Food, Fairs and Farm Events This September
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September 2018Food News and Events in the Ottawa RegionJust Food News and Events1. Sept 12 or 15 | Opportunity for Land/Supports to Start a Farm Business 2. Sept 12, 14 & Oct 16 | CGN Workshops 3. Sept 23 | Green Energy Open Doors at Just Food Tour 4. Sept 30 | Thinking Garden Viewing – Capital Grannies Other Community News and Events5. September | Fairs 6. Sept 7 | Potato Field Day at Ferme Beetbox Farm 7. Sept 8 & 9 | Drouin Farm Apple & Pumpkin Festival 8. Sept 15 | Yoga at the Domaine Perrault Vineyard – Finale Party & Fundraiser 2018 9. Sept 21-22 | Beau’s Oktoberfest 10. Sept 21 | Domaine Perrault – Korean Cooking Class & Wine Sampling 11. Sept 14 – 23 | Gardenlicious by Garden Promenade 12. Sept 21 – 23 | Green Energy Open Doors Tour 13. Sept 26 | All-Candidates’ Mayoral Debate on the Environment 14. Sept 30 | Gatineau Hills Farm Hop 15. Sept 30 | Tunes & Spoons 16. Oct 3 | Feast of Fields If you received this monthly newsletter from someone else and would like to receive it directly, sign up here. If you have a food or farm-related event or issue that you would like posted on this newsletter, send a request to info@justfood.ca. Although all volunteers and community partners of Just Food want to ensure Ottawa has a vibrant, accessible, sustainable food system, we have many diverse perspectives on how to get there. Just Food welcomes this diversity and believes that it is through working collaboratively with different opinions that we will arrive at a healthy food system for all. Any information that Just Food sends can include information from different community members and community partners and does not necessarily reflect the opinions of Just Food. If you ever have a question about any information listed here, please do not hesitate to e-mail info@justfood.ca or call 613-824-7771. Just Food News and Events1. Sept 12 or 15 | Opportunity for Land/Supports to Start a Farm BusinessWanting to start a farm business and need land and/or support? Find out about Just Food’s Start-up Farm Program, for a diversity of folks including those from a non-farm background, second careerists, new Canadians, and those with farm experience, or land in other settings. This program includes access to land, shared infrastructure/equipment, and training. It’s aim is to enable more people in this region to start their own successful farm business. When:Wednesday Sept 12 – 7-8pm or Saturday Sept 15 – 10-11am (ability to tour site after info session) 2. Sept 12, 14 & Oct 16 | CGN Workshops Sept 12 | Seed Saving Join us for an evening where we learn about how to save our own seeds from our gardens this year. At this workshop participants will learn about: Flower and pollination types When: Wednesday Sept 12 6:00 – 8:00 pm Sept 14 | Salsa Making It’s a time of garden abundance, but what are you going to do with all that food? You can can it – using the hot water bath canning method of course! This demonstration workshop will instruct participants with all they need to know to confidently use the hot water bath canning method to make salsa and other recipes. When: Friday Sept 14 4:30 – 6:00 pm Oct 16 | Hot Water Bath Canning Workshop It’s a time of garden abundance, but what are you going to do with all that food? You can can it – using the hot water bath canning method of course! This demonstration workshop will instruct participants with all they need to know to confidently use the hot water bath canning method to make salsa, jam, or pickles. When: Tuesday Oct 16 6:00 – 8:00 pm 3. Sept 23 | Green Energy Open Doors at Just Food As part of Green Energy Open Doors, Just Food will be hosting a farm tour from 1:00 – 2:30 on Sunday September 23. Just Food Farm is a community farm with many projects and programs happening on site simultaneously. The Farm Stand will be in operation, so come on in early and take a look at what the land and new farmers have to offer! By attending this tour you can learn about: The Just Food solar array We’ll be meeting at the big red barn at 1:00 to get started. When: Sunday Sept 23 1:00 – 2:30 pm Join the Capital Grannies for an inspirational afternoon viewing the film “Thinking Garden,” about a South African community garden, and finding out about community gardens in the Ottawa area The award-winning movie “Thinking Garden,” produced by Elizabeth Vibert, historian and professor in Victoria, B.C., and Metis filmmaker Christine Welsh, is a story about three generations of South African women creating a communal garden and a gathering place for women to think about effecting change in the context of poverty, climate change and HIV/AIDs. Elizabeth got to know the farmers at the Hleketani Community Garden over some years while conducting oral history research. These older women had taken matters into their own hands to produce food locally for the most vulnerable people. They asked Elizabeth whether she would be doing a film about them and so she contacted Christine, who saw in their story many parallels to the work she has done documenting the historical and contemporary experiences of Indigenous women in Canada. When Elizabeth showed the completed film to the women of the Hleketani Community Garden, they declared: “It’s like a miracle … we never dreamed we would see something like this for our farm.” These South African women have drawn on remarkable reserves of strength, courage and resilience in answering Christine’s question: “What does hope look like?” To complement this story of a South African community garden, local Ottawa people will be telling their own stories of their community gardens. The volunteers who work in the Shepherds of Good Hope community garden, which supplies vegetables for the soup kitchen all summer, as well as participants from the Parkdale Food Centre, Growing Futures, Just Food and the Karen Farm, will talk about their work. Please join us for a thought-provoking afternoon! When: SundaySeptember 30, 3:00 p.m. Other Community News and EventsSept 6 – 9 | Russell Fair Harvesting excitement is what we do best every September since 1858 in the pleasant rural village of Russell where the tradition of agricultural and homecraft exhibits is complemented by the Robertson Amusements midway, truck and tractor pulls, a demolition derby and daily live entertainment for young and the young at heart. Come join us! We’re only minutes off the 417 east of Ottawa. When: September 6 – 9 Sept 13 – 16 | The Richmond Fair The fair features events such as agriculture shows, demolition derby, live entertainment, rock climbing, games, rides, and more providing a day’s worth of fun and entertainment for the whole family! When: September 13 – 16 Sept 20 – 23 | The Carp Fair Enjoy a fun-filled day in the country at the “Best Little Fair in Canada”, the Carp Fair. With great music, great shows, and a huge midway… you’ll find something for the entire family! Feel the exhilaration of all the midway twists turns and tumbles! Enjoy live music, world-class horse shows and President’s Choice SuperDogs! There is a Family Circle tent with magic shows, and puppets or experience agricultural learning in the Ag Tent, petting zoo and more! It’s a full weekend of family fun! For a great Fall day in the country – where all your senses will be activated – see, hear, smell – come visit Carp Fair 2018 and go home exhausted. When: September 20 – 23 Sept 27 – 30 | Metcalfe Fair Rural tradition meets modern family entertainment at the Metcalfe Fair! 2018 will mark the 162nd anniversary of this Fall tradition, held annually in the Village of Metcalfe. Feature events include the horse pull, demolition derby, classic car show, fiddling and step dancing, midway games, and much more! Held every year since 1856, the Metcalfe Fair https://www.metcalfefair.com/ is one of the premier agricultural exhibitions in Ontario. When: September 27 – 30 Adults – $10/day or $25 weekend pass Children (6 – 12 years old) – $5/day or $12 weekend pass Children 5 and under – FREE Join potato breeder Duane Falk at the Beetbox Farm for a 100% potato workshop! Since 2013, The Bauta Family Seed Initiative in collaboration with the University of Manitoba has been running a participatory plant breeding program on potatoes. Over 20 farmers across the country are involved in selecting and improving different varieties of potatoes on their farm, to develop their on on-farm variety. Duane Falk, the potato breeder for the project, has been doing organic breeding work for cereals for over 30 years, and he is now applying that knowledge to help develop new potato varieties for farmers across the country. The workshop will include:
The workshop will be followed by a 100% potato potluck. Potato is a versatile produce that can be served from appetizer to dessert. Bring your original potato dish to share it with the rest of the group! When: September 7 9:00 AM – 1:30 PM 7. Sept 8 & 9 | Drouin Farm Apple & Pumpkin Festival Come join us September 8 & 9 for a fun-filled family day at the Apple and Pumpkin Festival! Free admission Activities: Vendor Market* Horse and buggy rides* Farm Animal Tour Onsite Park Bouncy Castles Photobooth Canteen* Pumpkins for sale* Pumpkin hunt* Photo sessions* Apple picking at Verger Cléroux* (* = paid activities) When: September 8 & 9
8. Sept 15 | Yoga at the Domaine Perrault Vineyard – Finale Party & Fundraiser 2018 This year’s event will be held in memory of a very special woman who fought a long and courageous battle against Ovarian Cancer. On May 31, 2018, Ashley Courtois (Cowan) – who inspired the inception of this annual fundraiser – passed away at only 33 years of age. Please join us as we dedicate this entire event to Ashley: she showed us what true courage looks like, always smiling and refusing to give up hope. Wine, yoga, dinner, live music, a dance party, prizes and more! All in support of Ovarian Cancer Canada. Hosting this event is Savour Ottawa member Domaine Perrault Vineyard. When: Saturday, September 15, 2018 from 5:30 PM – 10:00 PM For more information – https://www.facebook.com/events/1259651970838973/ 9. Sept 21-22 | Beau’s Oktoberfest Beau’s Oktoberfest is the annual signature fundraising event for craft brewery Beau’s Brewing Co. Held in Vankleek Hill, Ontario, Beau’s Oktoberfest features live music on two stages, 17 Beau’s beers and over 50 guest taps, delicious cuisine from 28 local restaurants, activities, a kinderfest for children and so much more! Beau’s Oktoberfest was named “Ontario Culinary Tourism Event of the Year” in 2016 by the Ontario Tourism Awards of Excellence. Oktoberfest is Wunderbar! When: Friday, September 21 – Saturday, September 22, 2018 10. Sept 21 | Domaine Perrault – Korean Cooking Class & Wine Sampling Learn how and prepare Korean chicken wraps, Spicy Cucumber salad and more!! -Sample these along with 5 wines (2 oz per wine per person) served by Julie Ricard, Sommelier, Fortified Grape -Cost includes wine tasting and food sampling – For single ticket: You get to take home: 1 envelope of Epicure Korean BBQ and chicken sauce mix, 1 jar of Asian Stir Fry, 1 Chili Flakes and Garlic Topper and 1 Minced Garlic. For more information and to register: https://koreanandwine.eventbrite.ca Hosting this event is Savour Ottawa member Domaine Perrault Vineyard. When: September 21 at 6:00 PM – 8:00 PM As the days begin to grow shorter, and the heat of the summer starts to dissipate, people in this region look forward to the bounties of the harvest. This September, Gardenlicious is the opportunity to connect your garden to the culinary world. Does your garden already have a culinary experience? This could be the opportunity to connect with a local chef and restaurant. You could host a chef from one of our official restaurants for your visitors to meet, which will offer a truly delightful garden culinary experience from the farm to the plate. Watch http://www.gardenpromenade.ca/gardenlicious-sept-22-24-2017/ to learn about activities, as they are added for 2018. This site will provide you with times, and locations where you can enjoy some of the city’s best Garden-to-Table experiences. When: September 14 – 23 Green Energy Doors Open, is a Canada-wide showcase of individual, community, and commercial sustainable energy projects. It is organized and spearheaded by the Ontario Sustainable Energy Association. The initiative aims to showcase advancements in the sector, demonstrating that Ontario is already on the path to building a 100% clean, sustainable energy system. The event is free to participate in as a host and to attend. In 2017, the initiative featured more than 150 events in Ontario, Alberta and BC with more than 10,000 attendees. For more info: http://www.ottawagedo.org Here’s three tours we recommend you take a look at: Beetbox Farm Tour During this year’s Green Energy Doors Open, explore another side of the sustainable lifestyle by visiting a working vegetable farm in the city! Embark on an hour-long guided tour of BeetBox Co-operative Farm: a 110 acre, human-scale & diversified urban farm situated in the Greenbelt. Deepen your knowledge of hyper-local food production in a uniquely picturesque farm bordering the Ottawa River and surrounded by forest and marshes. Learn how three young farmers came together to launch an ambitious farm business currently feeding 106 families and discover how the community at large has rallied behind the project. When: Sunday, September 23, 2018 3:00 – 4:15 Kin Vineyards Tour Explore KIN Vineyards, located in the heart of Carp, to learn about how a community-owned solar project and partnership with the Ottawa Renewable Energy Co-operative (OREC) and other energy innovations allowed KIN to be a net-zero energy vineyard. Join a tour of the vineyards to learn about the history of KIN and the land it sits on. Gain insight into the Ottawa Renewable Energy Co-operative’s most recent community-owned solar 30-kW project, hosted on the roof of the production building, was connected to the grid in early July. The solar project is 100% owned by members of the Co-operative. Bike to the vineyard with a group of solar enthusiasts, led by OREC General Manager Janice Ashworth. The group will be leaving from 969 Wellington St. W at 10 AM. When: Sept 23 12 – 1 pm Just Food Community Farm Tour Just Food Farm is a community farm with many projects and programs happening on site simultaneously. The Farm Stand will be in operation, so come on in early and take a look at what the land has to offer! By attending this tour you can learn about: The Just Food solar array We’ll be meeting at the big red barn at 1:00 to get started. When: Sept 23 1 – 2:30 pm In the lead up to the 2018 Ottawa municipal election, Ecology Ottawa is hosting an All-Candidates’ Mayoral Debate on the Environment. The debate, co-hosted by Ottawa Riverkeeper, Walk Ottawa, Healthy Transportation Coalition, Waste Watch Ottawa and the Greenspace Alliance of Canada’s Capital, will take place at the Shaw Centre on Wednesday, September 26th. The two hour debate, to which all mayoral candidates have been invited, will include questions on climate change adaptation, waste management, environmental justice, active transportation and greenspace, among other municipally-focused environmental concerns. The event is free, but registration is required. When: Wednesday September 26, 2018 at 6:30 – 8:30 https://www.facebook.com/events/276070483187799/ If you are interested in debates for the different Wards, this handy article has identified the different debates happening by ward. https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/ottawa-votes-2018-municipal-election-debates-1.4800928 Three Gatineau Hills farms have joined forces to offer you a fall festival to remember. Pick pie pumpkins, press cider, bake potatoes, have lunch, and celebrate the season!! Farm Hop is an event conducted between Roots & Shoots Farm, Juniper Farm, and Ferme et Forêt. Please see this link for more details:http://www.farmhop.ca/en/ When: Sept 30 10 am – 4 pm Roots and Shoots FarmWhat could be better? Colin Linden of Blackie & the Rodeo Kings headlining, 8 local ‘celebrity’ chefs cooking, craft beer and Ontario wine flowing, all in support of our community. Tunes and Spoons promises to be the food event of the fall, with an aim to raise funds to support local, organic, sustainable farms to get their fresh food into the hands of those who need it most – people in our community who are experiencing food insecurity. All funds raised will be split between four local farms, each one asked specifically to grow a particular crop which will then be supplied to the Rideau Rockcliffe Community Resource Centre (RRCRC) for distribution to their emergency food cupboard clients and through their MarketMobile initiative! To buy your tickets please visit: For more details or to get involved please visit the event website: “Feast of Fields, Ottawa’s most delicious fundraiser!” Paula Roy, local food writer & blogger – 2017 Join Canadian Organic Growers at Feast of Fields, Come celebrate the bounty of fall with outstanding organic and sustainable foods, wine and beer at Feast of Fields. Chat with local farmers and producers Sample sustainable wines and organic beers Meet some of our region’s most talented chefs Enjoy exquisite tastings that highlight organic and sustainable ingredients When: Wednesday October 3 from 5:30 p.m – 7:30 p.m For more info: https://carefor.ca/events/feast-of-fields.htm If you received this monthly newsletter from someone else and would like to receive it directly, sign up here. If you have a food or farm-related event or issue that you would like posted on this newsletter, send a request to info@justfood.ca. Although all volunteers and community partners of Just Food want to ensure Ottawa has a vibrant, accessible, sustainable food system, we have many diverse perspectives on how to get there. Just Food welcomes this diversity and believes that it is through working collaboratively with different opinions that we will arrive at a healthy food system for all. Any information that Just Food sends can include information from different community members and community partners and does not necessarily reflect the opinions of Just Food. If you ever have a question about any information listed here, please do not hesitate to e-mail info@justfood.ca or call 613-824-7771. |
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Food and Farm Events this August
August 2018
Food News and Events in the Ottawa Region
Just Food News and Events
1. August 18 | Agroecology Field School and Research Summit
2. August 18 | Agroecology Shindig and Hootenanny
3. August 19 | Savour Ottawa Taste Trails: Walk on the Wild Side Tour
Other Community News and Events
4. August | Eat Together Ottawa
5. August 11 | All About Bugs!
6. August 9 – 12 | Navan Fair
7. August 17 – 26 | The Capital Fair
8. August 18 | Barn Farms & Wicked Chefs
9. Until September 1 | Lee Valley Garden Promenade Tour
10. Garden Promenade Activities this Summer
If you received this monthly newsletter from someone else and would like to receive it directly, sign up here. If you have a food or farm-related event or issue that you would like posted on this newsletter, send a request to info@justfood.ca.
Although all volunteers and community partners of Just Food want to ensure Ottawa has a vibrant, accessible, sustainable food system, we have many diverse perspectives on how to get there. Just Food welcomes this diversity and believes that it is through working collaboratively with different opinions that we will arrive at a healthy food system for all. Any information that Just Food sends can include information from different community members and community partners and does not necessarily reflect the opinions of Just Food. If you ever have a question about any information listed here, please do not hesitate to e-mail info@justfood.ca or call 613-824-7771.
Just Food News and Events
On August 18th, in Ottawa, FLEdGE, Lakehead University, USC Canada, and Just Food will host a full-day workshop on the future of agroecology in Canada. Join farmers, researchers, community organizers, and students to discuss how to bring this international movement to Canada. Come hear from speakers from around the world, including from La Via Campesina and USC Canada, and across the country, including the National Farmers Union and Indigenous voices, and work together to build an agroecological movement here at home.
Parking is limited, so please carpool, take transit, or bike. Ticket prices include a light lunch.
For more details and to register online, go to the Agroecology Field School website.
Where: Just Food, 2391 Pépin Court, Ottawa, ON
Cost:
Student – $10.00
Farmer – $10.00
Community Organizer/NGO – $20.00
Researcher/Faculty – $60.00
2. August 18 | Agroecology Shindig and Hootenanny
Locally produced food, music and libations—what a way to cap the day! After the Agroecology Field School and Research Summit, join us in the Red Barn for an evening of festivities starting at 6 p.m. with a full dinner from Wawatay Catering: baked bannock & butter; summer salad; roasted chicken; coconut curry and chick peas; wild rice pilaf loaded with vegetables! Match your food with a local craft beer or cider from the Ottawa region.
This is followed by a hootenanny with music from Ottawa Contra Dance—not to be missed! If you can’t make it for the full day, don’t hang your head, come and catch up in the evening—tickets available separately, just scroll down and tick the Barn Dance box!
Last chance! Get your tickets now, we need final numbers for the caterer by Friday!
Get your tickets at:
https://ec.lakeheadu.ca/agroecology/home
When: August 18 – 6:00 pm to 9:30 pm
Where: 2391 Pepin Crt. Ottawa, ON
Cost: $40
3. August 19 | Savour Ottawa Taste Trails: Walk on the Wild Side Tour
Savour Ottawa Taste Trails starting this August! Join us on our summer and fall tours – our first tour is Walk on the Wild Side.
Tour rural west Ottawa to learn about wild edibles, fermentation, viticulture & winemaking, honey, and organic farming! Reconnect with the wild ways we source some of our favourite foods right here in the nation’s capital with visits to food/farm businesses with Savour Ottawa tastes along the way.
For more information & tickets: http://so-justfood.nationbuilder.com/wc_tour
Other Community News and Events
4. August | Eat Together Ottawa
This August the Salvation Army, Ottawa Public Health, Loblaws, Parkdale Food Centre, and COBS Bread Barrhaven have partnered to create the second annual Eat Together Ottawa campaign to encourage everyone to eat together and play together as a community, to overcome division and isolation, and build new connections of acceptance and hope.
You can create your own Eat Together event by bringing your family, friends, neighbours and colleagues to the table to enjoy a meal and celebrate each other with an option to fundraise for a local food program.
For more information on how to participate please go to: http://www.eattogetherottawa.ca/#!/about
5. August 11 | All About Bugs! Earth Path Field Walk
Where: Just Food Farm, 2391 Pépin Court, Blackburn Hamlet (east Ottawa). See Directions
Suggested Cost: $20 per adult, $10 per child; or $40 for family of 4 ($ goes to our Scholarship fund); or pay what you can
The theme for Navan Fair 2018 is “Here We Grow Again”.
Let Navan Fair be your family’s summer tradition! Launched in 1946, this rural celebration has all the countrified events one would expect from a great country fair.
Located only 20 minutes south-east of downtown Ottawa, in the village of Navan. Check out their website for the full schedule of events. https://www.navanfair.com/2018-schedule-of-events/
When: Thursday, August 9 – Sunday, August 12
Where: 1279 Colonial Road, Navan, ON
Cost: Pricing varies. Day & weekend passes available – see link for details https://www.navanfair.com/visitors/admission-information/
7. August 17 – August 26 | The Capital Fair
The Capital Fair is pleased to welcome everyone to the Rideau Carleton Entertainment Centre for a terrific 10 day event.
The Fair features Eastern Ontario’s largest midway courtesy of World’s Finest Shows, great Fair foods and fun, a demo derby, the Wednesday night Rideau Carleton Cruise Night, lots for the kids including Doo Doo’s Dance Party, the Birds of Prey Show, the Travelin’ Farmer, the Monalea Petting Zoo and Pony rides, 4H competitions, the Soper Creek Wildlife Rescue and the Ultimutts Stunt Dog show and courtesy of neighbouring Rideau Carleton Casino; lots of daily entertainment and specialty acts.
Whew! The Capital Fair really has it all!
When Friday, August 17 – Sunday, August 26
Where: Rideau Carleton Raceway Casino, 4837 Albion Road, Ottawa ON
Cost: $4/person – children under 36”
For more information: http://www.capitalfair.ca/index.html
8. August 18 | Barns Farm & Wicked Chefs
It is our annual summer party coming up on August 18th, with wicked guest chefs using local ingredients in a gorgeous rustic barn setting. Local live music, live & silent auctions, craft beer and local distilleries are also featured! It is a crucial event for the work that we do at The Table Community Food Centre.
The setting is a rustic and elegant heritage farmstead re-done as a popular event space called EcoTay. You will be surrounded by beautiful barns, hay fields, woods and meadows. Throughout the compact site you will find chefs’ booths each serving a distinct small plate featuring produce, meats and cheeses from the area. We work with our chefs to make sure vegetarian and gluten free options are available.
There are indoor/covered and outdoor seating areas. Some guests prefer to stay standing, cocktail party style, as the move from one area of the party to the next. Food is mouth watering and you can wash it down with a local craft beer, regional wine, a cocktail with local craft spirits, kombucha, water, coffee and tea.
http://thetablecfc.org/barns-farms-and-wicked-chefs-2018-0
When: August 18 – 5 to 10 pm
Where: Ecotay Perth, 942 Upper Scotch Line
Cost: $125 (comes with $80 tax receipt)
9. Until September 1 | Lee Valley Garden Promenade Tour
Join the Lee Valley Garden Promenade Tour bus and experience some of the more than 40 gardens in Ottawa-Gatineau. Each week brings a unique tour experience guided by a garden expert. Look for the Garden Promenade decorated bus. Come out to learn and celebrate the gardens of the National Capital! http://www.gardenpromenade.ca/lee-valley-guided-bus-tour/
When: Every Saturday until September 1 between 9am and 11am
Where: Bus departs from downtown on Metcalfe Street at Sparks Street at 9am
Cost: $20 per person
10. Garden Promenade Activities this Summer
Garden Promenade’s Garden Photo-Fest
August 19 is International Photography Day and gardens are a perfect setting for photography. This event is a photo tribute to all the gardens, plants and people on the Garden Promenade. You are invited to share the beauty of our region with your photos of the beautiful gardens along the Promenade. There will be workshops, exhibitions and other ways for the amateur and professional photographers to get involved. Let us know what you are planning to bring photography attention to your garden. Be sure to hashtag your photos with #GardenPromenade or #promenadejardins.
When: August 18 – 19
Where: The Garden Promenade
Cost: FREE
Gardenlicious by Garden Promenade
As the days begin to grow shorter, and the heat of the summer starts to dissipate, people in this region look forward to the bounties of the harvest. This September, Gardenlicious is the opportunity to connect your garden to the culinary world.
Does your garden already have a culinary experience? This could be the opportunity to connect with a local chef and restaurant. You could host a chef from one of our official restaurants for your visitors to meet, which will offer a truly delightful garden culinary experience from the farm to the plate.
Watch http://www.gardenpromenade.ca/gardenlicious-sept-22-24-2017/ to learn about activities, times, and locations where you can enjoy some of the city’s best Garden-to-Table experiences.
When: September 14 – 23
Where: The Garden Promenade
Cost: FREE
Garden Fall Rhapsody
We think anytime is a good time to visit the National Capital Region, but autumn is by far one of our most colourful times of year. The tulips and gardens may just be memories in October, but the blazing glory of the deciduous trees and the soft warmth of sun along the Garden Promenade combine into a Fall Rhapsody that is renowned world-wide. Bring your camera and put your hiking boots on. There is so much to see and explore you’ll want to make this spectacular season part of your annual sojourn to the Capital. Keep an eye on http://www.gardenpromenade.ca/garden-fall-rhapsody-october-7-9-2017/ for more information soon.
When: October 6 – 8
Where: Gatineau Park (NCC)
Cost: FREE
If you received this monthly newsletter from someone else and would like to receive it directly, sign up here. If you have a food or farm-related event or issue that you would like posted on this newsletter, send a request to info@justfood.ca.
Although all volunteers and community partners of Just Food want to ensure Ottawa has a vibrant, accessible, sustainable food system, we have many diverse perspectives on how to get there. Just Food welcomes this diversity and believes that it is through working collaboratively with different opinions that we will arrive at a healthy food system for all. Any information that Just Food sends can include information from different community members and community partners and does not necessarily reflect the opinions of Just Food. If you ever have a question about any information listed here, please do not hesitate to e-mail info@justfood.ca or call 613-824-7771.
The Haven Community Garden
The Haven Community Garden in Barrhaven is one of the city’s newest community gardens. It’s beautifully situated on Via Chianti Grove off Longfields Drive, at the end of a row of townhouses and adjacent to two low-rise buildings. Residents of these new buildings gaze down upon 25 beds of lush green vegetables and fruits.
The idea of a community garden was first discussed last year, as the neighbourhood was taking shape, but it was not until this year that the idea took fruition. Residents worked with the landlord to secure a spot for the garden, and to sign up interested gardeners from the adjacent residences. The raised beds around the perimeter were completed at the end of May; the ground-level beds were finished by the first week of June. Despite the somewhat late start, the garden has flourished. The beds are filled with massive tomato plants that are heavily laden with fruit, as well as other favourites such as carrots, peppers, beans, and even fennel and bok choy
.
What makes this project remarkable is that about 70% of the gardeners at the Haven Community Garden had never gardened before they acquired a plot this year. The response has been tremendously positive. The garden has been a true community effort that readily brought together individuals from various cultures and abilities to work towards the common goal of growing fresh, nutritious produce. Experienced gardeners help newcomers identify weeds, determine how many plants a bed can sustain, and ensure that produce is picked when it is ripe. Though it has been a hot and dry summer, there is always at least one person on hand to ensure that all of the beds are watered. And, when food is ready to be picked, it is often delightfully shared amongst family members and neighbours! One family, having only one strawberry plant, which produced only one strawberry, split it four ways so that each family member could have a taste!
This year, much of the effort was spent getting the infrastructure authorized and built. Next year, emphasis will be placed on organizing the gardens before they are planted, by divvying up seeds and seedlings, and providing more educational opportunities for new gardeners.
Interest is growing, and if space can be obtained for additional beds, the garden organizers would love to see a kid’s garden, an herb garden, and a central community garden, in which seedlings could be started before being dispersed to individual plots. They would also like to invest in composters and water barrels, and more tools to make gardening tasks easier for everyone. The garden is open to members of the adjacent residences, but right now, all of the plots have been spoken for.
Mara Watson, one of the gardening coordinators, says that the main positive outcome of the garden is that it provided an opportunity for people to really get to know their neighbours. Individuals who do not otherwise share common interests – or a common language – still find the means to communicate about their plants. It is also a fundamental source of joy for the community. She relayed one story of a new gardener who lovingly photographs her plants and speaks of them as her babies. “The garden gives her such joy and peace,” Mara said, echoing the feelings of the other gardeners who had gathered to discuss their endeavour. Indeed, it is easy to see why this beautiful community garden has become a centrepiece of one of Barrhaven’s newest communities.
The Fair Finance Fund – for social enterprises!
Are you a local food producer, processor, market owner/ staff, co-op owner/ staff or other regional food entrepreneur that is committed to social values and community benefit goals? Are you looking for better access to capital?
Local Food and Farm Co-ops, with partners at the Rural Agri-Innovation Network/ SSMIC and the Greenbelt Fund are creating an exciting new opportunity—but in order to create a funding opportunity that is useful, they are asking for your tell them what you need, and help shape their program. You have 2 days left to give them input via the survey link below.
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We want to hear from you! We are contacting you to invite you to give your input to an exciting new project, the Fair Finance Fund for the local food and farm sector.
We appreciate your time to fill out the survey so that we can ensure the fund meets the needs of the sector. Please fill it out if you are a local food or farm enterprise with social, environmental and community goals and benefits, and feel free to share with others.
Please click here to fill out our survey.
Some more about the project:
The Fair Finance Fund will be a revolving loan fund offering patient capital (long-term or negotiated rates) for local food and farm social enterprises. Social enterprises in this sector include regional producers, markets and other regional food system partners that share social values and community benefit goals. The research is a coordinated by the Local Food and Farm Co-ops, with partners at the Rural Agri-Innovation Network/ SSMIC and the Greenbelt Fund. All participant responses will be held in strict confidence by Local Food and Farm Co-ops. The resulting report and general non-identifying statistical data may be shared with Fair Finance Fund partners and the Greenbelt Fund.
Loans will be offered in the mid-scale range, which is often seen by banks as too small, but is too large for micro-finance schemes. Between now and September, we are soliciting input from partners and enterprises to ensure that the fund is designed to meet their needs, and be viable over the long-term.
Here are a couple of examples that have inspired us:
FarmWorks(Nova Scotia)
Chantier de l’Economie Sociale(Montreal)
La Montanita Fund(Arizona)
We thank you in advance for your input!
Sally Miller
Local Food and Farm Co-ops
sally<at>localfoodandfarm.coop
David Thompson
Rural Agri-Innovation Network/ Sault Ste. Marie Innovation Centre
dthompson<at>ssmic.com
Just what is Agroecology?
Just Food’s Red Barn Series
Topic: Agroecology
Sunday July 29th, 10:00 – 2:00
The UN, Via Campesina, and a cluster of farming, food security and food justice advocates at home and abroad are pointing to agroecology as the way to transform our food systems to achieve fairness for farmers, farm workers, and communities of eaters across the globe. Just Food is hosting the Agroecology Field School and Research Summit (tickets still available!) on August 18, where a large collection of experts and practitioners from Canada and around the world will discuss how to ‘Move Agroecology Forward’.
But just what is Agroecology? Join us at 10:30 for a primer, delivered by Just Food Associate Director Phil Mount, followed by a tour of the farm to discuss the principles as they apply in Ottawa, including how we integrate animals into our food system.
Community Farm Days: Wild Pollinators
THIS WEEK: it’s all about POLLINATORS!
Come on by for a workshop on pollinators offered by the Wild Pollinator Partners-Partenaires des pollinisateurs sauvages at 10:30am.
What is pollination? Who are the wild pollinators among us? How do they live their lives? Are they struggling? What can we do to help them in our gardens? We will explore these questions, and others, in the first part of this interactive session offered by the Wild Pollinator Partners-Partenaires des pollinisateurs network.
In the second part, we will head outside to observe wild pollinators in action!
For those of you who may want to be more hands on, join us in building a wild pollinator hotel with the support of Martin Thornell and friends from Ottawa City Woodshop. We will also have a craft table starting at 11am where you can make your own bee buddy!
WHEN: Sunday, July 22, 2018 from 10am to 2pm – swing by anytime between these hours!
WHERE: Just Food Farm, 2391 Pépin Court
Cost: FREE
And don’t forget to check out our Just Food Farm Stand with fresh vegetables. All ages are welcome. We hope to see you at the farm, rain or shine!
