Is it possible to be self-sufficient on Salt Spring Island and the Southern Gulf Islands?
What many people don't realize is that the southern grouping of these stellar islands is a microclimate (has a name: "cool Mediterranean") that supports food growing enterprises.
With the concern over climate change, food and water shortages, more and more people are looking at urban farming, at the 10K if not the 100K diet...it's about taking responsibility for food production, partly to know where it came from/if it's "safe" to eat and partly to know that if supply lines are cut, for any particular reason, one will not starve. The Islands Trust, the form of government on the Gulf Islands, supports such endeavours.
Salt Spring and the other Southern Gulf Islands have committed and consistent year round residents, who support local farmers and farmers markets. Most people do have a veggie garden and some fruit trees as part of their "landscaping". For seasonal residents (yes, this is a secondary home marketplace, for many), they support the many farmers markets/roadside stands.
Apple orchards flourish on the Gulf Islands, plus pear, plum varieties, cherry, nut trees, and lately people have successfully put in vineyards and now olive groves. Salt Spring lamb is also quite famous on the West Coast". Artisan bakeries, productive orchards, ability to grow year round (winters are not severe, here, but greenhouses would be needed), and growth that has been capped by the Islands Trust, ensuring that the population could sustain itself.
More information? Call me! liread33@gmail.com
How may I help you to discover special Salt Spring Island & the Southern Gulf Islands? Call me!
