Prickly Lettuce, a weed found in Edmonton gardens.

First: nomenclature. Which words to use?

Wild plants suggests wilderness. Untamed. Possibly dangerous (ie. toxic). But weeds implies a valueless nuisance. An overgrown eyesore.

Alright. We'll go with 'weeds'.  read more... »

I grew up eating Sunny Boy hot cereal. It use to come in a box. And the sunny boy looked different. With a bit of brown sugar, the taste probably reminds many Edmontonians of Saturday morning cartoons and cold winter mornings before school.  read more... »

If you've somehow stumbled upon this "Market Report" hoping to get an update on your IBM or Bear Stearns stock, please move on - nothing to see here. If, on the other hand, you've come here because you're interested in local food in Edmonton, come on in.

When it comes to "eating green", vegetables have it all over meat (despite the advancements in "in vitro meat"!). Even better, if you can eat in-season, organic, locally-grown produce, you've hit the trifecta.

For those of us without the benefit of a garden in our backyard (or a backyard at all for that matter), the farmers' market is our best source of locally-grown produce, much of which is grown organically. Beyond the environmental benefits, the vegetables are fresher, they taste better, and you can often talk to the folks who grew it.  read more... »

Grow Your Own!

What better way to embrace spring than to plant a few seeds and watch the creative life forces unfold before your own eyes… . Starting your own seedlings indoors is an easy and satisfying way to get into the gardening spirit while it is still freezing outside.

‘Growing your own’ has many other advantages too. It can save you a lot of money, and generally produces plants that are stronger and healthier than the chemically-fed bedding plants that are imported from California or B.C. and sold in most of our commercial greenhouses and big box stores these days.Here’s what you need to get started.  read more... »