This may sound hard to believe, but I got very excited by watching water boil the other day. I had heard of previous schemes to make sea salt here on Vancouver Island, but this is the first one I know of that is up and running, and it’s just a few minutes’ drive from my place in the Cowichan Valley. So I went walking up the driveway of Andrew Shepherd’s house, which is also the home of the Vancouver Island Salt Company, taking in the aroma of a wood fire and simmering cauldrons of ocean water, and there was Andrew stoking the fire. 
It is labour intensive work. He has to make sure he keeps the fires going for about 3 days straight, so through the nights that means getting up every couple of hours to stoke the fire. A friend pulls wood out of the slash left from logging operations, which would be burned anyway, so at least he’s giving that wood a use. Andrew also has to keep topping up the pots of water so that enough crystals will form, and he’s learned to be very careful about where and how he collects his seawater, on a rising tide, and not after a big rainstorm because the salinity is lowered, for example.
Why salt? Andrew couldn't see the sense in using imported sea salt in his cooking when we are surrounded by salt water here on Vancouver Island. So he started experimenting, at first boiling down a 10-litre bucket of water. He and his friends loved the results, so he started thinking about how to do it on a larger scale, and eventually built the six brick 'ovens' where he operates now.
Andrew is trained as a chef, and currently works part-time at a gourmet food company on Saltspring Island, but he has decided to put family first. "After more than a decade of cheffing, I was really worried about missing my family, my kids growing up. So I left the restaurant environment." His six-year old son is totally behind the venture, often helping him outside, calling it the company 'me and my dad have'.
But when it comes down to it, salt is salt, right? Well, there’s definitely a debate to be had over how different salts have different flavours depending on their source and what kind of minerals are in the salt. Andrew believes that we shouldn’t spend too much money for salt, so he’s trying to keep his prices modest, about $4.50 to $5.50 for half a pound. He already has some restaurant chefs using it, and for some chefs it’s all about the texture and clean taste of the salt…and that’s what I heard today from the chocolatier at Saltspring Island Chocolates, who is using Vancouver Island Salt to top her vanilla caramels and she just loves it.
Andrew also has a maple-smoked salt for sale, but it’s made with a rock salt he purchases, not his own homemade salt, but he’s looking at expanding his network of retailers and chefs, along with some new packaging…just for those people who want to spend more money on their salt! Just go to his website to get the latest information.
Great Blog