Sharing the joys of spring
It is a beautiful spring day with the plum, crabapple and ornamental trees in bloom. My tomatoes and geraniums are waiting to be planted in the garden and the birds are singing while they are busy building their nests.
We enjoyed a meal of fresh asparagus and soon the rhubarb will be ready to eat. The weather is so nice that it makes me forget how badly we need rain. It just feels so great to be outside.
After school the kids and I worked in the garden to get it ready for planting. It reminded me of similar days when I worked with my mother in her garden. The love of the earth, the peace of working in the garden and the satisfaction of producing our own food are values she instilled in me and I am hoping to pass along to my children. I hope they feel that love and peace today.
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My paternal grandmother, Martha Fox, whom we called “Nanny” wrote a poem about spring that expresses many of my feelings:
Spring
With patience I waited and at last it is here
The spring of the year wake up
How do I know?
I’ll tell you right now
The little birds told me they know
Get up in the morning
and see the sun rise
The birds will be singing
so full of delight
The children are playing so happy and free
The birds on the trees, it’s new life for them
The grass is so green and so fresh
The flowers are peeping their heads through the ground
Knowing the right time of year
So get out in your garden
and dig in the soil
And plant what you have wanted so long
And trust in the Maker for all these good things
For it is thanks to Him that we have the spring.
Spring rhubarb recipes
The following recipes are from Choice Menus, An Easy Guide with Recipes for Healthy Everyday Meal Planning, by Marjorie Hollands and Margaret Howard. It is published by Macmillan Canada in co-operation with the Canadian Diabetes Association. Making food choices and planning menus can sometimes be frustrating and tedious. This book makes it easier by offering 104 healthy and tasty menus that you can “mix and match.” This cookbook takes the guess work out of managing meals for Type 2 diabetes, but it is also useful for anyone wanting to eat healthier or lose weight.
Spring rhubarb sauce
4 cups sliced 2 L
rhubarb (8 thin stalks)
1Ú2 cup water 125 mL
2 teaspoons 10 mL
grated orange rind
1Ú4 cup granulated 50 mL
white low-calorie sweetener*
1 tablespoon 15 mL
granulated sugar
- Liquid cyclamate sweetener can replace granulated sweetener – use one tablespoon (15 mL) in this recipe.
Stove top: In saucepan, cook rhubarb, water and orange rind over medium heat for five minutes or until rhubarb is tender. Remove from heat, stir in sweetener and sugar.
Microwave: Combine rhubarb, water and orange rind in microwavable casserole. Cover and microwave on High (100%) for three to five minutes, stirring once. Stir in sweetener and sugar.
Makes five servings, 21Ú2 cups (625 mL) and contains eight grams carbohydrate, one g protein, 0 g fat, two g fibre, 33 kcal (140 kJ)
Preparation: 10 minutes. Cooking: about five minutes.
Rhubarb punch
Tangy rhubarb makes a thirst-quenching beverage. Prepare this concentrate in large amounts when spring rhubarb is available, and freeze in small amounts for use throughout the year.
4 oranges 4
2 lemons 2
8 cups sliced fresh 2 L
(16 thin stalks) or
frozen rhubarb
4 cups water 1 L
1 cup 250 mL
granulated white
low-calorie sweetener
Remove rind from oranges and lemons. Squeeze juice and reserve.
In large saucepan, combine rhubarb, water, orange and lemon rind. Cover and cook over medium heat for 10 minutes or until rhubarb is tender.
Remove from heat; stir in lemon juice and orange juice. Cool. Press through a sieve to remove rhubarb pulp; discard pulp.
Add sweetener to strained juice. Pour into sterilized bottles and seal. Keep in refrigerator, or freeze for longer storage.
To serve: Combine 1Ú3 cup (75 mL) punch concentrate with 3Ú4 cup (175 mL) water, soda water or mineral water. Serve over ice cubes.
Makes six cups (1.6 L) punch concentrate. Each serving: 1Ú3 cup (75 mL) concentrate contains six g carbohydrate, one g protein, 0 g fat, one g fibre, 23 kcal (100 kJ)
Preparation: 20 minutes. Cooking: about 10 minutes.
Artificial sweeteners
Artificial sweeteners such as cyclamate, saccharin and aspartame have no effect on blood sugar and contain very few, if any, calories. Very small amounts are needed to provide flavor since they are usually many times sweeter than sucrose. Persons with diabetes can safely use this group of sweeteners.
However, many people find the taste too different from the traditional sugar flavor they are used to. Artificial sweeteners may also lack the “bulk” or volume that sugar provides, resulting in poor texture and consistency in baked goods.
Choice Menus recipes were developed and tested using cyclamate or heat-stable aspartame.
Environmental program
Interprovincial Pipe Line is awarding over $50,000 for environmental programs in Western Canadian communities. The grants were given to community-based organizations that submitted proposals focusing on the enhancement and protection of the environment, as well as increasing the awareness and benefits of being environmentally responsible.
Some of the projects receiving funding for 1998 are:
- $2,500 for the research, writing and publication of a winter birding guide for the Edmonton region.
- $2,500 for the purchase of materials for bird/bat houses and trees/shrubs to provide wildlife habitat on a playground at the school in Macklin, Sask.
- $3,500 for the purchase of purple martin condos and trees/shrubs to provide wildlife habitat for Hillside Park in Kerrobert, Sask.
- $5,000 each for the construction of interpretive trails at Binney Siding Sustainable Habitat Interpretive Park, Manitou, Man. and the Pipestone Creek Nature Trail, Reston, Man.
- $4,000 for the purchase of a baler for recycled materials for the Village of Glenboro, Man.
- $1,000 for the purchase of additional recycling bins for Conquest, Sask., and district’s recycling program.
- $3,000 to purchase environmental education materials for the school in Glenavon, Sask.
Communities that are within 32 kilometres of IPL casements can apply for the grants before March 1 of each program year. For application forms contact: Program co-ordinator, Environmental Initiative Program, Interprovincial Pipe Line Inc., Box 398, Edmonton, Alta., T5J 2J9, 403-420-5306.
HELP resources
HELP refers to the Regina Home Economics for Living Project. Many people find it hard to meet the demands of paying bills and buying the weekly groceries. HELP’s goal is to involve and assist families and individuals in developing the skills to manage these demands. These skills enable people to take control and help people help themselves. The project has been serving Regina and area since 1988. Emmie Oddie, my predecessor as a Producer columnist, provided leadership in putting this project together and has served on its board until recently.
Home economists trained in nutrition, family finance, home management and budget counselling deliver the programs. Information is available as group classes/workshops, as hands-on instruction or as one-to-one counselling.
A basic fee is charged for group classes and training workshops and there is a sliding fee schedule for one-to-one instruction. Families or individuals on limited income are subsidized. HELP receives funding through donations, sponsorships, workshop fees and gifts-in-kind from individuals and organizations.
Through the years HELP has developed printed sheets that are appropriate for use with individuals learning English as a second language, elementary school students and new immigrants, who are unfamiliar with Canadian foods and cooking terms.
Fact sheets on fruits, vegetables and other foods discuss why this is a good food, how to use it with recipes or ideas, how to keep and store the food, and what to look for when buying. These sheets are sold individually for 25-50 cents each or as a white master copy for photocopying at $5 per fact sheet.
Three manuals have also been written. The Shopping Skills Manual, follows the guidelines outlined in Canada’s Food Guide to Healthy Eating and discusses how much is in a serving, shopping for healthy foods, storage of foods and reading food labels.
A Kitchen Smarts Manual discusses equipment in the kitchen, how to measure ingredients, words used in recipes, food and kitchen safety, cleaning your kitchen and what to do when appliances stop working.
The Grow Regina Gardening and Food Preservation Manual focuses on how to grow a vegetable garden including the types of gardening, tools, getting the soil ready and things to know about planning and planting your garden.
A section of the manual discusses preserving the harvest with information and recipes for freezing, canning, drying and pickling. The manuals are sold for $12 each.
For more information about HELP or its resources, contact: Regina Home Economics for Living Project Inc., 2156 Albert St., Regina, Sask., S4P 2T9, 306-347-7877.
