Sharing the Fruits of the Land

Operation Fruit Rescue is a project one of our gardeners came across and wanted to share in case anyone is interested in doing something similar in Lethbridge at some point in time. Into the Bank of Ideas this one goes, waiting for someone to jump-start it here!

Harvest Time!

As an inexperienced gardener, I did not cry too much when my plot failed to turn green like all of the others. Instead, I rejoiced in the opportunity I had to learn from other gardeners and from my own mistakes. I may not have been able to grow as much as I had hoped but I experienced success in both learning about growing vegetables and growing a community. I feel blessed to have met such wonderful people and as I share a photo of 3 huge heirloom tomatoes I was able to keep alive :) I hope our community continues to grow.

It was such a pleasure for me to get to garden with you all. I hope we continue gardening together in the years to come and I look forward to seeing you all at our upcoming workshops!

Happy harvesting everybody!

WORKSHOP on Vegetarian Cooking, Wednesday, 2011 Sept.28 @ 7pm in UofL TH241

Want a different view of all those vegetables you are harvesting? Perhaps as the main ingredient in your diet rather than as a side-dish? Then come to the first CampusRoots Workshop on vegetarian cooking.

This workshop will provide an overview of the different aspects of vegetarianism, including optimum food combining, protein and nutrient requirements, various cooking methods, environmental and health concerns, and the many varieties of vegetarian diets and lifestyles. This workshop will have a casual, conversation-style format and will include a Q&A session, including recommendations of websites, documentaries, and all that Lethbridge has to offer for those interested in vegetarianism and cooking great vegetables!

Date: Wednesday, September 28
Time: 7:00pm to 9:00pm
Location: TH241
Cost: Free to CRCGA members; $3 for non-members

Presenter: Shanna Greff, Practicing Vegetarian and President of the Campus Roots Community Garden Association (CRCGA).

Mark your calendars for other upcoming CRCGA workshops:

> October 26: Canning – Preserving your Garden Produce for Year-Round Eating!

> November 23: Vermicomposting – Putting Worms to Work!

Beth's Bean Salad

1 can kidney beans

1 can chick peas

1 can yellow beans

1 can green beans

2 or 3 stalks of celery

½ pepper chopped

Drain all the tins thoroughly. Mix all the above ingredients in a bowl.

In a saucepan blend together:

1 cup sugar

2/3 cup vinegar

1/3 cup oil

Salt and pepper

Boil for 3 minutes. Let cool. Pour over the vegetables and refrigerate.

Tea for Colds

Mint Tea:

Here's something to do with the mint we have growing in the garden - boil (dried) mint leaves in water and add a bit of honey and freshly squeezed lemon juice when ready. Simple? Yes!

Ginger & Garlic Tea:

Chop up a healthy quantity of ginger and garlic and add them to boiling water, let the water boil with these in it for a few minutes, add the juice of 1 whole lemon, add some honey and drink it up while its hot!

Yoğurt çorbası (Yogurt soup)

Ingredients:

1 container of yogurt (whatever amount you want)

1 egg yolk

1 tablespoon of flour (any kind)

water (1.5 of the same container used for yogurt)

1 or 2 handfuls of rice - depending on how thick you want your soup to be

1 tablespoon of butter (some use more but I prefer less)

salt to taste

paprika

dried mint - you'll have to play around with quantities until you find the amount that suites your taste buds

Directions:

Whisk the yogurt in a pot, add the egg yolk and whisk some more. Add the flour, whisk some more. Slowly add the water (cold), while whisking. Add the rice and salt. On medium heat, stir the soup constantly (don't have to whip it, just gentle, meditative stirring is fine) until the soup starts to boil. Once it boils, stir for another minute or two, turn the heat down to low and let the rice slow-cook for a while (length of time will depend on type of rice you use - brown rice requires more time). In a small pan melt your butter on medium heat, add your paprika (as much as you like) and dried mint (I like to use a lot - 1-2 teaspoons depending on the amount of soup I have going) and let it cook in the sizzling, melted butter for a short time (careful, don't burn it!). When the soup is cooked and ready, you can either add the butter/paprika/mint mixture to the pot or drizzle some in each bowl. Enjoy!

Peynirli Börek (baked Turkish pastry dish filled with cheese)

Börek is the name used to define any Turkish dish made with thin sheets of dough (think phyllo) filled with a variety of fillings (not sweet, or else it would be baklava). Typical fillings are: cheese, ground beef, potatoes, spinach and leeks. Also, börek is made in a variety of ways either baked or fried.

Peynir is the Turkish word for cheese.

Ingredients (for 1 pan):

• 1 box of phyllo dough (I must admit, I don't know how to roll it out myself);
• sauce:
• 1/2 a container of yogurt
• 1 egg
• milk (roughly 3/4 of a cup)
• a bit of olive oil (typically, more is better but I prefer to use less)
• cheese filling:
• feta cheese (use your judgement to figure out how much you would need - you'll want enough to have an even layer approximately 1/2-1" thick)
• paprika
• dill to taste
• parsley

Directions:

• In a bowl, mix the ingredients for the sauce making sure the egg is mixed in really well
• In another bowl, crumble the feta cheese (I use a fork to break it up) and mix in the dill, parsley and paprika
• take a sheet of phyllo and place it in your pan (it doesn't have to be a perfect sheet, it can be creased and bunched up, evenly)
• drizzle about 2 spoons of the mixture randomly on top of the sheet
• put another sheet over top and drizzle another couple of spoons of sauce
• continue this way until you've put down roughly 6-8 sheets (more if you want it thicker, less if you want it thinner - should only be 1/2 of the sheets you intend to use for the entire börek)
• on your 6th (or 8th) layer, do not put any sauce; instead, spread your feta cheese filling evenly across the entire sheet
• place another sheet of phyllo over top and drizzle a couple of spoons of sauce
• continue this way until you've placed another 6-8 sheets
• on the final sheet, drizzle 6-8 spoons of the sauce and make sure to get the entire top layer coated
• sprinkle some sesame seeds and bake on the middle rack at about 300 degrees
• bake for about 1/2 an hour and check to see if the top is turning nice and golden brown
• continue baking if needed but check frequently to make sure it doesn't burn
• once it has turned golden on top, remove from oven and let sit for at least 10 minutes before cutting into squares.
• enjoy!

Sour Plum Jam

Ingredients:

• plums (leave the skin on - that's where the pectin is!)
• sugar to taste - I started with 1 cup to roughly 6 cups of plums and added more as I was cooking it until it reached a taste I was satisfied with - roughly 2.5 cups (I used natural, unrefined, non-bleached sugar produced from raw sugar cane)
• lemon (only a quick squeeze of half a lemon - at the end of the process to keep the sugar from crystallizing)
• water (very little - just enough to cover the bottom of the pot and roughly 1/4 of the contents)

Directions:

• seed the plums and cut them into fourths (again, leave the skin on)
• add all of the ingredients (except the lemon juice) and cook on medium heat until it boils
• once it starts to boil, stir the contents frequently to keep it from burning
• cook for roughly 20 minutes and then either take a hand blender or a potato masher and mash/blend the contents a bit
• squeeze a bit of lemon juice
• continue to cook and stir until the mixture reaches a consistency to your liking
• ladle into containers and enjoy!

Storing your produce without plastic

As a new gardener, I have more produce ready to harvest than I can eat right now. So, I went searching the interweb to find out how to store the fruits of my labour and found this comprehensive guide to storing produce without plastic. I hope you find it useful as you harvest the fruits of your labour!

Ecotone (talk), 2011 Sep. 09, 7-9pm @ SAAG (601 Third Ave. S.)

From the SAAG website  (emphasis added):

Organized by Field Notes Collective
Ecotone brings together artists, scientists and members of the rural community for a sharing of perspectives, knowledge and ideas to raise awareness of environmental issues, including sustainable agriculture. Join us on at SAAG on Friday, September 9 for Keynote Speaker Presentations by Dr. Henry Janzen, a renowned and inspirational Soil Scientist from Lethbridge Research Centre who will speak about environmental land use issues and Curator Ryan Doherty who will speak on the relationship between arts and science and the value of collaborative pursuits in creating awareness and initiating change.