A National Post Best Cookbook of 2021 A celebration of some of the lesser-known berries local to the prairie region, including sea buckthorn, haskap, saskatoons, currants, sour cherries, and chokecherries. This little cookbook is all about the berries and small fruits grown in prairie gardens, gathered from U-pick farms, and foraged in the wild. Home cook and accomplished gardener Sheryl Normandeau presents 65 recipes for everything from meat, poultry, and fish dishes, vegetable and grain dishes, to desserts, baked goods, beverages, and preserves (including fruit leather). If you’ve ever gathered some of these favourite prairie berries and then wondered what to make, with Normandeau’s help you’ll soon have no trouble putting them to use in easy, fun, and flavourful recipes like: Sea Buckthorn Berry and Earl Grey Tea Cocktail Pan-Fried Salmon with Sea Buckthorn Berry Sauce Saskatoon Berry Cream Puffs Currant Meringue Cookies Haskap Beet Dark Chocolate Brownies Baked Brie with Chokecherry Drizzle Chokecherry Rosewater Jelly Beautifully illustrated, the book also includes instructions for how to make and process jams and jellies, tips for storing and drying berries, and guidelines for successful foraging. Whether you’re new to the prairie region’s flora or have a stockpile of fond roadside berry-picking memories, it’s the perfect go-to and gift.

We’ve all seen red roses, blue irises, and yellow daffodils. But when we really look closely at a flower, whole new worlds of beauty and intricacy emerge. Using a unique process that far surpasses conventional macro photography, Robert Llewellyn shows us details that few of us have ever seen: the amazing architecture of stamens and pistils; the subtle shadings on a petal; the secret recesses of nectar tubes. Complementing Llewellyn’s stunning photographs are Teri Dunn Chace’s lyrical, illuminating essays. By highlighting the features that distinguish twenty-eight of the most common families of flowering plants, Chace gives us fascinating insights into the natural history of flowers, such as the relationship between pollinators and floral form and color. At the same time she gives us a deeper appreciation of why and how flowers have become so deeply embedded in human culture. Whether you’re a nature lover, a gardener, a photography buff, or someone who simply responds to the timeless beauty and variety of the floral world, Seeing Flowers will be a source of enduring delight.

Honorable Mention, American Horticultural Society Book Awards The fifth book in the Guides for the Prairie Gardener series is all about getting good soil—from chemical composition to compost, fertilizer to fungi, and much more. Soil is a whole world under our feet, full of fun words you may have heard but never quite understood, like hard-pan, humus, loam, and tilth. In this fifth book in the Guides for the Prairie Gardener series, master gardeners Janet and Sheryl provide the basics of soil science so that you can apply it to your gardening endeavours. They answer your questions on things like How do I test the chemical composition of my garden soil? What’s the difference between organic, inorganic, and natural fertilizers? What do those numbers on packages of fertilizer mean? How and when should I amend my garden’s soil? Hot compost? Cold compost? Worm compost? Egg shells, coffee grounds, banana peels—yes or no? What exactly do mycorrhizal fungi do? In this handy Q-and-A guide, focused specifically on the prairie region, you’ll learn what particles are dominant in your soil, how to make successful compost, the value of mulch, tips on no-till practices and cover crops, and solutions to problems such as compaction, heavy clay, salinity, and soil-borne diseases. With Janet and Sheryl’s insight you’ll soon be well on your way to healthy, happy soil.

It's 1942: Tomi Itano, 12, is a second-generation Japanese American who lives in California with her family on their strawberry farm. Although her parents came from Japan and her grandparents still live there, Tomi considers herself an American. She doesn't speak Japanese and has never been to Japan. But after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, things change. No Japs Allowed signs hang in store windows and Tomi's family is ostracized. Things get much worse. Suspected as a spy, Tomi's father is taken away. The rest of the Itano family is sent to an internment camp in Colorado. Many other Japanese American families face a similar fate. Tomi becomes bitter, wondering how her country could treat her and her family like the enemy. What does she need to do to prove she is an honorable American? Sandra Dallas shines a light on a dark period of American history in this story of a young Japanese American girl caught up in the prejudices and World War II.

Key Selling Points Learning about the importance of seeds and how to save and conserve them for the future is imperative to sustaining healthy life on the planet. Introduces young readers to STEM concepts, such as pollination, biodiversity, healthy ecosystems, food security, the climate crisis, GMO food and genetic engineering. Gives young readers the practical tools to take action to save seeds in their own lives and communities. The author is a certified master gardener and works with various gardening organizations in Alberta. She has a background in horticulture and urban agriculture and has written a number of nonfiction books for adults and kids.

Commercially harvested only in Maine and parts of Canada, wild blueberries are prized for their intense flavor and color. The Wild Blueberry Book follows the story of these luscious berries as they make their way from the barrens to your table, with some stops along the way for pie-eating contests, baking competitions, and even an annual musical celebrating the culture that has grown up around Maine’s official berry. You’ll meet growers, rakers, beekeepers, processors, winemakers, blueberry queens, and some of the food scientists who are unlocking the secrets behind blueberries’ amazing health benefi ts. Recipes, too!

This can be challenging gardening, replete with hot, dry summers and freezing winters, acidic soils, moose, mice, bears and bugs. Rather than fighting nature by trying to raise plants unsuited for a northern climate, master gardener Barbara Rayment, who has grown--and in some cases killed--nearly all of the plants in this book, helps readers get maximum results with minimum effort by selecting the right plants for their conditions. There are literally thousands of beautiful, interesting and garden-worthy perennials perfectly suited to northern conditions. Rayment moves beyond zone ratings, categorizing plants by habitat type and offering pragmatic advice on topics like watering, soil and beneficial insects, to address common frustrations associated with cold-climate gardening. From Acantholimon to Xanthorrhoeaceae, this book includes hundreds of hardy perennials, including many native plants, accompanied by hundreds of beautiful colour photographs. While glossy gardening books from warmer climates abound, the perennials described here really do thrive in zones 2 to 4, making this an indispensable reference for novice and expert northern gardeners alike.