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.
Great gardens start with soil but many of us don't know enough about the incredible resource beneath our feet to be able to help our gardens thrive. Join FSN for two upcoming educational teleconferences all about soil! Part 1: Understanding Soil (Jan 22) and Part 2: Building Great Garden Soil (Jan 28). Register soon to save your spot on the line. These sessions will inspire you to plan your garden this winter and make 2015 your best growing season yet!
Like a lot of skills related to local food, seed saving is an old idea that's deservedly getting lots of new attention. Saving seeds from your home or community garden makes sense for a lot of reasons and we want to convince you to give it a try. People are starting to get excited, daydreaming about the growing season and perusing seed catalogues, and we recommend that you read up a bit on seed saving and then factor that into your garden plans and seed purchases this year.
After learning of edible lupin varieties, edible and high protein cousins of our native lupin - I thought I was onto the next big thing on the island. After all, lupins grow like crazy all over the island and locally grown vegetable protein sources are hard to come by. Next I had dreams of George Washington Carver-like innovations - filling the shelves with home grown lupin bars, lupin hummus, vegan dog-foods and maybe shampoos
