Text 1074, 105 rader
Skriven 2010-09-05 17:10:00 av JIM WELLER (1:123/140)
     Kommentar till en text av GLEN JAMIESON
Ärende: arctic farming
======================
-=> Quoting Glen Jamieson to Jim Weller <=-

 GJ> What, if anything, is grown in the Weller home garden?

Very little. My house is perched on a rock outcrop 4 metres high.
(I think I emailed you a photo once.) The only portion of the yard
with soil is a narrow strip along the rear fence and it is less than
a metre deep and composed mostly of decaying jack pine needles. It
supports wild cranberries, yarrow, one pathetic little red currant
bush and a dwarf gooseberry bush. Out front there are a few wild
strawberries, raspberries, roses and fireweed growing in the gravel
along the edge of my driveway.

Roslind has eked out three little mini gardens (about 1 X 2 M each)
by filling cavities in the rock with top soil about 15 cm deep and
has several large planters and oversized flower pots perched here
and there. Her perennials are a small patch of mint, some more
strawberries and a Saskatoon berry bush. Her crop this year was just
a parsley patch and a few sweet peas. In other years we have grown
tomatoes and chilies in pots and moved them indoors before frost to
ripen. Now that all the g'kids have moved away we will probably
stop. They all loved planting seeds, watering, weeding and
harvesting but the yield doesn't justify the effort when it is
viewed as a source of food as opposed to education and
entertainment. 

Ray's place, which he sold in July when he moved to Peace River had
a nice yard, lawn and garden and a previous place of mine did as
well. Anything green and leafy that likes lots of sunlight will do
well here. For example I could get three cuts of leaf lettuce and
spinach in 90 days. Seed bearing plants that like heat do not
flourish, like corn which won't grow here at all. Peas and beans do
OK but mature late in the season. In Ontario I thought of peas as a
June crop and green beans as a July crop but here they are ready in
early and late August respectively.
                            
 JW> HR is on the top of the fertile Canadian prairies
 JW> a large market garden and a chicken farm

 GJ> That sounds like an opportunity for someone.

Others have tried and failed. YK briefly had a dairy farm but it
cost more to ship in hay than to ship in fresh milk and it went
under. I really do believe that we could develop a local agriculture
base with cool weather crops and green house farming. But there is
no will to try. The NWT and Nunavut are the only governments in
Canada that do not have a provincial Dept. of Agriculture.

 GJ> Good that you don't have to pay fees for hunting/fishing.

There are a few modest licence fees involved.

 GJ> Do you have to travel very far to get to the wild berries

As noted above, there are a few in my yard, just enough to nibble
on. There are some good green spaces within city limits and lots of
great spots just outside the limits, that are theoretically within
walking distance. The only reason we don't forage more is lack of
free time. Foraging for free food isn't actually economically viable
if you make a decent wage and have the opportunity to work overtime.

There is one activity that is worthwhile. There is great morel
mushroom picking in an area that recently had a forest fire about 60
miles away. The first year after the fire they were all over the
dead and dying jack pine roots and one could gather several bushels
in a day. Today the place is greening up again but one can still
find a pail full in a day.

MMMMM----- Recipe via Meal-Master (tm) v8.06

      Title: Corn and Moose Meat Casserole
 Categories: Native, Venison, Smoked, Potatoes, Casseroles
      Yield: 4 servings

      2 c  Fresh corn kernels
      2 tb Wild onions, chopped
      1    Can cream of celery soup
    1/4 lb Moose meat, smoked, chopped
      1    Can tomato soup
      2 c  Potatoes, sliced

  Put the corn in a saucepan and simmer for about 15 minutes.  Stir in
  the onion, celery soup, tomato soup and the cubed moose meat and
  simmer for another 15 minutes.  Grease a 6x9 casserole and spread the
  mixture over the bottom and cover with the sliced potatoes.  Cover
  the top with aluminum foil and put in a 350 degree oven for about 45
  minutes. If you wish, sprinkle the potatoes with bread crumbs, grated
  cheese or add dots of butter.

  Source: "Indian Cookin'", compiled by Herb Walker, 1977

  I would not pre-cook the corn; it is too delicate. -JW

MMMMM

Cheers

YK Jim


... Let's spray the wilderness to rid it of pests

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