This growing season, I have teamed up with friend and experienced gardener/plantsman Barry Parker to offer hands on gardening and canning workshops in Toronto. We’ve started off with 3 workshops in the month of May and plan to offer a few more later in the season based on interest, time, etc.
- Pickled Spring: Homecanning Asparagus and Other Spring Ephemerals
Fri, May 21, 2010. 11am-1pm - Growing Hardy Succulents in Containers: Sat, May 22, 2010. 10am-noon
- Growing Tomatoes in Containers: Sat, May 29, 2010. 10am-noon
- Barry will also be showing his garden and selling seedling and transplants of some of the fascinating and unusual perennials he has collected over the years on May 23rd, June 27, July 11, and Oct 3rd this year.
The great thing about handling these workshops in our own venue is that we have the chance to organize them how we’d like and make the call on class sizes, etc. Over the years, I have found that I prefer to teach in small groups so that everyone gets the personal touch. This includes little extras like tea and snacks for classes that run long or through meal times and lots of time to ask questions and receive one-on-one attention. Additionally, the workshops will be held right in Barry’s beautiful and inspiring garden. Canning workshops will be conducted around a professional, restaurant-sized stove with lots of room for attendees to participate in all aspects of canning and move around freely within the space.
We’re pretty excited to be doing this and hope you’ll join us this year.
If you have any questions beyond the descriptions, feel free to email.
OMG, super excited for the canning class!
Matt: Nice to hear! Asparagus are coming on fast this year! I had my first taste last week. I’ve already been pickling a few samples of other spring foods, including ramps which you can see in the above photo.
I will bring tasting samples to the class and whatever ingredients I can get in season by the class date.
I figure conducting the class on a Friday gives everyone a chance to get to a market on Saturday to try at home.
so cool. wish i could come! i have always wanted to learn how to can.
Oh, drat. You should take this show on the road :) First stop, San Francisco.
Blake: I’ve done lots of hands-on gardening workshops in other cities and will continue to do so if the opportunities present themselves and the match is right. Too tricky to organize a venue myself though since I am coming from Canada and can’t bring anything with plants, soil, seeds over the border. So in those cases I must work with a garden store, etc that can offer up the needed supplies.
P.S. I am ALWAYS open to San Francisco — love that city!
Yes, makes sense. Silly border. Well, if you ever need a hand in SF, I’m up for it!
I am new on here and love your website, and will be purchasing a book very soon. We moved to the country and are going all out with a huge garden, and deck container gardenning. We are out a little north of Kingston, Ontario. Do you have any tips on starting asparagus from seed, we have never done it before. Also, any herbs or veggies that can grow indoors year round. And hmmm, a workshop out in Kingston, Ontario, only 3 hours away, I would come for sure!!!
Oh I hope you (or someone) does something like this in Montreal. Once the tomatoes get delicious and megacheap at Jean Talon market I want to buy them by the crateful – and my freezer will only hold so many tubs of sauce.
Got your books while visiting Toronto 3 weeks ago. love them!!!