Fraser Common Farm
Farming with a vision! This farm has been managed cooperatively for 30 years with a unique balance of food production, habitat conservation, communal and individual housing and a sincere desire for long-term sustainability.
Contact:
Heather Pritchard
Address:
1374-256 Street
Aldergrove, BC
V4W 2J4
Phone:
(604) 857-9057
Email:
sustain@ffcf.bc.ca
Certified organic by BCARA
| Produce grown: | When it’s Available: | Where to buy our product: | ||
| Over 30 varieties of salad greens, peas and beans, squash, garlic, herbs, onions, leeks, beets, carrots, potatoes, fennel, Jerusalem artichokes and edible flowers are grown and marketed by Glorious Organics Cooperative (formally Glorious Organics and Seasonal Salad Company) | Seasonally available | Winter market in Vancouver Trout Lake Kitsilano Market 30 restaurants in Lower Mainland CSA – Community Supported Agriculture (subscribers sign up at beginning of the season) |
More Information:
Winding through the criss-crossing paths of the forested areas leaves you are happily surprised when stumbling upon a diverse, colourful array of salad greens. The farm is arranged in a beautiful mosaic of natural areas, buffers, orchard trees and fields so that every field crop area has its own special nook. All property boundaries are lined with vegetation and large maples, cottonwoods and Douglas fir fringe the property.
Water is in abundance, with a wetland, stream and a natural artesian spring and irrigation pond to help with the large diversity of cultivated areas. Chickens and bees are the only ‘livestock’ on the farm, but there are numerous relics and outbuildings that provide clues of farm activities in the past.
Fraser Common Farm Cooperative bought the first ten acres 30 years ago. In 2001, when the 10 acre property next door came up for sale, they purchased it as well thereby doubling their land base and their production. Two co-ops: Fraser Common Farm Co-op, whose shareholders/members own the land, and Glorious Organics Co-op, who farm it, work together to run this “Community Farm”. Members of the farming co-op are all shareholders in the land co-op.
Twice a year shareholders, their friends and families gather together on the farm. In the spring they mark the beginning of a new season by planting trees and hunting for eggs and in the fall they cook a feast with the bounty harvested directly from their land.
Depending on season and farm activities, there are a fluctuating number of people living on the farm: harvesting and foraging for home use and for sale, collecting seed for next years planting and sewing cover crops to renew the soil. The perks of this cooperative living are many – wild berries and organic food to enjoy in season, surplus to store and preserve for the winter and most importantly the knowledge that, in community, they are stewarding and sustaining this precious piece of agricultural land.
