'We feel a lot healthier': Pender Island couple experiments with living off land for full year
If the pandemic has taught us anything, it's that we can adapt when we have to.
An island couple decided to up the ante last summer when they moved to Pender Island, B.C. to take on the least convenient challenge you can imagine – and they're almost at the finish line.
In August 2020, Chris Hall and Stef Lowey decided to move to Pender Island to challenge themselves by only eating what they catch, grow, harvest or raise for an entire year.
The pair are proof that the answer to feeling healthier, doesn't come off of a store shelf.
"We feel a lot healthier," Hall said on Tuesday. "(Our) energy levels have balanced out, weird things like that, but it makes a difference. Clearer skin I think for both of us too."
Six months ago, CTV News checked up on them to see if they were doing OK. It turns out, they were thriving, and the same seems to be true now.
The pair has been sharing their journey with more than 30,000 YouTube subscribers, and have been showing what creative foods can be made in B.C., like coffee made from dandelion roots.
"I like sea asparagus more than normal asparagus," said Hall.
The couple has also been making dehydrated bladderwrack chips.
"They're not bad," said Lowey.
But, plenty of experiments also went sideways.
"Chris almost set fire to our deck trying to smoke some bacon," Lowey said.
The pair says their greenhouse was also destroyed during the winter.
"So that was a fail," said Lowey.
It's all part of the charm of living on the southern Gulf Island.
The pair's one-year challenge will finish on Aug. 2. The couple has a bottle of champagne ready that they've been saving for the occasion.
Lowey and Hall may also dip into some old favourite foods for a cheat meal a year in the making.
"I definitely still want pizza and hot wings. Maybe some tacos too," said Lowey.
As for getting back on the grid, the pair says they're still not sure what the future will look like.
"I don't think we'll ever go back to the way we were living," Hall said.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Signs of Alzheimer’s were everywhere. Then his brain improved
Blood biomarkers of telltale signs of early Alzheimer’s disease in the brain of his patient, 55-year-old entrepreneur Simon Nicholls, had all but disappeared in a mere 14 months.
Box tree moths have infested Ontario and experts say more are coming. Here's what to do to protect your garden
An invasive moth species is on the rise in Canada and, if you've planted a certain shrub, it could stand to ruin your garden.
Lyon-bound Air Canada Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner from Montreal turns back midflight due to pressurization alert
Passengers heading from Montreal to Lyon, France on Friday were forced to return home and depart the next day after a pressurization indication was detected in flight.
Oilers dominate Canucks, win to force deciding Game 7
The Edmonton Oilers avoided elimination from the NHL playoffs Saturday night, beating the visiting Vancouver Canucks 5-1 in Game 6 of their second-round series.
The eight most expensive homes for sale in Ottawa this spring
Ottawa's ultra luxury housing market is blooming like the tulips this spring, with a significant increase in the number of homes sold worth more than $2 million.
B.C. pipeline company argues its 'haulers' are not trucks, for tax purposes
A contractor working on the Coastal GasLink pipeline has been denied more than $333,000 worth of tax rebates because pieces of machinery it purchased – and claimed were not trucks – were deemed sufficiently truck-like in B.C. Supreme Court.
$500K-worth of elvers seized at Toronto airport
Fishery and border service officers seized more than 100 kilograms of unauthorized elvers at the Toronto Pearson International Airport on Wednesday.
Usyk beats Fury by split decision, becomes undisputed heavyweight champion
Oleksandr Usyk defeated Tyson Fury by split decision to become the first undisputed heavyweight boxing champion in 24 years.
To plant or not to plant? Gardening tips for May long weekend
May long weekend is finally here, and with the extra time off you may be getting the itch to head out to your garden and plant. However, the old debate whether you should plant now, or wait, is still ever-present.