Because You Can
Friday, August 24
Well, I can. We can all can. This is a story about food preservation and canning. I thought the motto on the Bernardin brochure was funny when Dave read it to me... "Bernardin - Because You Can"... and I've been using it ever since.... no, that's not a "canned" joke...ok, I'll stop.
On Monday night, we took a food preservation workshop with Just Food (justfood.ca), in order for us to go out into the community and teach canning techniques to groups, in particular to low income groups so that they can take advantage of locally grown food when it is in season, in abundance, and being sold for the lowest prices. Also, the purpose of these workshops in the community will be to get people eating more nutrient dense home-made food instead of the prepared food that is full of chemical and preservatives, and to get people to reconnect with food and food preparation. When asked about canning, most people will have some connection with it, but usually one or two steps removed or are too busy, like... I remember my grandmother canning a lot... my mother used to can but I never learned how... I don't know anything about canning but would like too, but where do you find out how and then find the time...
Isn't it strange that our society has advanced so much in so many ways, but with the most basic of things, like food, it seems like we have taken big steps backwards in some ways... some things were so much better in the past, done the traditional wholesome way, grandma's way...
100-Mile Diet...
Dave and I have been speaking about preserving and canning food year after year when we see this lovely produce in the markets around now and would love to know how to preserve and can so we can open a bottle of summer during the cold winter months.
We really started thinking about this after reading "The 100-Mile Diet: A Year of Local Eating", which we both loved and I just finished reading. If you don't know about the book, it's a true story about a couple in BC, longtime vegetarians and environmentalists Alisa Smith and J.B. MacKinnon, who tried to eat for one year from 100 miles of where they live after discovering that the food eaten by the average North American travels 1,500 gas-guzzling miles from farm to grocery store.
They are both writers so it's well written and they are also able to articulate about the effects of this 100 mile diet on their relationships, the changes they had to make, etc. I think it's like having to be in a wheel chair and seeing the world from that view.
The other thing is that the boyfriend is a real foodie and good cook, so he sees this as a challenge and is always trying to create new creations and dishes from what he has available to impress his partner, like when she was dying for a sandwich but they couldn't find wheat that was grown within 100 miles of where they live, but voila, he comes up with a sandwich for her. I don't remember what he made the bread from, I believe turnip standing in for sandwich slices, but it was interesting. I believe their 100 mile diet started as a blog and received such incredible interest and a loyal following that they wrote it into a book, which has continued to receive incredible press and public interest. CBC has a good on-line article about the book and couple... http://www.cbc.ca/arts/books/100_mile_diet.html
Other books will be out soon around the same topic... Novelist Barbara Kingsolver’s Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life — about her family’s move from Tucson to a farm in Appalachia, where they learn to grow their own food — is due out later this spring. And New York author Colin Beavan is currently at work on a book and a blog about his family’s year-long experiment to live without creating any garbage. The blog headline is "No Impact Man" and is fascinating... http://noimpactman.typepad.com/blog/
Preservation, Self-preservation...
So, on to our preservation class at the Urban Element, familiar territory for me. We were taught the Bernardin way for food preservation and canning (but I didn't have to wear any uniform, though I can't imagine what the Bernardin uniform would look like, which brings me to... when I was younger, I had an interview with a take-out chicken company for an office-type job like St. Hubert and when they asked me if I had any questions, I asked them if I had to wear a chicken costume when I went out into the community... they were not amused and I didn't get the job of course, and I didn't want to work with people who didn't think this was funny, and I did want to wear a chicken costume from time to time...) and tips along the way, especially related to safety and misconceptions so we can answer questions people will have for us. We're doing a demo and class on salsa, not the dancing kind though this could be part of the class, as most people buy this in bottles already, and we can demo how much better for you, inexpensive, tasty and easy it is to make homemade bottled salsa. Also, the ingredients for the recipe will be plentiful in the markets when we make it, around September, and fairly inexpensive.
Just Food will be setting up some demos for us in the fall and we will be searching for groups that would like such a demo and an adequate kitchen space in which to hold it. So, if you know of some groups and kitchen space in Ottawa, let us know, and we'll be there.
Here's the promotion from Just Food on this...
"Just Food wants to offer your community group a chance to have a food preservation workshop. If you can gather together 10 – 15 people who are interested in learning how to preserve food by canning - then we will work with you to have a hands-on workshop in your area this September. We will need to find a large enough kitchen for us to all work in. We bring all the tools; our facilitators are skilled at the art of canning and eager to share their expertise. The workshops cost $5.00 or pay-what-you-can for all those attending. Please call 613-236-9300 x 301 if you are interested."
So, that's the story behind "Because You Can".
Tea Ceremony...
I forgot to mention that we attended a lovely tea ceremony at an absolutely amazing and quiet oasis west of Ottawa last week, held by Camellia Teas of Ottawa. I've been meaning to go for ages to participate in an official tea ceremony and I've wanted to see this house that has been designed with an Asian approach and in particular the backyard that has been converted into a place that looks like you're in Japan, complete with zen-type garden, small bridge, and beautiful tea house. You won't believe it. Rebecca is the master tea expert in Ottawa, of the Omotesenke Way of Tea, and has been hosting these tea sessions when she can for special invitees. She studied this special style of tea ceremony for over seven years while she was in Japan. At the one Dave and I attended, she had a few assistants helping her with the tea ceremonies, everyone dressed in full kimono. I was able to sit beside someone that attends frequently and Rebecca was kind enough to walk us through a lot of it, so that we know what to do and can also appreciate what is going on. It's so great to be so gracious and mindful during the ceremony. Rebecca and her husband Matthew are lovely and kind individuals. I have watched tea ceremony and participated in one long ago, so long ago that I don't remember, but I've always wanted to do one again. I thought I would have to travel to Japan for this, and not just to the west end of Ottawa! For more information on the tea ceremonies and Rebecca, visit... http://camelliateasottawa.blogspot.com
Some events coming up to note:
September 16 - Feast of Fields...
Canadian Organic Growers Feast of Fields event on Saturday, September 16 at Vincent Massey Park. This is where they match up organic farmers with top Ottawa chefs who support a healthy and environmentally-friendly lifestyle, and the focus is on farm to table food and is supposed to be very popular, yummy and fun. The Feast of Fields event is a concept that has "grown" and is held in many cities now I believe. I will volunteering for the event and am looking forward to it. Here's the details...
Vincent Massey Park
Sept 16th, 2007
12:00PM - 2:00PM
For more information on tickets, participants and volunteer opportunities, please visit www.feastoffields.ca or email your questions to feastoffieldsottawa@yahoo.ca.
September 29 - ZenKitchen Dinner...
September 29 is the next ZenKitchen dinner at the Chelsea Club (thechelseaclub.ca), which I can't believe is completely sold out already And, the October one, with a organic and local beer pairing, is over half full already. And, people are already booking for November and December dinners. Wow, this is both daunting and exciting territory! I'm going to try and see if and how I might increase the numbers of dinners per month as it seems like the demand is high and will increase, especially as sales to date have only been through word-of-mouth and I have done limited or no promotions. Since the first dinner, the word is out and has been getting louder and stronger. I haven't even been able to get back to people who said they were interested in finding out about future dinners yet because of being filled up so quickly. Well, this is all good news I know but I want to manage the success and the growth well, without getting too stressed or overwhelmed. I would like to enjoy the "journey" and it's been quite the ride so far...
October - December - Urban Element Cooking Classes...
Here we go or grow again. I'm teaching some fun and interesting classes again at the Urban Element.... a veg fundamentals class that some people from previous classes requested, an Asian tapas party class, a Mushroom Lovers class, and I start with an East Meets West class at the beginning of October. All the classes I held in the spring, also all with a whole foods, vegan approach, sold out and were popular, so we'll see what happens in the fall. For more information on the classes, visit zenkitchen.ca or the theurbanelement.ca. Registration takes place through the Urban Element.
Ottawa Buy Local Food Guide – 3rd Edition...
The new Just Food Ottawa Buy Local Food Guide is out. It's being distributed through all Public Libraries in Ottawa, through the Community Health & Resource Centres and at the MEC store. Just Food is asking the broader community to become part of the Buy Local Guide:
Each guide is valued at $2. This year they are asking that everyone who can donate $2 or more to Just Food so that they can continue their overall work for a just and sustainable food system in Ottawa. You can make a donation to Just Food when you see them out in the community, or by sending a cheque payable to Social Planning Council (their sponsor) and put Just Food in the memo section. Just Food address: 280 Metcalfe St. #501, Ottawa, ON K2P 1R7. Other contact info:613.236.9300 ext 301 www.justfood.ca
Well, that just might be it before I head to work at the Chelsea Club tomorrow, and then Sunday morning to California...
Well, I can. We can all can. This is a story about food preservation and canning. I thought the motto on the Bernardin brochure was funny when Dave read it to me... "Bernardin - Because You Can"... and I've been using it ever since.... no, that's not a "canned" joke...ok, I'll stop.
On Monday night, we took a food preservation workshop with Just Food (justfood.ca), in order for us to go out into the community and teach canning techniques to groups, in particular to low income groups so that they can take advantage of locally grown food when it is in season, in abundance, and being sold for the lowest prices. Also, the purpose of these workshops in the community will be to get people eating more nutrient dense home-made food instead of the prepared food that is full of chemical and preservatives, and to get people to reconnect with food and food preparation. When asked about canning, most people will have some connection with it, but usually one or two steps removed or are too busy, like... I remember my grandmother canning a lot... my mother used to can but I never learned how... I don't know anything about canning but would like too, but where do you find out how and then find the time...
Isn't it strange that our society has advanced so much in so many ways, but with the most basic of things, like food, it seems like we have taken big steps backwards in some ways... some things were so much better in the past, done the traditional wholesome way, grandma's way...
100-Mile Diet...
Dave and I have been speaking about preserving and canning food year after year when we see this lovely produce in the markets around now and would love to know how to preserve and can so we can open a bottle of summer during the cold winter months.
We really started thinking about this after reading "The 100-Mile Diet: A Year of Local Eating", which we both loved and I just finished reading. If you don't know about the book, it's a true story about a couple in BC, longtime vegetarians and environmentalists Alisa Smith and J.B. MacKinnon, who tried to eat for one year from 100 miles of where they live after discovering that the food eaten by the average North American travels 1,500 gas-guzzling miles from farm to grocery store.
They are both writers so it's well written and they are also able to articulate about the effects of this 100 mile diet on their relationships, the changes they had to make, etc. I think it's like having to be in a wheel chair and seeing the world from that view.
The other thing is that the boyfriend is a real foodie and good cook, so he sees this as a challenge and is always trying to create new creations and dishes from what he has available to impress his partner, like when she was dying for a sandwich but they couldn't find wheat that was grown within 100 miles of where they live, but voila, he comes up with a sandwich for her. I don't remember what he made the bread from, I believe turnip standing in for sandwich slices, but it was interesting. I believe their 100 mile diet started as a blog and received such incredible interest and a loyal following that they wrote it into a book, which has continued to receive incredible press and public interest. CBC has a good on-line article about the book and couple... http://www.cbc.ca/arts/books/100_mile_diet.html
Other books will be out soon around the same topic... Novelist Barbara Kingsolver’s Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life — about her family’s move from Tucson to a farm in Appalachia, where they learn to grow their own food — is due out later this spring. And New York author Colin Beavan is currently at work on a book and a blog about his family’s year-long experiment to live without creating any garbage. The blog headline is "No Impact Man" and is fascinating... http://noimpactman.typepad.com/blog/
Preservation, Self-preservation...
So, on to our preservation class at the Urban Element, familiar territory for me. We were taught the Bernardin way for food preservation and canning (but I didn't have to wear any uniform, though I can't imagine what the Bernardin uniform would look like, which brings me to... when I was younger, I had an interview with a take-out chicken company for an office-type job like St. Hubert and when they asked me if I had any questions, I asked them if I had to wear a chicken costume when I went out into the community... they were not amused and I didn't get the job of course, and I didn't want to work with people who didn't think this was funny, and I did want to wear a chicken costume from time to time...) and tips along the way, especially related to safety and misconceptions so we can answer questions people will have for us. We're doing a demo and class on salsa, not the dancing kind though this could be part of the class, as most people buy this in bottles already, and we can demo how much better for you, inexpensive, tasty and easy it is to make homemade bottled salsa. Also, the ingredients for the recipe will be plentiful in the markets when we make it, around September, and fairly inexpensive.
Just Food will be setting up some demos for us in the fall and we will be searching for groups that would like such a demo and an adequate kitchen space in which to hold it. So, if you know of some groups and kitchen space in Ottawa, let us know, and we'll be there.
Here's the promotion from Just Food on this...
"Just Food wants to offer your community group a chance to have a food preservation workshop. If you can gather together 10 – 15 people who are interested in learning how to preserve food by canning - then we will work with you to have a hands-on workshop in your area this September. We will need to find a large enough kitchen for us to all work in. We bring all the tools; our facilitators are skilled at the art of canning and eager to share their expertise. The workshops cost $5.00 or pay-what-you-can for all those attending. Please call 613-236-9300 x 301 if you are interested."
So, that's the story behind "Because You Can".
Tea Ceremony...
I forgot to mention that we attended a lovely tea ceremony at an absolutely amazing and quiet oasis west of Ottawa last week, held by Camellia Teas of Ottawa. I've been meaning to go for ages to participate in an official tea ceremony and I've wanted to see this house that has been designed with an Asian approach and in particular the backyard that has been converted into a place that looks like you're in Japan, complete with zen-type garden, small bridge, and beautiful tea house. You won't believe it. Rebecca is the master tea expert in Ottawa, of the Omotesenke Way of Tea, and has been hosting these tea sessions when she can for special invitees. She studied this special style of tea ceremony for over seven years while she was in Japan. At the one Dave and I attended, she had a few assistants helping her with the tea ceremonies, everyone dressed in full kimono. I was able to sit beside someone that attends frequently and Rebecca was kind enough to walk us through a lot of it, so that we know what to do and can also appreciate what is going on. It's so great to be so gracious and mindful during the ceremony. Rebecca and her husband Matthew are lovely and kind individuals. I have watched tea ceremony and participated in one long ago, so long ago that I don't remember, but I've always wanted to do one again. I thought I would have to travel to Japan for this, and not just to the west end of Ottawa! For more information on the tea ceremonies and Rebecca, visit... http://camelliateasottawa.blogspot.com
Some events coming up to note:
September 16 - Feast of Fields...
Canadian Organic Growers Feast of Fields event on Saturday, September 16 at Vincent Massey Park. This is where they match up organic farmers with top Ottawa chefs who support a healthy and environmentally-friendly lifestyle, and the focus is on farm to table food and is supposed to be very popular, yummy and fun. The Feast of Fields event is a concept that has "grown" and is held in many cities now I believe. I will volunteering for the event and am looking forward to it. Here's the details...
Vincent Massey Park
Sept 16th, 2007
12:00PM - 2:00PM
For more information on tickets, participants and volunteer opportunities, please visit www.feastoffields.ca or email your questions to feastoffieldsottawa@yahoo.ca.
September 29 - ZenKitchen Dinner...
September 29 is the next ZenKitchen dinner at the Chelsea Club (thechelseaclub.ca), which I can't believe is completely sold out already And, the October one, with a organic and local beer pairing, is over half full already. And, people are already booking for November and December dinners. Wow, this is both daunting and exciting territory! I'm going to try and see if and how I might increase the numbers of dinners per month as it seems like the demand is high and will increase, especially as sales to date have only been through word-of-mouth and I have done limited or no promotions. Since the first dinner, the word is out and has been getting louder and stronger. I haven't even been able to get back to people who said they were interested in finding out about future dinners yet because of being filled up so quickly. Well, this is all good news I know but I want to manage the success and the growth well, without getting too stressed or overwhelmed. I would like to enjoy the "journey" and it's been quite the ride so far...
October - December - Urban Element Cooking Classes...
Here we go or grow again. I'm teaching some fun and interesting classes again at the Urban Element.... a veg fundamentals class that some people from previous classes requested, an Asian tapas party class, a Mushroom Lovers class, and I start with an East Meets West class at the beginning of October. All the classes I held in the spring, also all with a whole foods, vegan approach, sold out and were popular, so we'll see what happens in the fall. For more information on the classes, visit zenkitchen.ca or the theurbanelement.ca. Registration takes place through the Urban Element.
Ottawa Buy Local Food Guide – 3rd Edition...
The new Just Food Ottawa Buy Local Food Guide is out. It's being distributed through all Public Libraries in Ottawa, through the Community Health & Resource Centres and at the MEC store. Just Food is asking the broader community to become part of the Buy Local Guide:
Each guide is valued at $2. This year they are asking that everyone who can donate $2 or more to Just Food so that they can continue their overall work for a just and sustainable food system in Ottawa. You can make a donation to Just Food when you see them out in the community, or by sending a cheque payable to Social Planning Council (their sponsor) and put Just Food in the memo section. Just Food address: 280 Metcalfe St. #501, Ottawa, ON K2P 1R7. Other contact info:613.236.9300 ext 301 www.justfood.ca
Well, that just might be it before I head to work at the Chelsea Club tomorrow, and then Sunday morning to California...
posted by Caroline at 12:21 PM
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