A Different Kind of Convenience

As you may know I have been traveling with my wife, Terry, for the last little while and have landed in Holland and stayed put for a bit. Holland has been marvelous and I have seen some wonderful things here. It is great seeing things coming alive, the smells and the sights have been breath taking. Some special things I have seen are the flower market and the botanical garden. The flower market just made my mouth water. Imagine being able to purchase 100 bulbs for 10 Euro. I wanted to fill bags and bags with bulbs and roots but I have a backpack.

The Botanical Garden or to be proper, the "Hortus Botanicus" has been around for more then 200 years, Imagine a garden older than Canada is! There were 200 year old specimen and I saw a semi-evergreen oak tree. This oak loses about 1/3 of its leaves in the fall and the rest stay green and on the tree until next years buds break. It is a graft and has a cultivar but I failed to retain it. It was interesting reading descriptions about plants that are suppose to be reacting to spring but seeing nothing. Spring is very late here and there are only a few bulbs that have flowered. It was a wonderful tour none-the-less. Another interesting thing I saw here was the grocery stores.

In North America we are into convenience foods, packaged everything and all kinds of RTS food products. This usually translates out to processed foods containing loads of sugar, salt and modified starches, among other things. Things that are not good for our bodies. You will be surprised to know that Holland is into convenience also but a different kind of convenience. In the grocery stores here you will find all kinds of prepared packaged foods that are fresh. You can find any kind of combination package on the shelf, stir fried vegetables, fresh, cut up and ready to cook. Salads of every description, ready to be mixed and served. Meats pre-portioned and seasoned, ready to go in the oven or on the grill. You can even get meats ready for soup, some small meat balls, some cubed meat and a bone for the stock all in one convenient package. I really cannot describe something that must be seen to be understood, and believed but it seems to me they have a healthy, fresh outlook towards convenience. My intention is to take this idea to my local grocery store when I return home, I'm hoping the idea will be appealing to them. I wonder what might happen if we all did? Enjoying the new things of Holland. Wes

yellow orchards

evergreen oak

Spring in the Air

I smell spring. It smells like wet dirt. Maybe like dirt that earth worms have been crawling through. I know I'm not describing it adequately enough but I'm sure you know what I mean and what I smell.

I'm sure I sound premature to most people, especially those trapped in the throws of a North American winter but I am, after all, in France. It is definitely spring here. The ground is green and brown. Green with blooming winter crops and brown waiting crops. You can see the vineyards are ready to do something but are not quite there, brown on the ground and ready to sprout. You can see it and you can smell it, that damp, almost ready to garden, dirt smell. I am actually on a high speed train between Nice and Paris and I can still smell it. It makes me long for the garden, wonder at what will grow this year, what weeds I will have trouble with and how much rain and sun we will get. It's spring in France. How far away can spring be in Canada? Here's wishing for an early spring and a great season of gardening and harvesting. Wes

Bees for the Future

I was noticing, yesterday that the beans Aaron planted in the backyard garden had planted had bees on them. It was a lovely scene with these tan colored bees going from one red flower to the next. In some areas it is a rare sight to see bees about their work of pollinating and collecting nectar. In fact bees missing from gardens had become a global concern.

Missing Bees

Over the past several years the bee population, world wide, has been in serious decline. Most countries have reported these declines with the United States and Australia experiencing significant loss. Beekeepers in the US have reported losing one-third to all of their bees due to a mysterious phenomenon known as colony collapse disorder. Canada has reported a 36% decline in colonies and a 10% reduction in honey production, over the last two years. This mysterious collapse may have several causes: infection; bee mites or colder temperatures. However, there is no conclusive evidence to any of these. In the mean time the bee industry and its associates are scrambling to slow the decline. Honey Maid, a Canadian company and Haagen-Dazs are promoting and sponsoring programs that they hope will contribute to an increase in the bee population. Genome B.C. has launched a 2.5 million dollar research program to determine strains of hardier bees. But there are ways that ordinary people can become involved.

How You Can Help

One simple and yummy way you can help is to buy a tub of Haagen-Dazs ice cream. Supporting this company enables them to promote “pollinator gardens”. A pollinator garden is one that is designed specifically to support the bees and their production of honey. For examples and a look at the 2008 design winner check the recourses below. A second way is in the garden. Plant a “pollinator garden” or at least plants that require pollination. By planting gardens that include such flowers as Coneflower (Echinacea), Black-eyed Susan (Rubeckia) or Bee Balm (Monarda) (if you need more suggestions, please email us) you encourage bees. A vegetable garden will also encourage bees. Finally, if you make a little blank space in your garden, especially if you have sandy soil you will encourage bees to built nests in your gardens. This idea may raise some concerns about nesting bees and stings. I have what most people call a bee allergy. If I get stung I could have an anaphylactic shock. The truth is I am allergic to hornets and wasps not bees and almost no one in the world is allergic to the honey bee. So, go ahead get growing and encourage those bees. It will be sweet of you!

Resources:

http://www.beemaid.com/story;story,30;Help-us-save-the-honey-bee!

http://entomology.ucdavis.edu/news/honeybeehavenwinner.html

http://www.helpthehoneybees.com/#/honeyBeeCrisis/honeyBeeCrisis/

http://www2.canada.com/ottawacitizen/news/bustech/story.html?id=4de9483e-d16d-4d8f-9108-bfd252fedbee

http://www2.canada.com/vancouversun/news/story.html?id=57a62d1e-27aa-4019-a832-6a2f27cc3177

Eat Local!

I realize this is a Hellmanns commercial but it is something for us to think (act) about!
Lets start acting!

Guerilla Gardening in Alliston

Photography by: Aaron Harcourt
Article by: Sarah Sondergaard

Ever feel like taking an unused, run-down, dumpy area and making it beautiful? You can. You should. Just jump in and do it! There are areas of land all over the place that lie in neglect and all that needs to be done is a little inquiring and a lot of elbow grease. Many people will give permission and allow you to use their land if you are making it better. You can find great areas to plant flowers, vegetables and herbs, while making a once unsightly places magical and enjoyable for all who pass by.

If you are interested in anything like this, visit our community vegetable garden behind the Feed Mill in Alliston. Access from Nelson St. or from front of Feed Mill. You are not trespassing...owner permission granted. Come join us as we grow, harvest and eat!

Community Garden!

Just wanted to let everyone in the Alliston area know that we are currently starting a community garden. We have already tilled the land and it is now ready for planting. If anyone is interested in joining please let me know by commenting on the blog or emailing me. We hope to meet next weekend! Looking forward to having a few extra hands!

The, Not So Sweet, Smell Of Incense

Photography by: Aaron Harcourt
Article by: Wes Harcourt

Lately there has been news from around the world about burning incense, especially indoors and the effect that it has on our well being. Since this is a common and pleasant practice, we thought you would be interested in knowing the latest.

Cancer and Incense

Studies in the practices of burning incense have been done in Denmark, Taiwan and Singapore. These studies have been published in Cancer and New Scientist Magazine. The studies show that the use of incense, especially in enclosed settings, doubles and sometimes triples the risk of upper respiratory cancer. Research shows that the particulate that comes from burning incense is worse than second hand smoke and can pollute the air more than the car. The research conducted in Asia showed that the air quality in enclosed temples is poorer than the air quality in their most heavily trafficked cities.

What’s the Solution?

The best possible solution for yourself and people around you is not to burn incense at all. But this seems extreme, especially when it comes to religious practices. We cannot see an end at all to the use of incense in worship when it is documented in many sacred scripts from around the world, but the solution taken in Taiwan, to increase ventilation, seems a logical compromise. Worshippers in Taiwan and other Asian areas threw open the doors and windows of their places of worship to allow more breathable air into their temples. This could also take place here in our worship centre’s, except in winter months. In the winter months, exhaust fans should be brought into play for the sake of worshippers.

At home is another story. If children are present, then indoor incense burning should be suspended, as little ones are more susceptible to the fine particulate that incense produces. Outdoor burning should be considered at this point, in the garden, around the hot tub or on widow sills, are some suggestions. If you are going to burn incense indoors make sure you increase the ventilation too. Open the doors and windows and let the air flow free.

We would love to have your comments. Do you burn incense? What is your usual practice? Will this article change your habits? Do you think we are out in left field? Either way we want to hear from you so give us your comments, please.

Sources and Other Reading

http://news.bbc.co.uk Thursday, 2 August, 2001

www.cbc.ca Monday, August 25, 2008

http://health.usnews.com August 25, 2008

http://totobobo.com/blog info on August 31, 2008

http://publish.bsu.edu November 3, 2006

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