Sea Cider Farm & Ciderhouse Celebrates 2nd Birthday with Open House

Date: Saturday, July 18, 2009
Time: 11:00am - 6:00pm
Location: Sea Cider Farm
Street: 2487 Mt. St. Michael Road
Phone: 250-544-4824
Email: info@seacider.ca


Sea Cider Farm & Ciderhouse, in partnership with LifeCycles, is hosting a 2nd anniversary open house on July 18, 2009. The event is an opportunity to enjoy cider and learn more about the Lifecycles Fruit Tree Project, which is turning Victoria's fruit into food (and cider!) for the community. Entrance is free.

Guests are invited to tour the Ciderhouse, stroll through the orchard and sign up for the Fruit Tree Project. The Clover Point Drifters will entertain guests with their acoustic bluegrass music. Families are welcome to enjoy the grassy picnic area overlooking Cordova Strait. Complimentary samples of Kings & Spies Cider, produced through the Fruit Tree Project, will be paired with tasty bites prepared by some of LifeCycles partners, including Truffles Catering and Ambrosia Catering.

Open since 2007, Sea Cider is a certified organic farm and ciderhouse located 15 minutes north of Victoria on the Saanich Peninsula. Owners Bruce and Kristen Jordan wish to thank LifeCycles and the local community for supporting the Fruit Tree Project with an afternoon of cider, music, family and fun.

LifeCycles is a nonprofit organization dedicated to cultivating awareness and initiating action around food, health, and urban sustainability in the Greater Victoria community.

For more information on the event, contact Bruce Jordan at Sea Cider by phone at 250 584 4824, by email at info@seacider.ca.

For more information on Lifecycles Fruit Tree Project, contact Lifecycles by phone at (250) 383-5800, by email at fruittree@lifecyclesproject.ca.

Beloved Fruit Tree Project featured in Boulevard Magazine

LC FTP Boulevard Mag June09

Join us at Defending Our Backyard festival

LifeCycles is participating in the Island Chef's Collaborative "Defending Our Backyard" festival. Come and sample great food, beer, cider, wine and mead and discover who is growing what and where you can get it all to the backdrop of local musicians. Event information and tickets at http://iccbc.ca/public/icclocal/newpage.html

Date: Sunday, May 31, 2009
Time: 12:00pm - 4:00pm
Location: Fort Rodd Hill

See your plants grow at City Hall

As some of you may have heard, Victoria's City Hall at #1 Centennial Square is planting an edible garden on their grounds.

The planting will be on Friday, May 22 between 3:30-5:30 pm.

Plant material can be dropped off at City Hall between 3-3:30pm on the same day (Fri. May 22).

Come show your support for this new direction, drop off your plants or offer your green thumb advice for the city councillors.

YouthCore Symposium at UVic May 2nd

YouthCore and the Centre for Youth & Society present:
Youth can do it all: Developing, Evaluating and Implementing your own Change Project

It’s not too late to register for the upcoming YouthCore youth symposium on May 2nd at UVic!Workshops will include project development and evaluation, outreach planning, and non-violent communication. A complimentary light lunch will be provided to participants. YouthCore SPARK grant applications for youth-led projects will be available at the symposium and eligible youth will be encouraged to apply for funding between $500 and $3000 to launch their projects this summer.

Sat. May 2, 2009, 9 am - 3 pm
David Lam Auditorium, MacLaurin Building at UVic

This is a FREE event and registration is required as space is limited.

For more information contact Caitlin at the LifeCycles Project Society at caitlin@lifecyclesproject.ca or 250.383.5800

Food Matters Political Panel DIscussion: Apr 30 2009

Learn what your politicians will do about food if you vote for them:

FOOD MATTERS
A panel discussion with representatives of BC political parties on all things pertaining to food and farming. Find out how provincial candidates plan to keep food on the table.
Thursday April 30, 7 to 9 PM
First Metropolitan Church Hall 932 Balmoral Rd (Balmoral and Quadra)

Food and farming displays
To reserve a display table contact Susan at 250-595-6742 or susantych@telus.net.
Tea, coffee and locavore snacks for sale.
Donations accepted at the door, with proceeds to cover venue costs.
More information: 250-595-6742 or susantych@telus.net

New Grocery Store in Victoria to Specialize in Local Produce

By Richard Watts, Times Colonist April 14, 2009

A new-age grocery store specializing in locally grown produce is opening on Pandora Avenue in a block notorious for junkies and shopping-cart hoboes. Scheduled to open in June, the store called Village Family Marketplace is undergoing renovation and reconstruction at 920 Pandora Ave. which is a storefront formerly occupied by a housepainting business. It's located across the street from Our Place, 919 Pandora Ave., a drop-in centre offering free meals and some shelter to the city's street people. But store owner, Cosmo Meens isn't put out in the least by what is happening outside his door.

"I'm not afraid of that scene." Meens said his new store is all about buying the right food for all the right reasons: A healthy body, a healthy community, a healthy economy and healthy agriculture. "What I have to offer is consciousness through food."

The food will be locally grown and organic and even the prepared deli items will feature ingredients that can be traced to local sources. Customers will know their money is going back to local farmers and local businesses operating in a downtown locale. For Meens, the store is about community and connectedness and that includes the neighbourhood with its street people. He notes too many people say they want social services and social programs but flinch when they are offered up in their backyard.

"Well, I want all those things and I'm OK with having them in my backyard. "I know I'm taking a risk on the location," said Meens. "But what I am really doing is calling the community out."

Meens, a 30-year-old father of two who started working in restaurants at the age of 12 as a dishwasher, is no stranger to opening up businesses in tough neighbourhoods. About five years ago, he opened Mo:Le Restaurant, specializing in local food, just down the road, at 554 Pandora Ave. It was an area about which he was cautioned because of the drug-fueled street life. Last year, right next door at 556 Pandora Ave., Meens opened Cafe Bliss, specializing in raw, vegan, organic cuisine. Both have proven successful not only as businesses but also as part of a rejuvenating streetlife.

Meens' willingness to invest himself, his business know-how and money in Victoria's downtown is already winning him notice and support at city hall. Coun. Charlayne Thornton-Joe said she was delighted when she heard of the new store opening up in that particular block of Pandora. She said the new business will complement the nearby deli on the same block and thought it would help create "a good mix" in an area known for its social services. "I welcome it, I think it's great," she said. "I'm definitely looking forward to going in there. "Hopefully, it will generate more openings."
rwatts@tc.canwest.com © Copyright (c) The Victoria Times Colonist