Sarah Laurenson, owner of Sarah’s Garden at the Squamish Farmers’ Market, is just one of a disappearing breed of craft makers, and possibly the only one of her kind here in Squamish. She is a basket maker employing skills that are now rare.
She started weaving about 10 years ago and explains there was once a time when everyone would make their own baskets, but now it’s a dying art.
For Laurenson, weaving is a family trade; both her mom and sister practise the art. “My mom has been doing it for 30 years. She even started a fibre arts guild out in Agassiz, where there are between 15 and 20 members. We just kind of grew up with her doing it.”
Laurenson’s handmade baskets even use local materials, with the willow coming from the family’s two-acre farm in Agassiz. “We harvest it ourselves, dry it and store it, and then weave baskets with it.”
In addition to baskets, Laurenson also sells her custom herb and spice blends made using some of the organic herbs she grows herself. She also sells vegetables in the summer and coffee in the winter, and doesn’t let a small thing like not having her own garden stand in the way of her business. As well as farming a few plots around Brackendale, she also uses other people’s backyards in exchange for a crop of home-grown veggies. Her vegetables are included in a local community-supported agriculture scheme.
This year she focused on broccoli, chard and greens, she explains, “Next year I’d like to be able to grow more onions. I’ll also have an extra greenhouse so I’m hoping to grow more early greens and beans.” She’s also keen on seed saving and hopes to be able to sell some of her own seeds to market shoppers.
For the winter farmers’ market, Sarah has introduced coffee to her stand – again a product in which her family has a great deal of involvement. “My dad’s a coffee roaster, so the coffee I’m selling is from the beans he’s roasted out in Agassiz. He roasts them in a 1912 roaster that he found. It’s very old but it still works great.” The coffee is also certified organic, farmer-friendly and estate grown, she explains.
Laurenson’s herb and spice blends are a year-round staple, though she’s just brought out some seasonal specials. The mountain mix is probably the most popular of her regular blends, she explains. “It’s my go-to blend. A multi-use one that I use for everything from soups to stew, fish and chicken.” New this fall is her pumpkin spice blend. “It has cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, ginger and all spice, and I use it for smoothies, chicken thighs, baked goods and pancakes.”
Laurenson will be selling her baskets, coffee, and herb and spice blends throughout the Winter Squamish Farmers’ Market at Squamish Elementary School between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. The next market is on Dec. 6.
