tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8745022177471231222024-03-12T21:21:23.425-04:00Edible CityLorraine Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08458426693848831782noreply@blogger.comBlogger25125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-874502217747123122.post-89465709605995166412011-12-01T19:33:00.004-05:002011-12-01T19:55:53.478-05:00Busted: Working for Chicken Bylaw Change<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyAMizDfdltCu4urbtfV09gx6QAGRjp4jJbsPwxukRSR3NTdwQds5xCgynIaMeTuKOgUjwNhu0kd_peQRkPw3nlghFa5Y6Isd9jNS92f6Y8ccgRRJ77iaqON9BjM1gfg_RNGBpulyHIttu/s1600/IMG_9421.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5681323252323358402" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 150px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 200px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyAMizDfdltCu4urbtfV09gx6QAGRjp4jJbsPwxukRSR3NTdwQds5xCgynIaMeTuKOgUjwNhu0kd_peQRkPw3nlghFa5Y6Isd9jNS92f6Y8ccgRRJ77iaqON9BjM1gfg_RNGBpulyHIttu/s200/IMG_9421.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div>A year and a half ago, I was busted for my backyard chickens. Two Toronto bylaw officers knocked on my door and gave me a Notice to Comply--thirty days to move my chickens out of the city or face a fine and forced removal.</div><br /><div></div><br /><div>As it turns out, I was moving house that day--the moving van was in my driveway. If the bylaw officers had shown up the next day, my chickens and I would have been gone. I moved and didn't hear from the bylaw folks again. (I'm sure they had much better things to do than track me and my gals down, and I appreciate that.)</div><br /><div></div><br /><div>Backyard chickens have been in the Toronto news again recently. A report on allowing backyard chickens in Toronto will be presented to the Licensing and Standards Committee on February 24, 2012. It is a crucial time in the effort to allow the safe, humane keeping of hens in Toronto.</div><br /><div></div><br /><div>The councillors who sit on the Licensing and Standards Committee need to hear from people who support urban hens. There are many myths and conceptions out there, and those who support urban hens need to speak up. I hope you'll consider writing to the councillors on the Licensing and Standards Committee (see names and emails below) and tell them that you support safe and humane backyard egg production in the city! (And if you don't support it, please feel free to post any questions or concerns here, so we can have an exchange of ideas on the subject.)</div><br /><div></div><br /><div>Licensing and Standards Committee<br /><a href="http://www.toronto.ca/councillors/debaeremaeker1.htm" target="_blank">Glenn De Baeremaeker </a>(<a href="mailto:councillor_debaeremaeker@toronto.ca">councillor_debaeremaeker@toronto.ca</a>)<br /><a href="http://www.toronto.ca/councillors/lee1.htm" target="_blank">Chin Lee </a>(Vice Chair) (<a href="mailto:councillor_lee@toronto.ca">councillor_lee@toronto.ca</a>)<br /><a href="http://www.toronto.ca/councillors/lindsay_luby1.htm" target="_blank">Gloria Lindsay Luby </a>(<a href="mailto:councillor_lindsay_lubu@toronto.ca">councillor_lindsay_lubu@toronto.ca</a>)<br /><a href="http://www.toronto.ca/councillors/nunziata1.htm" target="_blank">Frances Nunziata </a>(<a href="mailto:councillor_nunziata@toronto.ca">councillor_nunziata@toronto.ca</a>)<br /><a href="http://www.toronto.ca/councillors/palacio1.htm" target="_blank">Cesar Palacio </a>(Chair) (<a href="mailto:councillor_palacio@toronto.ca">councillor_palacio@toronto.ca</a>)<br /><a href="http://www.toronto.ca/councillors/perruzza1.htm" target="_blank">Anthony Perruzza </a>(<a href="mailto:councillor_perruzza@toronto.ca">councillor_perruzza@toronto.ca</a>)</div><br /><div></div>Lorraine Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08458426693848831782noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-874502217747123122.post-54290135245308797262011-11-14T09:16:00.005-05:002011-11-14T09:28:47.146-05:00A Royal Decline at the Fair<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit74-wAMvuCaS02y0AVL0tKmyLbs95Vk8PXo0h-AmafJK9qoFT2kTMldIP0ZS1D5snZI-H_ds6qlJQefsy_wEHkFJJ0OozFdPSPDtQZ1OTZvnaorQsduJ3-xK-J31G8lPTN2G04w8Q3kvV/s1600/IMG_9254.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5674855899083545618" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 150px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit74-wAMvuCaS02y0AVL0tKmyLbs95Vk8PXo0h-AmafJK9qoFT2kTMldIP0ZS1D5snZI-H_ds6qlJQefsy_wEHkFJJ0OozFdPSPDtQZ1OTZvnaorQsduJ3-xK-J31G8lPTN2G04w8Q3kvV/s200/IMG_9254.JPG" border="0" /></a> When I was in university, I skipped class to go to the Royal Winter Fair. Arriving back at school for a late-afternoon tutiorial, I sat in the room thinking "what's that smell?!" It was me--the barnyard odour had seeped into my sweater and there was fresh manure on my shoes. I didn't mind. These are the sorts of things you should take home from an agricultural fair.<br /><br />A few days ago, I returned home from the Royal Winter Fair with a bag full of sanitized, processed, packaged goodies (cheese crackers, skin cream, birch syrup), and zero in the way of animal smells--unless you count the dwarf-goat slobber on my palm, from the petting zoo.<br /><br />The Royal is now, pretty much, a marketplace of fudge and funnel cakes, where you're hard pressed to find Ontario's agricultural bounty. Sad.<br /><br />But I did delight in the poultry, once I managed to look past the display of chickens dyed baby blue, pink and yellow (yes, I'm serious). I met a farmer who raises Chantecler chickens (a uniquely Canadian, heritage breed on the Slow Food Ark of Taste) and I plan to contact him in the spring to get a couple of hens. So all was not lost in this outing to the fair, but something significant has certainly been lost if the smell of french-fry grease in the Royal's food court overpowers the smell of soil and barn.Lorraine Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08458426693848831782noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-874502217747123122.post-55687143208936468522011-11-13T15:56:00.004-05:002011-11-13T16:04:08.753-05:00Another growTO event on Tuesday, Nov 15, 2011On Tuesday, Nov 15th, 2011, from 6 to 8PM, at the Architecture Building, 325 Church Street (just south of Gerrard), at Ryerson University in Toronto, the fourth session of the growTO speakers series will be held. With a great line-up of speakers (a couple of whom are from out of town), it should be a wonderful event.<br /><br />As one of the series organizers, I hope you can come out to take part in this event!<br /><br />The topic is <br />Making the Case for Urban Agriculture<br /><br />Speakers:<br />Nevin Cohen<br />The New School, New York NY<br /><br />Harry Rhodes<br />Growing Home, Chicago IL<br /><br />Aimee Carson<br />Evergreen, Toronto ON<br /><br />Rhonda Teitel-Payne<br />The Stop Community Food Centre, Toronto ON<br /><br />Moderator: Lauren BakerLorraine Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08458426693848831782noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-874502217747123122.post-25168320801462063052011-10-20T07:06:00.003-04:002011-10-20T07:10:09.011-04:00Fundraising Dinner<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghqLqaa6NPmEHjo0g4FVOVYygjGAJ0aMEBEf5rGw_yUdPjC0Yxh0hBxcuH4K0OkPzVeCqzBgP6_RwLp56iI7DSNS2HAqLou0wGD0SSxwOCHiHZ4PV2Cg9XpEB_k6DiGfuRDMfxAB5lFGrt/s1600/CS2011ad720.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5665529403848475314" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 100px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghqLqaa6NPmEHjo0g4FVOVYygjGAJ0aMEBEf5rGw_yUdPjC0Yxh0hBxcuH4K0OkPzVeCqzBgP6_RwLp56iI7DSNS2HAqLou0wGD0SSxwOCHiHZ4PV2Cg9XpEB_k6DiGfuRDMfxAB5lFGrt/s200/CS2011ad720.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div></div><br />A great event is coming up: the Charles Sauriol Environmental Dinner for the Living City. It's being held on November 3rd, 2011, and takes place in Brampton, Ontario. Chef Michael Smith is the special guest. All funds raised go towards the purchase of environmentally sensitive lands. To purchase tickets, go to <a href="http://www.charlessauriol.ca/">www.charlessauriol.ca</a>.Lorraine Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08458426693848831782noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-874502217747123122.post-33744543064214009432011-10-07T09:39:00.004-04:002011-10-07T09:52:05.449-04:00City Farmer EventOn Wednesday, October 12, I'll be reading from <em>City Farmer: Adventures in Urban Food Growing </em>at an event sponsored by the Beaches United Church. (Admission is free but donations are encouraged to support Goodwill's Interfaith Lunch Program.) The reading starts at 7:30 and is being held at Juice and Java, 2102 Queen Street East (Queen and Winona), Toronto. Hope you can make it!Lorraine Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08458426693848831782noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-874502217747123122.post-41457472365898575572011-09-28T16:42:00.003-04:002011-09-28T16:50:52.342-04:00Beyond the TomatoThis summer, I was very excited to grow a number of vegetable plants I'd never grown before, such as okra, ground cherries, and cardoon. Farmers (along with gardeners) in Ontario are expanding their palettes to include "world crops"--that is, vegetables available in grocery stores as imports but that can (and should!) be grown commercially here in Ontario.<br /><br />On Tuesday, October 4, 2011, from 6pm to 8pm, I'll be moderating a panel discussion in Toronto (at Ryerson University, 325 Church Street) on growing world crops. The evening is part of a series called growTO, which will take place over four evenings in October and November. (See <a href="http://www.toronto.ca/livegreen/getinvolved_speakers_growto.htm">www.toronto.ca/livegreen/getinvolved_speakers_growto.htm</a> for details.)<br /><br />The event is free of charge and will, I'm sure, be lively and engaging. Hope to see you there.Lorraine Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08458426693848831782noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-874502217747123122.post-39818489770590808352011-06-04T07:22:00.003-04:002011-06-04T07:23:47.575-04:00Sex Life of TreesThere's a great event coming up in Toronto this coming Tuesday, June 7, 2011:<div><br /><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; "><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-left: 0cm; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; "><b><span style="font-size: 13.5pt; ">The Secret Sex Lives of Trees<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-left: 0cm; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; "><b>Presented by LEAF – Local Enhancement and Appreciation of Forests<o:p></o:p></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-left: 0cm; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; "><b>Date: </b>Tuesday June 7, 2011, 7:00 to 8:30pm<br /><b>Location:</b> Royal Ontario Museum, Level 1B, Signy and Cléophée Eaton Theatre, 100 Queen's Park, Toronto<br /><b>Speaker:</b> Tony Fleischmann<br /><b>Cost:</b> $12 per person, $10 for ROM members<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-left: 0cm; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; "><a href="http://www.rom.on.ca/programs/lectures/index.php?ref=showinfo&program_id=7003" style="color: blue; text-decoration: underline; ">Purchase advance tickets</a><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; "><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-left: 0cm; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; "><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; ">From tempting potential pollinators with alluring colours and luscious nectar, to brandishing ripe fruits and berries before eager birds, trees will go to great lengths to multiply. Join us as Tony Fleischmann, long time arborist and tree enthusiast, reveals the "seedy" side of the urban forest. Recommended for those who don't blush easily!<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-left: 0cm; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; "><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; "><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-left: 0cm; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; "><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; ">Tony Fleischmann has worked in the commercial, municipal and utility arboriculture field for over 25 years. He is a Certified Arborist with the International Society of Arboriculture and a Past President of the Ontario Chapter. Tony has presented a variety of seminars, workshops and tree talks to various organizations including the ISA, Canadian Forestry Service, OMNR, Ontario Urban Forest Council, Landscape Ontario, HGTV, Rogers TV, Ontario Parks Association, Composting Council of Canada and Canada Blooms as well as a number of educational institutions.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-left: 0cm; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; "><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; "><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-left: 0cm; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; "><o:p> </o:p></p></span></div></div>Lorraine Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08458426693848831782noreply@blogger.com170tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-874502217747123122.post-7274833744660956812011-05-27T07:34:00.004-04:002011-05-27T07:44:32.963-04:00Help Make the Gals Legal!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMLgb9JJTm4dnz4fTTpMoDTAh4qpJFHQ3CrZb7I1yfIKMJSyh5sr6-x-cNBEJmuzVsxAtd2oHmSEJIxNyJ3vesm_ylm9IZmBf91x4aSoIIWQFXtTQw27ZqGSfwhngl4_LiQmTf8BJ-UlJ-/s1600/IMG_7218.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMLgb9JJTm4dnz4fTTpMoDTAh4qpJFHQ3CrZb7I1yfIKMJSyh5sr6-x-cNBEJmuzVsxAtd2oHmSEJIxNyJ3vesm_ylm9IZmBf91x4aSoIIWQFXtTQw27ZqGSfwhngl4_LiQmTf8BJ-UlJ-/s200/IMG_7218.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5611358753527196082" /></a>These three hens have a group name: Ethel Mabel Merman. Each goes by the three-part name. They're lovely ladies, great egg producers, and illegal in Toronto.<div><br /></div><div>But change is in the air--possibly. There's talk of allowing chickens in Toronto, and a debate, starting with the Licensing and Standards Committee, could begin very soon.</div><div><br /></div><div>Sorry to mix metaphors, but it's time to get our ducks in a row.</div><div><br /></div><div>Please consider signing the petition to make backyard hens legal in Toronto: <a href="http://www.torontochickens.com/Toronto_Chickens/Petition.html">www.torontochickens.com/Toronto_Chickens/Petition.html</a>. The more signatures we have when the chicken debate heats up, the better! Please take a moment to sign the petition, and perhaps even urge friends and colleagues to do so. </div><div><br /></div><div>Many thanks--from me, and from Ethel Mabel Merman.</div><div><br /></div>Lorraine Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08458426693848831782noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-874502217747123122.post-77846935959392243072011-05-10T11:32:00.002-04:002011-05-10T11:45:53.382-04:00Toronto's First Chicken Coop Tour<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8j09FTiRXmnf7Z6lbhGp0p2IxL85X7Drap95bbxn6W6s1irbr9E5qMxNe4MEjV4l6oLXqdkOdE7rX4vDnFdgRG2lL5GXJXjp5_uBxx9csZEqsqlyLBu8NJJ8NqtR1LrGVR2idzhNXBgZT/s1600/IMG_7355.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8j09FTiRXmnf7Z6lbhGp0p2IxL85X7Drap95bbxn6W6s1irbr9E5qMxNe4MEjV4l6oLXqdkOdE7rX4vDnFdgRG2lL5GXJXjp5_uBxx9csZEqsqlyLBu8NJJ8NqtR1LrGVR2idzhNXBgZT/s200/IMG_7355.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5605111482189408722" /></a>I wasn't sure how much interest there would be, but we had a capacity crowd for what will, I hope, turn into an annual event: a tour of backyard chicken coops in Toronto! I organized it as part of the Jane's Walks tours going on all over Toronto this past weekend, which made the whole thing very easy to set up. We did the tour on bikes (like the monthly bike event Critical Mass, but we were Chicken Mass), and registration was limited to 30, so some people who wanted to come, couldn't. But I'm hoping to do another tour this summer or early fall and will post details here for anyone who's interested. (One of the conditions of registration was that participants had to promise not to squeal to City officials about the locations of contraband chickens hiding out in Toronto.)<div><br /></div><div>We went to 5 different coops, from Crawford and College to Eglinton and Bathurst. The biggest surprise for participants was the coop in a downtown front yard, completely visible from the street. How this chicken-keeper has managed to get away with such a public set-up, I don't know, but good on her (and her neighbours!).</div><div><br /></div><div>Many thanks to everyone who took part (many participants wanted to set up their own coops and asked great questions). Also, many thanks to the founder of www.torontochickens.com, who was a great resource person on the tour (and who baked buckwheat cookies for us), and to Karen May, another great resource on the tour, who wrote her Master's thesis at the University of Toronto on backyard chickens.</div><div><br /></div><div>One of the delights of the tour was that Edith Mabel Merman (a beautiful Leghorn hen) laid an egg while we were visiting her--it was the first experience of a warm, just-laid egg for many participants and it was lovely to see people cradling the egg in their hands with awe!</div>Lorraine Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08458426693848831782noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-874502217747123122.post-11838199031006689062011-04-29T09:09:00.001-04:002011-04-29T09:20:19.006-04:00A Lot of Sausages<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLiGZsfPgjWx2vAKj-0L_kT85XCxdLCRvfxZgC_unslZItF33otwnSnaFuPnSvTBIdPjClRuLPaeZG87huK8CPLF7FV_TiJQORiqyM9YS69d0FM_SKAUEwYaFUhwBgJ_lrcQDgcHpjUHwn/s1600/IMG_7317.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLiGZsfPgjWx2vAKj-0L_kT85XCxdLCRvfxZgC_unslZItF33otwnSnaFuPnSvTBIdPjClRuLPaeZG87huK8CPLF7FV_TiJQORiqyM9YS69d0FM_SKAUEwYaFUhwBgJ_lrcQDgcHpjUHwn/s200/IMG_7317.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5600992556850655858" /></a>Fifty-five pounds of ground pork shoulder. Dozens of feet of pig intestines. Herbs, spices, 2 bottles of wine, a bag of Doritos. My brother Ross, some old friends and I made sausages last night. Ross, Roger and Henry have been doing it together for years (Roger learned as a child from his dad) and they kindly let me in on what Henry called their "man fun." (I try not to see the world in gendered terms, but as I was up to my elbows in ground pork, I thought, yes, my gal friends and I get together to make chocolates...)<div><br /></div><div>A lot of thought goes into their sausage flavourings. Ross used special treats from Australia--Aussie native spices such as bush tomato and native pepper berries; Roger went for the traditional (garlic); Henry went wild with fig sauce, maple syrup and, in a last-minute creative spark, ground-up Doritos (which did indeed add flavour along with crunch).</div><div><br /></div><div>I, too, went a bit wild with my five pounds of pork, dividing it into half for just garlic and pepper, and the other half for sausages that paid tribute to my first drink of alcohol as a teenager: apricot brandy. I flavoured my sausages with chopped-up dried apricots, a couple ounces of Remy Martin and roasted fennel seeds.</div><div><br /></div><div>I'm hooked and already scheming flavour combos for the next batch in a couple of months: dried pear and pine nuts; cranberry and hazelnut.</div>Lorraine Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08458426693848831782noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-874502217747123122.post-62052780646003628482011-04-28T13:22:00.002-04:002011-04-28T13:27:38.318-04:00Reading and Talk this Monday<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlb3BnGgjFieR9t-yGHZMIZMrBlKPMACM5PVMTG-aoXGyCqHP0gB8VPwMgG_JJIqA_n35rPD9MB_-caW8muVVWIz4HcFWVqlP0cxz9oCd0pRP27-eJbC7X_yrxgY0N7eeVP2t7MW0nI4Le/s1600/F1000045.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 134px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlb3BnGgjFieR9t-yGHZMIZMrBlKPMACM5PVMTG-aoXGyCqHP0gB8VPwMgG_JJIqA_n35rPD9MB_-caW8muVVWIz4HcFWVqlP0cxz9oCd0pRP27-eJbC7X_yrxgY0N7eeVP2t7MW0nI4Le/s200/F1000045.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5600686289643458210" /></a>I hope you'll join me at a public reading/talk I'm giving on Monday, May 2nd, 7pm, at the North York Public Library in Toronto (North York Civic Centre subway stop). I'll be reading excerpts from my book City Farmer: Adventures in Urban Food Production and telling stories about unusual things people are doing in terms of growing food in the city (such as this "Vehicular Reclamation Project," photo above, in which people grew herbs and other plants in this car--one of my favourite gardens ever).Lorraine Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08458426693848831782noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-874502217747123122.post-53151776861644835462011-04-24T14:06:00.002-04:002011-04-24T14:17:27.571-04:00Saving My Ash Tree<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-lZphBKj6LCzBkKGddWfLmqA1HvV4GBwRuFvA5qWo_Lkk1ZN5ymA03TvyikoyPa5_An8h3YsClHWybyrgFDOiLVHPa0TUuiJ1k50Ga73pDmrmZfgKSXVNgUGJ0PF_hukGjpx3l31sBVQm/s1600/IMG_7221.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-lZphBKj6LCzBkKGddWfLmqA1HvV4GBwRuFvA5qWo_Lkk1ZN5ymA03TvyikoyPa5_An8h3YsClHWybyrgFDOiLVHPa0TUuiJ1k50Ga73pDmrmZfgKSXVNgUGJ0PF_hukGjpx3l31sBVQm/s200/IMG_7221.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5599213985193582290" /></a>I embarrassed myself in a meeting recently. A group of us were gathered to plan the upcoming urban tree conference (November 1st and 2nd; details soon) being sponsored by the Ontario Urban Forest Council and the Toronto Botanical Garden. As we discussed topics, I found that all I could think about, and all I wanted to talk about, was the gigantic and beautiful ash tree in my front yard--threatened by emerald ash borer! Here I was with a group of very knowledgeable tree people, so I couldn't help by ask at every turn: "Yes, but what about my tree?!"<div><br /></div><div>Emerald ash borer is in Toronto (having already wiped out almost all ash trees in Windsor), and every ash is threatened. I don't know if mine is infested (there are no visible signs, yet), but it could be any day. There are infestations just 4 kilometres away from my tree. Apparently there's a treatment available, and I plan to check into it. My tree, technically, belongs to the city, so I'll start with them. I despair at the thought of losing this fantastic giant (40 feet plus), whose canopy shades three houses.</div>Lorraine Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08458426693848831782noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-874502217747123122.post-65678012625261925642011-03-20T09:22:00.005-04:002011-03-20T09:36:26.850-04:00Raising Fish<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYHzryaQohpdKMZKTpQUZTmxQvWhgF85CsfC269hjr3V0i2RuHquWxE358PMTaV4qXkTn0ktSvcT3dc8yY6WHGcf7wOJ0AF8MAXI6obeF7m4gh7_526k1-j6RZuuiLRv6nVAtGWN7-nqvv/s1600/IMG_7035.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYHzryaQohpdKMZKTpQUZTmxQvWhgF85CsfC269hjr3V0i2RuHquWxE358PMTaV4qXkTn0ktSvcT3dc8yY6WHGcf7wOJ0AF8MAXI6obeF7m4gh7_526k1-j6RZuuiLRv6nVAtGWN7-nqvv/s200/IMG_7035.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5586152706749784098" /></a><br />I went to an aquaponics workshop in Buffalo last weekend. I thought I would learn how to do small-scale raising of fish (in small barrels), perhaps with hydroponic lettuce on top of the barrels, but the techniques discussed turned out to be more large-scale than that. The other people in the workshop were all farmers with large greenhouses, not city dwellers. So I left the workshop early and went to the Albright Knox Gallery instead.<br /><br />Funny thing happened at the border.<br /><br />Crossing into the U.S., the Customs fellow asked me the purpose of my trip. "I'm going to a workshop," I said. "On what?" he asked. I didn't want to use any word (such as aquaponics) that sounded anything like hydroponics, so I said "raising fish."<br /><br />"What do you need a workshop on that for?" he barked. "You just throw some fish in water and they grow." He didn't say this in a friendly way at all.<br /><br />Crossing into Canada coming home couldn't have been more different. A punky-looking Customs guy with spiked hair asked me the same question about the purpose of my trip to the States. "I went to a workshop and the Albright Knox," I said. "Sounds like a very cultural afternoon," he said.<br /><br />I laughed and responded with, "well, it was a workshop on raising fish."<br /><br />"That's agri-<span style="font-style:italic;">cultural</span>," he said.<br /><br />Indeed!Lorraine Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08458426693848831782noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-874502217747123122.post-35832572512348659462011-03-16T08:05:00.005-04:002011-03-16T08:20:12.805-04:00Greenhouse Luck<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRxl2Tv-TasDCo4Uzx4NlI_1xC8t9zNmeHt6Ih9OKb_jYXZ6Uqk1lPSoHWb61_jPF-4OVCzBcAKI5xlUHvfK5Y9ODPUMwx_J3vasnsn3ep7s3_YWE_RA2taTTc0qbXCpsDs81ogcm6Io0Z/s1600/IMG_7079.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRxl2Tv-TasDCo4Uzx4NlI_1xC8t9zNmeHt6Ih9OKb_jYXZ6Uqk1lPSoHWb61_jPF-4OVCzBcAKI5xlUHvfK5Y9ODPUMwx_J3vasnsn3ep7s3_YWE_RA2taTTc0qbXCpsDs81ogcm6Io0Z/s200/IMG_7079.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5584649011744047362" /></a><br />Feeling very lucky. Managed to snag a spot in a community greenhouse, so I can start my own seedlings. The greenhouse is in Toronto's Trinity Bellwoods Park and is run by a community group, Friends of Trinity Bellwoods Park. What a great idea! There must be tons of people like me who always have plans to start their own seedlings at home but are defeated by things like hooking up grow lights, providing enough heat to baby plants, etc. Even if a seed-starting set-up were to magically appear in my basement, I'd still want to grow my seedlings in a community greenhouse instead--there's just something about the camaraderie and the instant availability of assistance.<br /><br />Yesterday, for example, when I went to the greenhouse for the first time this season, there was a woman there checking to make sure that supplies were topped up (a whole bucket of potting soil) and the work table clean. We had a pleasant gab about our garden plans for this year and I felt instantly welcome.<br /><br />The best part: dozens of fellow greenhouse growers will be keeping an eye on my seedlings, watering them if they're dry, rotating the trays when the plants get leggy, just generally helping out.<br /><br />As for the veggies I'll be starting from seed in the greenhouse: I can't wait! Cardoon, ground cherries, Mexican sour gherkins, luffa, asparagus lettuce--all the weirdo delights that are impossible to find in nurseries! More on that in upcoming posts. For now, excited dreams.Lorraine Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08458426693848831782noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-874502217747123122.post-43181135811167140932011-03-08T11:35:00.004-05:002011-03-08T11:54:13.819-05:00Moving Trees<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv8vfLdc6mONPp_T7nFWRTVPMaZ_2ffOuXm_Y7xUmR9QRl8H-9y__ziy1t-YUfKNXSX4JX90p4VWldt04uTHNzrrCejZrrMPqkuMqC4pz6FnekJBuNFYgoY3LRf-nIzYn5nefL6ov2_0IJ/s1600/DSCN4984.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv8vfLdc6mONPp_T7nFWRTVPMaZ_2ffOuXm_Y7xUmR9QRl8H-9y__ziy1t-YUfKNXSX4JX90p4VWldt04uTHNzrrCejZrrMPqkuMqC4pz6FnekJBuNFYgoY3LRf-nIzYn5nefL6ov2_0IJ/s200/DSCN4984.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5581749825639459154" /></a><br /><br />Wayne Grady and Merilyn Simonds did a presentation at the Toronto Botanical Garden this week. Their subject was "a passion for trees"--turns out they fell in love while measuring a balsam poplar. Talk about tree-huggers!<br /><br />As I listened to them and watched their wonderful slides, nostalgia and grief for the trees I left behind when I moved house ten months ago overcame me.<br /><br />Some context: my new house is roughly seven large city blocks away from my old house, and in the month leading up to my move, I wheelbarrowed as much of my garden as I could to my new digs. The tree haul consisted of:<br /><br />* 2 paw paws (a native Ontario tree--Asimina triloba)<br />* a white cedar<br />* a serviceberry<br />* an alternate leaves dogwood<br />* a sumac<br />* a hemlock<br /><br />Everything except for one paw paw appears to have survived the wrenching relocation.<br /><br />But it's the trees I left behind, too big to move, that I mourn:<br /><br />* the red oak<br />* the persimmons given to me by Mary Gartshore of Pterophylla Nursery near Walsingham, Ontario, which may be starting to bear fruit some time soon<br />* the sumac I transplanted from the farm belonging to my ex's father (who is now dead and the farm for sale)<br />* the Kentucky coffee tree<br />* the hop tree with its sprawling, gangly branches<br />* the sugar maple, the first tree I planted at the house after I moved there<br />* the redbud<br /><br />Each tree carried a story and meant so much to me. Leaving them behind, I now realize, was the saddest part of a sad time. Yes, I'm happy to be planting new stories, planning the forest and orchard that will transform the sunny expanse of my new home into cool, fruitful shade. But I miss the trees that grounded me for years in my old life.Lorraine Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08458426693848831782noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-874502217747123122.post-71473409781724856712010-09-27T09:18:00.004-04:002010-09-27T09:36:37.371-04:00A New Hen for the Flock<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCJDRmuXcnTxmOCyX0blhV6WVNH1wBgqkNSICqNsOqMTDhEhJfVB0SpRjNbgiLcHUmWPLTF2ekm5cDfY89RRuPKJGkDOMAk4yj57CkmaT-hh4191mc_yGFxJcXtVjNZqKDsJH67fukcY8f/s1600/DSCN6266.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCJDRmuXcnTxmOCyX0blhV6WVNH1wBgqkNSICqNsOqMTDhEhJfVB0SpRjNbgiLcHUmWPLTF2ekm5cDfY89RRuPKJGkDOMAk4yj57CkmaT-hh4191mc_yGFxJcXtVjNZqKDsJH67fukcY8f/s200/DSCN6266.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5521582661458339618" /></a><br />My chicken flock is back up to three hens. (Exactly WHERE my flock is, I'm not saying, since the gals remain fugitives...chickens are not allowed in Toronto.)<br /><br />I went to Blue Haven Farm (www.bluehavenfarm.moonfruit.com) near Fergus two weeks ago and chose a gorgeous, fine-tempered white bird of the Columbia breed. (She's the one on the right.) I expected her to lay white eggs (and was excited by the thought of daily blue, white and brown eggs) but she pops brown eggs. I saw it as a great omen that her first one had two yolks! <br /><br />She has integrated well with Nog and Hermione--no fighting to sort out the pecking order.<br /><br />As for her name, I'm thinking of Harriet.Lorraine Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08458426693848831782noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-874502217747123122.post-49388235757960620172010-07-18T11:45:00.007-04:002010-07-19T17:26:04.614-04:00R.I.P. Chicken Roo<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwUx04IxqjUbedJUPfX0louQjqh7aa4nYRpBRb_IgVRFSBOJB0jexkXeSV7nbc1f0oAdU3ImSderWrI5hUPJdLr4reG74OfEuLB1Se9halXLw5Q1R2RZ3a5jyIeAae6ecHMfR7Nsw6ZYHN/s1600/DSCN5006.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwUx04IxqjUbedJUPfX0louQjqh7aa4nYRpBRb_IgVRFSBOJB0jexkXeSV7nbc1f0oAdU3ImSderWrI5hUPJdLr4reG74OfEuLB1Se9halXLw5Q1R2RZ3a5jyIeAae6ecHMfR7Nsw6ZYHN/s200/DSCN5006.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5495275896673183762" /></a><br /><br />One of my chickens, Roo, died on Saturday. She was a Buff Orpington, just over 2 years old, and a great gal. Her illness and death brought to mind all the practical dilemmas and philosophical contradictions, for me, of keeping egg-laying hens in the city. For example, when it became clear that she was sick, I didn't know where to turn. Should I find a Toronto vet (none of whom specialize in farm animals) willing to see Roo and possibly do surgery (I thought she had an impacted crop, but now I'm not so sure)? If my cat was sick, I'd take him to the vet without any hesitation. But Roo wasn't exactly a pet, though I did have strong and affectionate feelings for her. Instead, I went to the farmers market and talked with a number of farmers--all of whom said, "If it's an impacted crop, kill her and make soup." Gotta love those very practical farmers!<br /><br />By the time I got home, Roo was dead. TC (my friend who runs torontochickens.com--this is a psuedonym; she prefers to remain anonymous because chickens are still illegal in Toronto) and I buried her in my backyard and I plan to plant some currants near her--she'll feed the berries over time. First, though, TC and I did an autopsy, which sounds grizzly but wasn't. We wanted to determine whether or not Roo did in fact have an impacted crop, but the results were inconclusive. I have to say that dissecting the neck of a dead chicken--a chicken I've spent a lot of time with--was not as difficult as I thought it would be. I learned something about Roo's anatomy and I learned something about myself: I've got a bit of the practical farmer gene in me, after all. Next time, I'll probably cut her neck pre-death (yes, cause her death) and make soup.Lorraine Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08458426693848831782noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-874502217747123122.post-91875048802568204152010-07-07T14:13:00.006-04:002010-07-07T14:44:53.873-04:00Tasty Native Wild Ginger<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG5jdlnV4HgWqb0ZgHWJjiE9q0HHURjISufsBvo0hA3mOSKG0ZoVvLKFz2CobnJgtbANuc8v9XhvWIrQM2iUwZtLKIQ38_wm_bTHK6J28F-Kol_VQ_rt7wvHWAqwQtAP0u7E1JlmCIM9p5/s1600/DSCN5232.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG5jdlnV4HgWqb0ZgHWJjiE9q0HHURjISufsBvo0hA3mOSKG0ZoVvLKFz2CobnJgtbANuc8v9XhvWIrQM2iUwZtLKIQ38_wm_bTHK6J28F-Kol_VQ_rt7wvHWAqwQtAP0u7E1JlmCIM9p5/s200/DSCN5232.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5491229836844328818" /></a><br /><br />I'm drawn to unusual edible wild plants and foraging. But I'm also keenly aware that our few remaining natural areas just can't sustain much wild harvesting. One great way to deal with this conundrum is to grow native plants in our own gardens and harvest them from this sustainable source.<br /><br />So this weekend, for the first time, I harvested and ate some of the wild ginger I've been growing for years. Wild ginger (<span style="font-style:italic;">Asarum canadense</span>) is a woodland perennial groundcover native to the forests of northeastern North America. It spreads quickly, creating a dense, gorgeous mat of heart-shaped leaves, perfect for shade gardens. The root is an excellent substitute for ginger--the flavour isn't as strongly ginger-ish as the Asian ginger from the supermarket, but it is, I'd say, more complex and interesting. It's peppery and almost perfumey.<br /><br />I dug up a couple of roots, cleaned them, and chopped them up into very fine slices (using only the white part of the root--as the root gets greener and turns into stem, it becomes bitter). I then took some boneless chicken breasts, sliced them in half and stuffed the wild ginger in between the slabs. I cooked the chicken in the oven (wrapped in paperbark--something I'll save for another blog posting later) and served it with a simple mayo/lemon accompaniment.<br /><br />Another thing I did was to steam fresh peas with a bit of wild ginger root.<br /><br />I'll be doing a workshop on growing edible native plants where I talk about these and other unusual culinary garden ornamental natives. It's on July 17, 10am to noon, at the Evergreen Brick Works in Toronto (<a href="http://ebw.evergreen.ca/cal/event/edible-native-landscapes">http://ebw.evergreen.ca/cal/event/edible-native-landscapes</a>).Lorraine Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08458426693848831782noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-874502217747123122.post-90228917926381312492010-05-31T07:38:00.003-04:002010-05-31T07:50:26.395-04:00Potato TrickI'm moving house right now and looking for ways to re-purpose the tons of stuff I've accumulated over the years--such as bushel baskets. I'm going to try a trick my friend Dagmar Baur told me about. I'm going to grow potatoes in bushel baskets this year,<br /><br />Step 1: Line the bushel basket with plastic in which some drainage holes have been punched.<br />Step 2: Put approximately 8" of soil in the basket.<br />Step 3: Bury seed potatoes in the soil (I'm going to use heritage varieties recommended by Dagmar: Irish Cobbler, Slovenia Crescent, Matsuama).<br />Step 4: When the potatoes start to send up stems, add another inch or so of soil (this apparently encourages more potatoes to form). Keep doing this as the stems grow.<br />Step 5: Later in the summer (I'll keep you posted!), harvest a bumper crop.<br /><br />I'd appreciate hearing from anyone else who has tried this technique.<br /><br />These potatoes will be a memorial crop for Dagmar, who died a couple of weeks ago. She was an amazing person who generously spread love, plants and wisdom to the world. I'll miss her, as will so many of her friends in the Toronto gardening community.Lorraine Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08458426693848831782noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-874502217747123122.post-79668208848435597372010-05-22T17:05:00.002-04:002010-05-22T17:24:25.019-04:00Moveable Feast<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPCw4kskdrHsXfMXhIQEIVKZR-07tdhDx5S6OcPqd2OjeHvPlRoXHx_iTeX_PWfZzqjDpTtXei3fRZci78Gr76UzDeTjM8eXZoqkECxh5Qw2zWhZY77bbivZ_RMr8l2B9ZTX_VzA1PdtMc/s1600/DSCN5690.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPCw4kskdrHsXfMXhIQEIVKZR-07tdhDx5S6OcPqd2OjeHvPlRoXHx_iTeX_PWfZzqjDpTtXei3fRZci78Gr76UzDeTjM8eXZoqkECxh5Qw2zWhZY77bbivZ_RMr8l2B9ZTX_VzA1PdtMc/s200/DSCN5690.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5474203938635003186" /></a><br />I don't know who made this garden, but it's one of the sweetest I've ever seen. A moveable herb feast attached to a bicycle! I saw the bike/garden parked outside the University of Toronto's school of architecture building, so it was probably put together by an inventive student. Can't you just imagine the wafts of basil-scented air coming from this bike as it travels the city?!<br /><br />If you know of other, equally quirky gardens, I'd love to hear about them.Lorraine Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08458426693848831782noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-874502217747123122.post-80259308672746338362010-05-19T17:40:00.002-04:002010-05-19T17:47:06.365-04:00Rooftop Veggies<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcV2be5Kj92YfJtDLUoieAFs973h8r24kYwP_oeJ-tdUTqdVtvaqs6fgzCtItp0k2E4-J2krG8MrHxaQJ6GUD13XpF6KXjJ9880nscvTUQaDnVMgpUJRAXe1pUX-hKPhNS72Gq6IwVz7mc/s1600/DSCN4612.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcV2be5Kj92YfJtDLUoieAFs973h8r24kYwP_oeJ-tdUTqdVtvaqs6fgzCtItp0k2E4-J2krG8MrHxaQJ6GUD13XpF6KXjJ9880nscvTUQaDnVMgpUJRAXe1pUX-hKPhNS72Gq6IwVz7mc/s200/DSCN4612.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5473099816023395938" /></a><br />My garden gets shadier every year (not surprising--I planted 30 trees when I moved in--this in a regular-sized downtown Toronto lot), so it's hard to find a sunny spot for tomatoes. My solution was to colonize the roof.<br /><br />There's a section I can reach with a small ladder, and that part of the roof has just a gentle slope. I hoisted a couple of bags of topsoil up there, cut 2 slits in each and planted heritage tomato seedlings in each slit. Couldn't have been easier. I watered them every day (and with compost tea every week or so) and harvested a bumper crop of tomatoes. Forget the 100-mile diet; this was the 0-foot diet.Lorraine Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08458426693848831782noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-874502217747123122.post-87325429728399804082010-05-05T20:36:00.002-04:002010-05-09T12:51:40.082-04:00Eat Your Weeds<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd5ScWqX5r7zEc661iBWKetx3dJWj_yH9VI7KiAMBuub1pOU2er8cCo85COmZLjNDuJbi6jR6SZysna2xsDVyJYkbXW2qM7b986sasOXoZxMJiaosD3tWqm79q3l9f2isKrgWULVHHTR54/s1600/DSCN0240.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd5ScWqX5r7zEc661iBWKetx3dJWj_yH9VI7KiAMBuub1pOU2er8cCo85COmZLjNDuJbi6jR6SZysna2xsDVyJYkbXW2qM7b986sasOXoZxMJiaosD3tWqm79q3l9f2isKrgWULVHHTR54/s200/DSCN0240.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5467949871717005394"></a>This is a great time of year to forage for young, edible greens in the city. My favourite is garlic mustard. It's an invasive non-native plant that wreaks havoc in woodlands (outcompeting the native understory plants), so you can feel virtuous about harvesting it. A few nights ago, I went to a local park that's infested with garlic mustard and cut a huge swath of young leaves (the later in the season, the more bitter the leaves). I made a batch of garlic mustard pesto and spread it on toasted baguette. Delicious--it tasted like spring.<div><br /></div><div>You can use any regular pesto recipe and just substitute garlic mustard for the basil, but here's my recipe:</div><div><br /></div><div>1/2 cup olive oil</div><div>1/4 cup pine nuts</div><div>1/4 cup grated parmesan</div><div>1 clove garlic</div><div>4 cups garlic mustard leaves</div><div>pinch of salt and pepper</div><div><br /></div><div>Combine all ingredients in a food processor and blend until smooth.</div>Lorraine Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08458426693848831782noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-874502217747123122.post-12017184438642000642010-05-05T20:13:00.006-04:002010-05-06T17:54:25.892-04:00Save the Date--Come to the Party<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgge2FY1PYPtGYOkKzEqj74GXXKtAgZB1TnK1OdtzHrL0EmEwMnRx6-VAtREsqBIUTJ-tRH0hcdgsZDMEUNOqmxOnU4rBV7Qy3ZD3IpITbrQgdm9afCyNILa0sM4br0zt4LeDsjOJOWd9VT/s1600/CityFarmerEvite.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 188px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgge2FY1PYPtGYOkKzEqj74GXXKtAgZB1TnK1OdtzHrL0EmEwMnRx6-VAtREsqBIUTJ-tRH0hcdgsZDMEUNOqmxOnU4rBV7Qy3ZD3IpITbrQgdm9afCyNILa0sM4br0zt4LeDsjOJOWd9VT/s200/CityFarmerEvite.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5468278680247757490" /></a><br />Hope you'll join me and many friends and urban agriculture folks for the launch of my new book, <span style="font-style:italic;">City Farmer: Adventures in Urban Food Growing</span>. The launch is on Wednesday, May 26, 6:30pm to 8:30pm and is being hosted by The Stop Community Food Centre <a href="http://www.thestop.org"></a>at the Artscape Wychwood Barns (601 Christie Street [just south of St. Clair], Toronto. It'll be a party...Lorraine Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08458426693848831782noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-874502217747123122.post-89149576873646539282010-05-03T17:10:00.003-04:002010-05-05T17:48:47.506-04:00Pest Control<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRu6YOtkfrRosqyXFV0xeAIYaZSYk5WAYrPtFXdc0vGjIIS3KfJ7h5SEgdu9ZrLN_ogHLjlW9xQxLik4qwJKJwo1kABLMOjcNWGIkOb8UXWTl3tlG4rs7wiO2vLT-25nd1csx2HBoKDpPM/s1600/IMG_4912.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRu6YOtkfrRosqyXFV0xeAIYaZSYk5WAYrPtFXdc0vGjIIS3KfJ7h5SEgdu9ZrLN_ogHLjlW9xQxLik4qwJKJwo1kABLMOjcNWGIkOb8UXWTl3tlG4rs7wiO2vLT-25nd1csx2HBoKDpPM/s200/IMG_4912.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5467905245804375922" /></a><br />Sarah Elton (author of the new book <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">Locavore</span>) and I led a Jane's Walk yesterday (<a href="http://www.janeswalk.net/">www.janeswalk.net</a>), "Finding Free Food in the City," and 140 people showed up for it! Sarah and I both gave out free copies of our books to anyone who answered our skill-testing questions. E.g., what is a good (and legal, humane) way to get rid of raccoons and squirrels and keep them from eating your vegetable garden? One fellow said he collected all his shaved beard trimmings every day and sprinkled them in the garden to discourage critters.<br />[photo: Sarah Elton on left; me on right, with the blowhorn (note carrot earrings). Photo courtesy of Dennis Swartz and Jane's Walk]Lorraine Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08458426693848831782noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-874502217747123122.post-68612683017460132872010-04-24T08:42:00.004-04:002010-04-24T08:51:57.847-04:00Vegetable I'm Most Excited About<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqSz1tOMnmW7WP8hwssNq01k7NQ9cdXYMiMvTPgXuCd47VlpO08i4E8L4CnfgMOWdolAThrXZHlKQE_Zo7X3EE1e9yFIabXqeL1pFr52tw0QOI2mXlje9UVEl2YQoF0s39g4JxHo9xPg-4/s1600/DSCN5771.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqSz1tOMnmW7WP8hwssNq01k7NQ9cdXYMiMvTPgXuCd47VlpO08i4E8L4CnfgMOWdolAThrXZHlKQE_Zo7X3EE1e9yFIabXqeL1pFr52tw0QOI2mXlje9UVEl2YQoF0s39g4JxHo9xPg-4/s200/DSCN5771.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5463685794274566690" /></a><br />The vegetable I'm most excited about growing this year is Mexican Sour Gherkin. I ordered seeds through the heritage seed network Seeds of Diversity (<a href="http://www.seeds.ca/"></a><a href="http://www.seeds.ca/">www.seeds.ca</a>). I grew it last year, too, and was thrilled with the results--hundreds of tiny speckled fruits that look like 1/2-inch watermelons and taste like cucumbers. This plant was the biggest little conversation piece in my garden. (When I talked with writer Gayla Trail (<a href="http://www.yougrowgirl.com/">www.yougrowgirl.ca</a>) about them, she said they looked like "miniature purses for Barbie dolls.")<div><br /></div><div>This year I'm growing 10 plants, so I'll have enough of these prolific little gherkins to pickle--jars of this treat will be great presents for friends. The gherkin is also delicious as is, in salads or an an unusual garnish.</div>Lorraine Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08458426693848831782noreply@blogger.com2