Flora in bloom

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 03/10/2016 (3450 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

As Kimberley Bialkoski has learned, a bout of bad luck may push you in the right direction.

The West End resident recently won the Great Manitoba Food Fight bronze package for her line of spreads and pickled goods, flora & farmer, which includes $3,500 in the form of product development and packaging.

In 2012, Bialkoski was in an accident which left her wrist broken on one arm and her shoulder on the other. Unable to continue working, she stayed home and put all of her efforts into a new hobby — canning.

“I taught myself how to preserve in 2010… I had a garden and it was a small garden but nonetheless, I had a bumper crop of cucumbers so I taught myself how to pickle,” Bialkoski said. “I love cooking. I’ve never been a rich gal, so I like being frugal. I was raised in a frugal household, as well.”

Bialkoski was motivated to keep at it after getting good feedback on her first batch and began to experiment with preserves and jams as well.

“I would start usually after my son went to bed so I would start at 9 p.m. and end at three in the morning,” she said. “After the accident, I kept on canning to keep myself sane… I’m just a go, go, go person so I kept doing it.”

Before long Bialkoski had too many jars to give away, let alone eat on her own. She began to sell her products at craft sales and farmer’s markets, easily recognizable for unique flavour combination such as pineapple and jalapeno, nectarine and rose, and blueberry and basil.

“Cooking is one thing I’m proud to say I’m good at,” she said. “I feel like I have a skill for, not my mind’s eye, but my mind’s mouth? I can pair flavours just by thinking about them. I was a vegetarian for 15 years so in order to eat decent vegetarian food I had to teach myself how to combine spices… I think it’s a big factor in my cooking skills.”

What began as a hobby is now a full-time business, with Bialkoski working out of a kitchen in the downtown area. She’s had to make some changes to make it viable and said it’s been a mental shift of going from a fun pastime to a job with its own set of pressures and challenges.

“I was really set on using fresh fruit,” she said. “Now, spending four hours prepping, I’m just like, I could be doing so many other things.”

A batch of 55 to 60 pounds of fruit would take her the better half of a day to prep. Now she buys frozen fruit wholesale, as well as purchasing from local farmers when she can.

With her prize, Bialkoski is going to commercialize her apple kraut, an Asian-inspired spread with cabbage, apples, green onion, garlic, ginger and chilies.

“I’m also looking into getting a new kitchen space,” she said, noting a larger one would fit more equipment. “And I’m hoping to increase the number of places that sell my stuff.”

For information on where to purchase, find flora & farmer on Facebook.