Despite what my bio for this column says, I’m really not much of a gardener. For me the Yukon summer has always been the time for travel, for river expeditions or multi-day alpine hikes, not for growing herbs or vegetables.
Whenever I stared guiltily at the weed-filled raised boxes in our yard my husband would say, “Don’t worry, we’re gatherers, not gardeners,” and I’d sigh with relief. Another summer of adventure!
All of that changed in the summer of 2021. Battered and bewildered by the uncertainties of the pandemic, we didn’t have the energy to plan a long wilderness trip, and travel out of the territory
was not appealing.
Our summer became one of car camping in Yukon campgrounds—revisiting old favourites, exploring new ones. We ran into friends, we took guided nature walks, we busted our butts on day hikes and paddled dreamily on small lakes and slow rivers. We were never away for more than five days at a time.
Suddenly, our schedule was such that we could garden. In late June, when we realized this, we scrambled to find seed potatoes and managed to scrounge a few from a friend. From the nearly empty greenhouses at Canadian Tire we bought two big pots of mixed kale and three bunches of celery. We planted it all in our newly weeded raised boxes. A neighbour helped with watering when we were away.
The garden was a revelation. We enjoyed kale Caesar salad all summer long. Celery leaves flavoured soups, sauces and salads. Now, the freezer is bursting with bags of kale, washed, chopped and frozen. And the greatest glory: in September we harvested 80 pounds of beautiful Yukon Gold potatoes.
It’s early February, and we’re still eating those potatoes–baked, fried, mashed, and boiled; we’re eating kale in salads, stir-fries and casseroles. We are so pleased with ourselves!
Wild food gathering is still my number one passion; that won’t change. But I’m already getting excited about next summer. There will be adventures. And there will be gardening.
A hearty, cheesy, main course that only needs a side salad for a complete, satisfying mid-winter meal. Adapted from Fine Cooking, October/November 2019
Mid-winter Potato, Kale and Cheddar Pie
Ingredients
Filling
Potatoes and Topping
Instructions
Notes