To all who garden and preserve food, to all who care for food sovereignty: Happy New Year 2018!
Is winter, time to slow down and set goals for the rest of the year, time for planning the garden and re-assessing the pantry.
Here are some ideas to start or improve your food sovereignty:
At the individual and family level:
- Buy local and season food
- Reduce the consumption of meat and dairy, if you do eat meat & dairy, try organic, grass fed, local farms and their products and take time to know who they are and how they work and treat their animals
- Buy in bulk to save and build a resilience pantry with food staples such as grains, legumes, flours, oils, spices, etc.
- Join a local CSA to get the food you can’t produce at home
- Learn a new food preservation technique: from root cellaring in small spaces to canning, including fermenting, pickling, freezing, salting and drying, there are plenty to choose from!
- Plan and design your garden: you can start in a balcony or window or use a full yard, depending on your space availability, skills and time
- Check seeds catalogues and start planning your orders
- Plan your meals so you reduce or avoid food waste
- Start or continue a compost system for food scraps
- Have “community kitchen” sessions with neighbours, family or friends and exchange recipes, food sovereignty tips and ideas
- Learn a new skill to make food from scratch: from fruit vinegars to kombucha, plant based cheeses, yogurt, bread, there are many things to learn and explore!
- Try new meals and foods: check for new recipes, try a new legume or vegetable, a new spice or fruit you haven’t tried before. Exchange food and recipes with someone from a culture different from yours.
At the community level:
- Start a garden tool exchange between neighnours to save money on tools and increase community resilience
- Start or expand a local community garden
- Start a food exchange or a shared pantry
- Have community parties to exchange ideas, tips and recipes and share food
- Start a community hub for seed and tools exchange and holding workshops on food skills
Resources you can check:
Workshops related to food security and sovereignty (some of then run by our FAC member and Social Media Coordinator, Silvia Di Blasio):
http://ubcfarm.ubc.ca/workshops/
BC Seeds libraries per region: http://www.bcseeds.org/bc-seed-libraries/
CSA’s list per region: http://www.farmfolkcityfolk.ca/resources/knowledge-pantry/csa/
Tips for eating locally in winter: http://www.farmfolkcityfolk.ca/resources/knowledge-pantry/winter/
Stay tuned for FAC sponsored workshops which includes: Food Skills for Families; Growing food in small spaces; composting and soil workshops, food preservation workshops and much more!
