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We acknowledge that we live, work, and play on the ancestral, traditional, and unceded territory of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam) peoples.
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Happy July Everyone!
We hope you're staying healthy and safe during these times.
The weather has been a bit wetter than we're used to, but we hope that you are making the best of it and hopefully more sunshine is in the near forecast.
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Welcome, Cathy!
We would like to welcome Cathy, our summer intern, to the RFSS family. She will be leading the fruit gleaning program and assisting in the Kids in the Garden program this summer.
After graduating from the University of Victoria with a degree in Anthropology, Cathy has worked as a heritage interpreter at some of Richmond’s beloved historic sites. Cathy developed her love for local food through volunteering and interning at the Sharing Farm, and has recently brought this passion abroad to organic farms in rural Japan through Wwoofing.
You can usually find her pedalling around the city on her rusty cruiser, or tackling mischievous weeds at her veggie plot. Cathy is excited to learn more about food security and gardening, and she can’t wait to meet all the volunteers this summer!
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Get in touch!
For inquiries about community gardens, seed library, and general garden questions, email coordinator@richmondfoodsecurity.org
For the fruit gleaning program, email volunteers@richmondfoodsecurity.org
For Kids in the Garden and our school programs, email programs@richmondfoodsecurity.org
For general questions, contact us here.
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RFSS AGM
Just a final reminder that we will be hosting our virtual AGM on July 25th from 2 pm to 3 pm. Please RSVP via director@richmondfoodsecurity.org so we can add your email address to the zoom meeting.
We are also looking to expand our slate of board of members. If this interests you, please email Ian Lai at director@richmondfoodsecurity.org and make sure you sign up as a member here in order to be eligible for nomination.
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Community Gardens
Our community gardens are going well and we so appreciate all our gardeners' hard work in making the gardens so beautiful!
Please remember our garden guidelines for both gardeners and the public:
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Keep 2 meters apart
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No dogs in the garden
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Please limit the number of people in the garden
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Watch kids and ensure they are in sight, the garden can have hazards
Remember that the gardens are a shared space and we want to ensure that everyone feels supported and safe in the garden.
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Garden Tip of the Month
Everything is being delayed in the garden! If you’re tomatoes, peppers or eggplant are not growing and just dying, don’t worry, it’s happening to a lot of gardeners. This cooler weather has benefited cooler crops but is taking a toll on the warm crops. Hopefully, once the sun comes, the warmer crops will start growing and looking healthy again.
Leafy greens have grown well in this wet and cool summer, growing bushy and big leaves. As soon as the sun comes out and we get a bit of hot weather, those leaves might get scorched. Try to place shading structures around the plants before the sun comes.
The damp weather has also encouraged many water-borne diseases like wilt, rust and blight that normally show up at the end of the season. Remove any affected stems, leaves or plants before the problem gets out of hand. Try to water the ground and not the plant anytime you can to prevent the disease from spreading. Make a note of what disease is on the plant and where you have them planted for this year to plant for next year. Crop rotation is the best way to combat disease or pests that can live in the soil.
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Seed Library
Our seed library is available if you need seeds and are interested in learning how to save seeds.
Fill out our seed request form here, you can take up to 3 varieties. We’ll have them available the following Friday after 10 am at our office for pick up.
Seeds now are more important than ever. Long waiting times and sold out seeds show the demand is higher than ever
Learn more about our seed library program here!
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Vegucation
Find out how to grow a new vegetable, flower, or herb every week with our vegucation.
You can find more information on our website here.
Follow us on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook to stay up to date!
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Kids in the Garden
Our school gardens are in full swing growing a variety of foods. Before the students left for summer holidays we were able to plant tomatoes, beans, squash, kale and flowers. We’ve had a few harvests that were put into our RFSS Local Love Food Hub program (read about it below). Also, teachers and students over the years have planted Butterflyway plants with the David Suzuki Foundation that are now blooming and providing nectar for bees and butterflies.
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Fruit Gleaning
Our fruit gleaning program kicked off this weekend with two great picks for transparent apples!
If you have fruit trees that need to be picked, please sign up here.
We'll be organizing smaller groups and sanitizing all equipment to ensure volunteer safety.
If you would like to volunteer, please sign up here.
The program will be led by our new intern Cathy! Email volunteers@richmondfoodsecurity.com with any questions you have.
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Local Love Food Hub
A shout out to our amazing team (Robbie Barcelon, Jonathan Lee, Taniya Khanna and Bruce Nollert) for preparing over 500 ready-made meals per week for families in need.
Banh Mi Tres Bon, at the Centre in Garden City, has also been contributing meals to this partnership since we started the program at the beginning of May! Much of the food comes from the Richmond Food Bank and fresh produce comes from the Sharing Farm and from our school gardens that Queenie looks after. Richmond Family Place has been making sure these meals are delivered to the community on Mondays, Thursdays and Fridays.
Funding for this program has been provided through the United Way Local Love Food Hub and from the Gilmore Park United Church. Kudos to all for allowing us to support the community together.
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Dish it Up - Everyday kale slaw (vegan)
Prep & Total Time: 15
Yield: 4
Ingredients:
- 1 small bunch kale, cut into ribbons
- ½ small cabbage, shredded or thinly sliced
- ¼ of a red onion, very finely sliced
- ¼ cup tender herbs of your choosing (optional) cilantro, basil, parsley, chives
- ¼ cup olive oil
- juice from 1–2 small lemons
- 2 garlic cloves finely minced
- salt, pepper and chili flakes to taste
- Optional seeds for sprinkling – hemp, sunflower, pumpkin
Instructions:
Place all slaw ingredients in a big bowl – kale, cabbage, onion, herbs. Toss well.
Add the oil, lemon juice to taste, minced garlic and a generous amount of salt and pepper. Add chili flakes to taste. Toss well. Taste and adjust the salt and lemon. You want the salad to taste tangy and flavorful! Store in a sealed container in the fridge for 4-5 days!
Find the full recipe here.
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What's Happening in Richmond
- Sharing Farm Online Workshops
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