Notes from the island

Community spread of Covid in Atlantic Canada is controlled again and Prince Edward Island has opened to other Atlantic Canadians. On July 18th, we open to all Canadians. Everyone must apply for a Prince Edward Island pass prior to coming here or returning home from a visit off-island. Proof of vaccination means one doesn’t have to self-isolate on arrival.

The most controversial move recently by the province has been the removal of the mask mandate indoors for fully vaccinated people. This move has caused mixed reaction from islanders. I am one week post second vaccination but I’m not sure if this time next week I will be ready to ditch the mask at stores and other indoor locations.

Islanders have been compliant with the masking directive throughout the pandemic but there have been reports of people harassing those who continue to wear masks indoors. I don’t understand such behaviour. If I wear a mask it doesn’t affect your freedom to do as you wish. The pandemic continues with an end within grasp…maybe.

I fell into a ditch on my bike this past week. We were cycling a remote section of trail with few users as evidenced by the overgrowth on the trail. That section had not been groomed yet this year. Over the thirty plus kilometres we only met one person. The thought that I would cycle off the narrow strip was in my head up to the time I did just that.

The bike is 27 kilograms or 60 pounds and isn’t easy to lift off oneself from among the bushes when hurt. However, riding wasn’t a problem after my husband helped me up although I did injure my ankle. It is sore and bruised still but not painful like it was the first day. It could have been much worse.

The garden grows despite the cold temperatures we’ve had recently. I planted seeds and plants June 7th and over a month in, tomatoes are forming as is cauliflower. The beans are staked and growing well as are the cucumber plants. Again this year the peppers don’t like my vegetable patch. Those plants aren’t thriving as are the others.

The potato fields around the island, supplying 25% of Canada’s need, are growing well too. The early potatoes look ready to blossom. Corn, mainly grown for silage, has grown well with the rain this past few weeks.

Tourists are returning to the island this summer. It is good to see businesses open again but some have succumbed to the pandemic leaving empty store fronts and closed motels and cottages. It will take a long time to recover from this pandemic.

The remnants of hurricane Elsa passed over the island this past weekend without much damage. High winds with the trees full of leaves can be devastating. We are happy not to have lost any old friends!

 

French River summer during the pandemic

The lookout over French River is where I take seasonal photos for the header of my blog. This place shows the connection between the land and sea on Prince Edward Island and it keeps drawing me back. However, the province wide shut-down of all but essential businesses due to Covid 19 has had a huge impact on this island. The pandemic has impacted this scene, more obviously in some ways than others.

Our most recent visit to the area occurred after the end of the spring lobster fishery when fishers had returned their traps to the wharf and fishing shacks. While the fishery began after a late start, decreased demand affected prices this year. Restaurants were closed for months and eventually opened with reduced capacity. Prices were down and demand decreased. 

Along the channel from the Gulf of St. Lawrence, the mussel beds hold their briny treasures, 

waiting for the boats to harvest them. However demand for this product is down this year too.

Meanwhile, in the fields, potatoes are in blossom already. 

However, there aren’t as many fields planted with potatoes this year. Covid has kept the demand for potatoes and many other food products down.

The golf course across the channel is open but not as busy as other years due to tourism restricted to Atlantic Canadians. 

Around the wharf, the heartbeat of the community, the gently rolling hills are lush and green. Everything looks serene.

While life continues through the pandemic, the economic lives of families who rely on the land and sea around French River and indeed all of Prince Edward Island has been hugely impacted. This peaceful scene doesn’t tell the whole story.

 

Fields in August

On a recent drive through the countryside on Prince Edward Island, my husband and I stopped to observe the colour and appearance of crops on both sides of the roads. 

Rural Prince Edward Island is farmland, rolling hills or flat land and along the coast, the sea is the backdrop. 

Haying has been underway for some time now

and potato fields are in bloom, 

as are the canola plants.

 Or is it canola? It is hard to tell these days, as farmers are also planting mustard which looks like yellow blooming canola to the untrained eye. 

Mustard plants are a natural fumigant to pests such as wire worm which damage potato crops. Farmers grow the brown mustard plants, then plow them under. During decomposition, the plants release the bio-fumigant into the soil which controls and kills insect pests. Such natural pest control is great for consumers.

We recently saw another unusual plant in the fields as well. This one is buckwheat, 

which has the same effect as the mustard plants. Both buckwheat and mustard plant blossoms are attractive to bees. Honey production is increased in areas where these plants grow. 

Meanwhile, wheat is a dusty straw colour 

and so is barley. 

I find it impossible to identify them from a distance.

Clover, a cover crop used in crop rotation to help restore nutrients to the soil, is in bloom as well. The purple fields line roads and shoreline.

The most curious discovery was a field of peas, a new crop for the island, to supply a new processing plant in western PEI.

These are a fraction of the crops grown on the island. However, the expansion of the industry to include peas and the bio-fumigant properties of and bee preference for mustard and buckwheat plants are all great news. Now if we only had some rain!