Posted in Resources on May 18th, 2011
For those of you who don’t already know, in one word the West End Food Co-op is—-well, just plain awesome. This multi-stakeholder cooperative “is committed to the development of community food culture in Toronto’s West End, and acts as a catalyst for local food security. [They accomplish this] through coordinating community driven food initiatives, such [...]
Posted in Field Trip, Resources on May 16th, 2011
An artificial bee and wasp home helps promote pollinators in the garden. I signed up for an intensive, full-day workshop with landscape architect and specialist in environmental management, Brad Peterson, and his crew in Chatsworth, Ontario. Brad has been establishing his very own young forest garden, and I was there to witness its early stage [...]
I arrived at the Evergreen Brickworks two Sundays ago by bike and through the rain. It felt great to wind down and perk up for the Mobilizing Food Solutions panel discussion. This colloquium had all the creature comforts – great location, great people with great knowledge, and great food. Selected graduate panelists were asked to [...]
On March 21 I attended a workshop on forest gardens at FoodShare as led by Salvador Gallegos-Santinoli, a permaculture connoisseur and local landscape designer. Participants explored the philosophy — and even the spirituality — behind this unique ecosystem approach to gardening. Forest gardening is derived from principles of permaculture (permanent-agriculture) and can be applied in [...]
Last Friday I was invited to lecture for an Environmental Design class at OCAD as taught by Martin Liefhebber. This was one of many personal dreams coming true: being asked to link urban agriculture with design. Coming from a background in Community Arts, I see urban agriculture as a challenge to be met with creativity [...]
The municipal election is but a few days away. If you’ve been watching and waiting this summer while fruit ripens, and sometimes falls, you know that a lot can change in the space of a few days. As Torontonians who care about issues of environment, sustainability, and fair access to food and other resources, we [...]
Posted in Foraged, In Backyards, Resources on Aug 27th, 2010
In early July I couldn’t wait to get started as the new hub coordinator for Riverdale. It’s safe to say I was itchin’ to get pickin’. Although I’d missed the cherries, serviceberries, and mulberries because of our unusually warm spring, I was still looking forward to the next crop: apricots! I began scouring Riverdale looking [...]
Posted in Events, Field Trip, In Backyards, In the Media, Resources on Jul 29th, 2010
Not Far From The Tree is getting pretty excited about participating in the upcoming Foodprint conference this Saturday July 31st. Never heard of the Foodprint Project before…? “Foodprint Toronto is the second in a series of international conversations about food and the city. With the Toronto Board of Health having just formally adopted a new [...]
Posted in Field Trip, In Backyards, In the Kitchen, Resources on Apr 2nd, 2010
Kathleen Macintosh has always frozen fresh, sustainable, Ontario fruit. Recently, she’s been freezing enough to provide the masses with local fruit in the dead of winter. Kathleen is the founder of Culinarium,“Toronto’s Locavore Store!”. Culinarium “showcases exceptional Ontario products and the passionate people behind them.” If you haven’t ventured in, you should. It’s a beautiful boutique shop [...]
Posted in Field Trip, In Backyards, Resources on Feb 4th, 2010
Last Monday I arrived early for a tour of The Stop’s Green Barn. My tour guide, greenhouse coordinator Lord Abbey, hadn’t come in yet. Another employee greeted me, inviting me to make myself comfortable and wander around. It wasn’t hard to do; The Stop’s space is very inviting. I poked around checking out the books, gazing [...]
