The Garden Report #38

Sunday, February 20th, 2011

New Zealand by Richard Gustin

• Writers write: The afternoon sun is strong even on a cold, winter’s day. The snow banks in our garden get higher with each passing week. As gardening season is still in the future, I have time to spend on theater. Each year, The Regina Fringe Festival produces a fund raiser. The Festival is truly a shoe string operation, scraping by with minimal funds and any monies raised are appreciated and needed. This year, Jodi Sadowsky will be producing the event, Roberta Nichol will be the musical act and yours truly will be presenting Glory Days. Of my six plays, this one has been the most popular with audiences. It has played to full houses and standing ovations in Winnipeg, Edmonton, Saskatoon, Calgary and Regina. I just happen to have some tickets for sale and if you would be willing to support The Regina Fringe, send me an email. The show is Friday, March 25th at 7:30. The venue is The Royal Saskatchewan Museum. Tickets are $30 advance and $35 at the door, if there are any left.

• Readers write: Reader Richard Gustin writes that he is enjoying his trip through New Zealand. Richard was kind enough to forward a few photos of his journey. New reader but old friend Joanne Bonneville writes “I look forward to reading about gardens while ours is still covered with the highest snow banks we have seen in years.” Lyn Goldman writes that she can relate to my dad’s voice reincarnated in my body. Lyn claims that her mother is often channeled through her body when she sees someone wearing inappropriate attire. Regular contributor Cheryl Hutton writes that the bit about cooking bacon in the buff is indeed funny. Sure it’s funny Cheryl, until you get splattered with some grease. Cheryl and her fellow actor/husband Aaron Coates have purchased their first house in Calgary, after living in the same apartment for seven years. I can relate to their enthusiasm. It was February 26th, 1973 when I purchased my first house just across the street from where I am living and writing, today. Nancy Topping writes “Spring will be here one day.” Ah, the voice of faith. Jodi Sadowsky writes that she made the Yorkshire Pudding from the recipe here at The Garden Report and that it was delicious. Roberta Nichol writes that she enjoys all of The Garden Reports but she adds that #37 “is so damn funny and entertaining.” Are we talking Reader’s Digest funny or George Carlin funny? Piet Berkenpas out of Vancouver thinks that #37 was funny as well. Piet wrote “I will probably be found smiling all day.” If my kids are reading this, please note that there are a few people out there who find me entertaining.

Silver Leaf Dogwood

• Fashion police: In 1969, I was a first year student at The University. I had a favorite pair of Levis’ jeans that were threadbare and faded. A real fashion statement for the times as they went with my tie dyed t-shirt. Go ahead and laugh. Every Friday, I would stop into the university cafeteria for lunch because they prepared a decent fish and chip meal. The cashier who would ring up my purchase took me aside one day. She was a woman in her sixties. She said in a quiet voice “I don’t want to embarrass you but I can’t help to notice how poor you are as your jeans are past the rag bag stage. I mean, they are so worn out. My husband died last year and he was about your size. If you don’t’ mind, I will bring his pants to work next week so you can have a decent pair to wear.” I thanked the woman for her kindness but I assured her that I preferred my threadbare Levis’ over her husband’s slacks. She was somewhat surprised by my refusal but life carried on. A few years later, I run into this woman, her name was Jean, and she was with my mother. When my mother introduced me to Jean as her son, Jean turned to my mother and said “this is the boy I told you about. The one too proud to wear my husband’s pants even though his ass was sticking out of his jeans.” My mother responded “I know, I know. I’ve tried to get him to stop wearing those but he won’t. It’s so embarrassing.”

• What? I had a recent visit with a long time friend. He is in his seventies and still going strong, but his hearing has diminished. As with many men, he refuses to get a hearing aid. He kept providing me with great answers to questions that I didn’t ask. It was as if we were playing a bizarre game of Jeopardy. He would provide the answer and I had to guess the question. The conversation went something like this: Q. What is the name of your church choir? A. Church? A small Alliance one in Saskatoon. Q. What? A. That’s where the funeral is being held. Q. What funeral? A. Didn’t you ask about Don’s funeral? Q. When did Don die? A. Aren’t you keeping up with the conversation?

• What? A second time: We had a lovely man who worked at Lakeview. His hearing was going and the conversations were getting increasingly bizarre. I had to ask him to get a hearing aid, which is a delicate subject to broach with anyone. I asked him point blank “have you thought about getting a hearing aid?” His response: “Sure. Have you thought that you should quit mumbling.” As far as he was concerned, the problem was solved, once I did my part.



Little Princess Spirea-one of my favourites

 • Garden Tip: For myself and for many people who work in the greenhouse/florist world, alstromeria is a favorite flower. It is a complex flower and yet simple at the same time, if that makes sense to you. They last a long time and their colors are not harsh. A bouquet of alstromeria is a lovely addition to any room, especially at this time of year. Can anyone guess what I got my Mrs. for Valentines?

• Today’s Thought: I have spent the better part of my life believing that happiness was a destination, only to discover that it was a part of the journey.

• A Scottish dream come true: Most of us remember when it was illegal to advertise beer or liquor in this province. Molson’s wanted to thank their customers so they sent out sales reps with an advertising budget of sorts. The reps hung around off sale vendors and if you purchased a Molson’s product, they matched your purchase with additional product. My buddies and I were around twenty or twenty-one and we stopped at The Plains off sale to pick up a dozen Pilsner. In I go and the Molson rep introduces himself after my purchase, thanks me, and he buys me another dozen. So, I asked him had I purchased twenty-four, would he have matched that and he said “yes”. Pushing the point, I asked if I had purchased thirty-six, would he have matched that number and again, he said “yes.” I had to quit asking because that was all of the money I had so I bought my thirty-six and he bought me an additional thirty-six. My buddies were expecting me to come out with a dozen beer under my arm. They were pleasantly surprised, and then overjoyed, when I emerged carrying three cases of twenty-four beer each. There might have been a party that night.

• Garden Tip: Reader Sherri Tutt asks about starting her saved begonias and her tomato seeds. Begonia tubers should be started at the end of February or the beginning of March. If they grow too big for a four inch pot, they can be bumped up to a five or even a six inch container. The key is not to overwater a begonia tuber. In the greenhouse, tomato seeds are started in early April for a four inch finished pot. They need about five to six weeks to look nice at that size. If you are wanting to grow your tomatoes in the conventional six pack size, tomato seeds only need around four weeks growing time. If your tomato seedlings are getting too tall, then pinch them back. I always prefer a short and stocky plant over a tall and lanky one. Also, in a window sill situation, it is always best to rotate your plants with a quarter turn every day. This allows the plant to develop on all sides.

• Germany calling: I have just found out that The Garden Report is now being read more in Germany than in Denmark, which used to occupy third place. I have no idea why it is popular in Germany. I have to assume that there are quite a few people there who read English. Sadly, I know a thousand Dutch jokes, five thousand Scottish jokes and twenty-thousand Canadian jokes, but I don’t know a single Danish or German joke.

• Garden Tip: If you are planning on rebuilding your garden or starting a new one, best to get some decent design advice. Two people who can assist you, though they are booking up quickly, are Heather Lowe at 545-1519 and Ingrid Thiessen at 789-5449.

• The staple of life: Good bread is a very popular topic amongst our readers. When you are in Vancouver, visit La Baguette on Grandville Island. It is an incredible, old school bakery that sells artisan breads. I must confess that I am rarely a big fan of Danishes but at this bakery, they are heavenly. Nothing is more enjoyable than one of their Danishes with a strong cup of coffee, sitting on a wooden bench at dockside during a sunny afternoon.

• Winnipeg too: In Winnipeg, we wander over to The Forks which is located just south of downtown to buy good bread from Tall Grass Prairie Bread Company. They are also known for their whole wheat cinnamon buns which are very popular, though they have never appealed to me.

• More good stuff: I wrote that while I have never been fond of Danishes, I have experienced ecstasy eating one from La Baguette in Vancouver. A similar situation applies to brownies. I rarely eat one even when they appear on a dessert buffet. I am always more tempted by matrimonial cake or a lemon tart. Regardless, when we are in Winnipeg for The Fringe, Maureen and I share a brownie from The Fyxx Coffee Shop in The Exchange District, every day. There is something about their brownies that is highly addictive and better than any others.

New Zealand by Richard Gustin

• Excellent product: We had a loaf of ‘Saskatchewan Sourdough’ from Orange Boot this week. The crust was incredibly chewy, just the way I want it to be. Great taste on the inside as well. We ate it with supper and we never serve bread with supper.

• Saturday Night out: A lovely night at the symphony with readers Jim and Susan Rollins. The title for the concert was ‘The RSO Goes to The Oscars’ and they played a number of scores including ‘The Godfather’, ‘Gone With The Wind’ and ‘Breakfast at Tiffany’s’. What really shone through for me were the oboe and the English horn, two instruments that are not always noticeable, but last night they were given their chance in the spotlight. There is a new oboe player within the orchestra and she has brought a sense of passion with her to the chair. Only the concertmaster provides more character than her.

My garden-photo makes for a great screensaver

• Thank you: With my mother’s passing, our family requested in lieu of flowers, a donation be made to The Care and Share Group. The group is comprised of around sixty seniors from North Central, who meet every Tuesday for lunch and a social at The Albert Scott Community Center. Mom was active in that group for thirty years. Twelve of you took the time and found the generosity to send checks, and we want each of you to know how much that is appreciated. 

 • God’s grace: Many of us believe that God’s grace is available to everyone, even a condemned prisoner standing on the scaffold awaiting execution, yet we find it difficult to accept that it is available for us as well.

• Thanks for reading…Rod McDonald in still cold and snowy Regina.



The Garden Report #37

Sunday, February 13th, 2011

Michiel's Greenhouse - plug production

• Writers write: The Valentine’s issue is here. Along with the Sports Illustrated swim suit edition, this is what men have been waiting for all year. Not really. My friend Don Keith who is now deceased, used to come into the greenhouse every Valentine’s Day and buy his wife an azalea. A lovely azalea. How thoughtful. But he would never take one of the florist cards and sign his name to it, even though there was no extra charge. I even offered to write out the card for him but he refused, always explaining “she’ll know who it’s from.” As much as I dearly love my male buddies, they are idiots. All of them. Complete idiots! They never understand that for women, the card is the most important part of the gift. The flowers will be finished in short order, and the chocolates will be eaten, but the card remains forever, in a drawer somewhere, proof that love exists. Best card ever written by a seventeen year old boy to his girlfriend… “I love you so much that I would give you my last beer.” Here’s to love in all of its forms.

Pink Spire Flowering Crab

• Readers write: Michiel Verheul of Alberta sent along a photo of his greenhouse this week. Michiel grows plugs which he sells to other greenhouses. They, in turn, grow the plugs into a finished product. Spring must be getting close because I can smell the peat moss. ‘Pink Spire’ Flowering Crab is displayed as well. This is a variety that was developed by Les Kerr out of Saskatoon and the photo is courtesy of Jeffries Nursery. Number Three Son and his new bride are in Hawaii for a vacation. They sent dad some photos and three are included in this blog. Lyn Goldman, Kate Berringer and Jodi Sadowsky all wrote the same thing: “Beautiful photos” in reference to last week’s attachments. The photos were courtesy of Jeffries’ Nursery. Audrey Drummond liked the one liner about middle age. Audrey suggests that we have a contest to coin a new phrase to replace ‘middle age’, which mathematically is not a correct description of people in their fifties and sixties. New reader Susan Patryluk writes that she is pleased to be included on the list as she has enjoyed her first Report. Joanne Terry writes “you get more hilarious each week”. I assume the thought of me cooking bacon in the buff set Joanne off. Reader Daniel Redenbach informs us that he has applied to a number of festivals to host the premiere of his short film ‘Close to Here’. I have seen the final cut and he did a wonderful job. New reader Bob Leeson wrote that Marg Hryniuk’ ability as a reporter is first rate. June Blau wrote “keep writing so we can keep reading.” Richard Gustin wrote he was reading #36 in New Zealand where it is plus twenty-five. Orange Boot Bakery is pleased that good bread is being promoted within The Garden Report. We do like to eat. Gwen Scott out of Ft. Langley, B.C. writes “I continue to enjoy your banter on all things ‘gardeny’ and ‘kitcheny’. Well, that is just ‘peacheny’.

• The King’s Speech: This movie has been nominated for several Oscar’s and it will probably win Best Picture. It is one of the best movies I have ever seen. Writing of historical movies, TBS had on late at night, ‘Anne of a Thousand Days’. Richard Burton plays the role of Henry and his acting skills are phenomenal.

• Oh well: Greg Morley and Susan Hardy joined us at The Globe last Sunday. Within the play, the husband is caught not listening to his wife’s instructions. For whatever reason, Greg and I were laughing at this situation, in a loud and vigorous manner. Now, some might suspect that we were laughing because we could identify with not listening, but that is not true. Greg and I are very good listeners. We just have short memories.

A hibiscus in Hawaii growing outside

• Garden Tip: Reader Marcus Fernando has a small plot of land available to develop as his first garden and he sought advice on where to begin. I always advise new gardeners to start off with a small ‘salad garden’ which will be easy to manage. One can always increase the size the following year. A ‘salad garden’ should contain everything you would want in a salad including lettuce, green tail onions, carrots, tomatoes, basil, thyme and a few marigolds to reduce insects. It is always a good idea to stagger your seed times with lettuce so that you have continuous ripening times. Tomatoes can be jarred, carrots can be stored, herbs can be dried, but lettuce has to be eaten when it is ready. Even in a small area, I might be tempted to plant a few garlic toes and a rhubarb plant. For those who are not gardeners, rhubarb plants are perennial and they can live for fifty years or longer.

• Garden Tip: A perennial is a plant that had it lived, would have bloomed the following year.

• Garden Tip: Rhubarb leaves are quite attractive and they lend themselves to being planted for ornamental purposes in perennial beds. Similarly, ‘Northern Lights’ Swiss Chard is being used as an ornamental and not as an edible. There was some planted in front of The Legislature last year.

Patrick in Hawaii

• Community: We received and invitation to a supper hosted by Christ Lutheran Church on Dewdney Avenue, Saturday night. The meal was excellent but more importantly, I always enjoy these events for their sense of community. It was a chance to visit with people that we have not seen for a while and to meet new friends. I met a woman whose father I had worked with forty years ago. Her dad is still going strong at 105! Patrons of community events invariable turn out to be some of the nicest people one can meet.

• Sir?: Les Anderson who was my greenhouse manager said it best. “Maturity begins when the kid at Safeway turns to you and asks ‘would you like help out with that, sir?’” The first time that occurs, Les says you have to realize you are no longer hip. You have become your father.

• I swore it would not happen: One night when the kids were small, they were supposed to be getting ready for bed but of course, they were fooling around. I gave them a warning. They did not heed it. Without thinking, I was standing at the bottom of the stairs shouting upwards, “So help me God…if you two don’t have your pajamas on and get into bed in five seconds, I am coming up there. Don’t make me come up there!” I had no idea where that voice had come from. It was as if my dad had been transposed into my body. And I had sworn that it would never happen.

• Something is not right: I have this doctor in Saskatoon who is quite distinguished looking. He has grey hair and his face tells you that he has been practicing medicine for many, many years. I always assumed he was ever so much my elder, by at least ten years. This week, he was being interviewed on the news and they reported his age as being two years less than mine! That must be a mistake, right?

• Language Reform: In Saskatoon a few years ago there were two theater reviews. One was for a performance with Robbie Benz who is thirty pounds heavier than me. The reviewer wrote “the powerfully built Robbie Benz”. Fair enough. Then the same reviewer described me in a different play as “the stocky Rod McDonald”. If any reviewer is reading this, in the future, I would prefer to be described as “the powerfully built.” And to that other reviewer who wrote “the aging Rod McDonald”, does he not realize that he is bald? Glass houses man, glass houses. For the record, I would prefer the word ‘aging’ be substituted with the adjective ‘timeless’. Ah, that feels better.

• Cyber Space: A hot topic in the news continues to be cyber bullying which apparently, is not confined to teen aged girls. It has now leapt into the adult demographics. Along a similar vein, when I read my favorite blog sites, often historical ones, I am amazed by the insane comments posted by anonymous readers. Not just opinions that I disagree with, but plain old fashioned, crude comments. I am often left wondering if they are posted by twelve year old boys. Most of us remember when the bulk of stupid, anonymous phone calls were made by adolescent boys who had nothing better to do with their time. Now with all of the technology available, cranks calls have decreased but cyber crap has increased. One of the major problems as I see it is that posters are not required to reveal their names, and they hide behind their anonymity. A part of democracy has always been the freedom to write and to speak what you believe to be true, which has to go hand in hand with assuming responsibility for what you write. Many of you write in to express your opinions on various subjects and I post your views, but I would never allow someone to post without identifying themselves. Anonymous posters are nothing more than new age cowards.

• Old age cowards: When I wrote for The Free Press, every now and again I would receive a letter that was absolutely off the wall, and unsigned. The writer would be waging a vendetta against some enemy, real or imagined. In contrast, the signed letters were always much more coherent and thought out, even if I disagreed with their conclusions.

• Garden Tip: Your amaryllis is through blooming and you don’t know what to do. Here is the scoop. Continue to water the plant. It should have three, four or five long, strappy leaves on it. After the danger of frost has passed, plant it outside in the garden in dappled light. I plant mine underneath my flowering crabapple tree. It could bloom again in September. Allow the plant to get a couple of frosts on it, just enough to turn the leaves. Lift the bulb out of the soil, allow it to dry out in the sun for a day or so and then store it in a cool, dark place (such as the attic) for six weeks. Repot the bulb and start growing it again. It will usually bloom five years out of eight. Not bad chances, eh?

• Funny: A woman at the grocery store asked Maureen how she stays so skinny. I told the questioner it was because I chase her around the house every night. The woman asked me how come I am not skinny. Maureen replied “he doesn’t chase me very fast.”

• Restaurant time at Ngoc Anh: Maureen and her book club have been to this place for dim sum and they have been quite pleased with their experience. The restaurant occupies the premises once home to Mieka’s and later on, Ming’s at 1810 Smith St. We decided to check it out for an early Valentine’s supper on Friday. First, the owner does the serving and she is extremely friendly and nurturing. A definite plus. Her husband is the cook. Another plus. The place is clean. Plus, yet again. We started out with a basic hot and sour soup. It was filled with a great assortment of vegetables however it was not sour, it was sweet. Correctly labeled, it was hot and sweet soup. Our next dish was cashew chicken which again was filled with an array of fresh veggies, but a little shy on the chicken and the cashews. Dish number three was the Singapore noodles which were cooked with curry. This dish was very tasty and I really enjoyed it. Our last dish was a hot plate, something we have not ordered for years. We chose one with scallops and black bean sauce. It also had some nice flavors going on and it was filled with fresh veggies, including green beans and fresh pea pods, but not a lot of scallops, especially for sixteen bucks. Total price for the meal including tip (no alcohol) was fifty-eight dollars. I don’t dole out stars. What it comes down to is this: Would I go back? I would give them another chance based upon their friendly service, their cleanliness and their wonderful selection of veggies. I would definitely ask them for dishes with more flavor and oomph. I have been told by others that they offer up a decent lunch time buffet for around nine bucks, but I have not checked that out.

A lovely photo of Hawaii

• Back to school: I have a little friend who is four years old. She loves to be scared and I accommodate her when we play ‘lion in the jungle’. I wanted to change things up a bit so I introduced a new character, a mean spirited pirate who chases little girls around the house. After we were through playing, she pointed out that my ‘lion’ and my ‘pirate’ sound quite similar to each other. Damn! Now I have to sign up for another acting class. Everyone is a theater critic these days.

• Thanks for reading…Rod McDonald in Regina

The Garden Report #36

Sunday, February 6th, 2011

Starlite Flowering Crab

• Writers Write: There is a company that tracks the readership of The Garden Report. Not surprisingly, the readership is comprised of mainly Canadians, followed by a solid base in The U.S.A. For third place, I would have expected England but I was wrong. For some unexplained reason, we are being read quite nicely in Denmark. Perhaps they like my jokes about the Scots. Next in line is Germany, Slovenia, Russia, Poland, The United Kingdom, Hong Kong and Japan. Eighty per cent of you read this with a PC and fifty-three per cent of you are using Explorer. There are only 17 of you reading this on your I Pod and 8 of you who read it on your I Phone. There are no statistics available as to how many of you are reading this in your underwear. For some strange reason, I am actually dressed this morning and it is not because I am cooking bacon. That is my idea of living dangerously these days, cooking bacon in the buff.

Starlite Flowering Crab

• Readers Write: I was quite surprised by the number of responses to the ‘salad wars’ blurb. There were several different perspectives. Some readers shared how they had gone through their own battles many years ago including reader Jean Freeman. Jean wrote that her war was with a defiant six year old daughter over whether six year olds should eat brussel sprouts: And then the younger parents such as Noelle Chorney from Saskatoon wrote: “Thanks also for the parenting tip on the ‘salad wars’. I read it to my husband, and we both appreciated the good advice, since we are currently navigating parenthood with a 2 and a half year old and a six month old, and are learning the hard way to avoid power struggles at all costs.” Noelle also wants readers to know that she has a blog of her own and it is about food. You can read her blog at www.amazoninthekitchen.ca . Marcus Fernando writes that his young niece filed a complaint regarding her mother. She ledged her mean mother made her “eat leaves.” Nancy Topping was interested in making Yorkshire Pudding. A recipe for this lovely dish appeared a few Garden Reports back. June Blau writes that she and Dave enjoy the smell of ‘bone soup’ as it simmers in their kitchen. Ingrid Thiessen suggests that I am an enigma because I have requested airplane passengers to dress in a respectful manner yet I insist that we be allowed to eat brunch in our underwear at The Hotel Saskatchewan. I had to explain that flying is a formal experience whereas brunch is much more casual, thus I am no longer an enigma. Marg Hryniuk pointed out my grammatical error from last week. I wrote that “our priorities lay…”. According to Marg, chickens lay eggs and priorities lie. Good to know. Reader Gail Bowen wrote “Thanks for the recipes, for the wit and the wisdom and for all the lovely memories…” Wisdom, eh? I have to send that comment along to the kids. They won’t believe it. Paula Grolle writes that she really enjoys British shows including ‘Doc Martin’ and ‘Coronation Street’. Peg St. Goddard wrote “As always, I am enjoying The Garden Report." Jodi Sadowsky has been passing us along to her parents. They made Johnny Cake from the recipe presented here and they enjoyed it. Reader Joana Cook is in London, England, working on her Masters. She writes that it is a balmy twelve above and quite sunny today. That’s beach weather here.

• Gross joke: Whilst we discuss our versions of the ‘salad wars’, I wish to relay a vegetable joke told to me by a Grade One girl, many years ago. What is the difference between broccoli and ‘boogers’? Six year old boys won’t eat broccoli. Yuck!

• Salad Wars: During the ‘salad wars’ of 1983/84, positions not only became entrenched but they expanded. One afternoon I was making a batch of cabbage rolls on top of the stove. Patrick climbs up onto his stool, lifts the pot cover to inspect the product and proclaims in disgust “cooked salad!”

Starlite Flowering Crab

• Garden Tip: Readers have been asking about fertilizing their house plants at this time of year. I like to use a 10 30 20 or a 15 30 15 or even a 20 20 20 water soluble fertilizer. I mix a teaspoon of fertilizer (five mm.) into two liters of water. That is a very weak strength and I use it each time I water. The point is to keep your leaves a dark, healthy green. As a rule, light green leaves or slightly yellow ones indicate a need for some plant food. Needless to write but I will, most plants can tolerate all the light you want to give them at this time of year. A south window will not be too warm and sunny until we are well into March.

• Light: We are six weeks past the winter solstice and the increased light is now noticeable and much appreciated. It is amazing how a little bit of extra sunlight can perk people up. My friends who suffer with SAD (seasonal affective disorder) which is triggered by low light levels, should hopefully be feeling better.

• Garden Tip: Reader Peg St. Goddard wrote to ask about geranium seeds, as in where can you buy them. I used to sell a lot of them but I am not certain if any independent is open right now and has them in stock. If you cannot find them locally, check with T and T Seeds out of Winnipeg, Mackenzie Seeds out of Brandon or with Stokes out of Ontario. All three of them are reputable companies. The only mail order company that you should avoid is Rockwood Nurseries.

• Arguments you can’t win: Several years back when my niece Michelle, was four years old, the two of us were going out to Regina Beach for an afternoon of swimming. Before we left, Michelle’s mother was fretting, saying “I hope Uncle Rod doesn’t speed with you in the car.” At the time, I might have had a reputation within the family for being a little heavy on the gas pedal. So Michelle and I are cruising down the highway and she begins to bark out “don’t speed Uncle Rod! Stop your speeding!” I glanced down at my speedometer and I saw that I was doing 100 in a 110 zone, well under the speed limit. I was explaining this to Michelle but she wasn’t buying it. “You cannot speed with me in the car!” she insisted as I continued to plead my innocence. Finally, it dawned on me that I am arguing with someone who doesn’t know how to read, tell time or to drive! Add into this equation, that she is woman, albeit a woman in training, but there is no way she is going to let me win this battle. What could I do but say, “thank you Michelle. I have stopped my speeding and now I am driving much more careful.” Order in the universe was restored and we had a good time swimming in the lake and eating at Butler’s.

• Garden Tip: There are some lovely little flowering plants starting to show up in the different stores. I really suggest that you treat yourself to a bit of spring color to brighten your day. Not a brilliant tip but a gentle reminder to be good to yourself.

Top Graft Little Leaf Lilac

• A cruel disease: We had lunch this week with a friend whose wife suffers with Alzheimer’s Disease. I asked him how far the disease has advanced. He told us that she no longer knows his name and that she can’t make toast. All I could do was to listen, nodding my empathy. Then he stated the inevitable, “and soon she will get worse.” I often refer to this as ‘a cruel disease’ because it takes the mind from a healthy body and how it impacts the family.

• Bring on the good stuff: Readers got onto their computers and let me know their joy of eating good bread. A few years ago, each I time left Vancouver to return to Regina, I did so with the regret that I could no longer purchase quality bread. This is no longer the situation as today we have several choices. Orange Boot has been baking some incredible tastiness, Koko’s offers up some great stuff, and Beer Brothers produces some terrific loaves. Now, Jean McKay writes in telling us that la Macaron in the east end on Quance Street has entered the derby with a rye and walnut loaf. This is a wonderful situation, to have several different artesian bakers working on our behalf. Don over at Lakeview Fine Foods has just started to carry Koko’s breads on Saturdays. Don said his first sales day, everything was gone by noon, so he will be increasing his order. Get the butter ready!

• What is old is new again: My mom told me this last year. She said in the 1920’s and ‘30’s, they grew their own grain, ground it, mixed it, proofed it, formed it and then baked it in the wood fired oven. It was a wholesome bread with no chemicals or additives. Mom’s brother went to work for a bakery in Regina and when he would return to the farm for a visit, he would bring sliced bread made at the bakery. Mom and her sibling would go wild. Store bought bread was so much better in their minds, than their home made loaves. Then mom pointed out “and now, they make the bread like we used to but they call it artesian bread…and they charge five bucks a loaf for it!” Here’s to the return to slow and pure food movement.

• Not so good for us: A recent study found that wherever there is a Wal-Mart Super Center, that people gain weight. It has to do with their reduced pricing on processed foods. All of the stuff that is not good for us is now cheaper and consumers who eat processed foods gain weight, amongst other health issues.

• Fast food joints: Reader Jean McKay is very involved with decent nutrition for children, especially breakfast. Jean is on The National Board of www.breakfastforlearning.org. Jean and her organization know of children who start the school day without breakfast and other kids who are sent by their parents to a fast food place for their meals. There was a kid at the boxing club whose mother sent him to McDonald’s everyday for supper. After years of this, he was actually addicted to a Quarter Pounder, fries and a Coke, and he ate them all the time. It is difficult to be an athlete with a fast food diet.

• Good for us: I love telling this story. In the 1960’s and early 1970’s, you could not purchase yogurt anywhere in this province. The Milk Control Board did not allow yogurt sales. Hippies returning from Europe were the first proponents of yogurt and they started to make their own, albeit yogurt did exist in small pockets of immigrants, especially Greeks. While you could not sell yogurt, you could give away the culture to a friend and the hippies loved to share. I had a little taste of the stuff and I loved it. I was given a small jar of the culture along with instructions regarding how to produce it. I would make a batch every week and my family started to eat it, but we kind of kept that quiet. Eating yogurt was considered a weird or a revolutionary act, at the time. Quit your laughing. I only record history, I don’t make it up. Now today, yogurt appears in every convenience store and in every format conceivable. The one thing I have noticed is how few of the products are really true yogurts. Most are imitations. To be real yogurt, all there needs to be is milk and a culture. Having gelatin products as a thickener is not a yogurt. It is more of a jellied milk.

• History continues: Along with yogurt, hippies introduced granola to the Canadian public. It was not sold in stores. It was baked in the oven at home. Because of its hippie influence, there was a principal at a high school in Minnesota who actually prohibited his students from bringing granola to school. Why? Because hippies made granola and they were involved in anarchism and that would leave the door open to communism which would lead to the downfall of America and all of its freedoms. I can’t make this stuff up. As with the yogurt, granola is now sold in many forms in many stores and America has not fallen, at least not from eating granola.

• What? Along with the weird history of yogurt and granola, here is another kicker. When typewriters first came on the market, doctors decided that women should not be allowed to operate them. Why? Because the strain of typing would interfere with their reproductive organs. Just about all of the first typists were male.

• New math: I have to stop referring to myself as ‘middle aged’ or else I have to live to be 120.

Thanks for reading this week….Rod in even more snowy Regina

The Garden Report #35

Sunday, January 30th, 2011

A summer view at the ranch

• Writers write: There may be revolution in the streets of Cairo but order has been restored in our house. There was no toast or porridge for brunch this morning. No, there was that golden hued piece of heavenly delight that we call Johnny Cake in the oven, baking at four hundred degrees. There was butter and real maple syrup and a fresh fruit bowl with a bit of yogurt on top and there was a big pot of black tea. It’s twenty below with snow banks four feet tall in places and nothing but Johnny Cake was designed by the good Lord for Sunday mornings. Nothing, except maybe some scratch waffles but that is another story. I understand that the Hotel Saskatchewan has a wonderful Sunday brunch, but they don’t serve Johnny Cake, and they won’t let you eat in your underwear. If I owned ‘The Sask’, I would let people eat brunch in their underwear. I would advertise that policy. “Don’t shave, don’t put on your pants…just come and eat our food!” The place would be filled, mainly with men my age. For me, it would be a chance to see all of my friends in one place, at one time. Not wearing pants ranks up there, just behind eating Johnny Cake with maple syrup.

• Readers Write: Ken McCaw writes that the baguettes at The Orange Boot Bakery are better than those baked at Koko’s. Ken thinks that Koko’s baguettes have a good taste, but The Orange Boot beats them on authenticity. Roberta Nichol wrote to let me know that my coming out as a flaming heterosexual will not impact my standing in the neighborhood. Roberta feels the community will rally around me in my time of need. Jean McKay wrote “Thanks for writing” which is short and sweet. Rex Deverell wrote into remind me that mental illness and stupidity are not the same thing. Rex was responding to my off handed comment about the callers to radio shows being psychiatric patients. I corrected that statement on the internet edition. Casey Van Vloten from Vancouver appreciated Jan Pederson’s tips on good coffee places to visit in his travels. Heather Phillips from Carman, Manitoba wrote that the Johnny Cake recipe brought back many fond memories of a childhood winter treat, served with stove top, brown sugar syrup. Marcus Fernando, who lives in England and Croatia, writes that he knows nothing about ‘Doc Martin’. I am going to assume that Marcus does not want to join my ‘Coronation Street’ support group. Cheryl Hutton writes that she has received another out of town residency (acting job). Lyn Goldman thinks misting plants is a good idea.



A lovely evening in my own garden

 • Sweet Bakery: This place at the corner of Broad and College has been open for awhile. I have heard good things about it and on two occasions, people have brought me treats purchased from there. On Sunday last, we went for a walk through the park and our half way point was this place. I had a cinnamon roll made with baking powder, something that all of us grew up eating, but is seldom seen today. Helen who owns the place and is the head baker commented, that no one else in town produces a roll similar to this one. Most places opt for the yeast risen sticky bun. Maureen had a scone and when she was not looking, I sampled a bite (alright, I had two bites). Excellent treat. Maureen’s tea was first rate but my café au lait was a little weak. Definitely will try an espresso based coffee next time. The atmosphere was lovely and the washrooms were clean, which is always important.

• Clean washrooms: Don’t you just hate a dirty washroom whether it is in a restaurant or a gas station? The Starbucks at the corner of Robson and Thurlow in Vancouver was disgusting. I complained to the manager and his response was that they were understaffed. I suggested that they place that information in the window, in large print as in “Home of the four dollar coffee and disgusting washrooms!” On the east side of Portage la Prairie, there is a small gas station. It is an independent with a Domo sign. An older couple run it. The washrooms are spotless as is the rest of the store. I complimented the owner and his response was “We try.”

• Wheelchairs and Winter: Driving east along 13th Avenue, there was a fellow in a electric wheelchair coming towards me, an unsafe situation. I stopped to let him pass. I glanced over at the sidewalk and I could see why he had to be on the road. The sidewalk was impassable for a wheelchair and tricky for an ambulatory pedestrian to navigate. I have written before that Cathedral is supposed to be last, great walking neighborhood in the city and it is, until it snows. But the street was recently graded. It shows that our priority lies within car culture.

• Stop the insanity: I had to drop in to a local high school on Tuesday. Outside of the school, there were many students, 14, 15 and 16 years of age. All were smoking. I don’t know what more can be done to inform them. There are the television ads, the warnings on the cigarette packs, the posters, the seminars. It is not as if ‘the word’ is not out there. Tied into the smoking is that youthful belief that negative consequences will not catch up to them, personally. When you are fifteen, you cannot imagine fifty and emphysema.

Tulip season is only three month away for Regina gardeners

• One more reason: As regular readers know, I am hardly a fan of fast food joints. That industry has contributed to heart disease, obesity, diabetes and the decline of our quality of life. Now there is one more reason not to eat at these places. An Alabama law firm has tested Taco Bell’s ‘seasoned beef’ and found it contains only 36% meat. The rest is fillers and binders. Yum. Our oldest son who lives in Calgary, told us that a friend of his manages another fast food establishment. Bryan was visiting the store and noticed there were buckets in the kitchen with the label “Meat fit for human consumption”. Not Grade AAA or Grade AA or a single A, but “fit for human consumption”? How far down the food chain do you have to go to reach that grade?

• Times are tough: Many years ago, I was boiling the carcass of the Christmas turkey to create a soup stock. Number Three Son was about five years of age at the time and he came into the kitchen. He climbed onto his stool so he could lift the lid off of the stock pot. He saw the carcass boiling away. He turned up his nose at what he saw and complained “Oh no! Bone soup.” I tried to explain that things were a little slow at the garden center and we all have to make compromises. Since that day, whenever we have the stock pot on the stove, the family joke is that we are making ‘bone soup’.

• Salad Wars: The year before the time of the ‘bone soup’, we went through the ‘salad wars’ in our house. Well, to be honest, Patrick and I went through the ‘salad wars’, the others were merely observers. For whatever reason, Patrick decided to quit eating salad when he was four and I thought this would ruin him for life. I laid down an ultimatum, that he had to eat his salad or no dessert. Not surprisingly, it turned into an incredible power struggle with one of us throwing temper tantrums. I am almost certain that it was Patrick with the tantrums. This war raged for close to a month, with neither side willing to give on any point. “Eat your salad!” “No! I don’t like salad.” We flash forward to today. He is thirty-one, married and he eats his salad. I don’t view that as a victory. Instead, I think back and ask why I put myself through that ordeal. It seemed so important at the time. Why does it take me thirty years to figure these things out?

• Yorkshire Pudding: I wrote how easy it is to make Yorkshire Pudding and it really is easy. This week we had a beef stew on the back burner and I thought that some of this starch would make a lovely accompaniment. I decided to experiment and added in two teaspoons of dill weed to the mixture, prior to baking. It was delicious. A perfect accompaniment to the stew.

• Chick Pea Masala: This Indian dish is simple to make and it tastes fantastic. Start by chopping up an onion and placing it into a hot pot with a bit of canola oil in the bottom. Brown the onions, then add in a cup of chopped mushrooms and a cup of carrots cut into coins. Sweat those for about ten minutes. Add in a can of unsalted tomatoes and a can of washed and rinsed chick peas. Cook on a low heat with a bit of garlic and one teaspoon of masala spice for flavor. You can lightly mash any of the tomatoes that do not break down from the cooking process with a fork. The masala spice can be purchased from Tony on Victoria Avenue at his Indian food store. I let this mixture simmer all afternoon on a low heat. About half an hour before supper, I added in a cup of green beans and a half cup of green peas, along with two tablespoons of hot peppers. I added in a second teaspoon of masala spice which made it quite hot. I finished off this dish with the juice from half of a fresh lemon. If you wish, you can add in a half cup of yogurt to reduce the heat. I didn’t because I was keeping the dish vegan. I served it with raita which is nothing more than yogurt with chopped cucumber spiced with garlic, cumin and a pinch of masala and some flat bread that had been heated up in a frying pan with a touch of oil and curry. An incredible dish for a cold winter’s evening meal.

• Good concert: We attended ‘The Nylons’ concert Saturday night. Good show. They split the concert between performing with The Regina Symphony and performing by themselves. I like getting out on a cold winter’s night and sharing a musical experience with others.

• Garden Tip: If you like to grow your geraniums from seed, it is time to start. Even if they get a little tall before it is time to move them into the garden, you can pinch them back. They will just get fatter. Keep in mind that geraniums from seed are usually singles versus the cutting geraniums which are usually doubles. Also, if you like to start your begonias from tubers, February is usually the month when those are started. The key to growing good begonias is not to overwater them. They like to be kept damp, but not wet.

• Thank you for reading this week…Rod McDonald in Regina



The Garden Report #34

Sunday, January 23rd, 2011

• Writers write: I want to thank all of you for your emails, cards and attendance at mom’s funeral. Your support is appreciated. The one realization that I would like to share, having gone through this cycle of life in the last week, is: Our bodies are really and truly, only a shell that houses our spirit and soul. Nothing more. And when that shell is finished, we still exist. We are spiritual entities that occupy a human form but for a short period of time.



Rod's Garden towards sunset with Murphy's tail

 
• Readers Write: Itinerant actor and reader John Huston wrote into say that a wonderful part of the slow food movement exists at ‘The New Ground Café’ in Birch Hills, south of Prince Albert. John says it is worth the visit if you are in that area. Beth Pelletier is writing to us from her winter home in Texas. Beth writes that the Tucson shootings didn’t even make the front page of her local paper. She says that there is a real disconnect between Texas and the rest of the world. Sarah Willis out of Toronto, is afraid to comment on why women sniff underwear to ascertain if they are clean, less I quote her. I have no idea where Sarah would obtain an idea such as that one. Sherrie Tutt was wondering about Yorkshire Pudding. It is exceptionally easy to make. Anyone can do it. Regular reader Stew Wass from Indian Head says, one day he will send in an update of what is happening in his town, gardening wise. Stew says he really enjoys The Garden Report and he reads it upon arrival every Sunday. Marcus Fernando is holidaying in Cornwall, on the south coast of England. I asked Marcus if he is anywhere near the filming for ‘Doc Martin’ and he has never watched the show! So he was not able to answer. Imagine, a Brit not watching ‘Doc Martin’. I love that show. Patient: “Am I going to die?” Doc Martin: “Yes, but not today.”

• Good Coffee: Reader Jan Pederson is the former owner of Shelmerdine’s, a premier garden center in Winnipeg. He sold it, but you can’t keep a good man down so he went to work for Byland’s, a wholesale nursery. He travels a lot. Jan weighed in on the coffee issue. He recommends the following as being good choices for our addicted readers. In St. Andrews, ‘The Café at Lower Fort Garry Garden Center’. In Dauphin, ‘Scotty’s Bakery’. In Steinbach, ‘Oakridge Greenhouses’. In Prince Albert, ‘Great Western Coffee Company’. In Biggar, ‘Weasie’s Gourmet Blend’. In Saskatoon, ‘The Fine Art Café’ at Lansdowne and 14th. Thank you Jan (pronounced Yan).

• Good line: I ran into a friend who is taking chemo treatments for her cancer. She told me that chemotherapy can affect your brain for awhile. I asked her how so. Her response was great: “Not only am I making stupid decisions, but I am doing so quite slowly.” You have to laugh or you might cry.

• Democracy in Action: Regular readers know that I am not a fan of call in radio shows. It is not that I am opposed to people voicing their opinions. I do support democracy. What I am opposed to is stupid people voicing their opinions. There is this entire subculture of people who call into these shows and hold court on subjects they have no experience with. Rex Murphy had a relief worker from Haiti on the air this past Sunday. The guest was thoughtful, compassionate and a caring person. Then Rex opened up the phone lines.  There is a major difference between asking questions of the guest and staging a polemic. They should have taken the amphetamines away from the first caller ‘cause he was flying high. So, why don’t I just turn the show off? Well, you have to be aggravated by something.

• Bread news: The new Orange Boot Bakery has opened on Gordon Road and Queen Street. It is producing artisan breads. Reader June Blau has purchased a few loaves and raves about the quality. Don over at Lakeview Fine Foods tells me that he will be stocking some baguettes from Koko’s in the next two weeks, along with a sourdough loaf. Koko’s bakes a fine product as well.

• Johnny Cake: Reader Iris Sirke wants Maureen’s recipe for this piece of heaven. Maureen provided it with this comment: “It’s like giving up one of my kids.” Now, I love my kids as well, but I would not hesitate to trade any one of them for a taste of this. Below is Maureen’s recipe.

Maureen’s Johnny Cake Recipe

Preheat oven to 400, warm the pan for 15-20 minutes, preferably a cast iron fry pan(the older the better!)

3/4c cornmeal

1 1/4c milk

1c all purpose flour

1/3c sugar

1tbsp baking powder

1/2tsp salt (optional)

1egg

1/4c vegetable oil



Combine cornmeal and milk. Let stand 10 minutes. Meanwhile, combine flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in larger bowl. Add egg/vegetable oil to cornmeal mixture and mix well. Add to dry ingredients stirring just until combined. Fill greased pan (this was in the oven preheating) and bake until golden brown. Cut into wedges and slather with butter, syrup or whatever your preference.

• Strange times: At The Edmonton Fringe Festival, several years back, a small, fundamentalist church decided to protest one of the plays being performed. They had a picket line marching back and forth in front of the venue. As The Fringe in Edmonton is an incredible mixture of street performers and lunatics, most people assumed the protestors were a part of The Fringe. And in a strange way, they were. Their protest brought added attention to this particular play and it quickly sold out, curiosity being a strong motivator. The protestors would harangue the people who were in line to see the show, but most people thought it was all part of the ‘set up’. The preamble to the production itself. Having witnessed the success obtained by this show, due in no small part to the protest, I was tempted to ‘rat myself out’. I gave serious thought to calling the church and informing them that my show too, was filled with heresy, blasphemy and anti-Christian bias. It wasn’t’, but I was quite willing to say so, to provoke a picket line outside of the theater. Shame is not something that comes easily to most impresarios.

• Strange times are not new: During the 1950’s and ‘60’s, book publishers would often promote a book with the heading of “banned in Boston!” The inference being that it contained some racy material (the good stuff) and thus, promoted sales.

• Gay Marriage: Saskatchewan’s highest court has weighed in on the Marriage Commissioners’’ legal obligation to provide a service for same sex couples. I am not going to proffer an opinion on that particular issue as it has been thoroughly discussed in most media. It did provoke this observation from me. Over the years, there have been a small number of same sex couples who have lived in the neighborhood. Their houses have always been well maintained. Their eves trough are not hanging off of the roof, you never wonder when they will be painting their garage and their gardens are often the finest in the area. In short, gay couples have made excellent neighbors. Now, if only I could get those damned heterosexual neighbors to clean up their yards! I trust that my readers do not believe for one moment that I am prejudiced against opposite sex couples. After all, some of my best friends are straight. And after thirty years with the same woman, there are some within the community who would suggest that I might be heterosexually inclined as well. Hopefully, I will not have Bill Walcott outside my door protesting my secret sin, that I like to kiss a pretty girl and take her dancing on New Year’s Eve. I believe that I have just ‘outed’ myself.


Power Surge Mum



• The photos: Courtesy of Jeffries Nursery in Portage la Prairie, are two photos. Power Surge Mum is part of The Firecracker Mum Series. It produces a series of double red flowers that rejuvenate the fall garden. Mums bloom in early September. The second photo is of Hotwings, a small tree that is tolerant of drought and alkaline soil (which we have in the Regina area). It has dark green leaves with bright red samaras at the end of the branches. It is a selection from the Tatarian Maples which are similar to Amur Maple. The third photo is of my back garden, the view towards Angus Street. Murphy’s tail is in the foreground. I thought it might be a good time to present this photo, what with all the snow on the ground.



Hot Wings Tatarian Maple

 • Garden Tip: A few readers have expressed concern over the mounting level of snow and wonder how it will affect their garden. The heavy snow load will cause a bit of damage on some shrubs. They may be bent and a few branches will be broken. For the most part, the shrubs will recover from this physical stress by mid June. Perennials and bulbs will come through this winter with higher than average survival rates as the snow acts as a wonderful insulation blanket. Of course, there will be an increased amount of damage due to the snow melt and lower lying gardens will lose some plants to drowning. There will probably be an increased amount of snow mould on lawns as the weight of the snow will create favorable conditions. The best thing to do is to rake the snow mold (white cotton threads) off of the lawn as soon as is possible. Then reseed and fertilize.

• Garden Tip: With the very real possibility of flooding this spring, it would be a wise decision to purchase a pump before they are all sold out. I suspect that many of us will be draining parts of our yard out to the street, to protect our gardens and basements.

• Garden Tip: Reader Rhonda Rein wrote in to ask about using mayonnaise to clean house plant leaves. She had heard about this from a neighbor, many years ago. This ‘tip’ has been around for years and it resurfaces every now and again. Here is the situation. If you use a bit of mayonnaise to wipe your houseplant’s leaves, they will initially look very good. They will be quite shiny from the oil in the mayonnaise. After a short period of time, that oil will plug up the breathing pores of the leaf, preventing it from engaging in oxygen exchanges. Best to clean your house plants by placing them in the shower and giving them a rinse with plain water if not too dirty or you can use a weak solution of dish soap to wash the leaves if they are particularly dirty and then rinse with plain water. There are a number of leaf shine products on the market including one made by Miracle Gro. These products are not harmful to most house plants and they do leave your leafs with a shiny, green luster. Here is the question: Do you want your house plants to look natural or do you want them to have a shiny, almost plastic and thus artificial appearance to them? Most people prefer to have their plants with the natural look.

• Garden Tip: Another reason to give your houseplant a shower every now and again is to reduce spider mites. Spider mites love a dry environment and they detest a high humidity one. Spaying your plants with a mister is a good idea as it makes the plant less hospitable to those pesky spider mites. The same applies to spider mites in your cedars, outdoors. Hosing them off on a weekly basis chases some of the bugs away. And it’s organic, too. Might as well engage in some political correctness.

• Minifie Lecture: This year’s speaker was Anna Maria Tremonti and her topic was on taking back journalism. She maintains that many journalists are afraid to write the truth because if they do, their access to politicians will be restricted. She spoke about her coverage of war and conflicts, and regardless of the side, people want a good life for their children. It was well attended, which is the norm for this annual series.

• Thanks for reading…Rod McDonald in Regina



The Garden Report #33

Sunday, January 16th, 2011

• Writers Write: Last Tuesday afternoon, I got a call from my sister. My mom was slipping away. All of the family were there to hold her hand, to say their goodbyes. She was almost eighty-nine. Mom enjoyed a sharp mind until the very end. Sometimes it was too sharp, especially when she would recall something I had done when I was fifteen. A writer should know what to say when a loved one is getting ready to start on a new journey. Something profound or creative. After all, we deal in words. All I could muster was “thank you for being my mom.” Mom had made it clear that when it was her time to go, not to keep her here. Her time was four p.m. The children she had brought into this world held her, as she took her last breath. It was quiet. She was at peace.


Rod and Mom at her grandson's wedding last summer



• Readers Write: Morag Armbruster writes in to say that she totally supports the slow food movement. They have rid themselves of their microwave and the cooking time does not appear longer and the food tastes better. Marsha Kennedy has been looking for a good breakfast joint and she is going to try Nicky’s, which was on the ‘best of’ list in #32. Both Marg Hryniuk and Heather Lowe wrote in to nominate their choices for best honey. Marg thinks Three Bees Honey which is sold at Lakeview Fine Foods is excellent and Heather has been buying honey for her ‘honey’ from Michelle at ZeeBee Honey. ZeeBee can be purchased at www.zeebeehoney.ca. Sarah Willis writes from Burlington, Ontario that ‘Breaking Bad’ is her favorite television show. Kevin and Janine Gray are readers from California. They wrote to say they enjoy The Garden Report, especially the humor. Mike Liske wrote in requesting my tomato soup recipe. I had to tell him that it is not a recipe as much as it is a guide. I rarely make the same dish identical to its first incantation. On the food topic, I did mention in last week’s Report that Maureen had not baked Johnny Cake (corn bread) on Sunday morning. Believe it or not, when I awoke Monday morning, I could smell that oven baked piece of heaven wafting upstairs. Now, what else can I write that will get some action around here? Trevor Langen disagrees with my rating of Harden/Huyse above Bernard Callebaut in chocolate shops. Reader Michiel Verheul from High Q Greenhouses in Alberta wrote: “I am happy that you added me to your Garden Report. I like you poking fun at the Dutch (Michiel is very Dutch)…they are used to it and will flourish and survive.” Who has been poking fun at the Dutch? I would never do that because the Dutch make us Scots look as if we are big spenders. Roberta Nichol produced her own ‘best of’ list. Noelle Chorney who edits that wonderful gardening magazine ‘Gardening for the Prairies’ out of Saskatoon, wrote in to say that great cappuccino can be found at The Mendel in Saskatoon and at a place called Café Sola.


• Great to be Canadian: Sad to watch the news reports of the shootings in Tucson, Arizona. Six people are dead all because of easy access to guns. In Canada, gun culture revolves around hunting, not the right to bear arms. People do not walk around with guns in Canada, as a rule. We do not have them in our glove compartments, underneath our front seats or in our night stands. This is not to write that we never have a shooting or even a mass shooting in Canada. We did have our Montreal massacre in 1989, but deaths from guns are rare occurrences. Added into the television coverage from Tucson was the political rallies where people arrived with their guns in hand…because they believe they have that right! In Canada, an upset driver might flip off someone who cuts them off in traffic, but they don’t shoot the offending driver.


• Garden Tip: Reader June Blau is wondering if due to the tomato blight, one needs to replace their garden top soil. The blight is wind spread so changing the top soil will not improve the crop. However, it is always best, if you can, rotate your crops within your garden. There has been anecdotal evidence that the heirloom tomato varieties showed resistance to the blight. Heirloom tomatoes are ‘open pollinated’.


• Garden Tip: Reader Marsha Kennedy wanted to know about pruning a plant that is getting too tall. It is always best to prune a tall plant to control its height before it gets to the final stage. Nothing is less attractive than a plant that has been ‘topped’. It looks very unnatural. If your plant is a multi stemmed plant, remove the tallest stem so that a shorter one takes over to become the ‘leader’. On occasion, you can train another stem to become a leader. Always best to make any cut on an angle rather flat across.


• Garden Tip: I can’t get over how many readers have written in to say that my tip regarding watering poinsettias gave them the best plant they have ever had. Just how many plants were you people killing? The tip applies to most plants. Simply place your potted plant into a sink, filled with two inches of water. Let it absorb as much as it needs for ten minutes. This method stops overwatering which is harmful to all plants. Your pot must have drainage holes in the bottom for this to work, or did I need to write that?


• Good concert: Jack Semple who is an incredible guitarist, has a concert on at The Royal Saskatchewan Museum on Saturday, February 12th. If you have never heard Jack play, you will be impressed. The boy has fast fingers.


• Great venue: One of our best venues for concerts and theater in Regina is at The Royal Saskatchewan Museum. It is a decent size in that it holds 280 people in comfortable seats. It has some very clean washrooms, well lit parking and good acoustics. I have produced quite a few shows there and I always received great cooperation from the staff.

Red Lion Amaryllis

• Garden Tip: No matter how lovely your poinsettia is still looking, it is time to bring a bit of fresh spring into the home. Check to see if there are any spring bulbs available in pots. Things like tulips, daffodils and crocus all brighten up the house as do primulas, mums and begonias. Some new plants will give most people’s spirits a lift.


• Good eats: Last Sunday I was motivated to create an old fashioned Sunday supper complete with prime rib (sorry my vegan friends), roasted carrots, green salad, boiled corn, pickles and my first attempt at Yorkshire pudding. I love that stuff but never knew how easy it is to make. Here is the recipe: combine three eggs with a cup of milk, then add in a cup of flour. Mix and set aside. Pre heat the oven to 375, take a muffin tin or a loaf pan, add in a teaspoon of butter into each muffin compartment and let it melt in the preheated oven for about five minutes. Bring the muffin tin out of the oven, fill the compartments with mix and bake for five minutes at the 375. Then reduce the heat to 350 and bake for another 25 minutes. I actually like the loaf better as that is the way we made it at home, but the muffins do make for a better visual appearance. I served the Yorkshire pudding with a scratch gravy that I finished off with a teaspoon of horseradish. I find most gravies to be bland so I decided to pump it up with a bit of bite and it was fantastic. Drooling yet?


• Gender wars: One of the differences between men and women is that men will not sniff their underwear to see if they are clean. We just put them believing that they are ‘probably clean enough’.


• Thought for the day: The danger of singing our own praises is not that others will think we lack humility. No. The real danger is that most will think we are delusional.


• Thanks for reading this week…Rod in very snowy Regina

The Garden Report #32

Sunday, January 9th, 2011

The following ‘best of’ are very subjective and limited to my experiences, nonetheless, I venture forth.

• The best places to eat for big flavor: 1) Siam 2) The Greenspot 3)13th Avenue Coffee House

• The worst places to eat: Any and all of the fast food joints which have directly contributed to the physical decay of our society. A bit ‘preachy’ but so what?

• Best ‘old school’ service: Lakeview Fine Foods, Colin O’Brian Men’s Wear, Dutch Cycle. All three are tops.

• Worst customer service experience of 2010: Rona

• Best things to do in the Regina summer: 1) Folk Festival 2) Fringe Festival 3) Kiss a pretty girl while on a walk around the lake 4) Bicycle ride through Wascana 5) Rider game

• Worst thing to do in the summer: The Exhibition- home of five dollar hot dogs, three dollar waters and some of the scariest people in the city.

• Best story teller of the year: Martin Dockery from New York, who was on his first Fringe tour. Very gifted. Performed at ‘The Artesian’.

• Best place for a diner breakfast: Nicky’s Café

• Best coffee: 1) My house, hands down 2) The Greenspot 3) Roca Jacks

• Best French fries: 1) Nicky’s 2) Bushwhacker’s 3) Butler’s

• Best comic actor on a television series: Jim Parsons (Sheldon in The Big Bang Theory)

• Best dramatic series on television: 1) Madmen 2) Rescue Me

• Best food show: Diners, Drive Ins and Dives

• Best sports show: ‘In the Huddle’ with Rod Pederson and John Lynch (better than any show on TSN)

• Best Leader Post columnist: Rob Vanstone

• Best local news anchor: 1) Manfred Joehnck 2) Costas Maragos

• Best bread: 1) A tie between Koko’s and Beer Brothers 2) The pumpernickel and sour rye from Maple Leaf

• Best pastry: Lemon tarts from Koko’s

• Best greenhouse: Sherwood Greenhouses and U and K at Indian Head

• Best new theater venue: The much needed and appreciated ‘Artesian’ on 13th Avenue.

• Best deli: The Italian Star

• Best thing to do on a Friday night: The Central Library’s Film Theater in the basement. Great films for six bucks and no junk food.

• Best hidden gem: Rotary Park-beautiful, serene and rarely busy.

• Best event on a Saturday morning: The Farmers’ Market

• Best new law of the century: No smoking in public places.

• Best new law yet to be enacted: Ship motorcycle riders who insist on loud mufflers to the South Pole. They should take car alarm people with them.

• Best reason to not listen to the radio: Fan phone in shows.

• Best reason to listen to the radio: Randy Bachman and Stuart McLean

• Best honey: Wink Howland’s from the Yorkton area (Farmers’ Market)

• Best pies: Sharon Wallace’s ‘Apple, Pear and Ginger’ or her ‘Country Apple’ (Farmers’ Market)

• Best bread and butter pickles: Roberta Nichol’s – she doesn’t sell them but she should.

• Best local chocolates: Harden and Huyse

• Best Canadian chocolates: Purdy’s or Roger’s

• Worst parking: 1) The General Hospital 2) The Pasqua Hospital

• Best lingerie shop: No idea. Never thought about it.

• Best concert: Leonard Cohen in Saskatoon. Played from eight until almost midnight and didn’t cop attitude. Sheer talent and entertainment.

• Best cappuccino I ever tasted: The Broadway Roastery in Saskatoon at Five Corners. Better than the best in Vancouver.

• Best cappuccino in Vancouver: The Continental on Commercial Drive.

• Writers Write: Another Sunday afternoon. The wind is a cold one, blowing snow around the garden. The nooks of the sidewalk and the driveway are receiving their drifts. One pile is approaching two feet. Someone should shovel those drifts. This morning began as many of our Sundays, except there was no Johnny Cake for breakfast. The cook took the morning off. When she was a nurse, an actual RN, there was always Johnny Cake or waffles or French Toast or pancakes on Sunday morning. Now that she has retired and established herself as an artist, she does not feel the old traditions apply. So today, it is toasted bread from Calories in Saskatoon, served with Saskatoon jam and a Panama coffee that was a Christmas gift. I had to make it myself. That is how much our brunch has deteriorated. I barely have the strength to write. I told her that without the Johnny Cake, I would probably not be able to shovel the walks or take out the garbage all week. She glares at me. She hears idle threats. We listen to ‘The Vinyl Café’. She is stretched out on the couch. I am in the big chair, the lap top perched upon…well…my lap. I really thought taking her dancing on New Year’s Eve would entitle me to another year of good brunches. Life with an artist is not easy. Thank God us writers are able to adapt, otherwise there would be nothing to read.

• Readers Write: Denise Mirva writes “thanks for these entertaining, thought provoking and informative reports.” Paula Grolle had a different view of ‘A Whiter Shade of Pale’ than I did. She wrote than when she was a young, single lady, whenever that song was played, she headed for the washroom to avoid being fondled by the young men she danced with. Darrell Komick who runs a farmers’ market in Calgary, writes that building community relations is the cornerstone of a great neighborhood. Right on, Darrell. Roberta Nichol thinks that guitarist Bob Evans is the epitome of humility. Roberta thinks Bob is a genius when it comes to music and I do not disagree. He is brilliant. We were in Saskatoon on Thursday and had a delicious lunch at Calories on Broadway. Janice Hutton who owns the bistro, told me that she reads The Garden Report sometimes. Sometimes? Regardless, we had some great soup, a Mexican styled one with beans and corn. Their wild rice bread and baguettes are now baked using organic flour. Both are wonderful to eat. Neil Vandendort wrote that he enjoys reading The Garden Report. Greetings also arrived from Marcus Fernando, Kirsten Van Ritzen, John Huston, Jean McKay and Georgia Hearn.

• Urban Renewal: There are a few new homes under construction in the neighborhood. This is a very good thing for all of us. The new homes are replacing lower valued homes, ones usually in need of much work. It is also a good thing because it shows that people have confidence in our neighborhood to build a new home. A neighborhood never stays the same, even if we want the status quo. It either is improving or it is declining. With new home construction, the market indicates the neighborhood is improving.

• Neighborhood in full cycle: When we moved into the neighborhood in February of 1973, the area was in decline. Several of the homes had been rented out, many were in need of repair and the population was leaning to the elderly side of the demographics. My cousin Duncan Fisher, lived in the house on the corner, by the bridge, as he still does today. I phoned Duncan before I bought my house and I expressed my concerns over the declining housing stock. Duncan said that he thought the neighborhood was just about to improve, that there would be a resurgence brought about by younger families moving in. Duncan was right. Within a few years of us purchasing, several of our friends also bought homes close by. The neighborhood went from having very few children to many. Soon, there were renovation vehicles on every block installing new roofs, painting, upgrading bathrooms and kitchens. That was the 1970’s and ‘80’s. Today, our children and the children they played with have all grown up. The neighborhood is again populated by people between fifty and eighty-five, most of us ‘empty nesters’. In the next few years, several homes will be sold to younger couples as our once young and formerly hip friends choose condo living. It’s just another cycle for the neighborhood. At one time, we were on the front end of the shift and now we are on the back end. Hey man, what happened? Answer: Time.

• Slow food movement: I applaud local chef, Adam Sperling for running ads promoting the slow food movement. Adam is the owner of La Bodega on Albert Street and he has been promoting local ingredients, organics, green energy, healthy food and now slow food. As regular readers of The Garden Report realize, I am on my high horse when it comes to slow food. Our reliance upon fast food, both at the grab joints and at our homes has been detrimental to society. The increased levels of obesity, diabetes, heart disease and high blood pressure can all be connected to the fast food movement and industry. We have traded ledged convenience for our health. I use the word ‘ledged’ because it does not take very long to prepare your own soup, spaghetti sauce from scratch or a bit of salad dressing. I made a scratch tomato soup two weeks ago and I doubt if my prep time was much more than ten minutes. And I knew every ingredient that was in the soup and more importantly, I knew everything that was not in it. This week, a pot of homemade minestrone took me fifteen minutes to get started and it covered for three meals. So, how much more time did it cost me versus opening a can of Campbell’s? Not much and the taste, well there is no comparison. Feel free to join in the slow food conversation. I know that many of our readers are already converts, but I don’t mind preaching to the choir.

• Garden Tip: If you wish to grow your poinsettia into the spring, best to start fertilizing it lightly. Use a 10 30 20 or a 20 20 20 at half strength. Keep them in a fairly well lit place. Protect from drafts and from heating vents.

• Thanks for reading…Rod McDonald in snowy Regina