Return of the Light

The first day of spring is less than a week away and for once the weather agrees with the calendar- it's been positively balmy lately! But even without the weather, or the calendar for that matter I'm already well aware of the upcoming equinox, because I can't sleep! Now that we've switched to daylight savings again we have extended daylight into the evening which is lovely but it's the light in the morning that wreaks havoc on my sleep patterns, even before the time shift. Going to bed early doesn't help either; I just wake that much sooner. So for about 2-3 weeks every year I walk around yawning and fighting to stay awake in the day but still pop out of bed when it's barely light the next morning.

Normally I take up afternoon napping until this passes, but between having a day job and not wanting to miss a minute of this glorious weather, I've been struggling through it this year. Which means nothing is safe around me right now; I forget things on the stove until I smell smoke, I've lost 4 bank cards in as many weeks, spilled and broken too many things to list and my already abysmal typing skills are beyond help- thank god for spell check!

It's not exactly productive to be this sleep deprived either so I have to keep moving or nod off at my desk. Things that require focus or complex reasoning are out too, or have to be done in small bursts. My ability to string words together , both verbally and written, is poor and even reading, normally my favourite pursuit , is a lost cause- I'm likely to doze off mid sentence! As a consequence of this I'm less inclined to take on extra projects and am having a hard time keeping up with the ones I have now. Some things, like seed planting, will get done because they must but for others, such as the Dark Days Challenge, I'm throwing in the proverbial towel. Not because we aren't still eating local, at least some of the time, but coming up with a meal the fits all the SOLE criteria is tough enough and posting about it is nigh on impossible right now. Besides it seems a little ridiculous focusing on the dark days when it feels like it's anything but!

Thankfully this phase never lasts long, my sleep patterns will self correct and I'll be back to cursing the alarm clock in no time. But in the meantime I can barely focus long enough to type this so please bear with me if I seem a bit erratic at the moment!

Independence Days Week 5

Crazy weather continues! On Sunday we hit 18C which is about 15 degrees higher than normal for this time of year! Now one warm day in late winter is not that unusual but it's been warm ever since and we're headed for at least a week of it! On top of our already mild winter, that's going to affect outdoor things dramatically. The maple sap is done for the season and things are greening up! I had a look around the garden on the weekend: normally the ground would still be frozen solid but my hyacinths are up, the rosebush has new leaves (not buds, leaves!) and I even picked some spring onions! Up on the deck things are much the same- my herb garden already has signs of life and the thyme, oregano and sage are already making a comeback.

I was all ready to post this update on the weekend but sitting in front of the computer when it feels like spring outside seemed like a waste of good weather so I'm late posting again. When my inner child wants me to go fly a kite, I'm all for it!


Grow Something: I've got pea sprouts, the beginnings of oyster mushrooms and a whole of tomato seeds germinating! The mushrooms are a bit of dud however- unlike last years shiitake kit which produced tons with a minimum of fuss, the oyster mushrooms keep sending out pins that just shrivel up. I'm misting and I have them covered with a clear plastic bag as directed so I don't think it's a humidity problem- I'm at a loss.


Harvest something: I repeat- Spring onions! From the garden! In March!

Preserve something: Nothing

Waste Not: Good shopping week- found a basket of less than perfect zucchini and two heads of cauliflower for a dollar/basket, two soup chickens for $6, and butter on sale for $2.99. Found a case of paper towels ( which we don't buy) when cleaning out a warehouse so I brought them home too. They have their uses.

Want not: We're building a new outdoor mini greenhouse/shelf system on the deck, using materials we have on hand and salvaged wood. It will have a black plastic backdrop to absorb heat, three levels of shelves, with one removable for larger plants and a clear plastic cover for cooler weather. I plan to install a grow light and eventually hope to incorporate a watering system using run-off from the roof, diverted from the rain barrel.

Eat the food: Lots of roasted cauliflowers soup (with whey!) and zucchini fritters.

Build community food systems: I've been busy putting together resources and getting ready to lead a workshop on how to start a community garden.


Skill Up: Tried a new method to pre-germinate seeds (which I read about on someone's blog but can't remember where!) Last year was such a disaster that I am sprouting them in bags on paper towels before potting them up. It's a good way to see if older seeds are viable and saves me planting a lot of dead seeds.

And on the home front- best news ever! The Russian had his final interview with Immigration Canada yesterday and he's here to stay! Now we can start panning for the future, though what those plans will be are still a mystery.

Happy Early Spring!

Independence Days Week 4

Last week was a blur so I'm a bit late posting - here's my Week 4 summation:


Grow Something: I'm so behind on seed starting this year that they've started without me! These accidental tomato seedling appears in a potted plant which I had added some worm compost to so I transplanted them to small pots. No idea of variety.

I also soaked some peas for sprouting as suggested by Harvest Kitchen Sisters

Harvest Something: Nothing- my peas are at least a few days away from being edible and I may leave them longer because what I really want is snow pea leaves sauteéd in garlic, mmmmmm.....


Preserve Something: I taught my co workers hot waterbath canning and we made Cold Soother Jelly with our own honey- we share hives with the Toronto Bee Co-op!

Waste Not: Big fail on this one- I found several items of food including some chicken stock gone bad in the fridge. I had left it for a time when I could fire up the pressure canner but that didn't happen, so I've realized that I either need to become comfortable with doing pressure canning for a small batch or continue to freeze some things.

Want Not: Used two pairs of worn out slippers to make a new pair

Eat the food: FoodShare held it's annual fund raiser Recipe for Change last week and as part of my job I helped set up the venue and then got to stay for the fabulous treats prepared by many of Toronto's finest chefs as well as local wine and beer.

Some highlights:

Duck mille feuille with white aspargus and truffle vinegrette


Mini apple dumplings with two types of honey from the hives at Casa Loma


A whole pork leg prosciutto!


Texan style brisket with home made mustard, apple slaw and a fried quail egg


Still warm fresh mozzarella balls serve with salt and a drizzle of olive oil.


FoodShare used bicycle powered blenders to make fruit smoothies!


Build Community Food Systems: I've been been so busy with community events,I feel like I'm neglecting my own stuff. Yesterday I worked the FoodShare booth at Seedy Sat at Scadding Court and in between speaking to people about what we do, I was able to do some garden related shopping for myself, and catch up with a lot familiar faces including Gayla Trail of You Grow Girl, Laura from Cubits as well as my favourite 'urbans', Urban Tomato and Urban Harvest! I was trying to keep my spending to a minimum but I found something lovely to purchase from each of these fine ladies (I really wanted Gayla's new book Easy Growing but that will have to wait).

Skill up - the only big purchase I made yesterday was an unexpected one- a mushroom kit! last year I purchased a Shiitake mushroom kit and we loved it! It was amazing to be able to grow our own mushrooms and although the kits are not exactly cheap, they do produce a fair amount and fresh mushrooms are so delicious. So when I saw the kits for oyster mushrooms at the Young Urban Farmers booth, I couldn't resist. And as it turns out what I purchased is even more exciting than I originally thought because it's actually King oyster mushrooms which are one of my favourites! I can't wait to see it burst into fruit and to eat wonderful fresh mushrooms!