The Words Don’t Fit The Picture: Vancouver Public Library
March 31 2010 | Photography and Vancouver | 4 Comments »
Archive for March, 2010
Vancouver Cherry Blossom Festival launches ‘Birthday Blossoms’
I just bought my Birthday Blossoms Tree in support of the Vancouver Cherry Blossom Festival. If you live in Vancouver or have visited in spring, you may have noticed the masses of pink blooms and sweet fragrance of the thousands of ornamental cherry trees that were gifted to the city by Japan in the 1930s. I have always loved this sure sign of Spring and so I was excited to learn that from now until early next year, Vancouverites can get their very own ornamental cherry tree with proceeds supporting an initiative to preserve the 36,000 cherry trees that help make our city unique and beautiful.
The Vancouver Cherry Blossom Festival and the David and Dorothy Lam Foundation are organizing this opportunity as part of Vancouver’s 125th birthday celebration on April 6, 2011. You can start by reserving your tree now for only $30, but be hasty as there is a limited supply of 3,000 available for the ‘Birthday Blossoms’ program. Once you reserve your tree it will be available for pick up from GardenWorks next April 2011. To order your tree go to the VCBF Website where you will find there are 3 types of Ornamental Cherry trees available:
Akebono
Prunus x yedoensis ‘Akebono’
The daybreak cherry is a medium sized tree with an upright spreading crown that flowers in March or April, usually following the purple-leafed plums. The shell pink to white flowers are produced abundantly. ‘Akebono’ is noted for its essentially rainproof flowers and freedom from disease. Autumn colour is pumpkin orange.
Kanzan
Prunus Sato Zakura Group ‘Kanzan’
‘Kanzan’ is a fast growing cherry with a large, upright spreading crown. The huge, double pink flowers are produced in incredible profusion in late April or May. The leaves emerge bronze green at the same time as the flower buds open. One of the Sato Zakura (village cherries) in cultivation in Japan since the 17th century. Autumn colour is yellow to orange.
Pendula
Prunus pendula ‘Yae-beni-shidare’
‘Yae-beni-shidare’ is a double-flowered form of the Japanese Ito-zakura (thread cherry), with flowers in March or April that resemble, as they open, tiny, pendulous pink roses. The habit of this tree is more umbrella-like than many other weeping cultivars and is easily recognized by the long lasting, soft pink, inflated blooms and small stature. Also known as Prunus x subhirtella ‘Pleno-rosea’. Autumn colour is yellow, orange and red.
Linda Poole, the Festival’s Director, says: “The festival is aware of the life cycle of many of the cherry trees gifted by Japan in the early 1930s and feels it is our responsibility to plant now for the next generation. This year our new ‘Birthday Blossoms’ initiative is a gift that doesn’t stop giving, because every spring we are showered with the soft pink beauty of cherry blossom petals. People are helping the environment too by planting a cherry tree. This event promotes both beauty and sustainability”.
In addition to ‘Birthday Blossoms’, there are a number of ways to celebrate. The 2010 Haiku Invitationalencourages both budding and seasoned poets to honour our awe-inspiring cherry trees by writing a haiku on the theme of cherry blossoms. Call for entries is now open today, with the deadline being 31st May, 2010. Winners will be announced in Fall and the top five poems will be featured on TransLink transportation throughout Metro Vancouver (for more information, please visit www.vcbf.ca/haiku/haiku-invitational-2010).
The grand finale is Bike the Blossomson April 17th, which celebrates its third year of providing a breathtaking tour of Vancouver by bike from Vanier Park to Commercial Drive, allowing cyclists to experience all of city’s unique areas; cultural, seasonal and urban. The length of the route will also be a celebration of the city and culture with music, performers and light refreshments. Register with the Vancouver Area Cycling Coalition at www.greatrides.ca
March 26 2010 | Flowers and Vancouver | 23 Comments »
30-minute Mozzarella in Only 2 and a Half Hours
Whew! After taking my second cheese class this past week at UBC Farm (my first class was at Trevin Farms making chevre), I was inspired to whip up some 30-minute mozzarella. I ordered all the ingredients from Ricki Carroll and followed her directions here. This was my second go of it and I shaved 30 minutes off my time, completing the cheese in 2 hours and 30 minutes. I do hope to reach par at some point in my cheese making adventures, but practice makes perfect…and some delicious cheese!
PS: Trevin Farms sent me some photos today of the new kids on the block for 2010. Clearly these new additions have just as much attitude as thier parents and are still learning manners (ie: not to eat the house). Adorable!
March 21 2010 | Growing Food and Projects and Recipes | 9 Comments »
Weekend Project: Hanging Strawberry Planter
This project has more recent updates. For all the posts related to this project click here.
For the past 2 years I have been growing tomatoes in those fugly Topsy Turvy planters. Sure they are ugly, but I don’t have a lot of space and I love a lot of tomatoes and they actually do grow great tomatoes. Last year I hung three on the southwest corner of my garage and no one even noticed the crappy green ivy design because of all the cherry and grape toms dangling from below. There were a few factors that made it a success for me and I’ve listed that all here.
This year I decided to try a strawberry planter because let’s face it, who wouldn’t want delicious fresh strawberries growing off their garage? I had a bunch of strawberry runners over at my community garden plot and I found this handy “Flower Tower” at Value Village for few bucks. You can buy Topsy Turvey ones with the same general idea, or I can assume that cutting some holes in a bucket would really yield the same results. I filled the planter with garden soil, tucked in the runners, and voila – a hanging strawberry planter.
For now the biggest challenge has been to water it without the soil running through the holes. But as it compacts a little, it seems to be holding better. I’ve got about 36 plants in there so lets hope for a good harvest. If this works it may be the only way I grow strawberries again! Here are a few hanging container products if you want to start your own:
March 20 2010 | Gardening and Growing Food and Projects | 13 Comments »
A-MAZE-ING Laughter by Yue Minjun in English Bay
March 17 2010 | Photography and Vancouver | 8 Comments »
Grocery Gardening: Book Review
Since I have begun blogging about my gardens and food, I’ve met so many interesting people who I learn from daily. I’ve had mystery plants identified for me, been given family recipes to try, been inspired by creative design ideas, and received so much wonderful feedback on this site. It’s this aspect of connection and sharing that has brought so many gardeners online to social media and now a collaboration of some of these “Social Gardeners” have published a book food wisdom called Grocery Gardening: Planting, Preparing and Preserving Fresh Food
First let me say how fascinated I was by the story of how this book was put together for publication. The author, Jean Ann Van Krevelen, and the main contributors, Amanda Thomsen, Robin Ripley and Theresa O’Connor, have never met except online through Twitter. Not only that, but the input for the book (i.e.: tips and recipes) were collected via social media and the whole thing was brought to print in 60 days. Pretty cool, eh?
I found the format and content to certainly reflect the collaborative voices and many times it felt as if I was reading the transcripts of a meeting among friends sharing their advice on to starting an edible garden. I too have never met any of the authors of contributors of this book, but I do feel like I know them though chats on various social media or by following their blogs. This book certainly points out the interesting new dynamic to the gardening culture has been created through Twitter, Facebook and the blogosphere, allowing for sharing of time honored ideas and exposure to gardens and cooks from around the world. I could go on and on, but it’s best now to get onto the review.
Grocery Gardening is laid out in 5 sections:
- Gardening 101: A valuable set of basics important for any first time vegetable gardener.
- Organic Disease and Pest Management: This section highlights the importance of using organic practices to ensure you are growing the healthiest possible food.
- Purchasing Quality Produce: Although it’s only a few pages long, this was certainly my very favourite part the book and essential reading for anyone who is interested in re-educating themselves on what food really should look and smell like. I was happy to see the Dirty Dozen and Clean Fifteen (Regarding Fruit and Vegetables Most and Least Contaminated with Pesticides). Ever since I first saw these lists on http://www.davidsuzuki.org/, I have carried it around in my wallet. While this list doesn’t help you make a decision based on the environmental impact of choosing organic or non-organic produce, it is such a handy way to limit the toxins I put in my grocery bag and helps me choose what I should grow organically myself.
For a free iPhone app and the full list check out Environmental Working Group’s FoodNews by clicking on this image.
- Edibles: The main section of the book outlines the basics of growing, harvesting, and then preparing a selection of herbs, fruit, and vegetables. The sidebar tips from the contributors were my favourite part of this section as I learned some handy new tricks—like that you can root store bought basil in a glass of water—plus the recipes were simple and in line with the real food ideas of the book. The list of produce chosen is fairly short and therefore I found that some of my favourites were missing (radishes, beets, and potatoes I noticed specifically because I went looking for them) but certainly the basics are there for a novice gardener and the recipes look great. In fact there is one recipe that I’ve been thinking about since I read the book: Best Broccoli Quiche in the World by Shawna Coronado. Really, who wouldn’t want to try it with that title? Mmmm.
- Preserving Your Harvest: While this feels like eons away right now, I remember how I scoured my bookshelves for this exact information last fall when I was knee deep in berries, apples, tomatoes and squash. This section again, is basic information but a handy set of notes for the first-timer nonetheless.
I found the voice was refreshing in the book, and while the photos and layout are beautiful, the content to me feels more like a veggie gardening notebook that I would keep with me, to jot down notes I’ve learned from other savvy gardeners. I believe that this collection of ideas would be a great book for anyone who wants to start a vegetable garden, who wants to know how things are grown, and then have an arsenal of basic recipes to get started with. I also think it will make a great gift for those who show a spark of interest in food gardening but don’t know where to start. Now on to that Broccoli Quiche…
March 16 2010 | Canning and Growing Food and Harvest | 5 Comments »
A Wee Lull In Early Spring: Garden Bloggers’ Bloom Day
I was very excited for Garden Bloggers’ Bloom Day this month because Spring has arrived very early this year. I was adding top soil to the beds in January (JANUARY!), I’ve been sowing the veg seeds outdoors for 6 weeks now and it seemed like there was no end to the masses of bulbs blooming this past February, so I figured this was surely to be a glorious Bloom Day. To my dismay the 15th of this month seems to be an official lull in the garden. The crocuses, snowdrops, and bergenia that I have been bragging about for weeks are all dying down, cherry blossoms are littering the streets and garden beds with pink petals as they come to the end of their bloom cycle, and the next wave of blooms have yet to show their faces. That’s not to say that nothing is blooming. The daffodils are in full swing and the grape hyacinths have bloomed and I have lots of interesting things here and there, but I’m still waiting for my magnificent tulips and mini magnolia to open up signifying the true start the year’s flower show.
Given that other parts of the country are still fighting snow, these blooms are certainly nothing to sneeze at—well, except for all of those allergy sufferers out there. There are a few gems that are just starting while others are wrapping up which leave me wanting a bit more WOW. Hmmm, it looks like I’ll be taking a trip to the garden centre this week.
March 15 2010 | Flowers and Photography | 11 Comments »
The Aliens Have Bloomed: Euphorbia
I like to post flora on Fridays that are blooming in my area so a few weeks ago when I was touring the Olympic fun I noticed that skunky smell which could only mean the Euphorbia is in bloom.
Euphorbia characias ssp. wulfenii, or Wood Spurge, is the most common of the Euphorbia found in Vancouver although there are so many other varietals available, a few of which you’ll find in most any Eastside garden. Though considered a perennial, Euphorbia characias acts more like a shrub growing 4′-6′ tall and 3′-5′ wide. In late winter, neon green bracts (flowers) bloom atop spiky blue-green evergreen foliage creating quite a show. The alien-like eyes and the stink should be warning enough not to go messing with this plant unprotected, but if you a dead-set on taking pruners to these monsters, be forewarned the milky sap is toxic and can burn your skin if not handled properly. Best to observe from afar unless of course you want to get some cool close up shots.
Interestingly, I took these photos at Granville Island where I ran into some real aliens on parade. Big Nazo liked this photo my hubby took of their Carnival Band and used it on their blog. I’m glad they liked the photo as I really liked seeing tall one-eyed aliens, mechanical-looking machine men, and spirited green faces with no torsos.
March 12 2010 | Flowers and Photography | 10 Comments »
