Community Flavours

I spent yesterday morning at the Newlands Neighbourhood House with the Arabic Speaking Women's group. It was their first big get together after a break for Ramadan, so we enjoyed a bit of a feast. The main dishes were fresh falafel; tabouleh and a mixture of cracked wheat, lentils and onion--I asked for the name, but don't feel confident that I can remember it accurately, let alone transliterate it. The Community Garden Group just happened to be meeting at the same time. They're working on a concept plan which includes a wood-fired oven, picnic tables and a herb garden. There was some great interaction between the groups, and after sitting down to a meal together, the gardeners decided that Monday is a great day for them to be at the Community Centre! There was a natural interplay between enjoying the food, identifying the flavours and naming herbs which might grow in the garden. I'm going to have to do some home-work to get some pictures and names for the gardeners. As a bonus, we might be able to incorporate pictures of some of the herbs into the quilt we're working on for the Neighbourhood House.

Here's some sage that's sitting in my window-sill. Sage didn't figure in yesterday's conversation, but I've been promising myself to take this picture. My friend A brought me the sage from her garden . . . roast pumpkin and sage risotto is on my menu for this week.