Do you know what you're eating?

Think St. John's (and Newfoundland in general) is a barren wasteland unable to sustain even the smallest of homegrown produce or food activism? Think again!

There is a local group in St. John's called FEASt (Food Education Action St. John's). From their website, they are "a working collective of individuals and organizations taking action on local, sustainable food issues. Formed in Fall 2007, FEASt is a volunteer-run initiative affiliated to the provincial Food Security Network with almost 300 listserv members currently."

St. John's Safer Soil Project was created by Lori Heath to educate people about the problem of toxins in local soil. A 2003 study showed high lead levels in St. John's soil and this scared a lot of people off backyard gardening. The Safer Soil Project aims to educate about soil testing, growing in raised beds, and using container gardening techniques. More about the project can be found in this Scope article.

Here's more on gardening in lead-laden soil.

The Community Garden Alliance just held their AGM (June 28, 2009) where concerned individuals met to discuss local gardening needs, learn about organic growing, and enjoy some great grub. The Alliance's best-known project is the Rabbittown Community Garden which is an urban garden devoted to community-based organic growing and sharing.

Memorial University's Botanical Gardens has a huge variety of resources regarding local food growing, composting, harvesting, etc. The garden staff offer free lunchtime lectures, composting workshops, and in August there will be an edible plant hike which promises to be very educational and fun.

The Newfoundland Horticultural Society is also a wealth of information for budding gardeners. The group meets every Tuesday evening during the fall, winter and spring months at St. David's Church Hall on Elizabeth Ave. You can learn from other gardeners, take part in workshops, participate in "bring and buy" sales, and receive their newsletter. The Society's annual vegetable sale is coming up in September.

So what are you waiting for? Get involved in a community garden project or start growing your own food! For some extra encouragement, here are some links from the NL Environment Network:
Conservation Corps of Newfoundland
Environmental Conservation Commission
Food Security Network
MUN's Sustainability Centre
Oxfam Canada

Keep it Local

I visited the 18th annual Manufactured Right Here exhibition this past weekend at the Remax Centre. It's always encouraging to see the growing list of products made here in our province. Ours is a place in the world where it can be difficult to get certain products (such as fresh produce as an example) due to transportation issues and other headaches. It was great to see the number of products and services coming from our own backyards.

I saw lots of locally-made items from clothing to windows; from cabinets to milk and other food items.

Here is an excerpt from an online address given by the Newfoundland and Labrador Vice-President of Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters:
"Buying locally-made goods means investment in our economy, and it means employment for all regions of our province. Every $1 of manufacturing output in Newfoundland & Labrador it generates $2.54 in total economic activity – the largest economic multiplier of any sector! For every $110,000 worth of product made here, we directly create one full-time job, and another one and half spin-off jobs.

But there are many other good reasons to buy locally-made products, in addition to the social and economic benefit to the community. Many are food products – so they are fresher, more flavourful, and reflect local trends in tastes. Large products, like furniture and mattresses often have reduced transportation costs, because they are made here. If you need after sales support, training or service, being close counts. Many of our products are unique – you just won’t find them elsewhere."

Just found: a blog about local NL products!

More dough for your fill

Food costs on the rise

Has your weekly supermarket trip seemed more expensive lately? And I thought it was just me! Statistics Canada has recorded a sharp increase in basic food costs across the country. The Scope recently published an article about how rising food prices are affecting us here in NL.