Recap: Late Summer Tomato Festival + Workshop!

This past Saturday, August 26th, was a very special day in the garden! There were many new faces at our garden work party in the morning and we got lots done- check out the new borders on the herb gardens next time you stop by! 

Hard at work creating herb garden borders out of reclaimed wood!

Hard at work creating herb garden borders out of reclaimed wood!

After the work party, we were fortunate enough to have a tomato varietal tasting with Shirlene from Earth Apple Organic Farm. We tried over 8 different tomatoes, with shades ranging from bright yellow to totally black! Thank you Shirlene!

Learning about the history of many different tomato varieties. 

Learning about the history of many different tomato varieties. 

With that informative introduction, the tomato-themed potluck began! There were dishes from several different cultures made by many garden bed and community members. Highlights included tomato quinoa casserole, gazpacho, bruschetta, sundried tomato pasta, caprese salad, and more. Thank you very much to everyone who participated! What a yummy lunch! 

Fresh dishes being enjoyed at the potluck!

Fresh dishes being enjoyed at the potluck!

The day was made extra special due to a visit from the Honourable Minister of Justice Jody Wilson-Raybould. We all enjoyed having Jody in the garden, digging into the soil, chatting with community members, and enjoying a plate from the tomato-themed potluck! 

MP Jody Wilson-Raybould with Norm Dooley and Dr Art Bomke.

MP Jody Wilson-Raybould with Norm Dooley and Dr Art Bomke.

A message from Bernard Higham, Constituency Coordinator: 

"Thank you so much for the kind (and very delicious) invitation for Jody and myself to the Riley Park Community Garden tomato gathering! Jody deeply enjoyed getting the chance to stretch her legs and have some great conversations with the attending folks out in Riley Park on a lovely day.  The garden is such a lovely concept! It heartens us to see a new substantive gathering location for the community. I hope that Riley Park serves as a template for future community gardens/social hubs." 
MP Jody Wilson-Raybould with Ed Shum, a lifelong gardener. 

MP Jody Wilson-Raybould with Ed Shum, a lifelong gardener. 

Thank you to everyone who made this day possible! Look towards our calendar on the Events page to stay tuned for upcoming events!

Late Summer in the Garden

With most of the summer planting done, we at Riley Park have immensely enjoyed meeting fellow community members, listening to the Farmer's Market musicians while working on Saturdays, watering in the evenings in the warm breeze, and seeing the garden really come to life. 

We have lots planned for this Saturday in the Garden: 

10-12:30pm: Garden Work Party- join us as we dig into the garden while making connections with the community!
12:30-3pm: Tomato Festival Celebration!

  • 12:30- Tomato varietal presentation and tasting by Earth Apple Organics at the Riley Park Farmer's Market
  • 1pm- Tomato potluck (feel free to share a dish- we have fridge space in the fieldhouse if you are coming for the work party beforehand!)

3:30-5pm: Fall/Winter Planting Workshop with Farmer Chris from One Love Farm- come join us as we learn what to plant for the upcoming seasons, how to plant them, zero-waste planting techniques, and more

Farmer Chris Billion of  onelovefarm.ca  offers 20% off tomatoes purchased at this stall for the tomato potluck. Visit One Love Farm at the Riley Park Farmers Market Saturdays 10-2!

Farmer Chris Billion of  onelovefarm.ca  offers 20% off tomatoes purchased at this stall for the tomato potluck. Visit One Love Farm at the Riley Park Farmers Market Saturdays 10-2!

UPCOMING EVENTS IN ADDITION TO SATURDAY WORK PARTIES:

  • Aug 24:   9-3pm         Economical Insurance Corporate Work Party 
  • Aug 26:  12:30-3pm   Tomato Harvest Potluck
                       3:00-5pm    Fall/Winter planting workshop with One Love Farm 
  • Aug 30:  9-3pm         Economical Insurance Corporate Work Party
  • Sept 2:   10-2pm        Donation Station at the Riley Park Farmers Market                                                               3pm             Mad Hatter Tea Party 
  • Sept 16:  12:30pm      Artful Community Reflections 
  • Sept 18:   6pm            Soil Science Workshop with Jo from Rootshoot
  • Sept 22:  6:30pm       Medicine Wheel Fall Solstice 
  • Sept 23:  10-2pm       Apple Harvest Festival:  taste and learn about apples.
  • Sept 30:  12:30pm     Garlic Growing Workshop
  • Oct 7:      10-2pm       Wild Salmon Caravan Celebration & Three Sisters Lunch
                                              Donation Station at the Riley Park Farmers Market
Riley Park collaborates with Environmental Youth Alliance (EYA)Last Saturday we planted several native plants in the garden in partnership with EYA and their Native Plant Corridor project. With help from the rest of the work party, the Rewilders gro…

Riley Park collaborates with Environmental Youth Alliance (EYA)
Last Saturday we planted several native plants in the garden in partnership with EYA and their Native Plant Corridor project. With help from the rest of the work party, the Rewilders group planted Salal, Snowberry, Oregon Grape, Sword fern and many more! Learn more about the project at http://eya.ca/project-view/native-plant-nursery

The New Gardener's at Riley Park group has been having a great growing season! In addition to hosting workshops on topics ranging from growing edible flowers to composting, this group is now harvesting salad greens, basil, mint, zucchini and cucumbe…

The New Gardener's at Riley Park group has been having a great growing season! In addition to hosting workshops on topics ranging from growing edible flowers to composting, this group is now harvesting salad greens, basil, mint, zucchini and cucumbers. Stay tuned for their summer wrap-up party happening in September!

LATINO WATERING NIGHT COOKOUT & SYRIAN POTLUCK LUNCH

We had a wonderful time this month celebrating the various cultures of our garden bed members. On one watering night, Marta and the rest of the Latino Newcomers group hosted a festive latin-themed cookout featuring live music and barbequed vegetables, which were donated from the Riley Park Farmer's Market during one of our Donation Stations (the first Saturday of every month)! Highlights included handmade empanadas and the Colombian musicians. 

marta cookout.jpg

After the Saturday work party on August 12th, garden bed members Silva and the Alhariri family hosted a Syrian potluck lunch in the garden for community members. Dishes included tabbouleh, hummus, spinach pie, fresh figs, and kelp noodle salad from Japanese gardener Amy. The sun was shining and bellies were left full and satisfied! 

Noha Alhariri, Silva and friend- amazing cooks and terrific gardeners!

Noha Alhariri, Silva and friend- amazing cooks and terrific gardeners!

Make sure to always stay up to date with what's going on in the garden by subscribing to our newsletter + checking out the events calendar on www.rileyparkgarden.org as well as following our Facebook page Riley Park Garden!

Summer Updates from Riley Park!

This summer has been a busy one in the Riley Park Community Garden! Being our inaugural season, there have been many moving parts in developing this project and creating the space. Some highlights from the past couple of months:

·      Our official opening day on June 24th that brought many community members of all backgrounds growing together

 

·      The tribute to Ed Shum: a lifelong gardener and friend of the garden

 

·      Enjoying our open-door work parties in the sunshine alongside the Riley Park Farmer’s Market (ice coffee and BC berries within arm’s reach is always a plus!)

·      Building accessible garden beds to ensure that every body is able to work in the garden

·      The Four Corners ceremony led by First Nations Elder Amy and creating a medicine wheel plant circle

 

·      Watching all our garden member groups grow edible plants, some of which will be donated to people in need

·      Workshops by the Vancouver Meet-Up Group and the New Gardeners Group, teaching everything from planning a food garden, to companion planting, to growing edible flowers!

 

·      The “Plein Air” art event at the garden, encouraging community members to unleash their creativity while enjoying the outdoors

·      Picnics in the Park: bringing Chinese-speaking senior residents from Little Mountain Court for a picnic and chats in the garden

 

·      The Latino Watering Night Cookout, which featured a veggie BBQ with donated produce from the Riley Park Farmer’s Market and live music!

·      Our Syrian Newcomer Potluck lunch which gathered Syrian families involved with the garden and their friends, as well as other community members who contributed dishes from several cultures

 

Stay tuned for further updates via our Facebook page and/or signing up for the newsletter on this website!