market.....

Islanders chatting at the market.....

Hatake's stand with some of the lovely apples and pears that they grow on display. Helen and John named their farm "hatake" in honour of the Japanese people who farmed the land before WWII. It's how you say "farm" in Japanese.

Some of Helen's beautiful naturally died yarn.....she uses things like blackberry, coreopsis, asparagus....and other wonderful things that I can't think of right now....to create these awesome colours. A link to their website is here.

After the market on Saturday, the Home Hardware Garden Centre hosted a workshop on composting led by Atsuo Sumi who grows vegetables on Mayne Island for a restaurant in Vancouver. I found a nice little read about him and the chef here. I really enjoyed the workshop...it's so nice to learn about how other growers do things.

On Sunday, a few ambitious and enthusiastic Mayne Islanders held a community apple pressing on the grounds of the Ag Hall. This is the sign announcing the event at the Saturday Market. They're going to do it again on the 24th!!....So if you missed it, you have another chance.

Mayne Island seems to have a lot of apple trees. Look at all the apples everyone brought!
....and look at everyone getting down to the business of juicing the apples. Check out that nice big jug of cider there :-)

This press is wonderful to watch....the juice comes gently flowing through the mesh cylinder and down to the bottom tray where it pours out the spout.....

.....and is funnelled into a bottle....

The bottles are filling up....how nice it'll be to have for the winter....life is good! Thanks to all the folks who made this wonderful thing happen. If you're on Mayne Island on Sunday October 24th between 10am-2pm, go check it out! At Ag Hall. Bring some of your apples or ask your neighbour if you can collect from their abandoned tree....and go press some cider! Fun and good for you in so many ways.

So on Sunday after I went to see the community apple pressing, it was so nice and sunny and even though I shoulda-woulda-coulda been working in my own overgrown garden, I just had to stop in at the Community Gardens on my way home. The garden is looking beautiful and very productive....and so nice to see and feel the love and care that folks are contributing to make it such a lovely environment to grow food and flowers....


Well, gotta get going...I'm off to get ready for our Thanksgiving feast! Happy Thanksgiving!!