Wildcrafting in British Columbia

Yesterday was my first full day in Vancouver, BC, and in the evening I ended up using the house bicycle to ride a few blocks to the nearest Community Garden. This garden is the Cypress Community Gardens along the Arbutus Corridor, and upon walking into the wonderland, a wonderful lady named Annah explained that the gardens were under threat. Canadian Pacific state that due to maintenance and re vegetation works along the railway all structures, gardens and sheds will have to be removed by July 31st.



More and more peoples gardens are being snatched from under their feet. Most people I know are unable to own a home of their own and plant food to feed themselves, and governments encroach more and more on community gardens and rented plots.
As I walked around the garden again tonight, I had a thought as I picked all things wild, edible, medicinal and beautiful... These people are the real warriors.
Not only for the fierce act that is growing food in this Western world, not only due to food security, but for providing sanctuary for people!

I walked the corridors and my mood was instantly bright, people were reading and taking photos of bees gathering pollen and picking apples and smiling and sniffing the air. One woman stated that everyday she takes the longer route to her sons house just to see the beauty that is this work of passionate community.
There were so many plants, so many bees! So much abundance... these are the people we need to thank, for our mental clarity and wellbeing...
As I walked passed a small Gingko tree I was reminded that Chinese monks single handedly saved the species from extinction- and looking around, I was filled with a deep love for the people that are trying to do the same for many species of plants as we stand in the mist of the 6th greatest extinction on Earth, not only for Fauna species, but for Flora.

As I walked I picked the food for our dinner.... I picked food I knew my partner could eat (who struggles with digestive issues), and food for the people I am staying with whom I owe a tremendous amount of gratitude... and of course, my way of showing my thanks is to feed people!

I made a salad of water lettuce, dandelion, violet, chive flowers, fennel pollen, mint, nasturtium leaves and flowers and cos lettuce, sage and califlower mash with garlic flowers, stuffed hollyhock flowers, with the stuffing made of blended zuchinni, capsicum, mixed nuts, chia and hemp seeds, and battered comfrey leaves.






The smiles on the faces of those I made this meal for was well worth it, and the experience of foraging for my food is one I would love to have more time for in my day to day life. It was magickal to put the time into walking the community corridors and selecting my dinner fresh and full of vitality.
The meal was light, nutritious and extremely colourful!

Please sign the petition at this website for the arbutus community garden corridor:
http://cypresscommunitygarden.ca/arbutus-corridor/


Comments

  1. Beautiful post Taj .. thank you!

    Your love and passion for what you do and what you stand for shining through as always .. meal sound and looks wonderful xo

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