Soil Celebration (UBC) and Food Matters (KPU)

In the next two weeks, there are a couple of really cool events happening!

UBC Soil Celebration

Location: UBC Botanical Garden (6804 SW Marine Drive / Vancouver - map)
Date: Thursday, March 5, 2015 from 5:30 pm to 7:30 pm
Cost: FREE

Join UBC Botanical Garden to celebrate the UN International Year of Soils! Learn about safe soils, the importance of soil to food security in BC, and the role soil plays in mitigating climate change. This event also kicks off the workshop season at the Botanical Garden.

Coffee, tea, and light snacks will be served. Wine and refreshments are available for a fee.

This event is free, but registration is required. For more information about the event or to register, visit their website here.

Food Matters: An Imperative Dialogue

Location: Kwantlen Polytechnic University (12666 72nd Avenue / Surrey - map)
Date: Tuesday, March 10, 2015 from 6:30 pm
Cost: FREE

Join the dialogue on farming, community gardens, accessibility, food waste, and food policy in Surrey and Metro Vancouver.

For more information, contact Mairi Lester or Deirdre Goudriaan. [PDF]

Feature: Quest Food Exchange

What do you think happens to surplus food from wholesalers, supermarkets, and farmers?

Credit: Stefan Szczelkun via Photopin (cc)

While much of it has often gone to waste, Quest Food Exchange offers another outlet for leftover food. Quest partners with local farmers, grocers, restaurants, and other institutions to divert surplus food into a number of programs, which distribute fresh food to people in need throughout the Lower Mainland. Not only does this help reduce food waste, but it also allows surplus food to be redistributed instead of going to waste.

Just last year, $5 million worth of food was distributed this way!

Quest runs four food programs that strive to ensure that people living on low incomes have access to affordable, healthy food:

Not-for-profit grocery markets: Four market locations in Vancouver, Burnaby/New Westminster, and Surrey offer eligible clients a way to shop, by referral, for healthy food, nutritional supplements, and household items at affordable prices. (These locations are not open to the public.)

Bulk food orders: This program provides a variety of items available for order to social service agency food programs, such as community kitchens, food banks, and residence programs.

Gift certificates: Social service agencies can purchase gift certificates for use at Quest markets to distribute to their own clients. The certificates can act as a substitute for emergency food hampers, since clients are able to choose their own food items according to their individual needs.

Community Training Kitchen: The aim of the kitchen, located at the Dundas Street site, is to provide education in the area of nutrition, best shopping practices, menu planning, and cooking techniques.

Want to know more about Quest? For more information about their programs and volunteer opportunities, please visit their website: http://www.questoutreach.org/

What's Happening in February

Curious about what's going on this month? Look no further -- there's a host of things to do, from workshops and public discussions to food and film events!

Vancouver Winter Farmers' Market

Location: Nat Bailey Stadium, East Parking Lot (4601 Ontario Street / Vancouver - map)
Dates: November 3, 2012 to April 27, 2013 (Closed December 29)
Hours: 10:00 am to 2:00 pm each Saturday

Thought the start of winter meant the end of locally grown and made goodies?

Continuing from last month, the winter market hosts over 60 vendors -- nearly as many as the three main Vancouver summer markets combined! -- offers a range of foods, from local produce to homemade chocolate and maple treats.

All February, there will also be a Food Truck Festival at the farmers' market.

In an effort to reduce plastic use at the market, please bring your own shopping bags.

For more information on the market, including transportation and parking at the site, please visit their website: http://www.eatlocal.org/

Philosophers' Café: Governing Food Portions

Location: Surrey Public Library (10350 University Drive / Surrey - map)
Date: February 5, 2013 at 7:00 pm
Cost: FREE -- Note that this café is for teens only

New York City recently banned the sale of oversized soda drinks -- do you agree or disagree with the ban? Do you think the government should have control over food portions? What about in a school environment?

Philosophers’ Café is a series of informal public discussions in libraries, cafés, and restaurants throughout Metro Vancouver. The cafés, which are open to everyone, have brought dialogue and discussion to thousands of people who are interested in exploring issues from the absurd to the sublime.

For more information about this public discussion, visit the event website.

You can find out more about the Philosophers’ Café here.

Philosophers' Café: Climate Change

Location: Nature's Garden Organic Deli (8968 University High Street / Burnaby - map)
Date: February 6, 2013 at 7:00 pm
Cost: FREE

What are the solutions for our environmental crises? With the increased visibility of climate change, we know that something is wrong with the planet -- but what are we doing to remedy it?

Philosophers’ Café is a series of informal public discussions in libraries, cafés, and restaurants throughout Metro Vancouver. The cafés, which are open to everyone, have brought dialogue and discussion to thousands of people who are interested in exploring issues from the absurd to the sublime.

For more information about this public discussion, visit the event website.

You can find out more about the Philosophers’ Cafe here.

Sprouting

Location: Hastings Community Centre (3096 East Hastings / Vancouver - map)
Date: February 12, 2013, from 9:30 am to 11:30 am
Cost: $8

Part of the Seasons of Food workshop series, instructor Jill Whitelaw will demonstrate how to sprout mung beans, alfalfa, sunflower seeds, and lentils for optimal nutrition and freshness.

For more information or to register, visit the Hastings Community Centre website: https://pbregister.vancouver.ca/

Note that child- and infant-minding are also available for this one-day class. Register early, because spots are limited.

Baking Bread From Around the World

Location: Collingwood Neighbourhood House (5288 Joyce Street / Vancouver - map)
Date: February 13, 2013, from 5:00 pm to 8:30 pm
Cost: Call to inquire

Join other foodies for an evening of bread making!

The Renfrew-Collingwood Food Security Institute has a new line-up of workshops for winter and spring. For more information, visit their website: http://rcfsi.blogspot.ca/2013/01/new-schedule.html

Registration is required. Space is limited! To register, send an email or call (604) 435-0323, or visit their website for more information.

One week's notice is required for child-minding and translation services.

12th Annual World Community Film Festival

Location: Langara College (100 West 49th Avenue / Vancouver - map)
Date: February 15 to 17, 2013
Cost: From $15 to $30 (Discounts available for CoDev members, students, seniors, and low-income individuals)

The World Community Film Festival, hosted by CoDevelopment Canada, returns for another year with a collection of over 40 social justice and environmental documentaries -- covering issues from food and farming to sustainability and labour issues.

For more information about the festival and this year's films or to buy advance tickets, visit their website.

Canning Rhubarb Jam

Location: Hastings Community Centre (3096 East Hastings / Vancouver - map)
Date: February 19, 2013, from 9:30 am to 11:30 am
Cost: $8

Part of the Seasons of Food workshop series, instructor Melody Kurt will lead participants through the process of making jam. Each person will also take home a jar or two of delicious rhubarb jam!

For more information or to register, visit the Hastings Community Centre website: https://pbregister.vancouver.ca/

Note that child- and infant-minding are also available for this one-day class. Register early, because spots are limited.

Seed Saving and Basic Plant Breeding

Location: Hastings Community Centre (3096 East Hastings / Vancouver - map)
Date: February 19, 2013, from 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm
Cost: $35

Part of the Seasons of Food workshop series, instructor Grant Watson will cover different strategies that plants use to reproduce, as well as how to use this information to effectively select, harvest, and store your own seeds, with an emphasis on annual food crops.

It is strongly suggested that participants take "Botany for Gardeners" prior to this workshop.

For more information or to register, visit the Hastings Community Centre website: https://pbregister.vancouver.ca/

Native Edibles (Gardening)

Location: Hastings Community Centre (3096 East Hastings / Vancouver - map)
Date: February 26, 2013, from 9:30 am to 12:00 pm
Cost: $8

Join Grant Watson to learn which greens can be started early indoors. After, take a walk through the teaching garden and beyond to find some native edible plants and then sit down together for a mid-winter salad lunch.

For more information or to register, visit the Hastings Community Centre website: https://pbregister.vancouver.ca/

Note that child- and infant-minding are also available for this one-day class. Register early, because spots are limited.

Composting Series, Part 1: Food Scraps Recycling in Metro Vancouver

Have you ever wondered about to do with the food scraps you accumulate each week? Today marks the first of a four-part, month-long series on composting. Whether you're curious about starting your own composter or want to reduce your amount of household garbage each week, there's sure to be something of interest!

About one-third to a half of the average household's garbage is food scraps. But did you know that there's a good chance that you can now recycle them? Most municipalities in Metro Vancouver now collect food waste!

Cities offering food waste collection:

Bowen Island Burnaby Coquitlam Delta Langley (Township) New Westminster North Vancouver (City and District) Pitt Meadows

Port Coquitlam Port Moody Richmond Surrey Vancouver West Vancouver White Rock

Source: Metro Vancouver

Composting food scraps and food-soiled paper products provides a valuable resource, diverts waste, and reduces greenhouse gas emissions, and in the process, helps to create a more sustainable city.

So, what can you put in? Where do you put the food waste?

If your neighbourhood has curb-side food scraps collection, you can put your leftovers or spoiled food into your yard trimmings waste bin. Just be sure not to use plastic or biodegradable bags! These contaminate the compost and also interrupt the composting process.

While there might be slight variations depending on the municipality you live in, food scraps recycling is as easy as this -- simple and no fuss. You can even put in meat, cheese, dairy, and bones!

The City of Burnaby, for example, operates a curb-side food scraps recycling program for single-family households and some multi-family complexes also participate and receive food waste recycling (Green Bin) services. 

For a handy guide on what you can and cannot include, as well as how to make a kitchen compost pail liner with newspaper, check out their Food Scraps Brochure.

To find out about other cities in Metro Vancouver, visit your respective municipalities' website (see "Cities offering food waste collection" above).

How do I get started?

1. Get a lidded container to collect food scraps and food-soiled paper products for your kitchen. An old 4 litre ice cream bucket or large plastic container are both good examples.

2. Grab a few sheets of old newspaper to make a liner for the bucket.

3. Collect accepted food scraps and food-soiled paper products in your container.

4. Empty your food scraps, along with the paper liners, into your yard trimmings container.

5. Set out your yard trimmings container on your regular scheduled collection day. The container does not have to be full for it to be collected.

6. Rinse and lightly wash your kitchen bucket and yard trimmings container in between uses.

And that's all, folks!

What if your municipality isn't on the list that receives food scraps collection? Or maybe you're interested in starting your own compost bin.

Stay tuned and join us next week for Part 2 of our Composting Series, on backyard composting.