​Ripley junior horticulturalists enjoy a day of canning, baking and planting

The Ripley and District Horticultural Society's “For Our Youth” Club changed things up a little for the April meeting. Instead of freezing their fingers off in the chilly weather to prepare their garden plot at the Bruce Botanical Food Gardens in Ripley, the members decided to have a canning, baking and planting day at the home of leader Bonnie Ernest instead! Many of the kids have enthusiastically requested more opportunities to can and bake, and the leaders are happy to oblige.

Bonnie had her kitchen set up and ready to go. The group planned to make chocolate zucchini muffins at the counter with Bonnie, and quick refrigerator pickles at the table with leaders Rhonda Curran and Kim Lowry. With a big group of 19, everyone was given the choice of joining the pickling table or the baking counter, which worked out well.

Rhonda had a ton of frozen zucchini left over from the bountiful harvest last year, and Bonnie found a great recipe to tempt even the most zucchini-averse among the group. The kids reviewed the recipe with Bonnie, and took turns to measure, sift, stir and blend everything together. The chocolatey batter was carefully (mostly!) poured into muffin cups to bake and the kids went to take their turn at the pickling table.

Kim talked the group through the pickling process. Quick pickles can stay in the fridge and don’t require water-bath canning, which makes them a great choice for kids to try. Everyone could choose a mix of vegetables, add their choice of herbs and spices, and Kim and her son, Dylan, would top each jar with a brine made from vinegar, sugar and salt.

The kids were quite excited to choose their favourite ingredients, find a knife and cutting board and get to work. The junior leaders helped younger members with the chopping and Kim made sure knife-safety rules were being followed. The group believes it’s important to help the members feel comfortable slicing, chopping and cutting ingredients so they can take their kitchen skills home and practise there too!

The picklers mixed everything from beets and radishes to green beans and carrots, adding combinations of dill, star anise, peppercorns, juniper berries and hot peppers. There were some very spicy pickles going home - hope everyone survived the tasting!

Once the members had a chance to finish both pickling and baking, they moved to the garage where Rhonda had pots, soil and marigold seeds saved from the club's garden last year. The kids all planted marigolds, which they’ll use again in the garden to help keep pests away and add a bright pop of colour.

Rhonda took a final tally of everything the kids really wanted to plant, and the final list included corn, potatoes, beans, pie pumpkins, sunflowers, tomatoes, carrots and radishes. It’s amazing all the things you can fit in the food gardens plot.

Then it was time for games and a garden tour of Bonnie’s beautiful property. She showed the group early spring flowers, as well as some carrots that were coming up from last year. The group talked about invasive plants, such as periwinkle, before having a big scavenger hunt for the club frog statue. The club also played several of the kids’ favorite games, such as Cross Country Canada and “What Time is it, Mrs. Gardener?” (a.k.a. "What Time is it Mr. Wolf?"). Even though the air was chilly, it was good to breathe in the fresh spring air and get kids' bodies moving.

The club trooped back inside to enjoy freshly-baked zucchini muffins and beverages. Many of the kids were excited to have their families try their pickled creations, and they all admired the different flavour combinations and colours. They also talked about the May meeting where the club will be prepping and planting the garden plot. Last but not least, the Treasure Box was offered to everyone by junior leader Chris and the members gathered their pickles and marigolds to head home.

The leaders are pleased to see several new faces among the many returning members. Since this year's theme is "Cultivating Friendship," it’s wonderful to see the kids getting to know one another as they take part in activities together. As leaders, it’s always exciting to see so many young people who are interested in learning about horticulture, food and cooking.

The next meeting, May 30, is going to be a fun one as the club members plant their garden and learn to make Toad Houses at the food gardens. Let’s hope for mild weather and no snow by then!