Under the Canopy

Outdoor Journal Radio
Outdoor Journal Radio
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On Outdoor Journal Radio's Under the Canopy podcast, former Minister of Natural Resources, Jerry Ouellette takes you along on the journey to see the places and meet the people that will help you find your outdoor passion and help you live a life close to nature and Under The Canopy.

  1. 1d ago

    Epiosde 158: Cold Brew Under The Canopy

    Cold drinks dominate the world, but most people still treat tea like it only belongs in a mug. We go the other direction and get specific: how we make Chaga cold brew that actually tastes good, how long we steep it, and how you can do it at home without turning it into a science project. You’ll hear the two blends we’ve been sampling at events, including a green tea and matcha option, plus Ruby G, a deep ruby mix built around hibiscus, red beet, chicory, lemon extract and Chaga for a refreshing summer pour.  Then we head north with Pierre for a real Northern Ontario check-in: wild blueberries going crazy, gardens pushing corn and tomatoes, and the kind of everyday surprises that come with rural living, like hornets dropping from a tree and dogs stepping on them. We also get into the food side of the outdoors, from cleaning pike properly to raising and processing meat chickens at home, including a drill-mounted feather plucker and the water temperature trick that makes it work.  Finally, Pierre walks us through what mineral exploration looks like when you’re actually out there: building pads for diamond drills, how drill core is handled, why water and cuttings matter, and what “junior” mining companies do. We round out with winter preparedness, backup power, internet realities in remote towns, and a little bit of gold fever psychology when the gravel in your driveway starts looking suspiciously shiny. If you enjoy practical outdoors talk with humour and zero pretending, subscribe, share this with a friend who lives for the bush, and leave us a review with your favourite part of the conversation.

  2. Aug 10

    Episode 157: Foraging Finds And Garlic Growing Tips From A Master Gardener

    You can grow a great garden and still lose a crop if you miss one invisible detail. We get into that reality with garlic, where a listener question opens the door to the unglamorous stuff that actually decides your harvest: nematodes, leek moth, and what “clean seed” really means when you plant year after year. Bev, our master gardener guest, breaks down what to watch for on garlic scapes, why regular crop walks matter, and how fall cleanup and crop rotation reduce the pests that overwinter in debris. If you’ve ever wondered why your garlic looks fine until it suddenly doesn’t, you’ll leave with a clearer plan.  We also zoom out to the wider outdoor table. We talk seasonal foraging and plant ID cues you can use on a drive or a walk, including staghorn sumac, chicory along the roadside, and the difference between interesting health claims and evidence you can trust. You’ll hear how we like to sanity-check natural health and medicinal plant chatter using sources like PubMed and ScienceDirect, so curiosity stays grounded.  Then we bring it back to the kitchen, because the point of growing food is eating well. We compare hardneck vs softneck garlic for cold-climate gardens, share how to cure garlic for real shelf life, and swap practical preservation ideas: freezing garlic, dehydrating it into powder, and using hot varieties for next-level dill pickles. We also talk old-school jar favorites like candied jalapenos, beet pickles, relishes, salsa, and chili sauce handed down through family recipes. If this helps you, subscribe, share it with a gardener or forager, and leave a review so more people find the show.

  3. Aug 4

    Episode 156: Mushroom Grow Kits Made Simple

    Fresh mushrooms don’t have to be a grocery store gamble. We’re talking with Corey from Mushrooms of the Valley, tucked near the Madawaska River in Ontario’s Hastings Highlands, about what it really takes to grow gourmet mushrooms at home and why a simple sawdust block can turn into a legit harvest on your kitchen counter. We get specific about the mushrooms he’s growing and selling: pink oyster mushrooms, white oysters, golden oysters, and the Phoenix oyster that holds its colour in warm weather. Corey explains what a mushroom grow kit is, what “spawn” means, and why consistent hardwood fuel pellets make his substrate more predictable. If you’ve been Googling mushroom grow kits, how to grow oyster mushrooms indoors, or how long mushrooms take to fruit, we lay out the practical timeline and the conditions that matter most. We also touch lion’s mane, including why it’s more seasonal (cooler spring and fall conditions), and how Corey makes lion’s mane powder by dehydrating and processing the mushroom so people can cook with it or use it in homemade tinctures. We talk realistic yields from a five-pound block, what a “flush” is, how many flushes you might get, and what to expect in that first 1 to 2 weeks after you bring a kit home. Finally, we cover mushroom spores, when they’re just a bit of white dust, and when serious growers need to think about respirators and airflow. If you like practical outdoor skills that you can do year-round, this one’s for you. Subscribe, share the episode with a friend who loves food and the woods, and leave a review so more people can find the show. What mushroom would you try growing first?

  4. Jul 27

    Episode 155: Wildfire Smoke And Forest Health

    Smoke in the air has a way of snapping our attention back to the natural world. We start with what it feels like when wildfire haze rolls in, then zoom out to the less obvious forces that shape forest health every day, the kind you might notice first as a few “mystery” conifers turning brick red along the road or at the edge of your camp.  I’m joined by David Dutkiewicz from the Ontario Invasive Species Centre, and we get practical fast. We sort out common tree ID mix-ups (spruce vs balsam fir), explain how root competition and natural thinning can make trees die off in clusters, and share simple cues for telling fir, spruce, pine, and tamarack apart. From there we move into the bigger prevention story: why the “Don’t Move Firewood” message matters, how Emerald Ash Borer can survive in cut wood for years, and what to watch for with oak wilt, a fast-moving disease that has already triggered rapid response efforts in Ontario.  We also hit backyard realities: tar spot on Norway maple, what leaf cleanup actually does, which maples can be tapped for sap, and what Japanese beetles are doing when they “skeletonize” leaves. If you’ve ever wondered how to help beyond worrying, we cover easy reporting tools like invasive species hotlines, EDDMapS, iNaturalist, and CFIA resources so your photos can turn into early detection.  If you care about protecting forests, camps, and communities from invasive pests and tree disease, subscribe, share this with a friend who buys firewood, and leave a review so more people find the show.

  5. Jul 20

    Episode 154: Why Spruce Trees Turn Rusty Red

    Your spruce trees look fine one week, then the needles fade to rusty red and the worry sets in. We’ve been seeing the same thing around cottage country, so we called someone who lives in the details of Ontario forest health: David Dutkiewicz, an entomology technician who’s spent years identifying forest insects and supporting monitoring work across the province. Together, we sort out what those colour changes can mean and how to stop guessing when the stakes are your shoreline trees, your trails, and the woods you grew up with.  We get specific about spruce budworm, a native insect that cycles through outbreaks and can leave huge areas looking scorched from above. David walks us through the best visual clues to look for, why damage can show up after the feeding is already done, and what “recovery” really means when only parts of a crown are hit versus an entire tree turning red. We also break down BTK (Bacillus thuringiensis kurstaki), how this biological spray affects caterpillars, why it’s used in forest management and organic gardening, and when it’s worth considering for your own property.  Not all red needles are budworm, so we zoom out to the other stressors that can push conifers over the edge: heavy snow damage, salt exposure near roads, and root compaction from vehicles and repeated traffic. Then we switch gears to those big long-antenna “pine beetles” people fear, explaining why pine sawyer beetles are often a sign of a healthy forest recycling system, especially after blowdowns and microbursts. We finish with two major beech threats, beech bark disease and beech leaf disease, including what we know about the nematode linked to leaf damage and why it matters for regeneration.  Subscribe for more conversations about trees, insects, and life under the canopy, and if this helped, share it with a friend who owns a camp or loves the woods and leave us a review. What changes are you seeing in your area right now?

  6. Jul 13

    Episode 153: Bees Under The Canopy

    A bear can erase an entire beekeeping season overnight. A single plant choice can change how many butterflies, hummingbirds, and bees show up in your yard for months. We follow those two realities into a wide-ranging outdoor conversation that stays grounded in practical detail, real stories, and the kind of “small things” that quietly shape a life outside. We talk with Master Gardener Bev about building a pollinator-friendly garden that actually works across the seasons. We dig into edible trees that feed bees in spring, plus reliable perennials like hostas and daylilies, and why milkweed still matters for monarchs. You’ll also hear how lilacs and wild asters fit into the bigger bloom calendar, and why planting for wildlife doesn’t have to mean sacrificing a beautiful garden. Then we head to Halliburton with Ron, a lifelong bee aficionado and honey producer, to get a clear-eyed look at modern beekeeping. We cover how location changes honey yield, what beeswax colour really means, and the hard parts people don’t always see: predators like bears, electric fence setups, and the ongoing concern around mites and hive health. Ron also shares how honey gets analysed by pollen content, why he sends samples to the Palace, and what to know about fake “honey” and syrup adulteration. We also include a Chaga cream testimonial and a listener discount code for anyone curious about Chaga products. If you care about local honey, backyard beekeeping, pollinator plants, native gardening, and outdoor living in Ontario and beyond, this one gives you plenty to take back to your own yard. Subscribe, share this with a friend who loves the outdoors, and leave a review so more people can find the show.

  7. Jul 6

    Episode 152: New Baby Joy, Tick Safety, And A Fresh Chaga Summer Brew

    A tiny newborn can turn the strongest routine into a brand-new adventure, and that’s exactly where we start. I sit down with my son Garrett to celebrate the arrival of baby Gritten, unpack the story behind his one-of-a-kind name, and talk honestly about those early weeks that are equal parts joy, exhaustion, and awe. We also get into the parts new parents don’t always expect, like postpartum emotions, why babies seem to have “favourite people,” and how growth percentiles actually work when the doctor says your kid is in the 90th percentile. From the nursery, we jump straight into the real-world grind of building and maintaining modern life outdoors and in the city. Garrett shares what it’s like working on Toronto LRT construction, why track and tunnel work takes months, and how traffic flow changes the way governments plan roadwork. I also share a couple of practical nuggets, like why road sweepers matter more than most people realise and why summer is such a common season for big construction closures. Then we head back under the canopy for a topic that’s getting harder to ignore: tick prevention in Ontario. We talk through a DIY tick-control experiment using treated nesting material in toilet paper rolls, what to watch for after a tick bite, and why relying on a bullseye rash can be a mistake. We also touch on emerging tick concerns as climates shift. We wrap by catching up on Chaga mushroom wellness and what’s new at Chaga Health and Wellness, including Ruby G and other cold brew Chaga tea blends made for summer, plus a clear explanation of why people chase turmeric, how black pepper affects absorption, and why cortisol and sleep keep showing up in adaptogen conversations. If you like practical outdoors talk with real family stories, subscribe, share this with a friend, and leave us a review so more people can find the show.

  8. Jun 29

    Episode 151: New Chaga Tea Blends Plus Practical Gardening Answers

    Boiling water for chaga tea sounds simple, but it sparks a surprisingly big question: are we helping extraction, or hurting the good stuff? We dig into why we put “boiling” on the packaging, what many chaga studies actually do when they prepare extracts, and how to think about the common claim that higher heat might reduce certain properties. If you care about functional mushrooms, chaga benefits, and getting your brewing method right without turning it into a science project, you’ll leave with a clear, usable approach. From there, we get into what’s new on the flavour side. We share updates on our turmeric ginger black pepper blend, then introduce two newer options designed for everyday use, especially in hot weather: a lemon green tea built with help from an international tea expert, and Ruby G, a bold hibiscus drink with red beet, chicory, lemon extract, and chaga that pours an eye-catching pink. We also walk through an easy “one-third hot, two-thirds cold” steeping method that gets you to an iced tea fast without watering everything down. Then we head straight into the garden with Master Gardener Bev Delonardo. We talk heirloom tomatoes and flavour, whether to pinch plants, what garlic scapes look like and why growers remove them, and simple ways to cook, freeze, or pesto them for winter. We also answer a listener question about deer-browsed apple trees and explain how to prune slowly over a couple of years so you improve structure without triggering a mess of suckers. We close with Bev’s take on Tai Chi for balance, core strength, and back-friendly movement, plus a few real-life backyard updates and pet stories. If you enjoy practical outdoor living, gardening advice, and natural wellness without the fluff, subscribe, share this with a friend, and leave a review so more listeners can find us.

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On Outdoor Journal Radio's Under the Canopy podcast, former Minister of Natural Resources, Jerry Ouellette takes you along on the journey to see the places and meet the people that will help you find your outdoor passion and help you live a life close to nature and Under The Canopy.

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