Local Delicious

Join Vancouver Farmers Markets on September 11, 2010 for their annual Tomato Festival.

Tomatoes are at their peak of ripeness and deliciousness in September and vendors will be bringing out their best varieties – roma, beefsteak, cherry…the list goes on.

Always wanted to try an heirloom tomato but intimidated by all the different colours and strange names? Try something new at the sampling tables.

Tomatoes don’t just taste great – they look great too! Check out the Tomato Beauty Contest where tomato growers will bring out their biggest, best, and most beautiful tomatoes for judging.

Kids will love the Tomato Scavenger Hunt where they will meet local farmers and learn about — as well as taste — many different kinds of tomatoes.

Related posts:

Food Labels: Heirloom or Heritage
Why Quality Seeds Matter

Village Vancouver, Vancouver Food Policy Council, Grandview Woodland Food Connection, and Langara College Continuing Studies presents, Building Neighbourhood Food Networks.

Join with other groups and individuals who are involved in neighbourhood and city-wide food security and food system activities in looking at networking opportunities in and between different Vancouver neighbourhoods.

We invite individuals and groups who are engaged around food, food security, food justice, and building sustainable and resilient food systems to learn what local Neighbourhood Food Networks are doing, and to meet colleagues, share ideas, and explore ways to work together toward common food security goals.

Tuesday, July 20, 2010
1:00 – 4:00 pm
Langara College, 100 W. 49th Avenue
Room C509

FREE

To register: Please RSVP by calling Langara College Continuing Studies at 604-323-5322. Be sure to quote course number CRN 60916 and include your email address when registering.

I’ve been out to the garden a fair bit but consistently forget to bring my camera with me. I did however, snap these  pictures, the first on June 2nd, the most recent on June 20th. Here’s what’s new since the last update:

• The snow peas have begun their happy ascent up the “teepee” (back right).
• Two different kinds of beets have sprouted and are flourishing thus far, largely because slugs do not appear to like them — they are in good company (bottom left).
• The carrots have sprouted (spot them front middle-ish).
• The poor, sad garlic has been denuded of it’s leaves and rust has taken over the remaining stalks. Scapes are in evidence (see if you can find them, mid-plot left side; use top photo showing healthy garlic as guide).
• The kohlrabi, two rows next to the beets, has not made an appearance. Not a single little sprout. Okay, no great loss.
• The dwarf tomato (front centre of plot where the kohlrabi was planted) appears none the worse for wear despite having been transplanted twice, however, it’s not thriving either. It may be hesitating to set down roots for fear of being roused once more, poor thing. I made an unfortunate choice — or two — of locations, both of which ended up being too shady. Note to self!
• Only a couple of the bush beans I seeded popped out and all of them are looking pretty sickly. Near as I can figure, it’s a mix of slugs and aphids, but I’ve caught only a few of each in the act.
• The two red cabbages I swapped with my neighbours D&D for 3 cauliflower are taking nicely to being transplanted.
• The spinach is just beginning to show itself (next to the rusty garlic).
• One kind of kale I seeded is happily growing away, while another kind is less enthusiastic about it’s emergence into daylight (here and there).  We’ll have to keep an eye on that.

And last but not least:

• The sprouted brassicas I bought and added are taking hold nicely: 3 Brussels sprouts, 3 broccoli and 2 cauliflower (mixed throughout).

Now if we could just get some sunshine instead of continuous clouds, cold and rain, we might see some real action!

Village Vancouver is offering six workshops with Robin Wheeler this month.

Robin Wheeler is the founder of the Sustainable Living Arts School and runs Edible Landscapes on BC’s Sunshine Coast. Robin is the delightful, engaging and very knowledgeable author of Food Security for the Faint of Heart, and Gardening for the Faint of Heart, and her workshops are a real treat. (Click each book title for my book review of each.)

Workshops are offered on a pay what you can basis (typically $25 – $30 for 2 hrs, $40 for 3 hrs). Your contribution to these workshops make it possible for teachers like Robin to expand and deepen the scope of the important educational and social change work that they are involved in.

For info on additional workshops and events, including those listed below, visit the Village Vancouver website.

Intentional Community – Shapes in Sharing
Saturday, June 5, 2010
11:00 am – 12:30 pm
West End Community Centre

City Dwellers have many skills and resources all around them, but may not have a mechanism for organizing and drawing on those skills in times of trouble. This class will look at the different shapes in sharing that take place so easily in rural communities and may need a boost in the city. We will talk about building trust and safeguarding our precious possessions while opening up to a wider community and its valuable support.

Register online at www.westendcc.ca, in person, or by calling 604-257-8333.

Introduction to Medicine Making
Saturday, June 5, 2010
1:30 – 4:30 pm
Kitsilano neighbourhood, venue confirmed with registration

There are so many plants that are safe, easy to recognize and locate, and effective for personal use. We will learn some techniques, and then how to make teas, poultices, tinctures and infused oils for our own use. We’ll learn about solvents, supplies and storage.
To register, contact Ross at rmoster@flash.net.

Concepts in Year Round Gardening
Saturday, June 5, 2010
5:00 – 7:00 pm
Fairview, venue confirmed with registration

The Whys and Wherefores of food cycles – why we want them and how to get them. We will plan round the calendar food supplies, both in the larder and stored in the garden.
To register, contact Ross at rmoster@flash.net.

Gardening for the Faint of Heart
Sunday, June 6, 2010
9:00 am – 12:00 pm
Kitsilano, venue confirmed with registration

We will confront the bare bones of garden needs, and begin our list of things to do, and create a do-able map of how to begin our 2010 food garden. If you’re new to gardening, this is a good introductory course.
To register, contact Ross at rmoster@flash.net.

Seed Saving in the City
Sunday, June 6, 2010
1:00 – 3:00 pm
Main Street neighbourhood, venue confirmed with registration

Seed saving is the missing link in food security. In our current climate of seed patenting and ownership, it’s important that our communities retain their knowledge about how to properly save seeds. We’ll talk about the politics and the joy of seed saving, learn basic skills, and discuss the creation of neighbourhood seed saving collectives in Vancouver. Your donation includes a copy of The Five Levels of Seed Saving by Terry Klokeid. (Draft copies of Robin’s new booklet How to Grow a Seed Collective: a community template for seed saving will also be available.)
To register, contact Ross at rmoster@flash.net.

Intensive Urban Microfarming
Sunday, June 6, 2010
3:30pm – 6:30 pm
Sunset neighbourhood, venue confirmed with registration

Getting the most out of a normal urban garden can take imagination. This class assists us to boost production through a deeper understanding of microclimates, and of lateral growing, food cycles, succession planting, “shoulder” cropping and much more.
To register, contact Ross at rmoster@flash.net.

Learn more about upcoming workshops and events at Village Vancouver.

Spring has sprung and planning is in full swing for another great Stone Soup Festival.  This much loved East Vancouver tradition provides an opportunity for the local community to celebrate food together.

This is the Festival’s 15th year of celebrating spring, food, the environment and importance to the health and”‘culture” of our community, and the associated Stone Soup Film Festival‘s 2nd year of showcasing topical films exploring the politics of food.

Saturday, May 8th
Britannia Community Centre, 1661 Napier Street, Vancouver
12:00 pm – 9:30 pm
Film listing, previews and schedule

The Stone Soup Film Festival responds to the enormous interest in food issues these days. Environmental concerns, globalization, economic collapse are alerting us to the fragility of our food system and the urgency of action. Although the realities surrounding our current land and food systems can be disheartening, our films aim to emphasize the positive efforts being made as a way to empower the current generation to take action.

In doing so, the Stone Soup Food Film Festival aims to broaden the community’s awareness and understanding of food issues, its problems and solutions by screening both locally and internationally films on a range of themes including health and nutrition, food economics, agricultural worker rights, sustainable agriculture, and urban gardening.

If you’re interested in learning more about the politics of food, check out this upcoming course…

Eating is a political act. Find out how the food on your plate can affect a farmer half a world away. Through field trips, guest speakers, classroom presentations and discussions, students will explore the entire food system from table top to ground and back again.

This course covers local food issues and movements and the more complex global ones like genetically modified foods and seed monopolies, and examines the charity model and solutions oriented programs like fair trade to see if they really are fair. Students will leave with a basic understanding of the politics of food and 10 things they can do to strengthen the food system in their neighbourhood.

Warning: chocolate and coffee will be consumed!

The Politics of Food
4 Saturdays: Apr 10, 17, 24, May 1
9:00 am – 1:00 pm
Instructor: Spring Gillard
Vancouver Community College, Broadway Campus

To register, call 604-443-8484 and quote: CRN # 20331

Additional part-time courses