The Frugal Gardener (debrief)!

So The Frugal Gardener took place this past Saturday, and it was such a fascinating experience that I thought I would share another short reflection about the process. The workshop was, overall, a great success. The feedback I received from the participants was positive, and the energy and discussion that arose from the group was

On non-monetary exchange & doing business without cash

As I gear up for this Saturday’s The Frugal Gardener: Growing food for (next to) nothing, I find myself fascinated by the experiment of attempting to operate a portion of my business without relying on cash in exchange for my services. Ever since I started Root & Branch at the beginning of 2012, I’ve offered

Local Food Bites (February 26-March 10, 2013)

This week’s Local Food Bites: the 2nd Saskatchewan Food Summit, Landscaping for Outdoor Living, Regina Seedy Saturday, Eating Year Round from the Sustainable Garden, and more! Second Saskatchewan Food Summit Feb 27 – 28, 2013 (TCU Place (Salons A & B), Saskatoon, SK) Building Sustainable Food Systems, Towards Policy and Action Sessions discussed barriers/challenges and

Local Food Bites (February 18-March 3, 2013)

This week’s Local Food Bites: Seed Seed Revolution, the 2nd Saskatchewan Food Summit, Landscaping for Outdoor Living, and Regina Seedy Saturday! Seed Seed Revolution: A sustainable gardener’s guide to growing the right seeeds Saturday, February 23, 10am-11pm (Creative City Centre, 1843 Hamilton St) $35 (includes tax and snacks) As gardeners, taking back control of our

Ramping up local eating by preserving the harvest

On September 8, 2012, Root & Branch will be offering Preserving the Harvest: Taking local eating to the next level. At this workshop we’ll be exploring ways to make the most of the growing season and eat locally year round. Building the skills to preserve and store local foods through the winter is key to

Rhubarb Three Ways (Part 4: Drying)

The third and final way we preserved rhubarb at Food Preservation Drop In (Week #1) was to make it into fruit leather! Dehydration is less energy intensive that freezing or canning, and properly dried foods can store for a year or more (depending on the food). There are many ways to dry foods, including using

Rhubarb Three Ways (Part 3: Canning)

The second way we explored preserving rhubarb at this week’s Food Preservation Drop In was to can some rhubarb chutney. In the past I’ve canned rhubarb butter, which is basically just stewed and sweetened rhubarb that we use on cereal. This year I wanted to try something new, so I adapted a rhubarb chutney recipe

Rhubarb Three Ways (Part 2: Freezing)

At the first of our weekly Food Preservation Drop Ins we focused mainly on rhubarb, and explored preserving it three different ways: frozen, canned, and dried. Freezing is the most energy intensive way to preserve food. It also involves the ongoing cost of electricity and the constant potential of power failure (unless you’re off the

Rhubarb Three Ways (Part 1: Sourcing & Harvesting)

The inaugural Root & Branch Food Preservation Drop In happened yesterday! The idea is that I will be preserving whatever is in season every (or at least most) Wednesdays from 5:30 to 7pm for the duration of the growing season. Folks are invited to drop in to help and learn about different ways to optimize

Why food preservation? And why now??

In Saskatchewan, where most of us have just barely got our gardens planted, it might seem early to start thinking about harvest time. But actually, now  is the best time to plan how to manage the bounty that promises to slam us over the next few months! This next few weeks is like the calm