"If we were blind for one day each year, how we would enjoy the other three hundred and sixty-four.” ~Isaac Asimov
The world is a crazy place at the best of times, no?
Like most Canadians, we read the news (or watch it) most days and continue to be amazed at how the world rolls. The quote above reminds us of the great relief brought on by the month of October, Thanksgiving month.
Ahhh! A moment to breathe, stop, reflect, and give thanks.
|
There are many diversions in our lives that take away the temptation to be thankful. For gardeners, winter can be a bit like that: it arrives to relieve us of the obligations of the out of doors. The digging, weeding, mulching, harvesting that occupies our mind and days
.
And then boom, a killing frost that brings it all to a screaming halt.
That is, except for the pumpkin carving and leaf raking.
For just one day we would like to put concerns about war and climate change, the threat of recession, increasing interest rates and you name it, on the back burner.
There, we won’t forget about them as they are real, and this is our reality.
But for that one day, we will focus on what we have, here and now. We will think about having a full tummy, the bounty of a successful harvest from the Canadian garden. A year long celebration of the Year of the Garden!
And if we don’t have a bounty of our own to celebrate, we will visit a local farmers market and marvel at the bounty there. Fresh veggies, apples, and honey. We may pick up a bottle of this year’s crop of maple syrup.
|
We will put new value on friendships, family and neighbours who smile and wish us a good day.
And we will try to remember the feeling of seeing that first snowdrop poking through the soil come March. On the south side of the house, an impossibly brave flower that no doubt will freeze and get snowed upon before its short flowering life is over.
That feeling? That exhilaration at seeing the first snowdrop? If we succeed on holding on to that feeling, that is how we would see the world differently if we were blind for just one day a year.
This Thanksgiving, we will be thankful for the small things and the big things that make our lives complete. The very things that give us the strength and courage to read the news everyday and gird ourselves to the responsibility of being free.
We hope you enjoy Thanksgiving month, as we will.
Mark and Ben Cullen
Merchants of Organic Beans and Beauty
|
|
As the annual flowers fade, plant spring flowering Holland bulbs. Tulips, daffodils and the like.
While you are out there 'filling in holes' where your tired petunias once stood, plant some fall, frost hardy colour with asters, mums, rudbeckia, butterfly bush. Check out the selection at your local garden retailer.
Compost. Dig out the finished compost that is in your bin or pile and put it on the surface of your garden where the earth worms will pull it down. Fill your bin with fallen leaves mixed with spent annual plants and tomato plants.
Leaves. When they start to fall, run them over with your lawn mower and rake them on to your garden. See the worm comment above. You will be amazed at how the worms consume leaves in tremendous quantities next spring.
Harvest everything that is ready and go to local farmers markets for fresh food and a Halloween pumpkin.
Wait until late October or early November (depending on where you live in this vast country) for the 'winterizing' jobs. We will cover this in the November newsletter.
|
|
We were happy to join the Canadian Organic Trade Association for a webinar on how to garden in any environment.
What a great way to celebrate Organic Week.
|
|
Last month, we invited you to send a photo of your favourite part of your garden. We were overwhelmed by the number of photos we received. Thank you to everyone who shared with us.
We entered your names in a draw for a copy of Garden Canada (value $40), a new book that celebrates the year of the garden in Canada AND a Markham Fair Special Pass (free admission for two adults and up to three children) value $60.
Winners were notified September 16, 2022 and your prizes are in the mail.
Congratulations to Sylvia P., Carol F., and Corey W.
|
|
MARK AND BEN IN THE TORONTO STAR |
We write a weekly column for the New In Homes & Condos section of the Saturday Toronto Star.
In case you missed it, these are the exciting gardening/environment columns we wrote in September.
|
|
BIRDS IN FOCUS:
Cedar Waxwing
By: Jody Allair
|
|
Not all yard birds are attracted to your bird feeder. Some are more interested in your berry- or fruit- producing trees and shrubs. Meet the Cedar Waxwing, arguably one of the most elegant birds found in Canada, and one that will feed on fruiting trees throughout the southern parts of the country during the fall and winter.
Overall, Cedar Waxwings have a smooth, polished, light-brown plumage, with grayish wings, pale bellies and undertail feathers. Bright yellow tips on the tail, black mask, a stylish crest on the head – and of course, the trademark red waxy tips on the wing coverts – give them some added flair. You should also keep an ear open for their thin, high-pitched trills which are often given in flight.
|
|
Cedar Waxwing
Photo credit: Yousif Attia
|
|
Few birds are as captivating to watch in your neighbourhood as Cedar Waxwings. Their fascinating behaviours include occasional intoxication from eating fermented berries, and males courting females with gifts of flower petals.
How do you attract these sleek-looking songbirds to your yard? Fruit-producing trees such as Serviceberry, Mountain Ash, Crabapple, Chokecherry (which are being consumed in my yard by Cedar Waxwings as I type this) and even cedars will appeal to Cedar Waxwings. And they won't just cruise by for some good eats; in the spring they may also stick around to nest. I often find them nesting in larger tree saplings, such as Sugar Maple or Manitoba Maple. In my old yard back in Southern Ontario a pair nested in the same Sugar Maple for three years in a row.
Good Birding!
Jody Allair
Director, Community Engagement
Connect with me on Twitter at: @JodyAllair
|
|
HARROWSMITH MAGAZINE – Feature Recipe
Apple Cinnnamon Swirl Bread
Sweet and gooey, this easy-to-make Apple Cinnamon Swirl Bread is almost as sinful as a cinnamon bun. Buy apple butter or use our recipe to make it from a jar of unsweetened apple sauce. Find the recipe for Harrowsmith Magazine’s most delicious fall bread here: https://www.harrowsmithmag.com/apple-cinnamon-bread.
|
|
Don’t miss an issue of Harrowsmith’s gardening, cooking, sustainable living and DIY tips. The Harrowsmith Almanac is on newsstands now and features 12 months of weather forecasts, night sky charts, amazing nature facts, easy one-pan meals and essential gardening advice — including what spring-flowering bulbs to plant now —from Mark and Ben Cullen & so much more!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
