History in a Virtual Workshop

Bottling Beets with O’Brien Farm

The O’Brien Farm is a working farm where people learn about and practice sustainable food production alongside the story of Irish settlement in St. John’s.

Chopping beets at home during the workshop

In coordination with the O’Brien Farm, we offered a food skills workshop on preserving seasonal produce, hosted by Heritage Programming Officer Kate Pitcher and Food Animator, Ryan Steeves.

The workshop was a hands-on, but virtual, event. Each participant each received a pickling kit including fresh beets, jars & lids, vinegar, sugar, and printed instructions delivered to their home. Everyone worked along with Ryan as he demonstrated the process from his own kitchen.

“The goal was to teach people the skill, and also make them curious about the process and interested in doing more.”

In addition to the basic pickling recipe everyone worked on, tips and ideas were shared about possible additions to the recipe to switch up the flavour, as well as ideas of other vegetables that would work well with this method of preserving.

Aaron Rogers, Farm Manager, ready to delivery workshop kits from Thimble Cottage

Kate Pitcher offered an historical perspective on food production in our province, drawing on the history of farming in St. John’s. Home gardens played an important part in a family’s diet in the past and those traditions carry on today. Traditionally root vegetables, such as beets, carrots, and potatoes, were the most popular as they grow well in our conditions and can be easily stored. Kate passed along along with great information on planting and growing your own beets at home. 

Foods can be preserved in many different ways, including freezing, drying, smoking, bottling, making jams & jellies. For instance, root cellars were a vital piece of ‘food tech’ before global shipping and refrigeration were common. A root cellar can keep potatoes and onions good for up to 8 months, carrots and parsnips up to 6, and beets up to 3 months. Even cabbage will keep in a good root cellar for about 4 months. These stored vegetables were vital to winter survival in times before fast-shipping to supermarkets, and can be used today.

Learning to use these methods is a great way to extend the season and have local produce available year round. It’s also a handy way to save a variety of fresh items you purchase at the store but don’t quite get to eating before they lose their peak freshness. If you can preserve that produce for future use, you keep it out of landfills and save your money.

These skills are enjoying new attention as we focus on ways to improve food security locally.

For more information about the O’Brien Farm Foundation, visit https://www.obrienfarm.ca/