Food Defines Us

Bob Ewing — Food is our common ground, if for no other reason than we all must eat. The alternative to not eating is to die. In North America, the majority of people do eat daily, some much better than others.

The food we consume will vary depending upon personal preferences, ethics and financial ability, for example.

Regardless of our food choices, the one choice that we cannot and usually do not want to make is to not eat. It is either eat or suffer and then die. We weaken and become ill.

In North America, people, frequently, complain life moves too fast and when someone is asked how are you, the answer is often, I am busy. This perception of a fast-paced reality is well reflected in our food choices.

Fast or convenient foods are widely purchased and consumed. Drive-thrus, delivery, microwaves and frozen entrées have replaced cooking; which, along with growing our own food, is a basic survival skill.

How many people would suffer greatly, if they could no longer pick up or order in their supper or no longer pop something into the microwave and wait a few minutes for dinner?

How many days food do you have in your pantry or storage cupboards? When was the last time that you preserved any food?

How long would the food on hand last if the transportation system broke down and the shelves in the grocery store were empty? Or when you called out for a food delivery no one answered?

North Americans have let the food supply system slip out of their grasp and the very item, we need to live, is in the hands of companies that are in many cases far away.

Food is trucked, flown and put in box cars so that it can be shipped to its destination. How fresh can it be if it has been sitting in a container for 2 weeks before it reaches your plate?

Do you know how far your last meal traveled before it became a meal?

Tomatoes, for example are being bred for their ability to be transported, rather than their flavour. So we get tomatoes that can travel but are tasteless.

Even the fast food that we so dearly love relies on transport to deliver the bulk of what it serves.

Transportation requires the use of fossil fuels to power the truck that carry much of our food and the airplanes that fly in the foods from distant ports. The price of gasoline is rising in many places as is the price of food, they are connected.

The agriculture industry is one of the biggest users of fossil fuels, not just for transportation, but for the production of pesticides and fertilizers as well.

The conditions the animals we eat daily, are kept in, are all too often appalling to say the least; this means that before they are killed they suffer. This reality is the reason that many people become vegetarians.

There are a number of food based movements that are working to address food quality, local economies and the sheer pleasure of preparing and sharing a meal with friends and family. The organic movement has become big business, the push to local food ahs drawn nation attention and the slow food movement has spread across nations.

If we have any real interest in improving our quality of life, our environment and address issues such as poverty and hunger then we only need to look inside our cupboards and refrigerators and begin to change with what we put in them on shopping day.

Food is our common ground; we all eat so let’s give our next meal some thought.

In my last article I wrote the following: “Choice is one of our fundamental freedoms and when it is eroded in one of our most basic needs, food, the nature of society itself can shift.”

Another way to view this is, if we want society to change then simply change what you eat.

Will drought undermine the social order?

Bob Ewing— It has been a week or more since we last had any significant rain. This is quite a change from last summer when it seemed to rain almost every day. The temperature right now is 23 Celsius and climbing, eventually it will hit 29C, so the weather station says.

That is hot for here, and a reminder of the heat wave that many food producing states have been experiencing for too long now.

This weather will eventually have an impact on food prices, partially because both corn and soybean crops are being adversely affected. Much of what we consume, at least anything prepackaged, has one or the other in it. The demand for water in the form of irrigation is high and this will also have an impact on food costs.

An interview with Maple Leaf Foods president and CEO Michael McCain written by ALEXANDRA POSADZKI, The Canadian Press August 2, 2012 quoted McCain as saying:

“Because Maple Leaf buys ingredients in advance, consumers likely won't see higher prices for its products until the end of this year, McCain said.
"Rising grain markets, specifically corn, affect the entire food chain,"

So the US drought will not have an immediate effect on food prices but increases are coming. Will people see an increase in income to offset these price increases? For the most part, that is an unlikely scenario. So once again the cost of living rises and income remains the same or worse, decreases.

People cope by eating lower on the food chain; that is more pasta and rice and less meat, chicken and fish. Now, when this is a personal choice that is one thing, but, when it is a response to an economic reality it is quite another.

What makes this shift even more complex is the cost of fresh vegetables and fruits, for example, are also rising and will continue to do so, due to the drought.

This reduces the affordable choices that are available in the marketplace.

Choice is one of our fundamental freedoms and when it is eroded in one of our most basic needs, food, the nature of society itself can shift.

Choice is a central tenet of democracy and when economics eliminates choice, it may also undermine our democratic institutions. Now, I accept this could be a bit of a logic leap, but societies have failed throughout history because the people could no longer access the food they need.

Food is our common ground, and one of the cornerstones of any social order, when it becomes scarce or too costly, social erosion can set in.

Walk: Improve your health and the planet

Bob Ewing — Two years ago, I made a two-fold pledge to lose weight and to keep my blood glucose levels in line. My doctor had just prescribed insulin injections, twice a day, and I was determined to keep the amount I needed to a minimum and hopefully, one day, no longer need the injections.



This pledge has an additional benefit — weight loss. In the past month, I have lost three pounds. This may not seem like a lot to you; however, if you want to take off weight and keep it off, your goals need to be realistic and ones you can achieve without adding undue stress to your daily life. Over the past six years, I have lost 50 pounds.

The weight loss was accomplished by eating fresh, seasonal foods and mostly by walking. I walk daily, except in extreme weather. Walking is not just my means of exercise but my principal mode of transportation. This means that I do not drive, own a car, but rely on my feet to get me from place to place.

In May, I added a daily morning work out, 15 minutes in duration, with a pair of dumbbells (weights). They only weigh two and a half pounds; however, I will increase the weight when needed.

Walking is healthy. It will help you lose weight. It is also good for the environment as the walker is not pumping any noticeable amount of fossil fuels into the environment. This may sound facetious to you but think about it for a minute, if more people left their cars at home and walked, rode a bicycle or took public transport to work, the cumulative effect of their actions could be significant. So I set an example. This is a win-win scenario, good for me and good for the environment, which is good for me and my neighbours.

The other part of my weight loss scenario is food. Avoid anything that comes in packages or cans; be sure too recycle all packing purchased when possible; canned tomatoes and cereal boxes, for example.

Composting and recycling reduce the garbage produced and both actions produce raw material that could be used to regenerate a local economy. In addition, recycling and composting reduce our impact on the earth and help build soil.

Buy products when they are in season, blueberries, strawberries, apples and am able to purchase these items from a small shop that buys from growers which are for the most part located within 100 miles of where I live. This means that the food I buy does not travel thousands of miles to get to the store but under 100, sometimes much less.

A farmer’s market recently opened in the city and I now have access to grass fed local beef and chicken and fresh vegetables.

Walking is healthy not just for the walker but for the community he or she is walking through. Good shoes and loose fitting clothing are all that is needed. Make a difference in your health and reduce your impact on the earth by making a few lifestyle changes.

Why Being a Localvore Makes Good Sense

Bob Ewing--I like my food fresh. Fresh food is the most healthy and best tasting food available. Food that travels a long distance from the field where it is grown to your table is not fresh. It has aged in transit and loss goodness and taste. If you want fresh food you either grow it yourself or purchase from someone who has grown it close, say within 100 miles, of your home.
Over the past few years the localvore movement has sprung up in response to peoples growing demand for truly fresh food. A localvore is someone who seeks out food that is produced or grown locally.

[caption id="attachment_15406" align="alignnone" width="300"] Community Garden[/caption]

A localvore is a person dedicated to eating food grown and produced locally. There are a lot of good reasons to eat locally grown and produced food. Besides being flesh why do people want to purchase and consume locally grown food? Here are two good reasons:

1- The production of locally grown food requires fewer resources (primarily fossil fuels). In addition to the resources spent in growing the food additional resources are required for packing and shipping. Packing food for a long distant journey demands a different type of packaging than needed for a short hop to a farmers market, for example.

2-Buying locally produced food builds the local economy, because money spent at locally own shops tends to stay within he community longer (it circulates locally more often) than money spent in chain stores whose owners are far removed from the community.

Society can begin the transition from a consumer capitalist model were the majority of people are consumers to cooperative capitalist model were the majority of people are consumers and producers, by starting with the development of local food enterprises and supportive municipal bylaws.

The most effective way to bring that change about is to do two things:

1- Buy from locally owned businesses whenever possible, start by becoming a localvore to the best of your ability.
2- Begin to grow some of your own food. There are many ways people can grow at least of a portion of what they eat. Community gardens are one, yard sharing is another.

Hyperlocalvore describes yard sharing as:

“Yard sharing is an arrangement between people to share skills and gardening resources; space, time, strength, tools or skills, in order to grow food as locally as possible, to make neighborhoods resilient, kids healthy and food much cheaper! The group can be friends, family, neighbors, members of a faith community (or any combination!) It's also been called garden sharing or land sharing,”

The economy across North America is spinning downward, if you have not already done so; begin the transition from a dependent to an interdependent community by growing some of your own food and buying the rest from a local grower or producer.

Little Brown Bats and You

What do you feel when you see a bat, not the baseball kind but the flying ones? Many people are afraid of bats, perhaps because they have watched too many vampire movies or possibly, the reason is that bats fly at night and are hard to see. However you look at it bats get a bad rep, why bad, because, like all living beings they perform a function and we humans, all too often are unaware of what that function is, or what will happen when a particular species no longer exists.

Take the case of the little brown bat (Myotis lucifugus). This is the bat most of us are likely to have met , one way or another, as the little brown bat has adapted well to human settlements, being fond of building walls and warm attics. Both of which provide it with a relatively safe shelter from the elements and enemies.

However, this may not be much of a problem for home owners, as the little brown bat is dying from a fungus-like disease called white nose syndrome, which is believed to have traveled from Europe to North America.

In New Brunswick for example, according to the CBC, the population of little brown bats has been nearly wiped out. .

Now, if you hate bats, you may say, so, that is good news but consider this, bats eat insects and are therefore, a natural means of insect control. The little brown bat dines on moths, beetles, caddis flies, mayflies, termites, leafhoppers, midges, and mosquitoes. Although given a choice between moths and mosquitoes, the bat is going for the moth, just like I would for a steak over a hot dog.

[caption id="attachment_15244" align="alignnone" width="254"] Little Brown Bat with White Nose Syndrome[/caption]

Many of the bugs the bat eats are the same ones that enjoy devouring our gardens and chowing down on the vegetables meant for our table. So the bats are protecting our food supply.

If the grower loses the assistance the bats provide, it is possible that the grower will have to rely on pesticides to get the job done. This will increase the cost of food production, a cost that will eventually make its way to your table.

Another, and perhaps even more important cost, is the harm that pesticides do to the environment. Do we really want to spray artificial chemicals on the food we consume when there is a natural way to get the job done?

All living things play a role in our world, we are all inhabiting an ecosystem that is replete with interactions and connections, many of which we cannot even identify. The saying everything is connected is right on.

Life with Type 2 Diabetes:The Glycemic Index

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Bob Ewing - Knowledge is power and the only power worth seeking is power over one’s self. Knowledge comes through interaction and connection, for example, with the information we encounter daily.

All the choices we make rely on our knowledge.
When it comes to living with diabetes, in this case Type 2, knowledge makes the difference between life and death. Poor choices lead to illness and suffering.

There is much false, although possibly well-intentioned information, out there in Internet land about diabetes, and I have been sifting through it for a number of years now.

One thing I can state for certain is the most effective way to prevent diabetes is to live an active life and eat real food, not too much, but make it real. If you have diabetes, as I do, then control becomes a major issue. You watch what you eat and get regular exercise and overall you can live a good and long life.

When it comes to what foods a person with diabetes can eat, the list is long. It is not essential to avoid all sugar but to be aware of how many foods do contain sugar in one form or another.

I have found the Glycemic Index (GI) to be useful when gathering data about meal planning and shopping.

The GI is a scale that ranks carbohydrate-rich foods by how much they raise blood glucose levels compared to glucose or white bread. If you choose foods with a low GI rating more often than those that have a high GI it is possible your choices will:

• Control your blood glucose levels
• Control your cholesterol levels
• Control your appetite
• Lower your risk of getting heart disease
• Lower your risk of getting type 2 diabetes

When you eat food that contains carbohydrates, the sugar (glucose) from the food breaks down during digestion and gives you energy. After you eat, your blood glucose level rises; the speed at which the food is able to increase your blood glucose level is called the “glycemic response.”

This glycemic response is influenced by many factors, including how much food you eat, how much the food is processed or even how the food is prepared (for example, pasta that is cooked al dente – or firm – has a lower glycemic response than pasta that is overcooked).

I use the GI as a tool, one that gives me knowledge over what effect certain foods are having on my body should I choose to eat them. This knowledge means that when I go shopping and add these foods to my list I am making a deliberate choice and taking charge of my health while putting into action an old saying that goes like this:” Let food be your medicine and medicine your food.”

Hunger is a Powerful Force

Bob Ewing - Have you ever been hungry? Of course, you have, most of us have experienced temporary hunger for one reason or another. However, the hunger only lasted until you got home or to a place were a meal could be bought.

Take a minute to imagine that hunger feeling lasting for 24 hours with no relief in sight.

Go one step further, you go to bed hungry and wake up the next morning after a fitful night to the possibility of another day with nothing to eat. How long would you go on without sustenance before doing something, anything to satisfy that hunger?

Food is a driving force and we cannot live long without it. How we grow food, process it, sell, market and consume it will help define our society. We live in a consumer, capitalist system and food is treated like any other product. If you can afford it, you buy it, if you cannot you go hungry, or are forced to rely on the services such as food banks and other food programs, that are designed to help ease the pain of being hungry.

If we want to move away from the consumer, capitalist model we can begin to do so by changing the food system. A first step is simple enough, grow some of you own food and make a move towards independence. The more food you can grow, the freer you can become. This sounds great, but the reality is much more complex. Growing food requires a space to grow that food in, and whether the space be shared, such as a community garden, or your own yard, unless you own that land free and clear, you are still in a dependent position.

Over the next few weeks we will explore how through structures such as, time banking, community land trusts and urban agriculture, we can change from a consumer based society to a consumer-producer one.

As a side note, I just finished reading Suzanne Collins’ The Hunger Games. I was inspired to do so over the weekend while in Fredericton. On a trip to the mall near our hotel, I asked why there were so many young people lined up and was told about the movie, The Hunger Games.

When we got home, I borrowed a copy of the book from a friend’s daughter (I am far from the demographic for this novel) and was impressed by the writing and the storyline. In short, the author understands what it means to control people and societies.

Hunger a Growing Problem

[caption id="attachment_14800" align="alignleft" width="168"] Food bank[/caption]

Bob Ewing - The first food bank in Canada was apparently set up in Edmonton, Alberta in 1981. Since then food banks have spread across the country, in response to an insistent and growing demand for their service.
I have worked at a food bank, and have seen, first hand, the shame some feel because they must rely on a hand out, and the desperation others experience when they are told the cupboard is bare.
Food banks do run out of food, but they do not run out of people who need that food. This is an ongoing problem; one I have experienced as a food bank worker on more than one occasion.
Each year, in March, the Canadian Association of Food Banks conducts a survey of food bank usage across Canada.
Consider these figures from HungerCount 2011:
• 93,000 people each month access a food bank for the first time
• 38% of those turning to food banks are children and youth
• 7% of adults helped are over age 65
• 35% of food banks ran out of food during the survey period
• 55% of food banks needed to cut back on the amount of food provided to each household.

There is little doubt that food banks provide a much needed service. They serve food to those who would otherwise go hungry, and therefore, they need to be supported. However, is there not a better way to reduce hunger in our country?

People go to the food bank because they do not have enough money to purchase all the food they need in the market place, especially as costs rise, and their fixed incomes, and this applies to the working poor as well, do not.

Food banks do a good job but they cannot address the income issue. When it comes to ending hunger in Canada or anywhere else, for that matter, what we need is a two fold approach; one, we need to support the food banks and make sure no one goes hungry; two, we need to create the jobs we need, and increase the incomes of the people who are using the services of the food bank. This way they can buy their own food in the market place.

In the case of hunger, the problem suggests the solution, or at least part of the solution. Growing and producing food in urban centres can create jobs, new jobs, and by doing so provide an income for those who need one. Apprenticeship and training programs can help individuals develop the skill set that is needed to work and or operate an urban agriculture enterprise.

When we begin to grow and produce food in and close to urban centres, we relocalize production, and bring food closer to the people who consume it, while creating meaningful economic opportunities, and long term, sustainable employment at the same time. How can this be done, next week, I begin to answer that question.

The No-Dig Garden: A Family Affair

[caption id="attachment_14471" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Community garden"][/caption]

Bob Ewing - Growing your own food with friends and family is productive, healthy and fun. The family that grows its own food together is forming connections with each other, the soil and nature, connections that will last forever.

Gardening is viewed by some people as hard work, back breaking toil that must be done, in order to obtain a yield. I disagree, there is work, naturally, nothing will happen unless some effort is put into the activity. However, you can grow herbs, fruits, vegetables and flowers with a minimum of toil and a maximum of yield; it all rests in the garden design.

There is no need to dig, a no-dig garden can be set up in your yard within a four hour or less period, especially if all the family comes together and shares the labour.

What you will need. You will need newspaper; lots of it, so get started collecting weeks before you are going to garden. Avoid the pages that are all coloured, such as, comics and some ads. A little colour will not hurt.

Compost is also required. If you have your own compost bin great if not then you will need to get some. Often municipalities will have either free compost available or sell it for a small fee, ask around.

Straw, not hay, is essential. Be sure to use straw not hay, they are different. Hay is actually a plant that is cut when it is alive and full of grain. The purpose of the hay is to feed animals. Straw, on the other hand, is simply the stalks of standing plants that contain no grain.

You will also need something to form a border around the garden bed. Bricks are good, old lumber, as long as it is not treated, can work. Use your imagination.

How big is the garden bed, well that depends upon you. Limit the width to four feet so all parts of the bed can be reached without being stepped on and make it as long as you have space and the time to work that space.

Do not forget your time when making your garden plan. Many gardens have failed because the gardener forgot to factor her or his life into the equation. You and your family have other commitments besides the garden, consider them when planning.

This work will go faster and be more fun with several pairs of hands, do the following:

1- Locate garden in a site that gets at least six (6) hours of sunlight per day.
2- Water.
3- Spread paper, be sure the edges overlap and completely cover the space.
4- Water.
5- Spread two inches of straw over area.
6- Water
7- Cover with compost.
8- Water
9- Add another layer of straw.
10- Water.

Now you are ready to plant. Use seedlings rather than seeds. Make a pocket in the straw where you plan to place the seedling. Put the seedling in place and fill pocket with compost, when you are finished, water.

Tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, greens and most herbs and flowers can be grown in this bed. Be sure to let every family member place, at least one seedling, in the garden.

Starting the Family Organic Garden: Plant Selection

  Bob Ewing - Food is best when it is fresh, and it is freshest when it comes from your yard. Gardening does more than put food on your table; it allows you to connect directly with nature and gives you a great reason to go outside. It also is a fun, family activity.

When you decide to begin an organic, vegetable garden, get the process started by having a family conversation. Meal time is perfect for talking about food; if you do not have a garden or a vegetable garden, then announce you are doing so and need some help.

Now this announcement may not be greeted by much enthusiasm, at first, however, let the family know, all you are looking for now, are suggestions on what to plant. The most successful gardens begin by planting vegetables that your family is already eating.

A salad garden may not get much respect but a pizza or pasta garden may. Both pizza and pasta, well tomato sauce, can use similar ingredients, for example, tomatoes, onions, green peppers. Both gardens can benefit from a few herbs, basil, thyme and oregano.

Now that you have made choices about what will grow in your first organic garden; tomatoes, onions, green peppers, basil thyme and oregano, it is time to buy the seeds. Buy organic and heritage seeds. This way you know what you are getting, and if you plan to save seeds, will be certain you have quality seeds for next year.

Leave the seed catalogues out, pass them around and let the family have an opportunity to select varieties. It is fine to buy more seeds than you can plant, put the seeds, you do not use, in a sealed container, a zip lock bag will do, and place them in a cool dark place, I use the fridge. They will keep until the following spring and likely longer. These saved seeds are your insurance that you have the beginnings of a future garden, right in your kitchen.

As spring advances, it is time to select a garden site; your pizza-pasta garden will need a site that gets eight hours of sunlight per day. If this is your first organic, vegetable garden, I would start small; a ten foot long by four foot wide plot is ample. A site this size, and you can add some beans and a few flowers for the table, will grow enough food while being manageable.

Once the site is selected it is time to prepare the bed. There are two ways to do this; one is to dig and fill; the other, my favourite is the no-dig. Why no dig, simple, I enjoy growing things but see no value in working any harder than necessary, that is my personal reason. My gardener reason is this: when you break up the soil you are disturbing a community that will help you garden. This community has many, many residents; some so small that your unaided eye cannot see them. You want their help so do not destroy or disturb their home.

Next week we will show you how to start a no-dig bed together.

Is Food A Human Right?

[caption id="attachment_14167" align="alignleft" width="300"] Vegetarian meal[/caption]

Bob Ewing - The past few days I have been having a dialogue via Twitter. The focus of this discussion is food as a human right. On 10 December 1948 the Universal Declaration of Human Rights was adopted by the UN General Assembly.

Article 25 of the Declaration says:

• (1) Everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of himself and of his family, including food, clothing, housing and medical care and necessary social services, and the right to security in the event of unemployment, sickness, disability, widowhood, old age or other lack of livelihood in circumstances beyond his control.

The 144 character limit, set by Twitter, makes it quite difficult to conduct a coherent discussion of a complex matter. On the surface, food as a human right may seem a simple enough topic; people need food to live, so food must be a right. Before we proceed, it is important to define human rights.

Human rights are rights inherent to all human beings, whatever our nationality, place of residence, sex, national or ethnic origin, colour, religion, language, or any other status. We are all equally entitled to our human rights without discrimination. These rights are all interrelated, interdependent and indivisible.

This seems straightforward enough, human rights are inherent to all human beings, and all, are equally entitled to these rights without discrimination. Okay, however, food is an economic engine that can drive local and regional economies, and as such food is a commodity that is bought and sold in the marketplace. If food was free, who would grow it, and if no one is growing it, what do we eat?

Reread the definition of a human right; the definition does not say that rights are free, that they come without cost. It says they are inherent to all human beings and cannot be denied through discrimination.

However, in countries around the globe, North America as well, people are denied access to food on a daily basis, because they do not have the funds to purchase it in the market place. Is this a structural error, one that can be offset through policy, practice, and procedure? Can food be both a commodity and a right? Have countries failed to take the appropriate actions?

The answer to the first two questions is yes and over the next few weeks I will examine how this can be done and how a sustainable economy can be evolved while doing so. The third question will be addressed at the end of the series.

Both Twitter and Facebook are playing a growing role in my work and will continue to do so as I develop this series.

Urban Agriculture: Aquaponics

[caption id="attachment_14123" align="alignleft" width="300"] Aquaponics[/caption]

Bob Ewing - Food, we all eat it, or at least we want and need to, how we meet that daily demand varies culturally, economically, socially and psychologically. In the past two articles, I have been focusing on the economic aspects, and will continue to do so today.

Aquaponics is gaining in popularity across the country, both small scale backyard projects and larger scale commercial efforts are establishing themselves as viable enterprise.

Aquaponics refers to an aquaponic system specifically set up for the purpose of providing a protein crop (the fish) and a vegetable, herb or fruit crop (the plants).

The Aquaponics Journal states that basil is the most commonly grown herb in aquaponic and hydroponic systems. Basil has a hardy nature and is in great demand, an ideal marketing combination.

Basil is also one of the most popular culinary herbs, so it is possible that an aquaponic system that includes basil could be a profitable venture. Of course a marketing study as part of an overall business plan would need to be done to determine if it was worth proceeding. Of course, basil is not the only plant that can be grown in an aquaponic system.

Perch, trout and tilapia are the most commonly used coldwater edible fish in an aquaponics system, however, goldfish, for example, could just as readily be used if the operator did not want to raise fish for food purposes.

Growing Power is a national not-for-profit company with the following vision:

“Inspiring communities to build sustainable food systems that are equitable and ecologically sound, creating a just world, one food-secure community at a time.”

Growing Power has offices in Milwaukee and Chicago and provides an inspiration to any community seeking to secure its food supply, while building a strong and vibrant local economy.

As the practice of urban agriculture spreads across North America, and elsewhere, entrepreneurs are creating new ways to grow and distribute food.

Aquaponics is both old and new, but it is growing. If we look at what Growing Power, for example, is able to produce, we can see the economic potential of similar projects.

Across the continent similar projects are springing up, some are located in communities, that have experienced neglect, lack sources of fresh food, need revitalizing and jobs. Urban agricultural projects can provide all three.

People need to join together to address the economic situation; it is no longer acceptable to leave the decisions in the hands of a few who often act in their own best interests.

Businesses need to be more democratic and inclusive and the cooperative model is both. Urban agricultural enterprises can be set up as workers cooperatives, for example, and by including aquaponic systems in their food production, produce more than enough food for the people in their community, and create jobs at the same time.

The Way Out 2: Turn Waste into a Resource

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Bob Ewing - One of the first steps towards building sustainable, local economies is to change how we view garbage. Instead of seeing waste or something that needs to be thrown away, we need to accept that there is no such place as away and what we call garbage could well be a resource. Food is a prime example.

Last week we talked about diverting edible food from the garbage to the table. This week we will take a close look at compost.

What food items can we compost? Place the following in your compost bin:

• All vegetable and fruit wastes, (including rinds and cores) even if they are moldy and ugly
• Old bread, donuts, cookies, crackers, pizza crust, noodles: anything made out of flour!
• Grains (cooked or uncooked): rice, barley, you name it
• Coffee grounds, tea bags, filters
• Fruit or vegetable pulp from juicing
• Old spices
• Outdated boxed foods from the pantry
• Egg shells (crush well)
• Corn cobs and husks (cobs breakdown very slowly)

When you compost food waste, you not only divert items from the waste stream, but you actualize the true potential of those items; in the case of composting, you turn food scrapes into food for your garden. Composting produces a rich, organic feed for your soil and well fed soil will grow strong and healthy plants.

For home gardeners, whether they grow in containers or raised beds, compost will help the garden grow. Those heritage seeds you bough will flourish in the well fed bed. Lets take a look at composting on a large scale.

Rutgers University serves over 3.3 million meals and caters more than 5,000 events each year. The University is well known for its food recovery system which was started in the 1960s.

Rutgers had a food waste problem, one they solved by diverting food scraps to a local farm for use as animal feed.

The leftover food is put into a trough which delivers it as well as used napkins to a pulper. Excess water is removed and the food scrapes are pulverized. The result is deposited into barrels and is stored in a refrigerator until a local farmer hauls them to his farm.

Water from the system is recycled to transport more scraps to the pulper.

The farm is less than 15 miles away. The farm uses the pulverized food scraps, averaging 1.125 tons per day, to feed hogs and cattle.

The farmer charges $30 per ton, as opposed to the approximately $60 that Rutgers pays to haul a ton of trash to the landfill.

The school saves money and the farmer gets a valuable commodity for his operation.

On a local or community scale, thin about a cooperative that offers gardening services to the public and sells its own brand of compost. The compost comes from the food scrapes generated by the cooperative members and perhaps from a local restaurant or two.

A little imagination applied to this scenario could create a business opportunity all because we looked at waste as a resource rather than something to be cast aside.

Community Gardens Growing Community

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Bob Ewing - The freshest food you can eat is food that you have harvested yourself. The closer the food is located to your kitchen, the fresher it is. A front or back yard food garden is the
best guarantee that the food consumed is as fresh as it gets.

However, not everyone has a yard in which to grow the fruits, herbs and vegetables they enjoy. Fortunately, space of your own is not required to grow you own. A community garden provides the opportunity to obtain that freshest of food, the food you harvest from a plot you tended, and then transported a few short blocks to home.

When I help start a community garden in Thunder Bay, my first thoughts were on the extra food I could grow. As the summer days passed I began to understand there was much more growing in that garden than food.

First, the site was located on the edge of a green space and was surrounded by trees, as well as serviceberry and raspberry bushes. There were fruits to eat that we did not even have to grow. The free food and the view added value to the time spent walking to and from the garden. A small bench was built at the back of the plots, and I often found myself sitting there just listening and watching the birds, and a myriad of creatures scurrying about the garden, all helping it grow.

Second and perhaps, the most important benefit the gardeners derived from the site was the friendships that grew along with the plants. On the first day, we all gathered to prepare the garden and clear the site, as well as divide it into the 12 plots. The second weekend we held a seed swap and a short lesson on organic gardening which I offered. The expertise of the gardeners varied from novice to seasoned pro and the exchange was lively. Halfway through the season we met again to have a picnic and talk about our plots.

In addition to these formal gatherings, we met each other in the garden and always had time to chat, usually about the garden but now and then about other issues. Our conversations spread beyond the garden, and on walks through the neighborhood, we would stop and have a short chat on the sidewalk and or wave from the car as we passed by. The neighbourhood became friendlier and felt safer as people who were once strangers, and who we may have passed without so much as a nod, now either stopped to talk or waved.

Over the three years we were a part of the Regent Street Community Garden we experienced the growth of a community, a community of interest, based in the community garden, but one that stretched into the neighbouring streets as well.

Community gardens properly tended not only provide fresh foods but good neighbours and even friends.

The Community Garden

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Bob Ewing - It is not necessary to have a back or front yard and be able to grow your own food. Apartment dwellers and others who live where they have no direct access to a yard can grow fruit, herbs, flowers and vegetables. Space is necessary but that space does not have to be private property. It can be communally owned, shared or rented space. If you are curious about how this can be done, well, it involves cooperation and sharing.

A community garden is a shared space where a group of gardeners, how many depends upon the size of the land, come together to grow what they want. The group decides how the garden will operate, will it be an organic site, for example; it also develops a contract that each gardener signs. The contract lists the responsibilities the gardeners agree to and the terms each plot must follow, such as not letting your plot get overrun with weeds as this impacts other gardeners.

Land, suitable for a community garden site,may be available from the municipality or a vacant lot could be rented for at least a five year term from the property owner.

When I was in Thunder Bay, the city made land available for community gardens for a small yearly fee.

Some things to consider when planning a community garden, one, water, where will the water you need come from? Is there a source on site, can you set up a rainwater catchment system? What do you do during dry spells and droughts?

Gardeners need tools; will they bring their own; can they store them on site ? In Saint John, the community garden I belonged to had a storage shed on site and each gardener had a key and could use the tools there. We also took turns cutting the lawn and in general site maintenance. These chores can be set out in the contract.

If possible, a community garden coordinator can be employed to lend assistance to new gardeners. In Thunder Bay, I held this position for two summers. At the beginning of each gardening session, we all got together to prepare the site for planting and at the end of the season we did the same for fall cleanup. I offered organic gardening classes three times through the season, for no charge.

The community gardens provides an opportunity for people who otherwise may not be able tog row their own to do so, but it also provides another benefit, one worth just as much as the food grown.

Community gardens grow neighbours. They bring people together, people who may never have met or had a conversation, come together over a garden bed. They now have something in common; the garden becomes a common ground where gardening stories and seeds are exchanged. People cooperate out of a mutual interest and when they see each other on the street, no longer walk by, but stop and say hello.

Community gardens grow community and good food.

If you want to garden in community first find out if there is one near you, the public library, community centre or city hall may be able to provide this information. If you want to start one read next week’s column, until then happy gardening.