Gas prices irritate the stomach, too
Matthew Harrison
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Back from the bush: Farmer Steve Martyn (left) and an apprentice head for the farm
photo: Louis Galipeau
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But one local won't be getting gouged at the grocery store
Remember the classic tale of the busy ant and the lazy grasshopper? The grasshopper spends the summer relaxing while the ant stores food so it will be prepared for winter. Guess who survives?Most Canadians have long abandoned traditional ways of preserving produce: canning, blanching, pickling, and curing. Instead, we rely on our southern neighbours for winter shipments of fruits and vegetables.
It worked alright until recently when soaring gas prices raised the cost of shipping everywhere. Whatever you might feel about the effect of the trucking industry on the environment, those costs will eventually raise the price of our winter produce.
Louis Galipeau, computer programmer, activist and father, recently learned how to duck those costs.
"When I was younger I was a Boy Scout, and so this idea of being prepared has stuck with me. Something as simple as knowing how to can and blanch fruits and vegetables and learning how to live off the land is simple and doesn't take much time to learn," he told XPress.
"It's a way of learning how to support yourself. It's a way to become less dependent on the economy, including gas prices."
Galipeau is recently back from working on an organic farm near Eganville, a town west of Ottawa. It's owned and operated by Steven Martyn who also helps run the Algonquin Tea Company-makers of organic and wild-sourced teas. It's through the tea that Galipeau first heard of Martyn, his unusual approach to farming, and his apprenticeships for anyone interested in
learning some basic techniques. Room and board is free, as long as you help work the farm.Galipeau described how he would wake early in his tent, join fellow volunteers at an outside kitchen, eat a breakfast of wild oat porridge (a high protein, slow-burning source of energy), and follow Martyn into the bush to find and harvest herbs and plants growing in the wild.
"Out in the bush Martyn taught us how to wild-craft," said Galipeau. "The idea is simple. You basically harvest the plant in its natural surroundings, learning how much to take in order to ensure the plants sustainability, and at what times to harvest." Plants are not harvested while taking in energy, such as during or just after a rainfall.
Galipeau also worked in several organic gardens, which provide most of the food that Martyn survives on throughout the winter.
But before it can be stored, Galipeau told us, he had to learn about fruit and vegetable preservation: canning (a process that uses high heat and high pressure to destroy contaminating micro-organisms), pickling (soaking vegetables in brine or vinegar), and blanching (quickly bringing leafy greens to a boil and then plunging them briefly into cold water which neutralizes the bacteria and firms the vegetables) before freezing.
"Look, I'm not a nut. I'm not talking about building bunkers. Learning how to can, blanch and pickle your food is just common sense," Galipeau said, adding that the whole experience has left him feeling more secure about his own wellbeing.
Check out www.algonquintea.com or www.wwoof.ca for information on food workshops and apprenticeships. We checked around but it looks like there aren't a lot of other local opportunities to pick up preservation techniques. The Ottawa Food Security Council (www.spcottawa.on.ca) has hosted canning workshops in the past but not this year. They suggested visiting the Bernardin company at (www.homecanning.com/can) for an online how-to-do-it.
| And they Say the Strongest will Survive |
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"Look, I'm not a nut. I'm not talking about building bunkers. Learning how to can, blanch and pickle your food is just common sense,"
Galipeau a few years from now when this country is half broke or poor, and starving to death they will be going, "Boy I wish I knew how to preserve produce". This is a great idea. Recently this summer my parent's planted a small organic farm and we got tons out of it. Most of it was stuff like gourds, potatoes, carrots, herbs, etc. Just natural small farm stuff and now we have plenty to get us by for the winter. Maybe we don't have meat but we can always go up to the store and buy that and what the hell most meat we buy is from Canada so we are not really relying on our southern brothers. I acknowledge your hard work your doing and wish you the best. I hope someday I can be like you :).
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Geoffrey Franklin
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{12 votes}
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| Have We Just Been Introduced To A Modern Day Father Nature?........ |
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I think it's great that Louis Galipeau and Steven Martyn are hard at work finding ways of food sustainability and preserving food in growing time to ensure that there is enough for the cold winter. We could learn from these two guys and embark on a sleepover to learn from the master. Inspiring story, thanks.
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Steve Landry
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{7 votes}
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| Thank God for my canning skills! |
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I already can most of my produce from my own small garden. I do it because I enjoy it. I've canned beets and have done all sorts of chutneys, ketchups and salsas. I've experimented with my peppers and my zucchinis. As I said, this whole time just for fun. I never realized this skill might become handy later on in order to save money or in order to eat healthy year long when some products won't be available.
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Marc Charette
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{6 votes}
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