April 2013 Village Vibe

April 2013

villagevibe News and views from the heart of Fernwood

The Fruit Hunters A film about fruitinspired lust, obsession and adventure

›› Eye Steel Film

Y

ou can find them deep in the jungles of Borneo, in the hills of Umbria and perhaps even in your own backyard. They are fruit hunters, the subjects of the new film from acclaimed Canadian director Yung Chang (Up the Yangtze, China Heavyweight).

The Fruit Hunters travels across culture, history and geography to show how intertwined we are with the fruits we eat. Our guides are devoted fruit fanatics. Movie star Bill Pullman’s obsession leads him on a crusade to create a community orchard in the Hollywood Hills. Adventurers Noris Ledesma and Richard Campbell scour the jungle for rare mangos, hoping to intervene before the plants are steamrolled by industrialization.

Pioneering scientist Juan Aguilar races to breed bananas resistant to a deadly fungus that threatens the worldwide crop. And

cream beans, durians and more.

A cinematic odyssey through nature and commerce, The Fruit Hunters will change not only the way we look at what we eat but how we view our relationship to the natural world.

will be approximately 20 dwarf fruit trees in the orchard; each chosen for its Mila Czemerys uniqueness, suitability for our climate, ernwood NRG is bringing the disease resistance, harvest timing and—of premiere screening of this film, course—deliciousness! All the fruit grown The Fruit Hunters, to town. The in the orchard will be free for anyone to pick and enjoy. screening will be in Once the the Belfry Theatre’s We're all so happy orchard is planted, Studio A on April that our film can Fernwood NRG 11th at 7:30pm. will host annual All proceeds be inspiration for pruning, grafting from this screening your community a n d p ro c e s s i n g will go towards workshops. the creation of orchard!

Director Yung Fernwood’s ver y own community - Director Yung Chang Chang and the team at Eye Steel orchard which will be located beside the Fernwood Film shared, "...we're all so happy that our film can be inspiration for your community Community Centre.

The orchard is part of a new City of orchard!"

Tickets for the screening are $10 and Victoria urban food production pilot project. This orchard will demonstrate are available online at www.belfry.bc.ca/ new ways of growing food in the City of tickets, at the box office or by phone Victoria in visible, public places. at 250-385-6815. Special thanks to the The orchard will include many varieties Belfry Theatre for providing space for this of plums, pears, apples and figs. There event.

Buzz

Feature

Mark Your Calendar

CaVa Bistro Moderne page 3

The Bacon Life page 4

Fernwood Pole Painting Project page 7

››

F

(Top) Director Yung Chang with a "proto-fruit" prop during one of the in-studio re-creation shoots.

(Bottom) Actor Bill Pullman at his childhood orchard in upstate New York. Photos: Eye Steel Film

fruit detectives including Isabella Dalla Ragione investigate Renaissance-era paintings for clues, hoping to rediscover lost fruits. And, of course, there are the fruits themselves, presented in all their mouthwatering glory: cherimoyas, ice

in this issue To get the Vibe digitally, sign up at fernwoodnrg.ca

editorial:

villagevibe

Get out and vote for a change

Published by Fernwood Neighbourhood Resource Group Editorial Committee

Lee Herrin Mila Czemerys Azelia Serjeantson Matt Takach Founding Editor Lisa Helps

May 14th, 2013

Contributors

Eye Steel Film Lee Herrin Kelsey Singbeil Josh Wagler Margaret Hantiuk

Mila Czemerys Jack Derricourt Ruben Anderson Louis Bockner

Art

Eye Steel Film Mila Czemerys Ruben Anderson Louis Bockner Axel Liz Rubincam Alexandra Stephanson Production Mila Czemerys Contact us

1313 Gladstone Avenue Victoria, BC V8R 1R9 T 778.410.2497 F 250.381.1509 vibe@fernwoodnrg.ca www.villagevibe.ca To enquire about advertising in the Village Vibe, please contact ads@fernwoodnrg.ca The views expressed in the Village Vibe do not necessarily reflect the views of Fernwood NRG.

declaration of principles & values ›› We are committed to creating a socially, environmentally,

and economically sustainable neighbourhood;

››

We are committed to ensuring neighbourhood control or ownership of neighbourhood institutions and assets;

››

We are committed to using our resources prudently and to becoming financially self-reliant;

››

We are committed to the creation and support of neighbourhood employment;

››

We are committed to engaging the dreams, resources, and talents of our neighbours and to fostering new links between them;

››

We are committed to taking action in response to neighbourhood issues, ideas, and initiatives;

››

BC’s general election is

We are committed to governing our organization and serving our neighbourhood democratically

›› Lee Herrin If you’re not a Canadian citizen or you’re less than 18 years old, or if you’ve lived in BC less than six months, you can ignore this article. Or, if you’ve been convicted of vote buying, intimidating voters to vote in a certain way or to refrain from voting, or voting twice, or voting when you are not eligible to do so, then you too, can ignore this article. Last but not least, if you happen to be the Chief Electoral Officer or a Deputy Chief Electoral Officer, you can ignore this article.

If you’re not mentioned above, then this article is for you. You’re probably already aware that BC is having a Provincial General

Election on May 14, 2013. Unfortunately, awareness doesn’t necessarily lead to action—48% of eligible Fernwoodians did not vote in the 2009 Provincial General Election, though this was on par with the turnout rate province-wide.

It has never been easier to register to vote in BC—you can do it online at http:// www.elections.bc.ca/ovr/ or by calling Elections BC at 1-800-661-8683. You can even do it at the polls on voting day— instructions are available on Elections BC’s website. So, the fact that you missed voter registration is not a reason not to vote. Nor, in my opinion, is a lack of convenience or unavailability on Election Day. Elections BC has advance poll options, absentee voting options, and even mail-in ballot options for people who cannot attend the polls on voting day. Please see http://www. elections.bc.ca/index.php/voting/ for all

the details on how to vote over the next six weeks.

Assuming things unfold this May as the polls predict, Fernwood will be served by two MLAs who will be part of the government for the first time since 2005 (when we said goodbye to Jeff Bray and Sheila Orr). And, it’s not even too much to hope for that both will be in Cabinet, as both Carole James and Rob Fleming have prominent roles in Adrian Dix’s shadow cabinet. This will give us a level of representation in the corridors of power that we’ve not had for a generation or more.

Regardless of whom you might vote for, I urge you get out and vote on May 14th. Ultimately, governments listen most closely to those who vote. Let’s ensure that whoever is in government on May 15th will be listening to Fernwood.

buzz:

History Bites ›› Jack Derricourt Delighted faces flocked to the Cornerstone Cafe Tuesday March 5 th for the first installment of Fernwood University. This year’s free lectures focused on the issue of food security, something that should intrigue many community members.

Victoria has always been a volatile community when it comes to food, and Dr. Robert Griffin’s lecture at the cafe made that perfectly clear. Griffin is the co-author of Feeding the Family: 100 Years of Food & Drink in Victoria, a book that demonstrates the chaotic, and import heavy, world of food in our provincial capital.

Victoria was visited by a series of diverse fortune seekers following the Cariboo Gold Rush of the 1860s, all of whom were excited by the prospects of profit. Suppliers in Victoria provided goods to towns in the interior as well as their base of operations. But the amount and variety of food required to supply Victoria’s growing community was not always reliably available from commision merchants and their storehouses. Individuals and institutions turned to their own private gardens to fill their tables. Today’s urban gardeners and

Dr. Robert Griffin speaking at Fernwood University about the many small-scale local grocers who used to line the streets of Victoria. Photo: Mila Czemerys

local food enthusiasts are participating in a time-honoured tradition.

“In a sense, it’s going back to what it was in those days (the late nineteenth century),” says Dr. Griffin, “Because most people had gardens, often had chickens, often had that kind of animal around, and what was imported were more exotic items.”

It is encouraging to hear that community gardens, not big chain supermarkets, have plowed deeper into the historical ground.

Dr. Griffin also discussed the revolution in

local brewing methods: Victoria’s recent shift towards craft brewing reflects the city’s rich history of specialized beer production.

These are tasty bites of history that should bolster the community’s move towards more sustainable and locally-focussed products.

If you missed the lecture but would like to learn more about the history of food in Victoria, feel free to pick up a copy of Feeding the Family at the Royal BC Museum or at the library.

with a maximum of openness, inclusivity and kindness;

››

We are committed to developing the skills, capacity, self-worth, and excellence of our neighbours and ourselves;

››

We are committed to focusing on the future while preserving our neighbourhood’s heritage and diversity;

››

We are committed to creating neighbourhood places that are vibrant, beautiful, healthy, and alive;

››

and, most of all, We are committed to having fun!

page 2

villagevibe

April 2013

News and views from the heart of Fernwood

buzz:

CaVa opens in Fernwood Square Duck confit and dark chocolate soufflé grace the menu of Fernwod’s newest restaurant, CaVa Bistro Moderne

›› Kelsey Singbeil The French bistro is tempered with an Australian influence, resulting in a welcoming, laid back room and delicious dishes.

Chef and owner, Fauna Martin, is a longtime Fernwood local. She grew up in a house just behind her new restaurant and graduated from Vic High and the University of Victoria. After returning to Victoria from honing her chef skills in Australia, Martin set her sights on opening a restaurant in her former ‘hood.

Diners looking for a middle ground between the casual Fernwood Inn and fine dining at Stage will appreciate CaVa in Fernwood Sqaure. The room, formerly home to Kulu, is simple, but comfortable, with hardwood floors and the menu lettered on the chalkboard wall. The full plate dishes feature local ingredients and with Martin’s French training and Australian experience feature a unique interpretation of ‘westcoast style’.

In March, I ducked in with a friend to try Fauna’s recommended dark chocolate soufflé for a post-Belfry treat. CaVa was the perfect spot to spend the rest of the evening. Their brunch is now on my to-try list and I’m curious to taste their creamy goat cheese polenta or salmon crackling for dinner sometime soon.

Chef and owner, Fauna Martin, is a longtime Fernwood local “I needed to challenge myself,” says Martin about opening CaVa. “I needed to be moving forward.”

Now, Martin is looking forward to spring and summer – prime patio months filled with fresh, local produce. CaVa will be adding patio seating in Fernwood Square, adding to the 32 seats inside the restaurant. She’ll also be adding new dishes to the menu featuring spring vegetables and local halibut. Yum! CaVa is open for lunch and dinner Tuesday through Saturday, and weekend brunch.

The restaurant is closed Mondays.

(Right) Chef Fauna Martin in front of her new restaurant, CaVa Bistro Moderne. Photo: Alexandra Stephanson

Sold

Sold $425,000

$299,900

Your Home Here

Com S o o ing n 4 Bed, 1 Bath

Here are some local Fernwood homes that will be listed and available for purchase with the RealEstateDynamics.ca Team this spring.

For your free home evaluaƟon or to view your next home today, please visit RealEstateDynamics.ca or call 250.294.6363.

SuƩon Group West Coast Realty Victoria #1 Sales Team Chris Barrington Foote - Krystal ScoƩ - Diane Beier - Nick Honour 250.294.6363 | info@realestatedynamicsbc.ca RealestateDynamics.ca for INFORMATION | RealEstateDynamics.ca for SERVICE | RealEstateDynamics.ca for RESULTS

www.fernwoodnrg.ca

April 2013

villagevibe

page 3

feature:

A Small & Delicious Life in Fernwood The Bacon Life

›› Ruben Anderson

W

e moved back to Victoria in 2011. Being closer to family was part of it, but we also sought a more richly meaningful life.

We wanted to stop being a part of what Nicholas Georgescu-Roegen called, “the Circumdrome of the Shaving Machine, which is to shave oneself faster so as to have more time to work on a machine that shaves faster so as to have more time to work on a machine that shaves still faster, and so on…”

Now we spend a lot of our time—right here in Fernwood—growing, raising, making, curing, canning, drying, pickling, fermenting and eating our own food, and working on other parts of what we call The Small and Delicious Life. Today I want to share The Bacon Life. (Read the full article, with links and side notes, at smallanddeliciouslife.com).

We recently had a spontaneous bacon smackdown between our home-cured and smoked Vancouver Island pork, and the most expensive bacon at the grocery store—and we are ruined for industrial bacon. The flavour was uninspiring and the texture unpleasant—kind of like chewing on a burnt cereal box.

We buy our pork belly from The Village Butcher in Oak Bay, where they put some work into finding meat from animals that lived relatively happy lives. One belly is actually just one half of a pig’s belly, and our last one was three and a half kilos.

After making a couple of batches I started requesting bellies that are more meat and less fat—I think this last belly came from a Tamworth pig, which is leaner than a Berkshire. For now, ask the butcher to cut the skin off.

We follow a recipe from Charcuterie,

by Michael Ruhlman—and crosscheck with our other meat-curing bible, Home Production of Quality Meats and Sausages, by Stanley and Adam Marianski. Charcuterie is more of a recipe and coffee-table book— better for dabblers—while the Marianski book gives comprehensive principles for the home meatsmith to safely make their own recipes.

page 4

villagevibe

April 2013

Ruben's homemade bacon smoking machine built with a cardboard box, hotplate, aluminum pie plate, tin foil and dry hickory chips. Photo: Ruben Anderson

Bacon is simple. At the most basic you need only salt, and liquid smoke for flavour.

However, the classic ‘cured-meat flavour’ and the pinkness of bacon is partly from curing with sodium nitrite. If the meat will age for a long time, like salami, sodium nitrate is used; the nitrate is converted to nitrite during aging. Both chemicals come mixed approximately 20:1 with salt for easier measurement and are sold under several names—Pink Salt, Prague Powder, Curing Salt, et c. Nitrite is Cure #1 and nitrate is Cure #2.

We try to avoid chemical agriculture so I did a lot of research on nitrites and nitrates.

Some places use things like celery juice to cure bacon ‘naturally’—and apparently celery juice contains enormous amounts

of naturally occurring sodium nitrate. So, I use the curing salts.

Buy Ruhlman’s book to get the variations on his recipes, but first he would have you mix up a 'Basic Dry Cure' (use a good scale): 450 grams/ 1lb kosher salt 225 grams/ 8 oz sugar 50 grams/ 2 oz pink salt (cure #1, nitrite—available at the Homesteader’s Emporium in Vancouver for $7/lb)

Then cut your belly into pieces that will fit into a large ziploc bag—this belly needed three bags. As long as the piece of meat weighs between three and five pounds, just sprinkle ¼ cup of the basic dry cure on each piece (both sides, and rub it around to coat evenly).

Now seal the bags and refrigerate for 7-10 days. Flip the bags over every two days to redistribute the salty liquid that forms.

The meat is cured when it feels firm, not soft. Poke it when you put it in the fridge and try to remember how soft it felt, then compare a week later.

When the belly is firm, rinse the cure off and let the meat dry on a rack in the fridge for a day. This allows a tacky surface called a pellicle to form, which will help your smoke stick to it.

My first smoking was done in a cardboard box. Stalk your neighbourhood on recycling day and find a nice crisp box, about 18 inches square and two feet tall. I found a hotplate at the thrift shop for ten bucks, which goes inside the box. Put an aluminum pie plate (recycling day) with a cup of dry hickory chips (Canadian Tire, six bucks) on the hot plate.

Fold a little tent out of foil to cover the hotplate and pie plate—you don’t want any hot fat dripping on a hotplate inside a cardboard box, now do you?

Maybe this is a good time to say, do this outside? With a fire extinguisher handy?

But remember paper burns at 451°F, so don’t panic.

Hang your meat (reinforce the box with duct tape and dowels as needed), crank the hotplate to high and use packing tape (not masking) to close the box. It should take about 30 minutes for smoke to start leaking out, after which you smoke for three hours.

When the smoke tapers off, cut your box open and add more chips—three cups should do you for three hours. Don’t get too fussy at this stage—your first batch may not be perfect, but it will probably be the best bacon you have ever had.

After three hours take the bacon out and test the internal temperature. It needs to be 65°C/150°F. If it is not, put it in the oven and bring it up to that temp.

Let it cool, then freeze it. Then thaw it a little bit—when the bacon is still a little frozen the fat is easier to cut.Use a very sharp and slender knife, or an electric carving knife (thrift shop, ten bucks) to slice the bacon into rashers. Portion enough for a family breakfast out on sheets of wax paper before freezing again. Keep all the uneven bits for pea soup or rainy days.

Enjoy the Small and Delicious Life!

News and views from the heart of Fernwood

commons corner:

Friends of Spring Ridge Commons ›› Josh Wagler As I once heard from one of my favourite eight year olds, it was a day that looked like a big wool sock had been pulled over the sky. Nonetheless, spring is fast approaching, and by the time of print, it will have already sprung. As I write, the Damson Plum is in full blossom. The bees are not quite buzzing yet, and while the early bird may get the worm, in this case, the patient buds get the pollinators. Before long I am greeted by Sean Newton, Linda Chan and Brent Howard. These Sunday regulars have been faithfully visiting the Commons for the last 8 months. They come bearing hot water, tea cups and a few extra pairs of work gloves to share. As friendly discussion and tea-preparation continues; Sean comes to the frightful realization that he has forgotten the tea at home. Fortunately, we are only steps away from the freshest tea one could ever hope for. After a few moments of foraging, Sean returns with a bounty of freshly picked herbs, and in beautiful clay pot he brews up a soul-warming blend. As we discuss

what we would like to co-create at the Commons, passersby meander through the park. Some join us for tea, others politely decline, and a wonderful weekly tradition is revealed to me. This weekly event is known as ‘Bee in The Garden’, and takes place every Sunday at 1:30pm3:30pm. All members of the community are encouraged to bring their garden tools, favourite instruments and help out and celebrate in the garden. It’s a great way to have fun, meet new friends, and receive hands-on experience at one of Canada’s most established urban food forests!

The rhythm of the seasons is a gift we often take for granted in this part of the world. The seasonal variation provides beautiful expressions, and each transition offers unique gifts from the Earth. The fruit tree blossoms entice the senses and hint of harvests to come, and new life is breathed into our bodies after months of winter weather. There is nothing quite as nourishing as new life. Here at Spring Ridge Commons, Mother Nature is providing us with a wonderful opportunity to nourish our bodies as well.

Harvestable Delights: The tea we are sipping today is a blend of Stinging Nettles and Rosemary. The hardy Rosemary plants have weathered the winter and offer more nutritional benefits than could ever be listed in this article. Stinging Nettles are just emerging from the earth now and will continue to flourish through the summer. Stinging Nettles are herbaceous perennials.

They have been used as a cleansing tonic for thousands of years. Harvesters beware the stinging, hair-like spines on the underside of the leaves and stems!

Plant of the Month: Miner’s Lettuce (Claytonia perfoliata) Miner’s Lettuce is one of the only salad greens native to North America, though many view this wondrous plant as a weed. According to a study in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association, 100 grams of miner’s lettuce—about the size of a decent salad—contains a third of your daily requirement of Vitamin C, 22 percent of Vitamin A, and 10 percent of iron. Miner’s Lettuce is delicious added to salads, or eaten on its own. While most of our “weeds” are of European origin, Miner’s Lettuce is one of the few plants that has returned the favour and moved to Europe!

We’re asking you: What would you like to see at Spring Ridge Commons? Do you have an awesome idea for a community art project? What would improve your experience of the Commons?

If you are have an answer to these questions or would like to find out more about how you can help, please email springridgecommons@gmail.com. Find out more about the Friends of Spring Ridge Commons at springridgecommons.ca & facebook.com/ springridge.commons. Look for this new column ‘Commons Corner’ in the next issue.

www.fernwoodnrg.ca

April 2013

villagevibe

page 5

artist aside:

Return to Innocence — Reawakening the art of storytelling ›› Louis Bockner “Sorry man,” I say into my phone as I walk towards Fernwood’s Cornerstone Cafe. “I can’t go to the bar. I’m going to story time.”

Silence.

A year or two ago I would have thought story time was for kids. I was concerned with becoming an adult. But now this childishness was exactly what appealed to me.

“There’s an innocence involved... When a group of adults essentially enters their inner child together,” says Coco Kimmitt, a Victoria based storyteller and sound healer.

Kimmitt, a.k.a. Kami Wing—as she is known when performing her stories— believes that with society’s technological surge, enter tainment has become unnecessarily complicated.

“Storytelling is so authentically raw and simple. What it brings to this day and age is a remembering of the potency of metaphorical self-reflection through experiential listening. I relate it, in a way, to how we interpret dreams.”

Although storytelling has been a part of human evolution since the birth of language, in the last century it has become increasingly hard to find. When asked if she knew of any other practising storytellers,

instrument that effectively duplicates different types of wind. This sound often facilitates or foreshadows a shift in the story, bringing literal meaning to the phrase “winds of change.”

Despite her place atop the non-existent storytelling totem, Kimmitt would welcome community and competition and hopes that in the future storytelling regains it’s popularity of the past.

(Right) Coco Kimmitt performs 'The Cloak of Love' at the story time edition of Thursday Night Sound-

Storytelling is so authentically raw and simple.

scapes. (Left) Owen Smith listens with closed eyes to the Moroccan fairytale. Photos: Louis Bockner

Kimmitt was stumped.

“I don’t know of anyone doing it the way I do where I create the original soundtrack ahead of time and then tell the story live to [the music], that’s a unique piece to myself.”

This blend of story, instrumentation and sound effects takes the closed-eyed listeners on a gentle, sensory journey through their own imaginations. The sound effects are created by a unique collection of instruments from across the globe that

Kimmitt has assembled over the last decade.

“I ended up with this continuously growing, elaborate collection of sound tools that are the most ecstatic little family of sounds that I could imagine,” says Kimmitt.

By layering them upon each other through the use of a loop pedal she can “create every kind of atmosphere imaginable.”

Some of her favourites in the family include the Jaw Harp, which has a “mischievous travelers energy” and the Wind Ocarina, a traditional Mexican

“I think that by doing it, it’s kind of like being the change I want to see, because I’d really love to see and feel and a hear more stories being told.”

Although Kimmitt has no future story times marked on the calendar her first volume of stories can be heard at sacredstorytelling.bandcamp.com .

She can also be found at facebook.com/ cocokami.wing . She hopes to have a second volume out by the beginning of summer.

FERNWOOD NRG SUMMER PROGRAMS MAY - AUGUST 2013 (Reg) Registration Required

(DI) Drop In

MONDAY Parent and Baby Play Group (DI) LifeRing Secular Recovery (DI)

Ongoing Ongoing

9:30am - 11:30am 6:45pm - 8:00pm

Ongoing May 7 - June 18 May 7 - Aug 27 May 7 - Aug 27 May 7 - Jun 25 Ongoing

9:30am - 11:30am 4:00pm - 5:00pm 5:30pm - 6:30pm 7:00pm - 8:30pm 7:00pm - 9:00pm 7:00pm - 9:00pm

Ongoing Every other week May 8 - Aug 28 Ongoing Every 2nd & 4th Wed

12:00pm - 3:00pm 1:00pm - 5:30pm 5:45pm - 7:15pm 7:00pm - 10:00pm 7:30pm - 9:30pm

Ongoing Ongoing May 2 - Aug 29 May 2 - Aug 29

9:30am - 11:30am 12:00pm - 3:00pm 5:30pm - 6:30pm 7:00pm - 9:30pm

Ongoing Ongoing Every other week

12:00pm - 2:30pm 7:00pm - 9:00pm 7:00pm - 9:00pm

Ongoing May 5 - May 26 July 7 - Aug 25

11:00am - 12:00pm 1:00pm - 3:00pm 1:00pm - 3:00pm

TUESDAY Parent and Tot Play Group (DI) Kids Capoeira (Reg) Iyengar Yoga (DI/Reg) Dancing Lotus Hatha Yoga (DI/Reg) The Transformative SitCom (Reg) Youth Drop-in (14-17yrs) (DI)

WEDNESDAY Best Babies (Reg) Good Food Box Pick Up Dancing Lotus Hatha Yoga (DI/Reg) Nuu Chah Nulth Drumming (Closed) Homospun (DI)

THURSDAY Parent & Tot Play Group (DI) Best Babies (Reg) Spring Forest Qigong (DI/Reg) Victoria Sport & Social Club (Reg)

FRIDAY Autumn Glow Senior’s Lunch (DI) Youth Drop-in (9-13yrs) (DI) Victoria Meet-up Group (Closed)

SUNDAY Volleyball (Closed) Intro to Kyudo (+16yrs) (Reg) Intro to Kyudo (+16yrs) (Reg)

Holiday closures on May 20, July 1 & August 5

WORKSHOPS / SPECIAL EVENTS Intro to Mushroom Cultivation w/ Radical Mycology - April 26 Easy & Cheap Mushroom Cultivation Workshop - April 27 & 28 Food Forest Gardening w/ Richard Walker - May 25 & 26 Fernwood Pole Painting Project - May 25 Ursa Fair - June 8 FernFest 2013 - June 21 & 22 4th Annual Fernwood Bites - June 23

For more information & to register contact: Fernwood Community Centre 1240 Gladstone Avenue, Victoria, BC T 250.381.1552 F 250.381.1509 info@fernwoodnrg.ca

fernwoodnrg.ca/fernwood-nrg-programs/recreation/

page 6

villagevibe

April 2013

Tom Burton Registered Professional Counsellor CTA, MPCP

www.tomburtoncounselling.com 1921 Fernwood Rd, Near the Cornerstone Cafe 250 889 5638

News and views from the heart of Fernwood

garden gleanings:

Linda Gilkeson’s Gardening Tips ›› Margaret Hantiuk Linda Gilkeson is a local treasure house of information for organic gardeners. As an entomologist and year round food gardener living on Saltspring Island, she has written some popular books that are excellent resources: West Coast Gardening: Natural Insect, Weed and Disease Control (just revised and updated), Backyard Bounty: The Complete Guide to Year-Round Organic Gardening in the Pacific Northwest, and Year-Round Harvest: Winter Gardening on the Coast. Her website lindagilkeson.ca is informative (e.g. pictures that will help you identify pests and diseases). Gardeners may register to get on her free year-round gardening tips by email.

Gilkeson was awarded the Queen’s Jubilee Medal in 2003 for her outstanding work in government and industry to turn our pesticide laws and policies toward organic best practices. She teaches (e.g. Master Gardener programs at the Horticulture Center of the Pacific), writes,

lectures and consults. Recently, Linda was a guest speaker for the Victoria Horticultural Society.

Here are some of her tips regarding the ‘bad bugs’: • Using bug mesh (a new product, Russell’s Nursery carries it) solves problems with bugs that spoil our fruit and berries. It can be thrown over the bush, or wrapped around the branch ends or fruit clusters, but must be secured snugly at the opening.

• New invasive bugs and some old ones are difficult to eradicate as there are too many ‘alternate’ hosts (wild species of plants or abandoned or neglected varieties). To kill bad bugs (e.g. tent nests of caterpillars) drop them in a bucket of soapy water for a while— plant material can then be composted.

• Stroll around your garden in early morning or in evening with a flashlight and inspect plants for damage.

Cutworms are at work at this time and many leaf-eating bugs. Toss them in

mark your calendar:

Pole Painting Project

the soapy water. Sometimes just a few are doing a lot of damage. Look under shrubs, under leaves, inside damaged leaves, on bark.

• Learn to identify the bad bugs so that you are not destroying the beneficial bugs that will arrive to consume or destroy them (the ‘control’) • Btk is a live organism that is sprayed as a biological control but must be used at a critical time (the target at the right stage) to be effective (2 week window) • Pest invasions are often cyclical: if pesticides are not present, the natural controls will arrive to feed on the pest.

Keep your plants healthy to survive the worst of it.

• Best slug bait is Safer Brand: spread around the outside periphery of your garden, NOT around plants, as it attracts slugs and slowly kills them.

Here are Linda’s tips for year-round food gardening: • Get cultivars that grow in the winter; different than summer varieties.

•

•

• • •

• •

•

•

Time of seeding is critical; give enough time for each crop to establish roots before winter.

Mulch around plants to protect in winter: thick, fluffy, un-chopped leaves, straw, spent plant stalks, conifer boughs, etc.

Using black plastic on the ground in the spring warms up soil for seeding.

Raised beds allow earlier seeding as soil drains and warms faster in spring.

Summer seeding requires newspapers over seedbeds to keep soil cool and moist.

Don’t pull out frost-damaged winter greens. They come back from roots.

Have tarps and old blankets on hand in winter and cover beds if it goes below -5°C. Winter veggies in beds are like an outdoor living fridge; cut, harvest and eat fresh.

Use protected south facing spots for winter beds where low winter sun reaches.

Carole James, MLA VICTORIA–BEACON HILL

Honoured to serve you in our community 1084 Fort Street Victoria, BC V8V 3K4 250-952-4211 Carole.James.MLA@leg.bc.ca www.CaroleJamesMLA.ca

Looking for local artisans, crafters, farmers, artists, made-by-hand goods makers, vintage collectors, radical recyclers, and ethical producers interested in vending at the FernFest Artisan Market. $30/table space Pole Painting Kits will be available during the week on May 20th - 24th at 1313 Gladstone Avenue for all the painters out there. Photo: Liz Rubincam

Spring cleaning! Our telephone poles need a new coat of paint

›› Mila Czemerys Come pick-up your free 'Pole Painting Kit' at 1313 Gladstone Avenue, during the week of May 20 th to 24 th between 9:00am and 5:00pm. The kit will include instructions, paint, signage, and more.

There will only be 100 available so come early so you don’t miss out. You are invited to go out on Saturday, May 25th and paint on 'Fernwood Pole Painting Day'.

How to paint your pole: Step 1. Find a pole in Fernwood – Look

for a pole that has not been painted or a pole that needs to be refreshed. Try and find a pole near your house. Please consult the neighbours before you begin.

Step 2. Put down your drop cloth – You can use old newspaper or a tarp to protect www.fernwoodnrg.ca

the ground from splatters and splashes.

Step 3. Prime your pole – Use a dark, neutral colour. Paint your pole with this base colour; you might need 2 coats. This is important because it will give you a clean canvas and will make your colours pop.

Wait until it is dry!

Step 4. Paint your pole – Be creative, have fun and remember to keep your paint afterwards for touch ups. Bold, graphics designs look great. Walk the streets of Fernwood and check out people's pole designs from past years for inspiration.

Step 5. Clean up – You are responsible for cleaning up ALL your supplies. Take everything with you and dispose of it responsibly.

We are looking for people to touch up poles that have already been painted. Email polepainting@fernwoodnrg.ca if you are interested.

In the words of pole painter extraordinaire, Beth Threlfall, “This project brings great depth and soul to our neighbourhood.”

Saturday, June 22, 10am - 3pm

fernfest@fernwoodnrg.ca

Organic Aromatherapy Spa & Eco Beauty Boutique in the heart of Fernwood Village.

You may have a fresh start any moment you choose.

- Mary Pickford

facebook.com/TonicSpa

April 2013

villagevibe

page 7

Scene in Fernwood : Business Profiles Too

(Clockwise from top left) Ivan Habel - Belfry Theatre; Graham Meckling - Stage; Steve Ashton - Freedom Kilts; Brittney Johnstone & Sarah Wilson - VARCS; Yolande Johnston - Who Dyd Your Hair; Rachel Sadava - Fernwood Yoga Den. Photos: Alexandra Stephanson