Local Food
Greetings from my cabin on the banks of the Yukon River. I thought you might be interested to know that around Dawson City there is an active market gardening scene, with a Farmer's Market every Saturday - in the summer. The local grocery store buys local produce and labels such as local with an orange sticker, "Yukon". It's probably not so much a food miles greenie thing more an effort to promote local produce. But the outcome is the same. On my last visit to the shop, I noticed cabbage, red cabbage, carrots, lettuce and more labelled "Yukon". The alternative products come from as far away as California. If the grocery store in Dawson can buy and label local produce, why can't Bathurst stores do the same? But I doubt Woolworths, Coles or Aldi would support such a move. A starting point though might be to get the sellers at the monthly Farmer's Market to identify produce grown locally. Gardening here offers different gardening opportunities and challenges. The growing season is short, Late May to Early September at best, but because of the long hours of sunlight plants grow quickly. The soil can be very fertile, but the permafrost is only a few feet below the surface. Lots of water. No fruit trees, vegetables only. Klondike Rob