We've MOVED. 

Please check out our new website for more information and to stay updated with our activities: https://rcfood.wordpress.com/ We can't wait to see you there! 

July Activity Schedule

Join us at one of our events in July!

8 th // Canning 101

5288 Joyce Street from 10-1 PM

Register at CNH Front Desk – 604 435 0323

There are so many different ways and veggies and fruits to can! Join us for a morning of canning fun and learn tips and tricks on how you can get started at home.

10 th // Garden-Learn Work Party

2732 Horley Street from 11-2 PM

Norquay Learning Orchard

Come garden with us at the orchard and learn about the importance of “permaculture.” No experience required and everyone is welcome!

13 th // Pickling and More

2929 E. 22 nd Avenue from 12-2 PM

Register at Renfrew Park Community Centre

Interested in learning more about what you can pickle other than cucumbers? Join us for an afternoon of canning fun.

24 th // Garden Work Party

2732 Horley Street from 11-2 PM

Norquay Learning Orchard

Come garden with us at the orchard and see how you can get involved. No experience required and everyone is welcome!

27 th // Canning 101

5288 Joyce Street from 5:30-7:30 PM

Register at CNH Front Desk – 604 435 0323

There are so many different ways and veggies and fruits to can! Join us for an evening of canning fun and learn tips and tricks on how you can get started at home.

Windermere Garden Market

Every Tuesday // 11-2 PM

(In front of Collingwood Neighbourhood House)

The Windermere Organic Garden is offering their fresh and organic produce to the community! Do not miss this opportunity to pick up local veggies and support Windermere students.

CNH Rooftop Garden

Every Wednesday // 5-7 PM

(Collingwood Neighbourhood House Rooftop)

Learn to garden organically, share your knowledge with neighbours, and grow food for community programs. Volunteers are needed and beginners are always welcome every Wednesday!

Curbside Fresh Market

Every Thursday // 3-6 PM

(In front of Collingwood Neighbourhood House)

Come by every Thursday to pick up locally grown fresh produce and market staples at lower prices. Buy from a selection of in-season fruits and veggies, including tomatoes, lettuce, carrots, peaches, cherries, apples and more!

June 2016 Activity Schedule

Cooking

Community Kitchen – Come cook, eat, and learn together with neighbours in a safe and fun environment.
RSVP at CNH Front Desk - 604.435.0323 *Free childminding available upon request

Friday, June 10th @ 10:00 – 1:00 PM
Wednesday, June 29th @ 5:30 – 8:30 PM

Location: Collingwood Neighbourhood House – 5288 Joyce St.


Gardening

CNH Rooftop Garden – Learn to garden organically, share your knowledge with neighbours, and grow food for community programs. Volunteers are needed and beginners are always welcome every Wednesday!

Every Wednesday @ 5:00 – 7:00 PM

Location: Collingwood Neighbourhood House Rooftop


Small Container Gardening – You don’t need a lot of space to garden! Come learn some tips and tricks on how to start “small” at home with your favourite veggies and herbs. RSVP at Renfrew Park Community Centre – 604.257.8388 Ext. 1

Wednesday, June 8th @ 12:00 – 2:30 PM

Location: Renfrew Park Community Centre – 2929 E. 22nd Ave.


Orchard Work Party – Come garden with us at the orchard and see how you can get involved. No experience required and everyone is welcome!

Thursday, June 23rd @ 10:00 – 1:30 PM

Location: Norquay Learning Orchard – 2732 Horley Street


Events

Curbside Fresh Market – Come by every Thursday to pick up locally grown fresh produce and market staples at lower prices. Buy from a selection of in-season fruits and veggies, including tomatoes, lettuce, carrots, peaches, cherries, apples and more!

Thursday, June 23rd @ 3:00 – 6:00 PM

Location: In front of Collingwood Neighbourhood House


** Please contact Cassandra Ly or Elise Barber if you have any questions or suggestions: cly@cnh.bc.ca & foodsecurity@cnh.bc.ca - 604.435.0323 Ext. 225/230

May 2016 Activity Schedule

Come join us for another great month of activities and workshops. Please contact us at anytime if you have any questions or suggestions. Happy May! 

April 2016 Activity Schedule

The sun is shining and the warmth makes for a fun and vibrant growing season! Come join us for another great month of activities and workshops. Please contact us at anytime if you have any questions or suggestions. Happy April! 

March 2016 Activity Schedule

Spring is just around the corner! Come join us for another great month of activities and workshops. Please contact us at anytime if you have any questions or suggestions. Happy March! 

Snapshot of 2015

A small snapshot of 2015 with the Renfrew-Collingwood Food Security Institute! Thank you very much to everyone who made unforgettable memories with us in 2015. Best wishes in 2016 to you and your loved ones. We’re looking forward to another spectacular year filled with great people and great food.

Photos taken by RCFSI Staff and volunteers. Rooftop Garden photos taken by Kaitlyn Fung 

Renfrew Collingwood Community News: Food farewells and greetings from the food security team

The Renfrew-Collingwood Food Security Institute shared some exciting news with the community in January's issue of the Renfrew Collingwood Community News. Check it out here on page 5! 

February 2016 Activity Schedule

Come join us for a fun-filled month of activities! Please contact us at anytime if you have any questions or suggestions. Happy February!  

Food pun of the month: "A hungry traveller stops at a monastery and is taken to the kitchens. A brother is frying chips. 'Are you the friar?' he asks. 'No. I'm the chip monk,' he replies. "

February 2015 Activity Schedule

Our February activity schedule!

2015 - Welcome Back!

We're working on a recap of 2014 - but in the meantime, we'd like to share our January activity schedule with you!  Make sure to RSVP - spaces are limited.

8 Benefits of Community Kitchens

Hello everyone!

It's been quiet here on the blog for the past while, but rest assured that we've been very busy out in the garden and in the kitchen. Just yesterday we hosted another of our regular community kitchens at Collingwood Neighbourhood House, where there's never too many cooks in the kitchen.

What is a community kitchen? According to the City of Vancouver's website, "a community kitchen is a place for people to gather and prepare meals together." They are also places to learn and share knowledge about food, cooking, and nutrition, and they can bridge the gaps between different cultures, ages, experiences, and more. But here, let us show you what we mean.

At a community kitchen, you get to:

1) Eat delicious food together.

2) Meet new people and make new friends.

3) Learn more about nutrition and how to make healthy food.

4) Practice your cooking skills or try new ones.

 

5) Find recipes and foods you've never tried before.

6) Work together as part of a team.

7) Share knowledge about food, cooking, and more!

8) Have fun!

 

As you can see, there's lots to be done at a community kitchen, so come on out and join us at the next one!

For more information about our community kitchens and other programs, please pick up a copy of our latest activity schedule at Collingwood Neighbourhood House.

For more information about community kitchens, you can visit: http://www.freshchoicekitchens.ca/

Adventures in community composting!

Sometimes we find the darnest things in the compost bins at Collingwood Neighbourhood House. What's the weirdest thing you've ever encountered in your compost pile? For some entertaining stories about the do's and don'ts and bizarre and funny of the composting world, check out the Compost Diaries.

 Here are a few of today's highlights:

While turning the compost we discovered several plastic
gloves, plastic bags, and assorted other packaging. These
items don't break down and shouldn't be put in the
compost bins.

Very wet compost--needs more dry (brown) material such
as ripped up newspaper, cardboard, or dried leaves. 

We found that the compost was mostly wet kitchen scraps
with very little dry ("brown") material.
It was quite smelly! We mixed in shredded newspaper and
made sure to turn the compost several times to make sure
good air circulation is happening.

Meat and other cooked foods: Although the City of Vancouver is
able to collect cooked foods as part of the green waste composting
collection, small bins like ours do not heat up enough to
kill nasty microbes that can be produced by decomposing meat.
Cooked foods are especially smelly and they attract flies and
animals (especially mice and rats). Best to keep these out of the
bin.

Two whole sandwiches. We think they were meat or
cheese sandwiches. Oh no.

May to June Activity Schedule

It's been a busy month!  We apologise for the delay, but here is the updated activity schedule for May and June.  We'll post a higher-resolution file ASAP for your viewing pleasure.  Note that, especially with kitchen programs, you MUST register!

Another chaotic but fun community kitchen

Winter/Spring 2014 Schedule and more!

It's true, it's true, we haven't been updating our blog as often as we should. That doesn't mean that things around here have slowed down. Quite the opposite, in fact! We've been working hard to strengthen our partnerships inside and outside the neighbourhood to offer 

We hope you've been able to follow along a bit on our Facebook page. Spring is right around the corner and with spring comes a massive flurry of activity. This year we're going to be partnering again with our friends at Renfrew Park Community Centre Association and CityReach to bring more food workshops to the neighbourhood. 

We're looking forward to working with our neighbourhood public libraries (Renfrew Branch and Collingwood Branch) to think about the meaning of "food literacy" in our community. Never heard the term "food literacy" before? There's a lot to be said, for the more academically-oriented folks and for the rest of us, too.   

With the support of our local Vancity Branch, we're also looking forward to offering our Urban Agriculture certificate program for the third year in a row. New to our neighbourhood as of 2013 is the incredible Fresh Roots Urban Farm located at Van Tech Secondary. Keep an eye out for joint workshops and other collaborations!

Meanwhile, our program brochure for January-April 2014 is now available. Click here to take a look.    

Fresh summer produce on the Rooftop Garden 

Bulk Buying Club

For Renfrew-Collingwood neighbours looking to stretch a grocery budget while maximizing nutritious, fresh produce, we've started a wholesale buying club. We're working with local wholesalers and Fresh Roots Urban Farm for monthly orders of seasonal, fresh, affordable produce. 

Interested? Contact Stephanie at foodsecurity[at]cnh.bc.ca for more information.

Big Picture Stuff

Vancouver's food scene is hopping! There's so much to be done for us to get to a secure food system. If you're interested in protecting local farmland, urban agriculture, culturally appropriate food, and community greening, there are plenty of opportunities to get involved.

In 2013 the City of Vancouver released its first official Food Strategy in which food and food security take centre stage as part of our vision for our City. Definitely worth a look. The Mayor's Engaged City Report (just released!) also identifies food as way to gather people together.

The Vancouver Food Policy Council's monthly meetings are open to the public. Come to listen and to have your say in the development of food policy in Vancouver. Each meeting features a different theme and guest speakers.

Summer camp cinnamon peach jam workshop. The
heavenly smell can't be described in words! 

And of course there are community activities going on all over the City. If you don't live in Renfrew-Collingwood and want to know what the heck is happening elsewhere, we worked with our fellow community food organizations to bring you this eBook. It's full of pretty pictures and videos! If you have a Mac computer or an iPad you can also download the FREE and fully functional version from the iTunes store.   

Food Justice?

Food security, food literacy, and now...food justice? These new terms keep popping up all over the place. What on earth is "food justice"? Great question. Our friendly neighbourhood coordinator, Stephanie Lim, took part in TEDx Renfrew-Collingwood 2013 to offer an explanation.

Warning: If you're looking for a video that tells you what to eat and what not to eat, this video isn't it. Ah, for simple answers.

That's all for now! Follow us on Facebook if you can for the day-to-day updates and pictures.

 

Terrariums for Flea Market

Terrariums are all the craze now a days, and what better way than to express our personal stories through a small plant community! Today with St.John Ambulance, we made terrariums that spoke to each of the artists and are selling them at tomorrow's flea market at Collingwood Park (10-4pm) to raise money for senior's programs! So come check out each cool terrarium, read everyone's stories, and come out to chat! Enjoy the pictures!

 

 

 

Aquaponics Workshop a Success!

Yesterday, we had great turnout for our aquaponics workshop in which we built our very own systems for collingwood! So what is aquaponics? Well, its the combination of aquaculture (growing fish) and hydroponics (growing plants without soil). Combined, they create aquaponics, which is a closed looped system that cycles nutrients and water for you! It works by converting fish waste into usable nitrogen for the plants, and in turn, the plants remove the toxic fish ammonia from the system.  Check out our bottle system and other amazing photos:

Get hooked on ponics by downloading our workshop notes at: http://rcfsi.blogspot.ca/p/garden-apprenticeship.html

 

Plant of the Week: Strawberries

The strawberry, or old Anglo-Saxon word “streowberie”, could have been named as a result of the old practice of laying straw around cultivated plants to keep the fruit off the ground, or as a way to describe how the plants are ‘strewn’ across the ground. Either way, this delicious berry is native to Canada and its native varieties produce small but flavourful berries. 

Plant Care:

To maximize berry production, strawberries prefer well drained soil that is high in organic matter. If your soil is heavy and clay like, you will want to till the soil and incorporate organic matter. Strawberries also prefer an area that receives full sun and a soil pH around 6-6.5. 

There are 3 types of strawberries to be aware of:

June-bearing: Produce one crop per year around June or July

Everbearers: Produce two crops, on in June/July, and the other in the fall

Day-neutrals: Produce fruits continuously through the growing season

*Crop size and yield on everbearers and day-neutrals tend to be lower than june bearers. 

Strawberries are considered herbaceous perennials and generally live up to 4-5 years. For pest control reasons, it is best to move your strawberry patch every 4 years and ensure that the same area doesn't have strawberries for at least 4 years. As with many fruit bearing plants, it is best to remove all blossoms in the first year of planting (get rid of all potential fruit) in order to focus the plant’s energy on root growth and development. In this way, you will get a stronger plant that will produce higher yields. Everbearers and day-neutrals should have their blossoms taken off in the first harvest season.

Because strawberries reproduce by sending out runners, it is best to leave rows about 5 to 6 feet apart. This will allow the runners to fill in the space and keep your strawberry patch vigorous and productive.  

As a result of a shallow root system, mulch and watering are crucial for the summer, when roots need to be hydrated. 

A complete organic fertilizer can be applied in the spring to promote berry growth. About 1.5 pounds per 10 foot row.

Interesting Notes:

• Although mostly enjoyed fresh, strawberry leaf tea can also be made and used as a vitamin C supplement.
• Large amounts of strawberry fruit in the diet is said to slow dental plaque formation.

Plant of the Week: Honeyberry

Originating from Russia, the honeyberry is a member of the honeysuckle family and produces blueberry-like berries. With a flavor close to a raspberry/blackberry and bell shaped fruit, the honeyberry is packed with more antioxidants than the blueberry. Due to its ability to withstand cold winters, grow in a variety of soils, and produce around 10 lbs of fruit a year, the honeyberry is gaining popularity in North America.   

Plant Care:

Honeyberries are perennial plants that grow in most soils and can tolerate a wide range of pH levels (4.5-8.5). Fairly easy to grow and maintain, any gardener should keep in mind that this plant will grow to 5-7 feet tall and wide, so ensuring enough space for honeyberries to grow is crucial. 

As with many fruit bearing shrubs, a mulch around the shrub will keep the soil moist and add organic matter to the soil. Compost, organic matter, and organic fertilizers can be added if needed. Organic matter can be incorporated in the spring to help with root and fruit development, but in most cases, there should be enough nutrients to sustain honeyberry plants. 

Pollination is a crucial part in getting fruit from your honeyberry bush. Honeyberries need a different variety of honeyberry that blooms in the same time frame in order to produce fruit. As a result, make sure you have room for at least 2 shrubs!

Diseases and Pests:

Very disease and insect resistant. A common pest that may become a problem are birds.

If you have a fruit/vegetable/herb that you would like to learn how to grow, email gardencrossing@gmail.com and you may see it in upcoming "Plant of the Week" posts!

Peas and Carrots!

Terrarium Madness!

Today at the rooftop garden, we learnt about indoor gardening and decided to make trendy terrariums! Terrariums give you the opportunity to design whatever your imagination can think of and becomes an extension of your style. A way to express yourself, a way to create your own world; terrariums are a great way to add plants to the office or house.