BOARD MEMBERS NEEDED: AB Ave. Community League AGM Tonight

The Alberta Avenue Community League does some phenominal things in our community-- they have a great facility, host the farmer's market, coordinate community events like the Penny Carnival and Blooming Garden Show, facilitate affordable fitnesse and family programs like Tai Chi, Yoga, Pre-school gym classes.

Community Leagues are vital for the health of our neighbourhoods and bring a great amount of networking opportunities for volunteers.

If you have a couple nights a MONTH available to donate to a worthy, fun cause- consider putting your name forward at the Alberta Avenue Community League's AGM tonight. Here are the details!

Annual General Meeting


Tuesday, April 19 at 7pm


Lutz Room - 9210 118 Avenue


AGENDA:
-Annual Report
-2011 Budget
-Adoption of new bylaws
-Elections of new board members

And of course snacks, visiting and time for your input.

Alberta Avenue Farmers Market

It may be -14 and snowing- but there is a place you can buy chard, fresh greens and garden carrots today: The Alberta Avenue Farmers' Market. Located in the community league on 93 street and 118 Ave here in Edmonton, it is a relatively new (1.5 years old) year-round market working hard to connect producers with urban customers.

The prices are exceptional, though the selection is still pretty sparse. Today, I bought $3 eggs and grass fed hamburger for $3.50 lb from Ari. I bought a decent ring of garlic elk sausage for $5.50 and ground elk for $4.30 per lb from a producer in New Sereptia. There was fresh peach pie (she uses frozen, not canned peaches!) for $5 and a loaf of banana bread for $3.  From Green Eggs and Ham I bought a bag of carrots for $5- they will have fresh greens all year round, thanks to their greenhouse outside of Leduc.

There's a real need for a thriving year-round market in Edmonton, north of the river. But its more easily said than done: to get committed producers you need committed customers, but for committed customers you need committed producers. A new steering committee has been created to develop a plan for the market's sustainability, and since its in my community, I happily joined. In a neighbourhood where there is a diverse mix of people and growing revitalization, a market like this one can only enhance our networks and the vibrancy on the Avenue.

So, all you Edmontonians who have a grocery budget to spend and ten minutes on a Thursday (from 2- 7pm) to stop in to shop- please spend your dollars at a market that promises a lot more for our community than garden produce and baked goods!

From Local Farms- A Video Project

Folks! Check out Kevin Kossowan's blog for some exceptional photos and tips on eating, drinking and living well. Most interesting is the host of video interviews he's collected with local farmers in a series called "From Local Farms". A kind of "We Eat Together" meets video series. Meet him November 7, 2010 at the upcoming Slow Food Edmonton General Meeting.

Here's a video of the The Sun Dog Folks (Jenny has many connections in the Alberta Avenue area):


From Local Farms - Sundog Organic Farm from Kevin Kossowan on Vimeo.


And for all you chicken farmers that want to go organic and have volume, here's an interview with Ron Hamilton at Sunworks Farms (one of the larger/est local organic chicken operations):


FROM LOCAL FARMS - Sunworks Farm from Kevin Kossowan on Vimeo.

Alberta Tar Sands Take Note! Mushrooms: the Ultimate Recyclers

"6 Ways that Mushrooms can Save the World"- Paul Stamets on the wonder of mycelium.

Drink Beer while Talking about Urban Farming and Local Food

Alberta Views magazine presents a public discussion on local food and urban farming with a panel and Show n' Tell featuring some of Edmonton's most interesting and innovative inner-city farmers. Come share your views (over a couple of brews) on important public issues that affect us all.

Where: The Dish Bistro- 12417 Stony Plain Rd. 

When: Thursday, August 19, 2010 at 7:30 pm

Who: Ron Berezan (The Urban Farmer) Patty Milligan (Lola Canola Honey) and Tracy Hyatt (Westworld)

Cost: $30 (includes 10- issue subscription to Alberta Views, two Alley Kat beers, spirited discussion and door prizes.

* Free to current Alberta Views subscribers. 

Hanging my skivies

Our new dryer was replaced with a second model exactly the same as the first, after four months of me complaining to customer service that the dryer didn’t dry my clothes. I was informed that these new LG dryers were set up to not dry clothes completely- so to save wear and tear on fabric.  Silly me, I could not accept this idea that I hang my clothes to dry AFTER placing them in my $800 dryer.

Turned out that the second dryer was the same as the first. Back to the warehouse it went and the nice folks at LG were going to send us a third dryer, exactly the same as the second, when Mat called and said, “No thanks, we’d like a refund.”

“Sir, a refund can’t be issued until your machine has been logged in our warehouse database.”

Fine. That tiny step has taken over two months. We have been without a dryer for TWO MONTHS! My whole life, I have been an avowed dryer- advocate. Sure I’ve been known to use the clothes line on those picture perfect ‘clothes line days’ when nostalgia gets the better of me, but at the sight of rain or a busy day I non-apologetically use the dryer.

Until two months ago that is. Surprisingly for such a dryer addict, I report here that using my clothesline and indoor drying rack has presented a shocking number of positives:

1. Everything in our closets is folded! It’s much easier to fold items directly off the rack because they have dried partially folded. I’m ashamed to admit that with my dryer I regularly pulled all the items out into one knotted mass in the ‘clean’ hamper. We then proceeded to dress from this tangled mess.

2. Having such a clear visual of every piece of fabric in our home hanging in the back yard, I am more aware of our family’s clothing inventory. Therefore, I buy fewer clothes. Even a $1 skirt at the thrift store isn’t worth the increasing my laundry pile.

3. My clothes, especially my thin cotton shirts, aren’t nearly as worn out. And at press time I have shrunk zero of Mat’s wool sweaters.

4. Lily’s diapers, Madi’s paint shirts, and my whites are stain free thanks to Mr. Sun.

5. Our towels have morphed into beautiful pumice stones! Due to the crisp air-dry our towels receive, my skin has never been better exfoliated.

6. We’re forced, in a good way (as in, I’m not resenting it yet), to be on top of the laundry. In our past days as dryer-owners, we often had washdays on Sundays. Eight loads through the machines, few folded. In this current regime, there is space for three washer loads on the line and rack that means we do the wash every couple days. I’m not nearly as daunted by the laundry as before when faced with piles of textiles from every closet in the house, barfed out at the foot of the basement steps.

7. I’m saving some money. Granted its not really a lot considering the time it takes to hang a load of wash (approximately 5 minutes per day). The clothes dryer is typically the second-largest electricity-using appliance after the refrigerator.  It costs about $85 to operate annually, so I’ve saved $14. Or rather, I’ve paid myself $7 for 2.5 hours of labour per month… 

8. But how can I quantify the spiritual benefits? I’m not a smoker, so there are not many times when I take a break to breath in some fresh air, release some tension in my shoulders, and pause. Hanging the laundry has been just that for me. It has offered me opportunity to pause.

And in those times of pause, I’ve been faced with the fact that my dishcloths are in disgusting shape. The whole lot of them must be purged.

And so, until we buy another dryer and I resort to my old habits, I will continue to hang my clean laundry while wondering if the neighbourhood boys are laughing at my knickers.

On Gentrification in the Urban Centre

I post this here because acts of Urban Homesteading are impacting, and will continue to impact, communities and neighbourhoods in the city. It's an important wrestle for anyone homesteading in areas where revitalization is occurring.

The font screamed from the lamppost, its capital letters in heavy black Sharpie: “GENTRIFICATION IS THE NEW COLONIALISM”.

I liked how this simple, succinct statement of withering contempt made me think. I liked the challenge of it. I marveled at how the use of five words can so swiftly turn a dialogue into a big, bloody battle.

Gentrification is a word that digs back into English history and refers to the gentry or ‘landed people’. It is used today to describe the middle class’s return to the centre of the city to live. It is usually used with a negative connotation.

“What’s so wrong with people who have money, power and education?” You ask.

Besides what’s wrong with most people- occasional bad humour, indigestion, and secret families- the fear is less about them as people and more on their impact on the most vulnerable residents in a neighbourhood. The fear is that the middle class move in and- well- there goes the community. Literally. No one else, but other middle and upper class people can afford to buy or rent the houses that have ‘desirable neighbourhood’ price tags attached.

Of course, gentrification doesn’t happen over night in a neighbourhood with significant crime and social upheaval. Gentrification happens in spurts over time. The amount of time it takes and number of times properties change hands is different in each city and region. And it’s hard to say when gentrification is complete. Is it when everyone has the same income? When everyone has the same values? When bylaws are introduced to forbid clotheslines?

As long as there is free market and free movement of people, the city’s neighbourhood demographics will change. In the 50s, our neighbourhood began to see significant movement of people away from the centre. The suburbs were being built in earnest and they were more attractive, affordable and accessible than ever before. My grandfather grew up in Alberta Avenue (his father owned an appliance store on 95 Street), and in 1948 was part of a new church plant. All of the twelve families that started the church lived in the neighbourhood however by 1970 only one member of the congregation still called Norwood home. This was a significant time of transition for many in the community. People moved for all sorts of reasons, and in their place investors purchased homes that often quickly deteriorated. Locally owned businesses closed or moved to more prime locations, leaving gaping holes in the landscapes of 111 and 118 Ave.  Churches closed or reinvented themselves as commuter churches. Many of the new residents were the working poor or newcomers to Canada and were often caught in cycles of poverty- preyed upon by slum landlords or greasy drug dealers. By 1970, the increased presence of the sex trade in the community further stressed market values and community optimism.

This was the story across North America’s city cores. However, for some time now, the trend is changing. With the onset of ideals of the New Urbanism, the city is no longer viewed through the lenses of rat infested, polluted Industrial Revolution cities (Charles Dickens impacted our neighbourhoods more than we give him credit!). City living has become desirable for its own aesthetic and quality of life. And there are other advantages: shorter commute means more time with family and friends, better access to city cultural events and public transportation.

Here in Alberta Avenue, the gentrification trend was clearly also fuelled by a red-hot real estate market through the early 2000s into 2008. In 2007, the inner city areas in Edmonton were the only areas you could find a single detached home for under $250,000. As the market climbed, many people began to worry that they would never be able to get into the market and so they bought whatever they could. And it often meant living in an area that for years had been maligned by parents or feared by classmates.

My husband and I have lived here since 2004 when we bought our first home for what my family thought was an exorbitant price considering the address ($130,000). We moved here to be close to our work and so that we could live alongside neighbours with diversity of background, culture and class. I love the cheap espresso at the bakeries. I love the easygoing atmosphere of the library. I love our boulevard trees. And depending on the renovation schedule, I either love or hate my home.

In all of my coming and goings, I am keenly aware of my role in revitalization and my fear of contributing to gentrification. I’m not sure where our family fits (and there aren’t any gentrification centres that determine its parameters), but we earn a middle class salary, own a vehicle, and have university degrees so I think I may be a threat. Will planting flowers in my back alley just make the neighbourhood prettier, hence more attractive for a prospective home buyer who turns the rooming house across the alley into a single family dwelling which in turn displaces six people? Perhaps I shouldn’t plant flowers, or paint my fence, or walk my dog, or have a coffee on the porch or… I might just negatively impact the city.

It’s like ‘gentrification’ is some wild, giant boogeyman that might snatch my children or feed on my liver… Or worse still, it will feed on really poor children’s livers.

TV dramas thrive on this stuff:

Scene #1- Young woman runs wildly from the dark alley. She screams: “They’re coming, in a huge Mercedes with house plans the size of a meteor.”

Scene #2- Senior man in a wheel chair wearing a ratty cardigan weeps at his kitchen table while his super rich landlady drums her manicured nails on the counter and barks, “You’ve got until tomorrow to find another place. I’ll take the keys now.”  The camera zooms in on the five year old’s iphone as she watches Hannah Montana.

Satire aside, I don’t want to undermine the injustice that displacement of already vulnerable people can cause. I’ve worked with families facing few options in life and it is a painful place to be. In my opinion, however, the primary challenge in looking at revitalization through the lens of gentrification is that we begin to read situations and meet people from a primarily classist perspective. Surely being aware of one’s privilege is critical in being a more empathetic individual that in turn makes us better neighbours and friends. Certainly being conscious of one’s impact on one’s neighbourhood is critical for building holistic communities. However looking at everything from a class perspective undermines the strengths and options that many in the low-income bracket might have to offer.  People are people are people; we’ve got strengths and weakness that we have to live and work together with.

From my experience, how people use their personal power is more critical an issue when building healthy community than income level and class ever is.

Class, money, power, and education when used for personal gain will create individualistic and distant neighbourhoods. If used for good, however, these things can create profoundly sustainable, connected and diverse communities.

So, instead of fear mongering and class-dissing, let’s starting talking to people about what their dreams for this neighbourhood and their families are. In the course of our community and city’s history, this is a unique time. The local economy is growing, there are grassroots initiatives beginning, my grandfather’s church has new community residents joining the congregation. The neighbourhood is experiencing an upswing.

Just how far upscale should we justly let it go? 

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.

.

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

Homesteading the Avenue Workshops 2010

The following workshops are designed to share information and techniques that for many have been long forgotten.  

Workshops are offered free or for a nominal fee (to cover materials) thanks to our sponsors Avenue Initiative Revitalization, Rat Creek Press and Alberta Avenue Community League.

All the workshop facilitators share their knowledge free of charge, however participants are welcome to ‘share’ back with a donation of cash or (in the spirit of homesteading) gifts-in-kind.

Child care can be provided on request.

Register with Carissa by email: halton7@telus.net or by phone (780) 439-7934.

Sunday, January 24, 2010 from 2-5 pm-  Bread Making

Few things make a home feel as comfortable as the smell of bread baking. In this workshop, Rat Creek Press’ An Avenue Homesteader, Carissa Halton, will share the techniques and formulas she uses to make bread that is nutritious, affordable. Participants get to experiment and will go home with two of their own ‘home-baked’ loaves.

Facilitator: An Avenue Homesteader, Carissa Halton           

Cost: $5

Location: Alberta Avenue Community League (9210 -118 Ave)

Number of Participants: 10

Sunday, February 28 , 2010 from 2-5 pm- Seed Starting

Save money and start a few vegetables and annuals at home! At this workshop, you will plant tomatoes, basil, sweet peppers and snapdragons. The Rat Creek Press’ Gardening Diva, Cheryl Walker, will share with you the techniques and equipment she uses to start dozens of garden plants in her dining room.  This hands-on seminar is sure to make the last months of winter feel warmer.

DON’T HAVE A GARDEN? Join us for this session, as well as May’s ‘Building a Square Foot Garden’ session.

LIVE IN AN APARTMENT? All these plants are great for growing even on small apartment decks.

Facilitator: The Gardening Diva- Cheryl Walker

Cost: $10

Location: Alberta Avenue Community League (9210 -118 Ave)

Number of Participants: 15

Sunday, March 14, 2010- Grafting Fruit Trees

Henry Stainthorp has multiple varieties of apples in his Spruce Avenue yard thanks to his skill in grafting. Grafting introduces great fruit production possibilities to your garden. Henry will share from his experience and inspire you with a tour of his garden. In this session, participants will get hands on practice grafting.

Facilitator: Henry Stainthorp

Cost: $5

Location: Meet at Alberta Avenue Community League (9210 -118 Ave)

Number of Participants: 15

Sunday, April 18, 2010 from 2- 5pm- Homemade Beauty Care Products

Visit the Skin Deep Website  (www.cosmeticsdatabase.com/index.php) and you soon realize how many of our beauty care products contain untested and non-FDA approved additives. Save money (and possibly your skin!) by making these products at home. Local neighbour, RN and mom, Hannah Barrington, will share her knowledge about the basic techniques and ingredients involved in creating beauty products on your kitchen stove. Participants will make two product samples.

Facilitator: Hannah Barrington

Cost: $10

Location: Alberta Avenue Community League (9210 -118 Ave)

Number of Participants: 10

Sunday, May 2, 2010- Square Foot Gardening Technique

Garden on your deck, cement pad, grass or weeds- even garden on a table- by trying the Square Foot Gardening method! Participants will learn how to make and plant a square foot garden by building and planting boxes for the Alberta Avenue Community League. Printed resource materials will be provided so participants can remember how to repeat the magic at home.

Facilitator: Carissa and Matthew Halton

Cost: Free

Location: Alberta Avenue Community League (9210 -118 Ave)

Number of Participants: 20

Sunday, June 13, 2010- Homemade Cleaning Products

 Cleaning products account for a significant percentage of household toxins. Freshen up your house! Learn how to make cleaning products that are safe for your family and yet are effective germ and grime busters. Participants will go home with two different products.

Facilitator: An Avenue Homesteader, Carissa Halton,

Cost: $5

Location: Alberta Avenue Community League (9210 -118 Ave)

Number of Participants: 15

Homesteaders up to our elbows in apples and potatoes

This fall a number of homesteaders from Alberta Avenue area have convened cheerfully in the Community League kitchen.

In October, six of us joined forces to process pounds and pounds of apples (picked from a couple very large trees!). At the end of a long day we had:
- 240 cups of frozen apple slices
- 30 litres of applesauce
- 15 jars of crab apple jelly
- 7 pints of crab apple syrup
- dehydrated apple slices for snack

Then in November, 14 people squeezed into the kitchen again. This time to produce a 1000 perogies. Neighbour Alice walked us through a recipe her Ukrainian neighbour had shared with her. Four delectable varieties were made: Cheddar cheese, cottage cheese, onion, and blueberry (this last one was a surprisingly delicious addition!). Pictures yet to come...

Thanks to the City of Edmonton Matching Grant, our neighbourhood now has a Dehydrator and Food Processor to share. If you want to mash apples/tomatoes/potatoes or dehydrate them (or jerky/seeds/flowers/etc), email me and we'll arrange a way for you to borrow these.

If you want to be informed of other Homesteader Group activities, email me and I'll make sure to add you to our group's contact list.