Thanksgiving - Let's Talk Turkey

It's harvest time in Canada and for many of us that means Thanksgiving. This annual feast, held the second Monday of October, gives Canadians the opportunity to gather as a family or with friends and celebrate the bounty that surrounds us.

Whether we are feeding 2 or 20 this feast will most likely feature a turkey as the centerpiece. Last year at Thanksgiving 3.0 million whole turkeys were purchased by Canadians, equal to 32% of all whole turkeys that were sold over the year.

For some useful information on the preparation and serving of turkey visit this website .  Whether it's the oven or the BBQ there are lots of helpful hints and wine and beer pairings as well.

Traditionally the dinner will also include harvest vegetables, pumpkin or apple pie and of course the bird.  There will be choices to be made of course, free range or store bought, to stuff or not to stuff, whole or half, whether to make gravy and is dinner on Sunday or Monday?

With the growth of the local food movement, getting your hands on fresh poultry and produce is easier than ever.  For anyone looking for new or tried and true recipes this year check out some of the many cookbooks and magazines at your local library.

Whatever your menu, have a wonderful weekend and be thankful for not only the harvest, your family and friends but the King of Thanksgiving dinner - the Turkey! 

Here are just a few of the books we have to help you prepare your menu:

Roastit! : Good housekeeping favorite recipes 

Thefarmers' market guide to vegetables

 

Better homes and gardens 365 pies and tarts

 

Patricia Milner, Head of Reference Services

Web Tool – Wordle

Wordle is amazing and best of all "fun".  It is a web tool that easily generates word clouds.  You don't need to download any software, login or create an account.  Simply go to www.wordle.net and begin to have fun.

You enter the words you wish to use; the more times a word appears, the larger that word is in the cloud.  You can copy and paste text or type directly into the form.  From the examples in the image to the left,  you will see three separate word clouds using the same set of words.  You can change the structure or direction in which the words are placed and the colours.  It is a great way to create an image when you don't have one specific to an event.  After you've created the image you can save it online, which means it is visible to others.  Or you can capture the image before it is saved to the web using Jing or the Windows Snipping Tool. 

A tip for keeping multiple words together is to leave out the space e.g. TwoWords or use the symbol “~” e.g. Two~Words.  This is useful when using names.

Have fun with this one.

Charlotte Janes,
Head of Systems and Administration

New Library Service Beginning this Fall!

 The Annapolis Valley Regional Library is proud to announce an exciting new service for our rural patrons beginning this fall.  Three satellite library sites will be set up in hub locations across the Valley as a pilot project.  These sites are in Summerville, Springfield, and Bear River.

The satellite library sites will be open to the public for four hours every three weeks, afternoon and early evening, increasing the convenience of library access to remote communities not served by a branch library.  Patrons can pick up books they have requested, return items, and browse for great books to read and movies to watch.

Library patrons can search our online catalogue of over 200,000 items to request materials.  Or call our toll free number 1-866-922-0229 ext. 234 and we'll be happy to help you with your reading needs!

So bring your library card and come meet with the staff of the Outreach Services Department at the Springfield Baptist Church on these Mondays from 3:00 – 7:00 PM:  Sept. 17, Oct. 9, Oct. 29, Nov. 19 and Dec. 10. Or try the Oakdene Center in Bear River on these Tuesdays from 3:00 – 7:00 PM: Oct. 2, Oct. 23, Nov. 13 and Dec. 4. In West Hants County the satellite site will be in the Avon Emporium in Summerville on these Tuesdays from 2:00 – 6:00 PM: Sept. 25, Oct. 16, Nov. 6, Nov. 27 and Dec. 18. Click here for more information.

Wendy Kearnes – Outreach Services Manager