Where has May gone?

Seriously, where is May? This week has felt more like April than anything else. It’s cold, it’s rainy, and I miss the mild, balmy weather we’ve enjoyed only a week or two ago (I know I’ll regret writing this once July comes around). Yet the garden is burgeoning, and the grass is growing faster than ever (I’ve trimmed it twice already, and it’s only May!!) It’s always a challenge to stay on top of the weeds, and the rain isn’t helping, but I’m grateful for it. Grateful for water that falls from the sky. Is there anything more magical, more phenomenal? I’ve been able to get most of my seedlings in this week (usually I don’t get it all done till June, but my garden is mostly perennials now), and I’m looking forward to seeing the garden grow lush and abundant again!

I’ve slowly turned the small area around my home into a micro food forest (this is a separate area from my 1/4 acre garden which I use for my herb business). I’ve got a small collection of young fruit shrubs (serviceberry, elder, aronia, looking to get mulberry and pawpaw), and an abundance of culinary herbs that I love to source from to add variety to my meals. It feels like such a privilege to walk a few feet out my front door to my garden and gather what I need. I have a few veggies too, like kale, chard, radish, mustard greens, and arugula.

On a side note… if ya’ll aren’t adding herbs to your salads, you’re seriously missing out. Green onions, spearmint, lemon balm, anise hyssop, perilla (shiso), chives, dill, cilantro, parsley… any and all make great additions to fresh spring greens. Perhaps consider getting a CSA from Foragers Farms to receive fresh farm produce.

This year, I’ve been challenging myself to be more adventurous and I’ve been pursuing some passions I’ve long put aside. I’m looking forward to be going on more camping trips this year, and I’m eager for the nicer weather to take up biking again. I did a bit last year for the first time since 2018 (?!), and I’ve missed the thrill of hitting the trails and seeing the landscape rolling by at just the right pace. I use to do a lot, and stopped when I moved here, because it’s so hilly, and starting the business had taken up so much of my time. I’m no match (yet) for the rolling hills of Northumberland, so I’ve been driving to Peterborough to catch the trans-Canadian trails, where the trails are flatter. The trip from Peterborough to Lakefield was lovely and picturesque all along the Otonabee river, but I must remember to purchase a gel seat before my next trip… ouch.

I’ve also taken up writing again, a long-lost love of mine since childhood. In that same vein, I’ve rediscovered the pleasure of reading, and I’ve set my goal at 52 books this year, or one book per week. That might seem like a lot, but business really quiets down in the winter, and I’ve swapped out my old habit of binge-watching shows in the evenings for reading. You’d be surprised by how much time you gain by avoiding television (also I don’t have kids). I found the selection of books at my local small town library a bit lackluster, so I’ve invested in an ereader to be able to access the ebooks. Thankfully, I still have my Ottawa Library account from when I used to live there, and was surprisingly able to renew my membership with the click of a button. This is so exciting for me, because now I have access to so many titles! It’s like a whole new world’s opened up. If you’re someone who loves reading, I’m sure you can understand my enthusiasm. Besides, at the pace I’m reading, I have neither the budget nor the space to be buying books. I’ll always be a die-hard library fan, not just for the perks of borrowing books for free, but because libraries are, at their core, radical, democratic, and socialist institutions, subverting our current capitalist climate. They’re important community hubs. If you don’t have a library card yet, what are you even doing?! Get on that! It’s free and helps support the library.

In the past, it’s been hard for me to separate who I am outside of my business, as most of my time has been consumed by starting and maintaining the business, especially in the early years. Between weekend markets and weekend workshops, on top of the day-to-day stuff, it can be really tough to find time for hobbies and pastimes. I’m five years in now (can you believe it?!), and I feel like I’ve passed over a hump, where I don’t need to spend as much energy to maintain the business. I’ve also cut down on the amount of weekend events and been streamlining things to make it easier on me. You can’t do it all, as they say. I’m all for that soft life, ya know? All in all, I’m looking forward to a summer of spending time with friends, enjoying fresh, local food, and dipping in the creeks and rivers.

Other things on the horizon: I’ll be back at the Brickworks market this Saturday! Find me outdoors at the farmers market from 8-1. This will be my first time back for the outdoor season, and I’ll be returning biweekly from there on out (the exception being August 2nd).

If you’ve ever been curious about botanical distillation, I’m offering a workshop next month on June 14th. This workshop will be an introduction of sorts, as there’s so much to distillation that can’t easily fit within a 4-hour block. Gaining proficiency with distillation really requires a lot of hands-on experience and developing your sense of intuition, but I’ll teach you some tricks of the trade and guide you through a distillation from start to finish using herbs from my garden.

The spring sale is over, but some items will stay up at a reduced price until they are gone. And once they’re gone, they won’t be coming back!

That’s it for now, and I’m hoping you’re enjoying your spring so far, and getting out there as much as possible to enjoy the sunshine and birdsong and putting your fingers in the soil and your bare feet on the ground.

Warmly,

Marissa