Our annual Seedy Saturday event will take place on February 24th from 9am-3pm in the Great Hall of UCM. There is a small entry fee of $2 which includes a raffle, and there will be the Cozy Cafe all day.
9:40am – 10:00- “Yo-Grow” – Founder’s Hall
Margo McDougal will offer Yoga For Gardeners to start the day with some movement and fun. Bloom like a flower, stand like a tree -try these plant inspired seated and standing poses and movement. It’s a great way to beat the February Blahs! No yoga matt necessary. This is an all ages workshop
10:00am – Make a Seed Tape – An all ages demo on the Main Hall stage
Learn how seeds need space to grow and make your own beet and seed tape – Demonstration sponsored by Hope Seeds
10:15am – 10:45 – Design Your Own Native Pollinator Garden -Founder’s Hall
by Jeanne McRight of Blooming Boulevards
Learn all the best ways to provide food and shelter for native pollinators, while delighting your family and neighbours with your garden's textures, shapes and colours.
During this workshop children can enjoy activities in the Sunflower Room.
10:45am – 11:15am Cedar Tea and Bannock Break!
Enjoy a cup of cedar tea and traditional Bannock with homemade jam at the Cozy Café and take a tour of the Marketplace.
During the break children can make a Butterfly Headband with Blooming Boulevards and play Name that Bird with Laura Therrien and the Urban Bird Outfitters (these activities will continue all day in the Marketplace tables)
11:15am to 12:00 noon – My Love of the Eastern Cedar by Laura Therien – Founder’s Hall
This is an all ages workshop
Eastern White Cedars (Thuja occidentalis) important food source for Woodland Creatures. Learn the importance of these seeds to our wildlife and the cultural significance of these trees to Indigenous peoples. Start your own Eastern Cedar seedlings so you can be part of restoring natural habitat and learn how to be an advocate for some of Ontario’s important native trees, play games and make your own cedar bundles.
12:00 – 1:00pm Lunch Break
Enjoy Indian Tacos, hearty and healthy soup from Kanata Soups at the Cozy Café. You will be treated to some spring inspired piano music from UCM’s own Edwin Vlasics.
At 12:30 Children may participate in a treasure hunt and visit various features of the UCM grounds. Activity sponsored by the Unitarian Property Committee.
1:00pm – 1:45pm From Seed to Table – Founder’s Hall
by Andrea Berry of Hope Seeds
Learn expert tips and tricks to create a successful vegetable "kitchen garden" including how to start your own seeds, spacing your garden, fertilizing and companion planting.
During this workshop children can enjoy activities in the Sunflower Room
1:45 – Medicinal Tea Break
Enjoy a sampling of medicinal teas offered by the Ontario Herbalists Association and boost your immunity naturally. (and have a treat at the Cozy Café!)
2:00 – 2:45pm – Wonderful Weeds
Susan Elliotson, Registered Herbalist
Weeds – despised by gardeners, ignored by commercial interests, they grow unnoticed beneath our feet through cracks in the concrete or infest the flower bed – we just cannot get rid of them. This is good because they provide us with very effective medicine. This talk will tell you how to benefit from weeds. Teas to sample will be available. During this workshop children can enjoy activities in the Sunflower Room
Children’s Activities in the Sunflower room from 10:15am to 3:00pm
Native Plants Apothecary – Imagine if you had to make your own cough syrup, or pain medicine? This would involve grinding a lot of roots and dried herbs. Hand picking and harvesting medicines when they are available, then storing properly to use when needed. You also had to remember how to use the medicine and administer it to others.
With a few mortal and pestles families can grind Juniper berries like an Apocathist, moving on to cedar tips, pine cones.
Corn Husk Art – Corn is not only an important source of food but can also be used to make art. Learn about the importance of corn to the Indigenous people of North America and make your own corn husk doll and beads.
Make a Seed Tape – using newspaper, a spray bottle and seeds, you can make a seed tape to perfectly space out carrot and beet seeds to plant in the spring.