Some Websites that are Worth a Look

There is an incredible amount of community action related to enhancing food security in Edmonton, as well as support for reconnecting to the earth and our neighbours. Check out some of the fun and creative ways Edmontonians are realigning their values and lifestyles to more sustainable models:

Traditional Skills Edmonton
Green Edmonton Blog
Operation Fruit Rescue
Just Food Edmonton Blog
City Farm

Make Your Own Beauty Products

On March 18, eighteen women gathered at the Alberta Avenue Community League to make soap, body butter, and a variety of spa products including oatmeal face mask, strawberry salt scrub, hand massage oil, and sugar rub. Hannah Barrington was the workshop facilitator.

Hannah dons her safety glasses and gloves, fully prepared to measure out the lye for our Olive Oil Soap. 

Olive Oil Soap is made of super simple ingredients (olive oil, water and lye), but the process is finicky- lots of careful measurements and temperature management is required. Add to that the corrosive ingredient lye and two hours of intermittent stirring- most participants agreed that they might leave soap making to industry. There were a few that are still committed to trying it.

 Hannah's super nurse skills were put to use on Becky's red, chemical burned skin. TIP OF THE DAY: If skin comes in contact with Lye, find a lemon or vinegar fast!

Glenda and Jen mix it up at our Strawberry Salt Rub station.

Strawberry Salt Rub Recipe:

1. Mash 3 ripe strawberries. 

2. Mix in 1 Cup sea salt and 1 teaspoon oil (of your choosing). 

Makes 1-2 rubs worth. 

Will keep in fridge for up to two weeks. 

Use to exfoliate hands, feet, or entire body, simply rub and rinse (CAUTION: this can make your tub really slippery).

Participants prepare to make body butter.

One of the easiest skin emollient products to create at home is the solid body butter bar. These are available commercially, often in the roll-up containers. You can make one's own in a jar, old lip balm pots and tubes, etc. 

Basic Butter Bar Recipe:

5 Tbsp Beeswax- buy this at the farmers market or a supply store

5 Tbsp Cocoa Butter- we found it really cheap online or get it from Planet Organic for a price.

5 Tbsp Almond Oil- available at most grocery stores

To make this even more cheaply- add equal portions of Shea Butter [buy it at any African beauty shop like those on 118 Ave] and/or Coconut Oil [buy it at most grocery stores]

1. Combine all ingredients together in a small saucepan and heat over medium heat until completely melted. Do not boil! If there are oil vapours, it is too hot.

2. Swirl saucepan to incorporate ingredients thoroughly and remove from heat.

3. Allow the melted mixture to cool slightly before pouring into mould or roll-up application container. Intensely hot liquid will melt or warp plastic containers.

4. Allow to cool completely before application, or removing from mould.

5. If it's too hard, simply reheat and add more oil. If it's too soft, reheat and add more beeswax.

To make lip gloss, add a little more oil in step 1. To colour, you can add some shavings from a nice coloured wax crayon.

For a little scent add 5-12 drops of essential oil after step 2 for desired scent.

The Oatmeal Face mask offered a great opportunity to pause and smell the cucumber. The ladies are soaking their feet in hot water infused with a couple mint tea bags.

Oatmeal Mask Recipe:

1. Grind 4 Tablespoons of oatmeal (coffee grinder will do- the finer the grind, the more likely the oatmeal's healing properties will be absorbed).

2. Mix 2 Tablespoons of honey.

3. Apply mask to face. Relax for ten minutes and rinse off with warm water. 

EDMONTON CSAs to check out

Last month I was visiting rainy Vancouver when, almost by accident, I found myself at an urban homesteader’s dream potluck. There were meals full of stored garden potatoes, leeks and carrots, dishes rich with the flavour of fresh dried herbs, desserts of preserved pear and blackberries. It was a feast held in celebration to mark the end of a 9- week, winter Community Supported Agriculture (CSA).

The food distributed at this CSA had been grown (or found), harvested and preserved by three guys who recognized how much food there was available to glean from their own urban neighbourhood.  They harvested then throughout the fall they canned, dried, froze, bottled.

“At one point, we counted over 2000 preserved items,” said Ryan Weemhoff, one of the organizers.

These items were as diverse as quince jam, apple butter, dried plums, canned pears, wild grape vinegar, blackberry wine. Most of the food that was preserved was harvested from derelect yards, forgotten lots, or along tracks and roadways.  Weemhoff and his partners walked the neighbourhood looking for edible fruit and even grains (they harvested about 200 cups of flax seed from along the Skytrain line). On finding a seemingly neglected fruit tree, they approached the homeowner, if available, for permission to harvest it. Most people were happy not to have the fruit rot in their yards.

But you don’t have to move to Vancouver to find a CSA. There are a number of them in and around Edmonton. Each one is set up slightly different however almost always the intention is:

1. to share the risk and harvest of farming with a broad group of supportive people in order to help small farms become more sustainable

2. to connect people to educational opportunities regarding sustainable, local food sources.

Getting involved in a CSA usually means you:

1.     Buy a ‘share’ at the beginning of the growing season. If the initial price seems too much, partner with a friend or other family.

2.     Receive a weekly allotment of varying produce throughout the growing season. Often you must pick up the food at a central location, though there are some with services that drop off at your door.

3.     Input a small amount of labour throughout the season- the number of hours vary but generally averages 4 hour per month. Some CSAs sell non-working shares, others have work-only shares for a very small number of people.

While CSAs tend to connect urbanites to rural farmers (producing a range of veggies, fruit, and meat products), CSAs aren’t always connected to a rural business. In Vancouver, the 35 members paid a suggested donation of around $440 per share, with some people paying more and others less. This capital then supported two of the organizers who recovered and preserved the food from the alleys, lots and yards.

In Edmonton, there is the urban CSA ‘On Borrowed Ground’. This will be the second season that Anita Gregoire has organized this CSA. She currently grows veggies and fruit in six gardens; five of these would otherwise lay fallow. Some gardens are located close to her home in Duggan, others are in Capilano and Jasper Place. As more members sign up, she borrows and plants more gardens.

“For the first year I have a garden, I usually plant potatoes and beets which break up the soil and don’t need as much compost as other vegetables. In every garden I use responsible methods of crop rotation and companion planning while inter-planting pest-repelling flowers. I never use pesticides- water, garlic and soap is as harsh a chemical as my veggies get.”

Each garden will grow different things, in one garden she has greens and tomatoes, another patch has potatoes. Last year, the raspberries in her alley provided berries for the entire CSA.

The hours of work that the organizers of these CSAs put in is incredible. But when you ask them why they do it, their motivation often comes down to the health of people and the earth, as well as advocacy about sustainability growing or raising local food.

“People don’t realize how easy it is to grow your own food. Joining a CSA and working alongside experienced gardeners or farmers can inspire members to do it on their small plot of urban yard or balcony,” says Gregoire.

Her inspiration is evident in her neighbourhood. Since she’s planted her Duggan front, back yards and alley with fruits and vegetables, her neighbours have followed her example. One woman replaced her front yard grass with pumpkins and squash. Another planted her back alley with raspberries. One man, who spent thousands on grass in his front yard, ripped it out and planted flowers that were easier to maintain. She says, “If we all start [creative ways of growing food], it’s going to catch on!” 

CSAs are an affordable option if you want fresh local produce, if you want to meet other like-minded people, and if you want to learn how to garden. 

They also are a great reality check, inspiring you to exclaim: “Where did this food get so much flavour?” And “So this is what it feels like to slow down and ‘smell the roses’!”

Check out http://www.csaalberta.com/ for On Borrowed Ground and other CSAs in the Edmonton area.

Do you have a neglected south-facing garden you’d like to lend? Contact ‘On Borrowed Ground’ at 780-434-7752.

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Make your own Baby Wipes (disposable)

So if you can't bring yourself to use cloth wipes all the time (I can't!), here's a simple recipe for making your own.

Buy/Find:

1. Tupperware/container that's as high as half a paper towel roll (8 inches is safe) and about 6'*6' (IKEA has them, Rubbermaid- even a large margarine container). You need a good sealing lid!

2. Grapeseed, olive or baby oil (with no fragrance unless baby isn't bothered)

3. Baby shampoo (I use pure castillle or glycerine soap because it doesn't have extra chemicals in it, but use what you got!)

4. Papertowel (don't cheap on this- find the thick stuff. I use Bounty- its still cheaper than pre-made wipes and you won't be frustrated pulling out soddy, disintegrating wipes!)

Recipe:

1. Cut paper towel roll in half to make two rolls that are similar size to toilet paper. Try a serrated knife if other knifes aren't sharp enough.

2. Pull out cardboard centre from one roll (twist it out, its easier)

3. In a 2 cup measuring cup add- 

           - 1 T - 2T - soap (I find my castille soap is too sudsy to add 2 T)

           - 1 T- oil

           - 3-5- optional drops of baby friendly essential oil (tea tree is antibacterial)

4. Fill up rest of measuring cup with water.

5. Pour 1 cup mix into container, place cut roll in container with hole at the bottom (sometimes container is big enough for both rolls, but you need to double liquid mixture!).

6. Pour rest of mix over roll.

7. Pull out wipes from top, centre hole.

8. Clean babe's bum or hands or face... Voila! Clean, chemical-free baby!

Seed Starting Workshop Photos

The February's Seed Starting Workshop ended up at the same time and date as the most watched sports event in Canadian history. But 11 participants managed to make the workshop (which included a few breaks to check the score and celebrate Team Canada's gold medal win).

We planted three varieties of pepper, three varieties of tomato, a couple different basils and an array of annual flowers- zinnias, lobelia, snap dragons, and marigolds.  

Cheryl Walker, Rat Creek Press' Gardening Diva, facilitated the day.

Materials awaiting soil.

Participants carefully plant their seeds.

Thanks to Kerrie Miller for her photos! Thanks Cheryl for all your work purchasing materials and facilitating the afternoon.

Seed Starting Workshop - February 28, 2010

Seed Starting Workshop
February 28, 2010
Alberta Ave Community League
Written and Presented by The Garden Diva (Cheryl Walker)

One of the biggest challenges with growing things in Edmonton – zone 3A is our short growing season. While our days are longer than many other more temperate regions, we still don’t have many of them in a summer. One of the ways around this is to start plants ahead of the gardening season. Starting your seeds indoors is a simple and cost-effective way of increasing your garden size.
The process of germination is not magical, but it does require us to pay attention to what we are doing.
Starting
Growing your own plants from seed takes a few inputs, so let’s consider them in turn:
Seeds – You can procure your seeds from several sources, I’ve included a few in my list of sources below. Additionally, you can procure all manner of seeds from hardware stores, nurseries and greenhouses, even grocery stores. Try to ensure that wherever you buy your seeds, your bulbs or corns from has sufficient turnover, they aren’t pulling out stock from last year and trying to foist it off on you. While you can absolutely store seeds, this has to be done properly to ensure germination occurs.
Have extra seeds left over from year to year? No problem. Store them in a cool, dry place. I use a metal cooky tin in my basement. Keep them away from moisture, humidity, and bright light. Sow a bit more thickly next year. I’ve used the same package of cherry tomato seeds for 3 years.
A growth medium – You can buy a wide variety of growth mediums, from compost based, to peat based to dirt. NEVER use dirt from your garden or your house plants – you must use sterilized dirt. You can sterilize dirt in your oven, on cooky sheets at 350 C for an hour, but I warn you, it is a stench unlike any other. Buy new each year, and use what might be left over to add to the dirt component in your compost.
A container - There are as many options for containers as there are gardeners. I like plastic because I use it from year to year. Some people use 2L milk cartons, egg containers, yogurt cups, peat pots, they hang on to the plant cell 6-packs they get their annuals in, this part doesn’t have to be expensive. Do remember to account for adequate drainage, and sterilize your plastic containers before each use. I do this at the end of the spring when all my plants from that year are in the ground. I take a bucket, add about a half cup of bleach, and scrub out my plant containers. Kills the dandelions and cleans my plant starting stuff. I store it in the garage until spring. If you use peat or coir pots make sure you slash cuts in the sides to help the roots extend past the pots.
Water - For the first few weeks, you won’t water much at all, using the evaporation/condensation cycle in your seed starting trays to keep your plants moist. When the seeds have germinated and are getting close to brushing the top of the plastic dome, you will need to remove the dome. Water as much as possible from the bottom, and never, ever allow them to dry out. Some gardeners use watering mats.
Light - Light is particularly important to seedlings, and a great many of the problems you will encounter have to do with light. In Edmonton, it should come as no particular surprise that we constantly struggle for enough light. If you are fortunate enough to have a window that gets at least 6 hours of bright, direct sunlight a day, and you are only starting a small number of seeds, then this will probably work. If you don’t have enough light (and be pessimistic in your estimates, no point in going to all the work of planting only to have your seeds rot), you will need to use a grow light, as discussed in class.
Heat – Seeds need warmth to germinate – which means that you have a few options. You can look at the plant warming pads from somewhere like Lee Valley, while particularly expensive, they do allow you to start your seeds in a colder place, like a basement. Alternatively, you can simply start your plants in a warmer spot – around 23-25 degrees Celsius.
Maintenance Considerations
Air Circulation: Seedlings need air circulation around them to strengthen stems and to keep mould and mildew at bay. The best way is to point a fan at them.
Thinning: Sooner or later you will need to thin out your seeds. Chose the single, biggest and best looking sprout and gently pluck all of the others out. Ideally, do this when your best specimen is at the cotyledon stage (2 leaves)
Fertilization: In a word – yes, but not for a few weeks – again once you have everything at the cotyledon stage, and then in very small amounts. Quarter the suggested amount, and slowly work up. Fertilize about once a week.
Conditioning to temperature: Most seedlings will be ready to go in your garden around May 7th (the average last frost free date in Edmonton). A few weeks before this, start getting your seedlings used to the outdoors. Place them in the shade at first, in the warmest part of the day. Slowly move them into more direct sunlight and have them stay out longer.
Repotting: Depending on what you grow, you may need to repot. Repot when something appears to be quite root bound. To do this, simply pop the plant, dirt and all out of its old container, and plant into a new one. Do not put a peat pot inside another peat pot.



Sources

Seeds:
Vesseys Seeds Canada : http://www.veseys.com/ca/en/
Richters: http://www.richters.com/ (Herbs, both culinary and medicinal)
Upper Canada Seeds: http://www.uppercanadaseeds.ca/ (Heirloom Seeds)

Equipment:
Apache Seeds: 10136 149 Street Northwest
Lee Valley Woodworking and Gardening - www.leevalley.com or 8403 104 Avenue Northwest
Holes Greenhouses – St. Albert

Helpful books for the winter blues

Starting in January, when I’ve tired of winter and begun to dream about sun lotion, bugs and weeds, I start trolling the web for new garden planning books. Here are some great reads that I’ve found indispensable for garden planning, seed starting, and mental health this 2010 season:

• Lasagna Gardening for Small Spaces by Patricia Lanza- Great ideas for creative, affordable and simple garden planning and planting in containers and small spaces.
• Carrots Love Tomatoes by Louise Riotte- Companion planting can reduce your pesticide use and increase your vegetable yield; this book tells you how to do it with an easy to read index of dozens of edible plants.
• Seed Sowing and Saving by Carole B. Turner- step by step techniques for collection and growing more than 100 vegetables, flowers and herbs
• The Plant Propagator’s Bible by Miranda Smith- A step-by-step guide to propagating every plant in your garden

All are available from the Edmonton Public Library.

Creative Ideas for Small Gardens or Busy Gardeners

Don’t think you have the yard space to grow veggies? Or perhaps you don’t feel like you have the energy. Here are a few creative garden planning ideas to accommodate the smallest yards or balconies and craziest schedules.

1. Where there is soil and sun, there can be veggies. On the south side of my home, I have a strip of garden 1.5 by 30 feet. I’ve planted all kinds of veggies and begun to fill this bed with perennials like grape, kiwi, and oregano. I have dill, coriander and parsley that reseed every year.

I like this bed because a sidewalk contains it. It’s accessible and easy to fill with plants. Also, because it’s set so close to my walkway and water supply, I never forgot (read: too lazy) to water it.   

Assess your space- Do you have a skinny strip of south facing yard against your house? Your fence? Your garage? In your alley? Do you have pots and a balcony? All you need to plant fruit or veggies is sun and a foot wide strip of dirt. To build a fertile bed, either use Lanza’s Lasagna method (see below) or mix lots of organic matter, grass clippings, compost, or leaves into the dirt. Add peat moss if it doesn’t drain well, then plant. Try: vine tomatoes, pole beans, basil, peas, zucchini (though it will overrun a walkway if there is one close), cucumbers, and/or peppers.

2. Convert lawn into veggies with a No - Dig Garden. There are lots of variations of this method, but however you do it, it’ll save you hours of back labour and rototilling. Patricia Lanza’s ‘Lasagna Method’ is a simple option:

o   Lay wet (read: soaking) layers of newspaper on the area you wish to make into a garden. Use entire sections so that the newspaper layer is thick. Overlap the paper so grass/weeds can’t slip through. Then layer:

§  1. Straw or peat moss or compost

§  2. Organic matter like chopped leaves, composted manure, composted kitchen waste

o   Continue to alternate the last two layers until the bed is high enough for the plants you are planting (3 to 12 inches depending on the size of pot or root ball).

o   Plant (don’t cut into the base layer of paper).

I used this method in a particularly weedy part of my yard (its the strip to the left of the sidewalk, in the photo opposite) and thought it miraculous how effectively the newspaper killed the underlying weeds and grass. I scattered seeds over the whole bed but you can plant seedlings or already established plants too. This method can be used in a container, replacing potting soil.

3. Think theme garden.  Lanza has some great ideas for one garden area or large container (read: bathtub size) or multiple pots:

o   Taste of Italy- Plant tomato, basil, garlic, onion, oregano, sweet peppers, zucchini and parsley.

o   Taste of France- Plant peas, beans, baby carrots, rosemary, tarragon, French sorrel and garlic.

o   Taste of Mexico- Plant basil, bell and chili peppers, garlic, onions, oregano, thyme, tomatoes and cilantro.

o   Salad fixings- Plant lettuce, basil, carrots, parsley, chives, spinach or other fave salad fixings in pots. Plant the fixings together in the same pot or plant singles in each pot then set in a sunny spot close to your door.

o   Oregano (or any beloved herb) bed- I’ve a whole bed dedicated to the perennial herb oregano. I love the flavour in my food and there are so many varieties to try!

4. Plant what you eat- Plan to plant only what you’ll actually use. Do you eat lots of onions but never really liked Swiss chard? Then forgot the chard and plant buckets of onions.  Forget the kale and throw in extra bean seeds. You can never eat enough peas? Plant your whole garden in peas, trying some different varieties (and perhaps throw in some parsnips to control the pea aphids). While diversity benefits your garden because of opportunities for crop rotation and companion planting, don’t be paralyzed by the overwhelming number of plant varieties and possibilities. Simplicity is a virtue for the busy gardener or small garden. 

Happy planning and planting!

Remember to RSVP for the ‘Homesteading the Avenue Workshops’- check out http://avenuehomesteader.blogspot.com for more details. This month, learn how to graft fruit trees on March 14 from 2 to 5pm.  

The Basic Bread Recipe

For many years, bread making has been a form of therapy for me. When frustrated, depressed, lonely I'd knead some bread. It always proved cathartic.

As my teen years passed I discovered that my Kitchen Aid mixer also could knead my bread. Now, making bread is more about saving money ($5 for nice bread these days!), controlling the stuff I ingest, and making my house smell mm-mm good. I have other therapy tools- about which I won't go into here!

Bread making requires you to use your senses. Taste, touch, see- even hear! The more you bake and experiment with the following formula, the better your bread will become. I keep a small note book and when experimenting with the Basic Bread Recipe, I make a note of different things I do so that if I like the final result I know what I did right (or alternatively- wrong!)

Making bread. The only ingredients you need to make a nice loaf are:

- flour

- salt

- yeast

- water

Of course there are plenty of variations of the above ingredients. Do I mean soy or wheat or buckwheat flour? Kosher or table salt? Will any leavening agent do? Is that tap water or filtered water?

For our purposes in keeping this basic recipe simple, use:

- All purpose white flour (bleached or unbleached, organic or not, whatever suits you)

- Table salt (substitute kosher salt if you want, but add a little more)

- Quick-rise yeast (I buy it bulk at Save-On foods for very cheap)

- Luke warm tap water (body temperature... but if you're in doubt remember- HOT WATER KILLS YEAST- so err on the side of cool)

 Now you have your ingredients, here's the formula I use (there are many variations of this- check out Artisan Breads in Five Minutes for other possibilities). 

I remember it by: 6 / 2 = 3. Write it like this:

6 C- White Flour

1 T- Instant Yeast

1 t-   Salt

3 C- Luke warm water

1. Mix your dry ingredients together, minus 2- 3 cups of flour.

2. Add water and mix.

3. Add remaining flour (you may use a little less or a little more than what you keep back- USE YOUR SENSES) until a soft dough forms. It shouldn't feel like playdoh. It should feel quite tacky. 

4. Once dough forms, leave it in the bowl for 20 minutes  and cover it, if you want.

5. Next you can do one of two things:

      a. Shape bread, dinner rolls, cinnamon buns, pizza dough etc. Let rise about 40- 60ish minutes then pop it in the warmed (350 degree) oven for 25ish (buns) to 45ish (loaves) minutes. I rarely use bread pans. I usually shape dough into 2 round or oval loaves, score the top with a knife for a fancy artisan look, then bake it on a pizza stone with cornmeal to keep it stick-free.

      b. Let it sit for up to 2 hours on the counter then put it in a container or bag in the fridge. It can stay in the fridge for up to 2 weeks. Simply rip off dough and cook it as you need it! When you take it out, shape the dough into preferred form then let it warm to room temperature before baking (about 20 min). Over time in the fridge the bread's flavours will become more complex (more like sourdough).

After you perfect this recipe, then the fun starts. Get creative. Add different flours, different liquids, add seeds, grains and cereals. Add sugar! Continue to use the 6 / 2= 3 formula but it becomes more like:

6 C- Solids (whole wheat, soy, rye, buckwheat, rice flour, cooked quinoa, cooked brown rice, oatmeal, Red river cereal, poppy seed, flax, millet, sunflower seed)

1 T- Instant Yeast

1 t-  Salt

3 C- Liquids (lemon juice, milk, egg, oil, honey, molasses, soy milk)

OPTIONAL INGREDIENTS

          - sweetener (brown or white sugar, stevia, sucralose)

          - herbs (oregano, thyme, caraway seeds)

When I substitute, I keep some basic rules in mind.

1. Don't substitute more the 1/4 of the solids from basic wheat flour (whole wheat or white)

2. The more whole wheat and seeds you add, you will need to add more gluten. Try out Bob's Vital Wheat Gluten (available at most health food stores or in the organic section at the grocery store) to help your bread rise.

3. The more whole grains, wheat, seeds you add, you will need to add more water. Use your senses, but for every cup of whole wheat, add another 2 Tablespoons of water.

3. Rye, soy and buckwheat flours have no gluten so I usually use white flour with these (white flour has lots of gluten which helps your bread rise).

4. When using a lot of seeds, usually you will add more flour than the 6 Cups of solids.

4. Don't substitute more than 1/4 of the liquids from water or milk. For instance- when you add oil, egg, molasses, honey, make sure these total 3/4 C or less.

Of course you can defy all these basic rules and experiment as you wish. I have had only one loaf, of many many many, that I just couldn't eat. Fresh bread, whether soft and light or heavy and dark, has character and flavour that's always a delight. Never mind the added satisfaction you get from doing it yourself.

Happy experimenting! Let me know what additional tips you learn in the process.

Homesteading the Avenue- Bread Making Action in pictures

Fifteen people gathered at the Alberta Avenue Community League kitchen to make bread. We made white loaves, brown loaves, seed loaves- as well as chowed down on fresh pizza and cinnamon buns. We tried steam baking, quick rises, and cold fermentation. Here are some pictures of a great afternoon:

Some folks used mixers:

While others battled with the dough by hand:

The Beautiful colour of molasses:

Some of the final products cooked in house:

Thanks to our sponsors for making this event so affordable: The Alberta Avenue Initiative, The Rat Creek Press, The Alberta Avenue Community League