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

Planting

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Food Skills Workshops are here!

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RCR_Workshops_Cover_Page.jpg

We are so excited to introduce the...

Root Cellars Rock Food Skills Workshops!

Click on THIS LINK or on the Food Skills Workshops tab on the menu bar at the top of this page to get started using them right away! They're ready for individuals and community groups to use for free to host events!

What are the Topics?

There are 8 RCR Food Skills Workshops. Each workshop has a detailed kit with everything that you will need to know about that topic to confidently host a workshop. The 8 topics are:

  1. Container Gardening
  2. Composting
  3. Seed Saving
  4. Edible Wild Plants
  5. Preparing Local Vegetables
  6. Using Culinary Herbs
  7. Canning
  8. Root Cellars

Why Host a Food Skills Workshop?

The RCR Food Skills Workshops are easy to use and FREE.

Hosting a Food Skills Workshop can have so many benefits!

Participants will:

  • Help to preserve traditional food skills and knowledge;
  • Learn practical, hands-on food skills that promote healthy eating and are part of an active lifestyle;
  • Meet and connect with other like-minded individuals that care about creating supportive local food communities;
  • Gain awareness of ways to live sustainably with minimal impact on the environment;
  • Build confidence through recognizing the value of the skills and knowledge that they and other local people already have;
  • Connect with organizations and groups in the area that offer valuable services and opportunities;
  • Discover affordable ways to enjoy locally produced, healthy foods year-round; and
  • Become better connected with their food system and gain a greater understanding of community food security.

Who Should Host a Food Skills Workshop?

Any individual or community group that is interested in sharing food skills can host a workshop! 

The workshops are meant to be introductory learning experiences, both for participants attending the workshops and facilitators preparing them. Included in each workshop is background information on the topic, supplementary resources, and detailed activity plans. After carefully reading through those materials, facilitators will hopefully feel confident hosting their own workshop even it the topic is new for them too.

How Do I Get Started?

All of the workshops are now available on the Root Cellars Rock blog and on the FSN website!

You can start today:

  • Sharing them with people via email, Facebook and Twitter!
  • Reading them to learn more about food skills!
  • Using them to organize a workshop in your community!
During the weeks of the Launch (July 4-18) we will put up new posts every 2-3 days introducing the different parts of the Workshops in more detail. Stay tuned to find out even more about this hugely valuable new resource for Newfoundland and Labrador!