Issue #2 -- Project Update!

Well it has been a while since our last newsletter; we have been very busy in the Gardens and in the community.  There is plenty of exciting news and lots of wonderful projects on the horizon.  We must say a huge THANK YOU! To all the hardworking volunteers that have come out to volunteer their time and make this project a success. Your participation is so valuable to us and we are so glad to have you out and love to see so many people having fun digging in the earth and learning how to grow food! If you haven’t come out to volunteer yet and are interested please contact us!

We are no longer accepting yard applications for this season, but you if you are interested in having us garden your yard next year please fill out a Land Use Questionnaire on our website www.backyardbounty.ca, we are also accepting yard applications from cities other than Guelph as a way to indicate where there may be potential to expand.

We have sold most of our CSA shares and have just a handful left so please contact us as soon as possible if you are interested.

So what have we been up to?

The Garden Report

On the Garden front planting is in full swing, our spring was busy with seeding and watering seedlings as they poked their little heads up. It was fantastic to sow seeds with GCOUF and are now reaping the generous rewards of beautiful seedlings of which more and more are going into the earth each day. Scott’s spring tilling did have a slight set back at the beginning of the season as the Roto-tiller broke down, but luckily was quickly fixed within days and the ground was broken.  We have now tilled all the yards and most have been enriched with compost and planted.

Crops that are planted include: peas, spinach, kale, lettuce (red and green leaf), parsley, broccoli, green onions, mesclun, beets, arugula, radish, endive, kohlrabi, red and white cooking onions, angelica and sorrel, yellow beans, Tomatoes (several varieties) and Basil.

We are continuing to Plant each day and have welcomed two new members to the Team Remy and Tori! (Two very hard workers that are very much appreciated and a pleasure to work with.)

We appreciated the opportunity to visit Whole Circle Farm last month for a day of working with biodynamic preparations.  It was an awesome and moving  experience, and we were lucky to bring back some preparations for the gardens. Thanks to Maggie and Yohann  and their interns for  having us!

The Community Report

On the networking front we continue to make terrific connections with people working regionally and internationally on Local Food Projects. We were in attendance at the Ontario Test Kitchens Event in Toronto, a wonderful conference that focused on creating a sustainable food system for Ontario. We participated in The GEL Eco Market, continue to work with the Guelph Wellington Local Food Initiative and the Guelph Food Round Table. Come see us this coming weekend at the Buy Local Buy Fresh Map Launch at Ignatius Farm, where at 11am we will be giving a talk about Urban Agriculture and at noon there will be a Potluck Picnic and Conversation Cafe about Local Food Issues. We have been talking with people from the University of Guelph and are partnering to coordinate an Urban Agriculture conference to be held in Guelph this coming fall. Also exciting is the possibility of having some students assist us with program evaluation.

Perhaps some of our most exciting news is the acquisition of funds from Carrot Cache who awarded us a grant for two refrigerators (to keep veggies cool in the heat of the summer), and funds to build a Mobile Modular wash station. The Bike Centre on campus has offered to help facilitate the construction of the wash station. Volunteer builders are welcome to contact us if they would be interested in assisting with station creation. It is our hope to have a station that is a multi-purposeful resource, and can be made available for community food projects. A Big Thanks goes out to Carrot Cache for their generous support!

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. Our First is a lovely family from the south end of Guelph!

Names: Khosrow, Rachel, Mona, Isaiah, Carmella Farahbakhsh

Role in Backyard Bounty: Homeowners

Professions:
Environmental engineering Professor at University of Guelph, Literacy Consultant

Why did you become part of Backyard Bounty?
We thought it was a great and long overdue idea. We believe food supply is a missing link in sustainability. We do not want to rely on Mexico, Costa Rica and Chile for our food, shipping food from this far away is an irresponsible use of fuel. This project is a great start towards building a more sustainable food system. Its not huge (yet) but its just right. And besides who doesn’t love a garden it their backyard?

How did you hear about Backyard Bounty?
I read about it in the Guelph Mercury.

Did you have a garden growing up?
Yes I always had  a garden growing up in Iran.

Can you tell us something unusual your neighbours may not know about you?
All our children are musicians Mona plays viola, Isaiah Plays cello and Carmella is playing with  her band The Collectables at Hillside this summer!

What other steps have you taken or are taking in your life to be more sustainable?
We have a cistern under our front yard that holds rainwater we collect from our roof. This water is used for laundry, to flush toilets and for outdoor water use. We have Backyard Chicken’s that provide eggs and meat, and are part of a Community Supported Agriculture program that supplies us with locally grown veggies almost year round. We bike whenever we can instead of driving, and use the Bike centre on campus as a great resource. Also we are always reminding our children to turn off the shower when they are soaping up. All the things we do are really simple ways to live more sustainably.

This Month's Seasonal Recipe:

Super Yummy Green Drinks!

Now that Spring greens are  here,  try this delicious  and healthy start to the day!

Add together in blender:
1 handful of fresh local spinach
1 handful  nettles
Frozen blueberries (hopeful there are still a few stashed from blueberry season)
a couple of stalks rhubarb chopped into small pieces
1 teaspoon spirulina
1 tablespoon  bee pollen
cover with  apple cider
add ginger, cinnamon and maple syrup to taste

Blend, consume, enjoy!

Have something to share?
Backyard Bounty Connection is open to submissions: Articles about local food, recipes, events listings, pictures of your gardens.
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
www.backyardbounty.ca
 

--
The most unrealistic person in the world is the cynic, not the dreamer. Hopefulness only makes sense when it doesn’t make sense to be hopeful. This is your century. Take it and run as if your life depends on it.  YOU ARE BRILLIANT, AND THE EARTH IS HIRING...
- Paul Hawken, May 2009, author of The Ecology of Commerce.