While we may be a bit removed from it now, the fall season used to be consumed with the joy and effort of the harvest. For thousands of years we celebrated abundance, as the efforts of our hard work finally paid off.
In modern days, and for most of us, our calendar is not so closely tied with the need to survive. We can visit a local grocer or market to buy bread no matter when the last wheat harvest was. But I still believe there is something in us that gets excited by the massive bins of pumpkins for sale from a nearby farm, or the friendly neighbour who pops over with a paper bag full of apples from her backyard tree. I’d like to believe we can still be in awe of the abundance during harvest season.
In this second volume, we explore the family legacy of farming in Nanoose Bay, the wisdom of carrots and sweet potatoes to provide the nutrients we need when the sunshine wanes, how to get from apple orchard to cidery, as well as the story of a local chef who plates up delicious meals for families. As we replace our salad spinner with our slow cooker, we remember an important fact: food is nourishment.
But it turns out we can be nourished by more than food. A big theme that arises in the pages that follow is the feeling of nourishment found in connection with nature. Maybe this is that older wisdom, the one that had us celebrating the harvest, or maybe it’s just the way the natural world embraces change during fall that fills us with a sense of wonder and joy.
These articles teach us that time spent in nature can bring us back to ourselves, inspire creativity, challenge our bodies, offer rejuvenation, and instill in us a stronger connection to the land. Personally, I have never felt drained or depleted after spending time amongst the trees or on the shore. Nature is nourishment.
But how do we nourish an idea, a stroke of inspiration, or a passion? Through the eyes of our youth and elders, we see how creativity has been nurtured and valued in pursuits that light them up, such as theatre and fitness, and in service to others through group fundraising. Three Oceanside women came together to provide access to health care, while another offers quiet wisdom and connection in the yoga studio.
A love of music can lead to crafting your very own instrument. A chance discovery of a family heirloom can become a musical stage production. A vintage printing press can be brought into the modern world and given fresh purpose. When we nourish our minds and souls as well as our bodies, we see the whole world open up to us. Passion is nourishment.
I hope something in these pages nourishes something in you, and that the bounty of the fall harvest brings abundance and joy into your life as it did for our ancestors.
In the language of some of the original caretakers of this land, I offer you thanks and gratitude for continuing to support our community publication. May you be nourished this fall.
huy tseep q’u
