I first broke ground in Vancouver BC, on June 7th, 2009. For me this was a very symbolic act. This was the day I finally got the stamp in my passport that said I was an official resident of Canada. Living in an apartment I didn’t have a piece of ground of my own, but I had been scouting out the nearby possibilities for about a year and a half while waiting for my residency to come through.
MindSpice is a specially created spice mix that is designed to uplift the spirits and refresh the mind. It includes cardamom, clove, rosemary and cinnamon. On sniff will clear the mind during an afternoon mind-fog and will raise the spirits or assist with memory.
Cardamom has restoring and balancing abilities and is good for lifting depression and clearing the mind. Rosemary is well known for memory, as well as being a gentle stimulant. Clove is a powerful antiseptic and kills bacteria, viruses and fungus, it reassures the body and also raises the spirits. Cinnamon is energizing as well as warming and also is useful against unfriendly micro-organisms.
The boxes are made with photos of the cherry blossoms that they are stuffed with. They fit into any purse and can be helpful to sniff when on public transport during flu season. They make fun and trippy treats for a rave or as an aromatic and unique party treat.
I first came across soapnuts when I was living in Myanmar/Burma in 1999. I was working at a remote hotel on the shore of the mystical Inle Lake in Shan State. My oven was made from a large barrel and was wood-fired, whenever the kitchen staff noticed me making a move to try to get the fire under the oven going myself, they would quickly send the kitchen’s expert fire-maker to take over. They had already learned the hard way that they would be completely smoked out of the kitchen if they let me attempt it myself.
The staff at the Inle Princess Resort were really a fun bunch of people, we would go to the five day farmer’s markets early in the morning and stuff ourselves with treats of fried Shan tofu and cups of sweet, strong and delicious Burmese tea, on the walk home the girls would always amaze me with their taken-for-granted knowledge of nearly every plant and it’s medicinal benefits that we passed by. They would rave to me about the wonders of the traditional Burmese shampoo. The next time we were at the market they showed me bags hanging from strings full of a yellowish liquid with these soapnuts, tamarind pods and various other herbs in them. I gave it a try and was soon a convert. Although the shampoo didn’t suds up quite as much the shampoos I was used to, my hair was soon gleaming with a healthy shine.
We had a serious attack of spider mites. They started in the catnip and yarrow and somehow got to the choko and beans. They took the choko down in no time, fortunately it is a hardy plant and it has now grown back to where it was when the spider mites devoured it.
This was my first real run-in with spider mites, which are quite a common especially in container and greenhouse gardeing. I tried neem oil and washing the leaves off, but I think my problem was too advanced by the time I used these measures. I finally found a recipe for a light glue that is sprayed on the back of the leaves and smothers the mites. This has to be done every so often as the eggs will keep hatching. It seems to have finally put a stop to them and my beans are looking a bit better. I also gave them a dandelion tea because I thought it might help add some potassium to the soil and that is another thing beans can easily become deficient in if they are in containers.
The revenge of the Bean Bandits and Pirate Tomatoes is upon us!
I finally found a good spot on one of the Greenways of Vancouver BC. No one was using it, it got good sun and was just by a sky-train and rail-road tracks so it seemed a perfect spot. There is a lot more space available in this area, although much of it is under the tracks and wouldn’t get any rain. It is a bit of a walk, but not too much, the ground is rocky so I need to get some fertilizer. More about the garden here.
Vancouver City Council passed a motion in 2006 to encourage 2,010 new gardens by 2010. Now there are more than 40 community or resident-shared gardens with more than 1,700 garden plots and more on the way. There is a great brochure that the City of Vancouver has put out with a good map that shows great walking and bicycle tours of the various community gardens around the town. As it says on the back of the brochure:
Community gardens in Canada peaked during the World Wars. In 1943, there were over 50,000 Victory Garden plots in Greater Vancouver.
So we still have a ways to go to get back to that level of garden plots in the city, but there is tons of land available, and plenty of support for people to get out there and get gardening. More information can be found here.
The gardeners of Vancouver BC create stunning gardens full of color. Gardens in this city have become a synthesis of the many cultures that have come together and now live side by side, sharing seeds and garden tips. These are a selection of some of my favorite flowers.
After waiting for residency for more than a year, wondering how much longer I would be an illegitimate person was starting to wear on me. But, as they say, when the planets are in line everything falls into place. The full rose moon of June 7th, 2009 was such a day. I finally got my Canadian residency so that night I planted 13 Hidasta Shield Figure Pole beans (from The Cottage Gardener) to give my thanks to Vancouver, BC for welcoming and accepting us.
The previous year I had spent a lot of time walking the nearby streets admiring everyone’s fantastic gardens. I finally found the perfect spot on one of the Greenways of Vancouver. No one was using it, it got good sun and was just by a sky-train and rail-road tracks so it seemed a perfect spot. There is a lot more space available in this area, although much of it is under the tracks and wouldn’t get any rain.
This year got started late with a huge snowstorm and a very cold winter. The roses seem to have done well though, and the amazing backyard gardens of Vancouver BC are going full swing. I am constantly impressed by how many plants there are in some of these spaces. It is also interesting to see that different plants are being grown this year than the year before in most of the yards.
The Stone Soup Festival at Britannia on Commercial Drive, Vancouver BC fell on Mother’s Day weekend this year. We arrived at the festival just as the jolly Carnival Band was rambling around the park and were soon planting pumpkin and sunflower seeds, feeding the chickens at the Backyard Chicken information desk and munching on a bowl of hearty FREE stone soup.
This was my first time at the festival and I was really impressed and surprised that although there were a few vendors selling honey, dehydrated vegetable crackers, pottery, gourmet foods and plants, the main content of the festival was information.
I stopped at a mason bee exhibition and was impressed to discover that even though I could buy a very affordable bee home and bees, I could actually make the same thing myself from bamboo and just put it in a sunny spot and let some prayers drift on the wind in hopes that some mason bees will make it their home. I felt no pressure to spend money, but I did get a great mug for my mother while there.
A food-oriented global community sharing affordable & practical methods for us to nourish our minds, bodies and souls. READ MORE ...
::: CONTRIBUTORS :::
This makes a delicious holiday dessert, warm, rich, moist nourishing and comforting.
Method: Warm the cream, milk, maple syrup, vanilla, eggs and cinnamon gently on the stove-top. Do not allow to boil.
Slice the Panatone and thickly butter each slice.
Sign up to receive updates by email
Follow @helladelicious on Twitter
03-08-2010 » Ruth Martinez said: yum sounds so good!! I'll have to try it once I can sta (more...)
03-07-2010 » Alice Mundhenk said: These are beautiful products! When I get to the U.S. (more...)
Loading ...
by 
