We have worm castings! Now what? There are two ways to use the castings Vermicompost and Compost Tea.
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Salad greens we grow ourselves are phenomenal! Why do they taste so different? In a word, freshness. We have seen it time and time again in schools, kids who start out “allergic” to greens soon become salad green lovers by tasting all the different flavours of greens they are cooking with in the classroom, some even from their school garden. If you don’t try growing anything else with us this season from home, try one pot of salad greens. From seed to plate in a bit more than a month, the satisfaction can’t be beat.
Do you ever feel regret about putting unused veggies or vegetable trimmings in the city compost? At Project CHEF we believe food is much too important to waste. If you have a little patio garden, it might be time to try a worm bin to make your own compost. Put those veggie scraps to work and make what we gardeners call, black gold.
There is nothing better than harvesting something and eating it right away. Herbs are our flavour makers, they bring joy to our food and fill our hearts with the flavour of home. In this activity we share some tips for a mini herb garden, especially geared toward young people and what we know they love. If you have never really grown anything before, pick one plant you like to use in the kitchen, and try growing it.
Scientists keep records, so do farmers, and so do we! Since planting your potatoes, what have you noticed? What can you observe? After planting your seed potatoes, in Part 1 of this activity, your Project CHEF task over the next two months is to look closely, pay attention to the details, and write down your observations. The more specific, the better.
Planting potatoes is just plain satisfying. Easy. Fun. Forgiving. If you just put a potato in soil during the spring, it will grow. It is always fun to see what happens at harvest time.
Let’s see how our first trial growing microgreens turned out. There are so many ways to record the progress of your sprouts but the key to growing microgreens is daily observation and learning to look closely. How damp (or dry) is your soil? Is this the right location? Is there enough light & warmth? Are all the seeds germinating and growing at the same rate or are some slower? Below are some progress pictures to help you know what to expect. We will also show you when and how to harvest. For those of you who had some trouble, we have also included some troubleshooting tips.
Spring has sprung: magnolias, cherry blossoms, forsythia, OH MY! Get outside for some fresh air and explore the plants in your neighbourhood. Remember to bring your parents, of course.
Have you noticed that plants are glowing bright green with new growth, some already flowering, and some just tiny seed leaves in the ground? As you know, at Project CHEF we are all about good food. Sometimes when we are at the grocery store, choosing produce shipped from Peru and maybe covered in plastic, those bright spring leaves seem completely disconnected from the food we eat. But the challenge is to look again.
Let’s get growing! You do not need a yard or a balcony for this garden project. These little bites pack a punch — more flavour and more nutrition than the average salad green. Adding home-grown microgreens will definitely make salad a new favourite. Food tastes so good when you grow it yourself.
Let’s get started with two varieties that are sweet tasting and nearly failsafe growing. Easy peasy!