Food

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It’s the Cheese out Here

Hail Brave Hearts

Who were these illustrious, hearty humans who came to conquer all?  Who were the brave hearts of the day who settled and prospered in these great lands?  The land of plenty?  The land to conquer.  The land that claimed so many lives, but eventually was farmed, colonized and a new world began.

From a land of serfs, of peasants who toiled, who carved an existence from hard work, collaboration and ingenuity.  These are the people of the new world.  Those who set themselves apart and braved the cold winters and basked in the radiance of the warm summers.  Hard work, but worthwhile, to till the land, harvest the crops and make room for themselves from the forest.  These industrious, hard working colonialists invented many things, and livestock breeding was one of their successes.  The interbreeding of animals to produce their own hardy, well adapted, heritage breeds, which come from a stunningly beautiful place, now a UNESCO site, the area of Charlevoix Quebec which is home to a cow.

Charlevoix – Man and the Biosphere Programme (MAB)

This is not just any cow, this is a beauty!  Canada’s only indigenous breed of cow, the Canadienne.  Small in stature, but mighty in  other areas, this rare bread of cow, is an early invention from farmers in the ‘1600’s in Quebec.  Known for the high quality of it’s milk, it has made cheese production in Charlevoix, and Isle de la Madeleine  superior and sought after.   This cow which was once the most common cow in Quebec, is now on the rare breads list and in need of protection.

The milk is high in butterfat and has it’s own unique flavour.  The cheeses from this cow are unique in taste and texture and the delicious flavour makes  them a specialty of the house.

Canadienne cattle – Wikipedia

So all of this about a cow.  But it is a worthwhile cow.  The richness of the milk produces some of the worlds finest cheese, which is a specialty item  and a souvenir in the tourist industry.

The importance of protecting Canadian livestock and heritage breeds is a responsibility for us.  This breed has nearly become extinct, except for a few places in Canada, one of which is also the tiny islands in the Gulf la of the St Lawrence, the Isles de la Madeleine.

Îles de la Madeleine | Magdalen Islands | Québec maritime

The trip of lifetime, to visit these small islands, full of unique heritage and unique tourism.  A place to sample fine cuisine, sought after specialties and fun filled tourism.  A place of cultural heritage.  All of this, just for a cow, but not just any cow, our own cow.  Dairy for ice cream, dairy for milk and cheese.  The rich goodness of good food, high quality ingredients and it’s ours.  Ours to protect and ours to enjoy.  And lucky for us, that these unique Canadian experiences are in far flung places, which are an adventure to reach and a joy to experience.  Places to put on our destination list, in order to enjoy the fine cheeses and delicious ice cream from a heritage breed who we need to know and save.

written by Dr. Louise E Hayes

February 21, 2026

 

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The Dietary Goodness of Life

Hail Brave Hearts

Happy New Year to all of you.

The feastings of the holiday season has passed and the riches of the gourmet world have been exchanged in holiday recipes, old family favourites, neighbourhood parties and community gatherings.  The sweet and savoury delights to the palate as more and more food circulates with Christmas sharing.  More parties, more alcohol, more food consumption.  More, more and more.  No starvation here.  The requirement to give gifts to the poor, to feed the less fortunate and to stock the food banks, is a necessary part of the holiday season.  Give these gifts throughout the year and add an extra bonus at Christmas time.

Our taste buds revel in the food we consume.  So good to eat, so aromatic to smell, we drool  We’re ready to dine before dinner comes out of the oven.  Delightful Christmas with all of its goodwill, good cheer and seasons greetings.  Dine, consume, share, feed yourselves, feed your neighbours, feed the  poor.

Now its the New Year, with all of the responsibility of loosing those unwanted, unhealthy holiday pounds, unwanted excess inches, bulges and fats.  How on earth do we eat so much?

Those taste buds of ours are part of a nasty body battle,  What’s so good to eat, might be absolutely the worst diet for your fine body. Your fine, trim, well-musceled body, has been besieged by an onslaught of dietary delight.  So much so, that now, the gym calls, with an insistence to save yourself.  Heed the call, or your taste buds win and your mind accepts just a few more pounds, just another cookie at lunch, just another gourmet treat, which supports excess body weight and accelerates aging.  Your fine body must win the fight against those taste buds.  This is a fight that you must win.  It’s the fight of your life.  A fight for your survival as your fine body needs a proper diet for life support.  Those taste buds are tricksters, who play a game, which sometimes completely contradicts the needs of the body and the needs of the body come first. Excess pounds puts strain on the heart and joints ache from the weight.

Canada’s Food Guide

The dietary delight of a good diet and good exercise improves us.  Our bodies respond with flexibility, stamina, endurance, strength, youth, higher energy levels and overall wellness.  A good diet improves skin, hair, eyes, nails and muscles.  Now those sought after recreational activities can be a part of daily life, even if it’s just a walk in the park.  The challenge of controlling those taste buds, is to control that extra unwanted weight.  Chocolate drips with gooey goodness, but it’s not. Icing sugar, refined sugars and candies add up to a calorie count of excess goodness that only the taste buds enjoy.  Your teeth scream and the dentist earns a living as doctors bills and dental appointments rise beyond your pocket book.  The cheaper side of life could be the healthier way to live.  A walk in the park is free, candy cost money.

Of course, the choice is yours, but the recommendations of Canada’s Food Guide provide for a healthy diet with no sugars.  This is the recommendation for us, by our health experts.

Live long and healthy lives, oh Canada.  Praises to your good health.

written by Dr. Louise Elaine Hayes

January 26, 2025

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National Chocolate Day

Hail Brave Hearts

The sweets are the treats.  Of all of the fabulous adventures of our lives, the delicacy of the world of sweet, is a treat for all of us.  Chocolate for the chocoholic, the worlds favourite flavour.  To have a World Chocolate Day is to honour and recognize the outstanding significance of flavour.  It’s  an opportunity to explore the magic kingdom of this sweet delight and it’s not just one day.  There are four Chocolate Days.  World Chocolate Day (July 7)  National Chocolate Day ( October  28 and December 28) and International Chocolate Day on September 13.  Chocolate is a very important subject.

Chocolate bars, syrup, ice cream, candy, icing, and cooking bars, We drool for this taste sensation and overindulge in it frequently.  Chocolate is one of life’s pleasant, culinary adventures.

The joy of Chocolate.  Easter bunnies and Easter eggs,  chocolate birthday cake, chocolate in the Christmas stocking and under the tree, a  box of  chocolates for a gift.  Valentines Day chocolates and Mother’s Day as well.  Chocolate in the cupboard, chocolate in the fridge, in our pockets and in our purses.  We love this stuff.  It’s good for us.  At least, we hope so.  With something as sweet as this, that we eat so much of,  it must be good for us.  And it is, to a certain extent.  Too much chocolate adds fats, calories  and unnecessary sugars, causing overweight and cavities.  On the bright side, chocolate, especially dark chocolate can reduce stress, contains anti oxidants, lowers cholesterol, improves brain functioning, improves heart health, reduces inflammation, enhances mood and supports weight loss.

How It’s Made: Chocolate (youtube.com)

Since there are health benefits to chocolate, an occasional craving must be OK.

Since it’s arrival in Europe in 1550, chocolate has made a deep impression on our lives.  It’s part of our diet and our culture.  So many recipes call for chocolate that it’s associated with some of our holidays and special days. It’s so popular that it occupies a whole field in culinary craft.  Chocolatiers are specialists in making chocolate.

It is possible for you to  make your own, if you can find the beans.

Otherwise, enjoy this sweet treat on this special day.  A day of chocolate delight.

Written by Louise E Hayes

July 7, 2024

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National Herbalist Day

Hail Brave Hearts

Enjoy the nutrition of the land and the many medical marvels that it reveals.  It’s a new day dawning for the Herbalist.  A day of worthy mention.  National Herbalist Day!  Wow!

The subject matter is superb.  Now that spring is here, the welcome backyard medicine cabinet is opening it’s doors.  New spring teas from fresh shoots, leaves and plants.  Lovely.  Fit for any larder, the beautiful abundance of natural goodness is in your yard.

The most obvious, killer weed, that notorious Dandelion.  Awesome!  The nutritional value of this plant is a keeper.

Plantain, St John’s Wort, Daisy and many more.   A special day for those of us, who seek natural remedies for those aches and pains.  I’ve been lucky with Nettle, Red Currant, Apple Leaf and Rose Hips, but these are just a few of the many natural wonders of the wild world.  Home made salves and soaps, fragrance and tea.  Natural healers to boost energy, to calm, to induce sleep, to improve circulation and help achy joints and achy pains.  Your garden is an Earthly delight.  Those pesky weeds, so hard to get rid of , might freshen your breath, improve your eyesight, add luster to your hair and make it shine.  The self indulgent gardener might even find a cure for what ails themselves.  There are many good gardening books which will help to plant an herbalist garden.

But are natural remedies important?  They are, if you want them to be.  Do they actually provide cures?  Yes, they do.

To quote Chris Dalziel at Jobillee Farm.  who has a  book Growing Abundance, the Garden You Harvest in a Week.

Monday is National Herbalist Day!  It’s a day to acknowledge the herbs that keep us well, help our gardens grow better, make our food taste better, and give us abundance.  Its also a day to recognize the herbal mentors in our life.

Who taught you about using herbs in the kitchen, the garden, and the apothecary?  Did you learn from a mother, a grand parent, a neighbor? Are you self-taught from books and the internet? Did you take a class? Or are you just beginning to learn about herbs as an adult?

Learn about Plantago major — Plantain

I love teaching children about herbs.  My 2 year old granddaughter knows to look for plantain (Plantago major) if she gets a bee sting or a mosquito bite.  “Plantain” comes from an old French word meaning “sole of the foot”.  It grows in compacted areas, where the footprint of humans or animals have compacted the soil.  Its a healing plant for the soil as much as it is a healing plant for us.

Often plantain is the first herb that people learn to use.  It can be an “a-ha” moment, when you hand them a leaf and tell them to put it on the “ouch”.  Relief is fast.

I’ve had the privilege of introducing plantain to tough motorcyclists, stung on the hand while riding, hikers, farmers, beekeepers, wee toddlers, and grumpy teens, mowing a lawn. Plantain is just one of the many gifts that God gives us to nourish and heal us.
Christmas Cheer
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Christmas Cheer

Hail Brave hearts

 

Praises!  Praises mankind for this great holiday season.  Tis the season of great joy.  Be happy!  The holiday season is a blessing.  Prayers, songs, gifts, parties,  food, decorations and fun!  These glad tidings are for all of us.  Enjoy!  The winter is a wonderland of beauty, snow and winter fun.  Enjoy!

Christmas is perfect.  It’s the perfect time of the year for indoor games and outdoor winter activities.  It’s the perfect time of the year for parties and social gatherings, perfect for baking and trying new recipes.  It’s perfect.  Throw another log on the fire and sing!

The joy of the season is the merriment that you make it.  Come to us, oh blessed child.  We rejoice.

Best Classic Christmas Music Mix 2022 – 1 Hour Playlist 🎁🎄❄️ – YouTube

Holiday Glaze

only 3 ingredients

1 can of cranberries

1 can of drained mandarin oranges or crushed pineapple

1/3 cup of either brown sugar or maple syrup.

Put all of the ingredients together in a greased skillet.  Break up the mandarin oranges into smaller pieces. Heat until boiling.  Take off the stove and spoon over turkey or ham.  Bake in the oven.

This recipe is also good with meatballs.

written by Dr. Louise Hayes

December 24. 2022

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Need More Gardens?

Good Day Brave Hearts

During the cold and dark days of winter, we rise to the challenge of a nutritious food supply.  The fall canning season filled the larder with a precious stock of daily living that will take away the winter chills and stave off the winter flues.  A nutrient packed diet from your organic garden to save you all winter long.  It saves the pangs of hunger, it warms the body, it cures the winter chills.

Your food supply is your health and wellness which feeds your mighty brain and helps to cure your aches and pains.  Food to cure the common cold, food for the brain, food for aches and pains, food for your social happiness.

There is a  long list of comfort food that nourishes the mind, heart and soul.  It’s divine and the time is now.

Those special little seeds that were stowed away last fall, come to the forefront of the mind.  Each little one, packed with the energy to produce a bountiful crop of fruit, vegetables, flowers, herbs or spices.  That decadent nasturtium, so showy and bright in the garden, yielding a powerful pack of seeds full of earthly delight.  Those spunky little violets, such a gorgeous floral treat decorating those cupcakes.  Winter is gone, bring on the harvest!

Bring on the watercress, the chocolate mint, the sunflower, the basil.  This year’s garden will be a splash of colour and dietary indulgence.  Oh the yellows!  Nasturtium, sunflower, pumpkin, squash (flowers) and tomato.   The reds of rose, dainty cherry blossoms, and olive.  Purple violets, blueberry and saskatoon.  White of potato and apple blossom.  The garden comes alive with colour and nutrition.  The food supply is back!

15 Brain Foods to Boost Focus and Memory – Dr. Axe (draxe.com)

Plant your pallet of garden colour.  A pallet of herbs, vegetables, fruit, flowers and spices.  The choices of fragrance to add to the show.  Musky black current, fragrant rose.   The garden of earthly delights is as aromatic as it is healthy.  Enjoy a sip of summertime wine, made for last years wild rose petals.  Indulge in sorbets of fruits from the vine, sip that delectable apple leaf tea.

We are blessed.

From our small properties, filled with natures harvest, we dine.  Dine with fine delicacies from our own backyard.  This oasis of healthy bliss to indulge ourselves in.  Choose your flavour, choose your colour, choose your diet, it’s just divine.  That backyard of ours, so pretty and colourful, so full of natures wonderful diet.  Enzymes, and nutrient, vitamins and minerals, all from carefully selected plants, flowers, herbs and spices.  The garden cure all.  It cures your senses, so fragrant and welcoming, the garden tantalizes us with beckoning gestures.  Come in, come in, it calls us to indulge.  Plant the seed, plant for what cures you.  This organic garden could save your life.   Plant with anti-oxidants to stave off cancer, plant with brain power to retain your fine mind, plant with cures for heart disease and arthritis.  Yes, your garden is heavenly.

The backyard is not just a playing field.  That land has a useful life.  Not just the trampoline, but also the garden of earthly delight.  Pick your flowers, pick your colours, plant away and enjoy the benefits of a well planned garden. Plant, enjoy, harvest, enjoy, this is a stellar room with a view.  That room which pulls us out of the house.  Out to the great outdoors.  To till the soil, to enjoy the land, to mix and meddle with the array of botanical inspiration.  Not just a flower garden, not just weeds, those are precious edibles that garnish soups, mix with salads, add colour to the plate and surprise us with yet another flavour.  Something nutty, something spicy, a bit peppery, maybe sweet.  Your internal chef might be inspired.

It’s time to plant, forage on.  This is spring and it’s time to garden.

written by Dr. Louise Hayes

March 23, 2022

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Those Divine Weeds

Hail Brave hearts

Still exploring, still living that awesome adventure, still looking forward to the next great day.  Still working those muscles, still struggling with pain.  Not so!  Your diet could save you.

On and on the canoe is paddled, on and on, those muscles work.  Through rapids, portages, endless days on the water, trap the fur, bring it home, make a fortune for that clever, illustrious businessman.  Be the vehicle to their desires.  Work your body, your mind, your spirit to the bone.  Leave your loved ones, travel with courage, bring home that cherished dime.

The difficult life of the courier de bois, the homesteaders that followed them and the settling of Canada.  The price that was paid in life and livelihood, as the courageous Canadians make their way into the great wild.  Survive you must.

The land takes it’s toil and exhausts us.  The strain and stress of this life is full of great challenges.  There are dreams of gold but hardship is plenty.  Tell us your secrets.  How did you survive?

In the great wild, there is plenty, if you know what to look for.  There was game to catch, fish in the streams, fruit, berries and edible plants along the way.  Some of this is medicinal and works to cure that obvious.  Vitamin C for scurvy, vitamin A for your eyes.  The long days of sunshine gleaming off the water, the eyesore from reflections from the water without sunglasses, the sunburn, the pain of it.

Somewhere in the wilds of Canada is medicine for all of this.  Salves, ointments, tinctures, treatments for cuts, bruises, scrapes and burns.  Somewhere there are treatments for pain, vision loss, inflamed joints, sore muscles, pulls and sprains.  Somewhere there is treatment for disease and mental impairment.  Our healing is abundant and our forefathers prove it.  Somewhere in the great wild nutrition is abundant and the natural world gives us relief from aches and pain, from disease and keeps us well.  Somewhere in the wild, there is food that will save us, if you know what to look for.

 

Lambs Quarters:

Why was Lamb’s quarters used as an herbal remedy?
The plant was used traditionally as an herbal remedy for eczema, rheumatic pains, gout, colic, insect stings and bites. Also a decoction made from the herb was used to treat tooth decay. The sap extracted from the plant stems was used to reduce freckles and treat sunburns.

Lamb’s Quarters Uses in Cooking and Benefits as a …

http://www.herbal-supplement-resource.com/lambs-quarters-he…
See all results for this question
Why is it important to eat lambsquarter leaves?
Lambsquarter is an important source of food that can be considered a key staple, while at the same time it is also an extremely valuable medicine. When the leaves are chewed into a green paste and applied to the body, it makes a great poultice for insect bites, minor scrapes, injuries, inflammation, and sunburn.
  • https://www.joyfulbelly.com/Ayurveda/ingredient/Lambs-Quarters/267

    Lamb’s quarters contains more protein, calcium, and vitamins B1 and B2 than cabbage or spinach, making it a wild edible fit for Pop-Eye, our favorite green vegetable hero. It is also rich in iron, phosphorus, and vitamins B1, B2, C, and A. Lamb’s Quarters warms your mouth, is slightly salty, sour, and mildly spicy.

  • Lambs Quarter – Wild & Edible www.thegypsythread.org

    https://www.thegypsythread.org/lambs-quarter-wild-edible

    2021-07-27 · Internal uses range from treating diarrhea, relieving stomach aches, and for scurvy (due to the high Vitamin C content.) Lamb’s quarter tea is also known for decreasing inflammation and increasing circulation. Lamb’s quarter poultices are said to relieve itching, swelling, and relieve burn pain.

    Yarrow

    In short, Yarrow has the following medicinal uses:

    • wound treatment
    • stops bleeding
    • digestive herb
    • diuretic
    • anti-inflammatory
    • anti-spasmodic
    • anti-catarrhal (removes excess mucous from the body)
    • diaphoretic (reduces fever)
    • lowers blood pressure
    • stimulates blood flow in the pelvic area (especially the uterus)
    • antimicrobial
    • used for hemorrhage
    • used for treatment in pneumonia
    • used for treatment in rheumatic pain

    Purple Aster

    • Principally used in the cure of rheumatism in the form of infusion or tincture; recommended, however, in hysteria, chorea, epilepsy, spasms, irregular menstruation, etc., internally; and used both externally and internally in many cutaneous diseases, the eruption occasioned by the poison rhus, and in the bites of venomous snakes.

      Wild Asters medicinal uses | V I Farms

      Are there any medicinal uses for wild asters?
      Wild Asters medicinal uses. The warm infusion may be used freely in colds, rheumatism, nervous debility, headache, pains in the stomach, dizziness, and menstrual irregularities. This, together with A. cordifolius, has been compared in value with valerian. Aster aestivus …is recommended as an antispasmodic and alterative.

    •  Aster aestivus…is recommended as an antispasmodic and alterative. Principally used in the cure of rheumatism in the form of infusion or tincture; recommended, however, in hysteria, chorea, epilepsy, spasms, irregular menstruation, etc., internally; and used both externally and internally in many cutaneous diseases, the eruption occasioned by the poison rhus, and in the bites of venomous snakes

    • Aster Plant Uses – Learn About The Edibility Of Aster Flowers

      https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/flowers/asters/edibility…

      2020-08-30 · The flowers and leaves can be eaten fresh or dried when eating aster plants. The Native American people harvested wild aster for a multitude of uses. The roots of the plant were used in soups and young leaves were cooked lightly and used as greens.

       

    • Daisies

    The Medicinal Herb Daisy The herb may be used for loss of appetite as it has stimulating effect on the digestion system and it has been used as a treatment for many ailments of the digestive tract, such as gastritis, diarrhea, liver and gallbladder complaints and mild constipation.

    Wild daisy is a plant. The parts that grow above the ground are used to make medicinal tea. People take wild daisy tea for coughs, bronchitis, disorders of the liver and kidneys, and swelling ( inflammation ). They also use it as a drying agent (astringent) and as a ” blood purifier.”

    The young flower heads or buds can be added to salads, soups or sandwiches; or the flower heads used to decorate salad dishes. The leaves can be eaten raw despite their bitter aftertaste, but are better mixed in salads or cooked and might be used as a potherb. The buds can be preserved in vinegar and used in cooking as a substitute for capers.

    Nutritional profile

    It is both an anti-inflammatory herb and a vulnerary (improves circulation) herb. Drink daisy tea for the plant’s health-giving and restorative properties. A modern study of wild edibles used during the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina (1992–95) showed that daisies contain 34 mg of vitamin C per 100 g.

    Common Thistle

    The roots have been used as a poultice and a decoction of the plant used as a poultice on sore jaws. A hot infusion of the whole plant has been used as a herbal steam for treating rheumatic joints. A decoction of the whole plant has been used both internally and externally to treat bleeding piles.

    Save yourself, with the delicious, nutritious weeds of the wild!  Our great ancestors had nothing else to eat.  The knowledge  of the food value and medicinal value of these weeds offered to us by the aboriginal people of Canada, saved us then and could help us now.  Eat, drink and be well.

    written by Dr. Louise Hayes

    August 22, 2021

     

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Feast

Praises to the Magnificent Almighty Man

Eat hearty.  Tis the season for delicious cuisine.  A summertime of hours of work brings us the much needed harvest.  With gratitude for our living, our survival, and our fabulously healthy diet.  The smorgasbord has arrived.  Joy to us, for this magnificent and decadent celebration.  Thanksgiving is a must.

We turn our attention to the bounty of the Earth.  A time of joy, of family of friends and fellowship.  The hardship of the toil of planting culminates on this holiday which saves us.  Eat well and share. This holiday comes from giving, sharing, community, peace and fellowship.  It comes from caring for people and taking care of people.  It is a time for the home, for the harvest and the homecoming.  As usual, we feast and remember with gladness, the story of Thanksgiving and the happiness of the people.

Eat, drink and be merry, oh joyous ones, the nurturing of this gift of food is for your health, wellness and continued enjoyment.  A delight for the grand chef.

Recipes abound for this season with the additional goodness of the meal plan already resolved.  Traditional cooking at it’s best.  The larder is full, the guest list is easy.  We put aside our worries for a moment and retreat to our bubble.  The safety of a circle of close friends and relatives who we can share with.  This has been an unusual year, 2020, but we still persevere.  Our gatherings are small, our journeys limited in distance and number.  We are cautious with our meetings and grateful for the advances in technology that surrounds us with people who we care for and still need to communicate with.  We still dine in style and share our thoughts and conversation through the fortunate support of social media, cell phones, ipads , computer and other gadgets.  The life line is still present.  We are still able to connect ourselves to the wide wide world out there.

With praises we are thankful.  In history the wide ocean separates the people from their families.  There is no where to go.  There is nothing else to do, but to have faith in God and to trust in strangers who might help them.  They faced illness and hunger and so much despair.  One hundred and thirty lonely people, cast out into an unknown world of much hardship.  Save us!  They landed, and fell into a tribe of indigenous people, unknown strangers, perhaps murderers, they met them anyway, regardless of their fear.

How fortunate to meet a compassionate  person who extended an invitation of peace, food, fellowship and acceptance.  How fortunate to meet those kinds of people, even today.  The people who will break bread with you, share the larder, extend an invitation.  The days of yore, when a broken group of stranded people, encountered the unexpected in a strange and wild land.  Give thanks for those fortunate few who were so lucky as to be included.  Feast and be merry, joy to us all.  This celebration of food is the making of a great nation, of great friendships.  It is to overcome starvation, to live in peace, to be a community and a country.

These are our instructions, according to history.

\written by Dr. Louise Hayes

October 21, 2020

 

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Some Luxury

 

Hail Bravehearts

Hail and hearty the adventure awaits the bold and daring and the ambitious ones.  Skills to survive, to conquer it all, to bring peace and prosperity to a fragile new colony.

The great wild awaits, with it’s luring call.  Venture forth, oh great human.  Come into this great wild land and reap the rewards of this new world.  Come, entices the forest, come to this viewpoint and see my wondrous beauty.  Come, calls the wind and I will show you how to live.  Come to the new colony, to this brave new world.

The sun shines in glory and golden rays sparkle through the trees.  It is springtime and the air is filled with the cheerful song of nesting birds, thriving insects and birthing animals.  Fragrant flowers fill the forests and meadows and the spectacular colour of their beautiful petals brings smiles.  Hope.  It is upon us again.  Hope for success this time.  It is spring.  Hard work and toil should pay off with success this time.

The sap is running, it’s maple sugar time.  The sap of the maple sugar tree can be boiled into a delicious product of sweet tasting syrup.  Syrup, candy, cookies, butter.   A new tradition, a new culinary delight, a new culture in cuisine.  Come, calls the wild land, fill your buckets with this sweet tasting goo.  The sap of the tree is honey or sugar to the new settlers.  Joy  from the wild, since this is a delight that is easy to harvest and delicious to eat.  Maple syrup eggs, bacon, sausage, biscuits.  A whole new cuisine based on the sweet delight of the maple sugar tree.  Now the joy of cooking is ours, in the great new land.   A treasure, a gold mine, a product of tasteful delight that gives the new settlers an item for trade.  Food, prosperity, luxury.  Oh brave new world, there is real wealth here.  Live and thrive in the great new land.

http://wildblueberries.net/maplehistory.html  a history of maple syrup

Harvest the riches, the abundance and the gold.  Tap the stream of sap, of the maple sugar tree and be rich.  A prized product from the forest, maple sap, maple syrup, maple sugar.  This centuries old industry developed another uniqueness in the new world.  Unique fur traders, unique sugar maple.  An identity is being born.  A connection to the land and to it’s people.  A connection of trade and business.  Something new to send back to the old world of France. There is nothing like it in Europe.  Interesting.  Curiosity and intrigue develops.  What of that great land across the ocean.  What else is there in that vast frontier?

Slowly, but slowly, the colony increases.  Slowly, but slowly, it ignites the fire of imagination.  Yes, they will come to Canada, even if forced by royal decree, they will come.

written by Dr. Louise Hayes

May 31, 2016

 

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We Have Landed

Hail, oh brilliant ones!

The rising sun warms the great good Earth and the song of the wild rings in our ears. Birds nesting and singing their love songs.  Trees blossoming and the early shoots of flowers poking their heads up high. Warm us , great good Earth. Fill our bodies with sunshine and goodness and we will praise you with our gladness, our beauty, our vibrant colours, our fragrance and our being. The world fills with the busyness of life.  With splendor and grandeur the planet awakens to the heat of the sun and the tiny insects stir in their nests and start the daily task of survival.

Nourish us, oh great planet, for we are the necessary, the tiny, often dismissed ones. The work of our labour is a workforce of love.

Sweet nectar!  The pollinators thrive in a land of such plenty, and flowers, fruit, vegetables and other plants, rise and shine to capture the attention of these healthful species.  Hardworking bees and dainty butterflies fill the air in pursuit of their own life’s work.  Thy will be done!

This is the day that saves us.  A day to plant your harvest and to rejoice in the new season of springtime.    A day where the birds are singing and nesting, when the world is warming to spring fever and the plants proclaim that the soil is rich and that they will grow and thrive.  This was the kind of day, in the kind of world, that greeted the colonialists from France.  A day when the Earth tossed off it’s winter coat and revealed the lush green foliage beneath.

http://www.motherearthnews.com/organic-gardening.aspx  Mother Earth News, Organic Gardening

This is the  kind of world where dreams can flow.  A promise of  hopes fulfilled.  Energized and refreshed, the land calls to the new comers.  Fulfill your dreams on this great land, prepare the soil for planting and share this world with it’s inhabitants.  The dream of a colony can be a  reality.  It can exist!

The reality for all of us, is that food is one of  the most important tasks of the day.  We must eat.  The soil must be prepared and tended, the seeds must be sown and the garden must be cared for.  Toil and work, dig in the dirt, a colony is an immense task of building shelter and community.

Hail, almighty one!  was the call to the king.  We have landed.  Your loyal subjects will do our duty to our king and your schemes of riches, wealth, abundance, opulence, whatever we can achieve, will all go to the glory of France.  You are the great mastermind of cunning and we will strive to fulfill your desire.

So now, the colonialists have set foot on the land and a place to construct their dwellings has been chosen.  Build your shelter, bring in your supplies.  Food and equipment to start the new life.  From grand notions and great inspiration, come deeds of immense proportions.  A small group of people, with skills and endurance, have been called by their leader to be champions of courage and self sufficiency.

So, all of you bravehearts, look to the colony of France.  There, out in the new world is a small group of people, whose destiny has called  them, to live to the adventure of this brave new day.

written by Dr. Louise Hayes

May 20, 2015