News & Events
Cheesemaking Workshops 2010
Breezy Bay Garden Plots
Jason Malloff says goodbye
Cheesemaking Workshops
Eating events on Saturna 2009
Saturna restaurants
March 14, 2009 meeting minutes
Pastry and dessert with Jason Malloff
One Square Meal
Parks Day: Picnic in the Park
March 14, 2009 meeting minutes
31 Square – Saturna Eats
Saturna’s Food Gardening and Gathering Network,
Promoting Local Food Production and Consumption
Interest Group meeting – March 14, 2 - 3:30 pm, Saturna Café.
Participants:
Nancy Phillips, Nancy Angermeyer, Paul Bruhn, Beverly Vreeswijk, Juliet Kershaw
1. New Business
a) Holistic Health and Wellness Fair
The Community Club Health Committee asked (by email) that 31 Square promote the upcoming Holistic Health and Wellness Fair (April 25) it is sponsoring. Practitioners from various health fields will be attending, including alternative and complementary therapies. The event highlights the importance of good nutrition.
ACTION: Notice of event to be emailed to 31 Square subscribers and posted on the website.
b) Church plant sale
Pat Carney asked (by email) that 31 Square find a role to play in the church plant sale. Bearing in mind her note that “people need USEFUL information!” we discussed the possibility of setting up and manning a resource table with gardening books so that purchasers can look up information about their purchases or other matters related to growing plants. 31 Square would ask for an honorarium for the service*. Other suggestions were selling our own seedlings or seeds, though that would entail volunteers at the 31 Square table also deal with 31 Square-specific sales.
ACTION: All this Juliet will discuss with Pat Carney and Darryl to make sure 31 is providing complementary service, not competition.
c) Darryl’s Digs
Shirley Stonier asked (by email) that 31 Square support Darryl’s Digs, possibly by donating a package of organic seeds. Around the table we were all keen to find ways to help Darryl’s venture succeed.
ACTION: Nancy Phillips and Juliet will set up a meeting with Darryl to discuss ways and means.
2. Finances
As 31 Square is not an organization per se, we have no bank account. However, to keep the website and email list operating, the network does require $120 annually (besides volunteer administration). At the meeting, we discussed how this might be achieved. Some ideas: participating in church plant sale for an honorarium; holding a sale of donated gardening books. More suggestions are welcome.
ACTION: Juliet to discuss possibilities re church plant sale with Pat Carney.
Financial report September 2007 - March 2009
Date Item Income Expense Balance
Sep 2007 One Square Dinner 735
Sep 2007 Dejavu costs for OSD 150.10
Sep 2007 Donation: Ambulance Building Fund 584.90
Oct 2007 Community Club grant 500
Mar 2008 Virgo Design ($300 website set up, design, hosting, email subscription/listserv; $200 content management software 500
Mar 2008 Loan (Juliet Kershaw) 20
Web domain registration* 20
Jun 2008 sales of (Flo House- donated) seedlings 40
Mar 2009 Loan (Juliet Kershaw) 20
Web domain registration 20 $40
LIABILITIES (Debts)
Date Item Amount Balance owing
Mar 2008 Loan (Juliet Kershaw) 20
Jan 2009 Virgo Design hosting (reduced rate)* 100
Mar 2009 Loan (Juliet Kershaw) 20
$140
*Annual costs.
3. Website and email use
a) Usage
Consensus among meeting participants was that the website works well as an introduction to 31 Square and as access to the email list subscription. No meeting participant used the site on a regular basis. It was agreed that the site could store useful garden- and food-specific information that appears in some emails, and perhaps provide some links to other sites.
Everyone enjoys and supports the email list. Of the 47 subscribers, a few are non-resident (full or part-time) members. The Galiano subscriber represents all members of the Galiano food interest organization on that island, and all the members receive 31 Square emails of interest.
ACTION: Juliet will discuss with Galiano subscriber group how to avoid duplication of emails they receive from 31 Square that they then send out to their group, which we (as recipients of their group’s emails), then receive again.
Much information can be exchanged using the email list. For example, Paul wondered about gardeners’ success using rock phosphate. We suggested he post such queries on the email listserv.
b) Advertising (truffle trees)
We have received a request from Oyama Gardens owner Quentin Wyne of Oyama, B.C., to advertise on our site. Wyne produces trees inoculated with truffle micozzi, which he says would do well here!
4. Projects
Garden Tours
2009 summer Action –
Juliet to ask Priscilla & ilka to discuss potential for this summer. J to confirm Carol Money tour sponsored by Parks and Rec.
‘What food are you growing?’ Survey
Interest in doing this, possibly electronically. Volunteer(s) needed to put survey together.
Aim is to document and communicate the variety of foods grown here on Saturna to spark gardening interest. Future expansion to Saturna Growing Diary, Saturna Gardening Tips? Action –
Anyone interested to contact Juliet.
Historic and abandoned orchards –
See www.31square.com for progress to date. Shirley Stonier, Sam Peramaki and ilka have been leads on this project.
Action – Nancy Angermeyer would like to graft old varieties on to her trees. Anyone who knows how to graft please contact her.
Promoting local food production / distribution - bringing existing Saturna production to market
1 We are all hoping Darryl’s Digs succeeds. 31 Square will promote for him and offer assistance wherever possible.
2 We discussed various ways local gardeners might distribute surplus produce, either for payment or by donation. Places suggested for a table where people could leave and pick up produce, all on honour system: Saturnita shelter; recycling; Darryl’s Digs. Not wanting to compete with the store or Darryl, decision was to talk to Darryl first. Action –
Juliet and Nancy Phillips to meet with Darryl.
Dinners – promoting local / regional foods and social networking
Hubertus had earlier agreed to present a winter foods dinner (Jan/ Feb) and/or herring dinner (March/April).
Action -
Juliet will follow up with Hubertus.
Speakers, educational events –
Well-known speakers are expensive.
Agreement that a pruning workshop would likely be well attended. It was suggested that the Saturna Lodge might be interested in donating their venue for talks, if 31 Square organized the event.
Waiting for suggestions of likely people to give the workshop.
Promoting regional food access / use by Saturna islanders
No progress in 2008. Open to ideas . . .
Priscilla has previously noted the General Store routinely responds to requests where there is reliable purchase plan. If 31 Square can coordinate requests and assure uptake, the Store is willing to bring in desired products. Good links exist with producers and garden suppliers on Vancouver and other Southern Gulf islands.
Olive trees for Saturna
A group of Saturnites interested in promoting local food production has been working for over a year to import olive trees from the US adapted to grow and produce crops on Saturna Island. These Tuscan varieties (Frantoio and Leccino) are being successfully grown in Canada’s first commercial olive grove on Pender Island. They are not available in Canadian nurseries. If the cost is reasonable, trees will be imported this spring. (Contact: Mark Timmings, 250.539.5363)
Mushroom identification
Charles (Jock) Campbell joined the meeting briefly. He mentioned that the Vancouver Mycological Society (www.vanmyco.com) meets annually at his father’s cabin on Saturna. A group will be there April 25, 2009. Experts Terry Taylor and Paul Kroeger will be attending. ACTION: Nancy A. to contact the group and find out if Saturna locals could be involved in some way.
MEETING ADJOURNED, 3:30 pm.
Page last modified on: Mon, Apr 6th, 2009 9:37 pm