Transition Bay St Margarets

Someone Lives Here Film Screening & Panel Discussion
2023-11-09 18:00 - 20:45 (America/Halifax) | Halifax Central Library, 5440 Spring Garden Road, Halifax, Nova Scotia, B3J 1E9, Canada
Someone Lives Here Film Screening & Panel Discussion:
Home Sharing as an Immediate Solution to the Housing Crisis
Thursday, November 9, 6:00 – 8:45 pm | Paul O’Regan Hall, Floor 1, Central Library

Join us for a screening of the film Someone Lives Here followed by a panel discussion and Q&A regarding shared housing. Learn how shared housing can be an effective, immediate, and economical next step.
About the film: Someone Lives Here is a modern-day David and Goliath story, set against the backdrop of North America’s housing crisis. Carpenter Khaleel Seivwright builds small, life-saving shelters for unhoused people living outside in Toronto during the winter of the pandemic. His actions attract international attention, but also staunch opposition from city officials.
No registration required. All are welcome!
Hosted in partnership with The Community Housing Transformation Centre.

Why Home Sharing Really Matters: An Open House
2023-11-09 14:00 - 16:00 | Halifax Central Library, 5440 Spring Garden Road, Halifax, Nova Scotia, B3J 1E9, Canada
Why Home Sharing Really Matters: An Open House
Thursday, November 9, 2:00 – 4:00 pm | Paul O’Regan Hall, Floor 1, Central Library

Join us at Halifax Central Library on Thursday, November 9th from 2:00 – 4:00 pm for an open house and discussion on home sharing: the benefits and hurdles, building personal comfort, bringing those with excess housing together with those in need of housing, and determining what ongoing supports are needed.We will present findings from the November 4 Housing Outside the Box symposium and share videos featuring highlights from the event and interviews with community members.
Volunteers will be on-hand to answer questions and hear ideas about shared housing.
No registration required. All are welcome!

Housing Outside the Box Solutions:
2023-11-04 09:00 - 17:00 | Estabrooks Community Hall, 4408 St Margarets Bay Rd, Lewis Lake, Nova Scotia, Canada
Auxiliary Housing, Backyard Suites, & Co-Living for Community Health
Exciting things are happening in St. Margarets Bay this fall! Transition Bay St Margarets is hosting a one-day housing symposium on November 4th, building on our successful 2018 Housing Outside the Box event.

Our focus for this program will be home sharing: the benefits and hurdles, building personal comfort, bringing those with excess housing together with those in need of housing, and determining what ongoing supports are needed.
We will come together with neighbours, community leaders, and experts from around the province to discuss:

The nuts and bolts of home sharing: housing formats and solutions, current legislation, funding resources
The inner tools for home sharing: understanding hurdles, building trust, health benefits of home sharing
Forming relationships: making connections with potential home sharing partners
Community advocacy: supporting solutions in the community

Join us for expert discussion panels, community sharing, and exploring new connections.
A light lunch and refreshments will be served.
This program requires registration. Please visit our listing on Eventbrite to register.
We are also inviting all attendees to please fill out this form. This information will help us shape the programming to ensure everyone gets the most from our workshop.
We are grateful for the generous support of the Community Housing Transformation Centre and welcome all community partners.
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AGENDA
Doors open, Registration starts at 8:00 am.
9:00 to 9:15
Opening: David Wimberly, Transition Bay St Margarets – Welcome and thanks to our supporters, overview of the day, introduction of Transition Bay.
9:15 to 9:30
Introductory Speaker: Nancy Gilbert, St. Margarets Bay Housing Coalition – Affordable Housing in the Bay: An overview of the affordable housing situation in St. Margaret’s Bay, Past Present and Future
9:30 to 10:00
Opening Keynote: Lori Weeks, Dalhousie School of Nursing – Social and Health Benefits of Shared Housing
10:00 to 11:15
Panel One: Nuts and Bolts of Home Sharing – Outer tools
New directions in what is being encouraged – Accessory dwelling units (AUD’s), Community Land Trusts and more.

Kevin Hooper, United Way Halifax – Taking Stock and Taking Action – Our Collective Responsibility to a Better Housing Future
Laurie Cook, Housing Innovation Co-operative – Land sharing and the use of AUDs: ‘gentle density’ to increase access to housing in rural communities, awareness, and education needed.
Aiden Kivisto, Manager of Community Development, YMCA of Cumberland – Rural House Sharing is Invisible

11:15 to 11:30
Break
11:30 to 12:45
Panel Two: Community Building by Home Sharing – Inner tools. Finding how to live together in confidence and comfort.

Dianne McDonald, Nova Scotia representative for HomeSHARE Canada, HomeSHARE: Matching the Needs of Home-Providers with the Needs of Home-Seekers: learn how sharing your home can be beneficial to you, the Home-Seeker, your family, friends, and community.
Blayne Robinson, Marketing and Brand Manager for Happipad NS, Introduction to the Happipad home-sharing process; how to register and start homesharing at no cost using Happipad.
Daytona O’Leary, We Want to Stay: difficulties with affording to live in the bay as a young adult.
Suzanne Bourque-Pelham, It’s in the second drawer, to the left of the stove: from early childhood to senior years, thoughts and experiences from a lifelong advocate of home-sharing.
Meghann Kerr, GPI Atlantic Youth Representative, Young Perspectives on Housing: a presentation of thoughts on the housing crisis from local youth.

12:45 to 1:30
Lunch & Learn – regulations, by-laws, grants related to shared and auxiliary housing
1:30 to 2:00
Keynote: Max Chauvin, Director of Housing and Homelessness, HRM, Hope and Context, Opportunities and Solutions in HRM Developing a municipal strategy and response to the growing homelessness crisis in our community, “ Housing is a human right and everyone deserves a safe, supportive, and sustainable home.”
2:00 to 2:30
Q&A with All Speakers
2:30 to 2:45
Presentation wrap-up, Description of breakouts
2:45 to 3:00
Break
3:00 to 4:30
Breakout Sessions

Digging Deeper: small group discussions with our presenters, allowing participants to delve further into the issues and solutions
Making Connections: a chance for those with excess housing to make connections with those looking for home-sharing opportunities

4:30-5:00
Wrap-up and next steps, adjourn

Off-Grid Living
2023-10-01 14:15 - 16:30 | Tantallon Public Library, 3646 Hammonds Plains Road, Upper Tantallon, Nova Scotia, Canada
Back by popular demand ! We are thrilled to present this lively and informative workshop with Cam Farnell.
Are you wondering what it’s like to live without a connection to the electric grid and with no electric bill? Then this 2-hour presentation and discussion is for you.
Some of the topics that will be covered:

Introduction to off-grid
Types of off-grid systems
Off-grid for new construction
Off-grid as a retrofit for existing houses
Components of off-grid systems
Energy use reduction techniques
Trade-off choices
Cost of some sample off-grid packages
Discussion of off-grid living
Ample time for questions

Cam is an engaging and knowledgeable presenter with experience constructing multiple off-grid homes in Nova Scotia. He has been happily living off-grid for 10 years, with no plans to go back.
There is no cost to attend this workshop. Donations are appreciated!
Reservation is required. Visit our eventbrite page to reserve your spot. If your plans change, please cancel so we can release to our waitlist.
Saltwire interview with Cam: https://www.saltwire.com/nova-scotia/news/shining-a-light-on-solar-power-283427/
More details on Cam’s home at: http://www.fundysolar.com/installed-systems.php?id=8
If you would like to make a donation to Transition Bay St Margarets to help with the costs of our events and community programs, please visit our donate page. Your support is greatly appreciated!

The International Transition Movement
2023-06-11 12:00 - 13:30 | Virtual, Everywhere, Canada
The Transition Movement is a movement of communities coming together to reimagine and rebuild our world in the face of the world’s huge challenges (climate change, social inequality, economic decline, resource depletion and so on).
Transition started in England in 2005 and rapidly spread worldwide to over 48 countries, 23 Transition Hubs and thousands of communities. Community-led Transition groups are working for a low-carbon, socially just future with resilient communities, more active participation in society, and caring culture focused on supporting each other.
In practice, they are using participatory methods to imagine the changes we need, setting up renewable energy projects, re-localising food systems, and creating community and green spaces. They are nurturing the Inner Transition of the cultural and mindset changes that support social and environmental change. They are sparking entrepreneurship, working with municipalities, building community connection and care, repairing and re-skilling.
Transition Bay St Margarets was founded in 2011 as the first Transition community in Nova Scotia, and remains one of the most active in Atlantic Canada. As Co-founder, Robert Cervelli will describe the international movement, some of the latest global initiatives and activities with Transition Bay.
Join us for the virtual webinar which is hosted by the Touching the Earth Collective and the Earth Salon, Sunday, June 11th from 12:00noon to 1:30pm.

Crossroads Educational Vegetable Garden - Spring Planting
2023-05-13 10:00 - 11:30 | St Margarets Bay Crossroads, 5209 Saint Margarets Bay Road, Tantallon, B3Z 4R5, Canada
Join us for Spring Planting!
We will be planting Swiss chard, kale, beets, onions, parsnips, turnips, cabbage, potatoes and carrots – all fairly easy to grow and store into the cold season.
Each year, Transition Bay volunteers grow about 500 pounds of vegetables from these four raised beds for the St Margarets Bay Food Bank. They greatly appreciate this fresh produce. The Crossroads Garden is also intended to inspire everyone about the benefits of starting or expanding a home vegetable garden. This is becoming very important in this era of rapidly increasing food costs.
Transition Bay is always looking for more volunteers to help with the garden. If interested, reach out to us at: info@transitionbay.ca.

Gardening for Butterflies and Other Pollinators
2023-04-23 14:30 - 16:30 | Tantallon Public Library, 3646 Hammonds Plains Road, Upper Tantallon, Nova Scotia, Canada
Join Carter Feltham from the Mersey Tobeatic Research Institute (MTRI), who will talk about the institute, some of the projects they work on, pollinators, and in-depth about the endangered Monarch butterfly. Find out what butterflies and pollinators need to survive and how you can make your home a pollinator sanctuary. Also, learn more about MTRI’s research and how you can get involved!
This two-hour workshop will cover recommended garden pollinator plants as well as sources for seeds, native wildflower seed blends and milkweed plants.
The workshop is free and open to the public. Donations are greatly appreciated. To register, visit our Eventbrite listing.
Transition Bay is welcoming new volunteers to help with events like this one. Contact: info@transitionbay.ca

Crossroads Educational Vegetable Garden - Spring Soil Prep
2023-04-04 10:00 - 11:30 | St Margarets Bay Crossroads, 5209 Saint Margarets Bay Road, Tantallon, B3Z 4R5, Canada
Join us in preparing the soil for our 12th Season! We will be adding compost, amendments and prepping the soil for spring planting. We will be there rain or shine.
Each year, Transition Bay volunteers grow about 500 pounds of vegetables from these four raised beds for the St Margarets Bay Food Bank. They greatly appreciate this fresh produce. The Crossroads Garden is also intended to inspire everyone about the benefits of starting or expanding a home vegetable garden. This is becoming very important in this era of rapidly increasing food costs.
Transition Bay is always looking for more volunteers to help with the garden. If interested, reach out to us at: info@transitionbay.ca.

PLANET LOCAL: A Quiet Revolution
2023-03-26 14:30 - 16:30 | Tantallon Public Library, 3646 Hammonds Plains Road, Upper Tantallon, Nova Scotia, Canada
Join us for a screening of the short film PLANET LOCAL: A Quiet Revolution, followed by a community discussion.
PLANET LOCAL is about a quiet and transformative revolution emerging worldwide. As people work to protect and restore their local economies, their communities and the natural world, countless diverse initiatives are demonstrating a new path forward for humanity. It’s a path that localizes rather than globalizes, connects rather than separates, and shows us that human beings need not be the problem – we can be the solution.
This 50-minute film gives voice to a growing number of people building a more beautiful world. Featuring grassroots activists from every continent alongside internationally known figures like Noam Chomsky, Vandana Shiva, Russell Brand, Naomi Klein, Jane Goodall, Gabor Maté and Helena Norberg-Hodge – all of them bringing inspiration and clarity to a world full of dark news.
This event is free and open to the public. Donations are greatly appreciated. To register, please visit our eventbrite listing.
We welcome new volunteers to help with events like this one. Please contact us at info@transitionbay.ca for more information.

Seedy Saturday
2023-03-18 11:00 - 16:00 | St. Luke’s United Church Lower Hall, 5374 St Margarets Bay Rd., Upper Tantallon, Nova Scotia, Canada
Transition Bay has partnered with the St Margarets Bay Gardening Club on:
Seedy Saturday March 18, 11:00am to 4:00pm
St Luke’s United Church, Upper Tantallon
Robert Cervelli, Transition Bay, will be speaking on Climate Victory Gardens at 12:45.
15 Vendors in the Lower Hall with lunch & snacks available for sale.

You, energy, and fossil fuels - a footnote to the end of the current era
2022-11-13 14:00 - 16:00 | Tantallon Public Library, 3646 Hammonds Plains Road, Upper Tantallon, Nova Scotia, Canada
This presentation is about energy. Why it is important, why it is going to change your life, and some things you might want to think about.
Join us for this timely and critical workshop about energy, with host Cam Farnell.
This event is free (donations appreciated!), and takes place at the Tantallon Public Library.

Did You Know You Can Eat That?
2022-09-22 19:00 - 20:30 | Virtual, Everywhere, Canada
Thursday, September 22nd, 7:00-8:30pm
Join Melanie Mulrooney, Dawn Smith and Bob Cervelli for an evening walk through a list of everything that you can eat that you probably didn’t know about.
HINT: It’s a long list – whether its those parts of vegetables you usually throw away, plants already growing in your yard or ornamental beds, or common wild plants found just about everywhere.
This is a virtual Zoom webinar.
This event is free (donations appreciated!) and requires registration via Eventbite.
We will be conducting this event on Zoom with livestreaming to Facebook, and we will send you the Zoom link via Eventbrite upon registration.

Crossroads Educational Vegetable Garden - Spring Planting
2022-05-07 09:30 - 11:00 | St Margarets Bay Crossroads, 5209 Saint Margarets Bay Road, Tantallon, B3Z 4R5, Canada
Join us on Saturday, May 7th from 9:30 to 11:30am as we plant the crops for the eleventh season for the Educational Vegetable Garden. Last year, we grew over 500 pounds of vegetables for the St Margarets Bay Food Bank.
We will be planting onions, potatoes, carrots, beets, kale, chard, parsnips and cabbage.
Come and meet the Crossroads volunteers, learn new gardening skills and pick up some seeds from the Seed Library.
If you are unable to attend, consider a donation to Transition Bay St Margarets by using the DONATE button on this website.

Fruit Tree Planting Day 2022
2022-04-15 | 15 Schooner Cove Rd., 15 Schooner Cove Rd., Head of St Margaret's Bay, NS, B3Z2B3, Canada
Every year Halifax Earth Tech partners with Transition Bay St Margarets to order productive trees from a local nursery and get growing! We can grow many kinds of fruits and nut trees. We do NOT take money “off the top” and you save a little on shipping through the bulk order. Most importantly we are selecting and sourcing excellent trees highly suitable for this area.

PAYMENT:
We must receive full payment by the deadline, April 15, 2022, in order to include your order. Payment can be made by e-transfer to jenstotland@gmail.com. The pickup location will be at 27 Rufus Avenue for Halifax orders, and 15 Schooner Cove Rd. for St. Margarets Bay orders, date to be determined based on weather. We do not want frost to nip your tree’s tender buds.
All trees are $95.00 or $114.25 with tax and shipping except multigraft apple which is $177.50. Trees are 6-8′ tall. These trees are premium trees and will be producing far sooner and more reliably that lesser, cheap trees.

Hazelnut, Corylus avanella
6 to 15 feet. A small tree that will assume a shrubby shape if not pruned. Hazelnuts will put out their female flowers and male flowers at different times, so plant two for best fruiting success. A bristly cap (like on an acorn) envelopes the nut almost entirely.

A hazel bush grows 6 to 15 feet and provides fall colour

Carpathian Walnut, Juglans regia
Walnut is a large tree from 70 to 120 feet. When nuts comes off the tree, they will have a husk that will turn black and fall off when the nut is ripe.

American chestnut, Castanea dentata
A large tree producing hundreds of small and flavourful chestnuts. Plant 2 for pollination.

American Pawpaw, Asimina trilobum
North America’s largest native fruit, the pawpaw rivals the size of the mango! It tastes like a cross between banana, avocado and vanilla, and can be eaten raw or in baked goods. The fruit will grow filled with large inedible black pits. Pawpaw tolerates shade and benefits from a sheltered spot. Plant 2 for pollination.

Montmorrency cherry, Prunus cerasus
A prolific tart cherry. Because they bloom later than sweet cherries, Montmorency are more dependable fruit producers in cooler climates. It is self fertile and requires no pollinator. The juicy, tart cherries ripen early, just two months after spring bloom.

Reliance Peach, Prunus persica
not confirmed – availability uncertain

Apple Multigraft, Malus domestica
Multigraft apples are 150.00. M26 rootstock produces a medium size apple tree which might be 15 to 25 feet. If your tree is not multigraft you need to have 3 types of apple or have some in your neighbourhood for pollination. Four varieties on each tree. Mix of varieties varies. More details soon.

Dandelion Cuisine with Celebrity Chef David & Heroic Herbalist Deborah
2022-04-14 19:00 - 20:30 | Virtual, Everywhere, Canada
Who knew that a “weed” was likely the most nourishing green in the garden, tasty when prepared right, and even a super medicinal? Learn all about it with David as Chef and Deborah as Herbalist!
After exploring the history of the dandelion, we will go through the steps of just some of the myriad ways to prepare dandelions – especially as magnificent omelettes! We will also showcase some of the medicinal uses of dandelions for the home herbalist.
Dandelions greatly contribute to the nourishment and aeration of lawns as well as adding early warm colours to the palette of spring. Don’t just blow it away, eat it up!
David Wimberly eagerly awaits the first dandelions of spring to make thick omelettes (a colander full of leaves in each), flower fritters, and more! Deborah Luscomb makes a variety of dandelion-based medicinals that are nourishing and beautiful.
Don’t “bee” absent bee-cause the bees also bee-light in dandelion pollen and nectar. All I am saying is give bees a chance!

What do you make with dandelions? Share the love!

This event is free (donations appreciated!) and available for registration on Eventbrite.
We will be conducting this event on Zoom, and the link will be provided via email at time of registration.
It will be recorded.

Crossroads Educational Vegetable Garden - Seed Library and Site Prep
2022-04-10 11:00 - 12:30 | St Margarets Bay Crossroads, 5209 Saint Margarets Bay Road, Tantallon, B3Z 4R5, Canada
Join us on Sunday, April 10th from 11:00am to 12:30pm as we install the Transition Bay Seed Library and our interpretive information sign at the Crossroads Educational Vegetable Garden. This is our third season for the Seed Library and eleventh season for the Educational Vegetable Garden. Last year, we gave out over 300 packages of seed to the public requesting only donations in return.
We will also be replacing the lumber around the raised beds and prepping the soil for spring planting.
If you are not able to attend, please feel free to make a donation to Transition Bay by clicking on the DONATE button on this website.

Grafting Apple Trees: Why, What, When, Where, & How
2022-03-31 19:00 - 21:00 | Zoom
All welcome. Register free via Eventbrite to receive the Zoom event link.
Help save your grandparent’s apple varieties for today and tomorrow. Create a future with more apple choices. Meet and spend time online with David Maxwell, the experienced apple grower whose passion is teaching and growing, collecting, and saving apple varieties.

Growing apples and other fruit in small backyard orchards, avoiding the use of chemical sprays, motivated by an awe of nature rather than commerce, requires a very different approach from that of the large commercial growers. This Zoom session aims to share some of the insights gained over an almost 50 year experience of growing apples and other fruit in small back yard orchards.

David Maxwell has been growing apples, (and other fruit), in small backyard orchards, as he moved around the country, for almost 50 years. His current incarnation comprises a luxurious 1/6 of an acre with approximately 180 trees of 50+ varieties, mostly apples, in Middle LaHave.) His initial motivation was saving the old varieties which were rapidly disappearing from commerce, but over the years he slipped into collecting lesser known, more modern, cultivars also.
David is now entering his twilight years and feeling an imperative to pass on the insights gained over 50 years of amateur growing, working with nature rather than fighting her, and spreading his (apple) seed as widely as possible.

Workshop Description
There are as many as 20,000 named cultivars, (varieties), of apples, of which at least half have disappeared entirely within the last hundred years. The remaining ones are very rapidly headed for extinction, and are being replaced by a few dozen modern varieties heavily marketed by BigAg. If you want even one of the apples your grandparents grew up with, such as a Baldwin, King, or Wolf River, you have to grow it yourself. And if you hanker after “foreign” fruit like the Dutch Belle de Boskoop, or the British Bramley Seedling, (which is absolutely unexcelled in the world as a “cooker”), you are even more dependent on your own resources. Finally, if you want to sample apples which have justifiably continued to be cultivated for many centuries, like the Pomme Gris, which was known in France in 1585, and could very possibly have been brought to North America by Isaac de Rassilly in 1632, you need to join the fellowship of amateurs who are dedicated to the preservation of these cultivars.
This Zoom presentation intends to cover:

How to choose what to grow,
How and where to find trees,
How to create your own trees by grafting or budding, (with direction on where to find materials and resources.),
How to manage your new trees,
And a quick discussion of organic management of diseases and insect pests.

With an agenda as wide ranging as this it is obvious that we cannot expect to do more than skate over the surface of each item, and so we plan to leave time to address subjects which catch the attention of the participants, in greater depth, in an interactive Q&A.

Participants will be offered resources to get started successfully grafting and growing apples. Apples don’t come true to seed, so the necessity to graft.
So, where does this leave us? 1) buy grafted trees – from David Maxwell, from Maple Grove Nursery, from WhiffleTree Nursery, from Alicia (a local source), and from nurseries in Ontario and elsewhere. David will provide listings of trees available from these sources and can advise to help determine what might work best for you.
Alternatively, graft your own. David will help with listings of resources on the web. And will list where locally to get rootstock and where to get scion wood. Participants will be offered a group purchase of rootstocks and suitable grafting knives, and a selection of high quality, fresh scion wood free from local sources dedicated to preserving worthy apples. All will be delivered locally to St. Margarets Bay and to Halifax for pick up.
Additionally, for participants, more personal help from David can be arranged, both online and in person.

This event is free (donations appreciated!) and requires registration via Eventbite.
We will be conducting this event on Zoom, and the link will be provided via email at time of registration.
It will be recorded.

Seed Planting and Microgreens Workshop
2022-02-17 19:00 - 20:30 | Virtual, Everywhere, Canada
Plan ahead for the coming season to create your big “backyard grocery store.” Get ahead of the increased food costs, shorten your food supply chain and learn what to grow for winter storage.
This workshop will discuss seed purchasing, seed savings from the garden, seed storage, seed planting – timing and cultivation methods, grow lights, timing and methods of transplanting out. There will also some ‘show and tell’ for producing winter sprouts and microgreens.
Gardener Robert Cervelli will provide lots of examples and host a lively discussion during this 90 minute workshop.

This event is free (donations appreciated!) and requires registration via Eventbite.
We will be conducting this event on Zoom with livestreaming to Facebook, and we will send you the Zoom link via Eventbrite email prior to the presentation.

Handmade Holidays - Community Show and Tell
2021-12-09 19:00 - 20:30 | Virtual, Everywhere, Canada
This 90 minute Zoom webinar will take place on Thursday, November 18th from 7:00 to 8:30 pm. Visit our eventbrite listing to register.
Have you been making simple handmade gifts to give this year? Have you seen some brilliant ideas floating around that you think people would enjoy gifting or receiving? We’d love to see what you’ve made, and hear about what you’re planning!
Come to the Handmade Holidays craft along with your work-in-progress and share your project—or projects—and give simple tips to help others get started. Not sure what to make this year? Come for the chat and inspiration!
This will be a casual gathering over Zoom where we can create in community from the comfort of our own homes. Don’t forget to bring your favourite beverage to enjoy!
This event is free (donations appreciated!) and requires registration via Eventbrite.
We will be conducting this event on Zoom. The Zoom link will be provided via email through Eventbrite upon registration.

Best of Beekeeping - A World for Bees
2021-11-18 19:00 - 20:30 | Virtual, Everywhere, Canada
Join us for a highly informative workshop on beekeeping by one of the best local beekeepers we know! – Michelle McPherson, A World for Bees.
This event is co-sponsored by Transition Bay and A World for Bees. It is free (donations appreciated!) and requires registration via Eventbrite https://www.eventbrite.com/e/introduction-to-backyard-natural-beekeeping-tickets-209754550507.
Michelle McPherson is a consulting ecologist and beekeeper. She owns a small, thriving apiary in Atlantic Canada that emphasizes bee health and sustainability with a natural beekeeping style that is gentle and preventative. Eight years in, her colonies thrive year after year. She also sells high quality raw honey, comb honey, beeswax, and nucleus colonies.
Michelle is passionate about helping people connect with bees and nature. She loves teaching courses about honey bees, wild bees, and bee conservation, and is inspired when people become excited about doing the right things for bees.
As a big-picture thinker, Michelle attends international bee conferences to discover what’s happening for honey bees and wild bees in different corners of the world. Their stories are complex and fascinating. Michelle is committed to life-long learning in the field of apiculture, and will receive a Master Beekeeper Certification from Cornell University in spring 2021.
Learn about bees and beekeeping: https://aworldforbees.com
Learn about Michelle’s Consulting work: www.mcphersonconservation.com

This 90-minute webinar will cover an introduction to getting started and caring for your bees, with a valuable Q&A session at the end.
This event is co-sponsored by Transition Bay and A World for Bees. It is free (donations appreciated!) and requires registration via Eventbrite https://www.eventbrite.com/e/introduction-to-backyard-natural-beekeeping-tickets-209754550507.

We will be conducting this event on Zoom with livestreaming to Facebook, and we will send you the Zoom link via Eventbrite email prior to the presentation.

Medicinal Herbs - Growing and Wild Harvesting
2021-09-08 19:00 - 20:30 | Virtual, Everywhere, Canada
Join Herbalist Savayda for an informative workshop on medicinal herbs. Savayda has been on the plant path for nearly 30 years, she has a herbal clinic and dispensary in Halifax and operates the Bloom Institute for Herbal Studies. Getting together with people and plants is her favorite thing to do and she looks forward to the workshop with Transition Bay. Together you will explore the medicinal plants growing in (and out) of your gardens, and she will highlight homemade preparations for basic self-care.

This event is co-sponsored by Transition Bay and Bloom Institute for Herbal Studies.. It is free (donations appreciated!) and requires registration. Click here to register through Eventbrite.

We will be conducting this event on Zoom with livestreaming to Facebook, and we will send you the Zoom link via Eventbrite email prior to the presentation.

Good Gardens: Get Your Best Garden Yet
2021-05-13 14:00 - 17:00 | Zoom
Get your best garden yet with Good Gardens online presentation. Gardening and growing your own produce can be fun, easy and satisfying. By planting the right things together in the right soil, you can get a surprisingly large yield. Learn more from experts.
Transition Bay, SMB Gardening Club. and Bay Seniors are partnering to offer an exciting garden-themed program, with great tips for gardeners of all ages and experience levels, including easy ways to grow delicious food for our own table.
A presentation on food and flower gardening in containers will be given by Karen Lewellen of SMB Gardening Club. A Climate Victory Gardening talk on ways to grow food successfully in this changing and less predictible world will be offered by Bob Cervelli of Transition Bay.
This will be offered on the Bay Seniors Facebook page as two videos downloaded at 2 pm on May 13.
Free. No registration needed. All are welcome to watch and share. Donations gratefully accepted. To donate please click on the donate link on the Transition Bay mainpage near the bottom.
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Home gardening enjoyed a huge boom in 2020, with sheltering-at-home Canadians having more time to watch the flowers—and veggies, fruits, and herbs—grow. St. Margaret’s Bay was no exception to that trend.
Claudy Levy, Gardening Club board member, says we face specific considerations. “We’re coastal, so salt air and ocean winds are factors,” says Claudy, “And mostly rural, so wildlife like deer, rabbits, and raccoons munch on our gardens. ”Claudy says the Bay’s often larger rural properties can inspire gardeners, especially newbies, to create larger gardens than they can realistically manage. Before we take up our spades for another season, she suggests considering how much money, time, and energy we actually have for our garden. “It’s better to start small and build your confidence and enthusiasm with success,” Claudy says.
When it comes to starting small, the Bay Gardening Club advocates container gardening. “Depending on the container size and shape, and the selected plants, you can get a lot from one container garden.” says Claudy. Containers can sit on a porch or deck, and can combine flowers, veggies, and herbs to become decorative accents, as well as practical providers of food for the table. But it’s important to choose the right container, soil, plants, and location.
A second presentation from Transition Bay’s Bob Cervelli will offer tips on growing a vegetable garden to help increase our household’s food security and variety. Bob compares this movement to the Victory Gardens of the two World Wars, in which home gardening was seen as one important way to support the war effort. Bob’s presentation will discuss “the incredible capacity for us to grow significant amounts of our own food supply on little land and with only a modest effort.” His presentation will include information on foods that are especially nutritious and easy to grow.
The three groups are delighted to advocate container and food gardening to their members. Carl Breckenridge, Bay Seniors board member, says, “Container gardening is a great way for people of all ages and states of health to still be able to enjoy the benefits of gardening, and growing some of our own food makes so much sense.”

Crossroads Educational Vegetable Garden - Tenth Spring Planting!
2021-05-08 09:30 - 12:00 | St Margarets Bay Crossroads, 5209 Saint Margarets Bay Road, Tantallon, B3Z 4R5, Canada
This will be out Tenth Season at the Crossroads Garden! Come and help get the crops in the ground – Saturday, May 8th from 9:30am to noon (rain or shine). This planting will turn into hundreds of pounds of vegetables to be donated to the St Margarets Bay Food Bank.

Crossroads Educational Vegetable Garden - Seed Library
2021-04-24 09:30 - 11:30 | St Margarets Bay Crossroads, 5209 Saint Margarets Bay Road, Tantallon, B3Z 4R5, Canada
Join us on Saturday, April 24th from 9:30 to 11:30am as we install the Transition Bay Seed Library and our interpretive information sign at the Crossroads Educational Vegetable Garden. This is our second season for the Seed Library and tenth season for the Educational Vegetable Garden. Last year, we gave out over 300 packages of seed to the public requesting only donations in return.

Nut and Fruit Tree – Group Ordering - Spring 2021
2021-04-21 | O
Nut and Fruit Tree – Group Ordering
2021
Transition Bay St Margarets works to help our community build its resilience against global changes. Food and edible landscaping can be an important part of that resilience.
Transition Bay St Margarets wants to help you install more edible landscaping on your property. By offering bulk rates and delivery on fruit and nut trees, we aim to increase the food security and climate responsibility for folks in the Bay for many generations to come. Also, consider sponsoring a nut or fruit tree for your school, community center or public place (pending their agreement, of course).
ORDERING DEADLINE and DELIVERY:
Orders must be paid for by April 21.
ORDERING:
We will offer prices as soon as they become available to us. Please email your order. Tally the cost and add 15% HST. There will be a shipping surcharge that is to be determined.
PAYMENT:
We will inform you of prices as soon as they become available to us.
We must receive full payment by the deadline, to be determined, in order to include your order. Payment can be made by e-transfer to jenstotland@gmail.com
GUARANTEES:
From Charlie the Tree Guy: Charlie guarantees that trees are healthy and have a good root system when they are shipped. He says its hard to guarantee that people planting them do it right and look after them.

TREE CHOICES:
We are offering the following trees for bulk order and delivery from either Baldwin nursery, or Charlie the Tree Guy, Truro (charliethetreeguy.ca). For information on each tree, see the respective website of these growers.
Subject to availability there may be substitutions. If there are no substitutions available there will be a refund. Please specify in your order if this is acceptable.
Carpathian Persian (English) Walnut Mature size: 100 feet
Fruitful Forest: 1′ – $18.00
Charlie the Tree Guy: 6″ – $5.00 , 24″ – $15.00, Bare root – $35.00
Baldwins: $45.00 – $65.00
A large tree, hardy to the North and producing large-meat, thin-shelled walnuts. When nuts comes off the tree, they will have a husk that will turn black and fall off when the nut is ripe.
Hazelnut Mature size: 8-12′
Charlie the Tree Guy: 2′ – $20.00, 4′ – $65.00
Baldwin: $45.00
For all you Nutella freaks, this is the nut! A small tree that will assume a shrubby shape if not pruned. Hazelnuts will put out their female flowers and male flowers at different times, so plant two for best fruiting success. A bristly cap (like on an acorn) envelopes the nut almost entirely. You will need 2 for greatest success.
American Chestnut Mature size: 100′
Charlie the Tree Guy: 24″ – $25.00, 4′ – $45.00
A rare balanced source of fats, proteins and complex carbohydrates. This large indigenous tree used to be widespread. Efforts are now in place to cross breed blight-resistant American chestnuts.
Cherry Mature size: 12-15′
Stella, Montmorrency, Mesabi (tart) $65.00
A prolific tart cherry. Because they bloom later than sweet cherries, Montmorency are more dependable fruit producers in cooler climates. It is self fertile and requires no pollinator. The juicy, tart cherries ripen early, just two months after spring bloom.
Apple Mature size: 15-20’
Cortland, Honeycrisp, Gravenstein $65.00
A McIntosh descendant, Cortland is a cross between the Ben Davis and McIntosh. Large globular shape with red-orange stripes. Mild, sweet taste and crisp texture. A great all purpose apple. Excellent for salads and fruit plates; resists browning. Good for pies and sauces. Freezes well.
Peach Mature size: 20-25’
Elberta, Red Haven
Charlie the Tree Guy: $65.00
A hardy peach tree. This tree produces a heavy crop of fruit even after frigid winters. Fruit is medium-to-large with a sweet, peachy flavor. Features a flush of pink flowers in spring. Freestone. Ripens in July. Self-pollinating.

Planting
Dig a hole a little deeper than the pot or rootball and twice as wide. Loosen the soil at the bottom of the hole and roughen the sides so the roots can have nooks and crannies to grow into. A sheer side of the hole created by the blade of a shovel might be too smooth for roots to take hold. Fill the hole with water and allow that water to drain before planting.
Backfill with a mix of the original soil and well-aged compost or manure and two handfuls of bone meal.
If your tree is bareroot, make a pyramid of aged compost and fan the roots out around the pryamid, with the root crown at the top (the part where the stem broadens to become the roots).
Grimo Nuts writes:.”Try the tree in the hole to be sure there is ample room for the roots. Spread out the roots and broaden the hole as needed so the roots can extend outward and downward. Do not cut off or bend roots to accommodate the hole. “
The final position of the tree must be such that the final soil layer for the tree is the same as the soil layer in the pot. It is very detrimental to the tree to have any of the trunk buried, or any roots showing above ground. If you must plant off grade, it is better to have some underground parts exposed than above-ground parts buried.
After planting, water the tree in its new hole again.
Be sure to spread a full bag of mulch 4″ deep around the perimeter of the hole (but leaving a space between the mulch and the trunk of your new tree in order to not bury the trunk any deeper).
If you get a lot of wind, stake the tree.
After you plant
Keep grass and weeds 18″ away from your tree. Grimo nuts writes that “Competing weed and grass roots are almost toxic to a young struggling tree.
For the first two years, water deeply once a week unless there is a deep soaking rain.
Protect the stem of the tree from deer and rabbits as necessary. Young apple trees are also prone to deer browsing in late winter when buds swell. If there are deer in your area, it may be wise to erect 4 posts and chicken wire for the first few years to keep them at bay.
Recipes
Walnut Praline (for Carpathian, Heartnut, Buartnut walnuts and pecans) Natashaskitchen.com

1 cup walnut halves/pieces you can also use this recipe for candied pecans

1/4 cup white granulated sugar (not coarse sugar)

1 Tbsp unsalted butter

Heat a medium non-stick skillet over medium heat, add 1 cup walnuts, 1/4 cup granulated sugar and 1 Tbsp butter.

Heat over medium heat for 5 minutes, stirring frequently so your mixture doesn’t burn (especially towards the end). When the sugar mixture starts melting, stir constantly until all sugar is melted and nuts are coated.

Transfer immediately onto a sheet of parchment paper and separate the nuts right away. Using two spatulas will make this task go faster. You don’t want to give the nuts a chance to turn into a wad of inseparable delicious goodness unless you are the only person who will be enjoying the wad ;). Seriously, move quickly from the time the nuts are coated until they are separated out on the parchment paper.

Once the coating hardens (5-7 minutes), you can transfer them to a bowl and enjo

Hazelnut Chocolate Spread (Wellness Mama)

2 cups hazelnuts

1/3 cup or to taste sugar, or other preferred sweetener

1/4 cup cocoa powder

1 TBSP coconut oil

1 tsp vanilla

1/8 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 375° F. Spread the hazelnuts on a baking sheet and roast for 12 to 15 minutes, until fragrant.

Carefully put the hot hazelnuts in a mason jar with the lid on and shake. The papery skins will fall right off. Remove the nuts that are now skinless and put them in a food processor or a high-powered blender, then re-shake the jar until the rest of the skins come off as well.

Grind the hazelnuts for about 5 minutes until they turn into a creamy hazelnut butter.

Add the sugar or other sweetener, cocoa powder, coconut oil, vanilla, and salt. Blend for another minute until all the ingredients are combined smooth.

Transfer to a pint mason jar. Store in the refrigerator for several weeks.

Microwave chestnuts
Use a knife to score an “X” on the pointy end of each chestnut. Then, place the nuts on a microwave-safe plate, and microwave at one minute intervals, until the outer shell starts to peel back slightly where you made your score (This usually takes 3-4 minutes, depending on your microwave)
Oven-roast chestnuts
Preheat your oven to 425 degrees F. To prepare your chestnuts, grasp them firmly between your thumb and index finger and carefully make a long slice across the rounded top of the chestnut with a sharp serrated bread knife. Careful, the shell is slippery. You should be able to slice it in one motion. If you have trouble cutting through, use gentle sawing motions, don’t force the blade down or you run the risk of cutting your hand.

Be sure to cut all the way through the shell.

Once all of your chestnuts have been cut, place them into a small saucepan and cover with water. Bring to a simmer.

Once the water begins to simmer, remove the chestnuts from the water using a mesh strainer or slotted spoon and transfer them to a baking sheet.

Roast for 15 minutes, or until the shells begin to peel back where you cut into them.

Remove the chestnuts from the oven. Place them into a bowl and cover with a towel for 15 minutes. Allowing them to steam a bit will make them easier to peel.

Once the 15 minutes have passed, simply pull on the shell and slip the chestnut out. Some will be easier to peel than others. Both the outer shell and the tough brown skin around the chestnuts should be peeled off. If you run into any nuts that seem gooey or disintegrated inside, it means that they have spoiled. Chestnuts tend to have a short shelf life, spoiled nuts should be tossed.

Thank you for your interest!
Tantallon – Transition Bay St Margarets info@transitionbay.ca
Halifax – jenstotland (at) gmail (dot) com

Solar Cookers and Rocket Stoves Workshop
2021-03-25 19:00 - 20:30 | Virtual, Everywhere, Canada
Power gone out? Planning on going camping or off-grid, and want alternative ways to cook? Join us for this exciting 90 minute Zoom webinar on Solar Cookers and Rocket Stoves on Thursday, March 25th from 7:00 to 8:30 pm.
Cam Farnell, Transition Bay, will be presenting on a variety of solar cookers available today, as well as some usages of his own stoves. Learn ways to use them and even how to build simple ones. The presentation will be about two solar cookers in particular: a GoSun and a Solar Sizzler. The GoSun is an evacuated glass tube plus a curved reflector. Food goes into the glass tube on a long, narrow, metal sleeve. It’s a bit like a glass thermos bottle with a big opening at the end. The Solar Sizzler is a plastic parabolic reflector, about a metre in diameter, that concentrates sunlight onto a pot or pan.

Mike Batty, Deanery Project, is an Architectural and Permaculture designer with design preferences for sustainable, passive, beneficial, and natural building designs. It is his continuing goal to educate and promote the use of Rocket Stoves and Rocket Mass Heaters, and has been giving this type of presentations in western Canada and Cuba, as well at the Deanery Project on the Eastern Shore.
For this presentation, he will be exploring rocket stove cookers. We will learn a short history and the introduction of rocket stoves that saved lives. We will also investigate the basic design requirements, which will include operation and materials needed to construct one. Examples will be shown to illustrate the diverse designs and uses of rocket stoves. We might even have enough time to also expand on how to heat our home and not just cook a meal.

This event is co-sponsored by Transition Bay and the Deanery Project. It is free (donations appreciated!) and requires registration through Eventbrite.

We will be conducting this event on Zoom with livestreaming to Facebook, and we will send you the Zoom link via Eventbrite email prior to the presentation.

Growing Under Cover
2021-03-03 19:00 - 21:00 | Zoom
Join award-winning author Niki Jabbour as she shares her secrets to growing more food, reducing pest problems, and dealing with unpredictable weather in her vegetable garden. She’ll spotlight a wide variety of season extenders like shade cloth, row cover, cold frames, and polytunnels, as well as show you how to use garden covers to prevent damage from deer, flea beetles, and cabbageworms. Put Niki’s techniques to work in your garden so you can enjoy a year-round harvest in any sized space.

Niki’s food gardening books are outstanding! Her most recent book is: Growing Under Cover: Techniques for a More Productive, Weather-Resistant, Pest-Free Vegetable Garden. It was the subject of a recent feature article in the New York Times. Go Niki!

This event is free, although we warmly welcome donations to help us continue these constructive offerings.

Please register on Eventbrite to secure your spot. This presentation will not be recorded or live streamed, so we much encourage you to reserve this time to take part in this helpful event. This is a Zoom event.

The St. Margaret’s Bay Gardening Club is partnering with Transition Bay in hosting this event.

The Climate Action Simulation Game
2021-02-18 19:00 - 21:00 | Zoom
Would you like to save the world by playing a game?
Join us to experience what it’s like to negotiate a climate deal to address one of the greatest human and environmental challenges of this century.
The Climate Action Simulation game is conducted as an emergency climate summit organized by the United Nations. Participants take on the roles of leaders representing different sectors of the economy and governments. You are charged with creating a global energy transition that limits warming to Paris Agreement goals.
Using the interactive computer model En-ROADS you learn about the dynamics of the climate-energy system by simulating the outcomes of your own decisions. En-ROADS enables users to interactively build energy and societal transition scenarios, providing immediate feedback on the effects of policies and decisions on energy supply, GHG emissions, and expected global climate outcomes over the twenty-first century.
We will have trained facilitator Charlotte Mendel guiding us in playing the game with fun and gusto! The more people playing the more fun this will be. Come join us to have a great time!
Learn more at: https://www.climateinteractive.org/tools/en-roads/

We will be playing on Zoom and all are warmly welcome. Please register via Eventbrite.

Find Your Roots - in the Root Cellar: All About Cold Storage
2020-11-26 19:00 - 20:30 | Virtual, Everywhere, Canada
Did you get a great harvest and wonder how to store it all? Are you thinking of buying those big 50 lb. bags of carrots, potatoes, apples or other produce at the market when the price is low?
In this 90 minute webinar, learn most every thing you need to know about cold storing your vegetables in a root cellar or other modified methods of cold storage at home. At least three different methods will be discussed, including a newly built root cellar in an older home.
Presenters include David Wimberly, Cam Farnell, and Bob Cervelli who each cold store vegetables and fruits at home.
Bill Morrow from Halifax Makerspace will join us to describe the control system he built for David’s root cellar. Bill designed and installed a wireless system to use computer and smartphone to control humidifiers and air circulation fans, and to measure temperature inside and outside, plus inside humidity. The fans are in air intake and air outlet vent tubing to control temperature. Bill has written this up into an Instructable, now posted at: https://www.instructables.com/HVAC-for-Root-Cellar/ What Bill designed is new and innovative. It will be of great help in getting better storage conditions. Bill will discuss the system as well as ways to do some of this more simply.
Join us for this 90 minute Zoom webinar on Thursday, November 26th from 7:00 to 8:30 pm. The workshop will take place over Zoom, and details for access will be sent out to attendees at the time of registration.
This event is free (donations appreciated!) and requires registration via our eventbrite listing.
We will be conducting this event on Zoom with livestreaming to Facebook, and we will send you the Zoom link via Eventbrite email when you register.

Adventures in Bubbles and Brine: Fermentation Gleanings from NS Masters
2020-10-29 19:00 - 20:30 | Zoom
Humans have been fermenting foods and drinks for thousands of years. Fermentation is one of the oldest ways to preserve and transform food, and many favourites — bread, cheese, yogurt, sauerkraut, kimchi, kombucha, and of course wine and beer — are products of fermentation. Fermentation also provides a low-cost, low-tech, low-energy method of preserving food for months at a time.
In this session, author and fermentation enthusiast Philip Moscovitch will share stories of Nova Scotia fermentation traditions, discuss the basics of what fermentation is and how it works, and will walk you through the steps of making a simple and delicious sauerkraut at home. There will also be lots of time for a Q&A session.
If you would like to participate in the hands-on portion of the session, please prepare by pre-slicing a 1 kg (2.2 lb) red or green cabbage, and have a bowl, measuring spoons, salt, and a quart-size Mason jar handy. We will use these ingredients and this equipment to make sauerkraut.

Philip Moscovitch is the author of Adventures in Bubbles and Brine. Moosewood cookbook author Mollie Katzen calls it a”beautifully written book – at once a travel memoir, a weave of personal histories, and an inspiring recipe collection – chronicling the exciting fermentation revival in Nova Scotia.”
Join us for this 90 minute Zoom webinar on Thursday, October 29th from 7:00 to 8:30 pm. The workshop will take place over Zoom, and details for access will be sent out to attendees the day prior to the event.
This event is free (donations appreciated!) and requires registration via our eventbrite listing.
We will be conducting this event on Zoom with livestreaming to Facebook, and we will send you the Zoom link via Eventbrite email prior to the presentation.
