I came to Newfoundland for the first time just over four years ago. I can still vividly recall taking the ferry across from Nova Scotia in the late winter, listening to the groaning sounds of the ice around the boat. Within two months of arriving I made my first trip to Bonne Bay, a remote fjord on the west coast of the island. I went to learn about the food system and fisheries in the region as part of a PhD program I was beginning at Memorial University that fall.
Maple syrup conjures up images of towering arboretums in places like Quebec or Vermont, but it’s a little known secret that the rugged and hardy maple trees of Newfoundland make darn fine maple syrup. With nothing more than a half dozen maple trees, some old salt beef containers and a handful of 25 cent metal tree taps, you’re good to go and can expect to end up with over a dozen bottles of hand made maple syrup.
Spectacular vistas, whales breaching, ice bergs floating by, and a foragers paradise. We are blessed with many wilderness areas that offer abundant edible plants. I rarely go on a hike without stopping to have a little taste of this or that. In this post, I will touch upon some of the edibles currently available in our wonderful wilderness.
Thanks to the listing from Seeds of Diversity, I was able to locate a gentleman in Newfoundland who has a great deal of experience growing a wide variety of potatoes here. Last week, I recieved by my set of samples from George, and here's what my benefactor told me about the varieties:
Red Dutch: A very dry, yellow flesh red from Holland in the 1940’s. An excellent potato. Late maturing.
Northern White: A white flesh variety, from Quebec apparently, from the early 1900’s. Very high yield. Good taste.
This recipe is a super food flavour high five for your mouth. That doesn't make much sense but neither does doing something 8 days a week or letting rampant kale and confusing garlic scapes go to waste because of lack of inspiration. Don't let them fall victim to a wilty death in your fridge! Thanks goes to Murray Meadows Farm for the kale that they're now selling in bulk for a great deal and The Natural Gardener for the kind gift of scapes that they dropped off to us at the office.
Outside the wind is howling and the snow is blowing with promises of (yet another) 10 cm of snow, if not more. This is the part of winter when I start to really look forward to Spring. Seed catalogues arrive, thoughts turn to garden planning and due to the winter weather the supply of fresh vegetables at the stores can be hit and miss. Getting enough veggies takes some creativity and giving previously overlooked vegetables more of a chance in our kitchens.
Kohlrabi is a mysterious thing. When it comes on the scene at farmers’ markets it sits patiently, waiting for some adventurous or familiar person to scoop it up. If you haven’t acquainted yourself with kohlrabi just yet, you might find that it’s a great way to mix up your local food selections. Try these recipes and preparation techniques to make the most of this odd vegetable.
