The Rural Voice, 2000-12, Page 14Warren D. Moore
Forest Specialist
specializing in: .
* Woodlot Manage
Timber Marking and M
* Tree Pruning, Tree Re
* Tree Planting Services
Blyth
Certified Managed 523-9855
Forest Plan Approver
Now you can
reach us by e-mail
Contact us at:
norhuron@scsinternet.com
or write to us the good
old-fashioned way at:
The Rural Voice,
P.O. Box 429,
Blyth, ON NOM 1H0
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Warmest
Wishes
Have a cozy and
comfortable holiday
at home with those you
love, and may health
and happiness surround
you always.
The Management & Staff of
CAGRO TREND
Division of Rojac Industries Inc.
Clifford (519) 327-8005
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10 THE RURAL VOICE
Robert Mercer
Gardening all year on the west coast
One of the joys of living in a more
temperate climate than Ontario, is
that here in B.C. I can plant and
harvest garden vegetables over the
winter.
Because our climate on the west
coast is different
from the rest of
B.C., we have a
seed company
that specializes
for the longer
growing season.
Their catalogue
is for both
flowers and
vegetables.
My problem
this fall was that
I planted some
previous year's
unused seed of
Windsor Broad
Beans from this company in the first
week of October as a trial. (These are
a lot like faba beans.) The catalogue
said this date was okay, but what I
got was 100 per cent germination and
fast growth.
By mid-November I had a good
three inches of green top, and the
threat of frost. So I called the seed
company in Vancouver to find out
just how frost hardy were these
beans. Well, it's always nice to speak
to the president, and even better
when she really knows what you are
talking about and answers your
questions personally. Small is often
better, even in the seed business.
With any luck my broad beans
will survive the winter even if the
tips do get damaged. On cold nights
they should be covered, she said.
So this spring, along with my
purple sprouting broccoli, I can
harvest my beans. We are also
growing leeks and Swiss chard to eat
over the winter, but so far we have
not been able to be completely self-
sufficient in vegetables. With the aid
of the deep freeze we are over 50 per
cent.
Digging leeks or carrots is no
problem here as the frost we do get is
normally gone by noon the next day,
and at worst only lasts a week and is
not more than an inch deep. I lost all
my leeks one year in Ontario, by
leaving them too long in the ground.
Carrots here are a challenge because
of the presence of the Carrot Rust
Fly. It is so bad that we have given
up trying to grow them.
Living by the sea means that there
is an almost unending supply of
seaweed nearby. If the wind is in the
right direction the seashore can be
piled high with fresh seaweed. So
armed with a fork and a couple of
large garbage pails it doesn't take too
long to bring home enough. This we
spread around the fallow soil to over
winter and then dig in.
I've no idea of the real value of
seaweed as a fertilizer or a soil
enhancer, but kelp is said to be a
good source of potassium and trace
elements. Seaweed can't be all that
bad as the Irish have used it for years
— and I haven't killed anything yet.
If we were really going to "live
off the land" we could make direct
use of the seaweed as a food. I'm
told that seaweed is low in calories
but rich in minerals — especially
iodides. If you use the Irish Moss
type of seaweed (Carragheen), a
seaweed with purple -brown fronds
that grows into a fan shape, you can
make a jelly or blancmange. This is
because of the vegetable gelatine in •
the fronds. Commercially these are
used for thickening soups,
emulsifying ice-cream or setting
jellies.
We do have sea kale along the
shoreline, but I find that it needs a lot
of boiling to make it anywhere near
as edible as the garden variety. I have
not seen sea lettuce here, which is
also said to be edible.
At this time of year my tastes run
more to turkey and cranberry sauce,
so I wish you all a happy Christmas
and a table packed with the riches of
the farm and the garden.0
Robert Mercer was editor of the
Broadwater Market Letter and a farm
commentator in Ontario for 25 years.