I Heart Seeds

IMPORTANT: FEB. 14 at noon is the cut-off for Skookum’s Seed order for 2012!

• Please note that we have 29 types of seeds available at 25% discount if we manage to get 10 packets of any particular variety. These are seeds you will likely NOT find at Seedy Saturday (except from seed vendors at full price).
• We need to cooperatively order at least 10 packets of any single kind of seed to proceed with the ordering of that seed variety. If we have fewer than 10 orders of any variety, we will not get the 25% discount from our local supplier (Eternalseed.ca), and we will not order that variety.
• I know that many of you have already made plans to buy seeds using your usual method, but it would help a lot if you considered buying even a few seed varieties through this service Skookum is offering, as an order of fewer than 10 packets will not go through, thus affecting others’ orders.
• See which seeds have been ordered by clicking here. If you can possibly contribute to this project by topping up the seed varieties that are close to 10 packets right now (maybe an investment of $3-$5), this would be helpful (plus you do get the seeds after all, at a 25% discount over retail)
• Want to order some seeds? Look at the varieties and descriptions on offer here and Email Giovanni(at)rabideye(dot)com with the variety name and number of packets you want, and I will get back to you.

A look at the Skookum Social (Jan 31, 2012)

The members of Skookum Food Provisioners’ Cooperative gathered at Trinity Hall in Powell River on January 31  to celebrate our first public gathering for 2012, the United Nations International Year of the Cooperative. The salad/dessert pot-luck event attracted over 30 of our 101 members. The meal was centred around Jacqueline Huddleston’s delicious risotto and quiche dishes, and graciously emceed by member Alison Taplay. A special gift basket was awarded in absentia to Nansi McKay and Nancy Tyler (members #100 and 101), and presentations by Wendy Pelton, coordinator of The Abundant Pantry Bulk-Buying Project and by directors David Parkinson and Giovanni Spezzacatena provided lots of news about what’s going on with our cooperative.

Here is some of what we talked about:

• Alison talked about 2012 Year of the Cooperative, and set up an informal agenda for the evening, ending with a call for ideas on new projects and for helping hands to organize and implement existing ones;
• Wendy Pelton gave us a major update on The Abundant Pantry Bulk-Buying Club, which is about to be launched;
• Giovanni Spezzacatena talked briefly about the Bulk Seed Project (deadline Feb 14, 2012), and on Skookum Members’ Survey Results;
• The Skookum Community Bookshelf was introduced: this is a Skookum Cooperative initiative by Director Sharon Deane and Melissa Leigh where members may donate books that they feel would be appropriate to co-op member use to this project housed in Kingfisher Used Books. A dedicated bookshelf will be set up letting only Skookum members borrow these materials. Contact Sharon at the store for more information;
• David Parkinson reported on the Skookum Gleaners project. The upshot is that key Skookum members have devoted a lot of time and effort to this community project, to little benefit to the cooperative, while other projects more in tune with our purposes have suffered. The board of Skookum has voted to let this project go, but encourage members to reach out to us if they want to pursue this project outside of the cooperative;
• David also briefly introduced the concept of a Community Orchard that may prove to be the evolution of Gleaners. Please reach him if you have an interest in this up-coming project.

A couple of items that got a little lost in the fray, but we’ll pick up on these in future posts and gatherings:

•  Skookum co-presents the feature documentary film How to Make a Farm) at Powell River Film Festival;
• Skookum’s board wants to set up a Project Selection and Development Team to help in selecting viable projects from member proposals, and guide the process;
• We want to set up a crack team that will be focused on Fundraising Events, to help fund Skookum projects and to engage members; contact Giovanni if you are interested.

Sat. Feb 18 at 12:30PM, PR Recreation Complex. Click to see large version

Synopsis: Starting a farm from scratch takes more than just imagination, but it’s a good place to start. Often considered a way of life from the past, today there is a movement of young people without farming backgrounds taking up this challenging profession. To Make A Farm follows the lives of five such young people through their first seasons on the land, as the joys and disappointments of bringing life from the earth become a quiet manifesto for social change. Documentary filmmaker Steve Suderman searches his own family history in farming to wonder if the mistakes of the past can be avoided this time through.

To Make A Farm – preview 1 from Steve Suderman on Vimeo.

Buying seed together, locally.

We’re happy to introduce a new project open to Skookum Food Provisioners’ Cooperative members only. It’s a bulk seed-buying club that will start off small with a selection of some 30 seed types from a local provider, Eternal Seed. As you know, the more seed one buys, the cheaper the cost, but seeds don’t keep too well past a couple of years… so stocking up is not a great option. If we buy together, it’s better in many ways:

•  It’s less expensive to buy seeds this way (and if you still have too many seeds, you can donate/barter them at Seedy Saturday, or share with neighbours/friends);
• With a percentage of the cost of buying seed through this project,  you get to support Skookum, the community, and a coordinator for the project;
• We can support a local certified organic seed company, Eternal Seed.

If we manage to order 10 packs (or more) of any of the varieties listed here, we get a substantial discount from Eternal Seed. Then we tack on a small percentage to support Skookum projects (5%) and the community fund (5%) plus another 15% for the project coordinator. Your seed packet will then cost on average 25% less than buying one packet via a normal retail outlet.

How it works

(Remember, this is MEMBERS ONLY. Not a member, but would like to join Skookum? Click here).

Skookum will not be held liable for the quality of seed or results from use of the seed, although Eternal Seed does have its own guarantee that can be found on their web site; download their catalogue as a pdf file here (please use Internet Explorer for best results). All seed descriptions below are from the Eternal Seed catalogue.

1. I chose about 30 types of seeds from the Eternal Seed  catalogue (see here) ; In picking the seeds, I tended toward earlier, cooler temperature varieties, as well as a mix of good storage crops in a few cases.
2. 10 packs of each of the c.30 seed varieties are offered to Skookum members only to purchase (note that you will be able to buy more than just one pack of any one seed variety as well) — first come first served;
3. The varieties of seeds that do not reach that “10 packet minimum order” threshhold by the deadline of February 14 (Valentine’s Day!) 2012, will be dropped;
4. Click here to see the list of seeds on offer (with prices, descriptions, etc), and instructions on how to order.

International Year of Co-operatives to be launched across Canada this January!

We’re 99 members strong, and we’re inviting our members to come out and celebrate the International Year of Cooperatives. Please join us on:

Tuesday January 31, 2012 at 6:00 PM

at the United Church Trinity Hall (6932 Crofton Street, Powell River, kitty-corner to Powell River Municipal Hall at the corner of Duncan and Michigan).

Come help us celebrate the spirit of cooperatives, together. Our much-anticipated 100th member will receive a lovely gift basket at this event, so get a friend to become a member now! Here‘s how to become a member. Check out this great bilingual website on events throughout Canada for the big launch on Jan 12, 2012.

SKOOKUM MEMBERS PLEASE BRING:

• Your appetite
• Your partner and kids
• Your thoughts about what you want to see Skookum doing in the coming year, and what you can offer in terms of time, talent, expertise, tools, food, land, resources…
• A salad, dessert, or other side dish; Skookum will provide the main course (one vegan, one vegetarian) and beverages
• A musical instrument if you play one (there is a piano in the Trinity Hall)
• Some books for the new up-coming Skookum Bookshelf (full details to come ; these are books you are willing to donate to a Skookum members-only lending library housed at Kingfisher Used Books  that have to do with growing, picking, preserving, or sharing food. Examples: How to build a greenhouse, How to cook or bake, how to grow veggies, how to prune, etc.

Please let us know if you know you will be attending, so that we can do a better job of planning the food. Just leave a comment on this blog post or email us to let us know how many people will be attending and what food you plan to bring.

Also, please plan to label the ingredients in the food you bring (for allergy/info purposes); we will have small cards on site for this as well.

We look forward to seeing you there!

Skooky Greetings to all our members!

Skookum Food Provisioners’ Cooperative is in the beginning stages of planning a members’ social at the United Church in Powell River at 6:00 PM on Tuesday January 31, 2012.

The idea is to bring our members together to enjoy a meal, share ideas, and generate some plans for the new year. The Board will take care of the main course, while we ask members to bring a salad or dessert. Members will be asked to jot down the ingredients and if you’d like, the recipe for your dish.

So, this is a call out to you – our members – for a theme or activity for the evening. We could host a talk, a show-and-tell, a video, a digital slideshow, a discussion, music, puppet show, etc.; as long as it will increase access to or knowledge about food, cooperatives, or some other aspect of our vision and mission.

Once we get a clearer picture of what’s in store for the evening, sometime in early January, we will reach out to members to help with organizing and running the event.

Also, you may recall our Skookum Members’ Survey? (Click here to take it now if you haven’t done so already; it expires on December 21, 2011.) Well, this will be an opportunity to hear the results and to develop a better understanding of Skookum’s skills, assets, interests, goals, and concerns. We have some exciting new and recurring projects in 2012*, and we want you to take ownership of these.

2012 is the International United Nations Year of the Cooperative — let’s ring it in, in style.

Skookum's Farm to School cider-pressing task force: Coco Hess, Martin Mitchinson, and David Parkinson

On Monday November 28, Coco Hess, Martin Mitchinson, and I got an early start. We picked up Skookum’s cider press from Jan & Gary’s workshop in Westview, and drove up to Wildwood to press apple cider for the James Thomson Elementary School’s second Farm to School lunch. We spent the morning cutting and grinding apples, and — with the help of many enthusiastic kids — pressing those apples into beautiful cider.

This all came about because I had been talking with some of the amazing young moms who have been working hard to create a monthly healthy and local school lunch for the schoolchildren at James Thomson. They put together a fantastic salmon lunch for their kickoff event in October and wanted to feature apples for the November lunch. Once they knew that Skookum had a cider press, and once the Skookum board of directors had OK’d the donation of the cider press to this good cause, the plan was in motion. Coco and Marty were the lucky volunteers chosen from among quite a group of Skookum members willing to help out, and with some extra assistance and equipment from Jacqueline Huddleston we were off and running.

It was a pretty chilly morning, but we warmed up soon enough, what with all the activity and the kids yelling and running around. Just about everyone got a chance to turn the crank to grind the apples to pulp, to throw chopped apples into the hopper, and to help turn the wheel to press the pulp into cider. We had a gas stove and double-boiler so that we could pasteurize the cider for safe consumption. One after another, classes came outside, did their turn at the press and then headed inside for a short video and discussion about healthy juice and sugar content.

The next day I was lucky enough to be able to go to the meal where the kids were served rainbow pasta with local vegetables, yummy coleslaw, bread baked with hand-milled flour by Nancy’s Bakery in Lund, and of course a little bit of apple cider for everyone. It was so lovely to see all the schoolchildren enjoying a delicious and healthy meal with local ingredients. I talked to a few of them and they all raved about the apple cider.

Thanks to Leta, Francine, and all the other parents who worked so hard to make this meal happen. And thanks for inviting Skookum to be a part of it. Special thanks to Coco and Marty for taking half a day out of their busy lives. And of course, thank you to all of the schoolkids of James Thomson who helped make cider.

For more information on the James Thomson Farm to School program, you can check them out on Facebook.

A pair of amanita mushrooms

Hello everyone,

Our days are growing increasingly darker and the weather cycling into cooler temperatures. The world’s systems are straining from our (collective) disregard for the limits of our ecosystem to meet the demands made by our adherence to growth as a model for humanity’s betterment. We all know that the systems we have designed are in need of review at the very least and most likely need to be scrapped entirely. These will have to be replaced with sustainable ones which will keep our planet and communities healthy and happy. These changes are likely to be challenging and disruptive at the very least, however I believe that whatever steps we take now to address these issues and to build resilience will minimize the impacts on our community.

I thank you all for being a part of the solution. Take a look at this, released a few days ago:

UN General Assembly to launch International Year of Co-operatives today

New York, October 31, 2011 — Today is a historic day in the history of the United Nations and the global co-operative movement, as the UN General Assembly officially launches the 2012 International Year of Co-operatives.

In December 2009, the General Assembly adopted a resolution proclaiming 2012 the International Year of Co-operatives, in recognition of the contribution co-operatives make to the social and economic development of communities around the world. The theme of the International Year is Co-operative Enterprises Build a Better World.

I invite you all, individually and collectively to apply yourselves to discussion at the very least and creation of events that our co-operative can undertake to help lead the way towards a sustainable future. Find ways to share both skills and knowledge which will build resilience within the community and which will help us transition into a sustainable future. We have to do it simply because there is no one else.

The Fall Fair was a success this year. A wonderful turnout where the Skookum cider press was found to be producing fresh cider. It was produced by our volunteers and met all requirements of the health act to boot, while providing the co-op with some income. Thanks to the efforts of those who took time to organize and manage the event.

Progress is being made with The Abundant Pantry bulk buying club. Software is being written as I type which will enable products to be listed to the ordering pages of our site in ways which will enable easy searching and sorting. Its time consuming, painstaking work and my thanks to Barry Bookout for his voluntary diligence. The wait for this is worthwhile and i’m sure you’ll find the ease of use of the ordering system beneficial. When this work is complete and we’re ready for a trial run I’ll gladly announce the news.

Jacqueline Morales is holding a dehydration workshop watch for the posters). This is one NOT to miss as it is both very affordable and the knowledge she will be sharing is extensive. There will a maximum attendance of twenty people so don’t take too long to decide to go! It will take place in Wildwood on Dec. 10 and Dec. 12 (allowing a day in between for the dehydrators to do their work) and cost $30 for Skookum Co-op members, $45 for non-members. The sign up deadline is Nov. 20.

I have a request for at least one volunteer to help set up a computerized catalogue for our community library located at Kingfisher Books. I am told that the task is to enter book names into an existing database and will not need the expertise of a librarian. Please let me know if you are willing.

The Skookum board has been discussing holding a get together event in January. Some thoughts have been a potluck supper, a movie night and/or a speaker. Perhaps a combination of them. What ideas do you have? Please share your thoughts and comments.

I will be away on an extended trip and will be available via e-mail (peteteb@gmail.com) and the board can be reached at board@skookumfood.ca. Please keep your ideas coming and bring your enthusiasm forward, for the betterment of us all.

Regards,
Pete Tebbutt

         Drying Foods Naturally

           Day 1                                                              Day 2

- Why dehydrate?                                         -How to wrap and store

- Using your dehydrator year round           -Divide portions

-Features of a good dehydrator                   -How dry is dry?

-Temperature, time & attention                  -What else can I dehydrate?

-Prep  work                                                    -Reconstituting

-Dry leather, fruit bars & spaghetti            -Tasting the fruit of our labor

-Marinate meat and fish overnight             -Sharing more recipes

• Permaculture design ethics and principles
• Methods of design and ecological patterns
• Annual and perennial food growing and preserving strategies
• Animals in rural and urban areas
• Soil, water and energy systems
• Appropriate technologies and green building
• Ecosystems and ecological restoration
• Settlement design and community strategies
• Alternative economies and resilience
• And much more … !

The course will be taught by Ron Berezan (The Urban Farmer, www.theurbanfarmer.ca) and Erin Innes (Passionate Permaculture, (www.passionatepermaculture.ca) who collectively bring many years of permaculture teaching and experience to the table. We will be hosted by St. David and St. Paul Anglican church in Townsite, Powell River. All participants will have the opportunity to participate in the design and implementation of a permaculture garden on the church grounds, providing a community resource for years to come! This initiative is also being undertaken with the support of Transition Town Powell River and Skookum Food Provisioners Cooperative.

All Skookum members will receive $100 off the cost of registration.

Please download the borochure at: http://theurbanfarmer.ca/education/upcoming-workshops-events-new/.
For more information please contact:

Ron Berezan, theurbanfarmer@shaw.ca, 604 223 4800 or

Erin Innes, rin@passionatepermaculture.ca, 778 707 4848.