neat

I know I promised Aletha that I would write a post on Internet shopping basics and I really thought this was going to be the week. 

BUT 

It is 11:17pm, I am full of delicious jamacian food, sleepy, and I need to do a bit more research on the subject so instead I am going to do something predictable and give you a link to something neat that you haven't heard of yet. LEIF. 

LEIF is based out of Brooklyn, New York (like some other things that I love) and is curated by Stacy Anne Longenecker. The objective is to "present the most special, beautiful things that add a unique touch to day-to-day living."

This shop is pretty neat. Very understated, it showcases a small collection of various items at a time with stock changing on a regular basis.

sea shark bottle opener

fiske tea towel

 

faceted boulder mug

elephant print wool scarf

All photos from LEIF.

garden hack

I found a neat little hack for starting seedlings, let's talk about it. 

Planter trays are great. You start your seeds indoors, they sprout, you transfer them. Then you tuck your planter trays away into storage. If you have storage. But why buy, use, and store planter trays when you can use the rinds of citrus fruit after you've eaten the fruit? There is no answer to that. Planter trays are now obsolete. Boom. 

 
Poke a hole or two in the bottom for drainage, fill with soil, add two seeds and some water. When it comes time to move your seedling outdoors, plant the whole damn thing. The peel will compost in the soil. 


Photo from My Roman Apartment.

wow

I was in standard slouching position on the couch with my knees up and the laptop at an almost awkward angle when I first saw THIS and I sat straight up. Because I was impressed. I'm still impressed.

Wtf. This woman has done an amazing job not only with food presentation but also with the recipes themselves. There is no cookbook yet but hopefully soon. And yeah, yeah, the recipes are on the internet and the internet is free but sometimes hardcover is just... better. 

Since we are on the subject... Summer Famer's Markets are just around the corner. (Pssst - May is the corner). 

Opening dates...
Trout Lake (13th ave @Templeton): May 12th
Kits (10th ave @Larch): May 20th
West End (1100 block Comox St): June 2nd
Main St (in front of the train station beside the Main St skytrain station): June 6th
Kerrisdale (East Boulevard, between 37th and 42st): July 7th 

All Photos from the Forest Feast. Shout out also to Miss Moss. More market info at http://www.eatlocal.org/.

grow up

Today I felt the wind, the rain, the snow, the hail, and the sun on my face. And I was only outside for 2 hours. I have said it before and I will say it again: not the biggest fan of spring. Whoa now, I like what it stands for (the gateway to summer) but I dislike how I am never the correct temperature. 

It's raining or freezing in the morning so I wear boots or something wool and still my toes are tiny ice blocks. Then something shifts mid-day and I am stripped down to my tank-top sweating bullets on a crowded bus. What is good about spring?


Plants, duh. 


If you want to start seedinglings indoors, now is the time to plant:

lettuce

spinach

swiss chard

kale (late crop)

onion (late crop)

And in just over a week (if it stops freak-snowing), it will be time to start any experiments you may have planned regarding:

beans

eggplant

melon

pepper

squash (summer and winter)

sweet potato

All of these plants like the sun (oh hello, stupid shady apartment) so keep that in mind when making the seeds a home for approximately a month before transplant to an outdoor garden - one month for the first list, six weeks for the second list (except the squash which can be planted directly outdoors).

No tomatoes yet, sorry about the misleading photo...

Information from Guide to Canadian Vegetable Gardening by Douglas Green (Cool Springs Press, 2009). Photo by Aubrie Chaylt.

hungry

 

I love February. But that love is for entirely selfish reasons (my birthday, valentine's day, and reading week). Once it is over, I am just itching for May. March, April, who needs 'em? They are wet and surprisingly chilly months that seperate me from the garden explosion that is May. Technically, April has some treats but the Winter Farmer's Market is such a trek it just cannot compete with May when the Kits market opens in full force. 

This year, Con and I are going to try something new. We bought into a local CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) called Your Local Food Pedalers. That means from June 9 - Decemeber 2nd we will be receiving a box full of fresh, local, organic produce at our doorstep (figuratively since we live in a apartment) once a week, delivered by bicycle. (Bicycle!)

Let's do the math. What we are looking at is 26 weeks of a variety of produce for 2 people. If you sign up early (which I understand to be before April 1st), you get a 5% discount which puts your total is $611.63. 611.63/26 = $23.52 per week. If you are a regular organic produce shopper, you know that is a deal for a week's worth of fruit and veg.

I am super exicted. 

And you should be too. When we go away for a few weeks this summer, I am planning on temporarily re-routing my goods to a lucky friend. It could be you. 

If this is sounding good to you, check them out. And when you sign up, if you could please mention me in the 'how you heard about us" section, I would be much obliged. 

Image from Your Local Food Pedalers. 

Sad news. Your Local Food Pedalers fell upon some tough times and will not be able to provide their service this year. My heart breaks for them. Hopefully they will have more success in the near future - best of luck!