Sorrento Centre Farm: What we grow
Our primary crops are vegetables. We grow a wide range of vegetables including many heirloom varieties. Our vegetable crops include tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, squash, cucumbers, peppers, eggplants, lettuce, carrots, green beans, kale and much more.
We grow lots of fruit at the Sorrento Centre Farm. Our strawberry as well as our raspberry canes will be in full production this season. Our blackberry patch will be into full production by 2013. In addition to this fruit we also utilize the apple trees on the farm as well as at the Centre to make fresh cider with new our cider press.
In the spring of 2010, the Sorrento Centre Board dedicated our vineyard to Archbishop David Crawley. This was in light of his generous contribution to making the Sorrento Centre Farm a reality and in light of his appreciation for fine wines. The vineyard is currently made up of 20 Siegriebe German hybrid white grape vines. But preparations are being made for the 2013 installation of 200 grape plants that will include Marechal Foch, Reisling, Gamay Noir and Ehrenfeiser.
We are very excited to grow our own grain. This season we will be running a test plot of grains that will include 2 types of wheal and rye. Our grain production will be primarily dedicated to the making of communion bread for our community.
We are growing our own seed. This year we will be growing plants for seeds of Snap Peas, Green Beans, Peppers and Romaine Lettuce. Our seed will supply our farm and will be available for gardeners to purchase. We are working with Stellar Seeds from Johnson’s Landing B.C. to package and sell our seeds. Sorrento Centre Heirloom seeds will be available in the spring of 2012 at the Sorrento Centre Book Shop.
We are developing a soup mix of dry beans that we will grow and eventually sell through our Book Shop as an heirloom soup bean mix. Dry beans like kidney, pinto and black beans are relatively easy to grow. If you have never had local beans, it is a whole different experience than buying dry beans from the grocery store. Fresh beans have a texture and flavour that simply cannot be beaten.
Garlic is renown for is amazing culinary qualities as well as its’ immune boosting medicinal qualities. We are growing garlic at the Sorrento Centre Farm because our sandy soil and arid climate create ideal conditions for growing high quality garlic. Look for our decorative garlic braids in the bookshop during the late summer and fall of 2012.
We are growing and drying cayenne peppers that will be sold at the Sorrento Centre Book Shop in 2012. Our cayenne peppers will be a great way for you to bring the summer heat of Sorrento back to your home as an edible memento of your experience at the Sorrento Centre. Our cayenne peppers are part of our vision to develop “The Taste of Sorrento.”
This magical corn is the most genetically diverse and adaptable corn known. It is a hybrid of 70 corn varieties from some of the harshest climates of the Northern Rockies and Great Plains regions of the US and Canada. Rainbow Mountain corn makes an incredible corn bread when ground and makes beautiful Fall Abundance Decorations. Painted Mountain Fall Abundance Decorations will be sold in our bookshop in the fall of 2011.
We grow lots of lavender at the Sorrento Centre. We are growing lavender at the farm that will be used for a variety of projects. This season we will be focused on lavender sachets and lavender bouquets that will be available for purchase in the Sorrento Centre Book Shop. Future projects could include a lavender soaps and lavender infused oils.
We are partnered with a local beekeeper named Bill Stagg of Sweet Acre Apiaries. Bill keeps 8 colonies of bees at our Farm. Keeping bees on the farm is very helpful because the bees work hard to pollinate our vegetables and increase our yields. In fact each morning on the farm, you can hear the bees working and see the bees flying back and forth in between the garden and the hives. We will purchase all of the honey from the colonies on the farm and sell it at our bookshop in 2012.
If you have inquiries about the farm please feel free to contact our Farm Manager Dave Wides by phone or email ».
