Deep Woods Dietitian

12/31/2025

Who says leftover candy canes have to gather dust? 🎄✨

Grab your trusty mallet, crush those canes, and whip up some super-easy peppermint bark in minutes! This quick New Year’s treat gives your holiday leftovers a delicious makeover. 😋

Plus, the silicone Stasher bag hack makes it mess-free and eco-friendly!

Check out the full video here: https://youtu.be/MI6-50hSEfY

Recipe details: https://www.deepwoodsdietitian.com/last-minute-peppermint-bark/

Happy New Year snacking!

Need a quick treat for your New Year's Eve? Here is a great idea on how to give your leftover holiday candy new life for the new year!These resuable, reseala...

12/03/2025

12/02/2025

Lots of options! 🎁

🎁 Day 1: Sustainable Gift Wrapping

Ditch traditional wrapping paper and add a creative flair to your gifts this holiday season, using materials like fabric, comic books or newspapers. Upcycle Artist recommends Japanese furoshiki wrapping (use cloth or fabric to wrap gifts) for a beautiful, eco-friendly touch.

🎶 Dashing through the store,
With reusable bags in tow,
Wrapping gifts with care,
Keeping garbage low.

Reduce landfill waste,
With every gift you wrap,
Use cloth and string, and other things,
To cut down on the scrap! 🎶

12/02/2025

Learned something new today:

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1FXcHuhGCy/

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11/29/2025

Birch syrup has a unique flavor! The sap is quite refreshing to drink too.

Our 🌿 Bridging Plants and People 🌿 series is back for November. This month we are featuring the birch tree/waskwayâhtik.

Although birch is well known for its use in making canoes, it has been used by Indigenous Peoples across Turtle Island for many other purposes. The sap, when made into syrup, can be used as a sweetener in things like coffee or with bannock. The wood is also used to make frames for snowshoes, as it can be steamed to make it bendable.

The birch tree/waskwayâhtik (like all trees) plays a crucial role in our environment by supporting biodiversity, stabilizing ecosystems, purifying air/reducing greenhouse gases, improving soil quality, preventing erosion, and providing habitat for birds and small mammals.

[Note: If you are inexperienced or uncertain, it is essential to have a knowledgeable expert with you when harvesting and utilizing plant
species to ensure safety and proper use.]

11/21/2025

No, that’s not Elphaba’s broom stuck in a tree… but it is a witches’ broom!

Called witches’ broom for a good reason, this occurs when the buds that make twigs and side shoots lose control, and multiple stems grow in a tangled and abnormal manner. The cluster grows from a central source on a tree, thus resembling a dense broom or a bird's nest. There are several causes of witches’ broom, such as fungal activity, or even due to insect damage. Or maybe it was caused by the Wicked Witch of the West? 🧙‍♀️

Learn more about Saskatchewan forests at https://www.saskatchewan.ca/business/agriculture-natural-resources-and-industry/forestry.

11/18/2025

Did you know planting native plants can attract beneficial insects to your garden? 🐞These include predators like lady beetles, lacewings, ambush bugs and hoverflies that naturally manage pests such as aphids, reducing the need for chemical controls and supporting a healthy ecosystem.

The Xerces Society recommends these top plants for attracting predatory species:
🌱Yarrow (Achillea millefolium)
🌱Pearly Everlasting (Anaphalis margaritacea)
🌱Asters (Symphyotrichum spp.)
🌱Goldenrod (Solidago spp.)

Other tips for success when planting a native plant garden include
🌿Plant a diversity of native flowers to provide nectar and pollen when prey is scarce.
🌿Ensure blooms from spring through fall so predators have food year-round.
🌿Avoid pesticides, even organic ones—they harm beneficial insects.
🌿Learn to recognize natural enemies: Lacewing larvae, for example, can consume hundreds of aphids in a week!

Learn more at Xerces Society: https://www.xerces.org/blog/planting-for-helpful-predators-how-natural-enemies-can-control-garden-pests-for-you

Check out our list of recommended native plants here:https://wildaboutsaskatoon.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Recommended-Plant-List-PPYXE-2024.pdf

Pollinator Paradise YXE is a project of Wild About Saskatoon, joyfully advocating for nature in Saskatoon, SK

11/16/2025

Are you looking for an unique gift this holiday season for the wildflower and pollinator enthusiast on your list? Check out our Pollinator Garden Seed Collection on our online store.

A seed collection of eight wildflower species. Includes individual seed packets of Prairie Coneflower, Smooth Aster, Gaillardia, Purple Prairie Clover, Bergamot, Black-eyed Susan, Stiff Goldenrod and Giant Hyssop. Comes with a mini booklet that includes a sample pollinator garden layout, instructions and tips for creating your own pollinator garden.

🐝 ✨️❣️🎄

10/29/2025

In botany, a berry is a fleshy fruit that develops from a SINGLE o***y of a flower:

Berries have a fleshy middle portion (pericarp), a soft outer peel (exocarp), and a soft area around the seeds (endocarp). They typically have many seeds, but can have just one.

Some examples of berries include grapes, currants, tomatoes, cucumbers, eggplants, persimmons, and bananas.

📖:Texas plants

10/27/2025

Looking for a winter activity to help you get through the cold, dark months?
Consider participating in Project FeederWatch! This citizen science project runs from November to April and welcomes birders of all skill levels, whether you're a novice or an expert. 🐦

To participate, all you need is a window with a view of some birds! A feeder isn’t required, but having one can help attract more birds for you to observe and record throughout the winter. You can join the project with a small donation (no minimum amount), and by following the simple protocol to count visiting birds, you'll contribute valuable data to this long-running citizen science initiative.

Learn more and register for Project FeederWatch here: https://www.birdscanada.org/you-can-help/project-feederwatch

For a gallery of common backyard birds to watch out for, check out website: https://wildaboutsaskatoon.org/feeding-winter-birds/

Wild About Saskatoon joyfully advocates for nature in beautiful Saskatoon, Saskatchewan.