Morning Update: Homeowners on the hook for flooding in Embrun
Morning Update: Homeowners on the hook for flooding in Embrun
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CBC
36 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
3 hours ago
- CBC
Experts say Sask. wildfires could remain ablaze until snowfall
Wildfires continue to rage in northern Saskatchewan as the province faces its worst fire season in more than a decade. Increasingly warmer-than-average spring temperatures, prolonged periods without rain and strong gusting winds have only exacerbated the situation. Low on power or data? Use CBC Lite for the latest on wildfires One thing is clear: no matter how many firefighters are sent to control the growing fires, it's up to mother nature to put out the flames. Dry leaves, twigs and pine needles on forest floors act as a base for wildfires to ignite, and northern Saskatchewan has experienced a lack of moisture this year. Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) confirmed La Ronge had its second driest spring in 60 years. Fire specialists that CBC spoke to said rainfall is the only long-term solution. How much rainfall is needed? A low-pressure weather system rolled into the province's north last week, finally bringing some moisture to the area. Some parts got up to 40 mm of rain. But fire specialists warn it's nowhere near enough. "You're almost at 1,000,000 hectares, which is about 40 times the size of Saskatoon," Mike Flannigan, a professor of wildland fire at Thompson Rivers University, told CBC. "It's a huge area that's on fire and it's producing lots of smoke. Every time you get a couple dry days and the wind picks up, you're going to see these fires grow unless we get two weeks of rain, or 100-plus millimetres." If the province did get 100 mm of rain, Flannigan said many of the fires would be put out, but hotspots would still be burning in deeper organic material and on logs in the forest. June is typically Saskatchewan's mini "monsoon" season, where upper lows come through and drop lots of rain at once. Flannigan said at least three of those rainfalls would be needed during the month to provide any tangible relief. Thunderstorms, wind can lead to spread Although moisture is needed in the province, the risk of lightning that comes with showers could make things worse. Lightning strikes can spread existing fires or create new ones. "It was a warm dry spring in much of the Prairie provinces and we got some human-caused ignitions. Now we're getting lightning-caused ignitions, it's been windy and the fires are growing," Flannigan said. "The warmer we get, the more lightning we expect." Certain wildfires can even produce a thunderstorm, called a pyrocumulonimbus. Clouds are formed when air is drawn into a smoke plume, becoming more humid, unstable and favourable for the creation of thunderstorms. "We've seen a number of them in Manitoba and Saskatchewan this fire season, more than most years," Flannigan said. "That's a sign that fires are getting more intense and generating these thunderstorms, which can also produce hail, rain [and] lightning." Thunderstorms also bring strong, gusting winds, another factor that can make matters worse. Strong winds can push fires faster than they'd normally grow, which makes them more difficult to suppress, and create a dryer atmosphere. "Strong winds can help dry out things like grasses or your smaller twigs more quickly," Liam Bouchard, a fire weather specialist with the Canadian Forest Service, told CBC. The only positive to wind gusts is they can sometimes push smoke out of communities. Experts say fires may burn until snowfall Experts warn the rest of the summer may be hot and dry, conditions favourable for the continuation of wildfires. "[If] these heat waves come back, there is potential for very warm temperatures as we are approaching the middle of summer," Bouchard said. High temperatures and a lack of rain could mean some fires may not be fully extinguished all season. "I'm afraid that some of these fires will burn through the summer into fall," Flannigan said. "It'll be winter that puts out most of these fires. And in fact, sometimes fires can burn right through the winter." The phenomenon is known as an overwintering fire, in which fires continue burning underground throughout the winter. Sometimes when fires are burning in deeper organic material, they can go underground and smolder very slowly. Even as snow falls on the forest floor, organic material continues smoldering underneath the surface. "Spring 2026 comes, the snow melts, it warms up and the fire smolders back to the surface and starts spreading," Flannigan said. "So that's a concern." If overwintering fires occur this year, the next wildfire season could be even worse. The Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency (SPSA) confirmed to CBC that overwintering fires occurred in both 2017 and 2024. "These fires are remediated very early in the spring, so they don't become a problem later," the SPSA said. The agency said it's too early yet to say if overwintering fires will occur this year and that it depends on the amount of rainfall received as the summer goes on. Hot summer ahead With ECCC predicting above average temperatures, the chance of fires continuing remains a strong possibility. "Much of Canada, particularly in the Prairies, experienced dry conditions," ECCC told CBC. "These conditions, in combination with the high likelihood of a warmer-than-normal summer, could increase the risk of wildfires in the coming months." Projection maps from ECCC show that parts of northeastern Saskatchewan have a 90 to 100 per cent chance of seeing above-normal temperatures this summer. It's not clear by how many degrees temperatures will be above average. "The scientific consensus right now is that warming temperatures and climate change are really priming the atmosphere, priming the forest for more fires in the future," Bouchard said.
CTV News
4 hours ago
- CTV News
Here's how nice it feels this Saturday in Ottawa
The view of the Ottawa Locks from Kìwekì Point. (CTV News Ottawa) Mainly sunny skies and slightly cooler-than-normal temperatures are in the forecast for Ottawa this Saturday. Environment Canada calls for a high of 21 C today. A low of 8 C and clear skies are in the forecast for tonight. Sunday will be sunny with a high of 24 C. A low of 13 C and clear skies are expected overnight. On Monday, the capital will see a high of 24 C and a 30 per cent chance of showers. A low of 16 C and cloudy periods are anticipated overnight. The normal temperatures for this time of year are a high of 24 C and a low of 14 C.
