Picking
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As We Fish and Farm

I came to Newfoundland for the first time just over four years ago. I can still vividly recall taking the ferry across from Nova Scotia in the late winter, listening to the groaning sounds of the ice around the boat. Within two months of arriving I made my first trip to Bonne Bay, a remote fjord on the west coast of the island. I went to learn about the food system and fisheries in the region as part of a PhD program I was beginning at Memorial University that fall.

As We Fish and Farm
Picking, Planting, Preparing
Andreae C
My front yard grocery store
My front yard grocery store
Events, Picking, Planting
Costa Kasimos
Bits and Pieces: Along the Shore

Spectacular vistas, whales breaching, ice bergs floating by, and a foragers paradise. We are blessed with many wilderness areas that offer abundant edible plants. I rarely go on a hike without stopping to have a little taste of this or that. In this post, I will touch upon some of the edibles currently available in our wonderful wilderness.

Bits and Pieces: Along the Shore
Planting
Matthew Middleton
Growing In A Potato Box

Thanks to the listing from Seeds of Diversity, I was able to locate a gentleman in Newfoundland who has a great deal of experience growing a wide variety of potatoes here. Last week, I recieved by my set of samples from George, and here's what my benefactor told me about the varieties:

Red Dutch: A very dry, yellow flesh red from Holland in the 1940’s. An excellent potato. Late maturing.

Northern White: A white flesh variety, from Quebec apparently, from the early 1900’s. Very high yield. Good taste.

Growing In A Potato Box
Planting
Rick Kelly
Harvest Times

EEk! Sorry everyone - I missed September entirely. Oh well, at least I have a lot to say about the garden.

As you may remember, I've been growing my first real attempt at a garden this year, with a 12x4 foot raised bed. Last time I wrote I was complaining about the water ban, but that's certainly not a problem anymore! I've harvested just about everything now (a little less then I was hoping). What remains is to pick the carrots, beets, and turnip, and to prepare the garden for the winter.

Harvest Times
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Best Food Forward: Plan Shop Cook Enjoy!

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Nutrition Month banner

Nutrition Month 2013

March is Nutrition Month! Healthy eating begins at the grocery store, as this is where we purchase most of our food. Yet this is also where we are bombarded with thousands of choices. This year’s Nutrition Month Campaign – Best Food Forward: Plan Shop Cook Enjoy! – is dedicated to serving up practical advice on navigating the grocery store from Registered Dietitians, the food and nutrition experts.

Nutrition Month is an annual campaign of the Dietitians of Canada.

Dietitians across the province are organizing over 25 events, including grocery store tours, classroom activities, cooking classes, and film screenings. For the complete Nutrition Month Activity Map visit: http://www.dietitians.ca/Your-Health/Nutrition-Month/ActivityMap.aspx

 

Free FSN Teleconference: Nutrition Month 2013: Best Food Forward: Plan, Shop, Cook, Enjoy! (Rescheduled)

When: Monday, March 25 Time: 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm (Newfoundland Standard Time)

Join us for a teleconference that will bring together dietitians and the Food Security Network NL in providing advice on how to shop for nutritious food at the grocery store, the farm, and the garden. Plan for healthy meals while incorporating local food into your diet.

Who will benefit from this teleconference?

  • This teleconference will be a great resource for organizers of community kitchens, buying clubs, and family nutrition programs. Pass on the knowledge to your program participants.
  • Parents looking to make meal planning healthier and incorporate local food into their diets.
  • Anyone looking to become more informed on how to shop for healthy food, and how to shop locally

Presenters:

  • Vanessa Young, Regional Nutritionist, Central Health
  • Lisa Dooley, Clinical Dietitian, Eastern Health
  • Rick Kelly, Food Security Network NL

The presentation will be followed by an opportunity for questions and discussion.

REGISTER NOW, by contacting Rick Kelly at richardkelly@foodsecuritynews.com or by calling (709) 237-4026.

About FSN teleconferences: Participants call in to a free 1-800 number which connects them to the presenter and all the other participants. Before the teleconference FSN distributes, via email, the call-in instructions as well as a PDF presentation to follow along with on your own computer.

 

Screen Nourish in Your Community

nourish-logoFSN is partnering with Dietitians in Newfoundland to support community screenings of the short documentary Nourish across the province throughout the month of March.

Showing this film in your community is a great way to bring together a group of people working on a common food initiative to plan for the coming year, or to spark discussion among the general public about improving access to healthy, local food in your community. Consider hosting a screening along with a healthy potluck, at an already planned meeting or event, or with a group of people interested in food issues in your community.

About Nourish: With beautiful visuals and inspiring stories, the Nourish film traces our relationship to food from a global perspective to personal action steps. Nourish illustrates how food connects to such issues as biodiversity, climate change, public health, and social justice. (Trailer: www.nourishlife.org/2011/03/nourish-trailer)

FSN has several copies of the film and will distribute it to community partners at no cost. Contact Rick Kelly at richardkelly@foodsecuritynews.com or (709) 237-4026 to host a screening during or after Nutrition Month.

Grow a Farmer (It could be you!)

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We're sharing this press release below from ACORN to spread the word about farm apprenticeships starting up soon! It may be freezing drizzling outside (aaaargh) but farmers are planning for the warmer months ahead, and need workers. If learning on a farm has always been a dream of yours, then this could be your growing season. Check out our past post What are your plans for the growing season? for links to other farm internship programs and interviews with people who have worked on farms and have lots of tips for greenhorns.

Deadline Extended for Farm School: March 15th

Applications are available on the program website: www.growafarmer.ca/apprenticeship/

indexEver wondered what ‘farm-school’ would be like? The deadline to apply to the Atlantic Canadian Organic Regional Network’s (ACORN) first organic farmer-training program–the Grow A Farmer Apprenticeship Program– is March 15th! Apply now to secure your farm-placement for the season, beginning in early April 2013.

The Apprenticeship Program is catered to farming-enthusiasts who are keen to participate in an intensive, 7-month program guided by a curriculum communicating the core components of organic agriculture and activities that foster community growth among new and long-standing growers in the region. The program curriculum covers a wide range of topics, including both production techniques for vegetable growing and soil fertility, to broader topics covering the more ideological origins of organic farming and the next steps to take forward as ‘growing farmers.’

For those unable to commit to the full season, summer-term placements are also available from May-August.

“As we see increasing concern about the social and environmental effects of the industrial food system, it seems more people are expressing interest in organic (chemical-free!) farming, or simply, how to grow food for themselves,” says Shannon Jones of Broadfork Farm, NS, one of the ten host-farms participating in the program. “These people are reaching out to long-standing farmers to seek the best type of training they can receive: actual farm experience! This is where the next generation of farmers is coming from–a grassroots movement to apprentice with the people that are doing it, literally from the ground up.”

Considered as a ‘next level’ to more traditional and informal farm-stays, in addition to the curriculum, apprentices will participate in a series of monthly webinars, farm tours, and workshops that will link them to fellow apprentices and new farmers, and the broader group of long-standing organic growers in the region–making ties to potential partnership, land access and future collaborations. Other benefits include free access to major ACORN events, including the annual 3-day organic farming Conference and Trade Show, and the Beginner Farmer Symposium.

The program has been developed in collaboration with a dynamic network of ACORN staff, Maritime organic farmers, government advisors, and resource specialists to create an exciting new initiative that will offer comprehensive education and on-farm training for those keen to participate in the future generation of organic agriculture.

Scholarships are still available to applicants with limited means. ACORN strongly encourages interested participants to apply by March 15th, to secure their placement for the full season! Applications are available on the program website: www.growafarmer.ca/apprenticeship/

About ACORN: Since 2000, ACORN has been the key organization for information on organic agriculture, eating organics, and connecting all the parts together in order to advance the local organic sector in Atlantic Canada.

For inquiries, please contact: Lucia Stephen, Program Coordinator, 506-536-2867 or 1-888-322-2676, lucia@acornorganic.org

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Cauliflower Pizza Crust (is the new black)

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Cauliflower Pizza Crust (is the new black)

Outside the wind is howling and the snow is blowing with promises of (yet another) 10 cm of snow, if not more. This is the part of winter when I start to really look forward to Spring. Seed catalogues arrive, thoughts turn to garden planning and due to the winter weather the supply of fresh vegetables at the stores can be hit and miss. Getting enough veggies takes some creativity and giving previously overlooked vegetables more of a chance in our kitchens.

Local seeds need saving!

Local seeds need saving!

Like a lot of skills related to local food, seed saving is an old idea that's deservedly getting lots of new attention. Saving seeds from your home or community garden makes sense for a lot of reasons and we want to convince you to give it a try. People are starting to get excited, daydreaming about the growing season and perusing seed catalogues, and we recommend that you read up a bit on seed saving and then factor that into your garden plans and seed purchases this year.