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Innisfree Farm &
Botanic Garden

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About
Botanical Gardens
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Green Dream Café
Farm Shop
Contact

Home
About
Botanical Gardens
Events
Green Dream Café
Farm Shop
Contact

Heracleum maximum (Cow Parsnip)

Cow parsnip is antidiarrhoeal, anripsoriatic (used to relieve itching), aphrodisiac, digestive, expectorant and mild sedative.

Learn more about the
medicinal properties

Gardening tips
for this plant

3636 Trent Road, Courtenay BC, Canada V9N 9R4
(250) 336 8768
innisfreefarmbc@gmail.com

Open to the public
June 1 – Sept. 16, 2024

Saturdays: 10 am – 4 pm

Sundays: noon – 4 pm

Mondays: 10 am – 4 pm

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New online course about tree medicines 🌳 with m

New online course about tree medicines 🌳 with medical herbalist and Innisfree co-founder Chanchal Cabrera @chanchal.cabrera - starts Tuesday, Sept. 10th!

Do you love trees? 🌲 Want to deepen your understanding of trees and herbal medicines through hands-on experience?

This is a 7-week deep dive into the medicinal, spiritual, and practical ways we can learn from, interact with, and benefit from trees. 🤓

✳️ Learn how to make medicines for you and your family’s wellbeing - topical preparations, steam inhalations, teas and tinctures, and more

✳️ Find out how trees communicate, their habits and growth patterns, and best practices for harvesting

✳️ Experience a personally guided Shinrin Yoku (forest bathing) walk with nature-connection exercises

✳️ Connect with the spirit of trees in guided exercises with ritualist and herbalist @seraphina.capranos

✳️ Understand the science and medicinal qualities of trees — modern research, traditional uses, phytochemistry and pharmacology, and more — including formulas & recipes

✳️ Participate in an art therapy class using natural materials to connect with yourself, gain clarity, and process emotions

✳️ Review the healing qualities of tree flower essences and the use of essential oils

These are just some of the highlights of this new course - we’d love to have you with us! Please share and help spread the word about this. 💚

The live online classes start (and registration closes) Tuesday, Sept. 10th; recordings & transcripts will be available as well as other bonus videos.

There are so many practical applications for personal care in this course - take the time to support your health this season. 🌟

Learn more & register at link in bio.

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( Yes, we are open Labour Day! ) ~ Check out this

( Yes, we are open Labour Day! ) ~ Check out this weekend's menu features at our Green Dream Café:

— Gazpacho Soup (vegan, gluten-free) - served chilled, with sourdough bread from Lentelus Farms and cilantro pesto (gluten-free & vegan options available)

Baked Goods [subject to change due to availability]:

— Cheddar Scone with sundried tomato butter

— Lemon Square

— Chocolate Brownie (gluten-free)

— Crabapple Cake

— Frozen Raspberry Cashew Pie (vegan, gluten-free)

Open Saturdays 10 am - 4 pm,
Sundays noon - 4 pm, and
Mondays 10 am - 4pm
...until September 16th.

Come explore our gardens, walk the labyrinth, and enjoy the 7 acres of medicinal and native plants. Our café menu has a variety of tasty baked goods, smoothies, herbal teas, coffee, and a new homemade soup every weekend.

Located at 3636 Trent Road, in Courtenay (near Royston).

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#courtenaygardens #courtenaybc #comoxbc #courtenaycomox #roystonbc #fannybay #cumberlandbc #yqq #yqqeats #comoxvalleylife #comoxvalleybc #comoxvalleygardens #comoxbc #explorevanisle #vancouverisland #café #comoxvalleycoffeeshops #unionbay #comoxvalleyfarms #courtenaysmallbusiness #comoxsmallbusiness #farmfresh #homemadefood #healthyanddelicious #botanicgarden

Join us on Sunday, September 8th at 3 p.m. for a f

Join us on Sunday, September 8th at 3 p.m. for a free, one-hour Tea & Talk with medical herbalists Chanchal Cabrera @chanchal.cabrera & Alina Baker.

Learn about medicinal plants you can grow in your home garden, bring your herbal questions, and enjoy some herbal tea on the lawn at Innisfree Farm & Botanic Garden.

All are welcome. We look forward to seeing you there!

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#herbaltea #medicalherbalist #yqqevents #yqq #plantlovers #herbalmedicine #weloveplants #gardenersofinstagram #herbalistsofinstagram #herbalism #comoxvalleytourism #experiencecomoxvalley #comoxvalleygardens #comoxvalleylife #comoxvalleyevents #comoxbc #comoxvalleybc #courtenaybc #cumberlandbc #roystonbc #vancouverisland #vanislelife #freeevent #drinktea #courtenaysmallbusiness #courtenaygardens #innisfreefarmbc #courtenayevents #courtenaycomox #herbalism

Our Green Dream Café menu features this weekend:

Our Green Dream Café menu features this weekend:

🍲 Spicy Black Bean Soup - served with, yogurt, cilantro, sourdough bread from Lentelus Farms @lentelusfarms and herb butter (vegan & gluten-free options available)

Baked Goods [subject to change due to availability]:

💜 Cranberry Orange Scone (sold out on Saturday!)

💛 Gingerbread Trifle

💜 Chocolate Mousse Cake (vegan)

💛 Coconut Macaroons (gluten-free)

💜 Frozen Raspberry Cashew Pie (vegan, gluten-free)

Open Saturdays 10 am - 4 pm, Sundays noon - 4 pm, and Mondays 10 am - 4 pm.

Less than a month left of our café, botanic garden, and farm shop being open for the season -- come by to walk the labyrinth, smell the flowers, enjoy delicious farm-fresh food, and immerse yourself in a peaceful nature oasis. 😊

📍 Located at 3636 Trent Road, in Courtenay (near Royston) - right beside some fantastic hiking trails! 🚶

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#courtenaygardens #courtenaybc #comoxbc #courtenaycomox #roystonbc #fannybay #cumberlandbc #yqq #yqqeats #comoxvalleylife #comoxvalleybc #comoxvalleygardens #comoxbc #explorevanisle #vancouverisland #café #comoxvalleycoffeeshops #unionbay #comoxvalleyfarms #courtenaysmallbusiness #comoxsmallbusiness #farmfresh #homemadefood #healthyanddelicious #botanicgarden

On Friday, August 30, join us for a lawn concert 🎶 with Joanna Finch, Miles Black & Friends - 6:30 pm - 9 pm

“We will begin the evening with an eclectic set of roots, jazz and pop originals with some hot tunes that will get everyone dancing. In the second set we get to play together- which musicians love to do...in a mash up of styles and instruments, with lots of hot licks and scintillating solos! “

🎟️ Tickets - $25

Available online - https://jobird-music.tickit.ca/events/25487 - and at the gate

Bring a chair or blanket. Tea and treats will be available. 😊

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#yqqevents #yqq #cumberlandbc #comoxbc #comoxvalleylife #comoxvalleyevents #courtenaybc #courtenaycomox #experiencecomoxvalley #localmusic #roystonbc #joannafinch #jazzmusic #livemusic #comoxvalleybc #vanisle #vanislelife #vancouverisland #explorevancouverisland #outdoorconcert #localmusic #localmusicians #supportlocal #originalmusic #outdoormusic

Come by this weekend to explore our botanic garden

Come by this weekend to explore our botanic garden and enjoy our outdoor patio at the Green Dream Café.

Here are our featured items this weekend:

Farm fresh produce at our shop:

— Crabapples ($5 / two pounds)

— Blueberries ($6 / lb)

— Eggs ($9 / dozen)

— Blackberries ($5 each)

Try the homemade soup, delicious desserts, and hot and cold drinks at our Green Dream Café:

Innisfree Carrot Ginger Soup (vegan, gluten-free) - served with toasted tamari sunflower seeds, sourdough bread from Lentelus Farms @lentelusfarms and basil pesto

Baked Goods [subject to change due to availability]:

— Rene's Gingerbread Cake

— Lemon Streusel Muffin

— Cheddar & Everything Scone

— Chocolate Brownie (gluten-free)

— Frozen Raspberry Cashew Pie (vegan, gluten-free)

Open Saturdays 10 am - 4 pm, Sundays noon - 4 pm, and Mondays 10 am - 4 pm.

📍 Located at 3636 Trent Road, in Courtenay (near Royston).

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#explorevanisle #vancouverisland #café #comoxvalleycoffeeshops #unionbay #comoxvalleyfarms #courtenaysmallbusiness #comoxsmallbusiness #farmfresh #homemadefood #healthyanddelicious #botanicgarden
#courtenaygardens #courtenaybc #comoxbc #courtenaycomox #roystonbc #fannybay #cumberlandbc #yqq #yqqeats #comoxvalleylife #comoxvalleybc #comoxvalleygardens #comoxbc

It’s been one year since Thierry Vrain went miss

It’s been one year since Thierry Vrain went missing - and now, he is happy to report that this summer he successfully reached the top of Mount Becher again and walked down! 🎉

This video was taken in late July, a few weeks ago, at the top of Mt. Becher. ⛰️

Despite the trepidation at climbing the mountain where he got lost, spent a night alone injured and without supplies, and had to be lifted out via helicopter, Thierry (now age 78) chose to once again complete the same hike that he has done for the past 15 years.

🚶He began training this past winter on the hills in Cumberland with his friend Sylvie (affectionately known as “the Energizer Bunny”) for many months to get himself in good shape.

Thierry says, “One thing I discovered this year was the meditation aspect to the exercise - every step for 4.5 hours I had to focus and know where my foot was landing so I wouldn’t slip or fall.” 👀

We are forever grateful to Comox Valley Ground Search and Rescue @comoxvalleysearchandrescue for finding him last year. 💞

Please donate to support their important work - it is volunteer-run and they are still fundraising for a permanent location. https://www.cvgsar.com/

P.S. - For those of you who don't know Thierry: he is the co-founder of Innisfree Farm & Botanic Garden, husband of Chanchal Cabrera, and creator of the delicious soups at our café this summer, amongst many other roles. 😊

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#comoxvalleysearchandrescue #thierryvrain #courtenaybc #roystonbc #cumberlandbc #comoxvalleylife #vanislelife #hiking #hikingrescue #comoxbc #comoxvalleybc #experiencecomoxvalley #hikingsafety #gratefultobealive #courtenaysmallbusiness #vancouverisland #explorevancouverisland #explorevanisle #innisfreefarmbc #agingwell #aginggracefully #70andfabulous #olderadults #ageisjustanumber #searchandrescue #successmindset #believeinyourself #beautifulbc #mountainview #bctourism

This weekend – lots of farm-fresh deliciousness am

This weekend - lots of farm-fresh deliciousness amidst our beautiful outdoor patio and 7 acres of gardens for you to explore.

🥬 Produce available at our shop:
— Blueberries ($6 / lb)
— Raspberries ($6 / half pound)
— Eggs ($9 / dozen)
— Sunflowers 🌻 ($1 each)

Try the homemade soup, delicious baked goods, smoothies, herbal tea, and more, at our Green Dream Café:

🍲 Innisfree Fennel Soup (v., gf) - served cold with sourdough bread from Lentelus Farms and herb butter (vegan & gluten-free options available)

Baked Goods [subject to change due to availability]:

— Blackberry Chocolate Scone (vegan)

— Coconut Macaroons with fresh berries & whipped cream or cashew cream (vegan)

— Raspberry Muffin with jam

— Chocolate Quinoa Cake (gluten-free)

— Frozen Raspberry Cashew Pie (vegan, gluten-free)

Open Saturdays 10 am - 4 pm, Sundays noon - 4 pm, and Mondays 10 am - 4 pm.

📍 Located at 3636 Trent Road, in Courtenay (near Royston).

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#yqqeats #comoxvalleylife #comoxvalleybc #comoxvalleygardens #comoxbc #explorevanisle #vancouverisland #café #comoxvalleycoffeeshops #unionbay #comoxvalleyfarms #courtenaysmallbusiness #comoxsmallbusiness #farmfresh #homemadefood #healthyanddelicious #botanicgarden #courtenaygardens #courtenaybc #comoxbc #courtenaycomox #roystonbc #fannybay #cumberlandbc #yqq

Did you know we have the largest labyrinth on Vanc

Did you know we have the largest labyrinth on Vancouver Island?

A labyrinth is a walking path (not a maze, at it first appears to some) — used for reflection, meditation, and prayer. 🤍 Ours is a 7-circuit design bordered by oyster shells.

When walking the labyrinth, you are turning to the left, then to the right, and alternating left and right turns on your journey toward the centre of the labyrinth. This practice helps promote connections between the left and right sides (hemispheres) of the brain 🧠 and can be particularly useful for people with brain injuries, ADHD, and depression.

🚶Come visit us during our open hours to walk the labyrinth, and stop by the farm shop to pull a card to guide your experience or look at the book on labyrinths.

The paths are wheelchair-accessible and wide enough for 2 people to walk side-by-side

Many therapists bring their clients here for therapeutic purposes, and the labyrinth is also available for event rentals.

If you have any favourite labyrinth experiences (anywhere in the world), we’d love to hear about them in the comments below. 👇

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#labyrinth #vancouverisland #explorevanisle #experiencecomoxvalley #courtenaybc #comoxvalleytourism #comoxbc #cumberlandbc #roystonbc #meditation #walkingmeditation #labyrinthwalk #labyrinths #oystershells #innisfreefarmbc #comoxvalleygardens #comoxvalleylife #comoxvalleybc #vanisle #vanisland #vanislelife #yqq #explorevancouverisland #botanicgarden #brainhealth #adhdsupport #cognitivehealth #brainhemispheres #courtenaysmallbusiness #meditate

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Innisfree Farm is located on the unceded traditional territories of the Pentlatch, Eiksan, Sahtloot and Sasitla peoples, the people of the K’ómoks First Nation who call this valley home. We are grateful for the opportunity to live, learn, work and play, take care of and share this land.