This afternoon, I was finally able to follow the manager, Sarah, to her homestead, known as the Klondike Valley Nursery & Market Garden.
To get there, we had to drive twenty minutes south of Dawson, park, walk two minutes, get in a canoe, paddle across half the Klondike River, walk across an island, get into another canoe, paddle across the other half of the Klondike to a stream, and then paddle up the stream to the house. She does this morning and night!
Sarah’s husband, John, carved his little empire out of the bush and the result is a little piece of Yukon paradise where he grows things one would never imagine could survive up here. He’s a scientist and an artist, creating new stock from grafts in an attempt to create plants that can thrive in the Yukon. Do check out their website for more details about his apple tree and dwarf conifer projects!
It’s quite a spread they have on their 44 acres, only 4 of which have been cleared, with several green houses in addition to an off-grid home. I had a fun time exploring and playing with the four dogs. Oz is much smaller than are his siblings!
John on the shore of the island coming to the mainland
a cozy two bedroom house with a root cellar and a summer porch
Sarah and John found the washing machine in the bush and turned it into a planter
pretty flowers
more pretty flowers
all sorts of leafy greens
apparently this cabbage is still quite small!
apparently this cabbage is still quite small!
tiny tomatoes (YUM!)
green beans (notice the one with a bit taken out of it *g* YUM!!!)
internet set up
Oz at home (check out the KVN&M website for pictures of his three siblings!)
high bush cranberries
pear trees
apple trees
just a small portion of the spread
valley…
cantaloupe
grapes!!!
corn
looking down the length of the greenhouse
summer squash
drawf conifers (mutated trees are grafted onto healthy root stock in an attempt to create a hardy Yukon-appropriate landscaping tree)
close up of the drawf conifer
the pear and apple habitat rather looks like a spaceship 🙂
stunning fungus
another rooster
rooster
In order to get all the work done on the property, they welcome WWOOFers–Willing Workers of (or World Wide Opportunities on) Organic Farms–every summer. I am going to explore WWOOFing as an alternative to camphosting.
I had a wonderful time exploring ‘the farm’ today, after having heard about it for so long!