Picking
admin
As We Fish and Farm

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.

As We Fish and Farm
Picking, Preparing
admin
DIY Maple Syrup

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.

DIY Maple Syrup
Picking, Planting, Preparing
Andreae C
My front yard grocery store
My front yard grocery store
Events, Picking, Planting
Costa Kasimos
Bits and Pieces: Along the Shore

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.

Bits and Pieces: Along the Shore
Planting
Matthew Middleton
Growing In A Potato Box

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.

Growing In A Potato Box

Local Food Recipes

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Ruminating on Rumex

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Ruminating on Rumex

As you may have been able to tell from the previous posts, knowing the family tree of plants can sometimes give you insight into what may or may not be edible. For example, many members of the “buttercup family” (Ranunculaceae) are poisonous, while members of the “mustard family” (Brasicaceae) are some of the most important food crops. I already mentioned the “buckwheat” or “knotweed family” (Polygonaceae) when discussing Japanese knotweed, and now I would like to explore the docks and sorrels. In Newfoundland, curled dock (Rumex crispus), garden sorrel (Rumex acetosa), and sheep sorrel (Rumex acetosella) are commonly found in disturbed areas including in cracks in the side walks, vegetable gardens, mounds of dirt, and on the sides of highways.

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Tasty Invasives

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Tasty Invasives

This is the first wild foods post by new RCR writer Costa, who will introduce readers to some of NL's common edible plants. Find out about Japanese knotweed (Fallopia japonica), on the World Conservation Union’s list of the world’s worst 100 invasive alien species, and a very familiar plant that has overrun our province. The only redeeming characteristic of this plant: it is edible!

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Partridgeberry Recipes

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Partridgeberry Recipes

Most of my local food is gone now until the new harvests start, but I stockpiled a lot of berries last year so we're still enjoying local partridgeberries and cranberries from the freezer. Here are two very different recipes to enjoy what's left of last season's berries: Partridgeberry Vinaigrette and Partridgeberry Hot Cereal. To share your berry ideas Root Cellars Rock has a forum where you can post recipes, cooking tips and tricks for using local foods.