Dear Local Food Box members and local food supporters,
Registration for this year’s Local Food Box is open! You can read the updates below or just skip it and register here.
We are proud to be working with a great team of local farmers and producers to offer you a beautiful, fresh and delicious assortment of local food and flowers again this year. Our farmers work hard and are committed to creating local food resiliency and high quality products.
This year’s box program options
- Meats (pork, chicken and lamb) from Parry Bay Sheep Farm and Stillmeadow Farm
- Flower bouquets from TBD
- Honey from Windweaver Farm
- Mushrooms from West Coast Mycology
- Microgreens from Roaming Raven Farm
- Flour from Nootka Rose
- Eggs from Ridgeview Farm and Starlit Ridge Farm (egg producers may vary depending on availability)
- Fruits and vegetables from Wind Whipped Farm
Unfortunately, we are not offering flower bouquets from Ninebark Farm this year. Lorna is scaling back production and is no longer able to supply us with bouquets. She wanted us to relay that she loved making bouquets for the box program members and will miss being able to provide you with bouquets. We are working on finding a new flower farmer to collaborate with.
Pickup Location Options
At Wind Whipped Farm:
- Tuesdays, 3:30 – 5:30
- Fridays, 3:30 – 5:30
- Saturdays, 9:00 am-noon in the Wind Whipped Farmstand (items will be pre-packaged and left out in the farmstand for you to pick up)
In Town:
- Mt Tolmie – on Kisber Ave.
- Fernwood – on Denman Street.
- Vic West – on Dominion Street.
We have three pickup locations available in and around Victoria. Space is limited and we have to reach a minimum number of members for each location to go ahead. The day of the week and pickup time (usually around 5:30 – 7) will be determined once we have a better sense of numbers and schedules. We will confirm in-town locations once details are worked out and you will have the chance to change your pickup selection if you want.
Solidarity Share
Thanks for all the support we have received in establishing the Solidarity Share to help provide local produce to families facing financial difficulty. Last year, box members provided nearly $2,000 in solidarity funding by adding Solidarity Shares to their box orders and by donating Administrative Fee Credits at the end of the season. This funding has helped establish the Metchosin Farmers Solidarity Fund, a partnership with Umi Nami Farm and Sea Bluff Farm that aims to provide a regular weekly supply of fresh vegetables for a local community food bank (see article below). So far, this program has been impactful, we are keen to continue to strengthen and expand it this year.
Metchosin Muse article about the Metchosin Farmers Solidarity Fund
Wind Whipped Farm Expansion and… Strawberries!
We are continuing to make progress on our farm expansion. This winter we have made a big push to complete deer fencing around our new growing area. We are almost finished installing 1400 ft of deer fencing around 2.5 additional acres. One of the crops we are looking forward to having more space for is strawberries.
Strawberry transplants in the greenhouse waiting for deer fence to be done
Yanou helping build fencing, motivated by strawberries
One of five farm gates getting installed in the new fenced area
Job Offer: Wind Whipped Farm Hand
We are hiring for the 2025 season. The Farm Hand position is available through the support of the Youth Employment and Skills Program (Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada), therefore applicants must be 30 or under at the beginning of their employment. More information about the job is available here. Please pass this along to anyone you think may be interested.
We hope you will be joining us in the box program this year and we really appreciate it if you can recommend The Local Food Box to your friends and in your networks.
Sincerely,
Alex and Virginie on behalf of the Wind Whipped Farm Team and The Local Food Box partners.
No comments yet.