august theme song

O and I hosted our first party together last night, a house concert with the fabulous Greg MacPherson and the currently nameless band that O and Claire Therese have recently put together.

So many "wish you were here's". Tried to entice Deb to fly in from Montreal as she seemed like the most likely of my far flung friends to make an impromptu trip to Winnipeg for the weekend but she already had plans. Kana... after so many parties together in Brandon it just felt wrong not to have you here. Especially as the night wound down. You totally should have been on the patio with us, drinking one more drink than was strictly necessary. Tracy... I know you and D would have loved the performances and the cozy atmosphere. Karen... I made tarts galore! Would loved to have spent the afternoon baking with you and debating about crusts. And then watching the guests scarf them back. Danette... well, if you'd been here we probably would have taken advantage of your musical talents.

As it was, we had a good crowd. About twenty friends from both our circles who don't normally hang out but who share quite a few connections. Typical of our demographic, it wasn't a super late night. But it was a good time. My only complaint is that I felt like I didn't get to spend much time with anyone.

Went a bit crazy in the kitchen. Made two kinds of mini quiche, tzatziki, a disappointing white bean dip that needed a lot of tweaking, eggplant fritters (which I forgot to put out until almost everyone was gone), macaroons, chocolate shortbread cookies, and three kinds of tarts (with an unpleasantly chewy cream cheese crust that I won't make again). Also had garden veggies, watermelon, almond stuffed olives, crackers and sweet potato chips. Had so much fun baking. It was kind of the highlight for me, actually.

The music was fantastic. Greg, as always, put on an amazing show and was completely charming. Claire is not a seasoned performer and was a bit nervous at first, but O was rock solid. They've only been playing together for a few months and its impressive how good they are already. Claire's songs are really lovely. She thanked me for putting up with them rehearsing in our house but I honestly don't mind. It's like a free weekly concert!

By the way, if you have any band name suggestions, please leave it in the comments. :]

jane's walk

Spent a cloudy Sunday afternoon on my first Jane's Walk. The one I chose was located just a few streets from where I live and featured a stop at my community garden. The walk was hosted by a local blogger and history buff, Christian, who has nicely put up a history of Burnell Street and lots of photos on West End Dumplings.

It gave me a totally new appreciation for my community. I had no idea there was such a strong Icelandic influence in the way it was developed. Some of the gorgeous old buildings are the only ones that have ever stood in that spot and were built on what was once pasture or a dairy farm. Others, such as Greenway Elementary School have been built and replaced multiple times. And speaking of Greenway, the modern school patrol system started there. Who knew?!?

I am now a huge fan of Jane's Walks and I'm sure this will be an annual event. O is still a bit limpy and didn't join me but I'll be dragging him out next year!

And This Is My Garden

coming up...

http://food.cimnet.ca/cim/43C1_3T1T4T1063.dhtm

coming up...

February 13      Seedy Saturday 

With co-hosts Seeds of Diversity, Winnipeg  Community Gardening Network, Rare Breeds Canada, The Friends of the Assiniboine Park Conservatory and 

Fort Whyte Centre

Free Admission     

Location:  Fort Whyte Alive 

Winnipeg's Seedy Saturday has a new home! On February 13, 2010, 10 am to 4 pm, the 10^th annual mid-winter gathering of gardeners takes root at Fort Whyte Alive on McCreary Road. Celebrate prairie biodiversity with a full day of workshops, displays, vendors and visiting. Bring your seeds and join the fun of the seed swap. This grassroots garden show offers inspiration and information on heritage seeds, organic gardening, native plants, and urban agriculture. Admission to Fort Whyte is free for this special event.

Enjoy a tour of Fort Whyte Farms winter greenhouse project, crafts for kids, and outdoor activities for the whole family. Meet some heritage poultry breeds, live and in full feather, thanks to the Anola Cluck and Quack Poultry Club and Rare Breeds Canada.

10:00 am          Seed Swap Begins
11:00 am          Pollinator Friendly Gardens … Susan Leblanc
12:00 pm          Growing Heirloom Vegetables … Mandy Botincan
 1:00 pm           Community Compost Projects … Compost Action Project
 2:00 pm           Poultry Raising for Beginners … Wian Prinsloo

Participants include:  Devil's Creek Herb and Berry Farm, Herb Society of Manitoba, Heritage Harvest Seeds, Living Prairie Museum, Mandy's Greenhouse, Prairie Flora, Sage Garden Herbs and more.

Fort Whyte Alive is beyond the city bus routes – if you have a vehicle please offer a ride to your friends and fellow gardeners. Limited shuttle service will be available between the Assiniboine Park Conservatory and Fort Whyte.

Thanks to Food Matters Manitoba and Heifer International. Brought to you by volunteers from Seeds of Diversity Canada, the Friends of the Assiniboine Park Conservatory, and the Winnipeg Community Garden Network; hosted by Fort Whyte's Naturescape program.  Contact: winnipegcgnetwork@gmail.com

events

Got a note from my boss today to add the PlanetFriendly Green Events in Canada Calendar to our work blog, so I thought I'd add it here as well.

Actually attending one of the events listed: Growing Local, Getting Vocal: A Food Security Conference

Pretty excited about it. Mostly excited about getting out and connecting with people who share my interests. I've been missing that since moving back to the city. Takes a while to feel like you are part of the community again. And what better place to start than with food.