I was speaking in Duncan last night and spent today with friends enjoying the Cowichan Valley. We didn’t have time to visit all the many farms featured in the Cowichan Green Community Food Map. So we picked the top one on my list: Providence Farm. They call themselves a therapeutic community. The working organic farm provides the landscape for a number of innovative horticulture therapy and vocational training programs. People with barriers to employment and education are employed there or participate in programs. There’s a market garden that provides fresh produce for the on-site farm store as well as the
Duncan Farmers’ Market. In the Small Engine Repair & Maintenance Shop, the farm’s equipment is repaired and kept in tiptop shape. There’s a pottery studio, a furniture shop, greenhouse and nursery. It’s a beautiful place to walk around. There are maps 
for self-guided tours of this 400-acre property. There’s also a beautiful community garden that the general public is encouraged to join. We picked up a great tip for shading lettuce there. To mark the visitation, my friend and I bought twin soft bamboo T-shirts with the Providence Farm tag line: Plant Joy. Harvest Hope. A very therapeutic day!