villagevibe July 2007 : News and views from the heart of Fernwood FUN
ISSUE
Secret gardens
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Pizza fun >> by Tronie Brown
O Photos: Veronique da Silva
t’s like we figured out the secret key. All of these apartments, all of these people living in them, and now we have a demonstration to show how each and every apartment dweller can grow some of their own food. Originally displayed at last summer’s World Urban Forum in Vancouver, the vertical pallet garden idea was brought to the table at a recent Fernwood NRG Food Security meeting. The idea was gobbled up, and chewed around a bit by the members, and eventually swallowed and digested into effect. On June 7th an excited group of old and young Fernwoodians participated in creating a demonstration food garden on the back deck of the Fernwood Community Centre. After a quick lesson and some hands-on practice, the group of 14 dove in. Food from the garden will be used for group potlucks and may also be sold at Fernwood’s Tuesday night market. The concept is easy, the visual is stimulating, and the implementation is smooth. All of the
materials used are recycled. Simply lining the insides of the pallets with cardboard allows for easy pouring in of the wet-soil/compost mix. Cut a few holes into the sides of the cardboard, insert some transplants, or perhaps if you’re feeling kind of wild, drop in the odd seed here and there. The pallets are excellent structures for this exercise. The roots of the plants have plenty of room to spread their legs south and extend their arms north. Watering is easy, as there are holes and spaces available to let the water spread and do its job. A bit of time must be spent considering what to plant, simply because of the vertical integration. Having heavy, weight bearing plants situated in the middle of the pallet doesn’t work, so making sure they are either at the top or closer to the floor, allowing for room to grow is essential. The Food Security group used common sense as a guide for placement of the transplants. With further luck and participation, walk through Fernwood on any given day, and glance upward. Perhaps you’ll be able to spot zucchini and tomatoes dangling from various balconies.
Photo: Veronique da Silva
>> by R ae Abbot
Let them groove >> by Joseph Avi Lambert
F
ernwood NRG’s 12th annual celebration of local talent and culture is going to be big this year. The ICA Folk Fest, Open Air concert series, and the Latin Caribbean festival were all cancelled this summer. James Kasper, Fernfest organizer, told me the board of Fernwood NRG decided to make some changes to this years Fernfest in order “to fill the void [left by the cancellations].” First of all, Fernfest 2007 is going to be longer. The festival will be extended to cover three days
over the Labour Day weekend. There will also be a location change. The festival will be moving from Fernwood square to Steveston park, behind the Fernwood Community Center. Because the ICA Folk Fest won’t be happening, the organizers have decided on ‘multiculturalism’ as the theme for this year’s festival. Be not afraid. The changes are many, but Fernfest 2007 is still free. That’s amazing considering the lineup and schedule of events. The first day of the festival on August 31st will feature an opening ceremony and a dance, a good ole hoedown in the ‘hood with local performers
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n Tuesday June 5th, 18 eager preschool children from Nightingale Preschool and Junior Kindergarten walked up to Fernwood village. The children at Nightingale study a country a month according to the nationalities of the families. June was Italy. Off on a magic carpet the children went, through passport control and off to Do Forno Caffe in Fernwood square. Manager Jay had prepared flat whole wheat dough and bowls of cheese, olives, peppers, and salami on a table so that the children could actively choose their own fillings for their own calzones. Once the children had made their calzones, (with little supervision from their parents) the dough was placed in the oven and everyone waited in anticipation. We sang songs, children chatted, and before too long Jay appeared with each child’s calzone. Then there was silence as the children delighted in eating their own creation! One child commented that this was the best meal she had ever tasted! Certainly from the parents and staff ’s perspective this was truly a successful trip to a delightful café, even the parents were able to sample some delicious foods, homemade, and with natural ingredients.
Wish list? Fernwood Village. What’s on your wish list for shops and services you’d like to see in Fernwood’s core? What will bring you to the square more often? A Laundromat? A post office? Email your wishes to villagevibe@fernwoodneighbourhood.ca