Mid-winter Food for Thought

Prairie Urban Farm last season nearing sunset.

A mild winter it has been across Canada this year. Right now Edmonton is in a particularly warm snap with temperatures getting up to +5 degrees Celsius! With these warming breezes and slushy sidewalks getting us to take our toques and mittens off, it's easy to start anticipating the growing season that's just around the corner.

So let's start talking about it! The University of Alberta's Office of Sustainability is hosting their 5th annual Student Sustainability Summit next weekend January 23 - 25. This summit is open to students across Alberta and features fantastic speakers, discussions, and workshops all centered around the topic of "Food for Thought: Exploring Pathways to Sustainable Food Systems".

Prairie Urban Farm's Director Dr. Debra Davidson planting leeks with volunteers last season.

For the public, there have two very exciting keynote speakers over the weekend. On Saturday Councillor Michael Walters will be addressing "The Way We Eat" and Prairie Urban Farm's very own Director Dr. Debra Davidson is going to be the keynote speaker on Sunday Jan 25 afternoon. She will be addressing Climate Change and its implications for agriculture and food security. These two keynote speakers are free and open to anyone who would like to attend!

The University of Alberta's Faculty of Agricultural, Life, and Environmental Sciences is also hosting an urban farming panel on Saturday, January 24 from 1:30 - 3 PM in 0-31 Students Union Building. There will be representatives from Prairie Urban Farm, Reclaim Urban Farm, Green & Gold Garden, Edmonton Organic Growers Guild, and Lactuca discussing urban farming in the city! This event is open to any Faculty of ALES students.

Salsa canned in September at Prairie Urban Farm's Canning Workshop

We're also organizing a Preservation Seminar for the evening of Wed, Feb 11 where we've asked a representative from Mojo Jojo Pickles to come and demonstrate a few key ways to preserve your produce for use in the cold months. This event will be by donation and open to anyone! Save the date and look for more details soon!

In the meantime - stay warm with thoughts of fresh tomatoes, blooming squash flowers, and buzzing bees...