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Spring at Haliburton Farm
Managed to get to my first Haliburton Farm work party on Saturday. A lovely day for planting spinach, which we then covered with row cover to keep the critters out and give it some warmth while it grows. Might be the solution for my own garden where the leafminers dine well on all my leafy greens. Meanwhile, back in the kitchen Naomi had whipped up one of her nourishing soups for lunch, which we ate with some bread from her local organic bakery, and then ended the work party early. We had to clear out to make room for the new course running there, Growing Food in the City, but that left the better part of a (finally) sunny afternoon to play in our own gardens.
I was delighted to come across this clip of local TV coverage showing off Haliburton’s farmers. Thanks to Permaculture BC for posting it.
Of those featured, some extra info: Farmer Derek is in the process of taking over Carolyn Herriot‘s organic seed company, Seeds of Victoria, and Farmer Ray will be showing his considerable skills in compost building to attendees of the next COG-VI meeting that takes place at the farm next week (Canadian Organic Growers is another endangered species due to funding cuts – membership an inexpensive and hugely worthwhile way to help support organic farming – join today!). -
Spring on the wing
Spring is erupting in all directions. The Anna’s Hummingbird (Calypte anna) nest that graces my fence has very recently produced three newborns and I’m looking forward to watching their progress (and seeing how they all squeeze into a space that’s probably two inches across at most). It’s still damp and chilly here so the mother is spend
ing a good deal of time warming their hairless, featherless bodies. I knew they were big on nectar – hence their value as pollinators – but hadn’t realized they also chow on insects. I’ve hung a feeder nearby that should (for now) be safe from the ants who overran it last time I hung it out. I’ll have to make an ant moat if they become a problem again.Speaking of moats, I’m intrigued by the idea of a chicken moat. Not a chicken keeper myself, but I’m working on a group project around chickens for the Permaculture Design course I’m taking.
Other airborne creatures have been in the news lately. Meli sent me notice of the headline item that bees are being adversely affected by pesticides. I am not quite certain why it has suddenly become headline news that if pesticides kill insects, and bees are insects, then bees are going to be harmed by pesticide use, but I suppose it does not hurt to belabour this important point. To which should be added the related point that pesticides will also harm beneficial insects besides bees, as well as the higher life forms (hummingbirds, for example?) that feed on those – whether by poisoning them or by removing a food source.
Let us all (who are within geographical reach) celebrate our wisdom in these matters by heading off this Saturday to enjoy a pesticide-free work party at Haliburton Community Organic Farm.
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Seedy weekend
What has come to feel like a rare weekend of glorious (if not warm) sunshine brought out the seedies at Duncan’s Seedy Saturday. I’d been to one other at this venue, in 2010, and it’s grown hugely in popularity since then.It takes place at the Mercury Theatre, which is getting a little small to contain the interest. Upstairs was mobbed; downstairs was quieter, and featured my friends from Haliburton Community Organic Farm.
RogerFoucher Meanwhile outside there was some action: food vendors, plus fruit and nut trees and bushes, and a display of edible weeds from the highly knowledgeable wild foods educator Roger Foucher, who will be offering a workshop on wild & cultivated perennials in Victoria on April 1).
I got away with only five packages of seeds, and a shiny new blackcurrant bush. With luck I’ll be growing part of my own Christmas cake this year.
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In her latest collection, Rhona McAdam navigates the dark places of human movement through the earth and the exquisite intricacies lingering in backyard gardens and farmlands populated by insects and pollinators, all the while returning to the body, to the tune of staccato beats and the newly discovered symmetries within the human heart.
“…A beautiful, filling collection, Larder is a set of poems to read at the change of the seasons, to appreciate alongside a good meal, and to remind yourself of the beauty in everything, even the things you may not appreciate before opening McAdam’s collection….”
Rhona McAdam is a writer, poet, editor, and Registered Holistic Nutritionist with a Master’s in Food Culture from Italy and a deep-rooted passion for ecology and urban agriculture. Her work spans corporate and technical writing to poetry and creative nonfiction, often exploring the vital links between what we eat and how we live. Based in Victoria, BC, and available via Zoom, Rhona is always open to new writing commissions, readings, or workshops on nutrition and the culinary arts.
