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We are just tightening up our Permie Primer Weekend in Roberts Creek! Take a peek, choose one or choose them all! Registration is now open … email info@ediblelandscapes.ca or call Robin at (604) 885-4505

We often end up stewarding land with fewer basic skills than we thought. This weekend was designed to cover some first steps in land analysis, plant propagation, plant maintenance, simple framing, making the most of a chicken and more! Stay tuned for more of these summer and fall courses!

Friday July 9 Chickens can be vital to the sustainable farm as they quickly return our kitchen waste back into food, and their manure is a rich source of nitrogen for our sandy soil. We will learn chicken care later this summer, and for now, will learn gentle dispatch of these valuable creatures, and then how to maximize every bit

4:30 – 5:30 Gentle Butchering (instructor TBA)
Sometimes we have to put a chicken out of its misery after a dog attack, or we may be culling an assertive rooster. Knowing how to do the deed with the least distress to the animal is crucial. And there is now an opportunity to analyse the organs to assess flock health, or to prepare the animal for the table. ($20)

Introducing - Chicken from Beak to Cheek with Ian Lai
We will huddle around the picnic table for outdoor cooking of the following:

5:30 onwards Part one - From block to board.
Learn how to butcher the chicken professionally with the greatest of ease. Utilize the right parts of the chicken for the right dish by understanding moist and dry heat cooking methods. Techniques such as marinates, salt cure and dry rubs will help you enhance flavour and tenderness.

Part two – Liquids and solids.
It all starts with the stock – learn to make a flavourful stock that can be utilized as a broth , turned into a stew and converted into a pot pie. Use constituent parts to smoke, grill and fry to incorporate into light summer fare. ($32 includes dinner) (BYOB)

Ian Lai is a consultant and Chef Instructor at the Northwest Culinary Academy of Vancouver. He is the Founder and Project Coordinator of the Terra Nova Schoolyard Society. The Terra Nova Schoolyard Society is a non-profit urban agriculture project for elementary school children located in Richmond, British Columbia, Canada. Ian has been in the hospitality industry since 1979 and has worked for the Four Seasons Hotel, the Sheraton Hotel, Cara Flight Kitchen and he was the Resident Chef for the Consulate General of the United States of America. Ian is the Principal of Urban Agriculture Consulting. He lives in Richmond with his wife and daughter.
604-767-9264
ianlai@telus.net

Saturday July 10 –

10:00 – 11:30) Basic Permie Plant Care with Robin Wheeler – What if we decide to follow the no prune/no spray method of plant care? What to do with those raspberries, rhubarb, fruit trees and other traditional plants to keep them in good year round condition? We will look at that as well as Permie plants like mashua, cinnamon yam and discuss overwintering needs. ($25)

11:30 – lunch – your brown bag or order $5 snack lunch.

12:15 - 3 or so Beginner Framing with Tim Forester
Many of us begin to build a coldframe, plantstand or chicken run without any idea of framing the structure for strength and weightbearing. It’s good to have some basics and Tim will guide us through ground prep and design and get us going on a vine arbour. ($30)

3:30 – 4:30 Understanding Your Land - for the new small scale food producer with Robin Wheeler

Growers face many challenges, and having a firm understanding of their own strength and weaknesses, and of the assets and drawbacks to their land will help direct them to use energy efficiently. Participants will be led through a series of lists that will help them use space and time better and to direct resources where needed. Also excellent for any new landowner or wannabe. $20

4:45 – 5:45 – Understanding your Woodshed/Woodstove with Robin Wheeler
Siting of a wood shed can make a huge difference in pollution at burning time. We will talk about the ideal shed, and then go inside to look at the physiology of the wood stove and how to use it to best reduce smoke pollution. Also good for beginner woodstove users ($12 – priced low to encourage people to use carbon reducing skills)

Sunday July 11
10:00 – 11:30 Intro to Plant Propagation with Robin Wheeler
We want our land covered in a diversity of healthy plants and few of us can afford the nurseries. Robin will guide us through sourcing, seed growing, divisions and cuttings and participants will go home with a few babies. ($25)

11:45 – 12:30 Creating an Irrigation System (instructor TBA)

Using water properly is vital in terms of plant care and farm efficiency. A good irrigation system can be a boon to a grower. This class is geared towards the greenhorn who would like to learn the names of all the components, how they fit together, and why they should be selected. We will do a quick irrigation modification to end the class ($25)

1 pm – lunch – your brown bag or $5 snack lunch

2 pm onwards TBA

June 19/20 - Herb Weekend These classes are directed towards the beginner, to help round out recognition and other early skills. Held on the beautiful Sunshine Coast in the informal and relaxing gardens of Edible Landscapes. Take one class or take them all. Good learning, good networking, good fun. Some camping available ($7 a night).

Saturday, June 19

10:00 – 12:00 Herb Walkabout with Robin Wheeler
This is an introduction to many of the herbs used in folk medicine. We will observe, smell and taste dozens of plants, and participants can take leaf samples and photographs for their records. We will learn about some highlights and cultivation issues. $25

12:00 – 1:00 brown bag or order $4 snack lunch with beverage

1:00 – 3.00 – Introduction to Herbal Medicine with Robin Wheeler
Poultices, salves, tinctures and oils – what are they made of, how are they used, and why are choices made in this way? We will also learn about solvents and learn why understanding solvents is key to knowing how to free medicinal constituents for our use. $25

3:15 – 4: 30 Herbal First Aid Kit with Julie Starsage and Robin Wheeler
Learn to quickly recognize the plants around you that will slow bleeding, draw out foreign bodies and protect from infection. Learn what can be dried and packaged for quick use when the plants are dormant. $20

Sunday, June 20
10 – 12.00 - Native Use of Herbs with Cymba
Consisting of in-the-field plant identification, discussing traditional and contemporary uses of these plants. Food, medicinal and ceremonial uses will be covered as well as ecologically sustainable harvesting techniques. A hands-on component will include topical salves making (everyone will leave with a traditional medicine). $25

12:00 to 1:00 – bag lunch or $4 snack lunch and beverage.

2:15 – 3:45 Eastern Classification of herbs based on Observation with Julie Starsage
Learn the general patterns of plant use from a Chinese and Ayurvedic perspective through colour, taste, smell, parts used, and the season grown and harvested.. Examples are yellow coloured roots for digestive issues, summer flowers for fevers and infections, arial parts for the upper part of the body. $25

4:00 – 5:15 - Herb Harvesting and Storage with Robin Wheeler
Original placement of plants, exact day and time of harvest – these important points lead to a powerful herb that keeps its medicine intact for a long time. Learn proper techniques for berries, flowers, leaves, roots and seeds. $20

Biographies:
Julie Starsage completed a course in Professional Herbalism through East West School of Herbology in 99 and in West Coast Wildcrafting in 2000 through Douglas College. She has a diploma of Doctor of Traditional Chinese Medicine which included 1,445 hours of Chinese Herbalism from Oshio College. She is owner of Sage Mountain TCM in Wilson Creek, practicing as a Registered Acupuncturist as well as spending time in the garden and raising two small children.

Cymba (Robert Vincent) spent several years living and learning his lore with a First Nations group on Vancouver Island. He is proficient at wildcrafting and also teaches native technology classes. He has led many guided walks and educational tours in the lower mainland. He is also a carver.

I’ve had many opportunities to collaborate with garliq, herbalist and passionate teacher of wildcrafting and medicine making through my work with the Sustainable Living Arts School. He now runs a full course menu of herbal teachings through his own Urban Herb School. Email garliq to get on the list  for his regular hands-on, half-day intensives. LivingMedicine@riseup.net

Each session includes Plant Identification, Gathering and Medicine Making. These 3 simple pieces are the tools required to know how, when and which plants can be gathered from gardens, parks and lawns to become food and medicines to keep our families and friends healthy.

The next offering is the Cedar & Salmonberry Sensation session offered this upcoming weekend:

Saturday  June 12th

2 Sessions Available:   9am-1pm  or  2-6pm at the UBC Forest

cost: $40

Register by email - LivingMedicine@riseup.net  **to make it easy, please include the Date & Time of the workshop you want to attend in the subject please .  Thanks.

Information specific to the event location will be forwarded to registrants.

**This is a family friendly event. Feel free to bring your kids. They’re much more likely to take the medicines that they help gather and make.

–

Posted by Robin Wheeler

May 8/9 - Roberts Creek - just 20 minutes from the Langdale ferry terminal, accessible by city bus.

Hone your outdoor skills in a relaxing and supportive environment. Take any number of classes, camp on site ($5) or stay with friends.

Register? Questions? : Connect with info@ediblelandscapes.ca or call Robin at 604-885-4505

Saturday, May 8 – Edible Landscapes site – 1732 Pell Road, Roberts Creek

9:30 – 11:00 Introduction to Wild Edibles with Annette Clarke

Easy to identify plants that do not need any complicated cooking methods are the topic of this course. An emphasis is placed on respectful collection and proper identification of the food plants. Different plants are growing and ripening with each season. Topics change slightly depending on the time of the year. We will cover berries, wild weeds and edible trees. $25

11:15 – 1:30 pm Wild Containers with Annette Clarke (bring brown bag or order $4 snack lunch to eat during this class)
We may find ourselves in the bush, wanting to carry berries, mushrooms or other precious finds. Annette will show us samples of various containers made from bark, leaves and vines that will last for years. Container materials will be: Grass, Leaves, Sedges and Rushes, Cattail and Birch bark. We won’t make all the different container types, but I will bring them all for showing the options and then pick one simple version (Leaf or Grass) and a Cattail container to make ourselves. $25

2:00 pm – two events occurring at two locations –

Option 1: 2:00 - 5:00 - Into the Wild with Peter Light (off site – 2692 Highway 101 - Carpooling can be arranged, camping available at Peter’s.)

Covers most of the resources one can find close to our doorsteps in our west coast woods. Learn how to recognize the principal trees in our forest; spot useful old, moss-covered logs for multiple uses; process cedar poles and beams for all your building needs; split cedar shakes for roofs and walls – in short, how to go into the woods and harvest all you need for a FREE house, barn, shed, bench, fence, gate, handle, etc., etc., as well as a FREE supply of fuel to heat your home and cook your food. Learn, too, of more unsuspected wealth that lurks among the trees! Includes an introduction to the hand tools you will need to harvest these resources. $30 - $45 sliding scale

5:30 to 7:00 - Cook-out around Peter’s doorstep firecircle. Instructor will contribute hearty soup and bread for all.

7:00 onward - Firecircle hang-out. Some beer, wine and smoke provided for all. Sleep over optional. Please register. A prerequisite for this course is to read the segment of the instructor’s autobiographical sketch to be found at http://slas.ca/peter-light/

Option 2: 2:00 – 4:00 WILD PIGMENTS - Colouring with plants and minerals with Annette Clarke (or: how to make the best out of a berry stain)
Colours made from charcoal and clay earth pigments such as red and yellow ochre have been used worldwide since prehistoric times. In this course we will make red, orange, yellow, white and black oil paint from minerals and pollen and purple and red water paints. All materials used are local, easy to find and lots of fun to work with.
The course also includes the making of your own brush from a small branch or twig, as well as handouts and all materials needed. $25.

Sunday, May 9 (Edible Landscapes site – 1732 Pell Road)

10 – noon Native Plant Technology with Cymba
The workshop will consist of a walk around the area to identify plants that were (are) commonly used in various technological ways (providing materials for cordage, adhesives, shelters, clothing, tools etc. Samples of important materials from off-site will also be provided for discussion. In a hands-on component we will play with simple tool construction (includes binding and gluing). * The exact nature of these workshops will vary according to interaction between participants. We will attempt to cover all materials and the instructor is willing to spend more time if participants feel a need. $25

1: 00 – 2:30 Wild Medicines and Wildcrafting Skills with Robin Wheeler

Beginner class for harvesting wild medicines. We will learn some recognition techniques, identify common wild medicines, take samples, and learn some uses. We’ll learn sustainable and respectful wildcrafting techniques, plus how to dry and store berries, leaves, roots and flowers for highest quality results. We’ll drink teas and apply poultices. $25

3:00 – onwards Fire! with Kim Wilkinson
Rekindle your relationship with fire in this 1.5 hour course for beginners on fire-making in a wilderness living or survival situation. We’ll start with basic concepts tinder and spark with modern methods and materials. Then we’ll try our hands at ancestral techniques including flint & steel and finally bow & drill friction fire with natural materials. We’ll discuss respectful gathering of tinder, cordage, and wood materials, and how fire interacts with other survival priorities including water, shelter, food, and emotional health. Be aware that when we work with ancestral skills we are not guaranteed to “make” a fire—fire is a gift that comes from a relationship. Bring a sense of gratitude and join us to experience the wonder of fire! $25

5:00 onwards Dinner at the fire pit. We will enjoy our wild edibles, harvested teas, bannock, fish and homemade wine. $3.00 per person or contribution to above.

Thanks to Tree Brewing Co., (and Michelle!) the Homebrew Learning Party will be a tasting party too. Tree has   generously donated some mixed flats of beer to try out as we learn to brew ourselves.   John, our guide for the night will help us match some of our favourite types of beer to various recipes,  that can all be sourced at Dan’s Homebrewing.  While I’m eager to add brewing to my fermenting repertoire  I know I will be  patronizing BC’s microbreweries (and Czech pilsners) in the future too.

I won’t hazard a guess at how many batches it will take before I feel ready to take the next step: brewing with herbs I grow. It just feels like a good idea to begin with what I know I like- hops, barley malt, water & yeast as laid down in the Bavarian Purity Laws of 1516.  But rules about what to eat, drink or medicate annoy me and instantly provoke my inner 15 year old hoser-punk. So I’m already pondering beer recipes that rebel and dreaming about future learning parties.

I know this is an interest of Mary and Steve, our homebrew party hosts as well. It just seems to follow from growing food in a gentle way- you produce an abundance of stuff you intended and an abundance that just shows up. It’s amazing how many of the uninvited plants are nourishing in some way- especially if fermented!

Beermaking is definitely a tradition I want to be inducted into by a knowledgeable guide and in good company. I’m glad to know that I’ll have Mary and Steve and potentially some folks from the learning party to compare notes with afterwards.  Sometimes a 2 minute conversation or a targeted question to a friendly person can bolster my confidence to just try stuff out.  So I’m excited to see familiar names registered for the learning party, including folks from past learning parties, from friends I didn’t know were yearning to brew, and from folks I’ve just met in other contexts (like the Potato Salad crew- our new potato growing co-op, also loosely affiliated with the hodge-podge of grassroots projects that is the Sustainable Living Arts School.)

There are still a few spots available for this learning party which starts next Monday, March 29 and continues on Monday, April 12 for bottling. Come join the learning crew if you can- we’d love to have you!

Register at http://slashomebrew.eventbrite.com/

Free Beer Tomorrow Neon Sign shared CC by Lori Spindler

You are warmly invited to another hands-on Sustainable Living Arts School Learning Party….

The Home-brew Learning Party!

….with beermeister John Margetts

This is a 2-part learning party.

Part 1 Brewing: Monday, March 29 from 7-9:30

Part 2 Bottling: Monday, April 12 from 7-9:30

This one gives me great delight. As a dedicated and nearly life long beer enthusiast (my mom tells me I liked the taste right away) I am very excited to add this craft to my repertoire of the sustainable living arts. This 2-part learning party series will give us all the basics to brew our first batch of beer at home. Please come with your favourite snack to share with beer. Samples of beer provided! Looking forward to seeing you there, Keira

Our guide for the day: John Margetts
“I first pitched some yeast into a beer kit a little more than twenty years ago but I really started making beer about 11 years ago. That was when I first met Dan (of Dan’s Homebrewing Supplies) and he taught me how to use a mash tun and the value of using fresh hops.”

There are so many reasons to brew your own beer: it’s cheaper, it’s tastier, it’s often better for you (unfiltered, unpasteurized) and has real food value, it’s less predictable (i.e., more interesting), it’s educational and empowering to do it yourself. It’s one step in the right direction- avoiding mindless consumerism. The old saying about chopping your own firewood applies: it warms you twice, and it’s fun.

Teachers provide some guidance, but the real learning comes from the student her/himself and their experiences. I think the best way to learn how to do something is by working with someone with experience and then just doing it and learning from your successes and failures both.” John Margetts

Register: http://slashomebrew.eventbrite.com

Location: - Close to Main and 23rd. Address will be emailed to registered participants 3 days before the learning party.

Cost: $40 You’ll go home with approx. 2 litres of our homebrew after the bottling party.

A huge thank-you to our sponsor for this learning party- Dan’s Homebrewing Supplies! We highly recommend Dan’s for all your homebrew supplies. Find them at 692 East Hastings.

2010 Sustainable Living Arts School
Permaculture Design Certification
and Food Cycles Program

Join Delvin Solkinson and Robin Wheeler for a dynamic year round adventure in education. We offer a full Permaculture Design Certificate with a complete Food Cycles Program to create an integrated system of both design concepts and functional living skills.

Permaculture is a holistic approach to conscious living. It promotes an awareness of the world with a focus on sustainability, low impact living and healthy community development.

The Food Cycles course promotes seasonal awareness with practical activities to do at every time of year.

Learn the role of native plants, tips for organic gardening, growth cycles, propagation, seed saving, harvesting, food preservation, water wisdom, medicine making, integrated composting and so much more as part of practical and relevant Timely Actions in the Garden. Other course topics include design methods, patterns in nature, climatic factors, water, soils, earthworks, design strategies for urban and rural applications, practical living for all climates on the planet, trees, aquaculture, waste management, sustainable architecture, ethical business practices and economics, bio-regional organization, and effective aid.

From dormant earth to finished season, the Food Cycles program will occur in conjunction with the Permaculture Design classes to round out and ground in the new permaculture practitioner’s certificate.

13 spaces only
register now to hold your space

Class will begin March, on every other Monday and last for 15 months.
Location: Edible Landscapes, Robert’s Creek BC

Contact
Robin Wheeler : info@ediblelandscapes.ca (604) 885-4505
or Delvin Solkinson : delvin@illuminated.com
for more details

Some of us are figuring that RIGHT NOW, OVER THE COMING WEEK is a very, very good time to write a letter requesting that our BC government exempt small farmers from the imposed meat regulations. We think a focused push, hopefully with hundreds of letters, might show how we have not gone away, that there are in fact even more of us, and that we want change.

Please ask that farmers be permitted to sell healthy animals from their farm gates, without trauma, fossil fuels, time and extra cost, and without the increased threat of contamination that a visit to a government inspected facility can bring.

Please write to our Premier. He has the power to lift the meat regulations as other provinces have.

Hon. Gordon Campbell   premier@gov.bc.ca
or Room 156, Parliament Buildings, Victoria BC V8V 1X4

or Ida Chong, who is holding the meat regulation potato right now:
Hon. Ida Chong
Minister of Healthy Living and Sport
P.O. Box 9062 Stn. Prov. Govt.
Victoria, BC V8W 9E2
250-387-3504
HLS.Minister@gov.bc.ca

or our Agriculture man, Hon. Steve Thomson
Minister of Agriculture and Lands
P.O. Box 9043 Stn. Prov. Govt.
Victoria, BC V8W 9E2
250-387-1023
steve.thomson.mla@leg.bc.ca

Thanks, everybody. A gathered effort cannot hurt and must be done. Please forward this to friends, farmers, consumer groups, Facebook groups, etc for maximum exposure. And please see http://www.farmfoodfreedomfighters.ca for free downloads of bumper stickers, buttons and more.

Tuesday, Sept  29th

Concepts in Year Round Gardening 9:45-11:45 am
Grandview Woodland (near Nanaimo and 1st)
The Whys and Wherefores of food cycles - why we want them, how to get them. We will plan round the calendar food supplies, both in the larder and stored in the garden.

Introduction to Medicine Making 1:30-4:30 pm
Main St./Little Mountain (near Cambie and King Ed)
There are so many plants that are safe, easy to recognize and locate, and effective. We will learn some recognition techniques, and then how to make teas, poultices, tinctures and infused oils. We’ll learn about solvents, supplies and storage.

Apartment and Container Gardening 6:30-8 pm
Potluck @ 5:30 for folks who would like to share a meal together
Downtown (near Davie and Seymour)
How to get more food from your balcony or patio. Space and weight are big problems for apartment dwellers. We will decide how to choose plants, discuss containers, soils, feeding and watering, succession planting and more in this workshop for small spaces.

Wednesday, Sept 30

Seed Saving Primer 9-10:30 am
Kits Point Village (near Cornwall and Arbutus) co-sponsored by Kits Point neighbourhood Village
Seed saving is the missing link in food security. In our current political climate of seed patenting and ownership, it is increasingly important that a critical mass of a population have a good understanding of seed saving techniques. This will make it possible to create networks for seed abundance and resilience in many communities. This workshop will provide a deeper understanding of seed saving basics as well as provide time to discuss the implications of forming our relationships soon and well.
Your donation includes a copy of The Five Levels of Seed Saving by Terry Klokeid.

Shapes in Sharing 10:45-11:45 am
Kits Point Village  (near Cornwall and Arbutus) co-sponsored by Kits Point neighbourhood Village
Ideas for sharing land, food, space and time with a workshop component. We’ll do a study of our own assets and shortfalls and figure out how to equalize these on both a large and small scale.

Intensive Urban Microfarming 1:30-4:30 pm
Potluck @12:30 for folks who would like to share a meal together
Cedar Cottage (near Victoria Dr., south of Trout Lake/John Hendry Park)  For folks who are ready to refine and to deepen their knowledge of urban microfarming, Robin invites you to participate in a 3 hour gathering that will examine as many of the following topics as time allows:
· Increasing backyard food production
· Succession planting
· Shade growing
· Extending the growing season through your choice of plants, Water Wisdom, Plant Calendar Mapping and Microclimating.

Apartment and Container Gardening 7-8:30 pm
Potluck @ 6 for folks who would like to share a meal together
Lower Lonsdale, North Vancouver (near Lonsdale & 1st & Lonsdale Quay)
How to get more food from your balcony or patio. Space and weight are big problems for  apartment dwellers. We will decide how to choose plants, discuss containers soils, feeding and watering, succession planting and more, in this workshop for small spaces.

All workshops are offered on a pay what you can basis. A one hour workshop usually costs around $10 to $15; a 1 1/2 hour workshop around $15 to $20; a two hour workshop around $25 to $30, a 2 1/2 hour workshop around $30 to $35. and a three hour workshop around $40. Our contributions to these workshops make it possible for teachers like Robin to expand and to deepen the scope of the important educational and social change work that they are involved in, particularly in these uncertain times. Enrolment is limited to 20 people for each workshop. (15 for Apartment workshops.)

To register:
(or to find out more about hosting a future workshop), please contact Ross at rmoster@flash.net.

A creative evening with Robin Wheeler (Edible Landscapes) for apartment dwellers on Vancouver’s downtown peninsula

WHEN

7 to 8:45 pm, September 28, 2009

WHERE

Gordon Neighborhood House, 1019 Broughton Street

(Between Nelson and Comox. Venue tel. 604-683-2554)

WHO

Robin Wheeler teaches traditional skills, sustenance gardening and medicinals at Edible Landscapes (www.ediblelandscapes.ca), a nursery and teaching garden in Roberts Creek, British Columbia. She is the author of “Food Security for the Faint of Heart” and “Gardening for the Faint of Heart.”

WHAT

Think about the 100-mile diet, farmers’ markets, community gardens, high food prices, sustainability, food safety, emergency preparedness…and you will understand why more and more people are interested in having healthy food grown close to home. Now there’s a buzz about the “100-meter diet.” But how much food can we grow for ourselves here in the West End of Vancouver?

In the first half, Robin Wheeler will cover various concepts from her book and experience—edible landscapes; food growing on apartment balconies and patios; ideas for sharing land, food, space, and time; food preservation/storage in apartments; and so on. In the second half, an open discussion will share information about issues in the West End. What’s already being done and who’s doing it? How can apartment dwellers get more space to grow food? What frameworks and support systems exist? Can these ideas somehow help low-income families? What problems and opportunities exist? Entrance by donation ($5 recommended). A report will be prepared afterwards, so please contact us if you can’t attend but would like to know the outcomes.

REGISTER:

FoodWestEnd@gmail.com

SPONSORS

Green Millennium Foundation (www.greenmillennium.org)

West End Residents Association (www.wera.bc.ca)