At Eatmore Sprouts and Greens we are deeply concerned about the threat of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) on the future of sustainable farming.  As a certified organic producer of food we are committed to educating the public about the status of GMOs in Canada and beyond.

There are many groups working to achieve this goal.  One such organization is the Canadian Biotechnology Action Network (CBAN) who just released a fun and informative video educating consumers about the threat of genetically modified (GM) alfalfa to the future of sustainable farming.  Below is information taken from CBAN’s website explaining what alfalfa is and why it is so important to farming, food and the future.  Enjoy the video, learn more about GM alfalfa and how you can take action to stop it in Canada.

GM Alfalfa Threatens Organic Food and Farmers

Genetically engineered (also called genetically modified or GM) alfalfa will quickly contaminate organic alfalfa and impact the entire organic food and farming system in Canada and the U.S.. Many different types of farmers plant alfalfa to improve soil fertility to grow other food crops. And alfalfa is an important food for organic dairy cows and other farm animals.  If GM alfalfa contaminates hay fields, what will organic farmers feed their animals?

What is Alfalfa?

Alfalfa is Hay: Alfalfa is most often harvested as hay. The hay bales we see across our rural landscape are often made from alfalfa and other grasses.

Alfalfa is a Perennial: Alfalfa is a deep-rooted perennial crop. Perennial means that the plant survives for more than one year and actually lives under the soil to regrow for many seasons. This means that GM alfalfa will be very hard for farmers to get rid of.

Alfalfa is Pollinated by Bees: Alfalfa is insect-pollinated which means that insects collect the pollen and distribute it to other individual plants. Alfalfa flowers depend entirely on insects, mainly leafcutter bees, for cross-pollination. This means that GM alfalfa will quickly contaminate farmers’ fields.

Alfalfa is an Unsung Hero: Alfalfa is one of the most widely planted crops in Canada. By area, it is the third largest crop in Canada. 4.5 million hectares are in production, mostly in the three Prairie provinces (75%) and 20% in Ontario and Quebec.

Why is Alfalfa so Important ?

Alfalfa is Animal Food: Alfalfa is used as food (mostly hay) and pasture for grazing animals like dairy cows and beef cattle as well as for lambs, pigs and even honeybees and horses. Alfalfa is important high protein feed for animals.

Alfalfa Builds the Soil: Instead of using chemical fertilizers, farmers plant alfalfa to build soil nutrients. Alfalfa is the most important nitrogen-fixing perennial crop. Alfalfa improves soil quality and fertility, and helps stop soil erosion.

Alfalfa controls weeds: Because it is a perennial, alfalfa can help suppress many weeds.

Alfalfa products are important exports: While alfalfa is primarily cut for hay, it’s also grown to produce seeds as well as dehydrated alfalfa products such as pellets and cubes, exported to livestock producers in other countries like Japan. Canada is the world’s largest exporter of alfalfa pellets and cubes.

On March 3^rd, the Comox Valley Growers & Seed Savers will be hosting the 13^th annual Seedy Saturday, an event that Eatmore Sprouts has sponsored in one way or another since it began.  Creating a sustainable community is really important to us so that is a key reason for us to support the Seedy Saturday event.  Issues around seed ownership and GMOs are front and centre for us so we are so happy about the work that the CV Growers & Seed Savers do.  This year at Seedy Saturday you can find Eatmore Sprouts, as well as other certified organic growers from the Valley, at the Certified Organic Association of BC (COABC) booth.

Eatmore Sprouts has been a member of the COABC since its inception in 1993. The COABC takes an approach to food production that is based on care for the earth and it recognizes people as one creature among many that are all inter-related and interdependent, hence the priority it places on certified organic practices.  You may recognize the check mark found on our labels (as well as other BC organic growers).  The importance of this check mark is that it gives the consumer the confidence that what they spend their money on and what they consume has been grown with certified organic practices and within the province of BC, ensuring the support of a more local and sustainable food system.  We are excited about attending “Innovations“, the annual COABC conference Feb 24-26 in Chilliwack.  Anyone interested is welcome to attend.

To learn more about the COABC, its members, seed saving and much more, come on down to Seedy Saturday on March 3rd at the Florence Filberg Centre from 10am to 3pm.  The Comox Valley is also hosting the annual conference of BC Association of Farmers Market that weekend, which is also open to the public.  Click here to find out more.  We hope that members of this association get the chance come and visit us at the COABC booth at Seedy Saturday.

Last week our team traded its’ hair nets, rubber gloves and aprons for more festive attire and met at The Old House Restaurant for our annual Eatmore Sprouts Staff Christmas Party.  We celebrated a successful year of growing sprouts over a delicious meal in a cozy setting.  Thank you to the staff for their hospitality and their wonderful service.

At the party Glenn and Carmen, owners of Eatmore Sprouts & Greens Ltd.,  presented Tanya Harmon, our Office Manager, with a donation to Canada to Kenya, a project she co-founded and is very passionate about.  This money will be used for the purchase of bicycles for women and youth to add ease and efficiency to collecting water and fuel, transporting goods to buy and sell at the market, getting kids to school or as an income generator by way of bicycle taxi.

Building sustainable communities on a local and global level is important to us here at Eatmore Sprouts.  We wish Tanya and her husband Terry a safe and successful trip.

Our team has been busy preparing our production plan for  the holidays in order to work around seasonal closures at all levels from labs to trucks.  Our goal is to provide our loyal customers with the sprouts they have come to love to the best of our abilities during this logistically challenging time.

We wish you all a safe and joyful holiday and thank you for all your support this year!  Best wishes for 2012.

Today is the first day of December. Temperatures are dropping. Snow has begun covering the mountain tops.  And plant growth has slowed down.  We are feeling the effects most dramatically with our greenhouse products. As with any type of farming, the weather plays a crucial role in the success of the harvest and unfortunately Sunflower Greens, Pea Shoots and Micro-Greens just don’t grow well when it’s this cold outside.

While we are doing our best to keep our greenhouses heated, it is not enough to compensate for the extreme cold.  Please be assured that our greenhouse will be in operation all winter, and we will do our best to maximize our yields.  All of our other products are grown indoors and production will continue as usual.

Thank you for your patience and continued support while we negotiate with Mother Nature! Our dedicated staff are working their hardest to provide the best quality products.  In fact, we are currently building another greenhouse so we will have more capacity and improved systems to manage and maintain consistent service and quality in years to come.  Stay tuned later this month for some exciting details and photos of our new greenhouse project…

Eatmore Sprouts & Greens’ farm featured in this clip.

Eatmore Sprouts signs on for 100 per cent British Columbia wind power with Bullfrog Power®

Certified organic sprouts and greens producer bullfrogpowers® its farm in British Columbia

Vancouver, October 4, 2011 – Bullfrog Power, Canada’s 100 per cent green energy provider, today announced that Eatmore Sprouts, an organic sprout producer in Courtenay, British Columbia, is choosing 100 per cent B.C. wind power for the electricity requirements of its farm. Through the purchase, Eatmore Spouts will reduce its environmental impact and join the growing list of Canadian organizations supporting the development of new renewable generation in Canada with Bullfrog Power.

“We are choosing Bullfrog Power because we believe supporting renewable energy is one of the best ways to help protect our planet,” says Glenn Wakeling, President, Eatmore Sprouts. “By supporting local B.C. wind power, we are leaving a smaller environmental footprint and a cleaner world for future generations.”

Through the agreement, Bullfrog Power’s generators inject renewable electricity onto the regional grid to match the amount of power Eatmore Sprouts’ farm uses. Across Canada, Bullfrog’s green electricity comes exclusively from wind and hydro facilities that have been certified as low impact by Environment Canada under its EcoLogo^M program. For its B.C. customers, Bullfrog sources 100 per cent made-in-B.C. wind power. Bullfrog Power also uses the collective demand of its customers to support the development of new renewable generation in Canada. To date, several new wind projects have been commissioned in Canada to meet the demand of bullfrogpowered homes and businesses.

In addition to supporting renewable electricity, Eatmore Sprouts is committed to valuing people, the planet, sustainability and creativity throughout its operations. The company produces its own compost to grow its greens and employees are encouraged to bike to work to minimize transportation-related emissions. Eatmore Sprouts also uses wastewater heat recovery technology to heat its processing rooms and incoming potable water. Additionally, Eatmore Sprouts is constructing a new greenhouse using rammed earth technology to build mass walls and heated beds.

“We are excited to welcome this organic farm in British Columbia to the bullfrogpowered community,” says Tom Heintzman, President, Bullfrog Power. “Eatmore Sprouts has many environmental practices already in place. By

choosing Bullfrog Power, it is taking another important step to further its sustainability efforts.”

About Bullfrog Power

Bullfrog Power, Canada’s 100 per cent green energy provider, provides renewable energy solutions that allow homes and businesses to reduce their environmental impact and help create a cleaner, healthier world. Bullfrog’s green electricity comes exclusively from wind and hydro facilities that have been certified as low impact by Environment Canada under its EcoLogo^M program instead of from polluting sources like coal, oil, natural gas and nuclear. A clean, renewable alternative to fossil-fuel based natural gas, Bullfrog’s green natural gas is produced in Canada from biogas facilities that have met strict environmental criteria as defined by ICF International. Thousands of Canadian homes and businesses are doing their part to address climate change and air pollution by switching to green energy with Bullfrog Power. Homes and businesses can sign up easily, quickly and affordably at www.bullfrogpower.com.

About Eatmore Sprouts

Eatmore Sprouts & Greens Ltd. was established in 1975 and has been producing a variety of certified organic sprouts and greens in the Comox Valley ever since. Eatmore is quite unique in B.C. because it is able to produce fresh, organic, local produce 365 days a year. On less than four acres of land, Eatmore Sprouts & Greens Ltd. produces upwards of 8,000 pounds of fresh, healthy, organic sprouts every week. Sustainability is one of Eatmore’s highest values, which it demonstrates by sourcing high quality, organic, GMO-free seed (from Canada whenever possible), by making innovations in composting and energy conservation, by committing to organics and thorough its recycling program. Eatmore Sprouts and Greens Ltd. nurtures its employees, their families, our community and the planet. www.eatmoresprouts.com.

Contact Bullfrog Power
William Pointon
Manager, Public Relations
Tel: 416.360.3464 ext 221
Email: william.pointon@bullfrogpower.com

Contact Eatmore Sprouts
Glenn Wakeling
Tel: 250.338.4860
Email: eatmore@shawbiz.ca

Makes 6 cups

• 1 cup sugar (can substitute maple syrup if you prefer)
• 1/4 cup (a generous handful) fresh or 1 tablespoon dry lavender blooms stripped from stems
• 1 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice, strained
• ice cubes
• lavender sprigs for garnish

Combine sugar with 2 1/2 cups water in a medium pan.  Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar.

Add the lavender blooms to the sugar water, cover and remove from heat.  Let stand at least 20 minutes (and up to several hours).

Strain mixture and discard lavender.  Pour infusion into a glass pitcher.  Add lemon juice and another 2 1/2 cups water.  Stir well and watch lemonade change colour.

Serve in tall glasses with ice and garnish with lavender sprigs.

Look what you can do when you Eatmore Sprouts!

We’ve been having fun at the Sprout Farm today… goofing around with how best to express who we are and what we believe in.  Glenn has taken a hands on approach (don’t try this at home!).

We love ‘em raw on their own, in a salad or a wrap, but the versitile pea shoot can be enjoyed steamed or stir fried as in this yummy noodle dish shared in Canadian Living Magazine.  Click image for recipe.