Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - August 09, 2013, Winnipeg, Manitoba C M Y K PAGE A10 A 10 FRIDAY, AUGUST 9, 2013 CANADA winnipegfreepress. com 204- 697- 1400 1400 McPHILLIPS WINNIPEG MB SAVE TIME . SHOP ON- LINE www. jimgauthierchevy. com www. jimgauthierchev. com All prices and payments are plus tax and fees, exclude freight and reflect Loyalty/ conquest/ truck bucks credit. Factory order or dealer trade may be necessary. Cash prices are not that of the final selling price if low rate financing option is selected on some vehicles. THE GAUTHIER AUTO GROUP IS PROUD TO BE THE # 1 VOLUME DEALER IN WPG!! BRAND NEW BRAND NEW BRAND NEW BRAND NEW BRAND NEW BRAND NEW BRAND NEW 2013 CHEVY SILVERADO CREW CAB CHEYENNE EDITION B ALL NEW 2014 CHEVY SILVERADO CREW CAB 2013 CHEVY SONIC 2014 CHEVY IMPALA 2013 CHEVY MALIBU 2013 CHEVY EQUINOX STARTING AS LOW AS $ 89 WK AUGUST IS TRUCK MONTH Another $ 1000 if you are a current truck owner Plus A at Jim Gauthier Chevrolet Chevrolet 2013 CHEVY SILVERADO EXT CAB STARTING FROM $ 18 , 169 OR $ 5 9 WK 0% Financing 84 mths. on most models STARTING FROM $ 22 , 381 OR $ 69 WK STARTING FROM $ 8 , 904 OR $ 22 WK STARTING FROM $ 19 , 146 OR $ 62 WK STARTING FROM $ 20 , 173 OR $ 65 WK STARTING AS LOW AS $ 25 , 341 OR $ 79 WK A GROWING number of young Canadian families are making the choice of moving away from the city to the country, setting up homesteads, living off the land and preparing food using traditional methods. While some modern homesteaders have moved to smaller- scale properties, Adrienne Percy and her family took on a 321- acre farm in Fraserwood, west of Gimli. " I was starting to think maybe what we're doing isn't quite sustainable," said Percy. " We're seeing the fabric of a lot of rural communities unwind and what is being passed off as food these days is concerning. " People seem to have lost what used to be considered basic essential skills and I really wanted something very different for my children." AccordingtoNourishedRoots, thewebsite for Percy's farm and the workshops they give, she and her husband " traded in fancy shoes and power lunches for galoshes and preserves years ago." Percy was working as a journalist when they made the decision to move to rural Manitoba. She initially focused on giving her family a full life, which included knowing how to grow, cook and preserve their food, now she's working to help other aspiring homesteaders learn the skills they need for rural and urban living. " From my experience and from what I'm hearing from my friends, I think it's that feeling of being disconnected from really basic skills and a sense that there is another way to live," she said. Earlier this summer, Percy's property hosted the first Homesteaders Festival. The event sold out and more than 350 people came to participate in 27 workshops, which included beekeeping, raising goats, fermentation and blending your own herbal teas. " People are sensing that being able to grow your own food and share it with others was at the centre of our communities and the fabric of our life," said Percy. " Growing food and having these essential skills was about nourishment and survival, but really it was an intimate part of our culture and heritage." Even though Victoria Gazeley grew up on the Sunshine Coast at least two hours from Vancouver, her family lived a suburban life with a small garden in the backyard. " My mom and dad grew up on rural properties back in the ' 40s and ' 50s, and had that in their background but had in a way rejected it as most did," said Gazeley from her Roberts Creek homestead northwest of Vancouver. After living in the Vancouver area for most of her adult life, Gazeley began feeling pulled to rural life, especially after having her son. Like most modern homesteaders, she was feeling it was increasingly important to become more self- reliant due to concerns about imported and genetically modified foods. " As we've become more and more technology- dependant there seems to be this zeitgeist of wanting to reconnect back to something a little simpler as things got crazier," she said. Since moving in 2009 onto a family property, Gazeley began the blog Modern Homesteading, which documents her experiences and connects with others who have gone rural. In addition to harvesting wild edibles such as blackberries and huckleberries, Gazeley has chickens, blueberries and a small garden. - The Canadian Press 204- 942- 3331 Getting away from the big city Modern homesteaders find peace in rural life By Megan Cole TREVOR HAGAN / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS ARCHIVES Adrienne Percy with children, Noah and Hannah, in a field of wildflowers behind their farm near Fraserwood. A_ 12_ Aug- 09- 13_ FP_ 01. indd A10 8/ 8/ 13 10: 12: 35 PM ;