The Local Harvest Market
7697 Lickman Road V2R 4A7 Chilliwack, BC, Canada

We're giving our staff and family an extended break to recuperate. We'll all be back at it on Monday.

GARDENING COURSES 2021. .. . . It's our intention to offer gardening courses early in the new year, probably February - March. An announcement will be made in early January when we'll have a clearer idea of restrictions on in-person gatherings. We may be forced to go virtual though this is certainly not our desire. .. .... . This course will provide you with the basic principles of no-till gardening. We'll delve into soil microbiology with the help of a local vermicomposting expert. You'll seed up your own trays and grow plants for transplanting in your own garden. We'll discuss when to plant and seed throughout the season and recommend varieties for guaranteed success. .. . . This course will be geared towards people with larger garden plots (we are after all market gardeners) but there'll be lots in here even for those growing in containers or small raised beds. .. . . I'll release signup details here and on our webpage in January. This could make an excellent Christmas gift for someone in your life who is interested in becoming a better gardener. You can buy gift certificates in our market that can be used towards this gardening course. --Farmer Dan of Local Harvest Farm by @wearethenorthern for @westcoastseeds

Our Brussel sprouts, grown without any sprays, were just harvested and are available in our market now. Top leaves are left attached to the stem and deserve to be eaten as well; they're sweet and crisp.

Wrestling parsnips out the cold earth in a driving November rain is nothing in comparison with the struggles our restaurants are currently facing. I'm referencing, of course, eateries that are unwaveringly loyal in their support of local farms and farm families. Needless to say, many independently owned and operated restaurants and even some larger enterprises are on the edge of a precipice and are in imminent danger of being swept away for good along with the farms they supp...ort. We have noticed a significant decline in restaurant orders this year. Fortunately, our on-farm market has picked up the slack. Many small, diversified farms haven't faired so well and are heading into the winter extremely tight on cash. It's possible you're also in calamitous times and the struggle is raw and real. But if there are people, like us, with some money to spare we're asking you to throw your support behind a local restaurant that whole-heartedly supports local farms. This might mean purchasing a gift certificate for a struggling neighbour or buying takeout for your staff. Because if we're not there for restaurants today, they won't be there for us tomorrow. . . . . I've tagged the restaurants and eateries that buy from our farm. Which restaurants support your farm? See more

For the 25 acres of vegetables we'll be growing in 2021, we will need to purchase around 150 lbs of seeds. Incredibly, this will yield over 1 million lbs of vegetables. Talk about a good return on investment. @robynbessenger for @tourismchilliwack

I built this pool a couple summers ago. It's made of concrete walls and has a couple of levels with a maximum depth of 7'. That's the unremarkable stuff. .. . . Unlike most pools, this one doesn't require artificial chemicals. And it never needs vacuuming. .. .... . To keep it swimmable, water is pumped through a shallow pebble bed of cattails we pulled from our ditch. Initially, to our disappointment, the water was cloudy and the walls coated with slime. .. . . But when the plants began to grow, something special happened and it's illustrative of what occurs in all ecosystems, including farms, when we let nature do it's thing. .. . . When the cattails sent forth a mass of fibrous roots, a surge of new life appeared. In this oxygen rich environment bacteria and fungi thrive and so do the critters that feed on them. Numerous beetles, wormlike creatures, damselfly nymphs and colorful mites also found a home in this crystal clear bed as water striders patrolled the surface. These creatures, their eggs attached to the roots of the plants, were introduced into the filtration bed. Inside the pool, where we swim, thousands of snails keep the sides and bottom clean. .. . . This past summer, I spotted a blue heron wading through the water, eating insects, I suppose. A snipe, a rarer feathered friend, made a regular appearance in the early morning. Swallows take refreshing gulps of water on sweltering days to help wash down dry bugs they catch in the sky above our farm. .. . . We can all bring life in abundance to the spaces we inhabit. It starts with plants, natures under appreciated solar panels and carbon sequestration factories. In the presence of plant roots, I've read, microbial life is several thousand times greater than in their absence. Healthy ecosystems are oxygen rich. In water that means good circulation. In gardens, good drainage. We also need patience and the ability to leave things alone as we wait for nature to find its balance without looking for quick solutions from poisonous solutions. . . Become the genius of your place and create living spaces that are a reflection of the particular place where you live. Life in abundance will be your reward. See more

Winter cabbages. We'll probably start harvesting these monsters in early December.

Not long ago, a friend gasped with horror when he saw me returning from the field with a loaded tractor of freshly harvested roots. I was mud spattered, soaking wet and in his words, resembled a disheveled, bearded bushman returning from a bear hunt. .. . . Dressed in an immaculate suit he looked at me with disdain and queried how the owner of the farm, the boss, would deign to work on hands and knees grovelling in the mud for a few stupid parsnips. That's what the workers we...re for. Or not? .. . . I had no immediate answer and proceeded to wash the albion white roots swallowing my pride and hiding the virulent mixture of shame and rage that was bubbling to surface. .. . . Back in the late 90's I was privileged to work for Brian Minter of @mintergardening. During these formative teen years, Brian taught me three things I'll never forget: (1) if you're going to do something, do it well and do it once. (2) Anything worth doing in life takes hard work and commitment. (3) As a leader, always be prepared to take the toughest, most challenging and dirtiest tasks. .. . . I can, even now, vividly recall Brian straining to hold the rootball side of a giant Alberta spruce, walking backwards while yelling encouragements to the rest of us as we wrestled the prickly tree into the back of a customers minivan. .. . . But there's more. Brian loves work and finds immense fulfillment and joy in every task he starts and completes. Even today, he brings every ounce of strength and every joule of energy to make his business stronger and his customers happier. And he's not 36 anymore. .. . . It's this delight and satisfaction in work as work that he's instilled in me. And I'm thankful today that he never tolerated a less than perfect effort from those he employed. .. . . "Forgive me," I said to my friend, "it might seem strange but harvesting food for our customers, even in the worst weather, makes me happy and feeling accomplished. Plus, we seeded these plants, watered them, weeded them and how could I not want to see them harvested? You wouldn't want to take all this from me, would you?" See more

JOIN OUR TEAM We are looking to hire a salesperson to work full-time in our bakery department. You must have excellent customer service and communication skills. If you're a quick learner, have an eye for detail and have organizational aptitudes this might be your calling. Do you appreciate food made from quality ingredients? Is healthy eating important to you? For immediate hire. For more details or to apply send an email to [email protected]

Harvesting greens in the field, offers lots of space and time for thinking. Small business, the backbone of our community, were top of mind yesterday. While our farm and market has done well, some businesses are hurting bigtime. Do you know who's not hurting? Big box stores and fast food restaurants. They're thriving right across North America smuggly raking in huge profits. . . We're not the type to cry out "unfair, unfair" and you're probably not either. So instead of moani...ng and complaining, let's band together and support small independent companies and family run businesses in our own communities--some of which are on the verge of collapse. . . My Christmas shopping is done. I may have paid more and it may have been less convenient than buying from a onestop chain store but it sure feels good handing hard earned cash to my neighbors and friends. It's like giving twice: once when you purchase the gift and once when you present it to the person on your list. . . Which small business are you supporting this year? Which business in your community needs recognition? Please support them by tagging them in the comments. See more

OPEN REMEMBRANCE DAY 8 AM - 6 PM

Just because the growing season is almost behind us, doesn't mean you are free from weeding. Now is the time to deal with overwintering weeds like chickweed, dandelion and grass. They may grow slow over the next couple months but will show explosive and uncontrollable growth in late winter even casting seeds before your first sowing of spinach and radishes. Rid your garden of weeds NOW, mulch with woodchips and compost in empty beds and around existing vegetables and you'll be amply rewarded in the spring and summer of next year.

This is by far our favorite thing to grow.

Most greens from our farm are sold (and probably eaten) within a day or two after they're harvested.

Enjoy your Thanksgiving weekend. We here at LH certainly will.