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News
Fast Company has profiled the ten most inspiring people in Sustainable Food. Dan Barber, Michael Pollan and Jamie Oliver make the list. To read the full article, click here.
A warning has been issued about a brand of Camembert cheese made in B.C. that could be contaminated with potentially deadly Listeria bacteria.
Fifteen years after coming to the Cowichan Valley and ten years after opening Canada'Â’s first Farm to Table cooking school, Mara Jernigan will be cooking and teaching for her last summer season at Fairburn Farm.
Jernigan, whoÂ’se early training in Europe left her inspired by the notion of agritourism, chose the Cowichan Valley to settle with her young family. They started a small vineyard, market garden and cooking school called Engeler Farm in 1996. A marriage break-up in 2005 saw Mara move her operation to one of the Cowichan ValleyÂ’'s most historic agricultural properties and take over the guesthouse operation at Darrel and Anthea Archer'Â’s Fairburn Farm.
Since moving to the Cowichan Valley, Mara has raised livestock, participated in farmers markets, conducted farm tours in conjunction with a luxury resort, and held asparagus, stinging nettle, composting and even batwatching events. She has hosted school children, youth groups, activists, fellow chefs and culinary students, universities, organic leaders and over a hundred Wwoofers (Willing workers on organic farms) from around the world. Mara founded and organized Vancouver IslandÂ’s premiere food event, FarmFolk/CityFolkÂ’s Feast of Fields for ten years, she co-founded the Vancouver Island and Gulf IslandÂ’s Slow Food convivium with Sooke Harbour House'Â’s Sinclair Philip and is the current Canadian President of Slow Food. For the last ten years she has taught hundreds of people basic techniques and the value of cooking with local seasonal ingredients in her hands-on field to table cooking classes. This was recognized in the recent EAT magazine readers awards where she won Gold as Food Educator of the Year. Her concern for the preservation of agricultural land has extended into the community where she has been active with many boards and organizations as well as the recent Cittaslow designation to be awarded to Cowichan Bay, the first in North America.
"“I always had the dream to run a small inn on a farm, to raise my son while working and cooking at home. I love the Cowichan Valley and I have done many of the things I wanted to do here. This year my son Julian turns 19 and will finish culinary school and I am ready for a change," states Jernigan.
Mara plans to continue offering her annual culinary tours in Italy and is currently working out the details of a spectacular location to hold her acclaimed culinary bootcamps in 2011. She is also hoping to take a sabbatical year to live, travel and study languages in Europe. For her last year at Fairburn Farm, Mara has several special events planned, including a stinging nettle festival in conjunction with Slow Food on April 18th and a very special dinner with friend and mentor, chef Michael Stadtlander in September.
"“I have really loved living and cooking at Fairburn Farm and I feel very grateful towards the Archer family for letting me develop my culinary concept in such a special environment.” She states. “ I am going to make the most of my last year in this beautiful place. I have have had great staff to help me and we have had so many wonderful guests for our Sunday lunches, our cooking classes, and in the guesthouse and I look forward to sharing my last summer with them.”"
The ArcherÂ’'s daughter Maryann, who returned in 2008 to work with the water buffalo, will be taking over the accommodations from Jernigan and will be reopening as a Bed & breakfast in 2011. As the third generation operator of the farmhouse, she looks forward to reconnecting with the community and inviting individuals, couples, and families to experience the natural beauty and peace that the farm offers.
For more information contact Mara at 250 746-4637
mara@fairburnfarm.bc.ca
March 5, 2010: After seven years of making small batch wine from local fruit, Marley Farm Winery will close its doors at the end of the month. The winery will be open weekends in March so fans can pick up a few bottles of their favorite wines and visit the tasting room one last time.
“It was a very hard decision to make, however it was a unanimous family decision that closing is what is best for the family,” says Danielle Marley, Manager, Marley Farm Winery. “It was time to decide between continuing to run it at the size it is or expanding and we just aren’t in a position to expand.”
Marley Farm is a 47 acre property on Mt. Newton Cross Road. In addition to vineyards the property is a working farm with horses, chickens, turkeys, ducks and pigeons. Hay is also grown on the site. Following the closure of the winery the property will be put on the market for sale.
Marley Farm Winery’s first harvest was in 2002 and the first estate wines were produced in 2003. Grapes grown on the property include Pinot Grigio, Ortega and Pinot Noir. Produce for the fruit wines, including kiwi, raspberry, blackberry and elderflower, is grown at Marley Farm and on Saanich Peninsula farms.
“We will maintain the licensing on the property in the hope that the purchaser reopens the winery,” says Marley. “It’s been an amazing seven years and we hope the next owner gets as much out of it as we have.”
The tasting room is open and wines may be purchased Saturdays and Sundays through the month of March between 11 a.m. and 5 p.m. All wines are for sale at $10 a bottle. Any wine remaining will be sold on March 27th and 28th for $5 a bottle. A list of the wines available is posted at www.marleyfarm.ca
