Innisfree Farm
3636 Trent Road V9N 9R4 Courtenay, BC, Canada

There is nothing that compares to eating the first ripe tomato of the season. Especially when it's freshly plucked off the vine and still warm from the sun, sliced in half and sprinkled of a touch of flaky sea salt. Here's some great info on tomatoes, but we want to know what's your favourite tomato?

We are so going to try that this year! We grow a wall of sunflowers every year - can't wait to grill them!

It is a new year and a new garden season coming. We are looking for 8 exceptional individuals to join our garden team this year. Learn how to grow food, harve...st and make herbal medicines and how to take better care of your health and the planet. Work hard, play hard, learn a lot and laugh a lot. See more

for all my herbal friends trying to make a business work when all you really want is to pick weeds - this program will help you get sorted

Gotta love this.

got to have a bit of humor to go into the weekend with - happy Friday everyone :-)

Can't believe we have pulled it off! 301 tickets sold and an amazing weekend of learning

Our Native Medicinal Plants garden is off and running! We’re very pleased to announce that our Gardens without Borders program has been awarded a $1,875 grant from Global Botanic Garden Fund, which is based out of the Royal Botanic Garden of Kew in London, England. The grant will be going towards the creation of the Native Medicinal Plants Sanctuary. It’s exciting to have had this recognition from Kew Gardens in London, and to receive this award, as it will help us realize a... long-held dream of building a Native medicinal plant demonstration and teaching garden here at Innisfree. We respectfully acknowledge that we live, work and play in the unceded territories of the K'ómoks First Nation, and we want to honour their knowledge about local plants through stories, songs, dance and tradition, as well as through science. With this garden, we can introduce visitors to the cornucopia that grows naturally around us. Our apprentices here at the farm have been working hard throughout this past summer, prepping a site for the Native Medicinal Plants display area and the project is scheduled to be completed by the end of December, 2021. Royal Botanic Garden of Kew in London, England began its life in 1759 and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. With over 50,000 living plants, the gardens are a beautiful place to visit and a global resource for plant and fungal knowledge, exploration and scientific research. To learn more about Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, visit kew.org or Kew Gardens. Gardens without Borders is a non-profit organization focusing on Horticulture Therapy (healing through plants and gardening) and aligns perfectly with the over-arching educational vision of we have for Innisfree, which focuses on appreciation, understanding, uses and conservation of medicinal food and plants.

With all the chaos that's invading our space these days, especially from the south, it's time to share some anxiety-reducing tips compiled by TreeHugger. Here at Innisfree, forest bathing or Shinrin-yoku as the Japanese call it, is one of our favourites even on a rainy winter days. #forestbathing #stressrelief #naturesmedicine

If you plan on registering, make sure to put the code: Chanchal20 in and get $20 off your registration fee. And share with your friends, makes for some great post-conference conversations the knowledge you've gained.

Can you believe it's October? The month of gourds and ghouls - ;)

It's been a tense year so far and we've still months to go. To help reduce our stress levels and improve our overall health, the Canadian Herb Conference is putting the focus on plants as a way to heal oneself and our community. Our own Chanchal Cabrera is one of over 30 of Canada's best practicing herbalists participating in this one-of-a-kind online event and when you include the code: Chanchal20 when you register, you get $20 OFF. The conference is open to everyone, from h...erbal enthusiasts, those just starting their foray into the herbal world, practitioners and students. Like all conferences, there will be a marketplace, plus tearooms for you to connect and converse with other attendees. Click below to learn more and to register, plus make sure to visit https://bit.ly/3mTyC6o

Here's some great news....

Less than 48 hours now - be a part of the conversation, register today. Put the promo code chanchal20 in eventbrite to get $20 off and have up to 3 years to listen and watch. Hope to see you there!

Look what our friends over at The Nourished Executive made with some our blueberries. You can still gets some just by calling us at 250-336-8768. Happy Monday.

I sincerely hope to be enjoying my gardens when I am really old My mum was still planting tubs and containers in her 90s

Look who’s speaking at the upcoming Canadian Herb Conference. There’s still time to register for this online event, just remember to include the code: Chanchal20 to receive $20 off your fee.

It's forecasted to be a wet, chilly couple of days here in Comox Valley and there's nothing better than cozying up with a hot cup of tea. A rich and warming brew of seasonal mushrooms, roots and berries will not only warm you up, but help build immune strength and enhance resistance infections. If you are someone who likes to wild harvest your own medicines, then everything here except the licorice and astragalus can be found native or naturalized in many parts of Europe and ...north America. 50 g each of Burdock root, Astragalus root 25 g of Licorice root 25 g Rose hips 25 g Elderberries 25 g Turkey tail mushroom 50 g Hawthorn berries *this will make 200 g of the mix Take 4 Tbsp. and put in a pan with 3 cups of cold water. Cover tightly and bring to a boil. Turn heat to lowest possible setting and simmer 15 minutes. Remove from heat, strain out and sweeten to taste with honey. Can also add variations like a cinnamon stick, cloves, cardomom etc. If you aren't in the mood to make your own blend, give us a call at 250-336-8768; we have a number of tea blends that are guaranteed to warm your soul and lift your spirits.

When you sign up, make sure to use the code: Chanchal20 to get $20 off your registration fee.

For the better part of September western Canada was and continues to be blanketed by a thick layer of smoke from the wildfires impacting our neighbours to the s...outh as well as many communities in British Columbia. The air quality in some regions of BC was so hazardous that Canada Post suspended mail delivery to several cities, towns and regions. This layer of smoke is adding another layer to an already intense year, 2020 hasn’t been an easy one. The Canadian Herb Conference is supporting you through this, offering access points to workshops, panels and presenters that have useful and timely information that will encourage recovery, wellness, self-care and trauma resolution support through what has evolved into an unprecedented year of intense experiences for us all. Some of the workshops and panel discussions that add support at this time are: Plant Medicines in Addiction Therapy with Patrick Kooyman Covid19 Infections and Botanical Medicine Panel with Talal Al Hamad, Chanchal Cabrera, Todd Caldecott, Chad Cornell Sustainability and Ethical Sourcing Panel - Connie Kehler, Patrick Kooyman, Yarrow Willard, Todd Caldecott, Krista Poulton A Feminist's History of Herbal Medicine with Marie White taught in French with English translation. These are only a few snippets of what has been planned! More workshops are being added daily this week to the website. The Conference has you in mind, offering you what you need to support your life right now. . . #herbalmedicinesupport #CHC2020 #ethicalherbalism #climatechange

Did you know...

As promised, here's a recipe using the Tromboncino squash or zucchini (whichever name you choose) we showed yesterday, and we got this from clear across the country from The Organic Farm in Newfoundland. Love supporting the organic farming communities across Canada. Melba’s Tromboncino Casserole provided by Tess Burke (Melba approved) Ingredients... Tromboncino Squash, sliced into 1/2 inch thick slices Egg Bread crumbs or panko Parmesan cheese, grated Garlic, thinly sliced Olive oil Salt and pepper Grated cheese, such as white cheddar or any flavourful cheese Cooking instructions Place egg in bowl and beat. In another bowl combine grated parmesan and bread crumbs or panko. Place a sheet of parchment paper to the side. Dip Tromboncino slice into egg batter and then into egg and cheese mixture, pressing into the crumbs to make them stick to the squash. (sometimes I double this step to get a thick crumb coating on the squash). Lay the coated squash slices on the parchment sheet until all slices are coated. Heat olive oil in a skillet and fry the slices of squash on either side until crispy but be careful not to burn them. Cover the bottom of a casserole dish with olive oil and place slices of garlic to cover the bottom of the dish. Layer fried squash slices on top of garlic, season with salt and pepper and grate cheese over the top of these slices. Create another layer of fried squash, salt and pepper and cheese and cover with aluminum foil. Bake in oven at 375 degrees for 30 mins. Remove foil and bake for another 10 mins until cheese browns. Definitely check The Organic Farm's FB and website out as there's more ways than one to cook a Tromboncino!

Good morning! We're still busy harvesting our gardens, but we thought we'd take a moment to have a little fun any wild guesses what Fiona is holding? If no one gets the right answer, we'll let you know tomorrow and supply a recipe.

This is what it will sound like when you take a Shinrin-yoku today.

This past few weeks has seen us harvesting a number of things that are at their peak and ready to eat. From apples to pumpkins, we've been busy, busy (all of which are available by calling 250-336-8768.) Our latest has been walnuts. We only have the one tree, but it's more than enough for our needs and we can't wait to enjoy them through the winter. We came across this recipe from The Clean Eating Couple, a philosophy we also follow and we can't wait to try it. It sounds del...icious and just might be the perfect snack when the growlies hit. If you have access to raw walnuts, give it a try as walnuts are an excellent source of Omega-3, protein and fibre, plus they contain vitamin B6, maganese and other minerals our bodies need. In short, they are great for enhancing heart and bone health. Healthy Rosemary Toasted Walnuts (makes 2 cups with 252cal per 1/4c serving) 2 cups raw walnuts 2 Tbsp fresh rosemary, finely chopped 1/4 c olive oil 1/2 tsp salt 1 tsp fresh ground pepper Preheat oven to 350F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or silpat baking sheet. In a bowl, whisk together olive oil, rosemary, salt and pepper. Add walnuts and toss until completely covered in olive oil mixture. Bake the walnuts for 10 to 15 minutes in the oven, tossing every 4-5 minutes until they are golden brown. NOTE: The walnuts cook quickly, so be careful not to let them burn. Allow to cool and enjoy. How simple is that? They also suggest changing up the rosemary to thyme if you'd like, using avocado oil and definitely feel free to add in some garlic powder and/or chili powder for an extra kick. If you try this recipe, let us know what you think, and maybe share some of your favourite recipes that feature walnuts.

Find a little quiet time this weekend.

File this one under the Smart Solutions category - Montreal is fast becoming a leader in roof top gardens in the middle of a bustling city and reducing the carbon footprint of importing fruit and veg. Here's the latest...

just a little laugh for the evening - this is the kind of chicken we need here, not these wimpy birds we have that let the damn raven steal the eggs!

How was your weekend? We finally got some reading time in and came across this article. There's some very sensible points in here, so grab your cuppa and have a read. Let us know what you think.

Our own Chanchal Cabrera is looking forward to participating in this. Join her.

Come find your centre we are open today and tomorrow from 10am to 4pm.