The Juan de Fuca Rec Centre is offering a course on backyard chickens, here are the details:
This workshop will help you with choosing your chickens, what breed, chicks or chickens? and different suppliers. We will also talk about housing, feeding, general care & management, predators, chicken health and more.
There is an optional tour at the end of the course for $10 paid to the instructor. Date to be determined.
Text book included.
INSTRUCTOR: Melinda Seyler
JDF UPPER CLUBHOUSE
Sa 9:00-12:00pm Mar 21-Apr 04 $77/3 50853
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FYI Chicken and Bird Lovers!: An Urban chicken movie called "Mad City Chickens" :
http://www.moviemonday.ca/
6:30 pm Monday 13 April 2009
Mad City Chickens, 2008, 79 min
Witness if you will Gallus Domesticus... the backyard chicken. A mere few pounds of feather, bone, and muscle; a creature regarded by many as a rather humorous, though not so intelligent agent of food production. And yet make note of a most singular phenomenon now taking shape across suburb and city. From backyard eggs to the family's new favorite pet, the urban chicken is forging a fresh place in the pecking order of human importance.
Mad City Chickens deftly weaves multiple stories and contextual issues on city chickens and their keepers in a non-linear fashion that one rarely sees in a documentary. From leading experts to urban newbies, experience the humor and heart of what's fast becoming an international backyard chicken movement. the blog ~ about the director and view the director's cut or 5 min remake doll short cast: Deidra Edwards, Staci Lawrence, Ryan C. Benson, Elizabeth Sampson, Sonya Eddy
Our special guests will be Melinda Seyler, and a few of her feathered friends. Melinda is active with the Metchosin Farmers' Market. She who has a farm, Elysian Fields, in Metchosin, and has raised, kept, butchered, and shown birds of all kinds, both here and in the East Kootenays, and currently has chickens, ducks, guinea fowl, geese and emus. Melinda sells eggs, live birds and photographic products, mainly showing country life.
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
What’s in our regional food basket?
This is another interesting regional food event that I will not be able to make it to - this is the start of spring break and I would like to go somewhere with the family after all of the insanity of the last year to 18 months. If you do go, please drop me a line and let me know how it went.
Friday March 13, 2009
2:00 – 7:00 pm
Burnside Gorge Community Centre
471 Cecelia Road, Victoria
Parking available at the old Burnside Elementary School on Jutland Avenue
Registration - $15 cash or cheque only
Subsidies available upon request
RSVP by Monday March 9th to info@communitycouncil.ca or tel. 250-383-6166
Program
2:00 – 4:00pm
Simultaneous afternoon workshops (please RSVP for your choice in advance)
* Year round public markets in BC’s Capital Region
* Increasing access to food for households living on low income – two models of food distribution.
Brent Palmer, Mustard Seed Food Bank
* Hooking up! Potential in community-university partnerships on food issues
4:00pm
Registration
4:30pm
Welcome - Alice Finall, Mayor of North Saanich, on behalf of the CRD Board of Directors
Keynote speakers
5:15pm
Funding support provided through:
Financial support for this project provided by Vancouver Island Health Authority's "Community Food Action Initiative" through ActNow BC - the government of BC's investment in promoting healthy choices through a partnership-based, community-focused approach to improve nutrition, increase physical activity and reduce tobacco use.
Friday March 13, 2009
2:00 – 7:00 pm
Burnside Gorge Community Centre
471 Cecelia Road, Victoria
Parking available at the old Burnside Elementary School on Jutland Avenue
Registration - $15 cash or cheque only
Subsidies available upon request
RSVP by Monday March 9th to info@communitycouncil.ca or tel. 250-383-6166
Program
2:00 – 4:00pm
Simultaneous afternoon workshops (please RSVP for your choice in advance)
* Year round public markets in BC’s Capital Region
- Plans for North Saanich
- FoodRoots expansion
- Possibilities for a downtown market
* Increasing access to food for households living on low income – two models of food distribution.
Brent Palmer, Mustard Seed Food Bank
* Hooking up! Potential in community-university partnerships on food issues
4:00pm
Registration
4:30pm
Welcome - Alice Finall, Mayor of North Saanich, on behalf of the CRD Board of Directors
Keynote speakers
- Tom Henry, Metchosin farmer and author
- Cheryl Bryce, traditional foods and land stewardship
- Diane Bernard, The Seaweed Lady
5:15pm
- Getting to know you - speed dating for Foodies and Friends - Bring your business cards!
- Highlights of regional food security happenings – Thanks for submitting your photos!
- Pot luck supper – We’ll provide the soup and salad; your favourite local dish adds to the flavour and fun
- 2009 Food Security Champions Awards – presentations by Lana Popham. Remember to submit your nominations by March 5th
- A dish to share (optional), and
- Some business cards
Funding support provided through:
Financial support for this project provided by Vancouver Island Health Authority's "Community Food Action Initiative" through ActNow BC - the government of BC's investment in promoting healthy choices through a partnership-based, community-focused approach to improve nutrition, increase physical activity and reduce tobacco use.
Saturday, February 28, 2009
Blue Nile Restaurant
Last night we did not feel like cooking dinner and were looking for somewhere to go out for dinner with the kids. In the end we came up with the Blue Nile restaurant on Head Street.
I have liked Ethiopian food for a long time. The neighbourhood I lived in in Vancouver in the early mid 90s had two Ethiopian restaurants.
The food at the Blue Nile was of a quality that is good. For a change I was in a restaurant in Victoria that was making food I could not have made at home. We all ate from the buffet, which is not the style I was looking for, but more on that later.
The wat, stews of meat or lentils, spiced in berbere was great, just what I wanted. All of really like the zehbi siga, though when Stephen tried to eat it without the injera, he food it too spicy. Injera is made with teff and is quite sour, almost bitter in flavour.
What was missing for me was the traditional serving style, a large round platter of sort to let everyone eat family style. The platter is covered with injera and then has dollops of different foods. You eat by tearing peices of the injera and picking the food you want. You have no need for your own plate or utensils.
I like buna as a coffee style, but the coffee we got last night did not have any spices ground and brewed with it. Traditionally this is cloves and cinnamon. They did serve it in the traditional jebena. Ethiopians take their coffee very seriously, they put Seattle people to shame in their approach to coffee. They are almost like the Japanese with the tea ceremony when it comes to coffee.
There is one more food I would liked to have had but that they do not have on the menu and this is kitfo. I assume there is a problem serving kifto as it is marinated uncooked meat that is very spicey, sort of like beef tartare but only with a lot more flavour. Sort of similar is gored gored which is more like a carpaccio though in cubes.
The restaurant has not updated the menu they have online where the buffet price was listed as $10.95. Last night it cost us $13.95 and this lead to a bit of sticker shock for me when I got the bill and it was $75 and not closer to $60 where I thought it would be.
I have liked Ethiopian food for a long time. The neighbourhood I lived in in Vancouver in the early mid 90s had two Ethiopian restaurants.
The food at the Blue Nile was of a quality that is good. For a change I was in a restaurant in Victoria that was making food I could not have made at home. We all ate from the buffet, which is not the style I was looking for, but more on that later.
The wat, stews of meat or lentils, spiced in berbere was great, just what I wanted. All of really like the zehbi siga, though when Stephen tried to eat it without the injera, he food it too spicy. Injera is made with teff and is quite sour, almost bitter in flavour.
What was missing for me was the traditional serving style, a large round platter of sort to let everyone eat family style. The platter is covered with injera and then has dollops of different foods. You eat by tearing peices of the injera and picking the food you want. You have no need for your own plate or utensils.
I like buna as a coffee style, but the coffee we got last night did not have any spices ground and brewed with it. Traditionally this is cloves and cinnamon. They did serve it in the traditional jebena. Ethiopians take their coffee very seriously, they put Seattle people to shame in their approach to coffee. They are almost like the Japanese with the tea ceremony when it comes to coffee.
There is one more food I would liked to have had but that they do not have on the menu and this is kitfo. I assume there is a problem serving kifto as it is marinated uncooked meat that is very spicey, sort of like beef tartare but only with a lot more flavour. Sort of similar is gored gored which is more like a carpaccio though in cubes.
The restaurant has not updated the menu they have online where the buffet price was listed as $10.95. Last night it cost us $13.95 and this lead to a bit of sticker shock for me when I got the bill and it was $75 and not closer to $60 where I thought it would be.
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Food Security in BC's Capital Region - a visual year in review
This is from an email I got today:
______________________________________
Hello Friends,
There have been many exciting successes, achievements and happenings related to strengthening food security in our region.
Rather than have a lot of written or spoken reports, we thought it would be fun to gather photos and images from you and use them to prepare a visual account. We can present this at the 2009 Food Matters! Forum, add it to the website; you may want to use it at your events too.
What we need from you:
Photos of your work this past year (like the calf that was born during the time of a CR-FAIR meeting, the abundance of produce from a community garden, engaged people participating in a meeting, a gathering at a feast, a great turnout at an event.....)
Brief statements of achievements (lbs of product produced from a garden; number of people served at a food bank; commitments made in a food charter; outcomes of presentations to municipal councils....)
Media coverage (image of news articles...)
Anything else you can imagine being captured in a visual, powerpoint type, presentation
Please send any items you would like to have included in this presentation by Monday 9 March. We'll collate what we receive, and show it at the Food Matters! Forum that Friday.
Any questions?? Just call me....
Thanks, I look forward to hearing from you,
Christina
Communications Manager
Community Council
3948 Quadra Street | Victoria, BC V8X 1J6
Tel: 250-383-6166 Fax: 250-479-9411
email:christina@communitycouncil.ca
www.communitycouncil.ca
www.qolchallenge.ca
Leadership that brings the community together
______________________________________
Hello Friends,
There have been many exciting successes, achievements and happenings related to strengthening food security in our region.
Rather than have a lot of written or spoken reports, we thought it would be fun to gather photos and images from you and use them to prepare a visual account. We can present this at the 2009 Food Matters! Forum, add it to the website; you may want to use it at your events too.
What we need from you:
Photos of your work this past year (like the calf that was born during the time of a CR-FAIR meeting, the abundance of produce from a community garden, engaged people participating in a meeting, a gathering at a feast, a great turnout at an event.....)
Brief statements of achievements (lbs of product produced from a garden; number of people served at a food bank; commitments made in a food charter; outcomes of presentations to municipal councils....)
Media coverage (image of news articles...)
Anything else you can imagine being captured in a visual, powerpoint type, presentation
Please send any items you would like to have included in this presentation by Monday 9 March. We'll collate what we receive, and show it at the Food Matters! Forum that Friday.
Any questions?? Just call me....
Thanks, I look forward to hearing from you,
Christina
Communications Manager
Community Council
3948 Quadra Street | Victoria, BC V8X 1J6
Tel: 250-383-6166 Fax: 250-479-9411
email:christina@communitycouncil.ca
www.communitycouncil.ca
www.qolchallenge.ca
Leadership that brings the community together
City of Vancouver to allow chickens
MOVER: Councillor Andrea Reimer
SECONDER: Councillor Heather Deal
WHEREAS Vancouver’s current Animal Control By-aw (#9433 section 7.2) forbids the keeping of chickens in our City;
AND WHEREAS on July 8, 2003, Council approved a motion supporting the development of a just and sustainable food system for the City of Vancouver that fosters equitable food production, distribution and consumption; nutrition; community development and environmental health;
AND WHEREAS in April 2002 the City adopted a formal position, definition and principles on sustainability;
AND WHEREAS in January 2007, Council adopted the Vancouver Food Charter which sets out the City’s commitment to the development of a coordinated municipal food policy that recognizes access to safe, sufficient, culturally appropriate and nutritious food as a basic human right for all Vancouver residents;
AND WHEREAS many cities in North America such as Victoria, BC, Seattle, Washington, and New York City already permit households to keep chickens;
AND WHEREAS urban chicken-keeping can contribute to our City’s improved food security, decrease greenhouse gas emissions related to the transportation of food, and the goal of creating a just and sustainable food system for our City;
BE IT RESOLVED
A. THAT Council instruct the Director of Legal Services to bring forward for
enactment an amendment to the Animal Control By-law in order to repeal the
prohibition against keeping of backyard hens in the City of Vancouver.
B. THAT Council direct staff to develop policy guidelines for the keeping of
backyard hens in the City of Vancouver that both protects the health and
welfare of citizens, and ensures the humane treatment of backyard hens.
C. THAT Council thanks the City’s Food Policy Council for their significant
investigations into the feasibility of repealing the prohibition on the keeping of
backyard hens and advocacy for improved food security in the City of
Vancouver.
SECONDER: Councillor Heather Deal
WHEREAS Vancouver’s current Animal Control By-aw (#9433 section 7.2) forbids the keeping of chickens in our City;
AND WHEREAS on July 8, 2003, Council approved a motion supporting the development of a just and sustainable food system for the City of Vancouver that fosters equitable food production, distribution and consumption; nutrition; community development and environmental health;
AND WHEREAS in April 2002 the City adopted a formal position, definition and principles on sustainability;
AND WHEREAS in January 2007, Council adopted the Vancouver Food Charter which sets out the City’s commitment to the development of a coordinated municipal food policy that recognizes access to safe, sufficient, culturally appropriate and nutritious food as a basic human right for all Vancouver residents;
AND WHEREAS many cities in North America such as Victoria, BC, Seattle, Washington, and New York City already permit households to keep chickens;
AND WHEREAS urban chicken-keeping can contribute to our City’s improved food security, decrease greenhouse gas emissions related to the transportation of food, and the goal of creating a just and sustainable food system for our City;
BE IT RESOLVED
A. THAT Council instruct the Director of Legal Services to bring forward for
enactment an amendment to the Animal Control By-law in order to repeal the
prohibition against keeping of backyard hens in the City of Vancouver.
B. THAT Council direct staff to develop policy guidelines for the keeping of
backyard hens in the City of Vancouver that both protects the health and
welfare of citizens, and ensures the humane treatment of backyard hens.
C. THAT Council thanks the City’s Food Policy Council for their significant
investigations into the feasibility of repealing the prohibition on the keeping of
backyard hens and advocacy for improved food security in the City of
Vancouver.
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Chickens
I had a guy from a few blocks over come to the door today and ask about my little flock of birds and what it takes to be allowed to have chickens. It pleased me to have someone come and ask about the hens and to be able to tell him what he has to do and what his options are for backyard birds.
I put him onto my friend the vet and backyard chicken guru and told him about the backyard chicken tour in May.
I put him onto my friend the vet and backyard chicken guru and told him about the backyard chicken tour in May.
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Making Pasta
A few weeks back I bought some durum flour at the Real Canadian Warehouse store in Esquimalt - 10kg for $13. I did this because "real" pasta" is made with it. So does it make a difference? Yes!
The pasta we are making now is firmer and easier to work. The texture of the cooked noodles is much nicer, it can get that perfect al dente texture one wants in pasta. The flour is just slighty coarser than I expected, but this helps sauce hold.
The recipe I use is one egg to one cup of flour and tablespoon of olive oil and a pinch of salt - water then added in the mixing as needed.
Making your pasta is so easy and quick that I am not sure why everyone is not doing it. My eight year old Stephen can do it.
Of course the eggs are from the Harriet Road flock
The pasta we are making now is firmer and easier to work. The texture of the cooked noodles is much nicer, it can get that perfect al dente texture one wants in pasta. The flour is just slighty coarser than I expected, but this helps sauce hold.
The recipe I use is one egg to one cup of flour and tablespoon of olive oil and a pinch of salt - water then added in the mixing as needed.
Making your pasta is so easy and quick that I am not sure why everyone is not doing it. My eight year old Stephen can do it.
Of course the eggs are from the Harriet Road flock
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