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Our Blog

  • Wild Blueberry Preserves with Vanilla and Cardamom

    by Rachel Bosley
    If you have access to fresh or frozen wild blueberries, you have to try this recipe for homemade blueberry preserves, made with wild blueberries, and spiced with vanilla and cardamom. This adds warmth and complexity to your traditional wild blueberry jam, a flavour of home for many of us in the north. 
    Posted in Blueberries, Cooking, Culinary, DIY, edible, Jam, Preserve, Wild foods

  • Elderflower Cordial

    by Rachel Bosley
    Elderflowers lend a fragrant and floral flavour to beverages, and a small bottle of elderflower cordial is often priced over $20 in stores. If you forage the flowers fresh around the end of July, you can make your own! And it's really easy.
    Posted in DIY, edible, edible flowers, foraging, Recipe, wild foods, wild foraging

  • What's the Buzz About Bee Hotels and Bug Condos?

    by Rachel Bosley
    Many native bees nest in cavities in wood, hollow stems, or below ground. Besides growing native plants to support native pollinators, providing nesting habitat is also important. In our newest blog post we dive into the pros and cons of backyard bee hotels to discuss whether or not they really help native bees.
    Posted in bees, beneficial insects, DIY, pollinators

  • DIY Rainbow Roses

    by Jenny Fortier
    Have you tried DIY rainbow roses? This process also works well with carnations and daisies! Many folks think that these dreamy roses are hand painted, or the result of some interesting plant breeding, but they are actually just white roses that are artificially coloured through the flower's intake of water (remember those experiments in middle school??!!).
    Posted in Craft, DIY, flowers

  • Harvesting Sweetness: Birch Tree Syrup

    by Ayla Frank
    In areas where maple trees can not grow people have turned to making syrup out of birch sap. The sugar content in birch sap is not as high as sugar maple sap so there is more boiling required than with maple sap. The end result is a sweet and complex tasting syrup that goes great with savoury dishes especially smoked fish. 
    Posted in birch, culinary, DIY, DYK, foraging, how to, syrup, Tapping, Trees, Tutorial

  • Blooms on Demand- How to Force Blooms with Native Shrubs

    by Rachel Bosley
    Forcing branches is a very old and time-tested way to experience some spring blooms indoors while you're impatiently waiting for winter to wrap-up. It only requires pruning branches of flowering trees and shrubs and putting the branches in a vase. We'll help give you some options of shrubs and trees that work well for this. No special expertise is required.
    Posted in DIY, flowers, indoor plants, shrubs, wildflowers, winter

  • My Balcony's Bounty - Container Gardening

    by Rachel Bosley
    I have done most of my gardening in containers and have learned a lot from my successes and my mistakes. After moving back to an apartment with a small balcony, last summer really tested my creativity in how to fit an entire garden into a few planters. Let's talk about prioritizing what to grow, maximizing space by growing vertically, and some options that are balcony and renter-friendly. 
    Posted in Balcony, Condo, container gardening, DIY, Education, gardening, indeterminate, Small Space

  • Greens Galore: A Guide to Thriving Indoor Salad Gardens!

    by Rachel Bosley
    Like a lot of gardeners, I really start to miss the garden mid-winter. I miss having fresh foods to pick and add to dinners, and I miss watching veggies grow. So naturally, I bring a bit of the garden indoors. 
    If you already have a seed starting set-up, it's incredibly easy to convert it for baby greens for the winter. 
    Posted in DIY, greens, indoor growing, projects, Salad

  • Harvesting Beauty: A Year of Hand-Picked Bouquets

    by Rachel Bosley

    I decided I would pick flowers to place on my kitchen counter at least once a month this year. Some of these bouquets are entirely wildflowers found in highway ditches, others were picked from my planters at home, and some featured blooms from around my neighbourhood. Whether you want to surprise a loved one, or pick up this habit of self-love like I did this year, stopping to pick some ditch flowers is free and delightful. 

    Posted in bouquet, bulb, DIY, flowers, new years, tulip, Tutorial, wildflowers

  • Crafting and Caring for a Terrarium

    by Rachel Bosley
    A terrarium is a simple indoor project for those of us who miss having our hands in the dirt is a terrarium to display in your home. This terrarium was put together simply because I wanted to find a use for this large jar, but it turned out to be a lot of fun looking for small plants and bits of nature to build this miniature world. 
    Posted in DIY, houseplants, indoor growing, indoor plants, projects, terrarium, Tutorial, winter

  • Winter Foraging Recipes

    by Rachel Bosley
    When the snow arrives, most foragers take a break. But guess what? Even in the winter months, there are some delightful plants just waiting to be discovered and harvested. I've gathered a handful of recipes and ideas to ignite your connection with the great outdoors in the time of year it's most difficult to feel connected.
    Posted in cooking, DIY, foraging, Recipe, recipes, wild foods, wild foraging, winter

  • Discover the Wonder of Hügelkultur Gardening

    by Joëlle Huot
    Originating in Eastern Europe, Hügelkultur or "hill culture" in German, has taken the gardening world by storm with its innovative and eco-friendly approach. Instead of just gardening, think of it as creating a thriving hill of possibilities right in your backyard. Here we delve into the key benefits of Hügelkultur.
    Posted in carbon sequestration, DIY, eco-conscious, garden for carbon capture, gardening, how to, hugulkultur, low maintenance, soil amendment, sustainable harvest, Tutorial