My gardening situation is a little out of the ordinary, because our actual in-the-ground garden (that had been tended by my grandmother, then my mother) was covered with a berm to protect our old farmhouse in the wake of the flood of 2011 — you remember that flood, the latest “flood of the century.” Our acreage, lowest point in the neighbourhood, became a virtual island, and we were surrounded by acres of water that, at its worst, came within 20 feet of our house.

When we recovered our breath, the giant earthmovers arrived to create not only a causeway out of our 500-metre driveway, but also the aforementioned berm around the house. We lived beside the resulting “lake” for seven years. Thus, no garden bed anymore, and no likely spots within the berm or without where I could dig a new bed without more labour than I was willing to endure. Plus the quack grass, waiting to engulf any newly turned bed. I called it the quack grass conundrum. You know. So, my brother built raised beds for me. The tomato plants occupy one of them.

This spring, I didn’t start tomato seeds, but bought seedlings in a variety of heritage breeds, among them Sungold, Bonny Best, Wagner’s Blue-Green, Zena’s Gift, Chocolate Cherry, Principe Borghese, Roselle Purples and heritage beefsteak. In July, a hailstorm knocked the stuffing out of some plants, sending branches and blossoms flying. I adjusted my expectations accordingly.

Then the tomatoes started to set fruit and ripen. Some produced more flowers. Hopefully, I walked around the raised bed each day as I watered, assessing when I could start to pick. This year’s yield has been delicious, and last year’s heat dome that doomed my tomatoes to failure is now a faded memory.

Earliest off the stems were the Sungolds, as usual, those tangerine flavour bombs, handfuls of explosive tomato taste packed into a tiny globe. The first ones I harvested didn’t make it into the house — I’d walk in with my bowl full of basil and beans and Dave would say, “What? No ripe tomatoes yet?”

“I just grinned and shook my head. ‘No,’ was all I said,” as Canadian songwriter Robbie Robertson wrote in “The Weight.”

Well, the tomatoes are coming in now by the bowlful. Some I consign to the oven for my annual freezer-destined roasted tomato sauce festival. That sauce contributes to soup pots, bowls of pasta with Bolognese, chili, baked beans and whatever else comes to mind in midwinter. Some tomatoes we eat in salads of all sorts. Some I might dry. Others go into the oven to slump beside roasted peppers and carrots. Some of the smaller tomatoes still don’t make it past the kitchen door. Some are destined for salsa — fresh salsa, I mean, not its cooked and canned cousin — that I heap onto grilled slabs of sourdough bread for bruschetta, the messy knife-and-fork version of my early-season walking-around snack.

Tomato season is short, so we make the most of it. First we eat, then we make notes in our garden journals about which tomato varieties to plant next year.

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Imports of tomato and carrot seeds will be banned from a nursery of Satimex Quedlinburg, in Germany, as well as seeds for corn from a nursery of Limagrain Europe, in France, tomato seeds from a nursery of Axia Vegetable Seeds, in the Netherlands, and seeds for soybeans from a nursery of Semences Prograin, in Canada, Rosselkhoznadzor said in a statement.

Russia, the world’s largest wheat exporter, has long aimed to become less dependent on imported seeds for a number of crops but it still relies on foreign seeds for corn, some vegetables, sugar beet and sunflower.

Last week, Russia’s agriculture ministry proposed that the government limits seed imports by setting up quotas, aiming to stimulate domestic production.

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McCormick Canada, the Canadian arm of Baltimore-area condiment and spice maker McCormick and Co., on Monday announced it had completed a “multi-million dollar expansion” at its London, Ont. plant to blend, bottle and package French’s ketchup.

Bottling of French’s ketchup began at the London plant last month, the company said Monday, but added that “full production ramps up this week.” An exact dollar figure wasn’t given for the cost of the expansion.

McCormick said it would continue to source 100 per cent of its tomatoes for French’s ketchup in Canada from the Leamington, Ont. area and would continue to offer the product in four varieties: original, garlic, low-sodium, and no-sugar-added.

By bringing its ketchup line to London, McCormick said it would be “deepening its local roots” and transitioning away from a “third-party Canadian supplier.” The French’s line has been packed in Canada by Toronto-based Select Food Products since 2016.

McCormick has operated at London since 1959, when it bought the Club House brand of spices and extracts, a business founded there in 1883 by Gorman, Dyson and Co.

The French’s brand, along with Frank’s RedHot and others, came to McCormick in 2017 when it bought the food business of British consumer health and hygiene firm Reckitt Benckiser for US$4.2 billion.

Shortly before that sale, the French’s brand had made a splash in Canada by promoting its use of tomatoes grown in the Leamington area and by bringing the product’s bottling to Toronto.

Ketchup provenance by then had become a sore spot among some Canadian consumers, after Kraft Heinz shed its Leamington tomato processing plant in 2014 and began bottling its Heinz ketchup for the Canadian market at plants in the U.S.

Kraft Heinz sold the Leamington plant in 2015 to an Ontario consortium, Highbury Canco, and still sources some tomato products from the latter company. Kraft Heinz also announced last November it would resume packing Heinz ketchup in Canada for the Canadian market, this time at its plant in Montreal. –– Glacier FarmMedia Network

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The U.S.-based food processing giant and the Quebec government on Nov. 17 announced the expansion plan for the company’s Mont Royal plant, which today makes products such as KD Mac + Cheese, Philadelphia cream cheese, Renee’s dressings and Kraft peanut butter.

The new ketchup line is expected to start operating in late summer of 2021 and produce over 100 million pounds of Heinz ketchup for the Canadian market within its first two years, “as production ramps up.”

The expansion is expected to add about 30 jobs at Mont Royal and help maintain about 750 more, provincial Transport Minister Chantal Rouleau said in a release from investment agency Investissement Quebec International.

Heinz ketchup sold in Canada has been made at plants in the U.S. since 2014, shortly after the company said it would shut its processing plant at Leamington, Ont., southeast of Windsor. Kraft Heinz reached a deal the following summer to sell that plant to a consortium of Ontario investors operating as Highbury Canco.

Kraft Heinz today bills itself as Highbury Canco’s largest customer, using Leamington-grown tomatoes in Heinz tomato juice and canned beans and Classico pasta sauces, among other non-ketchup goods. Kraft Heinz also still runs a tomato seed operation out of Leamington, supplying most processing-grade Heinz tomato seeds used on farms in Eastern Canada and the eastern U.S.

But the provenance of Heinz ketchup sold in Canada since 2014 has been a sore spot for some consumers, who vowed on social media to seek out rival ketchups made at plants within Canada.

“Kraft Heinz Canada is pleased to partner with the Quebec government on this investment in bringing ketchup production back to Canada from the U.S.,” Bruno Keller, president for Kraft Heinz Canada, said Nov. 17 in the company’s release.

“Through our partnership with Quebec and increased efficiencies at our Mont Royal facility, it became possible to return this iconic product back to Canada for Canadians at this time.”

Other media outlets have quoted company representatives as saying the tomatoes feeding the Montreal plant will at first continue to come from U.S. farms with which the company has contracts, though more of those tomatoes may be sourced from Canada in the future.

The Montreal plant, Keller said, “has been an important part of the Quebec economy for over six decades, and we are delighted to be able to help feed more Canadians every day thanks to investments like this one.”

The Quebec government’s hand in the project is a $2 million loan from Investissement Quebec’s ESSOR program, which offers loans, loan guarantees or financial assistance to”substantial long-term development projects” carried out within Quebec involving eligible expenditures of at least $100,000.

“With this new production line, (Kraft Heinz) is taking concrete steps to ramp up local production and continue its growth here,” Stephane Paquet, CEO of Montreal economic development agency Montreal International, said in Investissement Quebec’s release.

“This decision is proof positive that foreign subsidies too have a role to play in promoting and expanding local sourcing.”

Heinz’s relationship with Canada dates back to 1909, when Henry Heinz picked Leamington as “the most suitable site” for a pickle packing plant, the first expansion of his company’s operations outside the U.S. — Glacier FarmMedia Network

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In the notice, which was seen by Reuters, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency said the restrictions also apply to families of fruits that include apples, pears, cranberries, blueberries, peppers, potatoes and tomatoes. It was not clear if other countries are affected.

“Please note that the CFIA is working with industry to propose pest risk mitigation measures to the EU for these commodities, which may allow exports to resume,” said the notice.

The new European Union rules do not apply to frozen and dried fruit. There should also be no issues with sea containers that arrive in the EU with export documents dated before Sept. 1, the agency said.

The EU office in Ottawa and Canadian Agriculture Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Canada’s agriculture sector already faces other trade disputes, including an ongoing spat with China over Canadian canola, pork and beef.

Beth Cavers, a program administrator with the B.C. Cherry Association, said the pending EU ban should not affect this year’s cherry harvest, which wrapped up on Thursday, as the fruit is packed and shipped immediately.

It could, however, have serious implications for the 2020 harvest if unresolved, she added.

“There were some indications that they were reviewing this, but we didn’t know they were just going to shut down the border to cherries like this,” Cavers said by telephone when asked if industry had received prior notice.

In 2018, Canada shipped about $3.1 million in cherries to the EU.

— Kelsey Johnson reports on Canadian economics for Reuters from Ottawa.

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Under the deal, the vast majority of Mexican tomato exports will be subject to border inspections. Still, the accord provides a measure of relief to Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador in his dealings with the Trump administration.

In May, the U.S. Commerce Department imposed a 17.5 per cent tariff on Mexican tomatoes after the two sides failed to renew an earlier agreement that halted a U.S. anti-dumping probe. Since then, the two sides have held negotiations in search of a deal.

Calling the outcome of talks “good news” that kept the U.S. market open for tomato exporters, Marquez said on Twitter that the accord between the U.S. Commerce Department and Mexican producers had been reached shortly before midnight on Aug. 20.

A deal needed to be reached by Tuesday night to allow for a 30-day comment period before a Sept. 19 Commerce Department deadline for completing its anti-dumping investigation.

In a joint statement, several Mexican agricultural associations including the SPTN tomato producers group, said the accord included a “controversial proposal” to carry out border inspections on 92 per cent of exports to the U.S. for quality control purposes.

The deal also envisaged raising the reference price of specialty tomatoes, and an increase of 40 per cent in the price of organic tomatoes above that of conventional ones, it said.

Earlier this month, the Mexican government had rejected as “totally unacceptable” a proposal to subject all tomato exports from Mexico to border inspections.

Relations between president Lopez Obrador and his U.S. counterpart Donald Trump have been strained over trade and immigration. However, the origins of the tomato spat predate the New York real estate magnate’s time in the White House.

The current tomato agreement face its next so-called “sunset review” by September 2024, the statement added.

According to the Mexican government, there are some 1.5 million tomato growers in Mexico, and exports of the product to the United States are worth around US$2 billion annually.

The U.S. is also by far the largest buyer of Canadian tomato exports, accounting for about 98 per cent of Canada’s international sales of the crop.

The total value of Canada’s U.S.-bound exports of fresh and chilled tomatoes reached C$385.9 million in 2018 — down from C$410.9 million in 2017, but up from each of the previous four years, according to Statistics Canada.

— Reporting for Reuters by Dave Graham and Sharay Angulo. Includes files from Glacier FarmMedia Network staff.

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I’m not surprised to discover that fruit trees are selling out twice as fast this year and sales of started vegetable plants and herbs are also way, way up at garden centres. More folks than ever are developing an appetite for gardening, self-sufficiency and building their own little corner of heaven on earth. Some are also sticking closer to home this year and taking shorter vacations or none at all because of the economy, inflation, high food prices, a high variety of taxes and various other reasons. It’s important to teach our children gardening skills and techniques they’ll never forget and carry with them through into adulthood. Back to nature has settled in stronger than ever and I’m included. I know folks who love their gardens so much they can hardly wait to get home from work and get into the garden.

Have you ever tried a home remedy that worked to be either useful in the garden or for a health issue? The world is full of ancient gardening and healing secrets and many are being reactivated again. If you’ve tried any, let me know what works or hasn’t worked for you. I’m sharing a bit of nostalgia and history on the old-fashioned mustard plaster further along and some gardening insights from readers as a starter. But before their comments begin, here’s my usual tip of the hat with a welcome as wide as the land of living skies. Hello Saskatchewan! To quote its tourism department: “At most times, Saskatchewan’s Living Skies command attention. From sunsets that seem to set the sky on fire to brilliant cloud pictures on a bright-blue canvas — the motion and movement of the sky is breathtaking.” Chris my son, The Accordion Guy is in Saskatoon playing Canadian and international tunes from the heart on his 120 bass Brandoni. Among his many originals is “The Prince Albert Waltz.” He’s one of Canada’s best accordionists, but then that’s a father’s opinion. Howdy P.A. up there in north-central Saskatchewan.

Sharing what readers write

Got a letter way back when from Mike Zolinski, Box 374, Arborg, Manitoba R0C 0H0. He says, “an elderly lady gave me ‘No Name’ tomato seeds over 20 years ago and I’ve been growing them each year since. Plants are about 2-1/2 feet tall, require staking, can weigh two to three pounds each, making them great for slicing.” When Mike and I later spoke on the phone, here’s what else he told me. “I spread well-aged 20-year-old barn manure over the soil and till it under. This year I have 10 ‘No Name’ tomato plants on the go. In addition I’ve planted ‘Big Daddy’ tomato plants.” Mike indicated that fruits are advancing nicely in size on both varieties as we spoke. Once they’re well ripened and ready to harvest Mike says, “I make tomato juice out of them and when ready to drink I spice it up with a jolt of Tabasco sauce and a can of beer.”

Kristine Sandboe from La Glace, Alberta writes: “Dear Ted, I am 86 years old and have been enjoying your Singing Gardener page for many years. It’s what I read first before passing Grainews magazine to my oldest of three sons who all farm about 30 miles northwest of Grande Prairie. I still have a large garden and do lots of cooking for my sons in the spring and fall. I find your gardening hints interesting, such as the skim milk powder for blossom end rot. I pulverize eggshells and that works also. An appreciative reader.”

Short note from Ted: As a bonus to your tomatoes, sprinkle two tablespoons of powdered skim milk around each plant every two weeks and water it in until the end of August.

Trudy Mahussier from Bjorkdale, Saskatchewan, says: “I grow Longkeeper and a variety of tomatoes in my garden and greenhouse. In 2017, I had the last Longkeeper in late January and in 2018 it was on February 28 that I ate the last one. I read your column first thing when the paper arrives. Real good tips and ideas. Happy gardening.” In her letter dated February 12, 2019 Trudy wrote: “I have one tomato left and will probably have it for lunch.”

From Ruth E. Neill, at Kelwood, Manitoba: “Hello Mr. Meseyton. When I receive my copy of Grainews, your article is the first one I read! Your articles are very interesting and informative. As well, they generate topics for conversation. Many years ago I encouraged a child to plant some seeds and they grew. Unfortunately, we didn’t follow the plants through to maturity. Your article in Graphic Leader, Jan. 31, 2019, Strawberry Seeds, has inspired me to get some seeds to pass on to a friend who is interested in strawberry plants. In gratitude, Ruth E. Neill.”

Ted says: Thanks Ruth for the easy-to-read hand-printed letter.

Last but not least from the desk of Helen Bially comes the following: “Jan. 10, 2019. Dear Ted, I moved from Tolstoi to Emerson, Manitoba, although I miss my garden. But I will plant some veggies by my new home. Presently the flowering plants (not many) that were brought in during fall are doing well, along with the flowering Christmas cactus. The begonias are in bloom but I reckon the cactus not in bloom must be a Thanksgiving cactus??

Wishing you a rewarding and productive year. With interest, I read Grainews from page 39, the first issue of 2019. Also — with interest, I read your article on dowsing. My dad was able to do the dowsing routine which in my earlier days I didn’t make too much understanding of such a gift. PS My son also has the gift. Will say once again — Happy 2019. Sincerely, Helen Bially.”

Ted says: Thanks Helen for your hand-printed letter. I’m not surprised that Helen’s son has the gift as she has passed it on to her son from her father. As I’ve mentioned in previous Grainews columns, legend and folklore say that the power of water dowsing is inherited from mother to son and from father to daughter. Only about one in 10 is handed the gift from the good place above. Some of the 90 per cent who can’t do it think it’s fake, pretend, or put on. I’m working on another story on this subject for a future Grainews article on this page. Call it what you will — water dowsing, divining or witching — but it works.

An ancient healing practice

How to stop a runny nose

Many will recall the so-called good old mustard plaster on the chest. This brief account comes from the land of Ukraine in Eastern Europe from whence many outstanding Ukrainian heritage and heirloom tomato varieties have immigrated to Canada and are now growing in Canadian gardens. However, this is not a tomato story.

Dry mustard in powder form is among the best remedies in herbal medicine and Ukrainian villagers at one time used mustard paste applied on the heel of each foot to abort a runny nose that was often the forerunner to a cold settling in or one that had already been established. Such a practice quickly brought blood to the surface of the skin and thus began the healing process. Here’s how the process works.

To protect skin against the heat that mustard evokes, the heels of each foot were lightly oiled. To prepare: combine one tablespoon of mustard powder with three tablespoons of flour and a tablespoon more or less of room-temperature water. The paste should not be loose or runny and is applied directly to the heels of the feet, although it can also be encased in a cloth as a poultice. Once the mustard is applied, a flannel cloth is wrapped around each foot to retain the heat. A pair of woollen socks are then put on. The feet should start to tingle and get very warm, even very hot. Tolerance to heat varies with each individual. Wash off the paste immediately to avoid burning the skin if the remedy appears uncomfortable or exceptionally hot. If the heat seems tolerable the plaster can be kept on for one or two hours. Use a timer or set an alarm clock in case you fall asleep, or have someone wake you up. This is strong medicine but those who’ve tried it say a runny nose will be gone in the morning.

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To think a single packet of tomato seeds has spoken such volumes and attracted so much mail has deeply touched yours truly beyond all telling. Thank you, thank you, many times over to all readers and fellow gardeners for your outpouring of letters, cards and comments received during and since my tomato seeds draws. They are as gifts to me. I must be doing something right. Some of the experiences, tips and tricks that many of you shared with me begin today with more to come in future. Writing letters on paper and sending them by mail is still a personal choice among many and that’s a good thing.

My past experience in broadcast media takes my thoughts back to something similar to what Tommy Hunter used to say at the conclusion of his CBC TV shows: “If the good Lord’s willing and the creek doesn’t run dry, I’ll be back again next time.”

I’ve got a good crop of hair on my head and as I write this, the moon’s energy has entered the third quarter and is decreasing in light. It’s a good time for me to go get a haircut from hairdresser Victoria if I don’t want it to grow so fast. I’ll conclude my “this and that” with a little run of the following words. Welcome good people and a tip o’ the hat from me and my hand-drawn image of the very first Tilley I bought. It’s time again to gather around the Grainews reading table.

Ted shares readers’ handwritten letters

One thing I’ve discovered is this. The art of writing letters among Grainews readers is not lost and it’s time to share. Juliana Melenka from Lamont, Alberta writes: “Ted, thank you ever so much for the package of Cosmonaut Volkov tomato seed. My eyes lit up when I saw the envelope. I love to grow plants, although now alone, I grow things and give away the produce as this community is with a lot of elderly who don’t have anywhere to plant and are not physically able to. There’s nothing to beat like going to the plants, taking off the vegetable and eating it right then and there. Keep up your wonderful work. May God bless you with lots of good health and happiness. You are a blessing passing on your knowledge, also making us aware it is never too late to learn something new.”

That was great hand printing there Juliana in blue ink. — Ted

Mrs. Phyllis Holodniuk at Ver­egin, Sask., writes: “Hi Ted. I have been a reader of your interesting column in Grainews and saved most of them to look back on when needing information. I’ve planted a garden for the last 45 years with the same cutworm problem. I finally discovered how to control them so they didn’t eat my garden. On each side of the rows I applied tree chips close together. The wood chips were gathered from trees under power lines that were cut down by the power company in 2017. Anyone who wanted could take home the wood chips. I put down a lot of them. Vegetables came up thick and straight and I lost only one plant to a cutworm. I believe the chips were too coarse for them. After a very successful and plentiful garden I was able to share with neighbours. Mike worked the wood chips into the garden soil at fall time where they eventually sort of became mulch. Now this year, 2019, I’m going to use wood chips again. Just thought I’d share a simple and inexpensive control of cutworms and slugs. I don’t have a computer or an email and just write letters. I enjoy reading your pages and hope you’ll be doing them for a long time to come. Thanks.”

A great example of sharing and learning, courtesy of Phyllis. — Ted

Margaret Arnett of Prince George, B.C., writes the following on very iconic stationery with images of a clover leaf, a horseshoe, an Easter egg, musical notes, an apple, a carrot, a zucchini, a garden watering can and more: “Hello Ted. Just to let you know I received my Cosmonaut Volkov tomato seeds. Thank you so much. I was very happy to be one of your 12 winners. I look forward to planting these seeds and will do my best to get a good yield. Sometimes our seasons are very short. I have a small greenhouse so it does help. I’ll try singing your songs. All the best to your family. Keep on singing. Sincerely, Margaret.”

And I reciprocate with the best to Margaret and Richard Arnett — Ted

Rose Swidzinski from Grandview, Man., writes: “Dear Ted: I sent a request over Portage radio ‘Request Show’ for your birthday back in October but don’t know if you heard it or not. My garden was smaller but still had plenty of everything with lots to share with family and friends. On January 10 this year I still had 15 tomatoes I’m using that I grew from my own crop last year. They are called (Kabits) and still enjoying them. They are a smaller variety but I like them as they are low acid. Hope we have a good year 2019 for our gardeners and farmers for all their crops. I really enjoy Grainews. Keep up the good work and may God bless you a thousandfold.”

Ted says: Thanks Rose for writing. I missed the radio request over CFRY last year so shall make a point of listening this fall. As an add-on to the tomato grown by Rose, there’s a variety called “Kibit’s Ukrainian” available from Heritage Harvest Seed at Carman, Man. It’s a very early, compact, determinate tomato that grows well in containers. Fruits are an elongated red and quite juicy, perfect for snacking and in salads. The plants are abundantly productive to the point of becoming literally covered with tomatoes in only 65 days. There’s a possibility that Kabits grown by Rose and Kibit’s Ukrainian are one and the same variety of tomato.

Let’s grow garden peas

Gardeners can harvest more peas and beans with the assistance of a garden inoculant available at many garden centres. It’s like a probiotic that kick-starts the nitrogen fixation process. Inoculant powder contains special bacteria that ensures a better harvest by drawing nitrogen from the atmosphere and soil and shows up as swollen nodes along the roots. Add a pinch of inoculant into a jar and just enough water to cover then give it a swirl to mix. Next add some peas and give another swirl, just enough to moisten the pea seeds with a bit of inoculant. Most peas are a cool-weather crop and early-spring planting is ideal. Wear gloves and poke individual holes one inch deep and two inches apart then drop in a pea seed, cover over, tamp down and water. Once pea plants are up, side dress with compost and bone meal to provide minerals and nutrients needed for healthy growth. Practically all peas require some kind of support to climb onto so get creative and make trellises using bamboo sticks, tree branches, pieces of wire fencing or whatever. If peas are sown during late summer poke planting holes two inches deep where soil is cooler and usually still moist. As heat intensifies in mid- to late summer pea roots want to get further down into the ground where there’s moisture and less warmth.

From the good old days

Remember this when Grandma once upon a time placed her home-baked apple pies made with homegrown apples on the windowsill to cool? Now in 2019 her granddaughter sets her store-bought apple pies from the freezer compartment on the windowsill to thaw.

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“The Department of Commerce remains committed to ensuring that American domestic industries are protected from unfair trading practices,” Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross said in a statement. “We remain optimistic that there will be a negotiated solution.”

The tariff will go into effect in about a week.

Mexican Deputy Economy Minister Luz Maria de la Mora said Monday that U.S. consumers will face financial impacts after they could not reach agreement.

“We’re very disappointed but the good news is that negotiations continue, looking for a solution. And we hope that in the coming weeks we can in fact reach an agreement,” de la Mora said.

Mexico exports around US$2 billion worth of tomatoes to the U.S. annually, according to de la Mora.

Mexican imports account for just over half of the U.S. tomato market, according to the Florida Tomato Exchange.

Ross said the U.S. will refund any tariff deposits if a new deal is reached or if the U.S. International Trade Commission determines there is no injury based on its own independent investigation.

Ross said in early February that the U.S. would resume an anti-dumping investigation into Mexican tomatoes, withdrawing from a so-called suspension agreement that halted the anti-dumping case as long as Mexican producers sold their tomatoes above a pre-determined price. U.S. growers and lawmakers say that deal has failed.

A trade war over tomatoes has been averted twice since the 1990s, most recently in the 2013 deal that put a price floor on Mexican tomatoes sold in the U.S. while barring U.S. growers from pursuing anti-dumping charges against Mexican exporters.

Fruit and vegetable growers in the southeastern U.S. had persuaded the Trump administration to seek the ability to impose seasonal anti-dumping duties against Mexican produce in negotiations to update the North American Free Trade Agreement. But the demand was withdrawn in the final talks over the U.S.-Mexico-Canada trade deal reached last October.

A month later, the Florida Tomato Exchange, which represents growers in the state, petitioned the Commerce Department to terminate the 2013 tomato pact. It argued that the agreement could not be enforced and contained too many loopholes through which Mexican growers could dump tomatoes in the U.S. market.

The U.S. is also by far the largest buyer of Canadian tomato exports, accounting for about 98 per cent of Canada’s international sales of the crop.

The total value of Canada’s U.S.-bound exports of fresh and chilled tomatoes reached C$385.9 million in 2018 — down from C$410.9 million in 2017, but up from each of the previous four years, according to Statistics Canada.

— David Shepardson is a Reuters reporter covering U.S. trade and transportation issues from Washington. Includes files from Glacier FarmMedia Network staff.

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A joyous young couple recently welcomed their second daughter into the family and named her Missy Moriah. I then learned that Missy originates from the English name “Melissa,” meaning “resembling a honeybee.” That spurred me on to show a picture on this page of a honeybee on hop-like pink flowers on a Bristol Cross Oregano plant.

On the way home their first daughter began singing:

We’re bringing home our baby bumblebee,
Won’t Mom and Daddy be so proud oh gosh oh gee,
We’re bringing home our baby bumblebee,
I’m her big sister and her first name is Missy.

In case you’re wondering, her second name Moriah is a Hebrew word that means “God is my teacher of the hill country.” Folklore says: Babies born a day after the full moon enjoy success and endurance.

Then it popped into my head that I should introduce some newer hybrid tomato varieties with brief descriptions and where to get seeds. My Grainews readers are a good bunch of people and I’m so glad to have you tag along with me.

Here comes the tip o’ my hat to all. Tipping one’s hat was once an especially popular outward and respectful thing to do when welcoming someone. Or it also meant a gesture of pride, thanks and appreciation upon meeting someone or acknowledging any good deed done. So gentlemen — the next time you raise or tilt the brim of your hat,  it could be a salutation, a greeting and a mark of respect for any of the aforesaid.

After a cold winter – what’s next?

So what do you think of the winter just past, or is it hanging on where you are? Folklore says that a tough outer skin on an apple predicts a hard winter. Do you recall the structure of its skin the last time you bit into an apple a day to keep the doctor away?

You’ve heard it said, “I am not the prophet, only the messenger.” That got me to wondering whether climate change has in any way impacted the following predictions. In past, traditional weather forecasters have claimed 80 per cent accuracy. We’re being told that Canada will be singing in the rain this spring. Sure — there’s a song with a similar name and I’d rather sing about it than wear rain boots and carry an umbrella as an expression of this spring’s fashionable outerwear. What else is on the weather menu? The only exception seems to point a finger to Atlantic Canada where below-normal precipitation is the order during spring days. In the rest of the country we can look forward to many rainy or some kind of moisture spring days. As for spring temperatures from Atlantic to Pacific they’re expected to be near or below normal right across the nation.

Regardless – let’s se some tomatoes

Three of the best dates, according to the man and woman in the moon, for seeding annual veggies and annual flowers including tomatoes are March 15, March 16 and April 11, 2019. Secondary best days are March 17 through until March 20 and April 12 through until April 19, 2019.

Next, let’s move along to some hybrid tomatoes. If some varieties grown in past were found to be too acidic for you, try adding a few grains of white sugar over tomato slices, or give a very light dusting of powdered stevia, (available at health food stores and some pharmacy and grocery stores) or add a drop or two of liquid honey. The other option is to grow tomato varieties with just the right amount of acidity — not too much, not too little. You can also grow stevia plants in your garden.

Goldmine, Chef’s Choice Yellow and Chef’s Choice Orange are slicers and each has a distinct taste, yet less acid compared to deep-red tomatoes. Then there’s “Sweet Gold” an excellent large yellow cherry tomato that doesn’t crack while “Sweet ‘N’ Neat Yellow” is an ultra-compact cherry tomato especially suited for outdoor patios, decks and window boxes.

Over on the red side are the following tomatoes with more acidity as part of their nature. What I like about “Polbig” is the very round, firm and fleshy red fruits with excellent yield that start to ripen in only 55 days after transplanting outside. “Polbig” is also well adapted to short growing seasons and cold regions, so gardeners in the near and high north take note of that.

Every tomato gardener I’ve spoken with who’s planted “Celebrity” can’t say enough good things about it. Strong plants produce firm, large dark-red fruits with exceptional taste that are ripe and ready to pick in just 70 days or so.

Then there’s other red varieties including “Mountain Merit” with good resistance to multiple diseases common in home gardens including late blight. “Mountain Merit” is an all-purpose flavourful tomato perfect for sandwich making and in side dishes. “Mountain Magic” is a good-size cocktail cherry tomato with some pretty high marks. Dark-red fruits can be harvested in clusters, are tolerant to cracking and have a long shelf life. Want to grow a tomato in both the greenhouse and garden? Then red “Sweetheart” is a good choice. It has a remarkable tolerance to cracking and great taste. “Pozzano” (see photo) is an Italian tomato producing elongated attractive fruits that hang in clusters with a slightly narrow waistband in the middle.

All the above tomatoes and many others, plus a large selection of everything from alyssum to zinnia flowers and asparagus to zucchini vegetables and everything in between are available from W.H. Perron & Co. Seeds and Accessories, located in Laval, Que. For customer service or to request a complimentary copy of their Special Edition 90 years of service to Canadians catalogue, phone toll free 1-800-723-9071 or contact via email at mail@whperron.com.

Do you avoid cilantro?

Ninety per cent like it — 10 per cent don’t. Many chefs on cooking shows and recipe writers tout, proclaim and promote the use of cilantro herb in cooking. You’re not alone if you have an aversion to it. Many in the 10 per cent group including yours truly say it tastes like soap or something unpalatable. Studies indicate it may be due to a genetic variant. I equate those same percentages when it comes to dowsing for water but sort of use those percentages in a reversed way. Ten per cent have the gift to locate underground streams by dowsing and 90 per cent are unable to do so. More on water dowsing in a soon-to-read future article.

Are you bilingual?

Here’s an account from things Mother used to say. You can tell it to children if any are hesitant or not wanting to learn another language. The story goes like this. Mother mouse and her family went for a walk one day and met up with a cat. Mother mouse quickly barked “bow-wow!” and the cat ran away. “See children?” said the wise mother. “It pays to know a second language.”

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