Searching for Seeds in Mid-January
Are seed shortages a concern again in 2021? Maybe I should sort my inventory and place my vegetable garden order early this year. So here I am searching for seeds in mid-January.
From Horse Chestnuts to Laundry Soap
Decades ago, the older kids on our block would risk the wrath of Mr. Sam by darting into his yard to snatch the horse chestnuts abundantly littering his lawn. We never got in trouble, never even saw him in fact, but danger added to the conviction that our growing...
October and Thoughts on Seasonal Eating
The writer in me gratefully welcomes October. During the primary food growing season, my time is so full that I can hardly find any energy to spare. In my head I’m exploring themes and composing paragraphs, but getting any of it down on paper seems just too...
Crafting Face Masks
For the past two weeks, my time has been occupied with crafting face masks. During the lock-down, we didn’t seem to need them, but now that our province is beginning to open up, more outings require non-surgical face masks. They became top priority when we...
Hemp Heart Milk
Sometimes a brilliantly simple solution presents itself for a problem you didn’t realize you had. We are a mostly dairy-free household and I never buy cow’s milk, except to combat mildew on the squash vines in August (but that’s a different story). I...
Apple Turnover Microfarm
A new phrase for me – regenerative farming. At the end of July, we participated in the Eco Living and Home Tour on Salt Spring Island, and I met a kindred spirit. Apple Turnover is the clever name for a one-and-a-half-acre homestead being regenerated by Elisa Rajthe...
Welcome Purslane
This time of year, if I had to depend only on what I plant, I would carry home much less food from my garden. The promise of abundance is there, but very little is ready to eat just yet. Thankfully, the wild edibles that volunteer in my plot and its periphery are...
Eating Nettles
In the spring just as the tree buds are becoming leaves, it’s time to start looking for nettles to harvest. If you find a patch, it will likely be abundant. Nettles, Urtica dioica, are wonderfully good for you, high in nutrients and with many health benefits. (I...
First Bites of Spring
After an unnatural cold snap that would not go away, my first visit to the community garden last week was pretty bleak. Even my kale leaves had been destroyed by day after day of below freezing temperatures. It’s not what we’re used to here in the Pacific...
Garden Relish
I’ve been planning to make relish for several weeks now, but my time was eaten up by many other demands. Now, cucumber and zucchini production has slowed and I don’t have enough of either to do a batch of relish. Never mind, I’ll try combining them....