Good Food Box Newsletter – July 30, 2025

Note: Our apologies for not posting the bag contents this week. You’ll see them again next week. We appreciate your patience, it’s been a busy week with staff holidays.

Sincerely, the Good Food Box team

Farm Folk City Folk Victoria are donating Lagos Spinach, Malabar Spinach, Cilantro & Collard Greens to our culturally relevant bags this week.

Dishing up the Dirt shares this crunch, no cook collard greens slaw. It comes with a long list of crunchy ingredients that ae fantastic for swapping out and adding something crunchy from your produce drawer. Find the recipe here and see how easy and delicious this is. It just might make it into our weekly meal planning.

This salad is full of texture and flavour full! It’s perfect for a picnic, BBQ, or weeknight meal featuring simple, local, seasonal ingredients.

Find Peel with Zeal’s recipe and directions here.

Learn more about Lagos spinach here.

Try this Palak chana dal with it’s saucy chickpea stew featuring tumeric, spices, tomatoes and Lagos spinach. Where this recipe takes time and ingredients, it makes up for in flavour. You’ll not want to leave any left overs.

Find the ingredients and instructions on Poppy’s Wild Kitchen here.

Malabar spinach has the texture of chard and tastes of a slight citrusy with a mild peppery flavour.

This spinach really pops in this recipe by Tasty Licious. Find the recipe here.

This quick and easy recipe adds layers of flavour to almost anything you try it with. It’s delicious with sweet potato fries, in a chicken wrap, over roasted chicken and veg, or as a spread in a sandwich. The Black Peppercorn shares it’s recipe here.

Not all cooking oils are created equal!

Some boost your health-others fuel inflammation.

Cook with: butter, ghee, tallow, coconut oil, virgin olive

oil.

X Avoid: sunflower, canola, grapeseed, corn oil & plant-based butter.

Choose smarter fats for better health.

Note: there is lots of information out there about which oils to cook with and which to avoid – be sure to do your own research and decide for yourself which works best for your cooking needs.

Find this graphic here.

Check out or social media where you’ll find updates, reels with our food security intern prepping some delicious recipes from our bag contents.

Facebook 

Instagram

Join us for a hands-on session where we’ll learn how to support one of nature’s smallest but most vital helpers: native bees. This workshop is all about building pollinator habitat, deepening connection, and empowering you with simple tools to take action in your own space—whether it’s a backyard garden or balcony.

Together, we’ll explore the world of mason bees, solitary native pollinators that are gentle, non-aggressive, and incredibly efficient at pollinating fruits, veggies, and flowers. You’ll learn how to create a safe, functional nesting site for them and how to make your space more inviting for all kinds of beneficial insects.

What to Expect:

• A warm welcome and short farm walk focused on pollinator-friendly habitat, hedgerows, and wild plantings
• An intro to native pollinators and the essential roles they play in our food system and ecosystems
• A hands-on building session where you’ll make your own mason bee house using natural and upcycled materials (no tools or experience required!)
• Time to connect with others, ask questions, and soak in the landscape

You’ll Go Home With:

• A deeper understanding of how to restore balance and biodiversity right where you are
• A handmade mason bee house, ready to hang in your garden or green space
• A curated selection of pollinator plant seeds (Pacific Northwest natives + useful herbs and wildflowers)
• A printed handout with instructions for bee house placement and care, plant suggestions, and tips for creating a pollinator-friendly space

This workshop is open to adults and teens (ages 12+). Younger kids are welcome with a ticketed adult and may need help during the building activity.

We’ll be outdoors on the farm, rain or shine (with covered space if needed), so dress for the weather and bring a water bottle.

Register here.

Don’t stop planting! Here’s what you can sow in late summer for a winter harvest. Source is found here.

Pick up some of your winter harvest seedlings at one of the local seedling give away locations. Learn more about the Get Growing program here.

ur last Fruit Tree Project Orientations of the season are coming up in early August! 

If you’re new to the Fruit Tree Project — or haven’t joined at least 3 picks in the last 2 years — you’ll need to attend a General Orientation to get started.

 Looking to get more involved? Sign up as a Harvest Leader or Tree Assessor!

We’ve heard from many of you that it can be tough to grab a volunteer spot — that’s because we have lots of enthusiastic pickers, but not enough Harvest Leaders to lead the way.

If you’ve got a driver’s license and a love of fruit and community, we’d love for you to join the Harvest Leader team!

 5 Perks of Being a Harvest Leader:
 Set your own schedule
 Invite your friends to join your picks
 Choose the fruit you want to harvest
 Lead picks near home — or explore new neighborhoods
 Make a big impact by helping distribute fresh, local food in your community

 Sign up for an orientation through our Gleaning Hub: https://gleaning.lifecyclesproject.ca/

#fruitseason #lifecyclesproject #volunteeropportunities #CommunityHarvest #eatlocal #localfoodmovement #urbanharvest #fruittreeproject #yyj

Tired of struggling with poor, compact, or nutrient-lacking soil? These powerhouse plants don’t just survive — they improve the soil for everything else growing nearby.

• Clover – Adds nitrogen and breaks up hard soil
• Comfrey – Deep roots mine nutrients & add biomass
• Vetch – A nitrogen-fixing cover crop superstar
• Alfalfa – Feeds the soil and attracts pollinators
• Daikon Radish – Breaks up compacted soil like a natural tiller
• Fava Beans – Boost fertility while feeding you too
• Lupines – Pretty blooms and powerful nitrogen fixers
• Buckwheat – Fast grower that enriches and protects
• Chicory – Long taproots bring nutrients to the top

 Tip: Plant them as cover crops, in rotation, or mixed into your garden beds. Let nature restore your soil — no chemicals needed!

Source: FB: Growing Gardens Made Simple! 

he magic spray that grandma silently prepared 

A homemade, natural, and effective recipe to clean and perfume your home without harsh chemicals.

 Ingredients and preparation:

 Place lemon peels in a jar with white vinegar
 Let it sit for 1 week to obtain a natural concentrate

 Add a sprig of rosemary or lavender
 Provides a delicate aroma and helps repel insects

 Pour the mixture into a spray bottle
 Use it on glass, countertops, and sinks
 Cleans, disinfects, and leaves a shine without rinsing

 Shake gently before each use
A drop of tradition for a healthy home. Source found here.

Next weekend! Join us for a fun outdoor art session in the HUB courtyard! Kamryn will be teaching us “en plein air” painting, the practice of creating art outdoors directly from the subject. It emphasizes capturing the immediate impression of the scene, including light, atmosphere, and changing conditions. All supplies will be provided!

Sunday August 3rd 2pm-4pm
1701 Quadra Street

Made possible by the City of Victoria’s My Great Neighbourhood grant.

Register here.

Couplets and crafts is a cozy open mic and gathering for people who enjoy crafts and poetry. We will meet at NeighbourSpace (709 Douglas St) at 7:00pm.

Please bring your own craft to work on. Please do not bring anything very messy or smelly. Things like knitting, sketching, crochet, embroidery, colouring, and drawing are good. There will not be any crafts provided. If you are unsure if you can bring your craft message me and check!

If you plan to read a poem please sign up on the sign up sheet linked in the bio. You do not have to read a poem to attend. You do need to bring a craft.

You can read your own poem or someone else’s. There are only a few open mic spots so make sure to sign up soon!

This is a free event.

I’m looking forward to this open mic for people with busy hands!

#yyjpoetry #yyjevents #victoriabc #openmic #crafts #knitting #crochet #art #embroidery #sketching #poems #poetry #writers #writing

During Flavour Trails festival weekends, hit the trails to explore the best of local food! Visit farms, gardens, cideries, breweries, distilleries, markets, restaurants, and food businesses across the region and enjoy feature offers, tours, demonstrations, tastings and more!

Learn more at www.flavourtrails.com

Registration now open! Queer Community Dinner is coming up on August 9th! Save your spot by calling, or using the link in our bio!

See you soon!

Photo: Queer community dinner information: May 10th! Doors @5pm, Dinner @5:30pm; Suggested donation: $5-$20; Call 250-370-9101 ext 1 or find the registration link at https://oaklands.life/queer-programs

#queeryyj #queercommunitydinner #qcd #oaklandsca