Greetings from the Women’s Institute for the District of North Renfrew. The Greenwood branch is reporting on the meeting and activities for the month of January.
Members met for their January meeting with President Sheila Kenny presiding. The meeting opened with the Institute Ode, followed by The Mary Stewart Collect. The roll call was, “What is your favourite thing to do in the winter?” The motto, “What good is the warm of summer without the cold of winter to give it sweetness.” Pennies were 10 cents if your Christmas décor is removed and 25 cents if it is not.
The guest speaker for the meeting was Brenna Jansen who owns a Market Garden and Farm Market. Brenna has been doing this for the past 10 years. She advised you can start small or large. Brenna has seven big plots measuring 100 by 100 ft. on her parent’s farm where she does her planting.
Currently Brenna is applying to become a Certified Organic Gardener. There are many rules and regulations that must be followed. These rules are set out by the Canadian Organic Standards, and application forms must be completed. You must use organic matter in the soil, the well water must be tested three times per year, record keeping is important and there is an annual inspection. During the winter months Brenna goes through her seed catalogues and starts ordering. She has 60 different kinds of crops and 100 varieties. She uses lots of hand tools for gardening.
Every Saturday during the summer and early fall, she sells her produce at the Farmers’ Market in Carp, Ont. She also prepares veggie baskets for clients which sell for $20 per basket. Brenna does her planting from the end of April and stops in August. She does her harvesting from Mother’s Day until Halloween. Certain clients have food trends, and diet trends. She receives up front fees to help purchase seeds, and there are lots of transplants to do each year. The garden is rotated every seven years and there is a buffer zone between the farm and the neighbour’s land. Mary Cameron thanked Brenna for her interesting talk and presented her with a gift.
Following the Institute Grace, refreshments were served by convenors Mary Cameron and Jill Laverdure. The business portion of the meeting then continued. Secretary Kathy Bennett read the minutes of the previous two meetings. A thank you card was received from the Bernadette McCann House for the donation of food, and purses with toiletries which branch members donated in December 2019. The Treasurer Gail Fletcher gave her report. Kathy Bennett advised she would be taking part in the Coldest Night of the Year Walk being held on February 22.
Sharon Cotnam commented that this year the Greenwood branch will celebrate their 35 year anniversary. She also thanked members for all their generous donations of clothing and toys for the needy families, donations for the Food Bank, and donations to Bernadette McCann House.
