August General Meeting: Guest Speaker Karen Hollingshead, "Preserving the Harvest"

Late summer is a great time to learn how to preserve the bounty produced from our gardens. Tonight's speaker will cover techniques such as dehydrating, freezing, preserving and canning; and will share some recipes that can be applied to our own harvested edibles.

If you were ever to experience a food shortage, Karen Hollingshead would be the perfect next door neighbor. With the help of her dehydrator, steam juicer, canners, freeze dryer and vacuum sealer, her densely planted 800-square-foot garden feeds not only herself and her husband Steve, but also both sets of parents.
Karen's fascination with gardening and preserving was sparked by childhood visits to her Danish grandparents' home in North Toronto where she enthusiastically helped with all of the annual preserving rituals. A past-president of the Bolton and District Horticultural Society, Karen is passionate about sharing the many valuable skill-sets of self-reliance that are quickly being forgotten. For more homesteading hints, Karen invites you to follow her on Instagram @hilltop.hygge.homestead.  

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Tonight's guest speaker is planning to attend the meeting in-person. Should inclement weather prevent her from traveling to Richmond Hill, a live video broadcast of her remote participation will be projected onto a large screen in the auditorium.

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Second Flower Show of 2025

In-person meeting attendees are invited to enjoy the Summer and Rose Flower Show following tonight's guest speaker presentation.
Please consider exhibiting specimens from your own garden (More info.). Entries need to arrive by 6:15 pm and new participants should contact our Flower Show Director for support and an exhibitor number.

Members: Instructions for participation in this virtual and in-person event will be emailed to members twice - once on the Friday prior to the meeting, and again on Monday. Instructions are also available by logging into our site and checking the "members-only" version of this event. 

Visitors: Guests are welcome to participate in this virtual and in-person event at a nominal fee of $5.00. Instructions for participation will be emailed to non-society members who complete the registration process prior to the event start time.

About In-Person Attendance at the McConaghy Centre: 

• Doors to the auditorium open at 7:00 pm 
• The meeting begins promptly at 7:30 pm
• Please bring a mug or cup if you would like hot coffee or tea
• All attendees are encouraged to register online for inclusion in door prize draws
• Masks are not required, but are encouraged