This summer, we have been working with youths from Suwalkh School in Coquitlam to expand their Indigenous Medicine Garden and Healing Forest.
At the start of summer, this space looked rather different. A lot has been done with the youths within this space, and we’re excited to show you everything that has been achieved!
Seed saving is rad and I mean that in the literal sense of radical, meaning something that relates to the fundamental nature of a thing. Seed saving is the act of collecting seeds, a plant’s reproductive material, directly from the plant as opposed to buying or procuring the seeds elsewhere. Last week I was collecting sweet pea seeds and I was reminded of how seed saving reconnects us to the fundamental nature of plants. It reminds me of the intelligent design of plants and the fact that plants can reproduce without human intervention.
My seed collection including seeds saved by hand, store bought seeds, and farm bought seeds.
Now, I’ll be frank, seed saving is no easy task. There are many steps to the process and oftentimes I find myself wondering if it is worth the the 4$ most packets of seeds cost. The process is different for fruits and for vegetables because one of the defining characteristics of fruits is that the seeds are collected from the fruit itself whereas for vegetables the seeds are collected from the plant from which the vegetable is harvested. For example, for apples the seeds must be taken from the core of the apple and left to dry whereas to harvest kale seeds, the plant from which the kale is cut must be left to flower and then from the flowers of the plant the seeds are collected. Depending on the priorities of the gardener, seed saving may or may not be cost-effective, however the power in seed saving is not necessarily saving money. The power of the act is experiencing the full life cycle of a plant and understand that it occurs independently of us even though we have inserted ourselves in the lifecycle of the plants we consume. This is yet another way we can understand where our food comes from.
Collecting seeds from the plant is an important reminder that like vegetables, seeds do not come from the store, but from the plant itself. The fundamental nature of plants is that they are completely independent. Photosynthesis allows them to produce their own food and sustain themselves from the beginning and although we may help them along the way sometimes by weeding around them or giving them a little extra water, seed-saving is a good reminder of the fundamental independence of plants.
Fireweed Seeds
Suwa’lkh students will be at the PoCo Farmers market on August 23rd bringing awareness to our program! We will be selling our produce and native plants set up for the community. Here at Suwalkh we have been focusing on growing fresh produce for the community. We have been Teaching youth healthy eating, life style, learning about native plants and forest restoration. Our goal is to provide fresh food for all and establishing and intertwining communities. Suwa’lkh is an Alternative Indigenous school, with a half acre garden that was started by Freshroots. At Suwa’lkh we have been growing produce and medicinal plant like Tobacco, Thimble berry, Salal berry, White sage and much more!
The PoCo Farmers Market promotes awareness and appreciation for farm fresh produce and local eating, which supports the economy and increases the capacity of small businesses and non-profit organizations in the community. Suwa’lkh is grateful for PoCo Farmers Market for letting us set up a booth. Feel free to come stop buy August 23rd to see what we are all about here at Suwa’lkh.
Here at Suwalkh Fresh Roots Gardens, our youth have been working hard to maintain the farm: harvesting vegetables, making beds, and much more. Our little team at Suwalkh has come along way since the beginning of the summer, we are excited to see this Garden thrive! We have been learning lots about healthy eating, gardening, and life styles. As well as forest restoration in our Suwalkh Earth Healing Spirit Forest, pulling out invasive plants. We can’t wait to see how much we have accomplished by the end of the program!
The last month and a half, we have been working in the garden building beds and making spaces to grow more! The youth have also been painting signs for our garden! We have Broccoli, Beets, Swiss chard, Tomatoes, Buk choy, Potatoes, Garlic, Peppers, Lettuce and much more! We’ve recently seeded white sage and big lupin. Carrie Clark also taught us how to harvest tobacco and dry it out for ceremonial purpose.
In the Suwalkh Earth Healing Spirit Forest we have been learning about invasive plants such as Japanese Knot Weed, English Holly, English Ivy and English Laurel. Every day the youths work in the forest pulling out these invasive plants! The Forest is Suwalkh’s outdoor education class room. We will be having science class in the forest and on beautiful days we sit out there to do our school work!
by Fred Lee
Last year’s Fresh Roots inaugural long table dinner was held inside the hallways of David Thompson Secondary School due to inclement weather. This year, Mother Nature cooperated and the sophomore schoolyard Harvest Party was successfully staged outside on dry land next to its education farm — a school market garden. A fortunate 140 guests snapped up tickets to the sold-out fundraising dinner in support of the non-profit’s effort to grow community through good food.
Sprouted in 2009, Fresh Roots founders Ilana Labow, Gray Oron and Marc Schutzbank greeted attendees to the multi-course family-style feast curated by chefs Karima Chellouf and Kym Nguyen, incorporating ingredients sourced from schoolyard farms. Fresh Roots manages four edible educational gardens on school property in the Vancouver, Delta and Coquitlam School Districts. Through experiential learning, students get to appreciate the full cycle of how their food arrives on their table and gain an appreciation of good food.
This year’s al fresco dinner benefited Fresh Roots SOYL initiative, an innovative seven-week summer leadership and empowerment program. High school students tend to and cultivate the ½ acre schoolyard farm; develop skills in growing, cooking and selling the fruits of their labour at farmers markets. Through their time with SOYL, students develop a greater connection to themselves, their community and their local food system, says Schutzbank. Proceeds from the outdoor garden party will employ fifty summer students in the SOYL program next year.
Fresh Roots co-founder Marc Schutzbank and youth empowerment manager Rosalind Sadowski fronted the second annual Schoolyard Harvest Party. Fred Lee / PNG
David Thompson Secondary alumni Winnie Kwan, former SOYL student participant turned program coordinator, and Ilana Labow, co-founder of Fresh Roots, welcomed 140 guests to the schoolyard long table fundraising dinner. Fred Lee / PNG
Christine Weston, farm manager, and Gray Oron, Fresh Roots co-founder, has seen their year-round program grow. Fresh Roots now manages four edible educational gardens on school property in the Vancouver, Delta and Coquitlam School Districts. Fred Lee / PNG
UBC Land Food Systems Dean Ricky Yada and Assistant Dean Tracey London took in the alfresco family style dinner at David Thompson Secondary School in East Vancouver. Fred Lee / PNG
Scotiabank’s senior brass Sandra Boyce and Larry Clements came out to the schoolyard farm to enjoy a memorable meal and learn more of the Fresh Roots program. Fred Lee / PNG
For the full article: https://theprovince.com/opinion/columnists/fred-lees-social-network-rooted-in-goodness
There’s nothing like freshly rolled pizza doughs topped with fresh veg from the fields straight out of the oven! The SOYL youth at Farm Roots make a mean pizza, and all the leftover veg went into pasta sauce.
We have been so busy growing, learning, and sharing our love grown produce with the community! This summer has gone by in a blink of the eye, and it is hard to beleive there is only a week left in the program. The students have worked so very hard and we are so very proud 🙂
