Under the Canopy

Episode 141: Chaga Tea Updates From Ontario Cottage Country

• Outdoor Journal Radio Podcast Network • Episode 141

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The world keeps getting louder, but the outdoors still teaches if you slow down enough to listen. We’re back with a spring check-in that starts on the highway and ends in the bush: I share what it was like driving across Canada with my son Garrett, watching winter tighten its grip the farther east we went, and coming home to the small, funny routines that make a life close to nature feel real (including our chocolate lab Gunner and the legendary “dog chair” at the front window).

Garrett joins me to talk work, family, and the kind of big projects that quietly shape Ontario life. We get into bridge builds, rebar timelines, and what slip form concrete actually is, plus why curing time and concrete mix design matter more than most people realize. Then we swing back to cottage country, maple syrup season, and the surprisingly tricky question of when birch sap runs, how birch syrup compares to maple syrup, and why nature rarely follows the schedule you planned.

We also share a powerful listener segment from Bev, who explains her experience adding Chaga tea to her routine, including her father’s blood pressure changes and the clarity and strength she felt over time. On the Chaga Health and Wellness side, we reveal a new turmeric ginger black pepper Chaga tea blend, talk about future herbal tea blends, and lay out where we’ll be this season at Ontario farmers markets. Finally, we tackle an outdoors topic every angler should care about: invasive species reporting, when to dispatch, and the simple boat wash habits that help protect fisheries.

If you enjoy outdoor podcast conversations that mix real life, natural health, and practical advice, subscribe, share this with a friend, and leave a review so more people can find us under the canopy.

Network Podcast Promos

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How did a small-town sheet metal mechanic come to build one of Canada's most iconic fishing lodges? I'm your host, Steve Niggswicky, and you'll find out about that and a whole lot more on the Outdoor Journal Radio Network's newest podcast, Diaries of a Lodge Owner. But this podcast will be more than that. Every week on Diaries of a Lodge Owner, I'm going to introduce you to a ton of great people. Share their stories of our trials, tribulations, and inspirations. Learn and have plenty of laughs along the way.

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Meanwhile, we're sitting there bobbing along trying to figure out how to catch a bass. And we both decided one day we were going to be on television doing a fishing show.

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My hands get sore a little bit when I'm reeling in all those bass in the summertime, but that's might be more efficient than it was punchy.

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You so confidently you said, hey Pat, have you ever eaten a drunk? Find diaries of a lodge owner now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast.

Road Trip Updates And Gunner Giveaway

Garrett’s Return And Married Life

SPEAKER_05

As the world gets louder and louder, the lessons of our natural world become harder and harder to hear, but they are still available to those who know where to listen. I'm Jerry Olette, and I was honored to serve as Ontario's Minister of Natural Resources. However, my journey into the woods didn't come from politics. Rather, it came from my time in the bush and a mushroom. In 2015, I was introduced to the birch-hungry fungus known as Chaga, a tree conch with centuries of medicinal applications used by indigenous peoples all over the globe. After nearly a decade of harvest, use, testimonials, and research, my skepticism has faded to obsession. And I now spend my life dedicated to improving the lives of others through natural means. But that's not what the show is about. My pursuit of the strange mushroom and my passion for the outdoors has brought me to the places and around the people that are shaped by our natural world. On Outdoor Journal Radio's Under the Canopy Podcast, I'm going to take you along with me to see the places, meet the people that will help you find your outdoor passion and help you live a life close to nature and under the canopy. So join me today for another great episode, and hopefully, we can inspire a few more people to live their lives under the canopy. As always, we want to thank all the listeners out there across Canada, the States, and around the world, Switzerland, Ghana, our friends in the Bahamas who are enjoying some Chaga tea as we speak, probably, along with a bunch of other stuff, Bermuda, et cetera, et cetera. We appreciate that. And of course, any suggestions for a show, let us know. Any ideas or questions? Don't be afraid to ask. Now recently, a couple weeks and a half ago, we did a marathon drive from uh finished the the the show, jumped on a plane, headed out to Calgary, and did the drive all the way across Canada with with uh my youngest son Garrett. And it uh was quite the drive. It was uh basically we saw everything. So no snow in uh the the Alberta, Saskatchewan, a little bit in Manitoba until you hit Ontario, and then it was holy mackerel, we had Wawa, and it was still up to the hydro wires. I remember one person telling me they had 17 feet of snow up there, and you could see that. The road was solid ice and very interesting. We had white out conditions, the highway was so bad that uh we um if you ever broke down, you'd never be able to pull over to the side because there was no side. I mean the the edge of the snowbank was right beside the the highway. But uh we made it and uh had a tire blowout thing in Sault Ste. Marie, but it was all the way back. And we're back up and running. And you know, as usual, we always give a little bit of a update on my chocolate lab. And for those now are listening and who listened to last week's show, the same goes for this week. If you show up this week until the end of April to come and see me at the Morrow Building and mention uh my dog's name, Gunner, I will give you one free bag of Chagga regular chag of tea. All you have to do is come in and say that, just fill out uh a form. So I've got uh an email and that, and I'll give you a free bag of Chagga regular chag of tea. So I'm bringing a bunch of that out. So one of the other things was that uh Gunnar's now got two guests staying with him. So he's got our uh my oldest son Josh and his dog staying at our place. Well, Josh and Casey. Um that's uh Josh and his fiance Casey have flown down to the Bahamas and say hello to our listeners down there while you're down there, Josh and Casey. Um they've gone down for a wedding, so we get Benny, little Benny. He's uh he's a cockpoo, Crossweetina um the a poodle and a cocker spaniel. And of course, Garrett, now that we've gone back, uh, and Garrett's dog Belle, which is a Doberman pincer. She was a little bit cranky when she first got there, but poor Gunner is all out of sorts. He's he has his chair, and so we have one specific chair that uh Gunner uses, and he jumps up on the chair and he watches out the window. He knows, okay, that guy's okay, that guy's okay, that I know that dog walking by on the road. Wait, there is a different person. I don't know that person, and he lets us know. He gives us a little err. So we go over and check it out. It's okay, Gunner, it's okay. But now we've got two other dogs sharing his chair because the dogs know that's the only spot they can go. They can't go on the couch, they can't come on the uh on my chair or the other chair we have in the in the living room, but they have a dog chair right at the front window. And sure enough, Gunner's now out of source because the other dogs are in his chair, but he's getting used to it. And you know, when we tell him Benny's coming over, at least uh Josh's dog, he gets all excited and wound up, and now he's doing pretty good with Bell. So, but now we've got we're we're gonna do a little bit different on this podcast. We're gonna give a little bit of an update on some of the stuff that's happening. And as a guest, I I've brought Garrett. Welcome to the program, Garrett.

SPEAKER_06

Yes, uh, thanks for having me back. I always uh appreciate coming on and giving people insight about what's going on with uh myself and us and everything else with Chaga and stuff like that.

SPEAKER_05

Yeah. Well, congratulations, Garrett. Garrett is now Mr. and Mrs. Olet uh for the first time since he's been on the show last. He's now married and happily married and enjoying married life. How's it going with that, Garrett?

SPEAKER_06

It's been very good. Um you know, again, appreciate. Thank you. Uh it means the world to be able to have friends and family there for the event. And um it was quite nice. And yeah, so it's uh yeah, be coming into the world as Mr. and Mrs. Olet.

SPEAKER_05

Yeah, and so I I let uh you and Britney do a podcast once about females in the outdoors, and now it's and she's not uh she's now not no longer Britney Bontoff, but uh Brittany Olet. Congratulations.

SPEAKER_06

Yes, thank you.

SPEAKER_05

Yeah, so that's good to hear. And I know our friends up in Halliburton who's always asking uh because they ask about what's going on with Garrett. So so that's good. So, Garrett, so now that you're back in Ontario, what kind of options do you have for work projects?

SPEAKER_06

Um, so I've been brought, it's been brought to my attention for a couple of job offers I've had. There's uh a huge expansion bridge going over uh around the DVP area over the that green space. I can't quite then remember the name of that area, but there's a huge bridge there. It's supposed to be a four-year project. There's also um in Durham, there's a couple of apartment buildings that are going up that uh Josh, you know, actually told me about that he knows the uh foreman on that site, and they've been looking for guys, but they're a little slow right now as they're just getting that project out of the ground. Um, I was approached for the nuclear power plants, and then there's also when uh I was found out I was back in Ontario, I got approached from a person out of Ottawa who I used to work with, and he informed me that um there was a job offer for me out in Halifax for a couple slip forms out there. So I've been uh a little all over, but right now I'm settling, especially with uh the family changes happening as well.

SPEAKER_05

So yeah, so so okay, so a couple questions on that brings it up now, Garrett. So when you say it's a four-year project over the DVP Don Valley Parkway, which is in Toronto for our international listeners, um does that mean it takes four years to make the do the whole project, or does that mean there's four years of steel work that takes place there?

SPEAKER_06

So this project, I believe it would be four years of steel work because it's ground up. I don't know how many uh support systems they're building for this bridge, but the bridge is supposed to be like one kilometer to two kilometers in total length. I was I never was given the exact number there. Um, but it's quite the large bridge. Like they are putting like 55 amp bars, which is very, very heavy-duty steel, and where they're so long and so heavy that each bar has to be lifted lifted in place by a crane and then placed individually. So it is quite the process there to build this bridge. And then once they get the deck on, then there's a lot of additional work there. So it could be four years of rebar work from right now and going forward, or it could be rebar work for three pause for six months to a year for support system, the girders and everything else be installed, then rebar work will continue for another year to do the bridge deck.

SPEAKER_05

Okay, and you mentioned slip form out east. Down was it Halifax?

SPEAKER_06

I was out in Halifax there. I was never told the exact project of the slip forms. I'm assuming because they've been doing quite a lot of uh oil or offshore work there, that'd be something involved in that industry.

SPEAKER_05

But what's a slip form?

SPEAKER_06

So a slip form, for those people that don't know, it's it's a pour designed to be one continuous pour.

SPEAKER_05

So how the CN Tower.

SPEAKER_06

Like the CN Tower. So how they built that was they started and they had these forms that as they poured concrete, they would slowly pour these forms up, and it's usually like a very, very slow pace. Like it might be every 10 minutes, it might move maybe a foot kind of thing. Maybe probably even slower than that.

SPEAKER_05

Now, is that obviously to must be dependent on the weather? Because you can't do that in the winter time, or can you? I don't know.

SPEAKER_06

Well, they design those products to happen usually for spring summer. They don't necessarily want them in the winter simply because it'd be too hard to control temperature fluctuations and to heat and hoard on a slip form would be quite the extensive project to do.

SPEAKER_05

So, uh how long does it take the the concrete to to cure so that it's stable enough when you're doing something like you mentioned uh only a foot an hour sort of thing, but how long does it take to actually cure it?

SPEAKER_06

So it depends on the grade of concrete that they use. So, for example, when I was on the uh LRT line in Toronto, the the track system that they use that the actual LRT or the train system rides on, once that concrete was poured, no additional weight construction or anything could be done in that area for 21 days in total. Um, because that's how long that cured concrete took to cure. There's other concrete, other things and formulas there that you could have concrete be um with a slip form, probably right around 80 or 90 percent. So it's not necessarily fully cured, but it's it's very close to it that it would hold under its own weight.

SPEAKER_05

Oh, okay. So and there's different grades of concrete. I I really didn't know that until up at the camp, the cottage that we have, until we had the actual basement board in there.

SPEAKER_06

Yeah.

SPEAKER_05

And I guess there's different grades of concrete. Maybe you can talk a little bit about that. So do they hold different weights or uh does it take different stresses or temperatures so it doesn't freeze or what?

SPEAKER_06

So there's a lot of different variables in the strength of concrete. One of the key things is also aggregate, which is the size of the stone used in concrete. So some aggregate might use one quarter, some might use half inch, some might use one inch. And newer designs of concrete now use fiberglass or fiber concrete, um, which more or less is very high grade military stuff, which that's designed to take just the concrete itself can take huge amounts of force. So the actual terms and what they call the concrete is not in my fields of experts. I just know that the concrete is is designed to hold different compressions and strengths.

SPEAKER_05

Yeah, and I know that was something that we looked at to do at the cottage was um because they used a pumper truck, which means the concrete comes and then they bring this special uh pumper to be able to pour at distances. And we had so in order to use the pumper truck, you had to have P size aggregate inside it. And then so once it got poured, um my wife Diane, Garrett's mother, uh thought it'd be a great idea because when you go into these a lot of these, like the um hockey arenas, it looks like it's all kind of gravel uh that's been polished down. And so essentially I think what they do is they they grind down the top layer of concrete to get to the to just where the the the um the aggregate starts, and then you get that kind of pebble-looking finish, correct?

SPEAKER_06

Yeah, so more commonly in say older schools built within Ontario, a lot of them still have they're mainly concrete floors, but they have this stone look to it. So, like you said there, they'll take that finished layer of concrete, which is more or less when they vibrate it, smooth it out and everything else, so let it settle. The the more or less the liquid, not the aggregate part of it will settle on top a bit more. So then you'll get that concrete finish. But if you were to take that layer off and grind it down a bit, you'll get all the exposed rock and aggregate. So you'll get very different colors, very different exposures, because in certain areas, it's um, for example, in like northern Ontario up there, they might use a different set of aggregate stones. They might use like because it's more exposed Canadian shield up there, they might use that kind of rock, which I don't know exactly what that'd be made up of, compared to other places that might use crushed marble, for example, if they had that available.

SPEAKER_05

Mm-hmm. Yeah, I know. And that was something that we looked at. And I actually rented a machine. I went to pick up the machine, and they didn't have, I guess they use these kind of like um, it's a kind of like sharpening stone to grind it down, and they didn't have any, so and I never went back after that to try and do the job because things move forward and we just kind of gave up on that idea. But yeah, it was uh basically to give that kind of like you mentioned in schools, you see all these kind of stones in the hallways, but that's actually aggregate from concrete that's been poured, and it's just been polished down that far.

SPEAKER_06

Right? Yeah, yeah. And it's usually a good alternative for people that are like, for example, if you know, for us, it's you when you pour a basement or you pour something and you're like, hmm, I don't know if I want to cover it up. What do I do? You know, you want to have it be more earthy, more nature kind of thing, because you're up in, you know, cottage country. So that's really what you're there for to see at the end of the day. And it's a good alternative for those people that are looking for designs or creativity within their floors or concrete walls.

SPEAKER_05

Yeah, and I don't remember that we actually I I do you have to pour extra concrete uh to get down to that level or or what I don't know.

SPEAKER_06

Well, you would have to pour probably a little bit extra or just take a little bit more off. Uh if it's walls though, then you're definitely pouring extra because usually walls are designed to be hold a certain amount of weights, they need to be a certain size. So if you're grinding that off, it will ultimately weaken it. But for a basement floor, which doesn't necessarily have any structural strength to supporting the building or structure above it, then a floor would be more likely to be okay to grind.

SPEAKER_05

Yeah, and when we put the floor in, I I paid the extra money and went and got all the deals and actually put uh lines in to have in-floor heating in that basement. So we've never uh utilized it, but it's there and available. But we have to pressure check it to make sure there's no leaks, because when you put the in-floor heating in, it if you've got leaks in the lines, it'll leak right in and cause you all kind of problems in the concrete.

Maple Versus Birch Syrup Reality

SPEAKER_06

Yep. And speaking of like the cottage, because I keep thinking about it, all the snow's starting to melt up there. But I know down where we live, it's uh it's sunny and clear today. Mind you, we've had rain for the last couple of weeks, not really bad. But I know for us the season for maple syrup is coming to an end here. At the cottage, it might still go on. But because the season's ending here, does that mean the birch, maple syrup season starts soon for those that tap birch trees?

SPEAKER_05

Well, I don't know. I I So yeah, in Southern Ontario, um, where we are, the the maple syrup's done pretty much. I I haven't been out uh because I started pulling taps because they were dry. Now that could be just the fact that after, and I had uh Jeff Wagner on, and and those a lot of the lines that we had probably just healed over, so they weren't producing, but the new ones that I had made, taps, they would kind of stop too. But up farther, the farther you go north, uh, the the longer the seasons run. So it could be still running there. But down here, nah, I don't know. I I never had birch syrup has been rather unusual. And like uh Jeff Wagner said on uh the the maple syrup podcast that we just recently did, that it runs pretty much the same time, but I always any of the readings that I did in the research said that it ran later. And I have to tell you that the only time I got consistent maple runs was basically about the same time as the sap uh the bird maple sap was running. Except the very first time. So I tapped after because it they said it runs what I was reading was in parts of the country, I guess, where birch syrup runs after maple syrup. So I did all the pulled my uh maple syrup taps and then tap birch trees and nothing happened. So I went out and took all the taps out, or I thought I did, and then it was in June, and I'm looking and I go, What the heck's that? And I had left a couple of taps in and birch trees, and the birch sap was running in June. And I actually uh boiled it down and and made some uh great uh birch syrup. And to be honest, it very, very similar in taste to maple syrup, but dark, jet black. It uh it really looks it just pitch out black. And but it takes eighty to one, so maple syrup is like about forty to one, forty liters of sap to make one liter of syrup. Birch syrup it's eighty to one, so you need eighty liters of sap to make one liter of syrup. But uh no, I don't see it as running just now. And uh yeah, we we've we hope to do a a bit of birch syrup this year. But I'm gonna do some taps and see if I can get some later ones because if it ran in June before, uh quite surprised. Now the first time I did it, nothing ran. The uh next time, and then I pulled uh those out. I I got the the uh that stuff in June. And then I tapped early when the maple syrup was running. But I have to tell you, Garrett, I boiled down some birch syrup and it tasted horrendous. I thought it was absolutely disgusting, so I just threw it all out because it was so horrendous that didn't have a good flavor to it at all. But anyways, I got a few friends trying it and we'll see how it goes. And maybe we'll trap some birch trees now, but that'll be uh try to figure that out a little bit. But chances are up at the cottage, up at the camp, things are still running up there. And and I talked to Steve and Gail down the uh road, and Steve just he took pictures last time I said, you know, how's the snow up there? He said, Well, you know, we had nothing down here in Oshawa, where we are east of Toronto, and there was still three, four feet of snow in the driveway there. So it's gonna be a while, but it should be with all the rain that we had. Possibly next week we'll be able to to get up there and do some work up there.

SPEAKER_06

Well, that'd be nice because I know me and Britney have had the big itch of uh getting up to the cottage and now that we're back here in Ontario enjoying the on the things that Ontario has to offer, which is uh, you know, a cottage and the backcountry life.

SPEAKER_05

Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, absolutely. And we get to yeah, I'm gonna do some get to finish the docks as we uh to ripped out the old ones and replaced the the cribs because they uh We're about uh twenty-five years old. And uh we don't get any ice shifting, but uh so we rebuilt and hopefully uh we'll see how it made it through the through the winter, but it should be good and we'll finish that up this year. Got a floating section out there.

SPEAKER_06

That would be very nice. I know Mum's been asking for that for a bit now. I think that's her thing that she's been craving now.

SPEAKER_05

Yes, well uh they wrote a s they did a movie about uh some of the stuff that mom's craving. It's called the Never Ending Story, Garrett.

SPEAKER_06

Don't worry, we'll get the uh you know landscaping done after that, and then the stairway, and then the front wall, and then the front wall and the retaining wall by the and the sauna and the water.

SPEAKER_05

The only thing that I asked when I got this property at the very start was one thing, and still nowhere, the sauna.

SPEAKER_06

Well, you can fix that very soon here.

SPEAKER_05

It's gonna happen this year because uh I've made some decisions uh rather than everybody else deciding I know where it's going, and I'm gonna start that fairly soon. Even if I gotta go see, uh, take those uh logs that we've had aging up to Pierre and get him to square them, and then he's got a notching machine and be able to use that, and then that'll be set and ready to go. But we'll see.

SPEAKER_06

Sounds good to me.

SPEAKER_05

Yeah.

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Bev’s Chaga Health Testimonies

SPEAKER_05

Okay, we're with Bev here in Lindsay. And Bev, you've got some experience with Chaga that you'd like to share with some people. Tell us uh two stories. Start with your father's story.

SPEAKER_01

Hi, Jerry. Um well, um my dad had mentioned to me that he was struggling with his blood pressure and he'd gone on meds and it wasn't bringing it down. He was running around 180, 185, and wasn't enjoying that at all. And um and so I suggested that he try the chocolate tea because I knew some other people that had had good experience with it, and I knew my own experience with it. He started doing the chug of tea every day. Um he stuck it in with his coffee, so he only had to drink one thing a day. And within three weeks he had dropped from 180 to 140, which he was really excited about. But what he was even more excited about was that about three to four weeks after that, he had gone down to 125. So we're really grateful for the difference the chaga has made with his blood pressure. Good.

SPEAKER_05

And he wasn't doing there, wasn't any other medications or changes? This is the only change?

SPEAKER_01

No, this was the actually the only shift. He didn't shift anything diet-wise, physical exercise-wise at all. The only thing he added in that he hadn't been doing before was chaga.

SPEAKER_05

And put it in his coffee, I believe. I heard you.

SPEAKER_01

And he put it in his coffee.

SPEAKER_05

Yeah, very good. Okay, and you have your own story now.

SPEAKER_01

I have my own story. So I I started on chaga when I um I met Jerry just as I realized that I was going into a relapse of multiple cirrhosis, that I I had not relapsed for approximately 25 years, so I was a little startled about it and wanted to get on it. And um, so I was in the process of changing a lot of things so that I could um go back into relapse rather than dealing with the MS symptoms. And so I did change diet and I stopped physical exercise so that my body would have more rest, and I added the chaga in. And within within I mean within five days, I noticed that the nerve sensory issues I was having in my legs was already settling down. And within about three weeks, I had the strength to walk unassisted again. And I am about three months in now, and um I have um taken a 10-day break from it a couple of times just to, you know, you know, just so that my body, you know, can stay balanced, you know, without it. But every time I go back on it, I um I can feel the difference in mental clarity and in the way my nerves are communicating, and I'm I'm walking very, very well now.

SPEAKER_05

Very good. Well, thank you very much for sharing your story with the video.

SPEAKER_01

No, thanks for thanks for hollering me and asking me to try a free cup that one farmer's market morning.

Discount Code And New Tea Blends

SPEAKER_05

Well, I'm glad it's working out for you. Thanks, Jerry. Okay. We interrupt this program to bring you a special offer from Chaga Health and Wellness. If you've listened this far and you're still wondering about this strange mushroom that I keep talking about, and whether you would benefit from it or not, I may have something of interest to you. To thank you for listening to the show, I'm going to make trying Chaga that much easier by giving you a dollar off all our Chaga products at checkout. All you have to do is head over to our website, Chaga Health and Wellness.com, place a few items in the cart, and check out with the code CANAPY, C-A-N-O-P-Y. If you're new to Chaga, I'd highly recommend the regular Chaga tea. This comes with 15 tea bags per package, and each bag gives you around five or six cups of tea. Hey, thanks for listening. Back to the episode.

SPEAKER_06

So I guess the other thing is too, like now that I've been back and I've been uh filled with the information of all the Chaga stuff, I heard you were looking for possible blends. So yeah. Uh what's what's possible the new stuff going on with the Chaga stuff?

SPEAKER_05

So, well, uh some of the stuff was is that uh, you know, we we listen to our listeners and our people out there. So for the Chaga, we try and find out what people were wanting. And uh, you know, the new the brand new blend that we have, which is the uh it's was announced at the uh Trauma Sportsman Show and the Belleville Show. It's the turmeric, ginger, black pepper, and Chaga, and it's been going over fantastic. It's uh not on the website yet, but uh when Josh gets back from uh the wedding in the Caribbean with with Casey, we'll get him to put it up there and then let some people know. But not only that, but uh while we did the shows this year, did a little bit different. I had a giveaway contest. Same thing I'm doing in Peterborough right now to the end of uh uh April of this year, is I'm uh getting people to give us a name and address and uh a phone number and then let us know what uh blends you're looking at. And you know, we've got uh uh we've had John Snell on a couple times now. He's an international tea expert where the UN took him to was it Afghanistan or Pakistan to set up the entire country's tea industry last November. And you know, I sat down with John and we came up with a number of different blends that to check and see what people think would be great. So there's you know, citrus, ginger, lemongrass, peppermint, spearmint, staranise, um raspberry leaf, milk thistle, hibiscus, chamomile, valerian. Have you smelt the valerian, Garrett?

SPEAKER_06

No, I have not.

SPEAKER_05

I'm gonna let you smell it when I get home because for those that don't know, Garrett's back in Ontario now, and he's staying with us until they find their their place. So we got Garrett and now Mrs. Olette, and uh we've got some uh Valerian there, and John was just can't stand it because I said, John, it it it smells like Parmesan cheese. He said, Yep. He couldn't stand it. So another one is uh nettle, a mint green, uh a hormonal balance, uh, which apparently um the ladies rather uh go for very well in it uh because it helps at uh certain times of changes of life and things like that. And berry and spice and meadowsweet are just some of the the ones uh and merenga. Which uh merenga, I guess, is uh Josh seemed to think that merenga was the big thing on some of the the podcasts that he listens to. That we needed to jump on that, but not many people know about merenga. But those are just some of the lists. So people show up. You show up at uh Peterborough. I I may extend it, we'll see how it goes. And you you you fill out, give us, you let us know what it is, and we'll put your name in a draw. And at the end of the month, what I'll do is I'll draw and give away um one complete package of one of each of the the teas that we currently have, which includes you know the morning glory, which is morning glory, which is roasted dandelion root, roasted chicory root chaga. And then we've got a chai blend, which is chaia, cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, ginger, black tea, black pepper, and chaga. Of course, all our stuff has chaga. The apple cinnamon, we've got a green tea, we've got a mint tea, we've got the straight regular chaga, and one other one. What am I missing? Oh, the ginger turmeric black pepper uh chaga blend. So we'll send uh one lucky winner uh one of each of those samples just by saying thanks for helping us decide what we do in the future. So yeah, we're looking at a bunch of different stuff. And of course, John and I worked out for the turmeric ginger black pepper, and it's going over very well. Including that's Mum's favorite now, Garrett. Every morning uh before she heads off, I have a cup of uh turmeric ginger black pepper chaga blend for her, and she's just loving it.

SPEAKER_06

Well, that's good to hear. I I do hear uh turmeric is one of those popular things among health or like healthier stuff to take. So I'm uh not surprised that that's something she's considering.

Hockey And Summer Market Schedule

SPEAKER_05

Yeah. Yep. So, so Garrett, so now one thing that we didn't talk about was uh you're heading out shortly to go play something again somewhere, aren't you?

SPEAKER_06

Tonight? Yeah, I got my uh my union hockey tournament going on for uh this two days. It's just gonna be a quick little event that they always do, and uh it's nice to get back on the ice and play again.

SPEAKER_05

Yeah, I used to play uh rep hockey and then had some offers at Fresno State and a few places like that that didn't pan out. But yeah, so you're back out skating to in a tournament tonight. Very good. Yeah, looking forward to that. What position you play in?

SPEAKER_06

So I'm more of the what do you what do you call the dog that just never stops running?

SPEAKER_05

Oh yeah.

SPEAKER_06

I'm more of the uh the uh ice time filler guy because when the uh the other guys need a break or need a rest, and it's like, oh, you go out. No, you go out. It's like all right, I'll go out.

SPEAKER_05

So what position are you playing?

SPEAKER_06

Uh I'll probably end up playing uh center or wing.

SPEAKER_05

Oh, really?

SPEAKER_06

Yeah.

SPEAKER_05

Yeah, because well all the time you were playing uh rep hockey, you're always playing uh defense.

SPEAKER_06

Yeah. Well, when my last year junior, they decided to move me up because it just needed uh a change in the offense perspective, and uh, ended up being the team leader in goals and points that year. And I made the all-star team, and that's what got me uh my offers to Fresno State and other places that were uh at that showcase tournament, they call it. Down in Vegas, yeah. Yeah.

SPEAKER_05

Yeah, that was pretty good. Good for you. Well, it's good, always good to get the skates on. And and I have to tell you, that was one of the big enjoyments that I had was when we used to play hockey Friday nights. But uh I don't know. I uh it makes it to be perfectly honest. The problem with Friday nights is hockey through the winter is that I'm I'm up at five in the morning on Saturdays and you skate at 10, 11 o'clock at night. You can't go I can't get to sleep. So but what I I found one of the secrets, and I'd come off the ice and I'd sit on the bench and everyone says, What's wrong with you? He said, Oh, I'm ready for bed. How can you be ready for bed? And I said, Well, just before I went on the ice, I take one of those uh drowsy nighttime um cold and sinus uh decongestants, and when I come off the ice, I'm ready for I'm ready to hit the hay. So that worked pretty good. But yeah, well that's good. And I don't know if I'm gonna be able to get out and see you play this time as uh uh Baba, Garrett's grandmother, my mother, and I we went out to watch him play last time, but uh just the timing doesn't look like it's gonna work out that great.

SPEAKER_06

Well, it is what it is, you know. It's always appreciated the the effort's there in the end.

SPEAKER_05

Yep. Yep.

SPEAKER_06

So other kind of uh stuff's going on with Chagga, you're doing more events or something like that this year. I know we've had a lot of talk about that stuff, but I'm not too sure where you're at for other events and things like that.

SPEAKER_05

Well, with the with the Chaga, so um starting in May for the month of May, the Tuesday before the long weekend is the first Halliburton uh farmers market that I'll be at. People come and see me there. And uh we'll have uh, of course, we got our great supporters in Halliburton. I always look forward to seeing them. But uh, and it runs from 10 till 2 on Tuesdays, and then in um May as well. On Saturdays, I will be doing the Lindsay Market, downtown Lindsay. And on top of that, um I do the Millbrook market, which is the fourth Saturday of the month. Now I'll be there in April, which is their first one. And uh we'll have some uh through the winter I do the Peterborough market, but we'll have some people that'll be carrying uh Chaga products at a number of other uh markets and events. I think I've got uh somebody handling it uh for uh a couple of the markets, including Peterborough, I think. So we'll see how that plays out, but you know, I'll let people know. So and not only that, but I again was I did a couple of podcasts with uh the Millbrook School, where I was asked to be uh to take kids out and and uh do them too. They have a nature trail there that I walk the kids through and explain all kinds of things to them. And so they've asked me to come back. And uh when I head out uh in April, which is uh the the fourth Saturday in April, I'll be doing the Millbrook market, and it uh runs uh 10 to 1. Uh and then right after that, so that's the 26th, I'll be going checking these trails that they've asked me to take students and uh groups out there and see if I I can walk these trails that they're talking about to to try and assess if it works out and see how it works. And and I'll probably end up helping out at the school again. So those are some of the main things. I'm waiting to hear back from some of the other locations or potential opportunities because it takes a while. You make application, you submit, and then you wait to hear back whether you're in or you're out or not. But those are the ones that I've already got commitments from. So we're looking at those. So it'll be an active, busy summer as well.

SPEAKER_06

Well, that's always good. I'm glad uh things are working out and people are recognizing that you uh you know you do have a past of being in the regarding and dealing with nature stuff, and then also just the passion there to show you that you your knowledge is appreciated.

SPEAKER_05

Yeah. Yeah. Oh, and the one thing is is starting in uh so in May, I will do Saturdays in Lindsay, and then starting in June, I switched to the Thursday market in Lindsay, which is uh at a different location. But uh we still have people that'll have Chaga at the uh Saturday market carrying our products, just we won't be there with them. Yeah.

Chasing Experts For Future Interviews

SPEAKER_06

All good. So other than that, I don't think I need any more updates about what's going on. Uh I guess how's the podcast going? You're trying to things are going smooth there and stuff like that?

SPEAKER_05

Or yeah, well, we as always we try to get uh experts on it. It takes sometimes it takes quite a while to try and get people to come on. So I know. I did one show and the guy beside me says, you know, I'm gonna bring you on. I think I can make it work so that we'll we'll have you on. Oh, what you that'd be spectacular. I'd love to. Okay, so chase after them, chase after them. Oh, well, uh sorry, uh I I got busy and and things happened and all but I yeah, yeah, yeah, I'm there. Okay. Uh and then get back to them again and then not chasing after them anymore. But I've got a few uh uh feelers out there uh with the the Artemis II that went around the moon. They had some experts on solar weather. So I've reached out to two of them, left them messages waiting to hear back from them to see if we can get them on. And hopefully Pat from um a university in Texas, I think it's Rice University in Texas. Uh hopefully Pat will be able to come on and give us some expertise, but I'm waiting to hear back. And then I've got uh the Ontario ATV Association. I spoke to somebody there um waiting to hear back from them. They said that they were gonna have their president. But a lot of times uh these organizations get a little, I've never been on a podcast, I don't know what to do. Uh how do I do that? And it's it's okay. It's okay. Just take a deep breath. That's my job. You'll do fine. And uh so I'm waiting to hear back from them along with the Royal Ontario Museum. I had some stuff set up with them, but I got to check into that because I don't know where that one kind of fell off the rails a bit, and I don't know why. The Ontario uh Canoe and Kayak Association been chasing after them ever since the uh the the show in February. And they said, oh yeah, yeah, we're really interested and we'd be happy to, and haven't heard back from them. And then I'm sure we're gonna get some updates from some invasive species updates on what's happening with a lot of uh the Ontario Invasive Species Organization, which I have on regularly, because they do a great job in informing people. But that's uh some of the ones that we're working on right now. And as always, this if anybody has any suggestions or ideas, we'd be more than happy to uh to hear from you and and see what we can do to put together to kind of fill out some of the stuff you want to find out about on a show.

SPEAKER_06

Actually, I got a quick question for you, because I just it just hit me there when you mentioned something about it. The Ontario invasive species. Yes. Now I know the trout opener season, which I've been eagerly waiting to open here, which is just around the core now.

SPEAKER_05

Yeah.

SPEAKER_06

Some of these creeks and stuff like that, there was huge invasive species um coming from, I believe it was projects that the states implemented or we implemented about controlling certain types of species. And so for those fishermen out there, if you have to catch one of these invasive species, what's like protocol to deal with these invasive species? Like throw them on the shore, are you supposed to let them go? What what's the what's the what goes what happens?

SPEAKER_05

I guess imagine it would depend on what species it is, because there's some that are undesirable and some that are desirable. So, and I'm not the expert on it, but if you contact them, what the thing they do is they usually say, take pictures of it, send it to us, and then we'll get somebody to get back to you right away. And they can which is usually 24 hours, but if it's uh like one of those uh undesirable carp that are coming into that we're seeing getting in, you want to dispatch that as soon as you can, get rid of that, because it uh it's gonna have huge impacts on the fishery as a whole, and it's gonna decimate a lot of the fisheries in the province of Ontario. But then you know the the the gobies and a bunch of other ones that are out there that have caused all kinds of problems, just like zebra mussels have expanded and caused so many problems that when you get those, uh if you dispatch those fairly quickly, um i it has and I think an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. That uh okay, they're in there already, but what do you do to stop it from spreading elsewhere? And that's where they get to, you know, they tell people to wash their boats down with boat wash and stuff like that to be able to make sure that you're not taking that invasive species from one location to another, whether it's by eggs or some of the uh small fryer and things like that, you know, or dumping your your um your water because uh where you keep your your live well with your water circulating through. You want to make sure that you dump it in the lake that you have it in so you're not contaminating other locations with it. And those are just some of the preventative stuff that you can do.

SPEAKER_06

Okay, good to know. Yeah, because I hear rumors because I'm in the the fishing world out there and you hear a lot of talks about stuff, and some people say it's it's the law to actually, if you catch an invasive species, depending on how what extent it is, to actually uh not release it because it actually is very harmful.

SPEAKER_05

Yeah, and the difficulty is a lot of people would not know. I mean, um I've been out a couple times now and and I'm seeing people fishing illegally already, and that's mostly because they don't know. They don't know the details. So a lot of people would not know what an invasive species is or or how it is. But once it gets identified, I think there are uh because I know that I see signage and things like that for plants, so giant hogweed and stuff like that in this area. People get notified, so they're starting to make more and more notifications about things that shouldn't be there and what to watch out for.

SPEAKER_06

That's good to know. I appreciate the insight there.

SPEAKER_05

Yeah. Yeah. So other than that, I think that uh that kind of gives us a bit of an uh idea on some of the things that we're working on for for future podcasts. But if anybody has any suggestions, um you know, we'd be happy to hear from you.

SPEAKER_06

Of course. Um top of my head, I can't think of any, but if you know something comes to mind, I always ask it.

SPEAKER_05

Sure. Very good. Well, I'm sure when we get invasive species Ontario back on, that'll be one of the questions I I ask. What do you do if you catch one of these fish?

SPEAKER_06

Yeah, because like I said, I I you know I fished last year and I caught this horned carp-looking fish, and so I I got clarity that it is an invasive species, and it is something that you know, like when you see it, you're just like, Yeah, no idea, and something I definitely look forward to getting more knowledge on.

SPEAKER_05

Yep. Yep. Very good. Well, there's a question, and that's how we find out things to ask for different groups. Yeah. All right. Well, I think we've got a pretty good update on everything. Have we not, Carol? Or is there any other stuff that you would need to ask or wanted to ask?

Turkeys, Spring Seasons, Final Wrap

SPEAKER_06

Um no, I I believe I'm good. I know uh the sun's shining, and I know turkey season's around the corner as well, and and trout season's opening up here soon. And I know uh I saw a bunch of turkeys in North Oshbo there again. It's uh they seem to be, I think their flock has now grown to like I think that was 30 or 35 when I counted.

SPEAKER_05

Oh yeah.

SPEAKER_06

Yeah.

SPEAKER_05

Yeah, they've they've expanded quite well. Except, you know, we've had Bruce Ranto and he's a retired biologist for the ministry, and uh he actively seeks uh wild turkey up his way. But he was saying that the the winners, and I can see why, because when we went through up his way, up Kenoraway, the snow load and things like that, it really knocked the turkeys back. Because that was one thing when I was minister, I found out that five consecutive winters, a harsh winters, can actually knock the turkey and the white-tailed deer population back significantly. And certainly this one that we just had would be one of those ones. So so long as we don't have five in a row, the population should come back very easily and very well.

SPEAKER_06

Yeah, I have to say I've noticed a lot more turkeys, and it's nice to see them doing well. And of course, so you want them to stick around and continue doing well here.

SPEAKER_05

So Yep. Yeah. Very good. All right, Garrett. Uh, unless you got any other questions, I just want to just say that uh again for all those listeners out there till the end of April, if you show up in uh Peterborough at the Morrow Building, you mention my dog, my chocolate labs name, Gunner, and I will give you one free bag of the Chagat tea. Just the regular Chagat tea, because that's all I prepared for. And uh just fill out a little form that gives us your name and uh address and some of the suggestions on some of the teas that you would like to see in the future, and we'll be happy to add that to our list to see what we're gonna come up with in the future. But uh, other than that, I think uh that uh it's just an update on what's happening out there under the canopy and how things are going, and things are yet to come. Right, Garrett? Yep. Again, appreciate you for having me on. And congratulations again, Mr. and give our best to Mrs. OLED, okay?

SPEAKER_06

I will. Thank you very much.

SPEAKER_05

Okay, Garrett, bye for now.

SPEAKER_06

All right, bye for now.

Outdoor Journal Radio Promo

SPEAKER_10

Hi, everybody, I'm Angelo Viola. And I'm Pete Bowman. Now, you might know us as the hosts of Canada's favorite fishing show, but now we're hosting a podcast.

SPEAKER_08

That's right. Every Thursday, Ans and I will be right here in your ears, bringing you a brand new episode of Outdoor Journal Radio.

SPEAKER_10

Hmm. Now, what are we going to talk about for two hours every week?

SPEAKER_08

Well, you know there's gonna be a lot of fishing.

SPEAKER_00

I knew exactly where those fish were going to be and how to catch them, and they were easy to catch.

SPEAKER_10

Yeah, but it's not just a fishing show. We're going to be talking to people from all facets of the outdoors, from athletes, all the other guys would go golfing, me and Garrison Turk, and all the Russians would go fishing.

SPEAKER_00

The scientists. And now that we're reforesting and letting things, it's the perfect transmission environment for line disease. To chefs, if any game isn't cooked properly, marinated for me, you will taste it.

SPEAKER_10

And whoever else will pick up the phone. Wherever you are, Outdoor Journal Radio seeks to answer the questions and tell the stories of all those who enjoy being outside.

SPEAKER_08

Find us on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.