SOMBA K’E/YELLOWKNIFE
Carine Pattin is taking on a new business venture that will run alongside Arctic Farmer Nursery.

Julien Martin waters flats of plants and herbs at Arctic Farmer Nursery in Yellowknife. The nursery is now open for the season, and sees a busy summer of landscaping projects ahead. - Walter Strong/NNSL photo

Pattin said this season is shaping up to be the busiest she’s seen yet, with contracts to complete from last year due to construction delays before the end of season.

“People are already calling for landscaping quotes,” Pattin said. “But we have to wait for the snow to melt. For now we’re making a waiting list.”

Patin will be increasing staffing from the four or five who stay with the nursery year-round, the 35 or 40 employees she’ll need to handle this season’s work.

The gift store at Arctic Farmer Nursery now includes a line of handmade, all-natural soaps called Dirty Bird, made on site by Pattin.

Tiring of store-bought soaps with ingredient lists that strayed from the essential purity you might expect from soap, Pattin saw an opportunity to turn her own interest into niche product for the shop.

“I know what’s in the soap I make, and it’s a cool process,” she said. “If you look at my ingredient list, it’s all oils, butters, water, lye and essential oils. There are no preservatives or drying agents.”

As well as an attractive line of colourful soaps, Pattin also makes very basic bars that may appeal to those looking for the simplest of ingredients.

“Some people are into pure soaps,” Pattin said. “We have one that is just lye, water, and olive oil.”

Dirty Bird soaps are now available in the gift store, and Pattin expects to be selling the bars at this summer’s farmers market.