Spent the day at the trampoline park, Yafa Cafe and the Manitoba Fibre Festival.  Winnipeg serves a decent birthday.

This kid loves chives.

Watching the beans grow.

Tomato town - Lemon Boy and Beefsteak

Two weeks in and the potato situation is much less cringy.

Every year I try to grow something new.  This year - Millenium Asparagus.

Gardening has always been a part of my life in one form or another.  

My mother  - early 80s.

Seeds for next year.

This is absolutely amazing.  Flow Hive: Honey on Tap - a new way to harvest honey.

http://www.honeyflow.com/

I felt an unreasonable amount of guilt over not having a rain barrel during this weekend’s downpour, so I littered the yard with random household containers.

I now have three watering cans, two coolers, three buckets, and four storage containers full of rainwater and neighbours that certainly think I’m crazy.

GOOD THINGS ARE HAPPENING - EARTHSHIPS

Earthships: Radically sustainable buildings made with recycled materials

There is one being built in Manitoba! Check out their site - https://sites.google.com/site/earthshipmanitoba/

Ron and I spent the day at the Growing Local conference put on by Food Matters Manitoba.  

To Make a Farm - Film screening

For those of you in Winnipeg, the Growing Local conference is kicking off tomorrow night with a screening of To Make a Farm - A documentary following five young people who have decided to become small-scale farmers.

If you are free, why not check it out?  It’s on at 7:30 PM at the Marlborough Hotel (331 Smith Street).  Admission is a suggested donation of $5.

(Image from http://tomakeafarm.ca/)

GOOD THINGS ARE HAPPENING - Peg City Car Co-op

Winnipeg has a car share program!  If you only need a car once and a while, this is a great option - http://pegcitycarcoop.ca/

A carshare allows the use of a car when you need one and eliminates the cost and hassle that come with ownership. Carsharing is a practical alternative that helps you meet your transportation needs by supporting you to travel primarily by transit, cycling, and walking, and only making use of a vehicle when you need it. (source: http://pegcitycarcoop.ca/about/about-us/) 

Winnipeggers: I've added an Events page!

There are so many great events happening in Winnipeg that I thought I would add an Events page.

If you’re in the Winnipeg area, check it out!  There are good things happening all over.

We took a trip to Trinidad to see where my Dad’s side of the family grew up. This afternoon we were walking down the street in San Fernando and came across this billboard.  There are like minded people all over the world.  Amazing.

Fruit Share Manitoba

My mind is stuck on next summer, so I thought I’d share some information on a really great volunteer-led organization called Fruit Share Manitoba. The organization brings together fruit owners with extra fruit, volunteers, and community groups by sharing the ‘work’ and the harvest. Fruit owners can sign up and have volunteers take care of the harvesting, volunteers can sign up to harvest (among other things) and enjoy some of the pickings, and community groups get a  food donations.

If you want to get involved, here’s how to connect:

Website: http://www.fruitshare.ca/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FruitShareMB

I have no idea what’s being said, but be still my beating heart - I know it’s something good.

www.culinarymisfits.de

We’re going to need some more shelves.

(top left to right) - Cayenne pepper sauce, peach and habanero hot sauce, peach and walnut conserve, trail apple jelly, dried cayenne peppers

(bottom left to right) - Dill pickles, deli-sliced pickles, pickled beans, pickled banana peppers, spicy pickled beans, apple butter.

Setting up our new composter - the worm factor.  

We now have a convenient place to put our compostables and a source of fertilizer for the vegetables…and a box of worms in the kitchen.