VICTORY GARDENS: On Rhubarb Hitting Its Local Peak And What You Should Do With It

by Lisa Giroday, Sandra Lopuch and Sam Philips | Rhubarb season generally runs from mid-spring through summer. In our region, its prime time is May. Not only is it delicious with its acidic tang, rhubarb is also great for ornamental purposes with its massive, glorious leaves. It’s perfect in a potager-type garden, front yard garden or in a street boulevard. Technically a vegetable but widely regarded as a fruit, rhubarb (or botanically speaking, Rheum rhabarbarum) is a species of plant in the family Polygonaceae; it’s related to sorrel, another perennial edible treasure. If you’re contemplating growing some, it has few pests to speak of, and it’s super low maintenance. Rhubarb will thrive in the sun, and can grow in a container, provided it is big enough. Learn more and score a baked rhubarb compote recipe after the jump… Read more

VICTORY GARDENS: On Swiss Chard, The Long Distance Miracle Runner Of Veggies

by Lisa Giroday, Sandra Lopuch and Sam Philips | You can harvest Swiss Chard right now, and sow seeds and raise transplants. But when is it in season? The question is, when is it NOT in season? You can sow chard seeds from April to August, and the harvest duration for chard is even longer than kale! Freaking kale! If you have chard in the garden right now that has overwintered, it is probably beginning to bolt with this warm (insanely scorching and uncharacteristic) weather, but as this happens, if you started chard in the garden in April, you can soon be harvesting baby chard leaves for salad mixes. Did you know that Chard is in the same family as beets and spinach? Yup, they’re known as the Chenopods. Our absolute favorite variety to grow is the heirloom “Flamingo Pink”, with its hot neon pink stalks.

Swiss chard is high in vitamins A, K and C, with a 175g serving containing 214%, 716%, and 53% of the recommended daily value. It is also rich in minerals, dietary fiber and protein. Can this possibly be true?! One seasonal culinary pairing that is particularly delectable is spring leeks with chard – sautéed with a little olive oil, salt and pepper.

Sauteed Spring Leeks and Swiss Chard

2 bunches of chard – pick your fancy – rainbow etc.
5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil (you know what amount you like to drizzle in)
2 large leeks, sliced relatively thinly
sea salt and pepper to taste

- Cut stems from chard. Stack chard leaves and roll like sushi. Cut rolls crosswise to make 1-inch-thick strips of leaves. Thinly slice the white and pale green parts of the leek.

- Heat oil in a skillet over moderately high heat, then sauté chard stems and leeks with sea salt and pepper to taste, stirring occasionally, until slightly soft, about 5 minutes or less. Lastly, add chard leaves and continue to sauté, stirring frequently, until wilted. If you find that the leaves are browning, add a bit of water to the skillet.

Where to Find Chard: Yippie! The Vancouver Farmers Market opens at Trout Lake this upcoming Saturday, so go get yourself some chard! Not only that, but we at Victory Gardens are participating in the Stone Soup Festival on the same day! You could head down Commercial after Trout Lake and pick up some Chard seeds and starts.

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Victory Gardens is a team of local urban farmers for hire. Lisa, Sandra and Sam help transform tired or underused residential and commercial green spaces into food producing gardens. Their goal is to challenge the way communities use space and to participate in the change needed to consume food more sustainably. For the rest of the growing season, they’ve hooked up with Scout to share some cool tips and tricks on how to get the best from of our own backyards.

VICTORY GARDENS: Oh My! The Ephemeral Fiddlehead Season Is Peaking As We Write!

by Lisa Giroday, Sandra Lopuch and Sam Philips | Fiddleheads, fiddleheads, fiddleheads! How we love your crispy, asparagus-like flavour!

What makes fiddleheads such a delicacy is their ephemeral season. And, you guessed it – it’s almost over. So if you’re feeling adventurous, go on a fiddlehead foraging mission over the course of the week. Several restaurants are featuring these foraged goodies on their menus, The Acorn being one of them (sautéed fiddleheads with polenta and a brown butter puree – mmm). Chashma Heinze, the lovely woman who owns Pastiche (the vegetarian pates you see at the Vancouver Farmers Market) explains how to choose the right fiddlehead, and, has provided an insanely delicious recipe:

Choosing the right fiddleheads isn’t hard—and soon your eye will be well trained to spot the tightly furled, spiral heads. Make sure you choose heads that haven’t begun to open yet, as when they open they are no longer as edible.

The fiddleheads that are most commonly found here are the shoots from the Northern Lady Fern, and are slightly different than the Ostrich fern buds (which are more often found in the eastern parts of North America) which are cleaner and more classic looking – these will also be the ones that you will likely purchase if you buy them in the store.

Lady ferns require more cleaning to remove the dark brown papery coating.  Make sure to rinse well and blanche in lightly salted boiling water for about 5 minutes – make sure they are well cooked as this actually improves the flavor – and shock in cold water to keep the beautiful verdant green intact.

A Velouté Sauce of Fiddleheads

Spectacular over fresh, pan seared halibut, this sauce has a flavor unlike any other. It’s a take on a classic beurre blanc, which has never been known for its lack of butter. If you want to reduce the fat, try experimenting by using a good chicken stock instead of cream or try finishing with natural, creamy Greek yogurt and cutting out the butter and cream altogether. Recipe after the jump… Read more

VICTORY GARDENS: On What You Need To Plant Potatoes (Backyard Is Not Required)

by Lisa Giroday, Sandra Lopuch and Sam Philips | Last August, we wrote an article on harvesting potatoes. This is a friendly reminder: the time has come to plant these little nuggets! Whether your goal is complete self-sufficiency or just planting a few containers, get out there and grow!

There is a common perception that one needs space to grow these tubers. However, potatoes can grow in containers if you’re short on space. Potatoes can even grow in a deep bag or garbage can filled with soil! Potatoes, or Solanum tuberosum, belong to the Solanaceae or “nightshade” family, along with tomatoes, eggplants, peppers, and tomatillos. There are so many awesome early, mid, and late season cultivars to choose from, and, if you have never seen the beauty that is a potato flower, you’re seriously missing out.

A few requirements for growing potatoes:

- Make sure your desired space gets about 6 hours of direct sun per day.
- Make sure the soil is loose and has good drainage.
- Add a couple of inches of compost to your soil – potatoes are heavy feeders.
- Use certified seed potatoes to avoid diseases like blight. These tubers are selected for their overall health.
- Once plants are approximately 1ft tall, mulch the bed with a 6-8” layer of straw, or hill up the soil.
- And finally, make sure to rotate your potato crop each year (to avoid pests and diseases).

Our absolute favourite potato to grow is the Banana Fingerling – a Russian heirloom late season potato with waxy yellow skin and yellow flesh, with the best flavor ever – perfect for summer potato salads! If purchasing Banana Fingerling potato seed from Westcoast Seeds, the potato seed is grown here on our coast, so you know they are ideal for our climate.

Some companion plants for potatoes are marigold, onions, cilantro, and beans. As always, if you need a hand with planting, you know who to call!

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Victory Gardens is a team of local urban farmers for hire. Lisa, Sandra and Sam help transform tired or underused residential and commercial green spaces into food producing gardens. Their goal is to challenge the way communities use space and to participate in the change needed to consume food more sustainably. For the rest of the growing season, they’ve hooked up with Scout to share some cool tips and tricks on how to get the best from of our own backyards.

VICTORY GARDENS: On The Glories Of Purple Sprouting Broccoli (“Garden Candy”)

by Lisa Giroday, Sandra Lopuch and Sam Philips | At this time of year, we get particularly excited about purple sprouting broccoli, aka “garden candy”. There’s nothing like raiding your garden in early Spring and finding these sprouting delectable shoots in all their purple glory just waiting to be harvested!

These little crowns sprout continuously typically between February and May. Purple sprouting broccoli produces multiple shoots for a period of time, which is different from producing a large crown that is harvested once. Pair an earlier maturing purple sprouting broccoli, Purple Sprouting Red Spear, which typically matures February to March, with the slightly later-maturing Purple Sprouting Rudolf, which typically matures March-May, and you have a longer harvesting period. It’s a welcome treat after winter, so harvest or find some while you still can. Eat them raw and fresh from the garden or stir fry them with some kale shoots (the flowering part of the kale plant that you may be seeing right now).

Interested on growing some for next spring? Check back with us in July – we’ll hook you up with some starts for the garden. These veggies need to “overwinter”

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Victory Gardens is a team of local urban farmers for hire. Lisa, Sandra and Sam help transform tired or underused residential and commercial green spaces into food producing gardens. Their goal is to challenge the way communities use space and to participate in the change needed to consume food more sustainably. For the rest of the growing season, they’ve hooked up with Scout to share some cool tips and tricks on how to get the best from of our own backyards.

VICTORY GARDENS: What Are You Waiting For? Get Busy Sowing Your Spring Seeds!

by Lisa Giroday, Sandra Lopuch and Sam Philips | Spring is here so it’s time to get busy sorting out your garden, whether it be on your rooftop, balcony, front yard, community plot, window box, street allowance, at your friend’s place or what have you. With the insanely gorgeous weather we’ve been having (up until now), how can one NOT have getting their garden prepped for spring on the brain? Honestly, there is so much happening in gardens right now (don’t even make us go off on a tangent about the in-season purple sprouting broccoli shoots that never cease to create excitement, or the first asparagus spears coming up) it’s difficult to choose what topic to write about this week; but, overall, sowing seeds is of utmost excitement for all at this time of year.

Regardless of the kind of space you’re working with, a couple of key points to consider when prepping your beds or boxes. Rake in any decomposed leaves into the soil you may have added to the surface of your beds as mulch last fall – they add nitrogen and “organic matter” into the soil. That’s very important in terms of maintaining healthy soil structure. Add only the well-rotted leaves. Add organic compost! Dust a layer of organic fertilizer. We like an all-purpose like Welcome Harvest Farm’s “VeganO” 3-3-3. It has kelp, sunflower hull ash, alfalfa meal and pure goodness. Plus, it smells like a barn. Want to start composting yourself? No problem. It’s something you can do even in an apartment. (If you need advice, Victory Gardens is hosting a composting workshop this weekend led by expert Emma Holmes).

What else can you do in prep for spring seed sowing? If you like organization, draw up a garden map. What do you want to grow? How much light do you need? If you plan out your growing space and timing of plantings, you can maximize your harvest.

And finally, SEEDS! What can you grow this time of year? Here are a few of our top picks: arugula, kale, peas, mustard greens, and radishes. Now get in there and sow!

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Victory Gardens is a team of local urban farmers for hire. Lisa, Sandra and Sam help transform tired or underused residential and commercial green spaces into food producing gardens. Their goal is to challenge the way communities use space and to participate in the change needed to consume food more sustainably. For the rest of the growing season, they’ve hooked up with Scout to share some cool tips and tricks on how to get the best from of our own backyards.

VICTORY GARDENS: Digging The Awesome Greens From Delicious Turnips & Radishes

by Lisa Giroday, Sandra Lopuch and Sam Philips | Before we get all excited about spring clean up and the first seeds sown (check the next VG post), let’s talk about what to eat in the garden that has overwintered and may be getting ready to “go to seed”. Enter the under-appreciated turnip. We know there are some haters out there, but today we’re focusing on the turnip’s greens, or “tops”. Note that radish tops have a place here, too.

Turnips are awesome. They stay in the garden through winter in our mild climate. The also have a quick turnaround time, as they mature like the dickens (those turnips, they grow up so fast!). What’s more, they provide a root and a salad green at the same time. Radish greens offer the same benefits. Note that some varieties of tops are smoother than others, and some are prickly (nothing a good steam can’t take care of if you have some of the latter). Combine turnip and radish tops with other overwintered garden treasures like mustards, kale, corn salad, arugula and chard. Throw in some wild foraged goodnesses like chickweed or peppercress for good measure and behold! The overwintered salad mix!

Turnip greens are a common side dish in the southeastern American states, primarily during late Fall and Winter. If you remember our post on collard greens from November, you’ll recall their culinary uses: turnip greens are typically cooked with a ham hock; the juice produced in the stewing process is coined “pot liquor”. If you’re not into the meats, stewed turnip greens are traditionally eaten with vinegar. And, obviously they’re good for you. The turnip’s roots are high in vitamin C, while the greens are a good source of vitamin A, folate, vitamin C, vitamin K and calcium.

Now let’s segue into the soon-to-be-sown seeds of late March (keep in mind that you can sow turnips and radishes in March/April and again in August/October if it’s mild enough). The Hakurei turnip is a little cutie to grow here in Vancouver and it matures in 35 days (less than some other varieties). The heirloom Purple Plum radish is a little button as well. Now get busy!

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Victory Gardens is a team of local urban farmers for hire. Lisa, Sandra and Sam help transform tired or underused residential and commercial green spaces into food producing gardens. Their goal is to challenge the way communities use space and to participate in the change needed to consume food more sustainably. For the rest of the growing season, they’ve hooked up with Scout to share some cool tips and tricks on how to get the best from of our own backyards.

VICTORY GARDENS: On The Little Green & Furry Kiwi Grown Right Here In BC (Honest)

by Lisa Giroday, Sandra Lopuch and Sam Philips | What do you think of when you hear the word Kiwi? People from New Zealand, weird-looking little flightless birds, Gandalf, Marmite, and so on, right? Us, too, but then a couple of weeks ago at the Vancouver Farmers Market, we stumbled upon a kind gentleman selling his locally grown Kiwis. We came back the next week, and lo and behold, there he was again! We weren’t dreaming! And he’ll be there selling his Kiwis in Vancouver for a while yet.

How about some history, first? The fuzzy Kiwi, or Actinidia is native to Southern China. Originally called yáng táo (literal translation: sunny peach), it was never grown in BC for resale until 1986. For the most part, BC production has been on the southern coast of Vancouver Island. What happened elsewhere before this? Kiwis were first brought from China to New Zealand at the beginning of the 20th century, and weren’t commercially produced there until 1937. So what was the Kiwi called before it adopted the name of New Zealand’s national bird? Well, New Zealanders initially called it the “Chinese Gooseberry”, but then changed it for “Melonette” for exporting (due to US-China relations being contentious). An importer from San Francisco decided Melonette wasn’t suitable either, as melons and berries were high in duty – so it was suggested that this little fruit be named Kiwi – after the national bird – having a similar appearance (egg shaped, brown and furry). Cute, right?

The seller at the Vancouver Farmers Market, Petkov, grows his pesticide-free Kiwis in an Abbotsford grove. He uses sustainable drip irrigation for the vines. The BC kiwi cultivar is called Saanichton 12 and it has a tougher core than other varieties. Their vines blossom in June-July, and harvest occurs in October-November when they are still hard and sour. At this point they are left to store and ripen, and they keep about 6 months in proper storage. Petkov reported that his Kiwi harvest took place around November 9th. While the Kiwis here seem to have a bit less residual sugars, they are still delicious and fresh and have more vitamin C than oranges, more folic acid than strawberries, and more potassium than bananas. And let’s not forget fiber! Apparently, a Kiwi has more than a cup of bran! They are also rich in antioxidants and contain beneficial enzymes. Way to go, Kiwi, you overachiever! Whether you like biting into them whole or cutting them in half and digging in with a spoon, Kiwis are always bright additions to the morning. And knowing that they are grown right here, they just got a little bit brighter.

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Victory Gardens is a team of local urban farmers for hire. Lisa, Sandra and Sam help transform tired or underused residential and commercial green spaces into food producing gardens. Their goal is to challenge the way communities use space and to participate in the change needed to consume food more sustainably. For the rest of the growing season, they’ve hooked up with Scout to share some cool tips and tricks on how to get the best from of our own backyards.

VICTORY GARDENS: Getting To Know The Undersung Celeriac (& What To Do With It)

by Lisa Giroday, Sandra Lopuch and Sam Philips | Celeriac, Apium graveolens var. rapaceum, often called “celery root”, is a variety of celery grown for its edible, bulbous roots, or hypocotyls. Its origins lie in the Mediterranean Basin, where it is often grown wild. While it is a mild pain in the ass to peel on account of all its little nubbins and tentacles, it should be considered a food staple, and here’s why: celeriac tastes like common varieties of celery, and has that comforting texture of a root vegetable – so it’s super versatile. It already has a delicious, complex flavour, so it’s perfect when mashed or used in a soup. It’s edible both raw and cooked, so you can eat it julienned raw on a salad, too. Or, if you want the best of both worlds, you could make a warm root vegetable salad and toss it with some hardy winter greens.

Celeriac is healthier than meets the eye. Its an excellent source of potassium and a good source of vitamins C and B6, phosphorus, magnesium and iron (making it a good source of energy to boot). You gotta love veggies loaded with iron! The days might technically be getting longer, but we’re still in the depths of winter, making now the perfect time to make use of this amazing root vegetable. Check out the simple by delicious mash recipe after the jump… Read more

VICTORY GARDENS: Everything You Need To Know About The Superlative Sunchoke

by Lisa Giroday, Sandra Lopuch and Sam Philips | What exactly is a sunchoke? Well, you’ve probably heard the unassuming little tuber go by a myriad of names. It’s been called a Jerusalem artichoke, a sunroot, an earth apple, the Canada potato, a lambchoke, and even a topinambour. Their botanical name, Helianthus tuberosus, indicates that it’s a type of sunflower. It’s strange that these little guys are called Jerusalem artichokes, as they aren’t from Jerusalem (they’re native to North America. ), and they aren’t even artichokes. That said, both sunchokes and artichokes are members of the sunflower family.

Italian settlers to the USA used to call sunchokes girasole (“Sunflower” in Italian), as the plant is similar in appearance to a sunflower, and they are both in the same genus. One explanation of the “Jerusalem” moniker is that, over time, the name girasole morphed into “Jerusalem”. Another is that when the pilgrims settled in the New World, they named the tuber in relation to the “New Jerusalem” they were forming. The artichoke piece of the puzzle originates from the taste of a sunchoke, as it’s often likened to a cross between a potato and an artichoke. The French explorer Samuel de Champlain was someone who felt this way about the tuber, and the name stuck. It wasn’t until the 1960’s that the name “sunchoke” was coined by a produce wholesaler named Frieda Caplan. Read more

VICTORY GARDENS: New Year’s Resolution For 2013? Eat A Lot More Brussels Sprouts!

by Lisa Giroday, Sandra Lopuch and Sam Philips | Feeling a little post-holiday food and drink-related lethargy whilst wearily contemplating your New Years’ Resolutions? Embarking on a cleanse/health-kick along with everyone else you know? If you said yes to either question (or both), join the club. Our inability to write today reflects our own lethargy, so let’s just cut to the goodness… 

Brussels sprouts – like kale, collards, and broccoli – are part of the species Brassica oleracea. They’re all big time winter species, so we can’t help but mention and promote them often. They contain a decent amount of vitamin A, vitamin C, folic acid and dietary fiber, plus they’re believed to protect against colon cancer. We all know that they are good for us, even though we may have doubted them when we were kids.

To showcase them this week, we’re posting a restorative slaw recipe of Black Kale, Apple and Brussels Sprouts from Alexander McNaughton and Chashma Heinze (the two wizards behind Pastiche Culinary Concepts). Check it out in all its delicious, uncomplicated glory after the leap… Read more

VICTORY GARDENS: Give Seeds, Tools, And Knowledge To The Green Thumb You Know

by Lisa Giroday, Sandra Lopuch and Sam Philips | One of the best gifts, in our totally biased opinions, is the gift of growing food. Why not facilitate this awesome gift of the green thumb? Are you perhaps wondering what to give the aspiring gardener who doesn’t know where to start? Or the person who is super stoked on getting an early start in the garden for spring? Thankfully, the needs of a vegetable gardener can be pretty simple. With them in mind, we’re putting a few basic gift ideas out there…

1. The gift of growing – SEEDS

Put together a cohesively themed Seed Collection – you want to give someone some seeds? Theme it accordingly. We like Westcoast Seeds and Stellar Seeds, as they are local and have seeds that are perfect for our Pacific Northwest climate. For example, you could put a pack of three seeds in the beginner gardeners’ stocking: Arugula, Kale, and Mesclun Greens. Get a gardener excited for spring with an “Early Start on Spring Collection”, a grouping of seeds that includes Mustard Greens, French Breakfast Radishes, Sugar Snap Peas, Cilantro, and Corn Salad. Other possibilities include the Heirloom Collection, the Container Collection, te Edible Flowers Collection, the Beekeepers’ Collection, the Herb Collection, the Pizza Topping Collection…and you get the idea. The list is pretty much endless.

Where to Find: Westcoast Seeds and Stellar Seeds.

2. The gift of practicality – TOOLS

Every gardener needs a few tools, even if you’re one of those “hands on” gardeners who use the tool called their hands for most garden tasks. What gardener can even maintain composure when stepping into a place like Lee Valley Tools? Tools are hot. Here are a few we feel a gardener must have:

1. Hand rake
2. Weed fork
3. Trowel

*Or, score this “all in one” Hori Hori knife that does it all  (Find it at Westcoast Seeds orLee Valley Tools)

3. The gift of knowledge – BOOKS

A book is the perfect gift for a gardener of any level of experience. One thing to consider is finding a book that references our local climate if choosing a guide. Here are our collective top 3 favorite, all-round “bibles” that gardeners of various levels of experience can reference:

The Self-Sufficient Gardener, by John Seymour
Growing Vegetables West of the Cascades, by Steve Solomon
Backyard Bounty, by Linda Gilkeson

Where to Find: Homesteaders Emporium has a wealth of homesteading guides on growing food, composting, preserving and the like. Westcoast Seeds has a few of our favorite gardening books as well, including many books on veggie growing in small spaces.

And, lastly, in shameless self-promotion, we are available for hire if you want to give the gift of a one-on-one coaching session. Just sayin’. Happy Holidays!

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Victory Gardens is a team of local urban farmers for hire. Lisa, Sandra and Sam help transform tired or underused residential and commercial green spaces into food producing gardens. Their goal is to challenge the way communities use space and to participate in the change needed to consume food more sustainably. For the rest of the growing season, they’ve hooked up with Scout to share some cool tips and tricks on how to get the best from of our own backyards.

VICTORY GARDENS: On Collard Greens & The Back-To-Back Battle Of The Brassicas

by Lisa Giroday, Sandra Lopuch and Sam Philips | Collard greens appear to be growing in every second yard in various East Van neighbourhoods, and they sell out at the farmers’ markets right before our very eyes. They are everywhere. Some of the healthiest-for-humans kinds of greens thrive in the colder months. Collards, like kale, have been kind of especially hot these past few years (see our last article on kale).

Not surprisingly, collards and kale are in the same genetic family, Brassica oleracea, which is a botanical species that you may hear us go on and on about this winter. It also includes cabbage and brussel sprouts, both of which are also very much in season now. Collards and kale both fall into the Acephala variety within Brassica oleracea – “Acephala” meaning “without a head” in Greek. Hence, kale and collards are headless cabbage, so to speak. There is no jealousy between these siblings; both Brassica oleracea var. acephala can share the spotlight, take turns nicely, and diversify your meals.

Collards, like kale, are biennials in milder climates, and as such they overwinter. You can pick the leaves all winter long. Remember to harvest leaves from the bottom up! Collard “trees” are super cool looking, too. It’s awesome to see them occupying all sorts of spaces. Keep an eye out; you’ll see their abundance.

Collards are celebrated worldwide for their culinary uses. Their thick leaves are chock-full of cabbage-y flavour with a unique and crave-ably subtle bitterness. And, of course, collards are a staple in the southern United States. Historically, collards were grown in slave gardens for their proliferation and health benefits. They are a staple of soul food today, symbolizing empowerment, culinary tradition, and comfort.

Make a mess o’ greens with your next breakfast by trying some sautéed collards with a farm fresh fried or poached egg on top (let the runny yolk get in there if you’re into that), black eyed peas, and delicious grits (comprised of non-transgenic maize). Smoked paprika in your collards will really amp it up to the next level. Mmmm.

Further Reading: What the Slaves Ate: Recollections of African American Foods and Foodways from the Slave Narratives, by Herbert C. Covey, Dwight Eisnach.

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Victory Gardens is a team of local urban farmers for hire. Lisa, Sandra and Sam help transform tired or underused residential and commercial green spaces into food producing gardens. Their goal is to challenge the way communities use space and to participate in the change needed to consume food more sustainably. For the rest of the growing season, they’ve hooked up with Scout to share some cool tips and tricks on how to get the best from of our own backyards.

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