Your definitive year-round guide to local food in the Cowichan Region.

The 2011 Buy Local! Buy Fresh! Cowichan Food Maps are now available!

This June marks the launch of Cowichan Green Community’s (CGC) second edition of the Buy Local! Buy Fresh! Cowichan Food Map. To the delight of the Valley’s food producers, and those consumers searching for fresher, healthier and more environmentally friendly groceries, CGC is thrilled to announce that even more farms have been added to this year’s map.

Building on the success of the 2010 map, which saw 10,000 copies distributed Cowichan Valley-wide and beyond, this year’s edition continues to represent the most comprehensive directory available for local food in the valley to date. From Cedar all the way down to Shawnigan Lake, the 2011 Buy Local! Buy Fresh! Cowichan Food Map lists 72 producers selling everything from Dungeness crab and sunchokes, to value-added products like ancient-method balsamic vinegar and pickled beets. Many of last year’s farms are listed, and the directory also includes several new producers, some of whom are farming commercially for their first season. The map also directs people to interesting agri-tourism events, and unique value-added food products not found anywhere else.

For a taste of what’s fresh in your backyard this growing season, come by 181 Station St. to pick up a copy of the latest map. A strong local food system is created by buying locally!