More favourite West End places

Posted on by Karen Sawatzky

My little stint of pretending to live in the West End is over. Back to my more familiar East Van turf. I’ll miss places and views like these. The gardens are under the Burrard Bridge. I think it must require a pretty expert gardener to make such a shady spot come to life like this. I’d love to meet whoever is responsible. I don’t think this garden is a community garden in the way that I normally define it (i.e a place where members of the public tend a plot and grow food) but it is open to the public, and I believe created and managed by one person – not sure. Like I said, would love to meet whoever that person or group is.

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West End placemaking

Posted on by Karen Sawatzky

I noticed several borders and containers planted with flower seeds along Bute Street, just south of Davie the other day. I took note in part because I rarely do well with flower seeds planted directly in the ground, but that may be because my garden plot is a 10-15 minute walk from where I live, so I tend not to water newly planted seeds as often as they need it. I’d like to keep an eye on these spots to see how they do. I so appreciate it when people make this kind of effort to dress up and add points of interest to walking routes.

Another nice placemaking effort in the same area….seems like something Sharon Kallis might have been involved in.

Update: two more points of suprise and whimsy. These birdhouses. Do some birds like and use these, I wonder? Hope so.

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And these little tree-dwellers…

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While I’m often skeptical of placemaking efforts (a topic I’ll have to tackle in another post) encountering mini art installations like these always makes me smile…Another benefit of them that has only just occurred to me is that they reward paying attention to your immediate surroundings rather than keeping eyes down on phone.

2015 Food

Posted on by Karen Sawatzky

Some of the food I’ve made (or grown) so far this year…

Baked steel-cut oats with blueberries
Some kind of white bean spread…tasty, but the best part was the mini naan bread I spread it on.
Kale and broccoli from my garden plots
Vegetarian “risotto”…Arborio rice, but no parmesan, no wine, and vegetarian broth. Still quite delicious though, esp. with the sun-dried tomatoes.
Miso soup with egg
Another version of miso soup, this time with salmon, potato and kale. Also, rice vinegar, sesame oil, fish sauce, maple syrup, hot pepper flakes
Frittata with potato, goat cheese, ham, red pepper, corn – delicious combo
Shredded Brussels sprouts with onion, garlic, pancetta, egg and potatoes. Mmmn…
I don’t really count oatmeal as “cooking” but I eat an awful lot of it. This version with goldenberries, blueberries, apple-banana, peanut-butter and maple syrup!
Energy bars made with dried cranberries and mango, walnuts and cashews, medjool dates and rolled oats. Raw and vegan – not words I use to describe my food too often (especially the first).
Avocado with goat cheese and sun-dried tomato. Indulgent, but also kinda healthy
Jumping the gun on berry season – couldn’t resist at Granville Island.

The year that was in flowers

Posted on by Karen Sawatzky

My favourites of 2014, including ones I grew: my first rose, my first hollyhock, my first hydrangea, as well as sweet peas, gladioli, peonies, clematis, nasturtiums, cornflowers and zinnia (though not all shown). Others seen by the road, in gardens or bought.

First cut blossom from the first rose I’ve ever grown: Young Lycidas from David Austin. So glad I bought it.
Blossom from the first hollyhock I’ve grown.
My other best garden bouquet: Gladioli, hydrangea, rose, sweet peas
Garden bouquet: Gladioli and sweet peas
One of my best garden bouquets – gladioli, rose, sweet peas
One of my best garden bouquets – gladioli, rose, sweet peas
Two favourite things: my bike and my garden
Gladioli from my garden and sweet peas
My other best garden bouquet: Gladioli, hydrangea, rose, sweet peas
Not sure what these are called but seen at the Portland Rose Garden in Washington City Park.
View of Burrard Inlet from community garden off Ambleside Beach
In Strathcona Community Garden
Seen at the Portland Rose Garden
A greenhouse of nasturtiums at Fraser Commons Farm in Langley
Seen at the Portland Rose Garden
Seen at the Portland Rose Garden
Tulip bouquet arranged by the talented folks at Flowerbox on the Drive
Seen at the Portland Rose Garden
Seen at the Portland Rose Garden
My Young Lycidas
Castilleja (aka Indian Paintbrush) near Yachats, Oregon on the coastal highway
Lavender farm near Mount Hood
Seen in Queen Elizabeth Park
Perennial sweet peas by the road
Seen on East 10th. Flowers trailing over stone or concrete fences – love that..
Tulips!
A spectacular Asian Dogwood in Queen Elizabeth Park
Peonies, not mine, in Strathcona Community Garden
Irises behind a rusty cast iron fence, near the corner of Adanac and Commercial Dr.
Overlooking the Columbia Gorge at twilight, perennial sweet peas
In Strathcona Community Garden

The year that was in food

Posted on by Karen Sawatzky

I wanted to cook more in 2014. I did. Here’s the food I made or grew and remembered to photograph…

Savoury oatmeal. This version with a soft-poached egg, grated cheddar and green onions. My new favourite breakfast, still.
Matzoh ball soup – first recipe of the year.
Slow cooker carmelized onions
Greens and eggs for breakfast. This became a theme.
Tomato soup with carmelized onions
More greens and eggs for brekkie, this time with chicken.
Oatmeal with peanut butter and fruit – another favourite breakfast.
Slow-cooker steel cut oats of some sort, with jam on top.
Yellow dahl: a potluck staple
Berry cobbler: a favourite summer dessert
Cream of mushroom soup: an old favourite
Veggie pate with cranberry mayo and green onions
Raisin pudding: so sweet, so delicious
Exception to the rule. Didn’t make this one, but it is the best latte art I had all year.
I ate these later, so they count as food.
Kimchi Yaki Udon
Selkirk Bannock
July 1 potluck picnic in Stanley Park
Tomato cobbler: Mark Bittman recipe
Garden work party potluck
Blueberry, peach and raspberry fruit salad . Love this combo.
Quince paste, made with quinces from Strathcona Community Garden, on toast. Worth the trouble.
July 3 – first raspberries from my garden
My own tomatoes and basil here
Some of my August harvest.
A kale smoothie, because I said I’d try it.
Steak and spinach salad, topped with Boursin cheese
Rice pudding
Chocolate cupcakes
Hmmn, not sure…some kind of green eggs, sans ham. Probably pesto.
Steel cut oats, soft-poached egg, arugula sauteed in bacon fat
Another delicious savoury oatmeal variation. Egg, bacon, blue cheese, green onion.
Two kinds of chia pudding. Surprisingly good. One was chocolate peanut butter, the other blueberry peach (I think).

Gardens project

Posted on by Karen Sawatzky

A few years ago when I first got a plot in a community garden, I was looking for easy ways to build raised beds. I started poking around the various gardens for ideas. Ever since then, I’ve been thinking how fun it would be to team up with a photographer and put together a coffee table type of book that features all the community gardens in Vancouver. The book would be a visual feast and also tell an important story about Vancouver, its community gardeners, and the role of the gardens. I picture a double-page spread on each garden that would include something about its origins and history, and stories or interviews with the gardeners. Something that would appeal to both local gardeners and ecotourist types.

Depending on how you define the term, there are are now about 90 community gardens in the City of Vancouver (according to this list). And I don’t think that  includes gardens that are more “guerrilla” style, or boulevards and traffic circles that have been taken over by neighbours. So, it could be quite a thick book – and an expensive one, given the cost of printing full-colour photos. The number of gardens would also make it a time-consuming project.

16 Oaks Organic Community Garden at 16th & Oak

As an alternative to the book idea, I’ve also thought about visiting each of the gardens and documenting  them all on a dedicated blog. Someone did a similar thing for Vancouver Public Library branches a while back, but I think that blog is dead. I would like to see pictures of all the city’s amazing community gardens gathered together. Many of the individual gardens have their own websites, but not all – and there’s something that appeals to me about collecting and presenting the photos and stories together in one place.

So, one part of this new blog of mine is going to be a start on that project, with no firm promises of finishing.