Gordon Forbes and his family have been farming the valley for nearly half a century, with more than half of that time doing it all organically.
The family made the decision to go organic for the sake of their health.
“It was a lifestyle choice, for sure,” said Forbes. “When we went organic my mother had breast cancer. We decided we all needed to eat better, that was 24 years ago. She’s turning 80 this year, she kicked ass on that cancer and she’s doing really well, she’s healthy.”
Gordon and his brother now do the majority of the farming. In addition to many of the more common varieties of produce, Forbes has branched out into more unusual plants.
“We have started to get into more of the herbs that can be used for the medicinal side of things. Gotu kola, which is really good for brain function and mental activity. Aztec sweet herb, a sugar substitute a thousand times sweeter than sugar, but is good for people with diabetes. Bacopa, Fo-ti, which is more on the Chinese medicine. We do eucalyptus, which won’t survive our winters here, but makes a really nice, really large annual plant.”
The Forbes Family Farm is a staple of the Penticton Farmers’ Market, and Gordon Forbes can be found there almost every Saturday.