Greg and I were driving in West Kelowna BC Canada looking for a place to walk. We drove by the lovely BONFIRE Culinary Farm Market and stopped to see what they had for sale. I was craving something green and saw Swiss Chard still in the field. Lisa was welcoming and offered to pick a bunch for us.
Fresh cucumber, Chard, and field tomatoes from BONFIRE Culinary Farm Market picture by Bonnie Dixon
Fresh field tomatoes also caught my eye. Nothing better than a fresh tomato sandwich on toasted sourdough bread!
Picture by Bonnie McDonald
Pasta with Chard and Garlic
1 pound Swiss chard, stems cut from the leaves and the stems and leaves chopped separately
1/8 teaspoon dried hot red pepper flakes, or to taste
1 white onion sliced into slivers
3 large garlic cloves sliced thin, Russian Garlic is terrific
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup water or broth, Better Than Bouillon is my favorite
1 1/2 cups red cherry tomatoes
1/2 pound penne or other tubular pasta
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan plus more for topping
Rinse and drain separately the Swiss chard stems and leaves.
In a large heavy skillet cook the red pepper flakes and the garlic and onion in the oil over moderate heat, stirring, until the garlic is pale golden, add the stems and 1/4 cup of the water, and cook the mixture, covered, for 5 minutes, or until the stems are just tender.
Add the leaves with the remaining 1/4 cup water and salt and pepper to taste and cook the mixture, covered, for 5 minutes. Stir in the cherry tomatoes and cook the mixture, covered, for 3 minutes, or until the leaves are tender.
While the chard is cooking, in a kettle of salted boiling water boil the penne until it is al dente and drain it in a colander. In a large bowl toss the penne with the chard mixture and 1/4 cup of the Parmesan,
In heavy skillet toss in cherry tomatoes and sear till they almost pop. Toss on top of the Penne Chard.
Serve it with the additional Parmesan. If desired.
Tip: To chop the Swiss Chard after washing, roll the leaves into a tube and then slice. They come out nice and evenly sliced.
Substitute canned cherry tomatoes for fresh and use the juice from the can for the water or broth.
Optional : Add 2-3 links cooked and sliced Italian Sausage
Marie Forleo spoke with Dr. Mark Hyman about many of the challenges than threats to our health and the planet caused by what we eat and how we approach food production.
The good news is, the world can fix our health and climate issues with doable changes to the way we produce and consume food.
This is one of the most insightful and important discussions of these topics that I have ever heard.
The folks at Real Farmacy have written a short article on the anti-depressant properties of soil.
Soil microbes have been found to have similar effects on the brain as prozac, without the negative side effects and potential for chemical dependency and withdrawal.
The difference is they have established a worldwide community that is growing. I will promote their projects and try to attend some of their events in the future.
Please check Foodtank out at https://foodtank.com/, join their newsletter, and consider getting involved with their projects.
Many relatively affluent communities and especially poor communities have challenges to make sure all children have enough nutritional food to eat.
We are starting a pilot project to provide sustainable food production for children using lessons and strategies from various food sustainability projects.
The project includes tips for growing food in limited space using seed sprouting, container gardening, wall gardening, and small plot urban farming.
The project also includes ideas for community food production such as the use of unused public and private spaces for urban farming.
We also look at food rescue strategies to make use of edible food that often goes uneaten.
The ideas start very small and grow to very large scale solutions to the challenges of providing food to those who need it.
You can grow a surprising amount of plants in small spaces using containers.
Photo from pixabay
Use pots, planter boxes, and other containers on balconies, decks, or nooks and crannies of your yard. You can move small containers as needed.
What You Can Grow
You can grow almost any plant in a container. You could even sprout trees like California Redwoods, but you would need to transplant them and they are probably not the tastiest plants.
Here are some suggestions for food crops:
Tomatoes
Beans
Leafy Greens
Zucchini
Squash
Strawberries
Blueberries
Carrots
Edible flowers
Kale
Herbs
Asian Greens
Peas
Eggplant
Suitable Containers
Almost any container can be made to work, including bags, buckets, pots, cardboard boxes, wooden planter boxes, concrete and stone planters, to very expensive works of art.
Or an old car!
Photo from pixabay
Where to Find Supplies
You can look for suitable containers in your home and neighbourhood.
Garden Centers, Supermarkets, and Department Stores may carry suitable garden supplies.
Local gardening clubs and organizations could be a good source of seeds, plants, tools, supplies, and advice.
Neighbours too.
Online Resources
See:
Container Vegetable Gardening by Marie Iannotti This article has video and links to almost everything you need to know about container gardening.
You can get sprouting with very little gear, including mason jays, sprouting, mats, colanders, and tiered trays.
Repurposed used glass jars are a good place to start.
Where To Get Supplies
You can get seeds and seed sprouting equipment from many different sources including West Coast Seeds, Amazon, garden centers, health food stores, and department stores.
You can order anything you need online if you do not find a good local source.
More Information On Sprouting
There are plenty of books and other resources available.
Food Security is having a reliable source of enough food to survive and thrive.
One of my motivations for creating the Food Connection Network is to offer advice and options to help organizations such as orphanages achieve a level of food security.
The following suggestions provide a roadmap to filling food needs while minimizing the reliance on money donations alone.
The intention here is to provide an introduction to ideas and build out to detailed posts on each with links to information, resources, and related projects. The information will grow over time.
Easy First Steps
Here are some things you can do to provide food starting with few requirement for space or investments.
Sprouting Seeds
All you need to start sprouting seeds inside is a container such as a jar, some clean water, and seeds.
Popular seeds include Alfalfa, Green Kale, Red Clover, Fenugreek, Crimson Lentils, Mung Beans, Oriental Mustard, Green Peas, Sunflower, Wheat Berries, Daikon Radish and more.
Growing microgreens has become very popular with restaurants and can increase food security.
Similar to sprouting seeds, microgreens are small plants that can grow in a little soil in small containers inside or outside.
Container Gardening
Say you live in an apartment or have limited space for gardens. You can grow a surprising amount of food in buckets, planters, and other containers that can be moved.
Any vertical wall or fence can become an efficient growing space. The idea is to plant into rows of pockets to create a living wall that can provide food.
Small Garden Plots
Do you have grass or areas of dirt or gravel that could be used to grow food?
A little work and some soil can provide fertile space to grow herbs, fruits, and vegetables.
Greenhouses and Cold-frames
Structures such as greenhouses and cold-frames can help extend your growing season and provide high production.
Backyard Chickens and Other Animals
Many cities allow a small number of hens in backyards to provide eggs.
Some rural areas may permit raising animals such as chickens, goats, and rabbits for food.
There is a new trend towards raising edible insects.
Honey Bees
The world needs more bees and protection for bee habitats. Some cities will allow beehives to produce honey.
Sweet!
Community Solutions
The next items involve working with other people and groups.
Community Gardens
A growing number of communities provide space for community gardens. Often these are raised planter boxes assigned to individuals.
Urban Farming On Public Spaces
I have been involved with a number of projects in North Vancouver and there are some large projects around the world that take public space to grow fruits and vegetables.
Farmers Markets
Local farmers markets provide an opportunity for people to enjoy local goods and provide an outlet for local producers.
Food Festivals
Food festivals can provide a fabulous way to put people who enjoy food with producers and organizations that celebrate food and help with food security.
Cooperative Food Projects
Cooperative Food Projects often involve multiple organizations and many volunteers to make work.
Food Rescue
A shocking amount of food goes uneaten.
Edible produce is left in the field.
Much edible food is culled for cosmetic reasons.
Unsold or aging stock on shelves is discarded.
Spoiled or unwanted food is tossed from fridges.
Restaurants and caterers discard leftover food.
And yet there are many people and organizations that could use the food.
Here are some of the ways food rescue projects can redirect food that may end up in landfills to help feed people:
Use food donated by grocery stores to provide meals for school food programs.
Donate to food banks and soup community meal programs.
Donate food to orphanages.
Process the food for freezing for use in community food projects.
Composting what cannot be eaten to help grow more food.
Package recovered food for humanitarian aid projects.
More …
Food Hubs
There are many moving parts in a comprehensive food rescue program. Large scale solutions may require some form of Food Hub to provide some or all of the following:
Commercial grade kitchen facilities.
Food processing and packaging.
Refrigeration and cold storage.
Distribution support.
Market stalls.
Want to Help?
Here are some of the many ways you can help improve food security for yourself and others:
Grow your own food.
Donate excess food.
Volunteer for food security projects in your community.
Subscribe to our Food Connection Network Newsletter.
Contribute content and suggestions for this site. I especially want to know about related projects anywhere in the world.
Consider sponsoring or otherwise supporting Food Connection Network.
