Red Cedar
More apocalypse, less angst
Ain't this exciting?
Food For All! Workshop Series! Hastings Sunrise!
Please check out the above page and then send an email if you want to register for any of the workshops! Coming together!
Already?
It seems ridiculous to say, but the cooler weather of early September has taken me by surprise. Last night I was perusing my garden, doing the daily just-ripe tomato pick, and noticing the new chill in the air that has just settled in this week. In the middle of summer when everything is just bursting to grow new life, it seems impossible that it should all come to and end. But here it is, almost true autumn, and I’m pretty sure I’ve picked my last cucumbers off the vine. Almost time to start the clean-up as I put my last winter veggies in – collards and january cabbage that I picked up Saturday at a plant sale in Richmond (we were out there for a wedding, so I stopped by to see what was on offer for fall planting).
I ordered a little more garlic yesterday – and am thinking of a run over to Gardenworks to see what’s on special as people turn away from gardening and into their homes. We’re going to plant our boulevard this fall (with help from a grant that we received for a project called Boulevards Alive) – and I’ve got my eye on some cranberry and huckleberry bushes that I’m pretty sure will do well in our shaded front. I’m not decided on a garden plan just yet, but since we’re getting our soil in a couple of weeks, I’m going to be working on it this weekend. It’s a good excuse to go to the garden store anyway.
In other projects, I’m preparing a spot to move my raspberry cane to in the early spring, and I’ve got a top-bar-hive to get built, and hopefully we’re going to get started on our frontyard permaculture project as well in October. Just as long as it doesn’t start raining too early – I should have lots of time to wrap up my summer garden and get some work in that will make next spring just that much easier.
In the Bookshed: Keeping the Harvest
Now that it’s food-storage season (so quick! where did the summer go?) I am once again reaching for canning, preserving, drying advice in the form of this most excellent book, first published in 1990: Keeping the Harvest.
I picked this up several years ago as part of my first forays into food storage, and since then it has become a part of my late-summer and autumn kitchen. It describes all the procedures you would want, including pressure canning, and has a good starter-set of food preserving recipes (for more canning recipes I recommend Ball’s Blue Book of Canning if you can find a copy or the Bernardin Complete Book of Home Preserving).
What I particularly like about this book is that it lists each type of vegetable and fruit and all the possible storage techniques for it. Got too much summer squash? This book has suggestions for the best ways to store it (grate and freeze, puree and freeze, drying). Want a few sure-fire pickle recipes? They’re in here too. Along with dehydrating-time charts, freezing tips and curing suggestions written in easy-to-understand language. This is the best all-round reference I’ve found on any of these subjects, and definitely the one I would recommend for all food-preserving newbies out there. Supplement this with some canning recipes from the Internet and you’re pretty-much good to go!
My first tea ceremony.
The above photo is of tea cups awaiting the Chinese tea ceremony we participated in on Saturday as part of B’s brother’s marriage celebrations. Each cup received two lotus seeds and two red dates over which the tea is poured before being served to each elder family member by the marrying couple who kneel in front of their guests. The dates and lotus seeds symbolize hope that the couple will be fertile in their union and produce many children early in the marriage. Fortunately, this was B’s younger brother getting married so we were considered elders and thus a part of the tea ceremony ritual.
My understanding is that the tea ceremony is the most important part of the Chinese wedding ritual, and in this case it was the only ceremony we participated in. My brother and sister-in-law were legally married in New York a couple of weeks ago in order that their union would be official at the time of the ceremony without having to organize that part of it in Canada as well (they live in NYC, but both families are in BC). In turn, starting with the groom’s parents and working through all the elder relatives on both sides (grandparents, uncles, aunts, siblings), couples are called up to receive their tea and be formally addressed by the kneeling couple (B and I are 3rd brother and sister). After tea is served, the guests give a red envelope of money (or jewelry) to the person who served the tea. This serves as the marriage gift.
The aspect I most appreciated about the tea ceremony was the moment of intimacy in serving and receiving the newly married couple shares with their elder relatives. The kneeling couple and the seated guests form a very close group which gives a kind of privacy from those watching the ceremony, and the guests have a chance to congratulate or offer blessings to the couple as they receive their tea.
Following the tea ceremony was the 12-course wedding banquet which included sea cucumber, abalone, rock fish, lobster, suckling pig, crispy-skin chicken, and red-bean soup. Although they served small plates of each, everyone was crazy full of amazing food by the end of the night (this was held at Kirin in Richmond). In between courses there were all sorts of games for the adults and children, and at one point the head table (which we were seated at) had to travel around the room and toast all the tables which was a fun little procession.
Suffice to say, we had a lot of fun, and between the Friday night party and everyone coming over for an afternoon hangout yesterday afternoon, our last few days have been wall-to-wall family. I’m pretty exhausted returning to work today, and looking forward now to our wedding which is only a month away!
Food for All: Fall Workshop Series
Having gotten a couple of small grants to do two community food security workshops this fall from the Neighbourhood Small Grants, I’ve decided to expand on that and make a series of workshops that are accessible to folks in East Vancouver. These are all at the “101” level, and I will am working to get speakers on the subjects I don’t feel qualified to address. The first two workshops will definitely be free, but for others I will probably have to request a donation of $5-$10 to make them happen, unless I can get a line on another grant or two in the meantime. All workshops are sponsored by the Hastings-Sunrise Village chapter of Village Vancouver.
Tentatively, this is what I am planning:
- Food Security for Everyone | September 30th, 6:30-9 pm | 2.5 hours | Kiwassa Neighbourhood House
This workshop will introduce the concept of food security both at home and in the neighbourhood. What do we need in our own households to be food secure? Why is this something we need to care about? What does a Community Food Security Assessment look like? Snacks provided. - Canning 101: Applesauce and more | October 14th, 6-9 pm | 3 hours | Kiwassa Neighbourhood House
Using applesauce as our hand-on learning tool, we will cover the basics of water-bath canning which is easy and a good way to store autumn left-overs. Participants will be involved in all stages of the canning process and will leave with a few jars of applesauce to put up for winter. Additional fall canning recipes will be provided as well as a other how-to materials. Workshop limited to 10 people, will start at 6 pm sharp. - Wild Edibles: Weeds and mushrooms | November | 2.5 hours | Kiwassa
I am currently looking for guest speakers on the topic of foraging within and just outside of city limits. Once I have those locked in, I’ll be able to provide more of a description. - Cranberries from Wisconsin? Supporting Local Agriculture | December | 3 hours | Kiwassa
Using cranberries as a jumping off point, we will discuss the importance of supporting local agriculture. Our hands-on activity will be canning cranberry-sauce made from locally-sourced cranberries and sugar. This will likely involve a donation for materials and will be limited to 10 people. - Planning Your Spring Garden | January | 2-3 hours | Kiwassa
Speaker and details TBA - Beekeeping Basics | February | 2-3 hours | Kiwassa
Speaker and details TBA
Once I confirm dates and times, I will post them here and provide registration information. If there is anyone out there who would like to help me give these workshops, or if you have speaker suggestions for these I would sure like to hear from you!
Red Cedar 