Our “100 Mile Diet” breakfast
When we moved to Cowichan Station to start Makaria Farm back in the spring of 2007, our goal was to be as self-sufficient as possible. We thought “success” would mean a meal where we’d produced all the ingredients ourselves, from the eggs to the bacon and fried tomatoes.
But over the past six years we’ve learned that community sufficiency, not self-sufficiency, is a much more rewarding goal.
These days, a perfect meal is one where we can name all the people who provided the ingredients, from our tea (Victor and Margit of Teafarm) to our fish (Anne and Gregg of Cowichan Bay Seafood).
Lush Eco Lawns drops off another load of lawn clippings from their organically-minded customers.
But community sufficiency extends beyond our plates. For years, the Community Farm Store and True Grain have allowed us to take their organic food waste so we can feed our compost and, in turn, the soil in which we grow our vegetables. Lush Eco Lawns adds grass clippings to our compost piles multiple times each week.
This year, we’ve created a new partnership: Aaron and Katie of Cowichan Recyclists will provide bicycle delivery to some of our Vegetable Share CSA members this summer.
As a result, the folks who eat our broccoli and carrots this year could be eating the results of at least five different eco-friendly, local businesses working together.
Now that’s “success.”