Tuesday 14 August 2012

Sunday August 12, 2012 Get Growing at the Library


 
 
 
 
Henry James once said that summer and afternoon were the two most beautiful words in the English language. He could be right.  August is young yet. Still a few items on your bucket list? Don’t panic. Library’s got your back.

Want to garden, cook and eat fresh? Perfect. Get Fresh, Eat Local returns to Waverley and Mary J.L. Black Libraries this August with free workshops on the fine art of gardening and healthy eating. Think it was Cicero who once said, if you have a garden and a library, you have everything you need. These are held on Tuesday evenings at 6:30 pm, and are hugely popular so call to register at 625-8343.

Drying Food 101 was held at the Waverley Library last Tuesday, August 7. In case you missed it, the library has several books on this topic. CANNING AND PRESERVING ALL-IN-ONE FOR DUMMIES by Eve Adamson et al is available as an eBook on OverDrive. With the increasing focus on locally sourced whole foods, the concept of preserving has gained in popularity. Included are recipes, ingredients and techniques that will help you save money and live healthier.

Seed saving, sometimes known as brown bagging, is the practice of saving seeds from flowers, herbs, vegetables and fruit for use from year to year. A workshop on seed saving will be held on August 28 at the Mary J.L. Black Library. You could become part of Seeds of Diversity, a Canadian volunteer organization that conserves the biodiversity of food crops and garden plants, while learning the importance of saving seeds from your garden. Food for thought indeed.

Also available on OverDrive as an eBook is HOW TO GROW MORE VEGETABLES (AND FRUITS, NUTS, BERRIES, GRAINS, AND OTHER CROPS) THAN YOU EVER THOUGHT POSSIBLE ON LESS LAND THAN YOU CAN IMAGINE by John Jeavons. Way before eco-friendly and sustainable growing became part of the vernacular, this book proved how organic gardening methods could keep producing over many growing cycles using few resources. Now in its eighth edition, this revised copy is a perfect go to guide.

SEED SAVING AND STARTING by Sheri Ann Richerson helps transform your dream garden into reality with seeds you save and start again. These seeds become vibrant hybrids, herbs, and flourishing flowers when you incorporate Richerson’s simple ideas for harvesting, storing, sowing, and nurturing. 

Maybe you’d prefer to enjoy the fruits of your labour, and while still in view of the garden, relax on your deck with an ebook. Sporting a brand new iPad, iPod Touch, smart phone, tablet or eBook reader but need a little fine tuning? Drop by and see our Personal Technology Assistant, Jeff. He can be found at one of the branches every weekday, so check the library website http://www.tbpl.ca/article/personal-technology-assistant-434.asp for specifics, or drop him an email at jandrew-cotter@tbpl.ca. 

Still plenty of summer to enjoy, Award winning author Natalie Babbitt of the children’s book TUCK EVERLASTING says the first week of August hangs at the very top of summer, the top of the live-long year, like the highest seat of a Ferris wheel when it pauses in its turning. The weeks that come before are only a climb from balmy spring, and those that follow a drop to the chill of autumn, but the first week of August is motionless, and hot. It is curiously silent, too, with blank white dawns and glaring noons, and sunsets smeared with too much color.

By Caron E Naysmith

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