Mara Jernigan

Connecting people and projects I love is one of my favourite things to do. And this week to travel with @mapleleafadventures through Kwakwa̱ka̱ʼwakw territory with guests on board The Cascadia and visit the @nawalakwhealingsociety garden while the guests were visiting the repatriated treasures at U’mista was such a thrill. I haven’t seen the gardens in 2 years and Verna and her team of youth have come so far to grow healthy food for the elders and Y’alis ( Alert Bay) community in this beautiful spacious garden that just gets better and better every time I see it. Verna and grant writer Bill came on board for lunch and shared a huge box of fresh produce picked that morning. Last night I was able to create a final dinner for our guests using only the produce from the Nawalakw garden and local wild caught seafood from Finest at Sea for our guests dinner on board. All the food in this garden is grown and tended by paid summer students and given away for free to community members. I am so pleased to make a donation each year on Indigenous Peoples Day to offset the carbon for my Sicily guests flight to buy perennial fruit and edible plants for this worthy project. My special menu for the last night: Nawalakw salad with goat cheese stuffed zucchini blossom tempura battered, Ya’lis Thimbleberry vinaigrette / Hand made potato gnocchi with garden fresh pea puree, Dungeness Crab & chive flowers / Trap Caught sablefish in a Denman Island Miso broth, garden carrot & zucchini nage / Molten Chocolate Okanagan Peaches with Verna’s Strawberry Compote