http://couv.com Audio and video stories from Southwest Washington. Fri, 07 Nov 2014 16:49:26 +0000 en-US hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.5 Audio and video stories from Southwest Washington. Audio and video stories from Southwest Washington. no Audio and video stories from Southwest Washington. http://couv.com/wp-content/plugins/powerpress/rss_default.jpg http://couv.com/category/lifestyles/growing-local http://couv.com/programs/vets-garden-original http://couv.com/programs/vets-garden-original#comments Tue, 08 Nov 2011 15:59:09 +0000 COUV.COM staff http://couv.com/?p=8878 http://couv.com/programs/vets-garden-original/feed 0 ben hines,carol doane,dee rogers,donna kory,erika johnson,evan newman,gardeners,heritage farm,homeless veterans,jordan thompson,miles burnett,organic farming There’s the road you travel, there’s the “road not taken,” as so eloquently written about by poet Robert Frost, and in Clark County there is also the road that takes you straight into the dirt. It’s the new Roots to Road program. - The pilot program, There’s the road you travel, there’s the “road not taken,” as so eloquently written about by poet Robert Frost, and in Clark County there is also the road that takes you straight into the dirt. It’s the new Roots to Road program. The pilot program, developed by Partners in Careers, in collaboration with Clark County, used small-scale farming to teach veterans marketable job skills. The result was an acre of organic produce and three Clark County vets who — while gardening — reclaimed their own road to a different life. Partners in Careers' executive director Pam Brokaw created the concept with Clark County Heritage Farm on 78th Street in Hazel Dell. It is a public site the county sought to use for demonstration projects, and it became a perfect fit to help homeless vets acquire skills that would transition them back into the work force. “We just wanted them (veterans) to be able to come out with a variety of different skills, so that we could help place them into employment,” says Brokaw. “It was a comprehensive approach that we wanted to take, and it was something new.” Program organizers quickly realized that they couldn’t do it without somebody on site to work with the veterans. Erika Johnson took charge and coordinated the first six months of the pilot program. “I’m just really impressed with what three non-farmers have been able to do,” says Johnson. The gardeners she supervised were local vets who had faced homelessness, had significant barriers to finding employment, and who had stumbled over other life obstacles including alcohol and substance abuse. Two of the vets were thirty-something, one over 50 — the age where bending, weeding and harvesting creates its own set up obstacles. Their work week started on Monday in a classroom where they learned methods of growing organically. The remainder of the week unfolded as applied science - weed, plant, check for pests, repeat. Their grassy plot was tamed, tilled and tended, and as it grew they traveled a path toward a healthier lifestyle. Dee Rogers sports short cropped hair, gaged ears and intertwining tattoos, and speaks of a “rough patch of years” that included the death of her mother, homelessness, wandering the country, and struggling with a drinking problem. The Roots to Road experience helped her “find more of a purpose” and skills she could use in a “job atmosphere.” Today she has healthy concerns about food and choices. “Kids should know where their food is coming from, and I really never thought about that when I was younger. You should want to eat good food, and you should want to take care of yourself.” Disabled veteran Ben Hines smiles broadly when he speaks of how it altered his course, including cutting back on traditional fast food. “It’s been a real lifestyle change to come and eat fresh,” says Hines. Whether he farms professionally or not, Hines has learned a life skill that he didn’t have before. He’s also flooding the community with his gardening enthusiasm. Four of his friends, who last year, at most, merely mowed the lawn, this year got out and grew a garden, too. It’s also changed his family. “If I bring produce home from the grocery store – it’s not so cool or something. But I bring it home, and it still has dirt on it, wash it off, that kind of stuff, and my little kids are excited to have fresh produce and that’s kind of exciting.” It also altered Hines' career path. "I was seeing some counselors through the VA. It was random, I was looking for a job, going to school and I thought this project would be fun. I was originally getting a job in medical records - how boring.” This opportunity offered Hines something he thrived on. “It’s an amazing thing to come out here and garden." Veteran Donna Cory has always preferred jobs that took her outdoors. For many years, she fought fires and was a wilderness ranger. The last five years, she took a stab at working indoors, but it wasn’t a good fit. Audio and video stories from Southwest Washington. no 5:37 http://couv.com/programs/veterans-garden-trailer http://couv.com/programs/veterans-garden-trailer#comments Sun, 06 Nov 2011 15:00:14 +0000 COUV.COM staff http://couv.com/?p=8321 http://couv.com/programs/veterans-garden-trailer/feed 0 http://couv.com/programs/cedar-creek-grist-mill-flowing-back-through-history http://couv.com/programs/cedar-creek-grist-mill-flowing-back-through-history#comments Fri, 02 Sep 2011 13:00:43 +0000 COUV.COM staff http://couv.com/?p=3933 http://couv.com/programs/cedar-creek-grist-mill-flowing-back-through-history/feed 0 audio,cedar creek grist mill,evan newman,historic site Resting an experienced hand on the smooth metal wheel, Tom Henrick explains the simple but ingenious mechanics that power the grist mill. - “The throttle wheel is right here. Just by taking this wheel and turning it a little bit I allow water to e... Resting an experienced hand on the smooth metal wheel, Tom Henrick explains the simple but ingenious mechanics that power the grist mill. “The throttle wheel is right here. Just by taking this wheel and turning it a little bit I allow water to enter the turbine and run through, producing the energy that drives the mill.” This action causes heavy fabric belts to stir and to begin to rotate around squeaking pulleys. “This turbine will provide about 16 horsepower at maximum water flow, which is about 50 gallons of water per second. When we’re actually milling grain, we do not need that much power. We only need about four horsepower when milling grain.” The Cedar Creek Grist Mill was built more than 100 years during the Ulysses S. Grant presidency, the same year General George Custer met his maker at the Battle of Little Big Horn. Today, after extensive refurbishment, it is a living museum echoing life in Southwest Washington in the time when Washington was only a territory. Click the podcast link above to listen to the story and enjoy the sounds of 1876. CREDITS Photos edited by Miles Burnett Audio and voice over by Evan Newman If you want to visit: Cedar Creek Grist Mill 43907 NE Grist Mill Road Woodland, 98674 (360) 225-5832     View Larger Map Audio and video stories from Southwest Washington. no 8:00 http://couv.com/programs/camas-farmers-market http://couv.com/programs/camas-farmers-market#comments Fri, 26 Aug 2011 13:00:35 +0000 COUV.COM staff http://couv.com/?p=3754 http://couv.com/programs/camas-farmers-market/feed 0 camas,camas farmers market,caroline swansey,dan swansey,evan newman,miles burnett,video It doesn’t take long to stroll from one end of the Camas Farmers Market to the other. There are larger, more established markets in Clark County you could visit, but before you make big plans for the larger Saturday markets, It doesn’t take long to stroll from one end of the Camas Farmers Market to the other. There are larger, more established markets in Clark County you could visit, but before you make big plans for the larger Saturday markets, think about a Wednesday night adventure. This small east county market densely packs the street with unique experiences. There is an abundance of fresh produce, as you would expect from your typical farmers market, but the Camas Farmers Market manages to give you just a little bit more. As you enter the row of booths, you may find yourself lingering next to a European-style baker. Tables are piled high with rustic loaves of goodness. Keep an eye out for some pillowy, cream-filled pastries. They disappear fast. Next door to the baker are newcomers to the market, Dan and Caroline Swansey. He is a former groundskeeper for the New England Patriots and she is originally from Belgium. They just started farming their property in Yacolt a few months ago, but already have an impressive display of greens and herbs to show for their efforts. Ask them how they plan to work with Lucy, their draft horse. Further down the line you may encounter someone handing out samples of slow-roasted pulled pork. According to the purveyor, it takes 12 hours to achieve this barbeque perfection. Your tender sample will disappear in much less time. Order dinner here and then wash it down with a glass of fresh, ice-cold, basil-infused lemonade from just a few booths away. Turn around now and watch a chef prepare a dish right before your eyes using market-bought produce. Enjoy the sample. Get the recipe. Purchase all the ingredients directly from the farmer who grew them. This coming Wednesday, take the short walk that is the Camas Farmer's Market. Enjoy the great selection of food, but also take a few moments to savor the experience. CREDITS Video shot and edited by Miles Burnett Audio by Evan Newman Camas Farmer's Market Located on 4th Ave. between Everett & Franklin downtown Camas May 25 to Sept. 28, 
Wednesdays 3 to 7:30pm info@camasfarmersmarket.org 360.838.1032 View Larger Map Audio and video stories from Southwest Washington. no 2:17 http://couv.com/programs/vancouver-farmers-market http://couv.com/programs/vancouver-farmers-market#comments Fri, 19 Aug 2011 15:00:05 +0000 COUV.COM staff http://couv.com/?p=3477 http://couv.com/programs/vancouver-farmers-market/feed 0 buy local,evan newman,farmers market,growing local,jordan boldt,miles burnett,vancouver farmers market,vancouver tourism,video Buying locally grown and raised food directly from the farmer is a national movement that is gaining momentum in Clark County. One of the most popular places to experience that is at the Vancouver Farmers Market. - Buying locally grown and raised food directly from the farmer is a national movement that is gaining momentum in Clark County. One of the most popular places to experience that is at the Vancouver Farmers Market. Located near Esther Short Park in the heart of downtown Vancouver, the weekly Vancouver Farmers Market is in its 22nd season. “Any given weekend we’re going to have 15,000-plus people coming through in a day. We are completely packed, which is great,” said Jordan Boldt, executive director of the market. “We’re having anywhere from 120 to 150 vendors a day in the market.” The locally grown marketplace thrives on making connections. Farmers learn precisely what the consumer is hoping to buy, which helps them plan what to grow next season. Consumers learn about the farmer’s practices and can choose the buy based on those techniques. They can also learn about new food items and even pick up a recipe or two. Additionally, the grower can connect with local chefs, restaurants, and groceries at the market and develop new avenues to sell their goods. The chefs can then introduce diners to new ideas about food. And, as a result, the restaurant patron may change their buying and eating habits and end up back at the farmers market shopping for fresh local produce. With fresh produce, flowers, meat, honey, eggs and more, it’s a total shopping experience. “We have a lot of different customers. That’s what makes the farmers market a great place to hang out and enjoy the environment. It’s a really fun place to be,” said Boldt. CREDITS Video shot and edited by Jordan Thompson & Miles Burnett Audio and voice over by Evan Newman For more information on connecting with local farmers and growers, visit www.LocalHarvest.org. If you want to go: Vancouver Farmers Market. 6th & Esther St. Downtown Vancouver, WA Open: March 19 - October 30, 2011 Saturdays 9:00am - 3:00pm Sundays 10:00am - 3:00pm View Larger Map Audio and video stories from Southwest Washington. no http://couv.com/business/cooking-passion http://couv.com/business/cooking-passion#comments Fri, 05 Aug 2011 13:00:18 +0000 COUV.COM staff http://couv.com/?p=3050 http://couv.com/business/cooking-passion/feed 0 audio,brad root,evan newman,food,growing local,miles burnett,organic,restaurant Buying meat and produce from a big national supplier would be easier and less expensive, but it would also give local restaurateur Brad Root a hole in his soul. For more than 20 years, Root has cooked with a passion for local ingredients and he puts a ... Buying meat and produce from a big national supplier would be easier and less expensive, but it would also give local restaurateur Brad Root a hole in his soul. For more than 20 years, Root has cooked with a passion for local ingredients and he puts a lot of emphasis on using locally produced products at his restaurants. Root owns and operates Roots Restaurant and Bar and 360 Pizzeria in East Vancouver and Lapellah near downtown Vancouver. Using local ingredients on his menus means a creative challenge for Root and his staff. He says he enjoys the challenge or working with farmers to see what products are available and then figuring out how to work those products into the menus. The majority of the food on those menus comes from within 200 miles of Vancouver, Root said, and often the food comes from farmers that he has worked with for years. In those relationships farmers will sometimes even base their planting on what Root would like to serve in his restaurants. Even though it does cost more to eat locally, Root said it’s a great example of you get what you pay for. He said local food taste better and it’s also more nutritious. Root said he would love to see the demand for locally grown ingredients grow and for schools to pick up on the use of local products and the important of knowing where food comes form. If you’d like to visit one of Root’s restaurants: Roots Restaurant and Bar is located at 19215 SE 34th St. in Vancouver and is open Monday through Thursday from 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m and Friday and Saturday from 11:30 a.m. until 11 p.m. and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Contact: (360) 260-3001 or rootsrestaurantandbar.com. 360 Pizzeria is located at 3425 SE 192nd Ave. in Vancouver and is open Monday from 4 to 10 p.m. and Tuesday through Thursday from 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday from 2 to 10 p.m. Contact: (360) 260-3605 or 360pizzeria.com. Lapellah is located at 2520 Columbia House Blvd. in Vancouver and is open Monday through Thursday from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. and Friday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Contact: (360) 828-7911 or lapellah.com. CREDITS Audio produced by Evan Newman Photos by Jordan Thompson and Miles Burnett Audio and video stories from Southwest Washington. no 5:34 http://couv.com/lifestyles/growing-local/nw-organic http://couv.com/lifestyles/growing-local/nw-organic#comments Thu, 21 Jul 2011 13:00:00 +0000 COUV.COM staff http://couv.com/?p=2305 http://couv.com/lifestyles/growing-local/nw-organic/feed 1 audio,CSA,evan newman,farm,festival,growing local,joyce haines,organic farming It all started with garlic at NW Organic Farm in Ridgefield. - “But we soon learned you can’t live on garlic,” co-owner Joyce Haines says. - The farm that she and her husband operate now produces everything from garlic and lettuce to snap peas and mo... It all started with garlic at NW Organic Farm in Ridgefield. “But we soon learned you can’t live on garlic,” co-owner Joyce Haines says. The farm that she and her husband operate now produces everything from garlic and lettuce to snap peas and more than 3,000 tomato plants. Haines says the farm is where customers go for fresh produce and where fresh means just a matter of hours between vine and table. Sales have tripled at the farm in recent years as the Haines' have adopted a Consumer Supported Agriculture (CSA) model and now even accept food stamps. People who join the CSA pay a fee to support the farm at the beginning of the growing season, and then receive the benefit of fresh produce throughout the season. For Haines, the farm is more than just growing produce, it’s about community. She loves to invite customers on to her porch for a glass of tea and a helping of rich conversation. NW Organic Farm can be reached through their website, northwestorganicfarms.com. This September she and her husband will welcome people to their annual tomato and garlic festival where the public is invited to the farm for some taste testing and bluegrass music. For more information on connecting with local farmers and growers, visit LocalHarvest.org. CREDITS Audio produced by Evan Newman    NW Organic Farm 17713 NW 61st Avenue Ridgefield, WA 98642 360-573-4868.     View Larger Map Audio and video stories from Southwest Washington. no 6:29 http://couv.com/programs/inspiration-plantation-eating-local http://couv.com/programs/inspiration-plantation-eating-local#comments Fri, 01 Jul 2011 14:30:24 +0000 COUV.COM staff http://couv.com/?p=1837 http://couv.com/programs/inspiration-plantation-eating-local/feed 0 evan newman,growing local,inspiration plantation,jen schwab,jordan thompson,matt schwab,miles burnett,ridgefield,video Matt and Jen Schwab of Ridgefield's Inspiration Plantation explain why they operate their diversified farm with natural practices and how people in the community can become consumers of local food. - To see COUV. Matt and Jen Schwab of Ridgefield's Inspiration Plantation explain why they operate their diversified farm with natural practices and how people in the community can become consumers of local food. To see COUV.COM's previous coverage of Inspiration Plantation and to experience a day-in-the-life on the farm, see 'Life at Inspiration Plantation.' CREDITS Video shot and edited by Jordan Thompson and Miles Burnett Audio by Evan Newman Audio and video stories from Southwest Washington. no 3:06 http://couv.com/programs/life-at-inspiration-plantation http://couv.com/programs/life-at-inspiration-plantation#comments Tue, 28 Jun 2011 19:45:12 +0000 COUV.COM staff http://couv.com/?p=1594 http://couv.com/programs/life-at-inspiration-plantation/feed 4 evan newman,growing local,inspiration plantation,jen schwab,jordan thompson,matt schwab,miles burnett,ridgefield,video Listen to an audio podcast of this story here: - For nearly a century the Schwab family has maintained land in North Clark County, where each generation has tried his hand at working the land. None of the attempts produced a lasting operation, Listen to an audio podcast of this story here: For nearly a century the Schwab family has maintained land in North Clark County, where each generation has tried his hand at working the land. None of the attempts produced a lasting operation, but now Matt and his wife Jen are building a diversified farm with a focus on sustainable food and a strong community. Matt and Jen believe that today’s faster lifestyle has led people to veer toward faster food. But they hope to inspire more thoughtful food practices through their farm, Inspiration Plantation, where they encourage consumers to know their food and farmer. “For us that’s what farming is about: The relationship not just with the customer, but how we are with the land and the animals,” Jen said. At the farm, the couple operates a primarily pasture-raised poultry operation but their diversified animal stock also includes a flock of sheep, gaggle of geese, a sounder of pigs and couple of goats just for the fun of it. These animal products and the fresh produce from a large garden are shared with consumers through direct farm purchase and select farmer’s market sales all with deep roots in knowing where the food came from. Matt and Jen love to share with people what they do on their farm and why they’ve chosen to work according to sustainable practices. It’s important to them to paint a picture of how the food they raise is different from the more common industrial food. “It’s a lot easier to make money from a piece of dirt by selling it than it is by actually capturing the energy, capturing the sunlight, and turning that into something you can sell to a consumer,” Matt said. But farming is a challenge Matt and Jen have embraced not just because they care about the food they eat – because they care about the food available to the community. Many of the couple’s customers are people who have started to learn about where food comes from and Matt and Jen say their happy to be a resource where people can find locally grown sustainable food. The Schwabs said it’s common for people not to know how to find a farmer, so Matt and Jen reach out through their website, Facebook account and other online tools so interested consumers can find them and learn what their farm is about. “I think the pendulum is swinging back towards a community based food system,” Matt said. If you would like to contact Inspiration Plantation about their locally produced products, contact them by emailing inspirationplantation@gmail.com.  Also, stay tuned to couv.com for the ongoing "Growing Local" series that looks at different perspectives of the local food movement in Southwest Washington. CREDITS Video shot and edited by Jordan Thompson and Miles Burnett Audio by Evan Newman Produced by Paul Suarez, Jordan J. Frasier and Evan Newman If you want to go: Inspiration Plantation 24311 NW 24th Ave Ridgefield, WA 98642 Open Farm Hours every Friday & Saturday 2:00-5:00 View Larger Map   Audio and video stories from Southwest Washington. no 7:20 http://couv.com/programs/growing-local-dilish-farm http://couv.com/programs/growing-local-dilish-farm#comments Fri, 24 Jun 2011 14:30:32 +0000 COUV.COM staff http://couv.com/?p=1449 http://couv.com/programs/growing-local-dilish-farm/feed 10 audio,dilish farm,dillon haggerty,evan newman,farm,gardeners,growing local,patricia kent Things are growing at Dilish Farm in Vancouver where Dillon Haggerty and Patricia Kent are well into their first season of urban farming. - Most young couples wouldn’t think to start farming, especially with a baby on the way. Things are growing at Dilish Farm in Vancouver where Dillon Haggerty and Patricia Kent are well into their first season of urban farming. Most young couples wouldn’t think to start farming, especially with a baby on the way. But Haggerty and Kent don’t see their plan as a risk, but rather an exciting challenge to make something out of nothing in a bare backyard that they’re cultivating into a business.   The couple met while working on a cruise ship and eventually moved to California to work on a friend’s organic farm. That built their confidence to establish their own farm. So, after visiting the Vancouver area on vacation, they decided this would be the perfect place to root both their family and garden. The point of farming for this couple is to simplify the way they eat and provide for their family. Haggerty said the farm is an example of him not over-thinking and using nature to work with the land to provide for his family. Getting their garden in the ground hasn’t been the easiest journey. Even finding the right plot of land was a challenge. The search for land got to the point that Haggerty jokingly brainstormed to Kent how much he could grow in the vacant dirt that borders the freeway if they didn't find land soon. But just as leasing land proved problematic and when it almost seemed like they wouldn’t find any plot of dirt, the couple happened upon a house with the perfect sized backyard and with dirt perfect for a farm. Throughout this process the couple have called on area growers for advice and they’ve always received a warm reception. They said area farmers are so excited to help newcomers and that the growing community has been a great resource for making their dream viable. At the time of this interview, the two were measuring their success in small increments, but they still had eyes for the future. They hope to one day have a 20- to 30-acre farm where they can raise a family and open a farm-to-table style restaurant. For more information on connecting with local farmers and growers, visit LocalHarvest.org. Dilish Farm 4300 NE 137th Ave. Vancouver 98682 413-209-4879 View Larger Map Audio and video stories from Southwest Washington. no 5:21