Sustenance: Feasting on Art and Culture Festival

The Roundhouse, Get Local (a partnered project of FarmFolk/CityFolk and the Vancouver Farmers Market) and the BC Farmers Market Nutrition and Coupon Project are proud to present "Sustenance: Feasting on Art & Culture". A first time, unique celebration, the Sustenance Festival starts on Thursday, October 1 and culminates on World Food Day: October 16th. "Sustenance" endeavours to connect the communities of art, culture, and food security. From global to local, from historic to present day, the art and culture of food will be something everyone can feast on. For more information, check out the Roundhouse's website.

Spinach Soup

INGREDIENTS

4 quarts water
1 medium carrot
8 large potatoes
1 stalk celery
1 small parsnip
2 bunches fresh spinach
1 large green pepper
2 large yellow onion
1 bunch parsley
dill and salt and pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS

Bring water to a boil in a large pot. Add thinly sliced carrots and cubed potatoes, as well as thinly sliced celery, and parsnip (remove before serving). Cook until tender. In skillet, sauté pepper and onion in a small amount of olive oil until edges begin to brown. Add to soup. Add coarsely chopped spinach and parsley (chopped finely). Turn off heat. Allow to stand about 10 more minutes then add dill, and salt and pepper to taste. Garnish with a dab of sour cream.

Serves 8-10

Workshops with Robin Wheeler

Village Vancouver and Fork in the Road are pleased to offer seven get togethers with Robin Wheeler on a variety of topics related to gardening, urban agriculture, community and sustainability.

Robin is the founder of The Sustainable Living Arts School, and the author of "Gardening for the Faint of Heart" and "Food Security for the Faint of Heart". She lives on the Sunshine Coast, and brings a vast wealth of knowledge and experience with her to each workshop.

Robin's workshops are always a real treat. You can expect your knowledge to expand and your soul to be delighted... and sometimes for your hands to get dirty.

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Tuesday, September 29th

Concepts in Year Round Gardening 9:45-11:45 AM
Grandview Woodland (near Nanaimo and 1st)

The Whys and Wherefores of food cycles - why we want them, how to get them. We will plan round-the-calendar food supplies, both in the larder and stored in the garden.

Introduction to Medicine Making 1:30-4:30 PM
Main St./Little Mountain (near Cambie and King Ed)

There are so many plants that are safe, easy to recognize and locate, and effective. We will learn some recognition techniques, and then how to make teas, poultices, tinctures and infused oils. We'll learn about solvents, supplies and storage.

Apartment and Container Gardening 6:30-8:00 PM
Potluck @ 5:30 for folks who would like to share a meal together
Downtown (near Davie and Seymour)

How to get more food from your balcony or patio. Space and weight are big problems for apartment dwellers. We will decide how to choose plants, discuss containers, soils, feeding and watering, succession planting and more in this workshop for small spaces.

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Wednesday, September 30th

Seed Saving Primer 9:00-10:30 AM
Kits Point Village (near Cornwall and Arbutus)
co-sponsored by Kits Point neighbourhood Village

Seed saving is the missing link in food security. In our current political climate of seed patenting and ownership, it is increasingly important that a critical mass of a population have a good understanding of seed saving techniques. This will make it possible to create networks for seed abundance and resilience in many communities. This workshop will provide a deeper understanding of seed saving basics as well as provide time to discuss the implications of forming our relationships soon and well. Your donation includes a copy of The Five Levels of Seed Saving by Terry Klokeid.

Shapes in Sharing 10:45-11:45 AM
Kits Point Village (near Cornwall and Arbutus)
co-sponsored by Kits Point Neighbourhood Village

Ideas for sharing land, food, space and time with a workshop component. We'll do a study of our own assets and shortfalls and figure out how to equalize these on both a large and small scale.

Intensive Urban Microfarming 1:30-4:30 PM
Potluck @12:30 for folks who would like to share a meal together
Cedar Cottage (near Victoria Dr., south of Trout Lake/John Hendry Park)

For folks who are ready to refine and to deepen their knowledge of urban microfarming, Robin invites you to participate in a 3 hour gathering that will examine as many of the following topics as time allows:
- Increasing backyard food production
- Succession planting
- Shade growing
- Extending the growing season through your choice of plants, Water Wisdom, Plant Calendar Mapping and Microclimating.

Apartment and Container Gardening 7:00-8:30 PM
Potluck @ 6 for folks who would like to share a meal together
Lower Lonsdale, North Vancouver (near Lonsdale & 1st & Lonsdale Quay)

How to get more food from your balcony or patio. Space and weight are big problems for apartment dwellers. We will decide how to choose plants, discuss containers soils, feeding and watering, succession planting and more, in this workshop for small spaces.

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All workshops are offered on a pay what you can basis. A one hour workshop usually costs around $10 to $15; a 1 1/2 hour workshop around $15 to $20; a two hour workshop around $25 to $30, a 2 1/2 hour workshop around $30 to $35. and a three hour workshop around $40. Our contributions to these workshops make it possible for teachers like Robin to expand and to deepen the scope of the important educational and social change work that they are involved in, particularly in these uncertain times.

Enrollment is limited to 20 people for each workshop. (15 for Apartment workshops.)

To register (or to find out more about hosting a future workshop), please contact Ross at rmoster@flash.net.

There is also a Sustainable Living Arts School in Vancouver.

Gold Borscht

INGREDIENTS

1 Tbsp unsalted butter
1 medium onion, diced
4 large gold beets
4 cups vegetable broth
1 cup whipping cream
3 Tbsp white wine vinegar
1 tsp tumeric

DIRECTIONS

Saute onions in butter for approximately four minutes. Add broth, gold beets, and cream. Simmer for approximately 30 minutes. Add vinegar and tumeric. Pour in blender and puree until smooth.

Optional toppings: sour cream or yogurt, pumpernickel croutons, fresh dill.

Borscht

INGREDIENTS

1 Tbsp butter
1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1/2 medium onion, chopped fine
2 stalks celery, diced small
1 cups shredded green cabbage
3 carrots, peeled and chopped small
3 large beets, peeled and shredded or diced medium
Other vegetables (such as potatoes, beans, corn, turnip, parsnip) if desired, diced
1/4 cup tomato paste
6 cups vegetable broth
2 bay leaves, whole
Sea salt and black pepper to taste
Sour cream

DIRECTIONS

Heat the butter and oil in a large pan over medium heat. Add onions and celery, and cook for 5 minutes until tender.

Add the cabbage, carrots, beets, other vegetables if using, tomato paste, vegetable broth, and bay leaves. Cover pot and cook on very low heat for between 60-90 minutes or until vegetables are tender.

Remove bay leaves. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Ladle hot borscht into bowls and top with a heaping spoon of sour cream. Serve with crusty bread.

Serves 8.

Spiced Plum Soup

This soup is excellent piping hot or chilled. Serves 6 to 8 people as appetizers.

INGREDIENTS

2 lbs ripe dark plums, washed, cut in half, and pitted
1 6-inch thin strip of orange zest
1 1/2 cups orange juice
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp cardamom
1/8 tsp ground cloves
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup plain yogurt
2 tsp balsamic vinegar

Garnish: Spoonsful of yogurt swirled in each serving

DIRECTIONS

Mix the plums, orange zest, orange juice, cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, and honey in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat, cover, and simmer for about 30 minutes, until the fruit is very soft.

Puree the entire contents in a blender, skins and all. Stir in the yogurt. If you plan to serve it cold, chill in the refrigerator for several hours.

When ready to serve, add more orange juice, if you like, to achieve your preferred consistency. Stir in the balsamic vinegar, then ladle into small bowls. Swirl a spoonful of yogurt into each portion as a garnish.

About Plums

It's plum season in British Columbia!

Wild plums are native to North America. They are relatives of the peach, nectarine, and almond. Depending on the variety, they range in flavour from sugary-sweet to tangy and almost sour-tasting. They come in many shapes and colours too. They are smooth-skinned and are usually rounded, although they can also be oval or heart-shaped. Some, such as prune plums, have dark blue skin with yellow flesh. Others have red, golden, or black skins with red or yellow flesh. All plums contain a large flat seed.

Varieties

Yellow Plums: Round, yellow-skinned, yellow-fleshed plums arrive early and include varieties such as Early Golden and Shiro. Their tart-sweet flavour makes them wonderful for conserves and jams.

Red Plums: Best for eating out-of-hand, red plums ripen in late summer (mid- to late-August), with varieties such as Burbank, Ozark Premier and Vanier.

Italian Plums: Their deep flavours and firm flesh make purple, oval plums best suited for cooking. Varieties include Stanley and Italian.

Blue Plums: Due to the array of early- and late-blooming varieties, blue plum season is the longest (September to late October). Varieties include Brufre, Victory and Voyageur.

Pluots: These fabulous hybrids are easily identifiable by their speckled skins and curious names, such as Elephant Heart and Dinosaur Eggs. A cross between plums and apricots, pluots make delicious out-of-hand snacks and are great for crumb cakes and pies. Also look for Plumcots and Apriums.

Nutrition

One plum contains 36 calories, and is a good source of vitamins A and C, potassium, and fibre. Plums are rich in antioxidants that are said to reduce the risk of cancer. Plums and prunes are known for their laxative effect. And though plums provide fibre, it is isatin - a natural laxative in plums - that gives prune juice its claim to fame as a laxative.

Buying and Storing

Look for plums that are plump with lots of colour. Choose fruit that yields to gentle pressure and is slightly soft at the tip. Avoid fruit with tears or shriveled skin, or soft, mushy spots.

If plums are not ripe when you buy them, leave them out at room temperature to ripen. Once they are ripe, store plums in the refrigerator.

Preparation

Wash plums just before using. Fresh plums are best eaten at room temperature for maximum flavour. They can also be baked or poached. Cooked plums are usually eaten with the skins on, but if you wish to peel them, first blanch them in boiling water for about 30 seconds and then submerse them in ice water to loosen the skins.

Plums can be enjoyed raw, whole or cut up in salads, on cereal, pancakes, and waffles and as a main-course garnish. Try plums as a perfect substitute in your favourite summertime berry recipes. Prune plums are especially well-suited to baked cobblers and crisps, pies, shortcakes, coffee cakes; in preserves and meat and game sauces; and as flavouring for ice cream. They also make a good base for a chilled summer soup.

Roasted Beet and Fennel Salad

INGREDIENTS

2 large beets
1 lb fresh fennel
1 tsp extra virgin olive oil
1/4 tsp sea salt
Black pepper to taste
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1 oz feta

DIRECTIONS

Preheat the oven to 375.

Cut the stem and tip ends off of the beets. Scrub well and wrap in aluminum foil.

Place in the oven and roast for 45 minutes. Remove and let cool. (This may be done in advance and the beets place in the refrigerator overnight.)

Remove the leafy ends from the fennel and any stalk that appear too tough. Slice very thinly.

Place the olive oil in a small skillet over medium heat. Add the sliced fennel and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 15 minutes. Remove and let cool.

Remove the beets from the aluminum foil. The skins will slip off easily after roasting. After they are skinned, cut into 1/2 inch cubes.

Mix together the beets, sautéed fennel, salt, black pepper, ground cumin, and crumbled feta. Chill well.

Carrot and Fennel Soup

INGREDIENTS

1 tsp extra virgin olive oil
3 carrots, shredded
1 fennel bulb, trimmed and diced
1/2 tsp ground coriander
1/4 tsp fennel seeds
1/3 cup whipping cream

DIRECTIONS

Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Stir in the carrots and fennel, and season with coriander and fennel seeds. Cook until lightly browned.

Mix in the whipping cream, and reduce heat to low. Simmer about 5 minutes until the cream has been absorbed into the carrots and fennel. Serve hot.

More Than Just a Garnish

Parsley is the world's most popular herb. It derives its name from the Greek word meaning "rock celery" (parsley is related to celery).

Parsley contains three times as much vitamin C as oranges, twice as much iron as spinach, is rich in vitamin A and contains folate, potassium, and calcium. Like most green vegetables, parsley is a good source of vitamin K, folic acid, and fiber.

Today, parsley is one of the most commonly consumed herbs in America. A fresh sprig of the curled parsley is often used as a garnish, while the Italian parsley is used to flavour sauces, soups, and stews.

Parsley can be minced and added to salads and coleslaws, dips, sauces, and salad dressings. It is a particularly lovely addition to tomato dishes, baked potatoes, potato salads, and peas. The stalks, which have a stronger flavour than the leaves, add flavour to casseroles and cooked dishes. To prevent a white sauce from being discoloured, stems are used instead of leaves.

Finally, for a natural breath freshener, try a sprig of parsley!

Quinoa Tabouli

INGREDIENTS

3 cups cooked quinoa (1 cup uncooked - follow package cooking instructions)
1 tomatoes, seeded and diced
3 cups chopped fresh parsley
4 green onions, chopped with the tops
1/3 cup lemon juice
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 clove garlic, crushed
Sea salt and black pepper, to taste

DIRECTIONS

Gently toss quinoa, tomato, parsley, and green onions with a fork. Mix lemon juice, olive oil, and garlic in a separate bowl. Pour over quinoa mixture, and re-toss with a fork. Season with salt & pepper to taste. Chill to meld the flavours, then serve cold or at room temperature.

Zucchini-Cilantro Dip

INGREDIENTS

2 medium zucchini, trimmed, grated
1/2 tsp sea salt
1 cup plain yogurt
3/4 cup sour cream
2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 Tbsp white wine vinegar
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
2 large garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp ground cumin
Generous pinch of cayenne pepper
Sea salt and pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS

Place grated zucchini in colander and sprinkle with salt. Let drain 30 minutes. Rinse zucchini. Drain well. Using kitchen towel, squeeze as much water from zucchini as possible.

Whisk yogurt, sour cream, olive oil and vinegar in medium bowl until well blended. Mix in zucchini, cilantro, garlic, cumin, and cayenne pepper. Season mixture to taste with salt and pepper. Cover dip and refrigerate at least 2 hours, and up to overnight, to blend flavours.

Serve with veggie sticks and/or pita bread triangles.

Makes about 2 1/2 cups.

Large-scale Farming Reshaping the Planet

Metro Vancouver: Thursday, September 3rd 2009

Humans are causing erosion comparable to the world's largest rivers and glaciers, according to a new University of B.C. study.

Researchers found that large-scale farming projects are reshaping the planet. They also found that — contrary to previous scholarship — rivers are as powerful as glaciers at eroding landscapes.

"Our initial goal was to investigate the scientific claim that rivers are less erosive than glaciers," said Michele Koppes, a geography professor at UBC.

"But while exploring that, we found that many of the areas currently experiencing the highest rates of erosion are being caused by climate change and human activity such as modern agriculture."

In some cases, the researchers found large-scale farming eroded lowland agricultural fields at rates comparable to glaciers and rivers in the most tectonically active mountain belts.

The study was published online in the journal Nature Geosciences.

Source

Healthy Pizza to Improve the World

Give children access to education while enjoying delicious whole wheat organic pizza crust. The 12-inch crusts are made with the highest quality ingredients. They freeze well and are perfect to have on hand to create your own pizza masterpiece. $1.50 from each pizza crust sold in September will go to Compassionate Eye Foundation and its Scholarship Program that gives youth in Guatemala the opportunity to continue their education.

Initiated in 2006, the Scholarship Program provides an annual opportunity for elementary school students from the village of Tuixoquel to continue their education after Grade 6. Students benefiting from this program improve their career prospects and have a chance to give back to their community in the future.

Based in Vancouver, Compassionate Eye Foundation supports, honours, and empowers those in developing nations in order to expand educational opportunities, basic health services, and tools for economic development.

Pre-order your pizza crust with your regular order on or before September 18th, and the pizza crust will be added to your bin the week of September 28th to October 2nd, or October 5th through 9th if you do not have a delivery scheduled the first week. Alternatively, call or email us (604-708-2345 or info@greenearthorganics.com) to pre-order before September 18th.

To find more about Compassionate Eye Foundation or Spoonfuls Edible Fundraising, visit their websites.

To place your pre-order, call or email us before September 18th.