Picking
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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

Picking

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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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Hello, and welcome to my back yard!

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Hello, and welcome to my back yard!

Greetings, friends! My name is Andreae and I will be posting here on the Root Cellars Rock page whenever I have something interesting to share about my adventures in gardening, foraging, preserving, and cooking local foods (so long as that's on a Thursday...). I grow vegetables, fruit, and edible flowers in my yard in downtown St. John's, and I have been known to force my children to gather fallen apples from roadside trees on at least one occasion. I love to cook - some of you might know my name from my old Food Nerd columns in The Scope - and I love getting the canning kettle out and packing away jars of gleaming jams, jellies, and pickles before the snow flies each year.

Trout & Salmon Seasons

Trout & Salmon Seasons

The provincial salmon fishing season is opening in June and the trout fishing summer season just began May 15. Whether you're a new angler or experienced, you'll want to review the updated 2011-2012 Angler's Guide prior to heading out. Salmon and trout can be an excellent addition to your local food supplies and like their ocean cousins, these fish will help you make delicious meals later in the year if they are frozen or preserved for future eating.

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Versatile Dandelions

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Versatile Dandelions

The First Dandelion

Simple and fresh and fair from winter's close emerging,
As if no artifice of fashion, business, politics, had ever been,
Forth from its sunny nook of shelter'd grass--innocent, golden, calm as the dawn,
The spring's first dandelion shows its trustful face.

by Walt Whitman

Nothing says spring like dandelions! These golden flowers are starting to spring up, providing an early source of food to insects. And keen foragers have been getting their fix of fresh greens for several weeks. With every part of the plant being edible, you’ll never hear me use the four letter "w" word to refer to these nutritious and delicious plants.