Artisan's Market: The Met opens in London, ON April 30th!

A very exciting new edition to the city of London, Ontario celebrates the grand opening of The Metropolitan Market this weekend! Come and explore the newly renovated space of 140 Dundas St. courtesy of the 379 Collective. OPEN EVERY WEEKEND, vendors of various art forms and expressions will be available Saturdays 9-5pm and Sundays 12-5pm. This diverse DIY art showing and sale at The Met is surely going to enrich London's creativity core. You can catch Michelle Bezanson of Bezanson Dezign's creations there this weekend as well as that of myself, Eco Veg Footprint's recycled eco projects! You can read more about this and other local socio-cultural happenings at the most excellent indie media source London Fuse!

its EASY being green (pancakes)!

Earth Day is on it's way - http://www.earthday.ca/pub/

Green Pancakes

buckwheat pancake mix

water

one smushed banana

handful of strawberries

carob chips

walnut crumble

green food colouring

1 to 2 tsp hemp protien

agave nectar

shredded coconut

1 to 2 tsp macha green tea powder

Serve with vegan butter and syrups!

Compost Fun, Literally!

So even though winter composting is a go here in snowy Canada (there is currently spring snow here in London, ON!?!!!!), its not the easiest time to install one! We have had some very sunny and mild days and as soon as the ground thawed I installed a composter as pictured below. It gave me great pleasure to know that so much of the kitchen waste was no longer garbage but instead a way to eliminate the number of trash bags and fertilize the world!



Composting is basically a necessary action, whether situated in an urban or rural location. Since it does not include animal products and byproducts being broken down, there should not be significant trouble with critters wanting their share. A few select items are alright like eggshells but dairy and meat products are a no-no as they throw off the most ideal soil nutrient content and composting process. Animal feces (i.e. from your pets or farm animals) are of course great fertiizer but from what I understand are best to keep separately from your decomposing organic materials. Think about where this eventually rich soil will end up - for many the answer is in the garden - in your piece of earth - in your produce - and in you!

Finding the right location was a question I needed answers for. What I discovered through research about the topic enabled me to choose a convenient (near the kitchen) and ideal spot!

So what makes an ideal composting location so ideal?

-good drainage -medium sunlight exposure -close to kitchen -away from wind

-away from wooden structures as it causes rotting

The links below should provide you with what you need to know including a list of compost friendly materials! Get ready to fertilize and produce rich garden material the organic and sustainable way.

Organic Garden Info

Thames Regional Ecological Association

Recycled Art Projects at the Handmade Festival May 7th 2011 in London, ON

http://handmadefest.blogspot.com/

Eco-Veg Footprint will be at London's Handmade Festival along with Bezanson Dezign on Saturday May 7th! Come and see us along with other creative folk at London Central Public Library from 10am-4pm. This event is part of a program series offering various DIY workshops throughout the months of April and May. Experience personal creative ability and celebrate that of others in the main hall vendors area.

"The Library is proud to cosponsor the Second Annual Handmade Festival with the London Arts Council and the Handmade Collective. After a series of free workshops dedicated to sharing the art of craft and the cottage industry leading up to this event, this one day Festival will allow selected crafters to display their art and craft for the public. For more information please contact the Community Outreach and Program Services dept. at 519-661-5122"

My graphic designer friend Michelle will be along side me, hopefully with some of the other talented ladies and their creations at our booth! Since London's 6th Annual Indie Media Fair was so successful, we are even more excited and motivated for this upcoming artisan fair. I will be featuring this blog, cook books and poetry books once again! Instead of collaged postcards I will have collaged bookmarks available along with some hand sewn aprons for all that vegan cooking and baking you do! We will both have mixed media art pieces available along with Michelle's amazing and eye-catching clothing, independently printed.

SUPPORT THE CREATIVE USE OF RECYCLED MATERIALS! ! ALL ECO-ART TO BE FEATURED!

Flavourfull Roasted Squash Soup

I'd like to start this post by giving kudos to the most excellent blog Reduce Footprints! Having just finished dinner my belly is happy and full of flavour. The roasted butternut squash recipe I found on this eco blog was the basis of inspiration for my kitchen this evening. This is one of the best soups I've ever made even though I'm not a seasoned chef in that department. Impress yourself with this healthy hearty dish! Vegan Health Yum Wow!

Parsnips (above)

You may need: oil, salt& pepper, carrots, parsnips, sweet potato, squash, leeks, garlic, ginger, zucchini, spices Begin by heating veggie broth on the stove. Great option is to add previously prepared wild rice! Spice with various to taste. Suggested: cayenne, paprika, rosemary, thyme, nutritional yeast (to get this vegan some B12!) Simultaneously - Dice carrots, parsnips, sweet potato and squash into cubes/disks. Roast at 400 degrees and drizzle with oil, salt & pepper. Cook for 10 minutes. Add garlic, chopped leeks and mushrooms and cook for another 10 minutes. Puree veggies with veg stock and water as needed for consistency. I just used a little smoothie blender! Add to broth mix, leaving mushrooms whole if preferred. Stew the soup until ingredients are well blended and desired heat and consistency is reached. Garnish with shredded zuchini and shredded ginger!