With our last day on Salt Spring Island, we decided to take in the Foxglove Organic Farm Tour/Festival. A gorgeous day awaited us. You can check out their website here.
Here are a couple of pictures of the main house - sadly, we could not take photos of the front of the house as there were a gazillion people everywhere:
Love, love the Cedar shake! Here is another view:
The pristine, beautiful Foxglove Farm is a 120 acre organic farm. It also is an Educational Centre and a retreat on the ever so beautiful Salt Spring Island. The farm produces: berries, asparagus, melons, greens, a wide range of root vegetables as well as orchard fruits. They also grow their own grains, legumes and have an area for their pastured laying hens. Not to mention the lovely setting that borders on Mt. Maxwell Lake.
After having lunch (I had a gf. grilled sausage with salad, dh had wood oven baked pizza) we headed on over to the farm tour.
Here is one of their strawberry fields - they grow in two year successions:
Our tour guide Michael, talked about the many challenges with our West Coast Weather. This worries me. You see, Salt Spring Island has a Mediterranean Micro Climate. It is THE place to grow fruit and vegetables. Where I live in Sooke, B.C. we are right on the Coast. So subject to fog, cooler weather, and some heavy winds and rain. Always a challenge. But for Salt Spring Island?? Global Warming...is not only real....but very much present and so it seems.... affecting everywhere.
I am forgetting myself here...onto the tour: Next we visited some Vegetable fields, where the talk was on composting, companion plantings and soil enhancement. The farm's emphasis, is in using good manure, compost, and sustaining the soil naturally, so absolutely no chemicals. With this rich lovely soil, and proper planting, pests are not an issue. I love that!
By this time the tour was 3/4 of the way finished. It was extremely hot out...neither myself or DH wore hats! We caved in the heat - and headed back to the main area for gelato, and some of the best Raspberry Cider I have ever tasted! So refreshing after a day in the sun - this really was a fun day, with lots of education, and I would definitely recommend an organic farm tour for anyone, anywhere.....but of course,.... especially on Salt Spring Island. If you ever get a chance to visit, I am sure, you will be as charmed as we have been for the last 15 years. Can't wait to go back! By the way...this is in not a sponsored post...like all of my posts (unless specified otherwise) these are just my happy opinions.
With this we say:Â Bye Salt Spring, Bye Foxglove Farm, Bye Maiya and Mia, Bye Cottage Resort....we love you...till next time - xoxoxo
Such a beautiful organic farm. Love the house photos! Cedar shakes age so gracefully. Sad on the global warming aspect. Oh, and now I want sausage! 😉
Thanks so much for sharing, Ina!
Shirley
Happy to share, thanks for your support Shirley! 🙂
Wow! I google earthed Salt Spring Island, and St Mary's Lake - wow!
Its a pretty special place - we love it!
If I wasn't so enamored with my own island, I'd don my maple leaf and head north to stunning Salt Spring. One thing Salt Spring has that Vashon doesn't (besides a population of awesome Canadians) is an abundance of lakes. I loved my bike rides up there years ago, when I could ride between lakes and jump in, cool off, and ride to another. Here's to your fine time in the sun and the shade on Salt Spring!
Thanks Tom! Aren't the lakes wonderful? We have traveled to a number of Islands now - Salt Spring is our favorite. We must one day head to Vashon Island - your Island sounds exquisite!