Meet the Farm Team

We are a group of farmers, gardeners and plant lovers who come together as stewards of this beautiful land we call the Gabriola Commons. We all pitch in where needed as the seasons unfold, from digging and weeding to planting, harvesting and seed collecting.  More experienced volunteers are always generous with their knowledge to help new volunteers figure out where to focus their energy from week to week.

What we grow is sold at our mid-week market over the summer months, used year-round for soups to feed the Saturday workbee volunteers, and prepared as apple cider, sauerkraut, baked goods and other food that may be purchased by volunteers or at the market.

After our Saturday workbees from 9-noon year-round, we gather under the timberframe building (weather permitting) to share stories and enjoy a communal lunch of soup made from the produce we grow, with sourdough bread, fruit and other bounties from our gardens.

Here are some our team members:

–  Sharon A. brings many years of farming expertise, and plans and orders seeds, starts planting in early spring in the greenhouse, and can generally be found hard at work either in our kitchen garden or little field.

– Judith is our asparagus queen, and also spends a lot of time tending the orchards and managing the mid-week market.

– Patrick has put many hours into planting and weeding the little field, particularly the amaranth, lentil and bean crops, as well as looking after pond maintenance and the orchards.

– Jennie dedicates her time to the herb garden and perennial flower beds in the kitchen garden.

– Heather, David S., and David A. are also regulars in the caring for the little field and kitchen garden.

– Veronica helps out with set-up and sales for the mid-week market.

– Christine handles apple cider production and cider press rentals.

At our Saturday workbees there are volunteers from the different Commons teams who also frequently pitch in, including Kit and Allison working on invasive plant management, and the grounds maintenance crew (David A., Bob, Patrick and others), involved in maintenance of gates, fences and structures, mowing, and many other activities.