Leah has a company called Love My Local. She makes awesome bamboo cheese boards in the shape of the Canadian Provinces. We met on Twitter. I visited Leah to see how the boards are made and to learn more about Love My Local.
Leah decided to make the boards in the shape of the Canadian provinces because everyone has a place that is special, and even if you don't live in the province that you were born in, you can have a board that reminds you of that place. In the future Leah plans to add some other countries to the collection.
The bamboo for Love My Local boards comes from a company called Plyboo. All the Bamboo is FSC certified, and all the workers are treated ethically and are happy. Leah chose bamboo instead of hardwood because bamboo only takes five years to mature, instead of 70. Love My Local boards are made at a workshop in Langley, BC, but Leah finishes them at her back-yard studio in Vancouver.
I got to help finish some boards:
First Leah taught me how to sand the edges:
Then Leah taught me how to brand the Love My Local logo onto the boards. We used a press.
After branding, the boards are dipped in mineral oil, then set to absorb the oil for 48 hours. Next they are dipped again in the mineral oil, and set to dry for another 48 hours.
Fun fact: you only need to plant bamboo once, it re-grows by itself.
To care for the boards, wash them in warm water with soap.
DO NOT put them in a dishwasher, DO NOT submerge them in water.
Leah had grouped together a bunch of items so that I could style some boards! I was so lucky!
I got to work on the British Columbia and Vancouver Island boards. I learned that how you design your board will all depend on the shape, you have to work with the board. It was really fun.
Here are my board designs:
I want to thank Leah so much for letting me spend the day, and for my awesome new Love My Local boards!! Expect some styled board blogposts from me in the months to come!!
Check out Leah's site: http://www.lovemylocal.ca