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Ryan Slifka

Simple, Local Recipe: rhubarb yogurt pops

Thumbnail image for Simple, Local Recipe: rhubarb yogurt pops August 26, 2009 by Ryan Slifka

Rhubarb looks like it might be the only “fruit” (ie sweet non-vegetable) that will end up in our CSA this year. Living in Calgary doesn’t really offer much else, other than berries, apples and the like. Yet, even though there are limits to what you can do with rhubarb, you won’t find me complaining.
Some like [...]

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Purpose and Product: the Beginning of a CSA Part III

August 10, 2009 by Ryan Slifka

Last weekend, a few of our CSA members headed out to Linden, Alberta for another visit to Oxyoke Farms. We’d been out a month or two before that and had a great time.
I took a few videos from this last trip, but Windows Vista didn’t seem to like them, so I’ve been struggling for the [...]

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If climate change didn’t exist

Thumbnail image for If climate change didn’t exist July 22, 2009 by Ryan Slifka

It’s pretty safe to say that climate change denial is on the decline. Perhaps Calgary school oil-pimp Barry Cooper might be holding on to the margins of the Calgary Herald for his dear life, but all-in-all climate change has been bought into by the majority of individuals. Even the oil companies have bought in–albeit it’s [...]

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Permaculture in the ‘hood: planting a food forest in Calgary

Thumbnail image for Permaculture in the ‘hood: planting a food forest in Calgary July 21, 2009 by Ryan Slifka

This Saturday I had the privilege of checking out the progress and end result of the planting of a food forest in Calgary on the invitation of Rob Avis, a local permaculture practitioner. It was a class project, essentially. A good handful of people in Rob’s Introduction to Permaculture course met up to tear up [...]

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Enviro-cynicism is hurting Margaret Wente’s credibility

July 20, 2009 by Ryan Slifka

I’m glad that Margaret Wente can see the agricultural situation so much better than what she refers to as “organic ideologues” in her latest column in the Globe and Mail. Her argument, which is very simple–perhaps too simple to merit her full column–is that we are hurting Africa by holding back the miracles of North [...]

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Planting a Food Forest in Calgary #yyc events

Thumbnail image for Planting a Food Forest in Calgary #yyc events July 16, 2009 by Ryan Slifka

Rob Avis of Ravis Sustainable Consulting will be leading his Introduction to Permaculture class in transforming a Calgary lawn into a viable food forest. He already has enough help to do it, but anyone who would like to check out the progress is welcome to stop by.
“It is a pretty powerful message and great to [...]

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The First Delivery: the Beginning of a CSA Part II

Thumbnail image for The First Delivery: the Beginning of a CSA Part II July 13, 2009 by Ryan Slifka

The following is part 2 in an ongoing series documenting the inaugural year of the “Knox-yoke” CSA, a collaboration between Knox United Church and Oxyoke Farms. You can view photos of the visit to Oxyoke in mid June here.
The garden at Oxyoke is big, but not unusually so. Robby steps between the rows, grabbing his [...]

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Simple Recipe: Make your own lard!

Thumbnail image for Simple Recipe: Make your own lard! June 29, 2009 by Ryan Slifka

I recently saw a segment on the CTV evening news detailing a resurgence in the use of lard as a cooking product. People have become weary of the transfattiness of Crisco vegetable shortening and hard margarine, and butter is pretty expensive and precious as a flavouring agent. So they have turned to lard. Hell, before [...]

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Calgary Cowbell – New Independent Media

June 25, 2009 by Ryan Slifka

I’m sure many of our readers have come across David Wilson’s work by now. I’ve been a fan of his viewpoint articles in Fast Forward Weekly for the past few years. More recently, David launched a Blogspot blog called “Calgary Cowbell,” the goal of which was to “[ring] in a more sustainable, equitable, and democratic [...]

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Finding Oxyoke Farms: the Beginning of a CSA Part I

Thumbnail image for Finding Oxyoke Farms: the Beginning of a CSA Part I June 24, 2009 by Ryan Slifka

The decision to visit was somewhat spur-of-the-moment. A family friend, her two children, my wife and I piled into a Subaru station wagon one afternoon and took off toward Linden, Alberta, not knowing what exactly to expect. It’s about an hour drive from Calgary. We pass through Beiseker (past their statue of “Squirt” the skunk, [...]

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Urban Farmer Makes Calgary Visit – #YYC Events

Thumbnail image for Urban Farmer Makes Calgary Visit – #YYC Events June 19, 2009 by Ryan Slifka

Ron Berezan, also known as the “Urban Farmer” will be visiting Calgary and giving a talk on Permaculture in the City at the Unitarian Church of Calgary this coming Wednesday.
We had a chance to see a presentation given by Ron at the 2009 Permaculture Convergence in Olds a few months ago. Ron is an impressive, [...]

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Mongolian Meat Market: Our Agriculture Canada Update

Thumbnail image for Mongolian Meat Market: Our Agriculture Canada Update June 17, 2009 by Ryan Slifka

Agriculture Canada sends out periodic press releases, usually proclaiming the good work of Agriculture Minister Gerry “Puttin’ on the” Ritz’s office in assisting “farmers.” I’ve decided to take it upon myself to present some of the statements made by Minister Ritz’ office and decipher them because they can’t be taken at face value. In this [...]

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4th Annual New Edinburgh Park Party – #YYC events

Thumbnail image for 4th Annual New Edinburgh Park Party – #YYC events June 11, 2009 by Ryan Slifka

Saturday is the New Edinburgh 4th Annual Park Party celebrating the creation of Calgary’s first pesticide-free park as a pilot project in 2004. Breakfast potluck from 8-11, Flea Market from 9-2 and musical performances and other attractions all day.

8:00am-2:00pm 3rd Ave & 5A St NW

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