Taking Care Of Mommy

I know I haven't been around lately and haven't been writing any blog post.
for this I am very sorry but there has been a change in circumstances causing me to feel the blog isn't my number one priority.
As much as I love to blog and write about my family I feel that I needed to take time to deal with things happening in my life that revolves only around me.
Its taking me a long time to decide to write a blog post based on my feelings about my current situation, as a blogger I felt I should tell people right away, but as a mom and a girlfriend I figured these were private things to keep to just us until we knew more about what was wrong.

In April 2013 I decided to go to see my doctor my, OBGYN. I told him that I didn't feel quite right and some stuff seemed off so he decide to run some tests, these tests with decide if there was something wrong or if it was just my imagination. Looking back now I really wish it was just my imagination.
I was sent for blood work and ultrasound, the results came back that I had PCOS( Polycystic Ovary Syndrome). I have had nothing but crazy times since finding out I had PCOS between the crazy change in diet, to the learning of the possibility of having more children.
now here's where it gets hard for me to talk about my situation since it revolves around the possibility of more children. the doctor is very optimistic that in the future I will be able to conceive a child he's just not optimistic that I will carry to full term. In fact I have about a 5% chance.

Now to most people seem like pretty crappy odds, but to me finding out that I probably had this my whole life and still conceived and carried a baby to term gives me hope that it will happen again. The only thing I worry about now is taking care of myself and making sure that I can maintain a healthy, happy life style.

They're just part of this syndrome that makes me almost hate myself, I know I can't control it and it's not because it's something I've done, but the side effects of PCOS its something that is hard to handle. From the loss of the hair on my head to now growing hair on my face it just doesn't seem fair.
Knowing that I am only heavy and a full figured woman because of this condition makes me feel validated telling people that I have literally tried everything to lose weight but couldn't.
Overtime I think I'll be back to writing my blog about everything family related and working, but for now I think I'm just going to have to stick to being a little further back from my blog.
Once I have had a little bit more time to process and get used to my new situation I'll be posting blog posts about my weight loss journey along with all the fun stuff that my son and my family have been doing for the last little while.
I hope everyone understands as to why it's taking me so long to talk about this, but its so hard and personal to discuss with the world.

To find out more about PCOS and some of what I have been going through please go back up and click on the full name in the brackets. 

Our March Break Part 2

For the second half of our March Break my Dad wanted to take L to The Royal Ontario Museum while they had their new Dino exhibit.

The exhibit had dinosaurs that most people have never even heard of since they were found in the southern hemisphere.
So the family woke early and piled into my fathers truck and we headed to Toronto for the day. This was the first time that L went downtown and my dad decided that he needed the whole Toronto experience so We parked at the Finch station and took the Subway.

The look of amazement on my child's face will forever be burned into my brain. He was so excited to ride a train and the fact that it went underground made it that much more exciting to him. When we did peek out from underground he was amazed at how fast the train could go.

Once we were downtown and reached the street L could not believe the size of the buildings, the whole way down to Toronto my dad told L that the Dino's were in a concrete jungle so when he saw all the buildings he kept asking where the Dino's were until he finally saw a sign for the exhibit on the side of the ROM.

Now a little back story about my dad, myself and the ROM. When I was about six or seven my dad took me to Toronto for a weekend to go to the ROM, the observatory and to a baseball game and ever since then I knew what some of the things I loved learning about where. I LOVE HISTORY and everything that goes with learning about it, and the chance to have L experience something that I love was amazing, but to have him do it with my dad was even better.

While at the ROM, L got to see over 20 different Dino's that he had never really read the name of before and they were all interactive with tablets and 3D images.

The Tablets that the ROM had for their interactive display 

What they looked like on display. The words reflected for picture taking  

More of the interactive displays 

They showed what they would look like sized to something from now

Fossils in mold

Once we finished the exhibit we all decided to check out their permanent collection which L loved just as much since they were all the ones he knew and could name without help at all. When I say he can name them I don't mean the things that we learn in books, movies or on TV, I mean he can say their Scientific names  and has no problem correcting you when he knows you're wrong.

His favorite from the permanent collection, a Triceratops  

While we were visiting the permanent collection he got to touch a real fossil that has not been reproduced. He got to feel the way time made rivets on the bone. He then got to take part in identifying different skulls from cavemen to wollymamaths.

L had a great time and so did Andrew, my Dad and myself. I wish this exhibit could have stayed longer so we could have gone back again.

To learn more about the exhibit that we saw please go to...... Ultimate Dinosaurs

At the site you will find information about the items used for all the technology and even some learning resources.

Our March Break

During our March Break seeing as L isn't in school yet we could do things at a different pace then most families can so we decided to do two big things and a few little.

Day one of March Break was March Muffin Madness run by SIRCH Community Services.
Since I work as a child care provider I don't usually get to participate in the workshops that are running, but this time was different I was able to participate with my son and have him be very hands on while learning to make healthy muffins.

The poster from March Muffin Madness 

When we arrived of course were the first because we live so close and then some of our friends arrived and L was in heaven so to say. He even made some new friends that day.
We all took our spots at the tables and began tasting already baked muffins since they needed to know what they would be making after all, they also enjoyed some very yummy juice.

L was so excited to start mixing all the ingredients into the bowls, he was so excited that instead of cracking the egg he smashed it. Then they were asked to pick a piece of paper from a bowl and that would be the flavor they got to do, L picked Banana which is one of his favorites. Mine too.

Once everything was all done and they were in the oven the children and parents were given some more juice or coffee and we were able to have some wonderful pizza that the Community Kitchen was preparing for donation. It was a nice little treat that they provided to keep the children happy.
When our muffins came out of the oven we all got to have two of every flavor to take home with us and as an added surprise the children were given the large mixing bowls they had used, pre made dry mix and a large spoon to make it all at home again.

L loved this activity and so did I, I loved watching him interact with the other children, follow instructions and create something with  little help from me.
I know his favorite parts of the day were eating pizza and playing with the other children, he told me this during our walk home and he still talks about it now. I also know that even though he doesn't understand that he was learning he did learn how to do more then just make muffins.

I think that the workshops that SIRCH Community Services run are perfect for such small communities like the one I live in, it helps parents and other people of the community learn vital things to help their families stay healthy and work within a very small budget that most of us have throughout the winter months.
Some other workshops they have had include learning about gardening and fermenting, These are some of the most recent ones and they have a few more happening soon so if you are interested you should check out the SIRCH website which I will have linked below.   

SIRCH Community Services Website  

How Can I Explain A Persons Death To A Child?

Yesterday my boyfriends grandfather passed away after battling Cancer.

I have lived through enough of my own friends and families death to know how to feel and react, but for him it is a somewhat new area.
I know I need to be there for him, but what happens when he won't let me? Lets face it he is a man and at the best of times keep their feeling hidden away and pretend everything is fine, when we all know it isn't.

I am having a hard time trying to explain that he's better now that he is gone and that is really true but knowing that and not being upset are two different things. My boyfriend is glad he's no longer in pain and knows it is best for him to be free. He just can't deal with what he's feeling and to add that on top our three year old has no idea what is going on.

We told L that his Great Grandfather had died and he thinks that he can come back another day which is normal and I know that, but for someone else to be grieving its a lot harder for them to hear that and not get upset.
I have already made the choice that L is just to young to deal with everything that we will have to go through the new few weeks and its best he not attend any gatherings for his Great Grandfather.
I asked my boyfriend what he felt about it and he said to me "I guess if you think that's best".

Have any of you dealt with trying to help an adult deal with death for the first time?
What are some tips that could maybe help me through this difficult time?

Do you think my choice for our son was the right one or should I let him go to funeral?
What age were you when you lost your grandparents? Are they all still alive?

I was 16 when my dad's mom passed away after an accident and then 6 months and one day later my dad's father died as well from cancer.
My other grandparents are still with us and I am so thankful for that and them to be here.
But I have lost a lot of people in my 26 years including my best friend 5 years ago this march.

If you have any ideas on how to help explain death to my son that would be wonderful please.

They Say Two Is Bad.... It Was A Walk In A Park Over Three

Today we had a bit of snow fall as well as yesterday, I decided while L's dad was at work L and I would go and clean up the driveway and he could play in his little snow fort.

This was not an easy task I soon found out, first he decided he wanted to help so we got his little shovel out that he uses at the beach and he tried to help, when I say try I mean tried my patience by getting in the way and pulling down all the snow from the banks we have made over Winter.
He then said he was to tired to help any more and I was thinking finally he will be out of the way so that my normally 15 minutes that has now turned into half an hour job and I was still not even half done will be finished. 

He sat against the car and watched me for about five minutes when he then decided to climb the hill of snow where I had just finally finished that area. He climbed to the top and pushed it all back down on the way up. I was starting to get tired and sore, I just wanted to go inside and not finish, but then what would that be teaching L, I can't have him learning that giving up is okay.

I pretended that he never knocked it all down and moved on for now. I guess he thought he could help from up there because the next thing I hear is "Mommy!!!! Look I am helping up here!" He thing start to throw it all to the ground.
Inside I was breaking and wanting to cry, but I kept going until I broke and told him that he could have a treat when we got inside if he climbed back down and sat by the car. I know what everyone is thinking. You are now bribing him?

I know its not the right thing to do, but at this point I was getting angry and didn't want to yell at him, He complied and waited for another 10 minutes when he then told me "Mommy!!!! Look I am helping again!!" 

And he was by now cleaning off my car.
So after another 35 minutes the driveway was done and we were in the house.

He then said "I can undress myself" so I sat and let him and instructed him when he needed a little assistance and watched as he got him self stuck and needed help, but not with out protest.
He finally got his boots off and we were in on the couch relaxing.

This wasn't all of his helping today, but dinner is a whole other story at a different time. 

Who Needs Sleep Anyway

Tonight marked the third or so  month of our little boy not sleeping very well. We have never had a problem with him sleeping until three months or so ago.

He was always the perfect sleeper ever since the day we brought him home from the hospital. He would wake to be fed once and then changed once. I am longing for those days again.
He now either will not go to bed and it takes up to 5 hours to get him to go to sleep or he goes to sleep with no troubles and wakes up one or more times.

Did anything like this happen to you at the Three Years stage? What are some tips you would give to someone in our situation?

• We have tried getting him a nightlight because he said that it was to dark. 
• We have tried getting him a big boy bed (single size) because his toddler bed was to small or so he says. 
• We have tried sleeping with him/in his room/new stuffed toy and this all still never changed anything.
• We have had to talk to the ghost in his room that doesn't want to stop talking at night. 
• The cat has to sleep on his bed (lets face it that's that makes two loosing battles in one night)
• The window had to be open/ closed. The door open/closed. The hall light on/off. This blanket or that blanket. 

While we have tired everything on that list still nothing has changed except our hydro bill.
How many of you have this reoccurring problem every night?
What are some ways you have got you child to sleep through the night?

Happy New Year!!!

I want to start of by wishing everyone a very Happy New Year and I hope that the holidays were as wonderful for you as they were for my family.

Last year had a lot of ups and downs for my family. I have been reflecting on them a lot more since Christmas was getting closer and the end of the year was quickly approaching.
I seen a lot happen to my friends and family and to myself.

As I reflected over the last year I was happy and a little sad. I finished my placements and Graduated from College to become an Early Childhood Educator. My first job after college resulted in me creating this very blog, I then was given the chance to work for the same place again only this time as a Children's Programmer for the Mom and Toddler group they run. To me everything was looking up.
It was looking up better then the years before, but there were somethings that took place between all these good.

When I was trying to finish my placements there were so many curve balls thrown at me that it was so hard to stay on track. The school informed me one week prior to when I would graduate that I was missing a class and I could either wait to graduate in November instead of June or I could write a test to become exempt from the formal class. I decided a week was all I needed to learn the course material and I guess I was right since I passed it with a 70%. I was back on track. 

After I graduated I looked so hard for a job in my field, but where we live there are no jobs for me to do and our family can not move because of my spouses job, I thought great here we go again. I was so happy when I was given the chance to write blog posts about things going on at SIRCH Community Services and the wonderful things that I got to do because of that job.
The job ended on the 31st of October and I was back where I started only I couldn't work because I had just underwent a Knee Scope and was unable to work or drive for a month. The scope went well and I was happy to be job hunting again, but in November in our little town, there is nothing for work at all.

December came and we found out that my Dad needed to have a pacemaker placed. He might have to retire a year early almost. My Dad loves his job so you can see how upsetting this was for him to hear.
They did the surgery and they were right his job was on the line. He was given not just a pacemaker, but a new kind that has a Defibrillator in it to prevent his heart from stopping. The reason he needed was because it had stopped a few times before and was luckily able to restart itself. The reason he would have to stop working is because he's a Journeyman/ Lineman and works around very powerful power lines.
Once I heard this you can imagine I was so scared to loose him , but have tried to keep up a strong front because its not about me, its about making him better, so I go and shovel the decks and drive him where he needs to go be it the store or to his office.

I was so excited to start a New Year after the one that just ended. I hope that this one is far better health wise for my friends and especially for my family.

My two resolutions for this year are to lose at least 15 pounds because my amazing friend is getting married in August and I am a Bridesmaid.
The other is that I can keep spending as much if not more time with my family, I love them all more then they will ever know.

What are some resolutions that you have?


To learn more about what my father has please click on this link or the word Defibrillator above.

http://my.clevelandclinic.org/heart/services/tests/procedures/icd.aspx

Interview With Catherine

This is my interview with Catherine a mother from the Special Delivery Club and the Bright Starts Group. She has attended both and is still a participating member.

I hope that her answers help someone in Haliburton County make a choice to call and inquire about one or both of these groups.

The Interview

________________________________________________________

Q. How did you find out about the groups ? (Special Delivery Club and Bright Starts)

A. Through my doctor visits of my 3rd pregnancy.

Q. When did you start the groups? During pregnancy, after birth or after first birthday?

A. During my third pregnancy.

Q. What was your first reaction when you attended the first day?

A. I felt good that I was finally getting to visit with other pregnant moms and getting help with parenting and pregnancy issues. Also was good to get the free milk.

Q. What were some reservations you might have had before you attended your first group/day?

A. Meeting new people was hard, dealing with anxiety. Was nervous and shy.

Q. What's your favourite thing about the group(s)?

A. Being with other moms, relating with people having the same issues as me, getting help when I needed it most.

Q. What are some of your favourite activities you and/or your child has done with either group?

A. Learning the circle songs, and getting my children socialized with other kids.

Q. What are some of your best memories from attending group(s)?

A. Being able to talk to other moms and getting out of the house to do it is probably the best memories of both groups. If I didn't have that opportunity, I'd have probably gone crazy.

Q. If you had to pick just one thing to talk to people about from attending group(s) what would it be and why?

A. All the help that they have offered me when I extremely needed it. They were always there to help me with a solution or given my family what we needed at the time.

Q. What are some of the things you would tell someone who is interested in attending or might benefit from attending either or both groups?

A. There is a lot of parenting help offered for who needs it. Gives you a chance to get a break, to sit down with other moms and have a good conversation. Provides you and your kids with a good lunch while you are there. Sends you home with milk which is good because it's so expensive. Provides travel money or a way to get there so that you can be a part of the program.

Q. What kind of things have you learned at group?

A. How to deal with struggling parenting problems. Where to get help with issues from around the county. That I'm not alone in my struggles, that there are many dealing with the same stuff.

Q. If you were to have another child would you want to attend The Special Delivery Club again? If so or not, Why?

A. I would definitely attend again if I was having another child. I felt better knowing that I had a place to go once a week that I could be with other moms to talk about what I was going through, and also to get me out of the house. For a place to relax knowing my child was being looked after for a little while. To get help when I need it, and not being judged for my situation.

I would like to thank Catherine again for taking part in this interview.

If you would like to join or learn more about either group please contact
Daniela at 705-457-1742 ext 31 

Or visit 

http://www.sirch.on.ca/programs-services/

Interview With The Special Delivery and Bright Starts Group Moms

I was given the chance to interview some of the mothers from the Special Delivery Club and the Bight Starts group that are hosted by SIRCH Community Services.

In these interviews I asked 11 questions in total and asked them to send me via E-mail their responses, this way they could tell me word for word what their experiences were without me missing something. I wanted these woman to have the chance to speak their minds and not be miss quoted by me.

There are three interviews not including my own. I will be posting theirs before I post mine because they are the ones that are still taking part in these wonderful groups.
I have not attended either group with my child since early 2011.

I hope that these interviews can help a mother out there that might need a place to go and feel safe and know that there are others out there feeling or have felt the same way that they do.

If you would like more information on the Special Delivery Club or the Bright Starts group please visit the SIRCH Community Services website 

http://www.sirch.on.ca/programs-services/

or 

call Daniela Pagliaro at 705-457-1742 ext 31 

Family Fun Farm Tour ~ Windy Meadows

Windy Meadows Farm Tour

On September 15^th I was asked to join SIRCH Community Services for another one of their wonderful farm tours. This tour was of Windy Meadows and working farm that had Angus Beef Cows.

When we arrived to the farm is was such a nice fall day and perfect to be walking around a farm. We were greeted by Jean and Brian Neville. Jean was our tour leader for the day.
We started with some facts about the farm like it's 200 years old and they have 100 acres filled with cattle, a donkey, some chickens and turkeys and we can't forget the pigs.

Walking to the barn 

There is an old milk house that is located on the side of the barn which was once used to milk the cows in, but has since been changed into the chicken house. The old milk house once housed the cream separator and that was a hand operated machine.

The Chicken House 

In 2009 they renovated the barn because it was starting to sink and one wall was falling apart so they poured concrete to save the wall

The Barn was built low for the height of the people and back then people were a lot shorter it seems. This barn is still held together with the wooden pegs where the joists meet. There is even a wall in the lower part of the barn where you can see the boards that were original and that they were held together with straw.

There is a pulley system at the top of the barn where there is a few ropes attached so that they could move the loose hay that was brought into the barn by the horses on a wagon. They had a hay fork that was also attached to the pulley system and would pick up a quarter of the hay load and then the person controlling it would then move it across to the other side of the barn where they stored the hay.

The wooden pegs 

The Rope that attaches to the Pulley 

Pulley on the roof 

The Hay Fork 

She showed us the original way into the lower half of the barn down a home built in ladder. But lucky for us they now have built stairs to get to the lower half of the barn.

Walking down the stairs 

When we were down there we got to see the stable area for both the cows and the horse. We got to see what the cows eat from and it’s called a manger. The entrance to the chicken coop is also down in the lower half of the barn.

Entrance into Chicken House 

We were shown some really interesting Pigeons called Trumpeter Pigeons. What makes them interesting is the fact that they have feathers on their feet. They also mate for life and live for about 10 years.

Trumpeter Pigeons 

She told us an interesting fact about chickens and turkeys. They have to have little stones to eat so that they can grind up all the food that they eat. You can also buy special stones for them from feed stores.

She also said that they break up all the chicken eggs that they get from the chickens and feed them back to them so they get all the calcium that they need and if you don't break them up small enough then they will start to eat the eggs they lay, if they start doing that there is a little trick you can do to stop them. You take a broken egg fill it with bread mixed with water and pepper put it back in with the chicken and when they eat it the pepper will make it too hot for them and they will stop eating their eggs.

The Male Turkeys 

She told us the difference between Hay and Straw. Hay is used for feed for the cows and Straw is only used for their beds and it comes from wheat and barley.

She also told us that Hay can spontaneously con-bust if it is not fully dry when bailed. So they now have a special device to read the temperature of the middle of the bail. So the best climate would be a very dry July/August.As for Straw it is always dry long before the Hay is.

Hay

Straw

Showing us how the temp tool works 

One of my favorite parts of this tour was meeting the pigs but there is only one thing that these pigs are for. They are Spring to Fall pigs, but that doesn't change how cute they are. We all learned a very interesting facet about pigs: they come from the bear family. These kinds of pigs are called Brukshire Pigs and they always stay outside.

Brukshire Pigs 

Jean was nice enough to turn off the fence so that we could all get closer to the cows and feed them the special treat that they enjoy, bread.

Cows eating 

Feeding Cows Bread 

The cows were so friendly and enjoyed us being there. If you gave them the time to warm up to you they would let you touch them. I was lucky enough to get to rub ones nose. 

Me touching her nose 

Some interesting facts about cows....

- They have three stomachs
- If cows eat nails or other metal things they have to have a magnet placed in them to make sure the it doesn't move, this is called Hardware Disease.
- They gestate for nine months just like we do.
- If there is a set of twins that are male and female then she has a 6% chance of being able to reproduce. The hormones from the male cause this.
- This year they had two sets of twins and they came from mother and daughter.
- One set of twins this year was a male and female
- After the calf's a certain age they get separated from the rest of the cows so they can reproduce again.

The Donkey that they have is deaf, he is also albino. Donkeys are kept on farms because they will chase off dogs, wolves and anything else that is there to harm the sheep and goats and it will kill the predators.

Bringing the Donkey over 

We also were told that horses gestate for 11 months and very rarely had twins.

Once we were finished with the tour we were treated to a wonderful lunch of hamburgers and salads. The burgers were made from the meat that they produce from the farm and I must say it made me never want to buy beef from the store again. This was one of the best burgers that I have ever had.

The Homemade Burgers cooking 

This was so yummy 

I want to thank them again for having us there and providing such a wonderful lunch for everyone.

Quotes from this tour were pretty simple and understandable.

Mmmmmmmmm

                      -Amanda (Parent)

 Interesting learning about small farming

                                                    - Jennifer (parent)

If you would like to learn more about SIRCH Community Services or any of the programs they have to offer please visit their website 

  http://www.sirch.on.ca/

Family Fun Farm Tour ~ Abbey Gardens

Family Fun Farm Tour ~ Abbey Gardens 

On September 7^th, 2012 I had the wonderful pleasure to join the Family Fun Farm Tour hosted by SIRCH Community Services and Abbey Gardens on the tour of their garden project.

I have been invited to three of these tours now and I must say the experience is amazing, we are all able to walk around the fields and learn all about the crops and the animals that are housed on the grounds.

These farm tours are to show the people of Haliburton County the types of farms that the county has to offer as well as teach parents and children that you yourself can have your own garden and grow your own food just as easily as anyone of the farmers on these tours can.

When we arrived at Abbey Gardens we were greeted by Janine Papadaopulos the project manager and our tour guide for the day.

Abbey Gardens was started six or seven years ago, but has only been producing for the last three years.

We started our tour with the animals that are on the property. Chickens and Turkeys.

We saw baby turkeys which she called Christmas Birds because people have ordered them for Christmas. There are about 50 turkeys in total and she told us that you can eat both males and female turkeys.

Then we also got to see White Rock Birds and these are meat birds. They were so cute all the children loved them. We also saw Red Rock Birds these are also meat birds and are their Thanksgiving Birds.

The Red Rock Birds are the type you would find at the store.

The other chickens that we got to see were called Chantecler Chickens and these are a Heritage Chicken, they are found in Canada and they are not very common. These chickens are used for eggs only, they are perfect for Canadian weather. They have a smaller crown so that it will not freeze, they have more feathers than most chickens to help keep them warm.

These chickens are helpful around a farm by chicken tractoring, which means they clear all the weed seeds that are left behind.

Getting to feed the baby turkeys 

Baby Turkey

White Rock Birds

Red Rock Birds 

After we got to see all the Chickens and the Turkeys we took a small break and she told us a little more about the land and the wonderful projects that were happening or about to happen at Abbey Gardens.

The Garden is on an acre and a half right now, but they are hoping that they use the other 200 acres for a Solar Power project and Green Houses.

Right now they are in the process of building a new Sustainable Building that is being built by Fleming College. They are only using things from the environment to help build this new building like straw.

This wonderful new building will house raw and cooked food that people from Haliburton County can buy. This will help the economics of the county and help the counties farmers.

In the mean time you can still find Abbey Gardens produce for sale at the Garden Gate Store located at the entrance of Abbey Gardens. The hours are Monday to Thursday 8:30am until 3pm from around May to late October.

Tuesdays and Fridays Abbey Gardens host volunteer days where you can come and help pick that weeks harvest for the CSA Boxes and you also get to learn a little about how to work in the garden. The hours for this are either 8am-11am or 8am -12pm depending on the day.

This year they also built a new building called The Hoop House, in this house there is no irrigation so everything must be watered by hand. The Hoop House will help extend the growing season, they are hoping until at least November.

This house has helped them already, they were able to start their season in April this year, that's when they started and continue to grow Peppers, Tomatoes and Basil.

Next year their plan is to start growing Parsnips, Kale and Lettuce just to name a few and the seeds for that will be planted soon.

The Hoop House 

We all got to learn a little about picking seeds to plant and what the best types were, she showed us lots of different types of vegetables that they have planted in their gardens and I will show you some interesting photos of the different vegetables.

What she told us about picking out seeds was what to look for on the package. You would want to get ones that said Organic or Heritage seeds and the reason she gave us is because they will re-grow.

She also told us that if you plant basil in between it will help keep the soil healthy and keep some pests away. When you plant things like this it is called Companion Growing.

The first thing we all noticed in these gardens would have to have been the amazing tomato plants that were everywhere. The first ones she told us about were the Manitoba Tomatoes, when you look at this plant you would think that it was about to die or might already be dead but she reassured us that it was from that.

This type of tomato plant has up to 40 tomatoes on it at one time and when it is growing them it save all the energy that other plant use to look green and healthy to make sure that the tomatoes are growing healthy instead.

Manitoba Tomatoes 

They have such amazing gardens that have some interesting vegetables in them like the Black Plum Tomato that always has green on the outside even when fully ripe and taste very yummy or the Lemon Cucumber that it round and yellow with a prickly outside.

The Lemon Cucumber 

There is also your everyday vegetables as well like Cucumbers, Beans, Kale, Swiss Chard, Onions, Celery, and a lot of different type of tomatoes like the Aunt Ruby's German Green Tomatoes that are green both inside and out even when ripe and the Japaneses Black Trifle Tomato and that one is black on the inside and very tasty as well.

 

We saw lots of different types of Squash including one I have never even heard of called Spaghetti Squash.

We saw and got to feel the Kale and I must say that it look like it is soft like lettuce but that is not the case what so ever, it is very rough and has pointy edges. We were all talking about the great things to do with it when one participant said that they like to add garlic, olive oil, kale and swish chard to a pan and fry it for a minute or so and serve it with sea salt and lemon.

I think I might just have to try that one day.

Picking an Onion

Janine showing us the different vegetables 

Kale

We talked about why they have raised growing beds and what they used to make them. They like to use three year plus manure because it becomes just like soil. There is also a black pipe that runs right down the middle of these beds and that is there irrigation for when they don't get a very good rainfall just like this past summer then they will water the beds twice daily.

The raised beds with irrigation 

After we finished our tour we were told about a wonderful lunch that we were going to be having, the best part was the participants had to pick the items needed to make this lunch.

Everything that went into the Pasta salad that we had to make was fresh from the garden right then. Onions, cucumbers, beans, carrots, tomatoes and basil.

After all the items were picked the parents then had to help cut the items and add them to the precooked pasta.

The different Tomatoes all cut up 

Looking at some Tomatoes 

Picking the Vegetables for lunch

Cutting the Carrots for the Salad 

All the different Vegetables we used 

The Yummy Pasta and Fresh Vegetables Salad

We all ate this very delicious lunch and we treated with some free produce to take home like tomatoes and carrots.

Abbey Gardens is taking part in a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) Box program where you can pay $300 up front and get 16 weeks of produce and we are not talking a little box either. Every week that you are a part of this program you get what is harvested that week at the gardens. The only thing that you have to worry about is that if the crop is not as great one week you all have to share that risk, but if the crops are wonderful then you all share in the rewards. As of this year there were 18 very happy CSA members. These boxes can also be picked up right at Abbey Gardens or at a central pick up location they have.

This was one of the best tours that I was on and I would love to be a part of the CSA Box next season because this is a wonderful chance to get healthy produce for my family, but also to help out our wonderful community.

Again if you would like to buy any produce from Abbey Garden you can from their Garden Gate Store located at the entrance of Abbey Gardens. Monday to Thursday 8:30am until 3pm from around May to late October.