Koren Vangool

You bet!  Please remind me in Sept!  All those places look good, let them know know you're looking for extra hardy stuff and they can usually accomodate.  Good luck, sounds like a great project!

Hi Wybo,
I hope you're enjoying the online PDC!  My partner took it a few years ago and it was really good, I bet it's even better now
We are also members of the bee club as we had a swarm move into some used bee equipment we had in a shed.  This is our second time overwintering them and we have 3 colonies now.  Maybe next time you come in for a meeting you could let us know and we could meet beforehand for a visit.  I don't have any mulberries yet, I have seed on order but that's about it.  We do have some Black locust that's getting established and are excited for that to start flowering as it's a real good bee tree.  We also discovered sainfoin (a hardy perennial legume for dry sandy places) that bees ADORE and can really pump out nectar.  We also grow lots of borage, buckwheat and this year are planting tons of phacelia tenacetifolia.  We are starting a permaculture cutflower farm, our bees should be happy about that (if they're still alive after this extreme cold snap!).  TTYS!  Koren

Agnes
I can get Mandchurian Walnuts for you in the fall...you'll have to PM me to remind me though!  Mid Sept is a good time.  I don't have a producing tree myself but know of one in Saskatoon.  Thanks!

Wow Etienne, that is a great list!  Pretty much everything we can grow here on the Canadian prairies in Zone 2.   Also remember you can go to zone 3 and 4 if you do lots of micro climates, especially with things that winter underground (like herbaceous perennials) under mulch and other ground covers.  And don't forget the insulating power of snow!   The hardiest grape around here is called Valiant.  Also check out the dwarf sour cherries developed at the University of Saskatchewan.  They are awesome.  Also Mandchurian Walnut and don't forget COPIOUS amounts of comfrey!

Wow, these are such awesome pictures! Thanks for sharing!

LOL! We here in Western Canada often even drop the "bag" part and would just say, "That guy is such a douche." just in case this is in any way relevant I would personally define a douchebag as someone (usually a male) who thinks they're all that, but in reality, they really are not all that (not even close).

I really enjoy staying up to date with what's going on...I don't post much and/or get here as often as I'd like (2 young kiddos keep me busy!) but I do download and listen to the new podcasts and usually follow at least one link per email that you send. Please keep up the great work, you seem to keep things fresh and lively, I look forward to getting them, and I always open them, sometimes just to get some positive news!
Thanks!
Koren in Saskatoon, SK Canada

Hi Denis,
Glad to hear you're making progress with different trees. This year for me was a bust, with the move out to the country,trying to sell a house, busy at work and being pregnant, nothing got done this year as far as propagation/seeding...to be honest, I barely got anything out of the garden. There's always next year right? Haha!
Anyways, I started tasting bur oak acorns to try and find some that were palatable, and did find some at Wiggins park in Saskatoon...I don't know if this weird season is what made them good, but there was no bitter tannin taste whatsoever, it was truly bizarre. I gathered some and will keep you posted on how they taste next year from the same tree. Also, if you want Limber Pines, go to the corner of Broadway and 12th street (5 corners it's called) and there is a huge planter that contains about 4 or 5 mature specimens. Bring a trowel and simply dig out as many seedlings as you want, they're usually between 1 and 4 years old...I was there a few weeks ago and they were looking good, I just never got the chance to go back yet...I'd rather someone takes them to grow out rather than them getting weeded out by the city next spring! I've been doing this for years! I found a few more sugar maples growing throughout the city, but haven't been by any lately to collect seed...I could give directions if you're interested. I have a northern catalpa on my boulevard that seeded lots this year, could be something worth trying, has not died back in about 5 years. I hope to work with you someday (sharing seed etc) to get a nice variety of reliable food trees for our region. I'll see if I can get more Mandchurian Walnuts again this year, they sometimes take a few years to germinate when you don't prepare the seed well, so the sooner the better! I would like to get some butternut someday when I have some places prepared to plant them. Good luck!
Koren

Hi all,
This may be a silly question, but do you need to leach if using white oaks for pigs or chickens? Also, do you need running water to leach or can you do multiple water changes over how many weeks? Do they leach faster if they're all broken up as opposed to whole (even out of the shell?)
Thanks!
Koren in Saskatoon, SK

Glad things are filling up! He's already registered, we just have different last names;)
I'm hoping he'll come home with a need to get some sheep too, please do your best haha!
Koren in Saskatoon