Episode 42 – Slow Food Edmonton

I’ve been involved with our local Slow Food convivium for a couple years now, and this year was an opportunity for Edmonton to play host to convivia leaders from across Canada, as well as delegates from Slow Food International for Slow Food Canada’s national meeting. What resulted was a rather epic adventure in food, as well as an unprecedented coming together of talented, inspiring food-people.

This edit condenses 4 days into 4 minutes. It by necessity excludes much of the goings-on around the enormous event, but hopefully gives you sense of some of the regional ingredients highlighted, and a look at how the local talent worked with them.

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Sprinklers, iris, rocks, and Chiro


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The story pretty much goes in the same order as the post title…first we tested the sprinkler system out in the front yard the other day.  It works, barely, seems that you can’t test it out when it’s –20 C which is what it was when we toured the house.  There doesn’t seem to be enough water pressure to make the heads pop up out of the ground fully, and some of them leak.  Oh well, a brown lawn doesn’t bother me too much, but dead flowers, that hurts this gardener.

I figured out why there is such odd placement of plants in the front beds, it seemed rather sporadic, lots here, and nothing there, no real design plan.  I found out the answer as soon as we turned the sprinklers on, they planted where the water hit the beds.

 More from Muddy Boot Dreams…

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Enso

 

I recently completed this bold little 12 x 12 painting.  Enso means circle, and is a fascinating symbol.  To quote Wikipedia, the Enso symbolizes a moment when the mind is free to simply let the body/spirit create.  Definitely how I feel about this series of work!

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Aquaponics Fishless Cycling – revisited

I first wrote about Fishless Cycling for aquaponics systems in November, 2010 based on research I had done in cichlid raising, and since then it has become a generally accepted way to start up an aquaponics system.  However, over the past year and a half we have improved the technique.   I’d like to share our…

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FO: Cardigan Pillow

I love old cardigans but they are too big, too scratchy, or too ratty to wear. You know the ones I’m talking about because every thrift store has at least a couple on the rack. It’s obvious that a lot of work went into these sweaters; you can’t just make the patterning up as you go.

Home Sweet Home…

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It’s not easy being green, no pesticides


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It’s not easy being green, my arm aches from being out there day after day shaking those dandelions off the end of my weeder, and it seems like for each one we pull up, another 100 sprout their pretty yellow heads.  Fields of golden flowers are everywhere, right now, and while they are pretty in the countryside, I don’t want them covering my yard.

My neighbour looked over at me during another session of plucking away the other night, and said, “that’s brutal” he wasn’t talking about the amount of weeds our lawn had, but the amount of work we have put into ridding the lawn of them so far.  It’s hours and hours of work, and it feels like we are wasting our time, but we know we are doing the right thing.

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Wild Asparagus

I’ve been looking forward to this for 9 months. Last August, while looking for mushrooms and saskatoons, I came across a patch of wild asparagus and since have been dreaming of a spring feed of asparagus I didn’t have to grow myself. That day has come. It’s worth noting that I am doubtful this is a native species of any kind, but is more than likely better described as a ‘feral’ asparagus. Some remanent of an old market garden or homestead in the river valley, or seeded by a bird. Or something. I don’t care. It’s giant, awesome, free, tasty asparagus.

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