​Ripley junior horticulturalists learn about Cedars, spices and stamping

The final Ripley Horticultural Society’s “For Our Youth” Club meeting of the year took place Oct. 19 at the home of leader Melody Smillie. We had a great turn-out for a fun celebration.

Leaders Heather Newman and Melody let everyone run off some energy in Melody’s spacious backyard before regrouping to sing our club song and take attendance.

The Roll Call question this month was, “Tell the group about something you grew this year.” Answers ranged from tomatoes to potatoes to the lavender cuttings members potted at the Bruce Botanical Food Gardens during our August meeting. Members were was eager to share their gardening successes and failures. It sounded like a fabulous summer for tomatoes!

Melody talked to the group about our potato-growing experiment, and had members try to guess which method yielded the most potatoes: those grown in the pot, or those grown in the ground? We talked about why the potatoes grown in the ground grew the best, with members suggesting better soil, more worms, and having more room to grow as reasons for the difference.

Our 2024 club theme was “Branch Out,” with a focus on learning about different trees. October’s tree was the Cedar, and Heather led the group over to the 20-foot-high border of cedar bushes on Mel’s property to learn how to identify and use this interesting evergreen.

There are four types of Cedar species in Canada, with White Cedar being the most common in our area. Cedar is considered a sacred tree to many Indigenous communities. The wood is used for furniture, fencing and roofing, while the fibrous inner bark was used in the past to make rope, clothing and even diapers! The group touched the flat green needles and observed that fan-like shape, and how they felt rough to the touch. Heather explained how Cedar cones are different than those of other conifers, as they are tiny and grow in bunches.

Leader Kim Lowry asked everyone to pick a small piece of green Cedar needles so she could steep them into tea for the group to taste. Since it’s high in Vitamin C, Cedar Tea is a great natural remedy for coughs and colds.

The members were divided in two for the day’s activities.

The Craft group created holiday cards and pictures using different vegetable cuttings as stamps, while the Cooking made french fries in honour of our potato growing experiment. Everyone excitedly trooped inside with their Cedar pieces, which Kim popped into the teapot for tea tasting later.

Heather had Mel’s kitchen ready to go with red, yellow and purple potatoes for the kids to choose from, and a wonderful selection of her home-grown herbs on the counter to smell and identify. After dividing into small groups to cut their potatoes into even pieces - with help from leaders and senior members - the kids got to choose their favorite herb combinations, grind them up using a mortar and pestle, and sprinkle them on their french fries before Heather popped them into the oven.

Citrus basil, garlic powder and rosemary were popular choices, with a few adventurous chefs trying mint and sage. The kitchen sure smelled wonderful!

Meanwhile, downstairs, the crafting group was busy making unique cards using potatoes grown by the club, as well as other vegetables, fruits and leaves. The kids first did a page of trial stamping to see what each type of image was produced by the different stamps. Once satisfied with their trials, they went on to create one or two cards, with a variety of Halloween, Christmas, and birthday cards put on display to dry.

After everyone pitched in to clean up, leaders and senior members served juice, trays of crisp french fries and surprise slices of pizza, generously donated to the club as part of the Award of Merit we received from the Pine River Watershed Initiative Network (PRWIN) in 2023. It was definitely a feast fit to celebrate a successful and interesting year together.

Our group departed on a slightly sad note: Heather announced it would be her final year as a full-time leader. After 12 years of volunteering her time, expertise and opening her home to the group, we wish Heather all the best and thank her sincerely for sharing her extensive knowledge of horticulture and showing us what true leadership and commitment looks like. The other leaders presented Heather with a mug and a card to show their appreciation.

We’ll be hosting the first meeting of 2025 in February to work on Ontario Horticultural Association (OHA) poster competition entries. See you next year!

Do you like working with youth? Are you a fan of plants, gardening, soil or the environment? We are looking for volunteer leaders to join our club and help make a difference in kids’ lives. The time commitment is a few hours per month and we promise you a fun and rewarding experience. Contact Kim Lowry at kimberlee1072@yahoo.ca for more information.