Little City Homestead

13/09/2021

29/06/2021

Harvest from the Duff-Court Urban Farm in Montreal!

08/04/2021

The growing season has begun in Lachine, Quebec, Canada!

This season we are working with the Duff-Court Urban Farm in addition to growing food at our urban homestead.

Stay tuned for more updates and growing tips!

10/09/2020

It is possible to grow a lot of food in tiny urban spaces. Here are some pictures from our garden in Lachine, Montreal, Canada.

You will notice, our corn got about 12 - 15 feet tall. We have very productive tomato, peppers and eggplants. Our grape vine has successfully grown along our guiding wires on the trellis that we built this year. Tomatillo and ground cherry plants are growing all over our yard - we left some and they have become beasts. We have had bountiful harvests and don’t want them to end.

There is still time to plant spinach, lettuce, chard, radishes, among others. Happy end of summer gardening.

With Erik Chevrier and Kim Gagnon

28/07/2020

Did you know that you can propagate plants from runners? Most varieties of strawberries will produce a series of shoots. Simply pop them, root first, into some earth and watch a new plant grow! Once your new strawberry plant has established, you can cut the runner and voilà, you have a brand new independent plant that you can plant somewhere else in the garden or give to a friend!

In the past we have struggled with slugs eating our strawberries on ground level. This year we decided to build a strawberry tower made of crates, pvc piping and gardening fabric inspired by video we saw on YouTube. So far, so good as we have harvested every strawberry that has come in to date. We also planted a few cherry tomatoes and lettuce in the mix which are also doing very well.

26/07/2020

26/07/2020

Today’s harvest! Garlic, cucumbers, blueberries, beans, peas and tomatoes.

15/07/2020

Lamb's Quarters (Chenopodium album) is common wild, edible w**d that can be found all over the americas and most of the world. This herb is referred to by many names, Goosefoot (because the leaves resemble a goose foot), Lamb's Quarters, melde, fat hen, pigw**d, and wild spinach is a favourite among foragers and can be used just as you would spinach. This nutrient-dense member of the amaranth family is high in vitamin A, calcium, B-complex vitamins, vitamin C, iron, and fibre. We experimented by preparing Lamb's Quarters into a pesto (Lamb's Quarters, basil, parmesan-reggiano, olive oil, garlic, cashews, lemon juice salt and pepper) and sautéing it in olive oil with garlic, onions. We give it two thumbs up! Thanks to Mohammed at Le jardin du Coviq Le jardin du Coviq for introducing us to this tasty and nutritious green. Be sure to check out Le jardin du Coviq's produce at Les P'tits Marchés de Lachine

12/07/2020

Hello! Welcome to Little City , a project to encourage people to learn more about homesteading, urban farming, food sovereignty, food security and food justice. Our goal is to inspire and empower ourselves and others to reclaim the ability to produce, transform, and process, food, as well as manage food waste at home and within the local community. This project is being managed by food professor and researcher, Erik Chevrier and multimedia specialist Kim Gagnon. Feel free to follow and engage with us for tips, ideas and more!

08/07/2020

(Portulaca oleracea) is a tasty and common edible “w**d” that you may already have growing in your garden. Thank you to Mohammed at Le jardin du Coviq and COVIQ Comité de vie de quartier Duff-Court for introducing us to this tasty and nutritious green. We experimented by adding purslane to accompany fried eggs, potato salad and pesto pasta. The flavour is mild and similar to spinach or watercress which makes the culinary possibilities endless. We are happy to have since discovered we had some growing in our own garden. Needless to say, we will no longer be pulling them out of the garden unless it is to eat!