Practical Skills

10.15.22Threshing Dried Beans
A Low-Tech Method for Small-Scale Growers
Small-scale dry bean growers often lack the large equipment needed to quickly thresh their crop. In this video, Rebecca Jehn of Rebecca’s Garden in Victoria, BC, demonstrates a fast, low-tech method for threshing dried beans.

10.21.21Six Ways to Screen and Winnow Seeds
Simple Tools for Threshing Seeds
Gardeners who save seed, or grow and harvest grains, know that separating seeds from their pods or husks can be a time-consuming job. While large industrial growers use machines to thresh and winnow seed crops, home seed savers can look […]

10.1.19Extend the Growing Season
Season Extension Techniques for Winter Gardening
By warming the soil and protecting plants from the rain and cold, gardeners can gain weeks or months of additional growing time at both ends of the season. Season extension does not need to be costly—especially when you use scrap […]

8.26.19How to Save Tomato Seeds
Slideshow: Saving Your Favourite Tomatoes for Next Season
If you enjoy eating tomatoes ripe from your garden, consider saving the seed of some of this season’s harvest for next year. Saving tomato seeds is easy. The basic rule is to choose heirloom and open-pollinated tomatoes for seed saving […]

1.26.14Victoria’s Village Butcher
Putting a Cutting Edge on Artisan Meats
On Vancouver Island, small food businesses and eateries are taking part in a culinary awakening. Fresh meats and produce, humane treatment of the land and animals, fewer food miles, direct connections with growers, and superior flavour are all part of […]

7.16.13Pie Crust 101
Slideshow: The Easy Science Behind Pastry Baking