Coffee Talk audio -

I LOVE garden season.  It's simply one of the absolute best times of year. 

My snack today is those awesome baby cukes and raspberries picked off the bushes in my back yard.  I made my first batch of bruschetta this week using tomatoes and basil from my own garden and it is truly one of my favorite things to enjoy at this time of year.  I grew up in a gardening family and have a hard time fathoming those who don’t embrace the growing season. The City of Saskatoon, in conjunction with our school boards, have taken a leadership role in creating urban gardens throughout the community for those willing to do the work.  Those gardens are also intended to supplement residents who would feel the pinch of purchasing fresh produce at a store.  Interestingly, a part of the world where the urban garden is a true success story is Cuba.  In 1991 when communist Russia fell - Cuba's greatest trading partner - the island nation suffered a food crisis. A pilot project that we only launched in the last few years has been a thriving success in Cuba for the last two decades.  If you own your own home or even have a rental property with its own yard, you might initially wonder what the big deal ism but for an increasing portion of our province's population - especially in light of housing prices - growing a garden isn't an option when you're living in a rental unit or apartment style condo.  My gardening really doesn't amount to much more than puttering but I'm hoping to change that next year and I am extremely grateful when my Mom, who still plants and tends her own sizable garden, shares the bounty every fall.   Depending on the haul, I'll be glad to head down south in September to help can tomatoes and pickles or make salsa.  There is nothing like home canned tomatoes in piping pot of chili, in the dead of winter, to give you a glimmer of spring.  

That's Coffee Talk, I'm Vanese Ferguson.