Yorkton and District Horticultural Society

A delicious garden treat, whether you steam it slightly then serve with a drizzle of lemon juice and a pat of butter; you can use it to make beetniks, I am told; and you can also eat it raw as a delicious salad!  Swiss chard is full of good things like vitamin A and antioxidants, a great veggie to include in a summer meal!

I found a simple dressing recipe for swiss chard, and while I love rosemary, I see no reason why you couldn’t substitute parsley if that is your preference.  Or, if you have no herb available, leave the herb part out altogether and have a very simple dressing that will still taste yummy!  A recipe like this is very flexible!

Yummy Dressing

1 tsp chopped fresh rosemary.

2 tbsp. olive oil

1 tsp sea salt.

1/2 tsp black pepper.

1 tbsp. lemon juice.

1 tbsp. apple cider vinegar (or plain vinegar, if you don’t have apple    cider vinegar)

1 medium bunch Swiss chard (9 oz [255 g]), sliced

½ cup to one cup walnut halves, to garnish salad

Combine all the dressing ingredients in a jar and shake well.  Pour dressing over your Swiss chard, then garnish with the walnuts.

Another possible variation: instead of, (or along with!) the walnuts, you can use pepitas (shelled pumpkin seeds).

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The Yorkton and District  Horticultural Society

ANNUAL FRUIT, FLOWER AND VEGETABLE SHOW

TUESDAY, AUGUST 15    1:00 pm — 5:00 pm

St. Gerard’s Parish Complex    125 Third Avenue North, Yorkton

Come enjoy beautiful displays and exhibits

of plants, flowers and produce!

 Admission includes tea or coffee and dainties.

Bring a friend and join us!

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Congratulations, Sonja,

on your Canada 150 Garden!

The Canadian Garden Council, the Canadian Nursery Landscape Association, ZRB Associates and Enterprise Canada have chosen 150 jury-selected gardens and garden experiences across Canada to receive the “Canada 150 Garden Experience” designation. There are four in Saskatchewan, and one right here in Yorkton!

Sonja Pawliw’s Healing and Meditation Garden has been chosen as a Canada 150 garden.  The others are: Queen Elizabeth II Gardens – Wascana Centre, Regina; Patterson Garden Arboretum, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon; Saskatchewan Perennial Society Garden Tours, Saskatoon.

We are very proud of you, Sonja!  Congratulations!

To book an appointment to

visit the Healing garden, please call Sonja at (306) 783-7015.

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     The Yorkton and District Horticultural Society recently received a note from Sherry at the Canadian Wildlife Federation’s WILD Spaces program.   The information she sent to us is very informative and important to us as gardeners and custodians of the environment, and more specifically, may apply to you!

Please read on!  Here is what Sherry told us.

     “CWF recognizes the importance of gardeners in supporting Canada’s wildlife and their habitats. As such, we have programs and resources that may be of interest to your members. Perhaps also, you may be able to help us support Canadians with information by linking where relevant!

Our Garden Certification program officially recognizes Canadians who garden with wildlife in mind. And our annual Conservation Awards honours Canadians who have made a difference for wildlife – big or small!

     Find plants suitable for your garden with our searchable Native Plant Encyclopedia featuring the range, growing conditions, wildlife supported and photos of these beneficial plants. Help us fill some photography blanks by sending us any pictures of a listed plant without an image! Your photo will be credited and will help Canadians support our bees, butterflies, birds and more. Please send me a photo with the scientific name or contact me for more information.

     With natural gardening becoming so popular, our Native Plant Supplier List helps Canadians find nurseries that sell native plants. If you know of a nursery not yet listed, please let me know!

     We have many more resources for gardeners, kids and educators such as colouring pages, an illustrated glossary and more.

     _{Help us Help Canadians! If any of the above interests you, please put up a link to our website- http://www.cwf-fcf.org/en/ either on a “links/resources” page or elsewhere on your site. It would be greatly appreciated!}

_{If you have any questions please contact me at outreachkanata@cwf-fcf.org or call me at 1-877-599-5777 ext. 293. I’m here until the ends of June so please don’t hesitate!
Hyperlinks not working?
Garden Certification- http://cwf-fcf.org/en/explore-our-work/connecting-with-nature/in-the-garden/?src=menu}

_{Conservation Awards- http://www.canadianwildlifefederation.ca/Awards}

_{Native Plant Encyclopedia- http://cwf-fcf.org/en/resources/encyclopedias/native-plant-encyclopedia/?src=menu?referrer=https://www.google.ca/}

_{Native Plant Suppliers list- http://cwf-fcf.org/en/resources/gardening/native-plant-suppliers-new/native-plant-supplier-profiles/}

_{Other Resources- http://cwf-fcf.org/en/resources/?src=menu}

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Yorkton Gardeners’ Market

Everyone Welcome! Buy/Sell Local Fresh Produce!

Promoting Local Gardeners & Buying Local

Local gardeners are welcome to register to sell their produce at Yorkton Gardeners’ Markets each Saturday this summer.  Produce welcome for sale at the Yorkton Gardeners’ Market are fresh garden vegetables, fresh fruit, fresh cut flowers and potted plants.

 Register as a seller

To register as a seller at Yorkton Gardeners’ Market

Email: ethelda61@hotmail.com

Phone: Glen   (306) 783  7040

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Chives are a member of the allium family, an easy-care perennial that adds not only interest to your garden planting because of its textural nature, but also a valuable kitchen garden addition!  The mild onion flavor can be used in many ways in various recipes, far beyone just a topping for a baked potato!

Add to salads, soups, stews, or diced finely and sprinkled on top of pork, beef or fish.  Mix diced chives in with sour cream or cream cheese for a delicious dip!

The chive flowers look great as a garnish for salads.

This recipe was found on www.101cookbooks.com  Check the site for more interesting recipes using chives!  Enjoy!

Curried Egg Salad Recipe

5 boiled eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons curry powder (your favorite)
3 tablespoons plain yogurt
2 big pinches of salt

1/2 small onion, chopped
1/2 medium apple, chopped
1/4 cup pecans, toasted and chopped
1 small bunch of chives, minced

First off, you need to boil the eggs properly (the key to good egg salad!). Place the eggs in a pot and cover with cold water by a 1/2-inch or so. Bring to a gentle boil. Now turn off the heat, cover, and let sit for exactly seven minutes. Have a big bowl of ice water ready and when the eggs are done cooking and place them in the ice bath for three minutes or so – long enough to stop the cooking.

While the eggs are boiling and cooling, combine the yogurt, curry powder and salt in a tiny bowl. Set aside.

Crack and peel each egg, and place in a medium mixing bowl. Add the curried yogurt, onions, apple, pecans, and chives. Now mash with a fork. Don’t overdo it, you want the egg mixture to have some texture. If you need to add a bit more plain yogurt to moisten up the mixture a bit, go for it a bit at a time. taste and add more salt if needed. Enjoy as-is, or served wrapped in lettuce or between two slices of good, toasted bread.

Serves 3-4

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Friday, May 26:  Spring Plant & Bulb Sale – Parkland Mall – Set up 8:00-9:30 a.m

One day sale only.

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The May meeting of 2017 is Wednesday May 17  at 7:00 pm in the Sunshine Room at SIGN on North Street.

Guest Speaker – Frank Woloschuk – “Plants, Roots, Rhizome Divisions & Cuttings-How To”.  New Plants for 2017.

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     Long, long ago, there were three sisters: one was tall, with silky yellow hair, and always towered over her other sisters, offering them support.  The second sister liked to run off by herself and be a free spirit, but she was very giving.  The third sister was very shy and stayed close by, protecting the others.  The Spirit saw how the three girls loved and needed each other, and transformed them into the magical vegetable trio, the “three sisters” of corn, beans and squash.

     The corn offers strength and support for the other plants; the beans are the giving plant through the whole season,  wrapping the corn, holding the sisters together, and fixing nitrogen in the soil; and the squash is the shy, protective plant that grows over the roots of the others, holding moisture and protecting them from weeds.

     This beautiful story is a simplistic version of the legend of the three sisters, which the Iroquois and North American tribes had been growing for hundreds of years by the time Europeans arrived.  This trinity of vegetables was seen as sacred and life-giving, providing a balanced diet when eaten together.

THREE SISTERS SOUP

3/4 to 1 cup dried pinto (or other) beans, soaked overnight in 4 cups water
1 acorn squash
1 to 2 tablespoons butter or olive oil
1 onion, diced
Pinch sea salt
1 large carrot, diced
3 to 4 cloves garlic, minced
1 rib celery, diced
3 to 4 cups vegetable stock
1 cup corn off the cob (or frozen)
1 teaspoon dried or 2 tablespoons fresh thyme
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

1. Drain and rinse soaked beans. Put them in a pot and cover with water by an inch. Bring to a boil and simmer for about 45 minutes or until tender but not mushy. Add more water if necessary.

2. While beans are cooking, cut squash in half and scoop out seeds. Bake squash halves, cut side up, in a 375-degree oven for about 45 minutes, or until tender.

3. Heat butter or oil in a large saucepan. Add onions and a pinch of salt and sauté over medium heat, stirring often, until golden, about 10 minutes.

4. Add carrot, garlic and celery, and sauté over medium heat, stirring occasionally, for another 5 to 10 minutes.

5. In the meantime, scoop cooked squash out of shell. Add squash to onion mixture and mix well, smoothing out any large lumps. Rinse and drain cooked beans.

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Spring Countdown

“Gardens are not made

by singing “Oh, how beautiful!”

and sitting in the shade.

                Rudyard Kipling

The countdown to this year’s garden work is on!  It is not too soon to think about what delights this year’s garden will hold.  Gardeners know a good garden takes work:  what is that saying about gardening being 10% inspiration and 90% perspiration?  Hard work is a must…but so is planning, especially at this time of year!

If you have a garden journal, read it over and see what were the successes and failures in last year’s garden.  Yes, every garden has both.  Some plants do amazingly well, while others, usually the ones we plant with such high hopes, do not live up to our expectations.  You may want to give these another try, but if not, don’t be disappointed!  For many of us, garden space is too limited to sacrifice part of it to plants that are more struggle than glory.  Choose another plant and move on!

Plant your favorites, but make a promise to yourself to try at least one new plant.  There are new and exciting beauties out there every year.  Try a new annual in a container; or try a new perennial in that part of your perennial bed that has been the same for a few years.  It is amazing how one new plant can refresh a space.

Give yourself a challenge to grow something unusual in a container.  Never tried herbs?  Give basil a try and give your pasta a whole new dimension.  Looking for a new type of vine for a large container?  How about a squash!  Want some new texture in a container?  How about planting onions?  Don’t be afraid!  If it works out, hurrah for your efforts!  If it doesn’t, you have still learned something about gardening.

     Read and learn.  There are wonderful gardening magazines on the racks every month.  There are amazing seed catalogues, loaded with information.  The library has a wonderful collection of horticultural books, and can order books in for you if you ask.  And just type in a gardening topic on-line and you can be reading for hours!  Never miss a chance to learn something new!

Talk to the people at the greenhouses.  Here is a wealth of valuable information of what plant works best where.  And if you went in with a certain plant in mind, the greenhouse experts may be able to suggest something even better!  Keep an open mind to new suggestions.

     Talk to other gardeners.  Gardeners always seem to find each other, and most just love to talk about their own gardening experiences!  An obvious place to learn more is at a place where gardeners gather.  The Yorkton and District Horticultural Society meets on the third Wednesday of each month at 7:00 PM at SIGN on North Street.  There are interesting presentations (check our schedule) and new members are welcome.  You don’t have to be a member to come hear the speakers: if the topic interests you, just come on in!

Good luck with your spring garden plans!

Debbie Hayward

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