Summer of herbs: basil

Ah, there’s nothing quite like the smell of fresh basil. Cooks know it as a fantastic addition to salads, lovely ground up into pesto, or used as one of three ingredients in a pizza margherita. Herbalists, on the other hand, have a much more complex understanding of the plant. Any plant this distinctive and pungent […]

Linguine to be proud of

Linguine with lemon, garlic and thyme mushrooms Nigella Lawson calls this “one of her proudest creations,” which is an interesting thing to say about a dish that only contains ten ingredients and three steps. On the face of it, this is a ridiculously simple dish, the sort of thing you might throw together when you […]

July events 2019

HARVEST – COMEDY BY KEN CAMERON June 26 – July 19. Hilarity that hits close to home: A retired couple decides to trade in their country life for a condo in the city. When they discover that the “nice young man” leasing their home has been raising a different crop altogether, they are thrown into […]

Is it time to plant thyme?

You can walk on it and bathe with it, eat it, drink it, or just enjoy its scent. It’s supposed to boost your courage and decrease your melancholy, repel snakes and attract faeries to your garden. It’s a trouble-free garden plant that asks for nothing more than dry feet and a decent amount of sunshine. […]

Celebrate with a bang

There are some fantastic fireworks displays to be seen in Muskoka this weekend. But with Canada Day falling on a Monday, not everyone can stick around to enjoy the show that night. If that’s you, then perhaps this is a great year to supplement those public displays and do a little show of your own. […]

Controversial cormorants

They are an environmental success story, a species that was once driven to the brink of extinction by chemical pollution but has now rebounded tremendously. But do we have too much of a good thing? Certainly the Ontario government thinks so. Last year it introduced a proposal to allow cormorants to be hunted, essentially treating […]

More than monarchs

Monarchs are the poster child of the butterfly world, and with good reason. Their annual migration is one of the true miracles of nature, a multi-generational epic trek that sees great-great-great grandchildren returning to the place where their ancestors were born. Unfortunately, monarch butterfly populations have been plummeting – dropping by 70 to 90 per […]

The summer of herbs

We’re going to be celebrating herbs in our blog this season, taking a deep dive into some of the most versatile. We’ll explore their history, talk about how they can be used, and teach you how to grow them. We’ll start off with a look at one of the most versatile herbs there is – […]

A summer of theatre

Muskoka was the place where Canadian summer theatre was first started, and 85 years later it’s still going strong. There are shows of all kinds, from professionals to talented amateurs, being presented in venues that include an amphitheatre in a park, intimate community centres, and century-old theatres. It’s hard to believe, but prior to 1934, […]

May events 2019

MUSKOKA 24 CRAFT BEER FESTIVAL Saturday, May 18. This festival will showcase some of the best craft beer that our region and province has to offer. Located in Downtown Huntsville’s River Mill Park, patrons will enjoy a view of the beautiful Muskoka River as they take in a day of sampling some exceptional craft beer […]