Vic West Food Security Collective

Saturday, May 14th, 11:00am to 3:00pm at Vic West Fest in Banfield Park.

Annual Plant Sale, hosted by the Vic West Food Security Collective. We sowed seeds in March, tended the wee shoots all spring, fed them organic compost, sang love songs to them and gently potted them up for you. They are ready for your garden. We have tomatoes, basil, squash, tomatillos, perilla, a large variety of herbs, raspberry and thornless blackberry bushes, cabbages, kale and more.

The Plant Sale is an annual fundraiser, supporting Banfield Park Orchard, Banfield Commons, Evan Street Orchard, and the Rayn or Shine Community Garden.

These are some of my starts in the greenhouse this morning. Tomorrow they’ll be yours.

Vic West Park Community Garden

A new community garden is coming to Vic West and we’d love you to be part of it. Looking for people to form the “Garden Planning Team” to take this project from concept to celebratory completion.

Are you looking for a garden plot? Do you have time, energy, skills or interest to share? Dreamers, planners, artists, builders, gardeners, students and many more are all needed.

Come visit the Food Security Collective’s display at Vic West Fest in Banfield Park on Saturday, May 14 between 11am and 3pm for more information. Or see details below. Continue reading →

What’s growing on … a look at what’s growing in the garden and a suggestion about what to do with it.

It’s rhubarb time. And if you think rhubarb is only for pies, think again. Try it in a sauce or salad, use it with meat, add it to your curry. Rhubarb is really versatile and can go sweet or savoury.  Here’s a really easy way to prepare it to add to any salad.

Wash a few stalks of rhubarb and saute them in a pat of butter for about 5 minutes or until tender but crisp. While still in the pan, add a drizzle of honey and balsamic vinegar. Tear a handful of arugula and spinach leaves into a bowl, add the rhubarb, some chopped basil leaves, a handful of sprouts – alfalfa, pea, sunflower – and crumble a bit of goat cheese over top. Toasted sunflower or pumpkin seeds would make a nice crunchy addition. Dress simply with a good olive oil and lemon juice.

Come celebrate Earth Day over dinner with your neighbours. Feel free to invite a new neighbour, bring musical instruments or board games. This is a community event and you’re welcome to make it anything you want. Please bring a dish of food to share – sweet or savoury. Everyone Welcome.

5:00pm, April 23 at the VW Community Centre

If you can come early and help us set up and decorate, we’d sure appreciate it. Contact avapchristl54@gmail.com to volunteer.

What’s growing on …. a look at what’s growing around our neighbourhood with suggestions about how to use it.

I see an abundance of over-wintered chard in everyone’s gardens – both Swiss and Rainbow. The colours in the Rainbow are especially brilliant in the late afternoon sun.

Chard is great in pies, tarts and spanakopita. At the end of it’s season, chard may be a little tough or bitter, but cooked is still tasty and tender.

For a nice open tart, blanche the chard for a few minutes in boiling water, until tender, then rinse and chop and set aside while you get the rest of the ingredients together. Sautee a red onion and a few cloves of garlic, add salt, pepper and a sprinkle of red pepper flakes or diced red pepper for a bit of kick and colour. Add the chard to this mix. In a separate bowl, whisk three eggs, then add 1/2 cup Parmesan or Asiago cheese. Add this mixture to the chard/onion mix. If the mix feels a bit too wet add breadcrumbs to absorb the moisture 1/4 cup at a time. Pour the mixture into a pie crust and bake 30-45 minutes until eggs have set. Serve with a green salad from your garden. Bon appetite.

What’s growing on … a look at what’s currently growing around our neighbourhood, and an idea about how to prepare it.
There are a lot of spring greens available now – wild ones out in the meadows such as purslane, dandelions greens, miner’s lettuce, and plantain; and garden greens like arugula, chard, beet tops, sorrel and, of course, chick weed.

For a Spring treat, roll them all up together into a fresh and tasty Spring Roll.

Wash and sort through all your greens, follow the instructions for the rice paper sheets, and roll the greens up. Add a tangy sauce, something a sweet ‘n sour or a Thai peanut sauce. Lunch is served!

March 5th

Spring veggies are coming up in the garden now. Purple Sprouting Broccoli is a cold-hardy biennial plant that produces sweet, purple flowering shoots in the late winter and early spring – in Victoria this means February and March. The plants grow crowns with multiple small side-shoots for many weeks. If you planted Purple Sprouting Broccoli last fall, it’ll be coming into season now. The lovely purple tips are a colourful addition to any salad and are tasty sauteed as a side dish. For an extra flavour boost to your sautee, add a splash of hazelnut oil and top with crushed and toasted hazelnuts.

“What’s Growing On” is a regular new feature to showcase the variety of veggies, herbs and fruit as they come into season with recipe ideas and/or tips on use. Get in touch if you have something in your garden you’d like to share.