29. March 2009 by David.

  is a small business with the mission of educating Ottawa area residents of all ages about the value, fragility and richness of the region’s natural areas. We feature a nature day camp for children (visit “day camps” on this website) where young people experience awareness games, stories, nature crafts, and interpretation that introduces children to the natural world. As a special offering,  organizes seasonal field trips that illustrate winter tracking, experience the edible wild and help participants to study the stars that blaze in the skies over the rural parts of our amazing locale.

Our founder and our principal educator/interpreter and guide is Martha Webber. Born in New England, Martha majored in Botany-ecology and geology (BS. MS), was staff assistant at the Children’s Nature Museum, Charlotte, North Carolina, (and Worcester Natural History Museum, Worcester, Massachusetts). She taught biology and earth science in the Vermont Public School system before marrying a Canadian and moving North. Two children later she volunteered with Scouts and Guides and did this for a few years before offering a spring botany course for the City of Kanata. That field course, called “Edible Wild” has continued since the 1980’s. Martha’s first business venture partnered her with Madeline Kallio running “Ottawa Valley Field Trips” where they organized field trips on wheels, mostly for seniors, exploring back roads and fun places with good food.

In addition to our core programs, custom field trips can be organized for groups, homeschools, school classes, scouts, etc.

Martha is an amazing resource with an understanding and feel for the natural world that is seldom found in our day and age. She is always looking for opportunities to introduce teachers and groups to the heritage plants (better known as “weeds”) that our ancestors found here or imported over time to be used for foods and medicines. Many of these still offer superior nutrition to commercial vegetables, but can only be used when grown in clean (unsprayed) habitats.

Our website is Dandelion Jam because it derives it’s relationship from the natural world. A much maligned weed, dandelion was once a favorite grown for greens, coffee substitute, wine, beer and now jam. A must in herb gardens of castles and monasteries and now an “alien invasion” on lawns. Just imagine when lawns were once composed of meadow flowers and lawn boys were hired to pull out grass. Kentucky Blue Grass, by the way, is an example of an alien invasion.

The Ottawa Field Naturalist Club selected Martha Webber for the 2007 Mary Stuart Education Award in recognition of  “outstanding work teaching natural history at schools and to the public throughout the Ottawa region with a variety of programs.”

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26. March 2009 by David.

Thursday, March 26

The Sacred Food
Director: Jack Pettibone Riccobono, United States, 2006, 6 minutes

The Ojibwe of Northern Minnesota regard their wild rice (Manoomin) as a gift from their Creator. Amidst the voiceover of an ages-old creation story, this wonderful short film observes the traditional hand harvesting and parching techniques of the Ojibwe’s wild rice, and the community’s fight to protect it.
Filmmaker Jack Pettibone Riccobono’s The Sacred Food is a thoughtful, quiet meditation on a cultural tradition and food unique to our continent – and its struggle to survive amidst impending attempts by biotech companies to genetically modify it, thus changing it forever.

Fried Chicken and Sweet Potato Pie
Director: Bailey Barash, United States, 2006, 20 minutes

Known as the “Grande Dame of Southern Cooking” Edna Lewis was a tall, commanding woman in both the culinary world, and her everyday life. The granddaughter of freed slaves, she would grow up to be a great chef, culinary ambassador, and caretaker of genuine Southern cooking.
Fried Chicken and Sweet Potato Pie is a film tribute to Ms. Lewis, in which filmmaker Bailey Barash presents a loving portrait of the woman that not only inspired a generation of young chefs, but worked to ensure that the traditional folkways of the South would not be forgotten.

In the Same Boat
Director: Martha Stiegman, Canada, 2007, 40 minutes

Shot on Nova Scotia’s legendary Bay of Fundy, Martha Stiegman’s In the Same Boat explores the common ground between indigenous and non-native communities, while showing the very different role fishing plays in both cultures. The film is presented in two short parts, the first a portrait of Terry Farnsworth, the last handliner on the Bay of Fundy. Part two follows the struggle of the Bear River First Nation as they stand up to pressure from the Department of Fisheries to sell their treaty rights for a ticket into the commercial fisheries.

This insightful film lets local people tell their own stories and, in the process, provides us with a deep insight into the struggles they face.

Once Upon a French Fry
Director: Pierre Olivier-François, France, 2006, 52 minutes

Pierre Olivier-François’ quirky film Once Upon a French Fry delves into the crazy world of potato and french fry culture, where we learn that (among other things): countries are battling each other to be “home of the french fry”; fries have been served in the White House for over 200 years; and that in Japan fries are rumoured to make those who eat them become tall, white and blond! This romp through the history of the common french fry will feed your mind and incite a serious craving in the process.

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23. March 2009 by David.

Dear Friends of Mother Earth,

This Wednesday, March 25th we are offering a workshop on Herbs by Peter Vernon Quenter.  Please see below for more details and phone or e-mail us to register.

Herbs for Everyday Use

Wednesday March 25th 6:30 - 8:00 pm

course fee: $15.00

Learn how to use herbs for maintaining and restoring health

We will introduce the use of various forms of herbal remedies in general and for specific purposes;

essential oils and other topical uses will be covered, as well.

Take some recipes home to get started right away.

Mother Earth Natural Health
747D Richmond Road
Ottawa, ON K2A 0G6
phone: 613-321-3557
fax: 613-321-3558
motherearth@rogers.com
www.motherearthnaturalhealth.ca

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16. March 2009 by David.

The first day of Spring is just around the corner and we are getting ready to wrap up recruiting for this season. The Intentional Eaters CSA is just about full!!! If you are interested in joining the group but have not yet mailed your application, please send me an e-mail indicating your interest so you can be placed on a waiting list. There are still a few loose ends and a little room to move, so we may be sneaking a few people in… What have you got to offer the group?

I’m very excited to meet the group this year! It’s larger than ever, with people hailing from several different neighbourhoods in Ottawa. Thank you very much to those of you who donated money over and above the harvest-share cost. Your contributions are HUGELY appreciated!

Final payments are already starting to trickle in (Thank You)  but there are still two more weeks available to those who have not settled their accounts yet. Please contact me if this time-line puts you in an uncomfortable spot… I don’t want anyone skipping on rent to pay for my veggies!

There are still a couple months before vegetables are ready for harvest. In the meantime, keep an eye out on the website for pictures as spring continues to springify! You can also look forward to a newsletter beginning in April. We’ll keep you posted with dates for our orientation meeting.

Cheers!       

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