I’m back. Did you miss me? I allowed myself to take a few weeks off from the blog as I transition into a new phase of my life. I hope you understand.
On May 1st, a new cycle began. For many personal reasons, I decided to take one year off from work. It was a scary, but well-thought-out decision that I made over the course of several months. Don’t you
worry, I’m not jumping into nothingness. I have far too many hobbies and interests for that to happen. First and foremost, however, this year off is intended for rest, rejuvenation and activities that feed my soul.
On that note, I joined an urban gardening program, the City Farm School, back in March. Based at Concordia University in downtown Montreal, the 8-month market gardener internship takes us through the full growing season, from the greenhouse, to the garden, to the market. Similar to WWOOF-ing, if you will, but right in the city.
Throughout this post, you will find pictures from the greenhouse, where we’ve been growing seedlings since early March. Don’t you love all this life?
My interest in gardening is far from new. When I was growing up, my parents had a large garden in the backyard where they grew most of the produce our family ate, all organically. When I think about it now, it saddens me a little bit. It saddens me that I took this amazing resource for granted and only grew a genuine interest in gardening after moving out.
It wasn’t long after switching to an urban lifestyle in 2001 that I started feeling as though something was missing. While I loved everything that urban living had to offer, a closer connection with nature is what I was craving.
In January, I remember declaring to Jason: “This year, I will be gardening no matter what”. I’ve been on a waiting list for a community garden allotment for over two years and I decided to take matters into my own hands rather than wait passively for my number to come up. So I did some research and was pleased to find out that Montreal is full of opportunities in urban gardening.
While I’m only two months into the program, I’m already getting a lot out of it. When I’m at the greenhouse or at the garden, I feel happy and at peace. I know that’s exactly where I’m meant to be.
I intend to keep you updated on my learning process throughout the season. And of course, I will continue posting recipes on a regular basis. In fact, I cannot wait to cook with our very own organic produce!
We learned how to do soil blocks on Thursday (I love how they look like brownies).
Beautiful seedlings (basil).
Chamomile seedlings.
Nasturtium seedlings.
Onion seedlings.
P.S. Are you in Montreal? Come check out our seedling sale on May 15 & 16!