Wave: March / April 2010 - Winnipeg in motion

healthy eating
Rosemary Szabadka
Backyard gardens produce healthy harvest of food
A s spring approaches, like many Winnipeggers,
I’m pondering my garden once more.
Should I grow pumpkins, squash,
tomatoes, cucumbers, beans and herbs
– the crops I’ve had success with before?
Or should I challenge myself and try
something new and scary, like peppers or
broccoli?
I love gardening, even though I’m
mediocre at it, at best. I find planting and
growing my own food to be an exciting
ritual, one that involves my whole family.
My harvest leads to discovering new
recipes and making old favourites.
The Dietitians of Canada also recognizes
the value of gardening and the role it can
play in healthy eating. March is Nutrition
Month, and this year the organization’s
theme – Celebrate food… from field to
table – is designed to encourage Canadians
to eat more locally grown produce.
There are many ways to go local. Use
your garden to grow delicious, nutritious
fruits and veggies that can be eaten every
day. Try freezing, home canning and preserving
the food you grow for use during
winter. And don’t forget to choose locally
produced meat, dairy and grain products
whenever possible.
There are many benefits to eating locally
grown food. Not only is it fresher, but eating
locally also helps to reduce your environmental
impact by reducing the need to
use fossil fuel to transport food.
My house is still stocked with local food
from last fall’s harvest. My freezer holds
pumpkin puree, applesauce, sliced apples,
freezer jam, berries, beans, tomatoes and
green tomato relish. My cupboards are full
of jams and jellies, and drying herbs can
be found throughout my house.
Gardening is a family affair. My family
enjoyed growing, processing and cooking
the 15 pumpkins we grew last year.
The adventure started in May when my
son and I planted the seeds. By October,
my husband and son were busy extracting
pulp, drying seeds and, of course, sculpting
faces. Fifteen pumpkins yield a lot of
pumpkin puree. We made soup, loaves,
cookies and pies throughout the fall, and
froze the rest for winter.
Another cooking adventure came from
my neighbours’ yards. I enlisted my treeclimbing
son to fill bags with wonderful
Manitoba apples and crabapples, which
we turned into other delights: crisps,
pancakes, pies, cakes, muffins, sauce and
jelly. Of course, we made some “thank
you jelly” for our generous neighbours,
strengthening neighbourhood relationships
and teaching a sense of community to my
son.
Herbs are easily grown and can flourish
in Manitoba’s warm summers. They smell
wonderful and offer great flavours that can
cut down on your use of the salt-shaker at
the table and while cooking. It’s easy to go
out to your garden and cut a few chives or
some dill for your potato dish, or make a
pesto with
basil, oregano, parsley
or sage. Need some rosemary for your
lamb dish? Send out
your child to cut some.
If you don’t have space for a full garden,
there are still plenty of ways to get closer to
your food. You can grow some plants, such
as herbs and cherry tomatoes, in pots on a
balcony.
Some herbs also grow well in pots indoors
on a sunny window ledge.
Berry-picking in Manitoba is a summertime
tradition. Watch your child’s face as
she bites into a fresh strawberry. Discover
where you can find saskatoon bushes and
wild blueberry plants in your community.
Fruits can be frozen and enjoyed throughout
the year.
If you’d rather leave the growing up to
the professionals, farmers’ markets give
you a chance to meet the people who
grow your vegetables and fruit or raise
the chicken, beef, pork, or other meat on
your grill. There are many bustling farmers’
markets open throughout the city in the
summer and fall.
Getting closer to your food through gardening
or other activities is healthy for your
body, your family and your planet.
Rosemary Szabadka is a registered
dietitian with the Winnipeg Health Region.
48 WAVE