Gardening and Cooking in Season
“The glory of gardening: hands in the dirt, head in the sun, heart with nature. To nurture a garden is to feed not just a body but the soul.” —Alfred Austin
The benefits of gardening are enormous and everyone who gardens finds something to meet their own needs and interests. In this weekly class we explore those benefits together and encourage each other to experiment, explore and have fun in the garden. We look at ways to improve our diets through cooking in season or growing our own food. No experience is required, nor is having your own garden - all levels of experience are welcomed and valuable to our group!
The focus of our classes moves with the seasonal changes. In the upcoming fall session some of the topics we will cover include:
top fall gardening tasks
seeds to plant in fall for next year's blooms
growing great garlic
planting fall bulbs for an amazing spring display
naturalizing bulbs in your lawn or garden
vermicompost & its benefits
the poop on manure
fall leaves: a gardener's gold!
tasty treats from your fall harvest
plastic, wood or ceramic planters & pots - benefits and drawbacks
everyone can grow sprouts
stocking your winter pantry
We’d love to have you join our group and glory in the garden with us!
Date: Wednesdays weekly
Time: 3:00 PM-4:00 PM
Location: Online (a link and instructions will be provided)
Instructor: Joanna Wilke (return2rootsbwp@gmail.com)
About the Instructor
I’ve always loved to garden. It is my place of solitude and community, relaxation and excitement, creativity and education. I also enjoy cooking and preserving food for my family of 5, providing nourishing, colorful and healthy meals created out of produce that we grow on our 33’ x 122’ city lot in Vancouver. Homeschooling our 3 children for 8 years aided in curriculum planning when I developed a gardening and nutrition program at a local elementary school. The Garden Buddy program led to my involvement with the BC Brain Wellness Program and the creation of the gardening & nutrition class entitled, “Return to Roots,” now entering its 3rd year. Although my formal education is in music, gardening and cooking have intertwined with my music career throughout my life and I greatly enjoy teaching all three subjects. The garden and other gardeners continue to inspire me as I learn something new every day!