By Jennifer Thompson
As part of Transition Meaford’s work to promote sustainable and healthy communities, Meaford Community Gardens and Friends are producing A Different Kind of Cookbook.
Celebrating food grown or found in the wild in Grey and Bruce counties, the book will be a welcome addition to the libraries of home gardeners and local shoppers wanting to learn what our unique region has to offer.
Mary Bryant of Meaford Community Gardens explained to The Independent that gathering “traditional knowledge” is a key to helping people regain the lost art of cooking for yourself.
The group is seeking input for a number of topics including:
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what vegetables and fruits can be grown in Grey Bruce
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growing organically
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a chart of optimum planting times in the Grey/Bruce growing zone
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gardening tips
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companion gardening
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small space gardening ideas
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edible perennials
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wild edibles
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signs of the seasons (when to pick strawberries, fiddleheads, leeks, etc.)
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food preservation – canning, drying, pickling, herbal emulsions
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fermentation and brines
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food storage – root or cold cellars
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traditional knowledge and antidotes of indigenous people
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nutritional information and the value of growing and eating local fresh produce
The group hopes to include a directory and map of farms, lane-way market stalls, farmers’ markets, CSAs and community gardens in Grey/Bruce along with a list of what foods they produce.
Of course no cookbook can call itself that without recipes, so the group is seeking those as well. They welcome recipes from individuals, as well as those from local community gardens, restaurants, farms, and farmers’ markets.
Bryant told The Independent that Meaford Community Gardens hopes to have the Cookbook ready for Earth Week 2015.
If you would like to contribute, have other ideas, or need more information, contact Mary Bryant with Meaford Community Gardens at marybryant.bryant71@gmail.com.
