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Celebration of the spud

Cranbrook Food Action Committee celebrates first harvest at Public Produce Garden
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The Cranbrook Food Action Committee’s Public Produce Garden was the scene of a first annual Potato Picking Party

The Cranbrook Food Action Committee celebrated the first harvest from Cranbrook’s Public Produce Garden, which was created this year. A potato picking party was held Sunday, September 30, to check out results of the garden’s first planting earlier this summer.

Christian Kimber of Three Crows Farm in Cranbrook, who served as the garden’s manager, welcomed all and sundry to the event. And pointed out several partners who’d helped with the creation of the garden. These include the City of Cranbrook, the Cranbrook Rotary Club, and the Union of British Columbia Municipalities. Grants were provided through the UBCM, the Rotary Club, Columbia Basin Trust and Cranbrook Foundation, to help with aspects like the fence surrounding the site and the waterlines.

Kimber also praised the quality of the ground itself — a thick, black fertile loam. “It’s so easy to work with,” he said. “A real joy to work.” He added that the site had been created with room to expand, should the possibilities and need arise.

City Councillor Gerry Warner, who brought greetings from Mayor Wayne Stetski, said one of the best things about the project was that it was community driven.

“In this age where food comes from the supermarket, this gets us back in touch with where food really comes from,” Warner added.

Pat Chisholm, and member of CFAC, also thanked the Community Connections Society of B.C., who provided support and infrastructure and helped with grant applications.

After the speeches, the crowd set to digging, and the results proved to be true gems of the earth. Potatoes were set to boiling, and salads were created from herbs grown right on site. A composting workshop was also held.



Barry Coulter

About the Author: Barry Coulter

Barry Coulter had been Editor of the Cranbrook Townsman since 1998, and has been part of all those dynamic changes the newspaper industry has gone through over the past 20 years.
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