.png)
Under the Canopy
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.
Episodes
138 episodes
Episode 137: Ontario By Bike
Quiet lessons from the outdoors are still there, but you have to choose to hear them, and sometimes that starts with something as simple as getting on a bike. We open with a bit of real life seasonal talk, storms rolling through, a dog who stil...
•
Episode 137
•
58:03
.png)
Episode 136: A Former MNR Biologist Explains Why Wildlife Counts Are Never Simple
Counting wildlife sounds like a spreadsheet problem until you try doing it over millions of hectares of bush, broken habitat, bad weather, and animals that do not want to be seen. We sit down with Bruce Ranta, a former Ontario Ministry of Natur...
•
Episode 136
•
1:25:03
Episode 135: Spring Readiness For Gardens And Yards
Ready to turn late-winter restlessness into a real plan for spring? We dig into the choices that matter right now: how to secure fruit trees and berry bushes before they’re gone, which seeds actually germinate, and the simple gear that keeps yo...
•
Episode 135
•
49:02
Episode 134: Trail Work, Maple Sap, And Chaga Stories
Spring is waking up the woods, and we’re right there with it—clearing a new footpath at first light, dialling in a wood stove that keeps the house comfortable on two small splits, and chasing the first hard runs of maple sap with a sled full of...
•
Episode 134
•
46:29
Episode 133: Bird Songs, Decoded
We trace the first hints of spring from fresh snow and maple taps to a deep dive on bird communication with Dr Megan Gall, a sensory ecologist who studies how sound shapes behavior. Practical tips help you build healthier feeders, steward water...
•
Episode 133
•
1:00:18
Episode 132: Wood Heat, Winter Dogs, And Hard Lessons From Nature
Frost bites, dogs sprint, and the stove hums while we chase warmth, clarity, and good judgment. That’s the energy today as we trade real-world winter tactics, laugh through a peanut-butter nail trim hack, and dig into the thorny question of who...
•
Episode 132
•
34:39
Episode 131: Inside Earthquakes - Science, Safety, And Canada’s Risk
When the ground moves, stories surface—about how faults fail, why small quakes ripple across provinces, and how a few seconds of warning can change outcomes. We sit down with seismologist Marika from Earthquakes Canada to translate seismic scie...
•
Episode 131
•
1:02:59
Episode 130: Emus, Rheas, And The Farm Life
A six-foot flightless bird doesn’t just change your pastures—it changes your business model. We sit down with an Ontario rancher who started with a simple idea in the early ’90s and built a resilient operation around emus and rheas, turning a n...
•
Episode 130
•
37:37
Episode 129: Alpacas, Fiber, And Winter Woodstoves
Wood heat hums, snowbanks rise, and the small rituals of winter living turn into hard-won wisdom: how to stretch a stack of deadwood, read a stove thermometer, and keep the creosote at bay. From there we pivot to what the cold teaches our bodie...
•
Episode 129
•
42:22
Episode 128: What Anchors Us When The Weather Turns And Life Shifts
A bluebird thaw turned blizzard overnight, and that whiplash becomes a guide to living smarter in winter. We start at the wood pile—why ironwood carries the night, how to plan heat days ahead, and where all that ash can actually help your yard ...
•
Episode 128
•
54:09
Episode 127: How Controlled Environments Are Rewriting Canada’s Food Map
Winter doesn’t stop a ripe tomato anymore. We sit down with Richard Lee, Executive Director of the Ontario Greenhouse Vegetable Growers, to unpack how controlled environment agriculture is rewriting the rules on local food, energy use, and year...
•
Episode 127
•
1:07:56
Episode 126: What If Better Bread Isn’t About Gluten, But About Time
Looking for a better loaf and a calmer life? We start with snow, dogs, and learning to heat a home on wood—choosing species, managing airflow, taming coals, and moving heat through a mid-century bungalow—then step into the bake room with Edmont...
•
Episode 126
•
1:28:19
Episode 125: Inside The World Of Tea
A cup of tea can tell you where it grew, how it was harvested, and even what the weather felt like—and John has spent 43 years learning that language. From Tetley’s legendary training to global trading desks and UN projects, he walks us through...
•
Episode 125
•
1:17:37
Episode 124: Holiday Houseplants Made Easy
Ever wonder why your poinsettia crashes by New Year’s while your neighbour’s looks flawless into January? We sit down with greenhouse manager Adrian Lee to demystify holiday plants and real Christmas trees with clear, field-tested advice you ca...
•
Episode 124
•
56:49
Episode 123: Glass, Fire, And The Making Of Memory
Ever wondered how a galaxy ends up inside a marble? We kick off with winter wisdom—how to shovel so the plow doesn’t bury your driveway, why raccoons can’t raid tipped‑over bins, and a simple wood‑heat trick that moves warmth to every room—then...
•
Episode 123
•
51:56
Episode 122: Why Your Dog’s Health Starts With Food, Not Pills
What if great pet care started with fewer defaults and more decisions? We sit down with holistic veterinarian Dr. Sasan Hyatt to rethink parasite control, vaccination schedules, and daily nutrition with a clear focus on resilience over routine....
•
Episode 122
•
1:12:09
Episode 121: Inside Peterborough’s 200-Year Market
Walk a 200-year-old market with us and meet the people who turn fields, hives, herds, and ovens into food that actually lasts and tastes like home. This is a guided tour of the Peterborough Farmers’ Market, where stories of craft and community ...
•
Episode 121
•
45:53
Episode 120: Practical Lessons For Outdoor Living
The woods don’t shout their lessons; they whisper them through blisters, bandages, and the warm glow of a stove that finally wins against the cold. We open with Gunnar, our chocolate lab, whose paw surgery turns into a candid look at corporate ...
•
Episode 120
•
37:41
Episode 119: How Invasive Species Spread And What You Can Do
A single “kind” release can rewrite a whole ecosystem. We open with hard‑won lessons from a deep bush chaga trip—gear that saved the day, how to improvise repairs miles from a road, and the thrill of spotting brook trout in a stream you could s...
•
Episode 119
•
48:27
Episode 118: A Field Guide To Safe, Smart Foraging
A cold morning, a quiet road, and a plan that starts before the first bootprint—this is how we turn a chaga hunt into a smooth, sustainable system. We map our routes with Starlink-preloaded Google Maps, carry a Garmin as backup, and treat radio...
•
Episode 118
•
1:07:42
Episode 117: Camp Rain, Hot Sauna, Cold Coffee
The roof drums like a metronome while we sort the chaos of a wet northern camp into something that works. We’re counting paper plates, flipping pots to outsmart mice, and finding out the hundred-pound propane tank still has life—thanks to a qui...
•
Episode 117
•
39:54
Episode 116: Field Lessons For Nature, Work, And Wellness
The forest got quiet, the stove finally drew right, and our maps changed overnight. We’re gearing up for a northern chaga harvest and bringing you into the decisions that make or break a trip: who’s coming, what to pack, and how new logging roa...
•
Episode 116
•
50:39
Episode 115: Herbs, Chaga, and Life Under the Canopy
What if your next good night’s sleep, calmer joints, or steadier digestion starts with a mug and a handful of leaves? We dive under the canopy with herbalist Penelope of The Ginkgo Tree to turn everyday plants into practical tools—no mystique, ...
•
Episode 115
•
1:05:00
Episode 114: Maps, Mushrooms, and Getting Unlost
Ever wanted to move through the woods with real confidence—no glowing screen, no second-guessing, just clear decisions and steady steps? That’s the energy fueling this week’s journey under the canopy, where we blend a love of seasonal living wi...
•
Episode 114
•
52:45
Episode 113: Discovering Nature's Medicinal Wonder
Jerry Ouellette shares his journey from skepticism to obsession with Chaga, a rare medicinal mushroom found on birch trees that has transformed countless lives with its healing properties. After witnessing remarkable health improvements in frie...
•
Episode 113
•
53:02