The garden that Sifisulwazi Development Organization (Sifi) runs in northern KwaZulu Natal, South Africa, is far and away one of the most inspiring community gardens I’ve come across. And so during my recent travels to South Africa, I took time out of my hectic work schedule to take a road trip to visit my favourite … Continue reading
The arrival of fall means that apples are in full season and its time to make cider! I love a bit of mulled cider on cold winter nights and was delighted when I had the chance to join in Not Far From The Tree’s cider making activities as part of their annual City Cider event … Continue reading
I’ve been dabbling in gardening and preserving for a few years now, but this summer I wanted to take things to a whole new level. My first foray into canning has been a lot of fun – I’ve used a few tried-and-true family recipes and experimented with exciting, new combinations. But, for all the fun … Continue reading
It’s been a few weeks since I was last in my garden, and despite all the fun and excitement of my recent travels, I’ve actually experienced a bit of garden withdrawal. So I decided to do a bit of a community garden tour while I was traveling around Europe. The biggest gardening inspiration came in … Continue reading
Its the end of July and the garden is in full bloom. Well actually its gone a bit feral to be honest with you. (Feral in the most endearing sense of the word). The untamed appearance of my community garden plot is partly due to the fact that I planted too much in too small … Continue reading
Interested in picking your own fruit right in downtown Toronto? I was absolutely delighted when I discovered Not Far From the Tree (NFFTT) last summer. The NFFTT model is absolutely brilliant: they connect fruit pickers with fruit trees, making sure that the bounty of fruit in the city doesn’t go to waste. So what that … Continue reading
It seems that the locavore movement has been getting a lot of press lately, and it hasn’t all been good. The debate about the advantages and drawbacks of the local, 100 mile diet is getting heated and I thought I’d weigh in with some of my own thoughts on the matter. This is the first … Continue reading
Blueberries are without a doubt one of the most superstar fruits out there. Not only are they delicious, but there are many, many health benefits to eating blueberries, ideally in their raw state. These anti-oxidant and nutrient rich berries help boost the immune system, and research suggests there may be other longer term health benefits, … Continue reading
Despite an incredibly hectic week, I managed to get myself to the strawberry patch last weekend for some berry picking and have been busy baking, preserving and eating since then! I thought I’d share some of my favouite out-of-the-box strawberry combos for a little long weekend locavore inspiration. Strawberries & Balsamic Vinegar This is a … Continue reading
I’m completely obsessed with asparagus! While its in season in May and June I eat it pretty much every day…sometimes even with every meal. In keeping with the locavore challenge, I’ve been looking for ways to preserve it so that I can enjoy it all year long. Rather than just putting some in the freezer … Continue reading
The Urban Locavore 