A Tisket, A Tasket...

Naneen Tyner was the guest speaker at the April meeting of the Tweed and District Horticultural Society. Naneen, who resides south of the community of Marlbank decided 22 years ago that she wanted to learn to make baskets. After taking a course at Loyalist College in Belleville, she was “hooked on baskets”.

Her beautiful baskets are completely hand woven with no glue or nails. She uses a variety of reeds depending on the width needed for a particular style of basket. Although, Naneen uses Rit dye for dying her reeds, tea and sumach leaves are also good dying agents, she says. Oak handles are frequently used in her baskets. Minwax stain is used to protect the baskets.

Using a variety of soaked reeds, Naneen demonstrated making a “blueberry basket” to members at the meeting. She was planning on making a strawberry basket but had no red reeds, so she quickly changed to a blueberry basket when she noticed that the reed bucket was filled with blue-dyed reeds! Her skill set was evident as she assembled the basket and explained the steps involved….reeds need to be wet..but not too wet, always remembering where you started the weaving with each row (although she did admit that using clothes pegs helped her in that area), and the pulling and shaping of the basket is critical throughout the weaving process. Although the techniques of weaving the reeds under and over made the process look simple,  Naneen’s skill was evident as she wrapped the reeds to produce a professionally made basket in an hour’s time!

Naneen offers classes at her home in Marlbank for $60.00 including all supplies and lunch…and no one goes home until the basket in completed! Everyone will work on the same style of basket during the class. For more information, on classes or purchasing one of Naneen’s baskets, please contact Naneen at  naneen.t@gmail.com

NOTE: The Tweed Horticultural is planning on having Naneen conduct a basket making class in the spring and fall. Cost would be $60.00…location of workshop and style of basket to be decided.

Naneen will also be on the Tweed and Area Studio Tour on the last weekend of September.

COMING UP…

April 18…10:30 am @Tweed Library…making tissue flowers with Joan Morton.

May 5..Meeting…Come out and see the latest gardening tools presented by Lee Valley Tools. Place an order and get 5% discount and free shipping on most items. Cheques and credit cards only…no cash. There will be no guest fee for this meeting.

May 9…Meet at the Moira Garden @ 9:00 for spring clean-up of the flower beds.

May 14…Meet at Joan Morton’s house@ 1:30 to prepare for the annual plant sale. Rain date…May 15

May 16…Annual Plant Sale at Tweed Memorial Park. Set-up @ 7am. Please attach a label or photo to plants to assist with identification for shoppers. If you require more information or need plants picked up, please call Joan @613-478-6115 before May 13.

June 15…Bus Trip to Winery and Gardens…Gardens Plus in Peterborough, Goldenbrook Hostas in Blackstock, Archibald Orchards and Estate Winery and Oshawa Valley Botanical Gardens to see the annual peony display. Cost is $45.00 per person.

GENERAL INTEREST EVENTS…

May 2…District 3 AGM in Bath

Celestial Planting

Kathryn Aunger (left) with Tweed and District Horticultural Society President Joan Morton

Members of the Tweed and District Horticultural Society learned about planting using the celestial calendar with guest speaker Kathryn Aunger.

Kathryn, along with Rosemary Tayler and Cesar Gomez produced the first bio-dynamic calendar for our area called the Celestial Planting Calendar 2015. Local artist Sue Vander Wey did the art work for the calendar.

Kathryn in her power point demonstration showed us many examples of calendars and how they changed over the years. The first historical calendar is dated back to 8000BC in Scotland. Many calendars have references to stars and constellations. There were samples of Islamic, Jewish, Myan, Aztec and Greek to name a few.

Some interesting facts she shared with us were:

-In 1792 the first Farmer’s Almanac was produced. It is still published today but a lot of advertising can be found in it which makes it very hard to find the info you are looking for.

-In our calendars today, the sun is the center of the universe and the moon has an important influence on plants. Everything revolves around the sun and it takes 11 years to do a complete cycle. The last time being in 2013.

-The moon acts as a big mirror which affects tides, water and cycles in people and animals.

-The moon travels in an oval shape. Perigee is when the moon is close. Apogee is when the moon is far away. This cycle takes approx. 28 days.

-When the moon is high above the equator, this forces water and energy up. It is time to prune and pick. When the plant energy is downward, its time to plant root crops.

-The phases of the moon cause increasing and decreasing light conditions. During a full moon we should cut grass. During an eclipse we should do nothing. Root crops should be planted before the 3^rd quarter.

-The 12 constellations also play an important role.

-Maria Tunn from United States did a lot of research of plant and harvest trials over the years when she produced her calendars. Slides of plants seeded at different times showed remarkable difference if they were planted when suggested by the calendar. Also crops harvest lasted much longer when harvested with the calendar.

Kathryn showed us some samples of other calendars produced and how they compare to her calendar. This new calendar is colour coded so it makes it easy for a beginner to use but it also has very detailed information which is great for those with a lot of background in biodynamic or very helpful for naturopaths. Kathryn answered questions from the floor and had reference material on display and calendars for sale for $18. – submitted by Linda Holmes

COMING UP….

March 21….10:30 am….Using sharpie pens, children will design a garden scene on a canvas tote with local artist, Bob Pennycook.

Please pre-register at the Library.

April 7….Meeting….Naneen Tyner, a local basket weaver, will talk about the ancient art of basket weaving. Naneen has been a participant on the Tweed and Area Studio tour for the past few years.

April 18…10:30 am….Children’s workshop with Joan Morton….creating spring flowers using coloured tissue paper.

Please pre-register at the Library.

 GENERAL INTEREST EVENTS…

April 2-4…Peterborough Garden Show at the Evinrude Centre, 911 Monaghan Road, Peterborough. Admission $7.00.

April/May…Stonepath Greenhouses, Tweed (613-478-1675) and Farmgate Gardens, Foxboro (613-967-1581) offer spring planter workshops in April and May. Please contact for dates and time.

Super Fruit...

Do you know that the superfruit for 2015 is the haskap berry? Members of the Tweed and District Horticultural Society welcomed James and Audrey Potts of Palliser Downs in Foxboro who discussed this superfruit at the February meeting.

The fruit is well known in Japan as the “Fruit of Life, Longevity and Fruit of Vision”.

Through a power point presentation, James highlighted this new fruit which looks like an elongated blueberry. The berry is blue all the way through, unlike the blueberry which is blue on the outside only. It tastes like a tangy blend of blueberries, raspberries and blackberries and has 3 times the antioxidants of blueberries…talk about a healthy fruit!

As James said, “If you can kill this bush, you have a gift!” Haskaps are very easy to grow and maintain. This plant flourishes in any soil, needs little pruning, doesn’t sucker, bears fruit when very young, needs no fertilizer, blooms can handle a late frost (-8 C), grows on own root stock and 5-6 ft shrubs are hardy to -40 C…the perfect plant for the Quinte/Hastings area. The life span of the shrub is 30-40 years! The berries are ready for picking in late June. The berries stay on the bushes for about 3 weeks so there it a long picking season! It works well in a small garden with just 2 plants or on a larger scale. You will need to purchase two plants for cross pollination.

According to James, haskap shrubs will be available at local nurseries this spring. Listening to the many questions and interest throughout the meeting, these plants will sellout quickly when spring arrives!

For more information on this amazing fruit, check out haskap.ca.

COMING UP…. 

March 3 Meeting….Kathryn Aunger and Rosemary Tayler will talk about planting using the celestial calendar. The workshop will explore ancient teachings and how to use this calendar to enhance planting and harvesting practices. The calendar will be available for sale for $18.00.

March 21…10:30 am… Children’s Workshop with artist Bob Pennycook at Tweed Library. Children will create a garden scene on a canvas tote bag using sharpie pens! Maximum 16 children.

Please pre-register at the Library for this event.

March 13… Bus Trip to National Home Show and Canada Blooms at the Direct Energy Centre in Toronto

Cost…$58.00 before February 12/$65.00 after that date.

Price includes admission to both shows and motor coach. Bus leaves Tweed at 7 am from the parking lot behind Quinn’s of Tweed. For more information, contact Linda @613-478-6850

GENERAL INTEREST EVENTS…

March 5-8…International Home and Garden Show at Metro Convention Centre in Toronto

March 13-22…National Home Show and Canada Blooms at Direct Energy Centre, Exhibition Place, Toronto

Growing Berries with James & Audrey Potts

James and Audrey Potts of Palliser Downs in Foxboro grow many fruit plants including haskaps, strawberries, raspberries, black currants seedless grapes and Saskatoon berries.  Their aim is to grow fruit in methods that don’t require the use of pesticides but still maintain a long lasting healthy fruit. They operate a roadside market in Foxboro.  James will be presenting a slide show and answering questions on growing fruit. Join us at the Library at 7 p.m. on February 3.

A Holiday Celebration of Food and Fun

THS members enjoy the bounty of the Christmas pot luck to help celebrate the season.

The annual Tweed and District Horticultural Society’s Christmas potluck dinner proved to be a wonderful way to usher in the 2014 festive season! Fresh evergreen boughs with Santa figurines and poinsettias decorated the tables.

Once again the outstanding culinary talents of the group were evident. Roast turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, gravy, turnips, homemade lasagna, meatballs, salads and even homemade bread made by one of the members were just some of the delicious choices available to members. The dessert table was a feast in itself….pies, cookies, squares, and Yule logs…absolutely scrumptious!

After the dinner, Linda Holmes shared her video presentation of the Club’s activities during 2014….the club was certainly active in the community! The video was enjoyed by all and thank you to Linda for creating it.

Members were invited to play an “auction-like game” using quarters for bids. Lots of laughter could be heard in the room as members won the prizes and members reminded each other “to add your quarter to the dish after your bid”. Some members even gave their prize to another member who they outbid...now isn’t that the true meaning of the Christmas season! Fantastic prizes were won by lucky members as well as the poinsettias on the tables. Another successful and fulfilled pot luck dinner!

President Joan Morton preps her desert...one of many sweets in our abundant pot luck buffet.

Wishing all our members a happy holiday season and best wishes for the New Year!

NOTE:

Next meeting will be Tuesday February 3, 2015 @ 7 pm. Annual memberships will be on sale at the meeting.

Wreath Tips and an Award

Members of the Tweed and District Horticultural Society got into the Christmas spirit at the November meeting  as Conrad Grohl lead a workshop on wreath making for the holiday season. Conrad is the former owner of Brighton Greenhouse and an employee of the Root Cellar in Thomasburg.

Commercially purchased rings can be used for the base of the wreath. However, Conrad also uses wooden picture frames…oval, rectangle and square resulting in a very creative wreath! These wooden frames are sturdier than the metal rings. Wire is used to attach the greenery to the ring/frame and the wire needs to be tight. Rope can be used to make a garland…need to wire the greenery around the rope….garlands take LOTS of greenery!

He suggested that cedar be placed on the bottom of the wreath frame as it is flat…don’t forget the two colours on the cedar! A variety of greenery….pine, balsam, spruce and boxwood add interesting texture to a wreath.

“Bling” can be purchased at the many dollar stores in the area. He suggested buying supplies after Christmas when they are on sale and you will have them for the following year. Spray painting ferns, hydrangea, cone flowers, roadside weeds, pine cones, and seed pods from lilacs and milkweed can add “bling to a wreath.” Of course, these items can also be left in their “natural” state for a more country looking wreath!

Members were interested to learn the secret of making those gorgeous bows that everyone loves! Conrad demonstrated his hand-made bow maker to the group…he made it look so easy to create a gorgeous bow! He suggested purchasing ribbon at Costco ribbon as it  comes on 60 yard rolls and the “price can’t be beat” according to Conrad.

Many members were eager to get started on their Christmas decorating after Conrad’s presentation. He donated two wreathes to the draw….so two lucky members already have started their Christmas decorating!!!

Penny Stewart from the Ontario Horticultural Association spoke briefly at the meeting. She thanked the members for their hard work in the community. She presented the group with the “Sowing Seeds” trophy in recognition of the youth programs the group has been organizing. Members attributed the success of these programs to the hard work of President Joan Morton.

The Annual General Meeting was held. The financial report was presented for approval.

COMING UP….

November 8 @ 10:30…Children’s Workshop…3-D Snowflake at the library.

November 15…Deadline for Volunteer Hours for December 2013-November 2014…call 613-478-5535 for more information.

December 2 @1pm….Set-up for Christmas dinner at the Library.

December 2 @ 6pm….Christmas Dinner

Celebrate the Christmas season with members of the Hort Society. Spouses are invited! There will be a video presentation highlighting the many activities and guest speakers during 2014! Bring your favourite pot luck dish, plate, cutlery and wine glass for a fun filled evening!

December 6 @10:00...Children’s Workshop….Christmas Centrepiece. Children are asked to pre-register at the Library.

December 12…Christmas Luncheon at Club 213 at Loyalist College.

The creative carving skills of some of the hort members were on display at the November meeting.

Meat Free Food

The October meeting of the Tweed and Area Horticultural Society showcased dairy and meat free cooking dishes. The chefs for the evening were Wilma Mulrain, Twyla Dimitropovlos, Mary Williams, Linda Ronco and Jane Donato. Their presentation highlighted the use of tofu to create tasty and healthy dishes. Members were amazed as they tasted the variety of dishes prepared…”tasty” delicious” were comments heard throughout the room. As the chefs said….it is all in the seasonings that you add to  the dish that gives it that tasty flavour.  Dishes sampled included Lentil Tofu Burgers, Scrambled Tofu, Lemon Cheesecake. Recipes were distributed to the members.

COMING UP….

October 18…Fall clean-up of Tweed flower beds and Cenotaph @ 9 am

November 4...Conrad Grohl, member, former owner of Brighton greenhouse and employee of the Root Cellar will demonstrate making wreaths using fresh evergreens.

Bring your carved pumpkin from Halloween and win a prize! Bring a pumpkin treat to share…and don’t forget the recipe!

ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING will be held. The financial Report for the 2014 will be presented.

November 8…Children’s Workshop….3D Snowflakes at the Tweed Library @ 10:00 am.  Please pre-register. Materials will be supplied.

November 15…Please submit volunteer hours from December 2013 to November 2014 to Jean Clark.

GENERAL INTEREST EVENTS…

District 3 Fall Meeting...Date to be announced.