Blossoms & Beds

April 3, 2012April 3, 2012 ~ Teresa ~ 3 Comments

Our computer seems to be malfunctioning, so I’m using the WordPress app on my phone for my post today. It’ll be a short one, as I’m not fond of tap-typing.

There are blossoms appearing everywhere in my neighbourhood, though some of my favourite trees have yet to bloom. I’m also pleased to see that many of my neighbours are converting their front yards to garden beds. We’ve got backyard garden space ourselves and I’m looking forward to getting my vegetable garden planted this weekend or next.

My food gardening guide is Mel Bartholmew’s Square Foot Gardening, but I saw an Urban Farming guide today that I’d like to add to my collection.

I’ll leave you with a shot I took of a neighbour’s yard in which they’ve converted all the available space to gardening beds. I think it’s much more beautiful than a lawn.

I’d love to hear about spring in your part of the world and what your plans are for your outdoor space, whether it’s an acreage or a balcony.

A Tuesday Afternoon

March 20, 2012 ~ Teresa ~ 7 Comments

I have a confession to make. I got so caught up in reading everyone’s posts at Tuesdays with Dorie that I forgot all about the post I was supposed to be writing here. So, today I present you with a few photos I took around the neighbourhood this afternoon, along with one I took a couple of weeks ago (and that I think is pretty cool).

This final one is of Ken Lum’s Monument for East Vancouver, from the back. I ran it through Instagram and really liked the result.

Imperfection

March 13, 2012May 4, 2014 ~ Teresa ~ 6 Comments

I made apricot lekvar last week, in preparation for Tuesdays with Dorie‘s latest assignment. My nieces were baking rugelach and I wanted to give them a head start.

I used organic, unsulphured, dried apricots to make the lekvar, which gave it a brownish cast rather than the jarred sunlight look described in the recipe. The apricots themselves look dubious, with dark spots that could be misread as the signs of spoilage. If you dare to try them, though, the taste of apricot is as present as in the most pristine looking, treated variety.

The rugelach weren’t perfect, either. The girls rolled the rugelach up the length of the dough, rather than across, which gave them enormous rolls. When they sliced the cookies, what they ended up with could be described as rugelach pinwheels, the size of small cinnamon buns. Not exactly traditional. But, dredged in the nut-sugar-cinnamon topping, baked, and packed into a pretty tin, they were gorgeous. They were also a hit at the hockey game that night, when a big crowd of extended family, co-workers, and friends took over a couple of sections at the Giants game.

Perfection isn’t everything to me. Perhaps it should be, but I’m too often pleased with the serendipitous results my mistakes and experiments bring. I wouldn’t trade those rugelach pinwheels my nieces made for someone else’s correct version, though I’m certain they’ll roll them differently when they make them again. I’d also rather have my unprepossessing, organic version of lekvar than the most golden, conventional variety.

Perfection and imperfection can be a matter of perspective, after all. I also believe that it’s imperfection that leads us to new discoveries, spurs us to try harder, and keeps us from complacency. So here’s to experiments that don’t turn out as expected and mistakes with delicious results. We learn from them, stop to consider their implications, and continue.

Vancouver’s Party Dress

February 28, 2012 ~ Teresa ~ 6 Comments

The snowdrops are blooming and the crocuses aren’t far behind. There’s a threat of snow in the forecast, but winter’s essentially over. Soon, the rest of the early flowers will emerge and my favourite season here will begin. Summers in Vancouver are lovely, but summer’s magic lies in seducing each place into taking on its form – summer is itself a place, anywhere and everywhere.

It’s only in spring that I become homesick for Vancouver when I’m away. The air becomes softer and a little warmer, the evergreens develop pale green tips, and there are green shoots and flowers everywhere. Then, the cherry blossoms, Vancouver’s crowning glory, transform streets across the city into ornamental gardens.

I’m itching to get into the garden, to dig compost into the beds, divide my vegetable patch into its square-foot allotments, and plan my planting schedule for the year. As many have said, spring is the season of hope for gardeners. I’m also looking forward to more long walks with the dog, looking for flower patches and enjoying the blossoms.

Now tell me, what’s your region’s season?

Looking for Connection and Creativity in Social Media

February 21, 2012May 4, 2014 ~ Teresa ~ 4 Comments

Having introduced my nieces, two rather internet-savvy young women, to the world of blogging recently (you can see their Tuesdays with Dorie post on making a chocolate truffle tart here), I started thinking about how much there is to navigate in the social media realm. It can be hard to build community online when it seems that the channels of communication are so fragmented, or worse, the same people are broadcasting the same information over channel after channel.

I’ve found Twitter to be a great resource for information and also a good way to connect in real time with people in my region and in my French Fridays community. Facebook is more for far away friends, local acquaintances, and family, though I do have a Facebook page for my blog. I like to keep all 11 of its Facebook followers in the loop…

I eschew location-based social media applications like Foursquare, but love location-based apps on my phone that help me find shops, food trucks, and even what’s in season. I don’t feed my activity from them onto social media, though. Maybe it’s generational.

What I’ve been finding really fascinating lately, though only as an observer, is how Google+ has taken off as a platform for photographers. A good friend of mine has become deeply involved in the community there and it’s become for her both a venue for connection and a spur for creativity. I think the combination of social media functions and ease of sharing is a big part of what’s made it so popular. Unlike a number of social media platforms, it’s also easily adaptable to users’ needs. A great example of this is the way the video chat function, called Hangouts, has become a forum for tutorials, classes, and even photo walks.

I have to admit I haven’t used Google+ for much, yet, but when I start working on improving my photography skills again, I’ll be looking to the resources that can be found there.

Here’s a few links, in case your interest has been piqued:

Google+ Survival Guide

Google+ photography book for charity

There’s a lot of potential in the web, but it’s easy to get distracted by all the entertainment, fluff, and chatter out there. It’s inspiring to see a web tool like Google+ take off so productively and creatively. Now, I just need to keep that in mind when I turn on the computer.

Sunset

February 14, 2012 ~ Teresa ~ 3 Comments

I’m something of a slacker today. I’m nearly better from a flu that’s had its way with almost everyone in my extended family, so I’m just posting a few photos I took recently. Sunsets are beautiful out at the farm. These photos would have benefited from the use of a tripod, but I still like them.

What are your favourite sunset views?

Baking Bread and Watching Birds

February 7, 2012 ~ Teresa ~ 2 Comments

I’m out in the Valley today, baking bread at my parents’ place, which gives me a great view of the birds making short work of the seed in the back porch bird feeder. My mother tells me that it takes them about two-and-a-half days to work their way through a full container. That should slow, now that the weather (dare I say it?) is turning toward spring.

I’ve started participating in another group project, but I’m reserving Tuesdays for my community posts on this blog, so I’m taking my Tuesdays with Dorie posts over here. It’s going to be a bit different, more collaborative, and a little more focused on the kitchen.

Thanks so much to Elaine for sending me the copy of Baking With Julia! I think my friends and family will be thanking her, too. I see a lot of baked goods in my future.

2012 – the International Year of Co-operatives

January 31, 2012May 4, 2014 ~ Teresa ~ 2 Comments

I write about community-building here, well, when I’m not showing you photos of my dinner.

When you live in a city, even one that’s the size of Vancouver, community can be elusive. Your social circle emerges from the web of your identity and affiliations, but connecting across these lines can be challenging. Co-operatives can be a great way of making these connections. Co-ops can be specific or broad-based, economically-focused or centred around information and education. Most have a sense of social justice built into their structure and when they connect with each other, there’s potential for a movement that supports community-building across interests, identities, and status.

In practice, it doesn’t always work that way. Housing co-ops in popular neighbourhoods can become dominated by white, middle-class people; some small co-operatives can become cliques of like-minded hobbyists. But, at its best, the co-operative movement stands as an alternative to the atomized consumer-culture that many of us find so alienating.

As I’ve mentioned before, we live in a housing co-operative, which gives us a sense of connection across our neighbourhood, and more broadly, our region. We belong to a number of other co-ops, too. They enrich our lives and have the benefit of also being easy on our pocketbooks.

The United Nations has declared 2012 as the International Year of Co-operatives. Throughout 2012, there are going to be events across the world to celebrate the co-operative movement. Here’s a link to the official page and another that’s specifically for Canada:

IYC International

IYC Canada

And here’s a list of some of the co-operatives operating in Vancouver. It’s amazing how many needs the co-operative model can serve, isn’t it? There’s even a motorcycle repair co-op in Vancouver now.

CHF BC

The Vancouver Tool Library

modo – the car co-op

Vancouver Media Co-op

Co-op Radio

People’s Co-op Bookstore

MEC

East End Food Co-op

I’d love to hear about your experience with co-operatives. I’d also encourage you to check out co-ops in your area. You might be surprised at how many you find.

Gluten-Free Goodness in Vancouver

January 24, 2012May 4, 2014 ~ Teresa ~ 2 Comments

On Sunday, Kevin and I visited Vancouver’s first (annual, I hope) Gluten-Free Expo. I didn’t take any photos there, as I’d intended, because the crowds were huge. Around 3,000 people attended, so many that some booths ran out of stock and had to send for more. Some of our favourite gluten-free vendors were there and we discovered some new ones, too. Things are looking up for those with celiac disease and gluten-intolerance.

Inspired by the expo, I thought I’d do a round up of some great gluten-free goods. I’ve posted about a few favourites before, but the list just keeps growing. As does the awareness of how to serve gluten-avoiding customers safely in restaurants.

Gluten-Free Bakeries

mygoodness!

Mountain Top Café and Bakery

Panne Rizo

The Sweet Tooth Cakery

Quejos

Choices Rice Bakery

Gluten-Free Grocers

All Choices stores label gluten-free goods with a blue shelf tag and stores like East End Food Co-op, Donald’s Market, Nestor’s, and Drive Organics carry gluten-free goods, but there’s only one store in Vancouver that is dedicated to gluten-free goods entirely – Ed’s Gluten Free Specialty (which has sadly gone out of business, now).

If you’re looking for gluten-free flours, though, my first choice is Famous Foods. They have a huge selection of flours, along with tonnes of grains, nuts, and seeds.

Gluten-Free Dining

Vancouver is a great city for gluten-free eating. So many establishments get it. I’m listing a few that we’ve had good experiences with, but there are many more. Call ahead and ask if the restaurant you’re interested in can accommodate a gluten-free eater. You’ll be pleasantly surprised at how many places, even if they don’t have a dedicated gluten-free menu, know how to take care of people who avoid gluten.

The Reef on Commercial Drive

Biercraft on the Drive

The Wallflower

Gluten-Free Resources

The Canadian Celiac Association

The Celiac Scene

Gluten-Free Vancouver

All the photos in this week’s post are gluten-free dishes from past posts. Here’s the list, if you’re interested:

A Tale of Two Crusts

Mustard Bâtons

Chicken B’Stilla

Marie-Hélène’s Apple Cake

A Little Winter Reading and Some Blog Love

January 17, 2012May 4, 2014 ~ Teresa ~ 7 Comments

We’ve got snow on the ground in Vancouver and it doesn’t seem to be melting. There’s not very much of it by the standards of the rest of Canada and the northern U.S., but it almost qualifies as an emergency here. My partner and I have been using it as an excuse to hibernate a little. I am hoping to make it out to some of the hot chocolate festival and I’m trying to think of the snow as added incentive. In the meantime, I’m catching up on my reading, with The Emperor of All Maladies, Ragnarok, and a re-read of Paris 1919 on the stand right now.

I’m also trying to catch up on my rather neglected list of blog reading. I’ve been missing my fellow Doristas, especially. I now have some extra incentive in that regard, too. Cher of The not so exciting adventures of a dabbler… very kindly passed on the Liebster blog award to me. Her blog is one of my favourites, so it was an extra-nice surprise. Getting ready to pass it along has meant browsing the latest posts from some of my other favourites, another pleasure.

Here’s how it works:

1. Thank the person who nominated you and link back to them.
2. List your top five picks (who have less than 200 followers) and link to them, telling a bit about each one.
3. Leave a comment on their blogs to let them know you’ve nominated them.

I’ve picked five blogs that I always look forward to reading, but there are plenty of others, some of which you can find here.

When I need inspiration, I just have to look at Patty’s Food. Her photography, styling, and recipes are always beautiful. Her twists on our French Fridays assignments are always inspiring, too.

Elaine at California Living writes about her inspirations in food, art, and gardens. There’s always something to learn from her blog and her love of family, community, and beauty shine through in her posts.

I love making time to cook and bake with my mother, so I admire Tricia and Nana‘s approach to French Fridays. I also love the stories they share about their family traditions and adventures.

I’ve recommended Leslie Robinson’s blog, ¡Me Gusta!, before, but she’s also writing about history and genealogy at 104 Bridge Street. The family stories she’s shared so far are fascinating and tragic.

Tricia McDonald Ward’s photography site isn’t strictly a blog, but it has one. Her photos are gorgeous and often provide a window into the same East Van neighbourhood I like to write about.