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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 December, Everyone!
We have made it to the last month of a unique and interesting year. We are reflecting on what we have learned, accomplished, and look forward to for 2021. We hope that you are staying safe, warm, and full of festive cheer.
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Our office will be closed from December 21st until January 4th as we spend time with our COVID household bubbles.
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Year-End Donation Drive
As the year is wrapping up, we have a lot to be grateful for. We want to thank our wonderful community for your support and for helping our programs be successful.
We are currently planning our programs for 2021 and would appreciate your continued support. Please feel free to donate here.
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Recent Reports
New reports have recently come out around food security. Read the reports below about race and food security, how to need to improve our response to food insecurity, and food price inflation in Canada.
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Community Gardens
We have wrapped up our community garden program for another year and we want to thank all our gardeners for such a great season and their patience and understanding as we adapted to COVID. We appreciate all your hard work in making the gardens winter-ready, they are looking great!
If you have a few minutes, we would appreciate your feedback here.
Renewals:
Our renewal period will be starting January 4th until February 5th. We will have very reduced office hours to process payments over the phone. Phone payments can be processed Tuesdays and Thursdays from 10 am to 4 pm. You can call 604-244-7377.
You can pay online here. If you’ve lost your password, please email coordinator@richmondfoodsecurity.org.
You can also pay by cheque (made payable to Richmond Food Security Society) or cash. We have a locked black mailbox to the right of our door at 7611 Ash street. We will not be accepting payments in person.
If you don’t plan on renewing and have already told us, please ignore the renewals. If you don’t plan on renewing and haven’t told us, please do!
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Garden Tip of the Month
Help birds out this winter with a bird feeder, birdhouse, and birdbath! Make sure you clean your bird feeder and birdbath regularly to prevent mould and diseases from forming.
Fill your bird feeder with calorie-rich food like sunflowers, peanuts, millet and suet. Mix dried or fresh fruit into peanut butter or suet for an even better mix! Try to avoid mixes with corn, wheat, & milo. They are just fillers with no real nutritional value.
Put up a birdhouse in a sheltered area to protect birds from wind, rain, and predators. Paint the birdboxes with darker paint so that it absorbs heat from the sun. Fill with nesting materials like dried grass, woodchips, animal fur (dog hair is great!), and dead leaves.
For your birdbath, place a plastic grate over the top so that birds don’t get wet and then freeze. The grate will allow birds to perch and drink. Many birds freeze to birdbaths or due to their feet or feathers getting wet even if your birdbath is heated. Alternatively, you could add lots of rocks for birds to perch outside of the water.
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Seed Library
We are still accepting donations so if you have extra seeds from this year, you can drop off your seeds at our office, 7611 Ash street.
We have a locked black mailbox to the right of our door. We are also still accepting feedback on our seed program and how to make it better. If you have a few minutes to spare, please fill out the form here.
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Continue to save seeds as you clean up your garden. Wait for a few days of dry weather then harvest lettuce, arugula, and other leafy green seeds. You want them to be fully dry before storing them, and the more they dry on the plant, the easier it will be to harvest them.
We don't recommend saving seeds from dying or diseased plants. The seeds may pass on disease or poor traits next year. Plan to save seeds throughout the season to ensure that you have enough seeds from strong, healthy plants.
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Find out how to grow a new vegetable, flower, or herb, or just a general garden tip every week with our vegucation series.
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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This past month, we taught students about the wonder of seeds from how they are an integral part of our food system to the importance of saving our own seeds for future biodiversity. Collecting seeds saves money and you can share with others. It teaches us resilience and promotes biodiversity in our food supply. We also made some seed paper cookies as a fun outdoor activity!
Did you know that in Norway, seeds from all over the world are put into the “vault” for safekeeping? As our world plants fewer and fewer varieties of seeds through industrial farming, this is an important, potentially life-saving initiative. See their website here.
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Dish it Up - Roasted Sweet Potatoes
From Chelsea's Messy Apron
Seasoned Roasted Sweet Potatoes
- About 3 large sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
- 2 tbs olive oil
- 3/4 tsp fine sea salt (kosher salt; use less if using table salt)
- 1/4 tsp freshly cracked pepper
- 1/2 tsp ground chilli powder*
- 1/2 tsp paprika
- 1/2 tsp ground cumin
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
- Peel and cube the sweet potatoes into 1/2 inch pieces. Add to your largest sheet pan and add the olive oil, salt, pepper, chilli powder, paprika, cumin, and garlic powder on top.
- Toss to coat all the sweet potatoes and then spread out to arrange in an even layer. You don't want any potatoes overlapping or you'll end up with steamed potatoes instead of roasted potatoes.
- Flip every 10-15 minutes cooking for a total of 27-35 minutes.
* You can also use chipotle powder instead of chilli for a smokey flavour. Like spice? Add cayenne.
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What's Happening in Richmond
- Kwantlen Farmer's Market - Tuesdays from 12 pm to 4 pm at Brighouse Park - 7000 Minoru Boulevard - Last market is December 15th!
Winter Activities:
- Winter in Steveston Village
- Songs in the Snow: December 19th from 4 pm to 6 pm virtually here
- Light up the village tour: find more information here
- Steveston Festival of Trees with the Gulf of Georgia Cannery from December 1st to December 24th. Find more information here
Find more events here.
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