Save the Date: Seedy Saturday 2024
Save the Date for:
Ottawa’s Seedy Saturday
March 2, 2024
Come one, come all to an Ottawa spring tradition!
The Alta Vista Community Association Local Food Committee, a group of community gardeners
interested in food security, is working with Just Food and Seeds of Diversity to host this event in Ottawa for 2024.
Where? Emmanuel United Church, 691 Smyth Road, Ottawa
(Venue is fully accessible)
When? Saturday, March 2, 2024 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
What’s going on?
- Seed sales and exchanges
- Workshops by experienced gardeners
- Local artisan and cuisine offerings
How much is it? Admission and parking are free.
Local bus #55 services Emmanuel United Church.
What can I bring? Your own reusable bags and, if you have some, your seeds for exchange.
Some vendors will accept card payments, but same might only use cash – time to break out those piggy banks!
Are you interested in being a vendor,
or looking for more information?
Contact altavistaseeds@gmail.com
Connect with food action this World Food Day
Today is World Food Day
Today we acknowledge World Food Day, which takes place annually on October 16.
World Food Day promotes awareness of hunger and action
for the future of food, people, and the planet.
What can you do to connect locally with food action?
- Check out what’s happening in your neighbourhood over at GoodFoodLink (find your local community groceries, gardens, resources and more!) (It might take a couple seconds to load)
- Learn about your local food sharing initiatives, where you can access food and/or volunteer
- Find and purchase locally grown/raised food and beverages this harvest season at the Savour Ottawa Buy Local Guide. If half of Ottawa’s households spent $10 more per month on local food, this would increase support to local farmers/processors by $27.7 million within a year! Can your household be one of them?
- Connect about your ideas for new community food projects in your area (community gardens, pollinator gardens, food forests, etc) – it’s a great time to start thinking about next year’s possibilities!
- Register for Just Food’s How to Start a Community Garden Workshop to learn more about initiating a food growing project in your neighbourhood.
- Attend an upcoming gardening workshop on growing food – Introduction to Fermentation, Indoor Edible Gardening, Edible Native Perennials and Selecting/Winter Sowing Native Perennials
- Volunteer your time at one of these organizations to transform our food system for all. Consider signing up to expand community seed libraries in all neighbourhoods, ready for Spring.
- Connect with the New Roots program to learn more about farmer training opportunities for New Canadians in 2024, available in multiple languages
- Read about the Nutritious Food Basket to see what the minimum cost of healthy eating is for individuals and families, compiled by Ottawa Public Health each year.
Dinner and Stories of Regeneration: Event at Just Food Community Farm – THIS Sunday Oct 1st!
Dinner and Stories of Regeneration: as part of Farm Fest:
Oct 1 – Happening THIS Sunday!
Farm to Table Dinner and Harvest Celebration with Chef Resa of Baccanalle!
Where: Just Food Community Farm | 2391 Pepin Court, Ottawa
(in Blackburn Hamlet, just East of Vanier)
When: Sunday, October 1st 2023
1:30 – Workshop (FREE for everyone as part of Farm Fest – please see details below)
3pm – Tour Chi Garden and Urban Fresh Produce
5:15 – Dinner inside Red Barn
Ticket Price: $40 + taxes
For schedule, more information and to buy tickets:
Click here
Hurry, there are a limited number of tickets available!
Just Food is happy to announce that Regeneration Canada will be presenting their final field-to-fork event of the season at the Just Food Community Farm on October 1st!
1:30pm – Free workshop for everyone: There will also be speakers from Regeneration Canada, Antonious Petro, Executive Director of Regeneration Canada and Joel Williams, soil health educator, who will discuss regenerative agriculture, equitable land access, community models and the socio-economic impacts that come along.
The price of the ticket includes the tour and meal:
3pm – Farm Tours and Discussion: The event will feature Urban Fresh Produce and Chi Garden, which both operate at the Just Food Community Farm. Chadwick Lewis of Urban Fresh and Sun Shan of Chi Garden will guide guests on a journey through their gardening spaces and discuss their experiences with urban food production and market sales.
5:15 – The event will conclude with a vegetarian family-style meal incorporating ingredients from Urban Fresh and Chi Garden, prepared by Chef Resa Solomon-St. Lewis of Baccanalle.
Please note:
– Free parking on site, and the farm is also accessible by OC Transpo Bus #25
– The Red Barn (and indoor accessible washroom) is accessed by elevator.
Fall Farm Fest 2023
Fall Farm Fest – EVERYONE WELCOME !
Bring your family and friends – Free to attend
As part of Just Food’s 20th year anniversary celebration we are inviting you to attend this year’s Fall Farm Fest at the Just Food Community Farm on Sunday October 1st! Enjoy live music, wagon ride farm tours, buy fresh veg at the Just Food Farm Stand, grab some fresh apples, bring your own picnic, and buy prepared, fresh and preserved foods from local vendors.
FREE Activities:
- Live Music for the full 4 hours
- Wagon Ride Farm Tours – or walk around the farm and see what’s happening
- Scavenger hunt and crafts from Earth Path
- Gardening advice, seeds and recipes from Urban Gardening Canada
- Demonstration and juice samples from Hidden Harvest
- Tour and stories from Women’s Warrior Healing Garden
- Tour of edible food forest from Forêt Capitale Forest
- Bee keeping explained by Capital Bees
- Harvesting with Plant-a-Row, Share-a-Row
- Bring Your Own Picnic and enjoy!
Food sold from the Sheep Dog Grill and Yasmin Syrian Cooking!
Where?
At the Just Food Community Farm
Sunday, October 1st 2023
11am – 3pm
2391 Pepin Court, Ottawa (in Blackburn Hamlet, just East of Vanier)
Visit here for more information on directions.
Just Food and the Gloucester Emergency Food Cupboard gratefully acknowledge the financial support of the City of Ottawa!
November 8, 2023 | How to Start a Community Garden – Online Workshop
Join us
November 8th, 2023 at 6:30 – 8:30pm
Learn about the steps involved in starting a community garden, including how to search for land, what is essential when starting a community garden, the support available, tips for organizing and much more!
Suitable for new gardens, or existing gardens looking to onboard new volunteer coordinators.
The attendance of at least one garden coordinator (or a member of the garden who is working on the proposal) at a How to Start a Community Garden workshop is a requirement in order to apply for funding through the Community Garden Development Fund (CGDF). The CGDF applicant must have attended a workshop in the past 3 years, as criteria and processes have changed throughout the years, and we encourage more than one to attend at a time.
To register please contact cgnstudent@justfood.ca – a confirmation email will be sent upon registration.
Please note: This workshop is being delivered in English. Should you wish to be added to a list to be informed when a French session is scheduled, please contact cgnstudent@justfood.ca.
Seed and Soil at Just Food Farm
10:30am-2:00pm
Just Food Community Farm is a seed and soil distribution site this year!
Do you face any barriers to accessing seed and soil? Register for the seed and soil program!
This program is open to anybody in Ottawa who faces any barriers to accessing seed and soil and has access to space to garden.
You can receive a minimum of 6 vegetable seed varieties. The seed is ready for organic growing, which means that they are free from any pesticides or other chemicals.
You can also receive approximately 160 litres of organic top-soil – enough to fill three blue / black recycling bins. This is about $40 worth of soil! This soil is high quality, full of nutrients, and chemical free. It can be used for your vegetable seed or other plants.
Visit https://rb.gy/mvrcw and fill out the registration form to register.
