Check out our Calendar of Events It’s updated regularly.
For more information see our About Us page.
Check out our Calendar of Events It’s updated regularly.
For more information see our About Us page.
The 2023 Spring Equinox happened today, March 20th, at 2:24pm PST in Vancouver. What this actually means is 2:24pm PST marked the moment that the sun crossed the Celestial Equator (an extension of the Earth’s equator) and begins to move north. You can’t see this invisible line, but if you look up at the sky you can almost feel that Spring has definitely sprung! Here are 10 ways you can celebrate the 1st day of Spring. 🌸
*Photo Credit: Kyra Dawson: Take a walk in your neighbourhood and find the 1st buds of spring! 🌷
I love the group of participants that came together to share their stories on garlic recipes or and experiences planting garlic. We talked about the difference with hard neck and soft neck garlic: Did you know most gardeners believe that hard neck garlic is much tastier and tends to have bigger garlic cloves growth. Where is, the soft neck garlic is not necessarily as tasty but the leaves can be braided and easier to store. Hardneck garlic have bigger cloves, So in other words the bigger the clove the bigger the garlic!
The best time to plant, in our weather here in Vancouver, is in October and harvest in July. If you live in a cold climate you might want to consider planting garlic in spring and harvest in the fall to avoid frost. Planting 2-3 inches deep and 4-6 inches apart seems to be standard. Use a good fertilizer when planting, it helps the growth of your garlic, and then mulching 2 to 4 inches on top is ideal for the soil and to protect your garlic. Expect to see some growth before the spring and then it’ll go dormant. Once spring does occur you can remove the mulch and add bone meal or other super soil to your garden bed and watch it continue growing.
I anticipate the growth of the scape, I love the way it comes up and curls. The scape is tender when cutting it off at an early stage and makes a great pesto or stir fry, in addition, it’s good for the garlic so that the nutrients can go back to the garlic. You can leave a couple to grow- it’s fun to observe the flower it makes!
Did you know there are many health benefits to eating garlic, such as: it helps lower cholesterol and blood pressure, it’s great for clearing up acne, it’s supports the immune system, and detox the body. Read more here: https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/11-proven-health-benefits-of-garlic
Want to learn more? Watch Jordans video here, he is so helpful! https://youtu.be/o4XT6dDvoy8
Happy planting! love eva aboud , food security coordinator.
Delicious three sisters soup was made on September 29th on our Orange Shirt Day https://www.froghollow.bc.ca/blog/2022/09/13/frog-hollow-orange-shirt-day-commemoration-event-2022/ respectfully in collaboration with food week. Thank you volunteers for your support, we love you! We gave out approximately 200 soups along with Bannock made by Teresa Mark and indigenous chef and in addition to the food distribution we gave out the recipe and seeds to grow your own ingredients to make your own soup. Thank you Greater Vancouver Food Bank for your generous donation of corn, a key ingredient in the soup https://foodbank.bc.ca/ , If you want some seeds come on down I have lots left over!
In addition to the soup and seeds, I added the West Coast seed chart so you can learn when is the best time to plant your seeds and information on planting, maintenance, and harvesting your produce such as beans, corn and squash. Here you will find some information.http://westcoast.seeds a great chart to follow. And here you will find information on best practices: Complete Guide to Vegetables Fruits and Herbs https://a.co/d/0PreCmV
If you like, I can mail you the package:
Send me a self-addressed envelope to: Frog Hollow Neighbourhood House, Attention Eva Aboud
2131 Renfrew St.,
Vancouver
V5M 4M5
Next week it’s Garlic Planting time!
Bye for now,
Eva Aboud, Food Security Coordinator eva@froghollow.bc.ca
Learn how to preserve your harvest! Canning is a wonderful way to save your produce when you have too much in your kitchen and just can’t eat it fast enough! Save it by pickling your veggies or jamming your berries! Delicious!
Rain or Shine, Today is a good start to the garden now that my soil has been delivered. I will be weeding and folding in compost sea soil for added nutrition. We will make some plans as to where to plant kale, tomatoes, bush beans, carrots and cucumbers! Come on down!
Would love to see you!
This story is inspired by a man who reached out for some help for food support in April 2021. When he looked through the emergency food hamper bag, he noticed a can of black beans and gave it back to me because he didn’t know how to cook it.
In the Frog Hollow Community Kitchen, I quickly showed him how to prepare it in a simple way and he was totally surprised! He was super happy because he knows canned beans are inexpensive to purchase and filling, nutritious , high in fiber and proteins but just didn’t know how to eat them.
This interaction led me to develop the Black Bean Wrap & Recipe Kit which consisted of a can of black turtle beans, shredded cheese, chopped cilantro, green onion, garlic, sliced tomatoes, tomatoes sauce and a bag of fresh pita bread.
The intention to preparing these kits is to demonstrate to families that one can make a healthy nutritious meal with beans as a protein supplement at low cost and it is so much cheaper than meat! Pita is chosen over wraps because they cost less as well. However, as the covid19 pandemic persisted and we were not able to run a food skills workshop in person, 65 kits were compiled, along with a recipe card and link to a short video . The 65 families were delighted to receive all the contents in a bag and the step by step recipe to making their wraps, especially the children learning along with their parents.
One parent said ‘’I didn’t know what to do with black beans before, now I know! Thank you! We had a good meal-actually a few good meals with the package!” This is a photo of her son eagerly helping with dinner.
Another parent was delighted observing her children unwrap the bean wrap kit (no pun intended) as they sat at the table for dinner and had fun assembling their meal.
Mom said, “We received our kit last night and what a success! The girls made our dinner!! It was so much fun. Thank you.” She shared these following 4 photos documenting the family’s experience.
Mom said, “We received our kit last night and what a success! The girls made our dinner!! It was so much fun. Thank you.” She shared these following 4 photos documenting the family’s experience.
Not everyone has the knowledge or skills to plan a meal from the food bank pantry items or on their limited income, so hands-on food skills learning is essential to empowerment and builds confidence. Feeding a family for under $10 is a challenge, but when you get creative and learn about nutritious food, it’s possible!
Not only do families learn when given the chance to experiment with new foods, but they share with others and wanting more, seeking new ways to save on their tight budget and are open to participating in future food skill gatherings, sharing their own tips and make connections in the community at the same time.