#TheMoment an Ontario woman found two robin moms sharing a nest
Debra Copeland recounts the moment she discovered two female robins sharing a crowded nest outside her home in St. Thomas, Ont.
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CBC
28 minutes ago
- CBC
Drink it, dip it or bake it — rhubarb season is here: Jasmine Mangalaseril
Whether tumbled with strawberries for pies, cooked down for sauces or chutneys, or simply eaten raw, dipped in sugar (or salt), rhubarb is here. The cold-hardy perennial vegetable — it's not a fruit — begins to grow when the soil temperature reaches about 10 C. Jeannette French of Lennox Farm in Melancthon, Ont., said the lingering winter and ice storms caused delays. "Usually we're done [harvesting field rhubarb] by the beginning of July. But this year, because it's been so cool, it's pushed the season back," French said. Lennox Farm was established in Etobicoke in the 1880s. They moved to Melancthon about a century later and have been growing forced rhubarb since 1916. Where once there were dozens of forced rhubarb growers in the province, many gave up after power rates spiked during the energy crisis in the 1970s. Brian and Jeannette French are Ontario's last commercial forced rhubarb growers. Forced vs field Today, field rhubarb is grown on just less than a third of Lennox Farm's 121 hectares, with five forcing sheds (greenhouses to grow off-season plants) growing forced rhubarb. They harvest 155 to 175 metric tonnes annually, or about half of Ontario's commercial crop, supplying restaurants and stores. Harvested from January to March or April, forced rhubarb grows in the dark, like white asparagus. Because the plant's sugars concentrate in the stalks it's often sweeter than field grown. "Rhubarb that's growing [in forcing sheds] is a nice bright pink or sometimes a reddish colour. The leaves are really tiny and yellow because photosynthesis isn't really taking place, so the chlorophyll is not in the leaves or in the stalk," said French. Garden stalks If you're looking to grow your own rhubarb and you're starting with new roots, plant in heavy, rich soil, and keep the soil fertilized and moist. Resist the urge to harvest for the first two or three years, to avoid stressing the root. Avoid companion planting with cucumbers, melons and sunflowers. Instead, rhubarb grows well with brassicas like broccoli and cabbage or herbs like chives and thyme. You can grow it alongside garlic as well. Rhubarb bolts send up astilbe-like flowers when temperatures rise above 20 C. Bolting can also happen if the plant is stressed or when it should be divided. To keep harvesting stalks, cut flower stems so the plant's energy focuses on stalks. A bit of crunch "It should hold firm," said Chef Darnell Gregg, executive chef at the Boathouse DTK. "By the time it starts getting a little bit soft and kind of flaccid looking, the best days are behind it.' He also suggested choosing rhubarb stalks with strong pink or green colouring, without brown spots. Leaves and flower stems contain oxalic acid, which is poisonous to people and animals, so discard them. If you're not using the rhubarb immediately, wash well, cut the ends and wrap them in damp toweling before refrigerating. And if you're looking for something to pair the rhubarb with other than strawberries, Gregg said to play off it's sour components. "Anywhere that you think about using something like a lemon ... you have the options of either adding sweetness like sugar to it, to tone down those things, or you add some acid ... and all of the sudden it becomes an amazing pickle for a charcuterie board." On the savoury side you can pickle rhubarb with ginger or mustard, to go with rich or fatty cheeses, meats or fish. You can also cook it with mint and basil. Consider adding pink peppercorn, fenugreek, cinnamon or cardamom if you're making chutneys or sauces. On the sweet side, roast it with sugar or make a thick syrup for ice cream or pancakes. Pour it in a glass Rhubarb juice can be drunk like lemonade or mixed into cocktails. Katrina Salmon, bar manager at Bardō Guelph, suggested making spritzes with rhubarb juice, but alcohol pairings could include gin, vodka or rum. She also said you can find inspiration in pie. "You could do [something] caramelly, if you want to use bourbon. A sour would be nice as well, it still has a richness, and it'll bring that little tart aspect," Salmon said. Katrina Salmon's Rhubarb Mule Cocktail 4 lime wedges 4 basil leaves 2 oz London dry gin 1 oz Rhubarb syrup Ice Ginger beer Muddle lime and basil in a tall Collins glass. Add gin, rhubarb syrup, and ice. Top with a splash of ginger beer. Garnish with a fresh lime wheel and fresh basil leaves.
CBC
2 hours ago
- CBC
N.L. fishery advocate Jack Troake dies at the age of 88
He will be remembered for his love — and decades spent — on the water. Jack Troake was an outspoken figure in the fishing industry, and a fierce supporter of the seal hunt. The CBC's Troy Turner visited Troake's hometown of Twillingate to hear how he will be remembered.
CTV News
2 hours ago
- CTV News
Winnipeg athletic fields may need to be shut down due to burrowing squirrels
Squirrels are free to keep tunnelling through Winnipeg fields, much to the detriment of groundskeepers and city council alike. At its Friday meeting, the city's community services committee learned the province's recent decision to deny the city a permit to use sulphur gas to control squirrel populations marked the first time one of its pesticide applications was given the red light. 'The province said we didn't consider alternatives enough,' said David Domke, parks and open space manager with the city. The city wanted to use the pesticide, called Giant Destroyer, to eradicate ground squirrels from a number of Winnipeg athletic fields, which it said pose a safety risk through the tunnels they create. City officials told the committee they have continued to research what can be done to stop the rodents from burrowing any more. 'We have to deal with it because there are fields that we are looking at closing down right now,' Domke said, noting Fairgrove Park specifically will need to be shut down due to the chasms. He added the city shouldn't bother to appeal, since little can be done to control the animal at this time of year, as the males are now hibernating. However, the females will be active until July. The city had previously used a coagulant poison to control squirrel populations, but it was suspended in 2014 due to safety concerns surrounding dogs and birds of prey. - With files from CTV's Jon Hendricks and Charles Lefebvre
