Rhubarb Chutney Canning Workshop & Spring Snapshots

Preparing salad for Thursday's Community Lunch using freshly picked radishes from the Rooftop Garden.

We are celebrating the third birthday of our Rooftop Garden rhubarb plant with a rhubarb chutney canning workshop. Please join us to meet new neighbours, learn the basics of canning, and try a delicious new recipe.


Happy birthday Rhubarb! We are going to eat you.

Wednesday May 18
2-5pm
Collingwood Neighbourhood House (5288 Joyce St.)
FREE - Registration Required
Email Stephanie to register.


Garlic (picture taken May 3). Small sprouts on the left planted March 1. Larger garlic leaves on the right planted in July 2010. Garlic matures from clove to head in 9 months.

Blueberry flowers with chervil in the background.

Chayotes (also known as sayote, christophine, fó shǒu guā, and assorted other names), sprouted and donated by one of our local Chinese seniors. They are a popular garden vegetable and can be seen growing in backyards across Renfrew-Collingwood.

This is what the sprouts look like. They have a climbing habit like other squash plants and one plant can bear 80-100 fruits. We planted them out under cover on April 27.

Ladybug on spearmint. Ladybugs are one of many beneficial insects to have around the garden. Plant-destroying aphids are a ladybug's favourite food.

Overwintered leeks waiting to be picked.

Radishes sprouting up under protective netting. The netting help protect young seedlings from birds.

Red Russian kale (seeds donated from the generous folks at Salt Spring Seeds. Easy to grow and very prolific, kale can be planted early in the growing season. You can also see collards coming up. The seeds were packaged for 2006 and surprised us with a fairly high germination rate. You can also see some borage, cornflowers, and calendula that self-seeded from last year's crop of edible flowers.

West Coast Seeds "Stir-Fry Mixed Greens" with pots of mint in the background. Mint is a vigorous perennial and is easily divided and potted up for gifts, transplanting, and herb sales.

The Stir Fry Mix includes bok choy, giant red mustard, and tatsoi. We have planted them close together and will harvest the leaves when they are young to add to salads. Given more space, the same plants can grow to a few feet tall and their flavours get more intense.

A young volunteer at our annual seed swap and sale.

Our seed sales are generously supported by West Coast Seeds.

Neighbourhood seniors planting a persimmon tree in the Slocan Park fruit tree circle. Unfortunately due to vandalism and heat waves we have had to replace several of the fruit trees.

More tree planting in Slocan Park.

Apple blossoms on the Rooftop Garden.

Earlier this month, The Globe and Mail reported that food prices in Canada rose 3.3% in March, following a February increase of 2.1%. Rising energy costs were partly to blame. Bad weather in Mexico and the southern U.S. also contributed, driving prices for scarce fresh vegetables up by 18.6%. Lettuce cost an astounding 66.6% more than it did in March 2010, and potatoes were up 20.7%.

For many, this rise in prices means more time searching for the best deals and more careful product choices. But according to a recent report (Resetting the Table: A People's Food Policy for Canada), close to 2.5 million Canadians can't be sure of having access to sufficient safe, nutritious food. In other words, they nearly 2.5 million people in our wealth country are experiencing food insecurity. In fact, food bank use in Canada has risen by 28% over the past two years.

Are you experiencing food insecurity? Would you like to engage with the food system in your community? Here are some ways you can get involved.

16th Annual Stone Soup Festival: Saturday May 7

Britannia Community Centre is pleased to announce and host the 16th annual Stone Soup Festival, a celebration of food, art, environment and community, including farmers market, food vendors, local artists, community groups, talks and workshops, live music, children’s activities, free soup and more!

More than ever, people are aware of the issues of food security, the benefits of sharing resources and eating ‘local’. Stone Soup will celebrate the diversity of food in our neighbourhood, the environment and it’s importance to the culture of our community.

When: Sat, May 7th, 12 - 5pm
Where: Britannia Community Centre, 1661 Napier St at Commercial Drive
Info: 604-718-5800

Buen Provecho!
Digital Storytelling Intergenerational Food Project
Location: Britannia Library
Time: Ongoing 12-5pm with Reception: 2:30pm

Growing Chefs!: Gardening Workshop
For children 6-10 yrs and parents-Vegetable examinations, seed explorations and taste tests, then plant a seedling to take home.
Location: Al Mattison Lounge (55+ Centre)
Workshops at 1pm, 2pm and 3pm

Laura Bucci Handmade: Drop-In Collage Button Making Workshop
Location: Family Activity Room
Time: 12-5pm

Henry Charles: VPL Storyteller In Residence-Food Stories from the Musqueam Perspective
Location: Britannia Library
Time: 1pm

Dixie Stars: The Stone Soup Story
Storytelling and Music
Location: West Kid’s area
Times: 2 and 3pm

Bannock and Stew Fundraising Dinner: Eat for Food Justice!

Have a delicious dinner and support the work of the Mount Pleasant Food Justice Project! With starvation level welfare rates and minimum wage, many people in our community can't afford healthy food. The Mount Pleasant Food Justice Project is fighting back and getting organized. As a grassroots organization we need your support.

For $10 (or $12 at the door) you get a full dinner, including:
* Fresh Bannock
* Tasty Irish Stew or Vegan Moroccan Stew
* Green Salad
* Warm Apple Crumble

When: Saturday May 7th, 6-9pm
Where: 672 East Broadway - The Organizing Centre for Social and Economic Justice
Be sure to get your dinner ticket in advance! Email foodactioncollective@gmail.com or call 604-215-2775 to get your ticket.

Hastings Community Centre Transform Your Eating Workshop Series

Come and learn and share food knowledge. Thursdays 10 am – 12 noon. Twice per Month.

Meal Challenges and Budgeting. Minimize meal frustrations. Choose foods that aren’t hard on your wallet or your heart. Share & expand on skills in cooking, canning & dehydrating. May 12th & 26th

Food Quality and Basic Gardening. Understand what’s in your food or what’s not. Share & start plans for your own garden in order to secure your own quality food. June 9th & 23rd

Where: Hastings Community Centre, 3096 E. Hastings St.
Cost: $30 each month or $60 for all 3 months. Pre-registration required. Subsidies available. Childminding available with separate registration at $6.50/class
Info: 604-718-6233

Food Safe Level One Training Opportunity

We all have questions when it comes to food safety. What should we be concerned with when handling food in our kitchens? What’s safe and what isn’t in our day-to-day work in the kitchen? Come learn the basics about safe food handling in a friendly classroom environment. This is a provincially recognized course taught by qualified instructors. It is suitable for individuals who have a grade 8 or higher reading comprehension level.

When: Sat, May 28, 2011, 9:00 am - 5:00 pm
Where: Vancouver Food Bank, 1150 Raymur Ave., Vancouver BC
Cost: $50.00 - $95.00 (sliding scale)
Info: To register contact Darlene Tanaka or call 604-216-2325.

The Food 2 U Program

The Food2U Program is a partnership between the Vancouver Food Bank and Vancouver Coastal Health. The program delivers food to seniors or persons with a disability most Tuesday mornings and is looking for volunteer drivers, with their own car and a valid driver’s license, and passengers. Mileage will be reimbursed for those using their vehicles. Volunteers must be able to work well with people and be physically able to lift 20-25 lb grocery bags. Familiarity with the downtown east side and Grandview Woodland areas is beneficial but not necessary.

Contact Jan Russell at 604-261-6366.