Members of the Tweed and District Horticultural Society welcomed the festive season with their annual Christmas Pot Luck dinner at the December meeting. Tables covered in bright red tablecloths and decorated with evergreen boughs intertwined with beads, ornaments and poinsettia plants created a very “holly jolly” feeling to the meeting room at the Tweed Library.

The dinner was just as amazing as some of our members’ gardens…..roast turkey, quiche, and a wonderful variety of salads, meatballs, veggie trays, potatoes and several vegetable casseroles. The dessert tables were filled with cookies platters, pecan pie, raspberry pie, cakes, tarts and squares…a wonderful variety for that sweet tooth that we all have during the holiday season!  Punch, wine, tea and coffee completed the menu!

Ruth Mahoney (left) receives her five-year membership pin from President
Elizabeth Churcher (centre) and Past President Joan Morton.

Several members were presented  with their 5, 10, 15, 20 and 25 year pins to recognize their years of service to the club. Congratulations to these members!

Members enjoyed Linda Holmes’ annual video presentation that showcased the speakers and club activities during 2016. Many thanks to Linda for coordinating this presentation as it was certainly enjoyed by all.

Then it was time for “Quarter Frenzy”….a bidding game that used quarters to bid. Laughter and the sound of quarters dropping into cups could be heard throughout the room. Lots of excitement as members bid for the prizes…and several members won more than one prize!!!! Members were also given the opportunity to win a poinsettia plant….lots of fun was had by all!!!

Wishing all our members a joyous holiday season and best wishes for 2017!

NOTE: First meeting for 2017 will be Tuesday February 7^th @ 7:00 pm at the Tweed Library.

Annual memberships will be on sale at the meeting.

Getting Ready for Christmas

Linda Holmes (left) and Wanita DeVries

Members of the Tweed and District Horticultural Society had a head start on Christmas decorating at the November meeting as local Tweed resident, Wanita DeVries shared ideas about using natural items in Christmas items. Wanita discussed using items from nature and previously used items to create one of a kind Christmas pieces for the holiday season.

COMING UP….

December 6 ...Christmas Pot Luck dinner @ 6pm.  Bring your favourite pot luck dish, dessert item, plate, utensils and wine glass. There will be a video presentation highlighting the club’s work throughout 2016 and the guest speakers. Bring quarters to play the “Quarter Frenzy”….always a lot of fun!

December 10…Children are invited to create a Christmas centre piece. Greenery and supplies will be provided. The event is at the Library starting at 10 am. Please

pre-register!

December 16…Luncheon at Club 213 at Loyalist College.

A Word About Dehydration

Local Tweed resident, Dorothy Hunt shared her dehydrating skills at the October meeting of the Tweed and District Horticultural Society. Since Dorothy has a HUGE garden, she traditionally used canning and freezing as a means to preserve her fruits and vegetables. However, as the garden grew and storage space became limited, Dorothy needed to find another means to preserve her crops. She turned to the dehydrating process and according to Dorothy, “It is a lot of fun and I am always trying new foods!”

 The internet offers a wealth of information about dehydrating. She also relies on the manual she received with her machine as a guide for the process. Her machine was purchased at Canadian Tire for about $60.00…worth every penny, according to Dorothy!

 Dehydrating is the process of removing water and moisture from fruits, vegetables, herbs, bread and even meats. It is an economical way to preserve food when your garden has a great growing season. It inhibits the growth of bacteria. Food preparation is faster when using the dehydrated food for soups and stews.

 Dorothy stated the importance of checking the trays in the machine frequently during the drying process. She has discovered that often the drying process takes longer that what the guide booklet recommends.  It is important to dry meats, fruits and vegetables separately.

 Dorothy uses glass sealers, ziplock baggies and Food Saver containers to store her dried food.

 Dried food is great for hikers and campers as no refrigeration is required. The dried food can be used in soups, stews and casseroles or simply used as a snack like kale chips!

 One great benefit of the dehydrating process is that it takes very little hydro making it a very economical.

COMING UP….

 October 15….Clean up of town beds. Meet at Moira Gardens at 9:00 am.  Tulips need to be planted.

 October 28…Tulip Planting Ceremony at McGannon Park @ 10am.

 November 1…Local natural craft enthusiast, Wanita DeVries will share her ideas to create Christmas decorative pieces using found and used previously items. The Annual General Meeting will also be held. The Financial Report for 2016 will be presented for approval.

Volunteer hours from December 2015-November 2016 are due. Deadline is November 15. For more info, please call 613-478-5535 or email hours to info@tweedhort.ca

 November 5…District 3 Fall meeting in Bancroft.

Herbs for Living

After a very hot and very dry summer, many members of the Tweed and District Horticultural Society were wondering what to do with the herbs that they had lovingly nurtured during this summer…..well Brad Smith and Michelle Cole of Herb Haven in Napanee shared many ideas with the group at the September meeting.

Herb Haven was started in 2010 as a “retirement” project for Brad and Michelle. Their goal was to promote and educate people on the benefits of herbs. Their presentation certainly highlighted the many benefits of herbs for the audience.

Herbs are a rich source of vitamins A (for vision and cell development…good source is dill), C (for immune system…good sauce is thyme) and K (for blood and bones…good source is parsley).

Herbs are also a source of minerals…calcium (in marjoram), iron (in summer and winter savory), zinc (in tarragon) and magnesium (in sage).

Brad and Michelle also pointed out the spiritual, medicinal, culinary and aromatic values of herbs in our lives.

So what to do with those herbs that we nurtured during one of the hottest, driest summers on record…..bring  them indoors for  the winter…place in indirect light and limit the watering. You can enjoy the fresh herbs all winter and plant them in the garden next year! Another suggestion was to freeze the herbs for use during the winter months. Also drying your herbs to use in herbal teas...as simple as placing the herbs between 2 screens and clamping together and letting dry in the sunlight.

Did you know that herbs are cholesterol free, an excellent source of protein and natural fiber….seems like they are the perfect food!!!

For more information about Herb Haven, check their website….www.herbhaven.ca.

COMING UP….

September 18…Trip to Potters’ Settlement Winery…2:00 pm…no charge

September 20….Clean up of town beds. Meet at Moira Gardens at 5:30pm

October 4…Jenna Empey of Prince Edward County will share her experiences in organic agriculture and fermentation. Dorothy Hunt, from Tweed will demonstrate how to dehydrate foods like onions, garlic and carrots to be used in soups and stews.

Spindle Tree Visit

In June, Hort members toured Spindle Tree Gardens in Tamworth.

All About the Bees

Brian Scott with his working demonstration hive.

Brian Scott, owner of Innisfil Creek Honey (south of Barrie) shared his experiences as a beekeeper at the June meeting of the Tweed and District Horticultural Society. Brian is a commercial beekeeper and operator of a beekeeping supply store in Innisfil. He is a Certified Queen and Nuc Producer and he supplies customers with honey bee nucleus hives, starter hives and Queen Bees. Brian sells bee equipment and offers lessons on the art of beekeeping.

Brian started this career just 4 years ago with 3 “boxes”. He now has 300 and plans to have 450 by September.

His presentation, sprinkled with bits of humour held the audience’s attention as he explained his successes and challenges as a beekeeper. Being a beekeeper is more involved than most people imagine-Brian admitted that he often works 19 hours days in the early spring.  A beekeeper is a farmer with the same set of challenges faced by farmers…harsh winters, enough food for livestock and predators!

Since honey bees are not native to Canada, they need to be cared and “babied” to survive in our Canadian climate. As Brain says, it is expected to loose many bees due to severe and adverse winter weather.

Beekeepers also need to ensure that their bees have adequate food sources….bees will travel up to 2 ½ miles from the hive searching for nectar. The beekeeper must set the hives up in a location that will allow the bees to get the nectar during the 3 blooming seasons….dandelion, clover and golden rod. Each of these blooming seasons produces a different kind of honey. Bees need to have food throughout the winter months….sugar syrup.

The inside of a bee hive.

Predators are mainly bears and skunks. The electric fence will help curtail the bears from destroying the hives and keeping the hives 18 inches above the ground helps to keep the skunks from “eating” the bees.

Brian explained the life cycle of the bees and the role the Queen Bee plays in the hive. Now, members know what the term “Queen Bee” really entails!

Although Brian has only been pursuing this career as a beekeeper for 4 years, his knowledge was evident as he competently answered questions about the bees, hives, honey production and the role of bees in nature.

Check out Brian’s website….www.innisfilcreekhoney.com

COMING UP….

June 26…Trip to Spindle Tree Gardens in Tamworth. Fee is $12 plus HST (group of 10 or more).

July 8-10…Tweed Fair. Fair entries must be at fair by noon on Fri July 8. Set-up for the club is Sat July 9 @ 8 am

July 19….Clean up of town beds. Meet at Moira Gardens at 6 pm

Aug 13…Clean-up of town beds. Meet at Moira Gardens at

 9 am.

Aug 2…Pot Luck Dinner at  Beryl and Alan Austin’s. Remember your lawn chair, favourite pot luck dish, cup, plate and cutlery.

Sept 6…Brad Smith and Michele Cole from Herb Haven in Napanee will discuss their business venture as well as information about culinary and aromatic herbs.

Sept 11…Potter Settlement Vineyards and Winery Tour @ 2 pm. Register by Sept 1 due to limited spaces.

Best Plant Sale Ever!!!

Tweed Hort held another successful, and colourful, plant sale on  the Victoria Day weekend. Hort members braved the 7 a.m. Saturday setup but they were followed closely by shoppers who wanted the best choices of the lot.