Met Opening Photos!

The Metropolitan Market opening weekend was a huge success! A constant flow of support and intrigue, leaving all with an uplifted and refreshed perspective of London, Ontario and its creative arts core. It was a pleasure talking with community members and fellow art vendors - my vending partner and friend Michelle Bezanson of Bezanson Dezigns and I spent the exhilerating days in awe of the diversity of art mediums and forms of expression. Thanks 379 Collective for all the hard work! It was an additional pleasure getting to share the space with the likes of City Lights Bookshop and Alchemy Recycling & Trade Co. to name a few! You can catch our table again next weekend except the difference is we will be featuring recycled DIY art of various forms at The Handmade Festival! See you next Saturday at the Central London Public Library - and don't forget to stop into The Met for a day of local creations!

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!

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!

London Indie Media Fair on Saturday, March 26!

This alternative local event needs your support! Visit the Centre Branch of the London Public Library from 11am-4pm for the 2011 6th Annual London Indie Media Fair. The art of independent and alternative forms of media receives a showcase in the central hall. I look forward to sharing this blog, Eco-Veg Footprint, along with a independently printed vegan cookbook, book of poetry and sustainability zine! Also, my friend and I have gotten eco-crafting crazy and made a bunch of postcard collages from recycled materials and images - to be featured soon! Was thinking of bring them along aswell as mixed media creations. Hope to see you there on Saturday, March 26th!

Chutney Chomp

When pursuing Maximum Joy, it is most important to have a spicy palette to compliment a vibrant existence! Like the experience of chopping into a fresh Spanish onion, mincing garlic cloves or cooking with jalepenos - it makes you remember you are alive! It is for this same reason that I adore preparing Indian cuisine. Ill take some lovely tumeric stained fingers any flavour-filled day.

Shopping at London, Ontario's fantastic Indian mart Indo-Asian Groceries and Spices reminded me of this the other day - found more varities of spices than I had ever knew existed. We found coconut and mango juice, gulab jamon and fenugreek seeds along with okra ("lady fingers") for a curry dish we made later that day. Along with these delights was mustard and sesame oil as well as very inexpensive bulk items like cartons of Nag Champa and massive jars of every chutney imaginable! Flavours such as coriander and tamarind looked delicious and got me in the mood for trying an impromptu recipe of my own. This are the ingredients for a medium-spice and medium-sweet level chutney...because savoury and sugary is premium! This was great on toast with soy cheese on a cold and snowy winter day. Serve with low or salt free dipping chips and garnish with cucumber. Of course, place this along side any Indian recipe for a fully enhanced dish.

Mango Ginger Coconut Chutney

Add ingredients in quantities of your own risk or ambition! Cook on low-medium until smooth consistency or until onions are well-done.

In a saucepan, combine:

oil

apple cider vinegar

onion

tomatoes

jalepeno

lemon or lime peel/zest

mango

agave nectar

raw sugar

sea salt

shredded coconut

spices:
tumeric, cumin, corriander, curry powder, garlic (cloves or powder), ginger (fresh and/or paste), graham masala, masala, cinnamon, nutmeg, macha powder (for some good anti-ox mesaure!)