Backyard Bounty Connections Issue #3
Project Update
Where oh where does the time go? Is it really August? Wow, the summer sure is flying by. And boy have we been busy! Planting, weeding, harvesting not too much watering thanks to fantastic homeowners and the weather we have been having! 20 CSA shares are being delivered every Tuesday and we are at the Guelph Farmers Market Every Saturday. We are working on the upcoming Urban Agriculture Conference and happy to announce we will be presenting findings from this conference at the Organic Conference in January! Much Gratitude goes to our amazing volunteers for dedication, and local restaurants that are supporting us by purchasing our produce! (See inside for more details and to find out where you can enjoy the Bounty!)
Help we need a Roto-tiller! Yes sadly for the second time this season our tiller has broken down. Stuck in pinch we are appealing to the generosity of our community and hoping somebody will have a tiller we can borrow or buy cheaply. If you can help please contact Shannon Lee our Project Coordinator at 519-803-2539
Now Accepting Applications for next Season!
Backyard Bounty is now accepting yard applications for next season, We are looking to partner with homeowners close to our current locations and possibly some larger spaces! Please fill out a Land Use Questionnaire on our website www.backyardbounty.ca We would like to break ground this fall to prepare the gardens for spring!
So What Else Have We Been Up To?
Well with 30 yards in cultivation we certainly are not short of work to do or opportunities to learn. As always we love volunteers and the opportunity to share knowledge about farming.
Well it’s one thing to grow veggies it’s a whole other thing to sell veggies! Luckily there are outstanding individuals in our community that value good food and recognize the value of eating local. Thanks so much to the following restaurants and food shops for your patronage Taste, Woolwich Arms, Cornerstone, WOW Café, Artisanale, Oudekirk and Taylors, Borealis, Einsteins, La Cucina and the Fat Duck. Another huge thanks to all those coming to buy our produce at market, it’s a good feeling to know all our food is being eaten by such lovely people!
We are so happy to see so much support for an Urban Agriculture Project and want to cultivate more so we are partnering with the University of Guelph this November 21st to bring you Guelph’s first Urban Agriculture Conference! Urban Agriculture: Opportunities for Action will bring together the movers and shakers in the Urban Agriculture scene. The conference aims to not only inspire action but address key issues and provide connections that enable the Urban Agriculture movement to advance. For more information please contact us!
Another upcoming event is our end of summer Bike Tour and Potluck. CSA members and Homeowners and our prospective project participants are welcome to join us at 125 York Rd on September 13th at 12:30 for a potluck lunch to be followed by a bike tour of some of the Backyard Bounty Gardens in the area! Please RSVP bring a dish to share, your own plate and cutlery, your bike and a picnic blanket or lawn chair (if you wish a chair to sit on and can fit it on your bike).
Well with 30 yards in cultivation we certainly are not short of work to do or opportunities to learn. As always we love volunteers and the opportunity to share knowledge about farming.
Well it’s one thing to grow veggies it’s a whole other thing to sell veggies! Luckily there are outstanding individuals in our community that value good food and recognize the value of eating local. Thanks so much to the following restaurants and food shops for your patronage Taste, Woolwich Arms, Cornerstone, WOW Café, Artisanale, Oudekirk and Taylors, Borealis, Einsteins, La Cucina and the Fat Duck. Another huge thanks to all those coming to buy our produce at market, it’s a good feeling to know all our food is being eaten by such lovely people!
We are so happy to see so much support for an Urban Agriculture Project and want to cultivate more so we are partnering with the University of Guelph this November 21st to bring you Guelph’s first Urban Agriculture Conference! Urban Agriculture: Opportunities for Action will bring together the movers and shakers in the Urban Agriculture scene. The conference aims to not only inspire action but address key issues and provide connections that enable the Urban Agriculture movement to advance. For more information please contact us!
Another upcoming event is our end of summer Bike Tour and Potluck. CSA members and Homeowners and our prospective project participants are welcome to join us at 125 York Rd on September 13th at 12:30 for a potluck lunch to be followed by a bike tour of some of the Backyard Bounty Gardens in the area! Please RSVP bring a dish to share, your own plate and cutlery, your bike and a picnic blanket or lawn chair (if you wish a chair to sit on and can fit it on your bike).
Well with 30 yards in cultivation we certainly are not short of work to do or opportunities to learn. As always we love volunteers and the opportunity to share knowledge about farming.
Well it’s one thing to grow veggies it’s a whole other thing to sell veggies! Luckily there are outstanding individuals in our community that value good food and recognize the value of eating local. Thanks so much to the following restaurants and food shops for your patronage Taste, Woolwich Arms, Cornerstone, WOW Café, Artisanale, Oudekirk and Taylors, Borealis, Einsteins, La Cucina and the Fat Duck. Another huge thanks to all those coming to buy our produce at market, it’s a good feeling to know all our food is being eaten by such lovely people!
We are so happy to see so much support for an Urban Agriculture Project and want to cultivate more so we are partnering with the University of Guelph this November 21st to bring you Guelph’s first Urban Agriculture Conference! Urban Agriculture: Opportunities for Action will bring together the movers and shakers in the Urban Agriculture scene. The conference aims to not only inspire action but address key issues and provide connections that enable the Urban Agriculture movement to advance. For more information please contact us!
……MORE EXCITING NEWS!!!!!!
It has been AWESOME to have so many wonderful volunteers this season. We are so grateful to have had big groups join us from John F. Ross High School, Ignatius and the Community Engaged Learning program at the U of G. Thank you for all your hard work!
Mobile Bike Market Hits the Road
That’s right look for us out on the streets! We’ll be biking around selling veggies from our bike trailer! Listen for our bells and keep your eye open for a fairy selling fresh produce!
Dance Project seeks Farmers
Looking for farmer’s who have an interest in dance or dancers that have an interest in farming, to participate in a collaborative project that brings together farming and creative movement. Musical types also very welcome as we aspire to revive the tradition of work songs. For more information please contact Shannon at seedsofhappiness@gmail.com
Have any extra tools hanging around?????
Backyard Bounty will be happy to take them off your hands and put them to good use. It’s always nice to have spare tools for volunteers who are coming to help out and learn about growing food! Rakes, shovels, hoes, harvesting knives etc. will all be appreciated!
Please call us and we will be happy to come by and pick up what we can make use of!
Have something to share?
Backyard Bounty Connection is open to submissions: Articles about local food, recipes, events listings, pictures of your garden’s. Simply send to info@backyardbounty.ca and put Backyard Bounty Connection submission in the subject line.
Questions, Comments, Queries?
info@backyardbounty.ca
519.803.2539
Project Participant Profile
Backyard Bounty is thrilled to be working with so many amazing people! Because we want to share with the larger community about how wonderful and inspiring this folks are we going to include Project Participant Profiles in our newsletters. Thanks to The Roibas Family for being part of this newsletter!
Names: Sheila, Daniel, Ferd, Rebecca and Alex Roibas
Role in Backyard Bounty: Homeowners
Professions:
Business man, Fulltime Mom, Students at U of G
Why did you become part of Backyard Bounty? Daniel says….”We wanted to grow Tomatoes!” We have lots of space. Thought it was a great idea to experience for ourselves’ and that food was going to people who needed it and it was a bonus to get some produce.
How did you hear about Backyard Bounty? Rebecca saw it in the Ontarian and showed us.
Did you have a garden growing up? Yes, my mom had a big vegetable garden in the back and a big beautiful rose garden. My grandmother was born in 1897 and grew up on a farm, so it was still in the tradition of the household to do canning and preserves. I wasn’t too interested in at the time but, now we are thinking about it more. I didn’t like finding out that the peaches I sent to school with the kids were from china, so we are getting back to eating local.
Can you tell us something unusual your neighbours may not know about you? Sheila was a research scientist back in the day, doing cancer research. Daniel plays guitar and is an excellent singer, he wants to be a zoologist when he grows up. Ferd used to be a drummer in a rock ‘n’ roll band that played at the Bullring in the 70’s.
What other steps have you taken or are taking in your life to be more sustainable?
We got a rain barrel, we never buy bottled water, turning things off and unplugging them when not using them. Trying to Eat local as much as possible. Growing some of our own food. Having conversations with our children about the environment and how we can do our part.
