Weekending

             In Vancouver there is an abundance of adorable gardening places- among them is Figaro's Garden- just off Commercial Drive- nestled in the heart of a quiet neighbourhood. With the skies opening up on Sunday there wasn't much on our list of things to do- this is the perfect time to run errands of the leisurely sort- like stocking up on herbs for the garden and learning all about planting blue berry bushes in containers. As I mentioned earlier I wasn't planning on gardening much this coming season- but as things are popping up green I can't help myself.

              Figaro's is chock a block full of early Spring herbs- decorative flowering plants and most important of all seeds. An impressive seed wall lines the back of the store- the tiny packets of possibility beckoning- urging one to try just one more time. So we do- lettuce seeds, carrot seeds, Swiss Chard and even some mystery flowers all go into our basket- along with a few carefully chosen- low maintenance early starts.

           About the only thing I haven't killed off yet- aside from Kale- are our strawberries and so The Boy was sadly disappointed when he picked out a new strawberry plant that we have no room for. Back the strawberry plant went and some Thyme was grudgingly agreed upon- I feel this is a somewhat ironic choice. A small cactus named Spike also came home with us- a fat cat named Wilbur did not.

           This quiet little visit to the garden store was just the thing to get me in the Spring mood- once home my Girl and I spent the better part of our afternoon pottering about the deck- nestling our new friends into their new homes. Tidying and pruning what remains from last year- watering everything. While I may not have the greenest thumb my heart is pure- I really want to grow things- I really want to have a garden- I am hoping that maybe- just maybe this year will be there year I figure it all out!

Plant Babies

          This time of year always has me itching to grow something- to be out on our deck- digging in the dirt. While it's still to early to really do much of anything but sip a cuppa tea out there right now- inside on our window sill is a different story! So to begin with I have a couple of new plant babies that came home with me the other day- some beautiful baby succulents and a tiny- wee air plant.

           A little bit of fresh green is exactly what was needed to brighten up our space-some colour to offset all the grey happening outdoors! Not a lot of money needs to be spent to update or refresh a home- sometimes something as simple as a plant or fresh flowers is all that is needed until the larger picture can be addressed. We have some big plans for this Spring- for this space- I'm ever so excited thinking about paint colours and new bedding for all.

          We have lived in this apartment for just about four years now- moving here was like coming home- this is the space that our babies turned into kids- we have become part of a wonderful community. While we have always dreamed of moving to the country- to a home with space to roam - something transformative has happened over the past year or so. Our urge to stay put-  and put down roots here- have grown stronger- largely in part to our fantastic group of friends. And so a space that was supposed to be temporary is now looking more permanent- somewhere among the way this place has become our home!

       All this deep- introspection to say that until we have time to paint and fluff up this apartment my new plant babies will do the trick! A simple little splurge that came in at under ten dollars has brought me a modicum of joy- my new plant babies happily nestled into their new pots bring the promise of change into this temporary space- turning a bit more permanent!

Keep Calm and Eat On

         This time of year always has me thinking about food- Ok well if I'm really honest I think of food all year round- but it is this time of year my mind always turns to that of food production- more specifically my garden! Now our garden isn't big by any means- it is as stated here before a small container garden up on our eighth flood balcony- which in our area of the city is quite the luxury. From about now through to mid October we utilize every inch of space in our outdoor oasis- and this includes growing a small amount of our own food.

       What initially started out as a way of showing our city kids where their food comes from has turned into more of an obsession on my part to see how much food we can actually grow in the small space afforded us. Last year was pretty good- this year I think I have our list of veggies figured out- what works and what doesn't. We just started our seeds yesterday on our window sill in small pots- can't wait for things to start sprouting!

         It totally kills me how much food costs these days- when I try to express my concern in regards to our food source often people mistake my worry for penny pinching- which could not be further from the truth. We try as hard as we can to buy the best quality food we can afford- this means whole foods- be they organic or conventional depending on the source- good quality meat and little to no packaged foods. Our family is privileged because we can do this- cooking from scratch takes time and time is money- often families don't have time to cook dinner at home. So where am I gong with this rant of mine? My biggest question is when did good food become a privilege?

      As our little family of four keeps growing and our not- so - Littles consume their body weight in groceries I wonder just how long we can sustain our healthy, whole diet. What completely slays me is that a handful of corporations control our food source and costs- our society is at the mercy of big business. I know this alarmist information is nothing new however with the extent of drought sweeping the United States our food prices are sure to be on the rise again. It is with this in mind that I am planning out our garden this year- every time I put a loaf of bread into the oven I cost out how much I just saved- knowing that the $3.50 I just saved will be spend on another pound of stewing meat or butter.

       I think as our society gets farther and farther away from the actual act of food production we are becoming ever so disconnected to reality- does anyone else notice that those nice big blocks of cheese we all feed our families have a weird texture? Do you notice how milk doesn't taste like milk? How tomatoes are mealy and white most of the year- ditto the strawberries. As I mentioned my concerns have been brushed aside as penny pinching tendencies- this is not the case. It alarms me that we have forgotten what real food tastes like. It alarms me that it is easier to take a supplement in pill form than see the real food on the dinner table. It alarms me that real food has become a privilege and not a right.

    "These companies fight, tooth and nail, against labeling. The fast food industry fought against giving you the calorie information. They fought against telling you if there is trans-fat in your food. The meat packing industry for years prevented country-of-origin labeling. They fought not to label genetically modified foods; and now 70% of processed food in the supermarket has some genetically modified ingredient." Eric Schlosser- Food Inc

DIY: Planting Succulents

       In an effort- perhaps- to satisfy my gardening urge I decided I need a few more indoor plants- I love a good succulent- they are just so cute and perky! A small community of succulents live in our living room over near the window- nothing too prickly that might hurt small fingers but enough green to lighten any grey mood! While succulents are fairly hardy souls there are some rather hard and fast rules when settling them into their new homes- which is what I thought I would share here today.

    Planting these little beauties is easy if you just remember the most important rule of all- succulents do not like to get their feet wet! Naturally succulents don't need much water- they are after all indigenous to dry climates- that said when they do get watered they need soil with very good drainage. You can either purchase special potting soil just for succulents or you can mix together sand and regular potting soil to create a mixture that drains the water away easily.

        Along that same train of thought- lets talk about the planting vessel it's self- I chose to use a vintage silver mint julep cup- obviously. The only issue with this vessel is there is no drainage hole in the bottom- most of the time you could just drill one out- not the case with this vintage gem. Instead I threw a few handfuls of pebbles into the bottom to create some drainage- when combined with sparse watering this should be adequate.

   Drainage- make sure the container you chose has a large hole in the bottom or drill one out- if that is not option use a good layer of chunky gravel

    Potting mix- succulents do not like wet feet so your soil should drain easily- hence the hold in the container

    Light- Succulents love sun- ensure that your plant gets 6-8 hours of daylight per day

    Water- of course Succulents are a plant and need a little water to live- but not much which is what makes them so hardy

      If one had to sum up succulents it would go something like this- sun, very little water and hard to kill. Sounds like my kind of plant! Of course succulents are having a bit of a moment right now thanks to elaborate glass terrariums seen in many a design magazine these days- but I prefer a small table top gathering- stashed away in a sunny corner- providing that mood lightening pop of green every Vancouver home could use.

 PS- yes that is a succulent growing out of the back of a dinosaur- our friend Caro makes the best take homes treats at birthday parties!

On A Friday

          On a Friday- this Friday in particular I am sitting on my deck- it is still a bit chilly out and I have on my cozy sweater- it's hard to fathom that this time next week it will officially be summer- also it will be the last day of Pre-school- yikes. So here I am sitting on a Friday- this Friday- admiring the handy work of my girl- yesterday we planted some marigolds that she just had to have at the Farmer's Market- we are saving the seeds for next year! We also built a trellis for our peas- we are rather handy like that.

         I think like her Great Grandma Shirley and her Momo- Miss Lo has a Green Thumb- she loves to help me out on the deck- planting and watering- she is always wanting to dig holes to plant her cherry pits or watermelon seeds in. This girly of mine needs a garden of her own- I just know she does!

    While we worked I told her a story about my Great- Aunt Dorothy and the cherry trees that grew through her deck- my Aunt lived in the middle of the city- similar to us- but in a house on a fair sized lot- she had a giant garden and an even more giant cherry tree growing in her yard. Every July at cherry picking season our family would head into the city to help her pick the cherries- there was a ladder that seemed to go on forever and if you were lucky you were sent to the wood shed to grab another bucket- stepping into the musky dimness of the wood shed was to be transported to another place- it was magic.

         The real magic of course happened after all the work had been done- when my Dad or Grandma re-emerged down the ladder from the leafy tree top- collapsing in the shade with an ice cold beer- I remember the stubby brown bottles. I remember my Grandpa sitting back in the wooden lawn chairs turning golden brown in the scorching Okanagan sun. I remember my Mom hanging pairs of cherries on my ears.  My sister and I would sit on the deck- eating purloined, un-washed cherries straight from the buckets lined up on the back porch- spitting the seeds out onto the grass or between the wooden planks of the stairs.

          Years later- when the cherry picking parties had ceased to exist but the relaxing in the shady yard had not we noticed that some how- some way- a few of those cherry pits that we had spit between the planks of the stairs had started to grow. They were growing right up through the stairs themselves- from the shady depths beneath the back porch these little volunteer cherry trees were trying to reach the heights of their Mother tree across the yard. This too was magic- the magic of seeds from an old tree- discarded by children- ignored for years until one day we noticed them poking through the floor boards.

     This was the story I told my girly while we worked together planting our marigolds yesterday in our own little deck garden. She was amazed that this story could possibly be true- Poppa up a ladder? Un- washed fruit- eaten straight from the tree? What on earth is a wood shed? She was incredulous to say the least- maybe one day she will tell her own Littles about how we would try to grow a few things- way up on the eighth floor- in the middle of the city.

    Friends it is Friday- our only plan this weekend is to celebrate The Mr. who has turned into the best sort of Dad I could ever hope for my children to have! I will also probably call my own Dad- unless he is busy talking to my Aunts on the phone- then who knows when I will get to wish him a Happy Father's Day! I hope wherever you are and whatever you are doing this weekend that you find peace, joy and a slice of sunshine!

In The Garden

       We spent the larger portion of last Sunday out under the Okanagan sun helping my Mom plant the 2013 garden- this year the Littles have their very own spot marked off. With Momo's help the Littles planted potatoes, pumpkins, carrots and beans.

      We only have so much room on our deck in the city so for the kids to be able to go and actually dig in the dirt and learn how things grow from their Grandma is ever so important- it will be such fun to watch them dig up their potato hills next fall! So delicious to roast them next fall and know these potatoes were planted by their hands on a fine Spring day.

      I have so many fond memories of my own Grandma in her garden- it was the biggest garden I had ever seen- she came from a generation that needed to control their food source- a generation who had survived the depression and war- a generation that knew what it meant to go with out. My grandma's garden seemed to be able to feed us all if need be.

      I think so many folks these days take their food sources for granted- they take food security for granted- the availability of cheep, easy food is so common place these days. Collectively as a nation I think that we don't remember what a life with out butter, sugar or tea is- therefor food has become less special.

       My hope for my children- for all children really- is that society is starting to wake up- to recognize the importance of self-sustainability- even just a little bit- in our food supply. My wish is that they will learn from their Grandparents what it means to be part of something bigger- part of an extended family, part of a village, part of the cycle of the growing season. My wish is for my babies to recognize the stink of manure, the wriggle of a juicy earth worm and the sting on their shoulders of the season's first sunburn. I wish for them to learn patience by watching their food grow.

“The single greatest lesson the garden teaches is that our relationship to the planet need not be zero-sum, and that as long as the sun still shines and people still can plan and plant, think and do, we can, if we bother to try, find ways to provide for ourselves without diminishing the world. ” 

― Michael Pollan, The Omnivore's Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals