Month: January 2021

I’m drawing a map. I’m talking to Josephine Hill and she’s telling me about Ragley Organic Farm, which she and her husband, Rob, operate in East Sooke on the Southern tip of Vancouver Island. I say, “so you’ve got a twisty windy driveway off the road.” She says, “Well, its not real twisty, windy.” Beginning to feel a Monty Python skit coming on I reply, “how twisty, windy is it?” She explains, “its not real twisty, but it’s long, about a quarter mile, and it sort of goes up and it winds a little bit.” Okay. She fills in the picture a bit more. “You get to the ‘Y’ in the road and if you go to the right you […]

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BoskyWoods Organic Farm rambles at the end of a small rural road off a dogleg in a secondary highway north of the township of Langley in the Fraser Valley. In many ways it is a great location. It’s close to the #1 Highway, the Fraser Highway and fairly central in the Valley so there is good access to just about anywhere in the southern part of the valley. There is a pleasant buzz of small plane traffic on the flight path to Langley airport. An unusually warm March breeze swirls among the trees. The late afternoon sun slants across the landscape and glints off the standing water in a drainage slough. Jim Boughen sips homemade wine as we talk. Jim […]

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When Bruce Miller says “Across the Creek” he is referring to across Ryan Creek where he would wander the large wooded area for big adventures as a boy. More recently, he bought that piece of land and his big adventure is farming about 200 of his family’s 500 acres and doing it completely organically. There are about 50 acres growing organic cabbage, rutabagas, table potatoes and seed potatoes for the wholesale market and the rest is growing market vegetables for market and a CSA harvest box program, and premixed salads for local restaurants in the Whistler area. Miller is a third generation farmer and, being the only son, basically inherited the family farming business. He is fond of the saying, […]

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Real Food For Real People Glen Valley seems to be a little glitch on the map—an area with no major roads through it, no gas stations, major crossroads, industrial estates or fast food outlets. Driving through it is not easy as many roads end abruptly or veer in odd directions due to quirks in the landscape. This is an area that has not been heavily rationalized for vehicle traffic or the needs of a fast paced, commuter oriented lifestyles. It is a place where the noise of traffic doesn’t penetrate and it is best not to be in a hurry. Stephen Gallagher seems like an anomaly here in this quiet valley. He is a great bundle of energy and enthusiasm. […]

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