Root Cellar Workshop – Day 2

Day 2 started with reconstituing our torn up clay floor into new plaster by pounding it down with a sledge hammer.  Very satisfying work!

  Once a little water is added to the pounded down clay, it becomes plaster again.  Covering the newly built walls with this recycled plaster serve to insulate and regulate the cool temperature and to keep moisture high in the root cellar.

It took a little bit of practice to get the technique of applying this thick muck to a vertical wall – you kind of had to jiggle a chunk of it in your hand to make it pliable and then spread it on thickly with the heel of your hand.

Once most of the plaster was up on the walls, we moved outside for lunch to enjoy the sun and get materials ready for the ventilation system.

Good ventilation is key to a successful root cellar.  All that dampness that we’re trying to foster can lead to rotton or moldy veggies if there’s no airflow in the room.  The system we were using is a passive intake/outake of warm and cool air through these PVC pipes. 

Here’s a sketch from Mike and Nancy Bubel’s book, ‘Root Cellaring: The Simple No-Processing Way to Store Fruits and Vegetables’ that explains how it works:

We started off off by cutting a few holes in the wood covering the old window, then the pipes were positioned in a thick piece of styrofoam insulation and set into place and connected to the cold air pipe along the floor.

And Voila!  A fully functioning ventilation system!  The blue caps over the intake and outtake pipes allow us to regulate the amount of warm air leaving and cold air coming in.

Later this week we’ll have a post on using the materials you have at your disposal, and we’ll be posting a few videos from the workshop as well.  Stay posted!

Root Cellar Workshop – Day One

Root Cellar Basics

Root Cellar Tour

Simple cold storage ideas

Root Cellar Workshop: Day One

This weekend, we built a root cellar! Building a root cellar at the Ecology Action Centre office has been an idea that we’ve been kicking around for years. It went from the idea stage to the reality stage when we received some funding from the Spirit NS Local Food Fund last fall. After the excitement of receiving the funding, the next big question was: So, how do we actually build this?

With the help of Zak Miller of Full Cycle Builders, and a team of amazing volunteers, we turned a dark corner of the basement into a food storage room.

Here’s the before picture:

We picked the northeast corner of the building because it had a small window, it already had three walls, and the north side of a building is generally colder than the south. Some of the best root cellar advice I received was to think like a root vegetable. Root vegetables grow underground where it is cool, dark and damp. You want your root cellar to mimic those conditions.

A couple years ago, we had put down a vapour barrier and clay floor in that area of the basement to reduce the humidity, so the first thing we had to do was to take up the floor in that area.  In the picture below you can see the tan clay next to the brick and gravel.  This is what had to go.

Next step: Build a wall.

Zak started us off with a demonstration how to safely use the circular saw.  A nice excuse to take a break from the dusty basement!

We framed in the wall and covered it in old acoustical tiles and leftover drywall.

Check back tomorrow to see the natural plasters we put on the wall, the ventilation system and more…

And here are some past posts on root cellaring:

Root Cellar Basics

Root Cellar Tour

Simple cold storage ideas

Food Miles Book Club: Social Benefits and the Food Community

Today we’re discussing the social benefits of local food. If you’re new to Food Miles book club, here’s a list of the past posts: Introductory post
Self Reliance chapter
Transportation and Energy chapters
Economic chapter

(Full report available here)

Questions for discussion:

What are some of the reasons you buy local food?
Do you have local food story?
Who’s your farmer?

~~~

Social Benefits and the Food Community

Buying locally-produced food, especially in a way that provides a fair price to producers, generates social benefits in this province. These social benefits include nutritious food, entrepreneurial energy, work ethic, mentorship, mutual reliance, relationship-based economic activity, and maintenance of farming communities. Buying imported food generates none of these benefits.

One could argue that imported food provides a greater variety of products for less money than it would cost to grow or raise them here. The economies of scale from large agri-business in the global food system bring us unlimited supply supposedly at the cheapest price possible. But we need to distinguish between ‘price’ and ‘value’. Does importing most of our food bring us better food value than what our own farms can provide? Does the price we pay for imported food somehow compensate us for all the social costs associated with displacing our family farms? Is the money we spend giving us vital and nutritious food, or is it going into advertising, corporate profits, transport, packaging, and preservatives? In a scenario where most of our food is produced in this region, we could still import some of our food. But we would discover the variety of foods we can grow here while at the same time supporting our farmers. The social benefits of a local food system could be the most important reason for buying locally-produced food.

Social benefits and costs are the most difficult to measure and put a value on. That is why they remain hidden. We don’t notice social losses until they are gone and it is too late. We are often not aware of all the ways our spending habits affect people and community life. In cases when we are aware, we make much better, but seemingly ‘irrational’ decisions. We buy apples from the guy we know is the main organizer of the community fair because of his involvement and because they are great apples. It doesn’t matter that his 10 lb bags cost a little more. We go to the farmers’ market instead of the grocery store because we like the vendors and get gardening advice from them. Some people go to a particular u-pick because their parents and grandparents took them there as children. In cases where is a positive connection, price becomes less of an issue.

Knowing the social circumstances surrounding a product can affect our food-buying decisions, which in turn affect the social circumstances. But in many cases we don’t know those circumstances. In fact, for the global food system to work effectively, it is important that we know as little as possible. It is difficult enough to go into a grocery store and figure out where products are from, let alone who is producing them and how. As the gap between consumers and producers widens, and our ignorance of food production grows, we will make poorer decisions with our food dollars, causing our communities to suffer.

Springtime Foraging

As a transplanted Manitoban experiencing her first Nova Scotia spring, I’ve been having an easy time keeping my spirits up through all this rain and fog.  Don’t get me wrong – when the sun makes its very short appearances, I get delirious like everyone else  – and I still am somewhat worried that the slugs will overtake my garden before I even get a chance to put my tomato plants in the ground. 

However, I’m having a lot of fun exploring the unique springtime foods of wild Nova Scotia.  On my first day on the job last week, I was sent home with a big bag of freshly foraged fiddleheads from Ray Plourde, our wilderness co-ordinator.  (This is what you do for ALL new summer student employees,  right?)  These were a real treat, but the real fun was when I started foraging in my own yard for edibles. 

I had just noticed these spiky plants growing in my yard a week or two ago and then learned on this blog that it was Japanese Knotweed, a highly invasive and (highly delicious) plant that tends to be quite destructive if left unchecked.  Clearly, I had two important motivations to get out in the rain and pick this stuff!

The larger the stalk, the easier it is to peel – and you do need to peel this stuff if you don’t want to be chewing on woody pulp.  I ended up boiling the smaller, unpeeled stalks for a few minutes, draining off the resulting juice and adding honey for a refreshing lemonade-type tea. 

This past weekend, I told my mother-in-law about this concoction and she was horrified that I would consume this stuff.  She wasn’t quite convinced that it tasted just like rhubarb – so I served her a surprise dessert for lunch – warm stewed knotweed with brown sugar and cinnamon garnished with a large dollop of vanilla foxhill yogurt.  She had to admit it was tasty!

I’ve also been spending a lot of time picking dandelions in my yard and garden.  It’s still entertaining and novel to me that I can (occasionally) get the entire plant out by the root.  This NEVER happened in the clay soils of Winnipeg!

Last weekend after a long rainy morning hunched over picking weeds, I got inspired to turn a few of the thousands of these dandelions in my yard into lunch.  Sauteed in a bit of bacon fat, they were a very yummy garnish to my bratwurst and smoked gouda sandwich.  A delicious way to eat the fruit of my back-breaking labour!

Yours in food,

Alison

Adventures in Cheese

About a month ago, I mentioned in the Indian Food workshop post that Ran-Cher Acres had given me advice over the phone on making my own paneer.

So, inspired by the palak paneer (which is one of my favourite foods), I headed to the farmers market and picked up a litre of milk.

Here’s how I made it:
Put the milk in a saucepan and bring to a boil while stirring constantly. Just as it comes to a boil, remove from heat. Add 1/4 cup of vinegar or lemon juice and stir. This will cause the milk to curdle. Strain the mixture through a cheese cloth or tea towel. Squeeze out the whey.

Voila paneer!

(And then I made more palak paneer using delicious spinach from the farmers market.)

Root Cellar Building Work Party and Potluck, May 28 and 29

Does anybody else have a basement that looks like this??

Next weekend we will witness the transformation of this humble space into a root cellar. Most of us are waiting anxiously to spend some  time in the sunshine these days and green thumbs are chomping at the bit to get their seeds into the ground.  Harvest season seems a long ways away!  However, spring is a great time to work on a plan for what you’re going to do with all those September and October veggies.    Using a little elbow grease in the beginning of the season to prepare a place for  cold storage can allow you to buy in bulk when everything’s in season, and if you grow your own vegetables, having a root cellar in place can go a long way to make harvest time less hectic. 

We’ve been brainstorming about how to make our root cellar workshop more inclusive for those who may have time commitments or financial concerns about registration fees, so we’re changing things up!  We are now inviting  anyone interested in cold storage to participate in our Root Cellar Building Work Party next weekend!  Drop by and lend a hand for an hour or for a day.   There’s no cost – all we ask for is your enthusiasm and maybe some grub for a potluck lunch.

The schedule looks a little like this:

Day 1 – Saturday, May 28.  10:00am – 4:00pm
-Wall framing
-Door Installation
-Ventilation system build

Day 2 – Sunday, May 29.  10:00am – 4:00pm

-Earthen Floor and Earthen Plasters
-Install venting system
-Install lighting

Come by the EAC at 2705 Fern Lane wearing your work clothes and help us transform our basement!  We’ll start each day with a short  information session on the benefits and fundamentals of root cellars so come early if you’re interested in finding out more.  Feel free to bring your tools, but we’ll have lots to keep you busy if you come empty handed.  Send us an e-mail at foodaction@ecologyaction.ca to let us know if you’re interested in coming.  We hope to see you there.

Knotweed and Fiddleheads

It is easy to see why landscapers made the mistake of introducing Japanese Knotweed to North America. Before it became closely associated with feelings of despair, a brake of the 10 feet tall bamboo-like canes made a stunning visual effect. In July they bear delicate sprays of tiny white flowers that exude a sweet jasmine-like scent.

Knotweed also forms dense and spreading colonies that choke out every other plant. It can spread from underground running rhizomes and come back from the tiniest root fragments.  As if that weren’t enough, taproots can wedge as deep as 3 m, taking refuge in shallow Halifax bedrock. Clearly when it arrives it is there to stay. But all is not lost, knotweed is also a source of food and medicine. It is even being investigated as a potential source for biomass. (www.phlorum.com/blog/)

Harvest the asparagus-like shoots now, at the last frost, between May 1 and Victoria Day. They must be cooked, and taste (to me) like a cross between rhubarb and artichoke hearts. Knotweed can be eaten as a sweet or savoury vegetable and I like to steam or boil them just as they are. They can also be mixed with sugar or other fruit and used as rhubarb crumble filling.

Here’s a recipe for Knotweed Jelly from the Three Foragers.

-Jen Stotland

It’s fiddlehead time too! For a detailed article on fiddleheads, check out Ray Plourde’s article in Saltscapes magazine.

New Price for Root Cellar Workshop

I had gotten some feedback that people were excited about the root cellar construction workshop, but  that the price was prohibitive, so I’ve adjusted the price.

New cost for the weekend workshop: $100.  We still have some space.  Register now!

Click here for more details.

Local Food Dinner Parties! May 14th, 2011

As part of the 40 days of action the Food Action Committee would like to bring local cooking to your home, by inspiring you to cook local for and with your friends! Spend your evening meal together with a few friends and acquaintances learning to cook local on May 14th. Then share what you cooked and how it went accompanied with photos, if you feel like it, by sending them into the Food Action Committee and we will post it here on our blog or leave a note in the comments section below!

We have composed a list of some menu ideas that can be found in detail in earlier posts on this blog or the Select Nova Scotia website in their recipe guide.

Feel free to use your own recipes too of course! We’d love to learn more.

Menu Examples
Starters:

Beet Salad with Apple Cider and Honey Vinaigrette, Sesame and Mint.

Spinach Egg Drop Soup

Carrot Ginger Soup

Baked Brie In Maple Syrup

Main Courses

Beef and Ale Stew

Butterflied Leg of Lamb with Salsa Verde

Veggie (or not) Pizza

Desserts

Chocolate Tofu Cheesecake (super good!)

Apple Berry Charlotte

Blueberry Maple Apple Butter –with toast or scones yum! 

(Photo credit: Wonky Eye Photography)

Food Miles Book Club: Economic Benefits and the Food Dollar

Welcome to the Economics chapter of the Food Miles book club. If you’re new to this discussion, check out the introductory post, the  Self Reliance chapter, and the Transportation and Energy chapter.

Here’s a quick summary of each of the Economics chapter (full report available here):

~~~~

One of the key reasons for choosing to buy locally-produced food rather than imported food is to foster economically viable farming businesses and farming communities in Nova Scotia.

Consider the following:

• Direct annual farm spending was $460 million (in farm operating expenses) in 2008

• Total annual employment from direct, indirect and induced employment from farming activity is 10,281 full time equivalent jobs (2004 estimate)

• Total annual contribution to GDP (direct, indirect and induced) is $400 million (2004 estimate)

Nova Scotia is presently losing farms, along with the interwoven businesses that supply their inputs or process and distribute their products. Farm communities are unraveling. To keep the farms we have, encourage new farmers, and prevent the bleeding out of businesses that make up a local food system, a move to support local farms via our food dollar couldn’t come fast enough.

Even though Nova Scotia farmers are producing more product each year, their average total net income is going down, as is their share of the food dollar. These trends clearly show that to have farms in this province, food needs to be purchased in a way that ensures farmers can recoup their costs of production. If our farms disappear, we won’t have the option to buy local food, which leads to higher prices for imported food, as well as a loss of food sovereignty.

One of the reasons imported food is considered to be attractive, is because it is assumed to be cheaper than locally-produced food. This is not universally true. First of all, there are costs that are not reflected in the price of imported foods. Also, having a local food system gives customers the option to buy directly from producers at a reduced price, and gives producers the option to reclaim some of the margins normally charged by retailers and wholesalers. This arrangement can be beneficial for both customer and producer. The type of food, degree of processing, convenience, and vendor usually has more effect on price than whether it is local or not. Another thing to consider is whether the price of food, whether imported or local, is too low. Farmers are often not covering the production costs for the food they produce, and the proportion of our income spent on food is going down. Most of us could stand to pay a little more for food items so that farmers can make a living. Consider the average proportion of household expenditures spent on food. In 1969, Canadians spent an average of 19% of household expenditures on food, and now we spend an average of 10%. We spend a lower proportion of total household expenditure on food than people in many other countries, including the USA and Australia.

Questions for discussion:
How can we help ensure that farmers make a fair wage?
How can will help foster a strong agricultural sector for Nova Scotia?