Watch the Video of our Online Discussion of Gardens Past, Present, and Future

Update: The video for this talk in now on YouTube.


Four gardeners from the Victory Gardens for Diversity artist residency at Terra Nova Rural Park talk about the intimate ways gardens have shaped their lives. Lori Snyder, Catherine Shapiro, Lois Klassen and Lori Weidenhammer will talk about gardens in their past that have inspired them, how their present gardens are being informed by the COVID-19 pandemic, and describe what their dreams are for gardens of the future.

Lori Weidenhammer is a Vancouver performance-based interdisciplinary artist and educator. She is originally from a tiny hamlet called Cactus Lake, Saskatchewan. It is in this place, bordered by wheat fields and wild prairie, that she first became enchanted with bees. Her mother’s garden, with its sunflower forest was a special source of inspiration for the work she does today.

 She is the author of a book called Victory Gardens for Bees: A DIY Guide to Saving the Bees published by Douglas and MacIntyre. For the past several years she has been appearing as the persona Madame Beespeaker, practising the tradition of “telling the bees”. As a food security volunteer and activist Lori works with students of all ages on eating locally and gardening for pollinators. She has worked with several models of community gardens in the Lower Mainland as a consultant, advocate and educator.

On occasion, she likes to dress up in silly costumes and talk to bees.

Lori is originally from Treaty 4 Territory in Saskatchewan the original lands of the Cree, Ojibwe, Saulteaux Dakota, Nakota, Lakota, and on the homeland of the Métis Nation and feels gratitude to be able to live and work in unceded territory of the Coast Salish nations.

Lois Klassen is an artist, writer and researcher based in Vancouver, Canada. Known for long-range projects that invite and engage participants in collective actions, her projects address social and political concerns – deliberately facing ethical demand with social, aesthetic and material methods. Klassen's artworks have been hosted by Dunlop Gallery, Santa Fe Art Institute, The Glenbow Museum, The Western Front, HubM3 (University of Salford), Banff New Media Institute, and more. Lois Klassen is a 2020 Fulbright Scholar (Center for Inter-American Border Studies and the Ruben Center for the Visual Arts, University of Texas El Paso). Her PhD dissertation (Cultural Studies, Queen's University, 2018) focused on ethics and participation in art. She earned a Master of Applied Art at Emily Carr University of Art + Design (Vancouver, Canada) in 2011, and a Diploma of Art History from University of British Columbia (Vancouver) in 2008.

As a settler artist working and living on traditional and unceded Coast Salish territory of the xʷməθkwəy̓əm (Musqueam), Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish), and Səl̓ílwətaʔ/Selilwitulh (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations, I am humbled by the long and difficult journey for justice for Indigenous peoples. I am committed to respectfully joining in alliance on this journey by learning, witnessing and taking action.

Catherine Shapiro went to the San Francisco Art Institute for a couple of years in the late 1960’s and immigrated to Canada in 1970. Settling in the Caribou with her husband, they set up a printmaking studio and Catherine started gardening. Moving to Vancouver in 1974 she continued making multimedia work that expressed her growing knowledge about plants focusing on women’s contributions to the development of horticulture. In the 1980’s Catherine began making environmental works from plant materials that she foraged or grew including nettle, hemp, cedar, wisteria, artichoke, mallow, flax and bamboo. These interests have continued to inform her work and have given her the opportunity in the last few years to mentor a young artist in growing and processing indigo as well as to be artist in residence at MOP garden to continue this project.  Working with indigo has lead her to making a wide variety of paints from botanicals sources which she has been using recently on a new series of cast paper sculptures and paintings.

Lori Snyder is an indigenous herbalist and educator, with a deep knowledge of edible and medicinal plants. A descendant from the T’suu tina (Sarcee), Nakota (Assiniboine), Cree, Nipissing, and Anishnaabe (Ojibwe) people; with a Metis blend of First Nations people with Scottish, French, and Celtic ancestry. Born and raised in Squamish, Lori spent her childhood playing in the forest. From a young age, she has been learning about plants and later studied herbalism, aromatherapy and permaculture. Lori spent her childhood in the forest and helping her father in their back yard garden growing vegetables, fruits and berries which the community raccoons would like to visit!

This days Lori has been consulting on garden design and care takes the Medicine Wheel garden, showcasing native, wild, foods and pollinator plants at Moberly Arts' And Cultural Centre.

Since 2013, Lori has been bringing forth her First Nations perspective of wild, edible, and medicinal plants to help people reconnect to the wisdom of Mother Earth.

Bees to Meet You!

There are a few species of bees you may see in the Lower Mainland right now. I'm posting some photos of my recent sightings. Can you find these bees?

 This beautiful shaggy bumblebee is Bombus mixtus. The red on its thorax is at the very tip, which helps to identify its species.

This is the yellow-headed bumble bee (Bombus vosnesenskii), the most common bumble you'll see in the Lower Mainland. When you are taking photos of bees see if you can get a photo of their face, back, and side, especially that back leg. This will help to determine if the back leg has pollen baskets, which would make it a female bee.

 This one is  Bombus flavidus. See how long and narrow her "chin" is? She also has orange on her abdomen. At this time of the year you'll see queens and some workers, but usually not any males yet.

This is a female blue orchard mason bee. Most of the males have mated and departed, but these ladies are pollinating the cherry trees and will soon be ensuring a good crop of apples in our city fruit trees.

These blue orchard bees have hair bellies to carry their pollen, but as you can see, they do also carry a bit of pollen on their butt!

This beautiful golden bee is an Andrena mining bee.

Here's another species of Andrena, much darker and a bit larger than a honey bee.

After the females emerge and mate and start laying eggs in their nests, you will start to see cuckoo bees trying to sneak in the holes to go down the tunnel and lay their eggs. This happens at the hottest time of the day when the females leave the nest to forage for pollen.

This is a Sphecodes cuckoo bee with a blood red abdomen.You'll see her skulking around the nests of true bees.

This is a Nomada cuckoo bee, which even has red eyes.

There are also insects that mimic bees: the wannabees.
 

This is a hoverfly, flower fly syrphid fly that drinks nectar and it's larvae eat aphids.

This furry critter is a bee fly (Bombiliidae). Their larvae prey on bees, wasps and beetles.

These are a few of the bees and wannabees you might see in the Lower Mainland during Earth Week. If you take a photo, crop it in to show as much detail of the insect as you can and then post it to iNaturalist sharing details about what the insect was doing and whether it was on a particular plant.  If the insect can be identified by an expert, it may be a useful scientific observation. These kinds of observations can help us build better habitat for our pollinators and other garden helpers.

Ad Hoc Plots

My friend Erin Despard has been using plastic and foil packets for seedlings--an idea I quickly adapted. I also use milk cartons to grow peas because they grow up fast before the container can rot. Just be sure to poke holes in the bottom of your garden hack containers for drainage.

Artists Jenn Pearson and Sauha Lee have noticed evidence of the boom in home gardening. They've been scouting out "ad hoc plots" in their neighborhoods. Adhoc plots is a shared collective and virtual space meant to celebrate: DIY, experimental, and resourceful gardening projects. Find them on Instagram @adhoc_plots.


Have you seen examples of these improvised Victory Gardens near you? Check out some of the history of the original WWI Victory Gardens in this blog post.

Lois Klassen and I also did some work around this in 2008. Read more about that on her blog here (1), here (2) and here (3).

I would also encourage you to check out this lovely post in Beside Magazine, passing on the knowledge of elders, on how to make a mini greenhouse out of an old window.

I've been growing veggie and herb starts for our plots at Terra Nova. Here you can see purple cauliflower, dragonhead (smells and tastes like lemon balm), calendula and marigolds which will be used for dye, and my favourite fruit: ground cherries.

I've found that walking down back alleys is less stressful than negotiating with the shared space of the sidewalk and discovered some secret gardens.

This backyard is completely converted to a trellis for squash and gourds.

This is another garden with trellises and plots. That's goji berry growing up on the side.

Here's some ad hoc pots and boxes in the hood.

Photo by Jenn  Pearson

I like the use of the lawn chair for some extra height.

Photo by Jenn Pearson

I'm not sure what function the orange plastic serves in these garlic plots.

Photo by Jenn Pearson

I like the detail of the rock and pine cone collection! I hope this has inspired you to create your own ad hoc plots! Let get gardening!!!!

Putting the Fun in Funnel Cakes!

Putting the Fun in Funnel Cakes

Why not try something you’ve never made before? Something that has a “special occasion” feel to it? The only time I’ve had funnel cakes in at the Main Street Car Free Day Festival. They were made to order and served piping hot with icing sugar sprinkled on top. What are funnel cakes? Basically just pancake batter dripped into an inch of hot oil and fried on either side. You put the batter into a standard kitchen funnel and swirl it round and round until it forms a lacy cake. It’s fun and delicious and if you have teenagers at home, this is a good special occasion treat for them to learn how to make. It’s also easier to make with two people, so good for developing cooperation skills in the kitchen. It’s messy, kinda goofy and fun!!

Start with a small batch first, to get the hand of it, and then double it once you’ve got the confidence.

You’ll need a small frying pan that you can put about an inch of oil inside for frying.

Ingredients:

1 egg

½ cup milk (I used milky masala chai I had in the fridge)

2/3 cup water

½ tsp vanilla

1 ½ c AP flour

1/8 c sugar

1 ½ tsp baking powder

¼ tsp salt

¼ tsp ground cardamon seeds

Sunflower oil for frying.

Mix the dry ingredients and wet ingredients in separate bowls and then mix together until combined.

Heat the oil until a drop of batter fries and turns golden.

Here’s the fun part: Take a half cup measure and fill it with batter. Have your assistant hold the funnel and put their finger under the bottom to plug the hole. Put the batter in the funnel. Your assistant will then carefully unplug the hole over the middle of the pan and start swirling the batter around and around to make a lacy cake. 

When it’s golden and stiff use a slotted spoon to turn it over to fry the other side. Lift out and drain on paper towels. If the batter seems too thick to drop, add a bit more water. If it’s too thin, add a bit of flour.

Serve warm with icing sugar mixed with cardamon powder. Enjoy!

Daily Moss

 Some of my friends have been taking photos of moss every day and I have joined them on this quest. It's simple. When you go outside to get some fresh air and fill your senses from nature's offerings just find some moss. I confess I don't know much about moss, and I think that's part of its appeal. It's sensual delights comfort me and give the cognitive part of my brain a rest.

 Even the labels I put on the photo files have the quality of found poetry:

finger moss
oak moss
birch moss
fairy moss
carpet
bee nest
nuzzle
mood
salmonberry petal
poplar bud 

There are clues to the phenology: detritus from trees and shrubs fall on the moss and lay there like a seasonal gift.

I notice the company moss keeps: bark textures and the lichens they like to nudge up against. Cling to. Like I would like to cling to you. This pleasure now forbidden, seems even more desirable.

 I notice how they change when it rains, drinking in the moisture and giving us the gift of their viridity.

Hidden, subtle, ubiquitous, and never boring, moss is a good companion. An introvert we can share out secrets with. The longing.

 The moss would like you to admire its beauty. Daily.

You don't have to know its botany, chemistry or astronomy. It is there for you to love unconditionally.

It soaks up the harsh sounds of the city and mean gossip and transforms it into a gentle murmur of assurance.

It holds time for next time.

It doesn't need labels because it know that stickers and price tags are not far behind.

It is moss. It is.

Finding Your Happy Place

It’s so important in a time of crisis to find a space that inspires you and helps you feel inspired, but also safe. Those of us who don’t own cars need to find our happy place within walking distance from home. I love going on walks in nature, but often rely on the bus to get me out to where I want to go. The quarantine has made me find places close to home that fill me with delight and help me to get away from all the worry and grief. I’ve written about searching for signs of spring and how the red flowering currant is a particular sensory delight. I’ve mapped out the currant bushes in my neighbourhood and challenge myself to make a circuit of them on a daily basis to get some exercise and keep my spirits up.

I’ve also started doing some of the yoga and basic training exercises missing from my schedule. I chose a place with benches where I can see a blooming currant bush and watch the hummingbirds flit to it while I do push-ups and squats. The bush functions as my personal coach, silently glowing in the sunlight and shifting in the breeze as I find the joy in moving my body and testing my flexibility and strength. The hummingbirds are bold enough not to bother with me as I do my repetitions. I notice tiny weeds blooming and other little details as I move through the space over and over again. 

 

What about you? Have you been walking around your neighbourhood or even your back yard to look for signs of spring? Do you like to have a destination or do you just choose a general direction and wander? I like to do a bit of both. I usually choose some bee habitat hot spots to head towards. This week I’ve found two bee rich destinations: a huge white icicle currant at the top of Queen Elizabeth Park and the pussywillows at the duck pond in the same park.

I've been watching the television series called The Durrells, which is based on the autobiographical books by naturalist Gerald Durrell. There's a lovely episode where twelve year old Gerald sits next to a wall which he observes for hours, making notes about the bugs, spiders and lizards he observes. On Sunday I sat on a wall and watched the insects and hummingbirds in the white icicle currant. It was a joy to feel the warm sun on my back as I documented the bees and flies with my camera.  I got into "the zone" and forgot about anything else other than what was in front of me, losing myself in the sensory experience. It was sublime.

This is a "bee fly". See the large eyes that meet in the centre and the stubby antennae? There are also only two wings, which makes this a wannabee--a fly that is mimicking a bee. it's obviously enjoying the nectar of the Ribes sanguineum.

If you can find some pussywillows nearby I encourage you to go out and observe them on a sunny day. The bushes were just humming with bees, mostly honeybees, but some bumblebee queens and small solitary bees. The honeybees are powdered with the copious amounts of powdery yellow pollen. They mix the powder with bee spit and pack it onto the corbiculae or baskets on their hind legs. The tiny ground-nesting bees that forage in these willows are just emerging. I couldn’t get close enough to identify them. I love the way the big bumblebee queens straddle the catkins as they slurp up the nectar. Once they’d established a nest they’ll also be collecting pollen the way the honeybees do.

There were also wasps and flies in the willow. They are thirsty for the nectar and so some pollinating, but they don't have the copious amount of branched hairs or setae that gives bees the pollen-collecting advantage.

Tachinid flies are a bit tricky because they do have a head more similar to the almond shaped bee face. But if you take a closer look, you'll see the stubby antennae and lack of four wings. You can see on the thorax that this fly is carrying some pollen grains from catkin to catkin.

Once you've found a series of "hot spots" or happy places, you can take photos or just immerse yourself in the environment, going through your five senses to explore the space. (Maybe skipping the sense of taste, unless you really know your plants. And please don't eat any bees!) Create a series of experiences that become memories to hold onto when you wake in the middle of the night with a sense of uncertainty or fear. Hold on to the healing power of nature. Bee well.

An Aromatic Apple Tart

Hope you are keeping well in these times of social isolation. I hope that through this blog I can reach out to an audience and we can engage in some projects together from a safe distance! Sewing, gardening, and cooking are all on the agenda so I hope you can connect with us in this way. And boy, am I ever missing connecting with friends, family, students, colleagues and other community members. Social media has played an important part of feeling like I'm still connected to local and global community. So let's get started!!!!

First we bake.

A Rustic Apple Tart

We are adjusting to life in the time of Corona.  Everyone has ways of getting through the days of careful isolation. Some people are cleaning, organizing, alphabetizing. Others are exercising, binge watching, and cocooning. Some folks are getting outdoors to escape and find solace in nature. How are you coping? I am gardening and baking. I have waged battle on the weeds in my back yard and attack them with renewed fury every day. It’s satisfying and cathartic. And every day I make comfort food: crêpes, soup, and pies.

The pie quest began on pi day, the day when nerdy folks celebrate the ratio of a circle’s circumference to its diameter. You know, the 3.14 etc etc etc. I saw someone make a really lovely pie on social media. His name is Jeff, and he has awesome pie crust skills. (I, on the other hand, have terrible fancy crust skills, so beginners can use this recipe too.)  He inspired me to clean out some of last summer’s fruit from the freezer and made something comforting and fun. Which I did. But today, I've got to use some apples that are getting a bit mealy.

My piecrust recipe is simple and basic:

1      1 cup unbleached white flour

1/8  c stone ground spelt flour

½ tsp salt

½ cup cold butter, cut into 1 cm cubes

After you’ve mixed the dry ingredients, cut in the butt and mix until it is in pea-sized pieces. (I actually use my hands for this, but real chefs use pastry cutters.) Now add the water and stir with a fork until it’s well mixed. See if it’s too wet or dry and add a bit more flour or water accordingly. Now get your hands in there and combine the dough until it is a nice firm ball. Work it as little as possible. Once you’ve done this a few times, you get a sense of when it’s right. Then pop this in a bowl in the fridge with a tea towel on top.

Now you deal with the fruit. You can use just about any fruit to make a rustic tart. Berries are easiest because they don’t require prep. You can add sugar to taste. I try to put in just enough to make the flavor of the fruit sing. As I was using apples, I cored them using a device my mom gave me one Christmas. It’s one of the few single task kitchen gadgets that’s worth the cupboard space. It cores the apple and sliced it so you can easily peel the slices. You may prefer just doing that with a paring knife. I used six medium apples. I sliced the apples into smaller piece, but you can leave them in slices if you like. This recipe is very forgiving and easy to customize. I mixed the apples with 3 tbs sugar, 1 sp cinnamon and ½ tsp ground cardamon.

Preheat the over to 400 Degrees F.

Now it’s time to flour the surface of your counter and roll out the dough. I use the stone-ground spelt because then the dough picks up a nice grainy texture. Just keep rolling it out in a rough circle and don’t worry about the oddly shaped edge. Once the dough is 1/8 of an inch thick, get your pan and lay in out on top. (You can fold the dough gently to transfer it. I use a round “pizza stone” because it bakes nice and evenly.  I spread 2 tbs of the spelt flour onto the middle of the crust to soak up some of the apple juices as the tart bakes.

So I’m not fancy, I just pour the apple bits in the middle of the crust and spread them out to a desired thickness, eyeballing the edges of the crust which your are going to fold up and over the fruit. You can pull it right together or leave a large opening in the middle—just experiment and see which style you prefer.

Put the pie in the oven and bake at 400 degrees F for 15 minutes, then turn the oven down to 350 F and bake for an additional 30-35 minutes.

You’ll smell that classic scent of sugary cinnamon goodness when the pie is ready. Just check to see if the crust is browned to your liking and then take the pie out and let it cool for ten to fifteen minutes before you serve it. When I was growing up, mom always served apple pie with vanilla ice cream. I like it with whipped cream and a hot cup of black tea. This pie also goes great with masala chai.

You could also use this idea to make savoury pies as well—the kind of clean-out the fridge pie where you can transform leftover steamed veggies into a savoury rustic tart. Our family is transitioning to going vegan, so in the coming days I’ll try some alternative recipe, but this one is my current go-to standard.

I would love it if you would share what recipes are getting you through the days of isolation and would love to connect and perhaps make a recipe book from people’s contributions. Then when the quarantine is lifted, we could have a potluck!!!

You can e-mail me beespeaker(at)gmail(dot)com or just put a link to your own social media posts about what you’re making and baking. I am @beespeaker on Instagram.

Bee well!