COCHRANE— The Town of Cochrane has partnered with the Easter Bunny in a unique pilot project designed to ensure there is a bountiful harvest of Easter egg plants for this year's holiday celebrations.
“This has been a year where things have not been that fun so I reached out and the Easter Bunny was eager to partner on an Easter project,” said Mayor Jeff Genung. “It’s probably one of those little-known facts about Cochrane that we are a prime Easter egg growing area. The Easter Bunny has been so helpful in providing tricks and tips to creating the perfect harvest."
Cochrane is one of the perfect areas to grow Easter eggs because the extreme weather helps create the heartiest eggs in the country. The town has the perfect humidity, climate and elevation for the treats, but more importantly, the rich community connections provide the eggs with the sustenance they need.
The Town has established two teams of cohorts who have been working 24 hours a day taking care of the Easter egg plants for the past month.
The eggs will be harvested on Thursday (April 1) before noon.
The crews work in shifts singing lullabies and nursery rhymes to the prized possessions located at the Cochrane Ranche community garden.
“The lullabies are what it takes to create a really cool Easter egg,” Genung said. “I have actually sung a couple of lullabies to particular eggs that I’m hoping will find their way to a special family.”
The love and care shown to the treats have had a unique effect, Genung said, explaining they have taken on rich vibrant colours and each egg bears golden markings.
“No two are the same,” Genung said. “The gold on the eggs is the magic of Cochrane coming out on the shells.”
While the gold is of no monetary value, the price of the sparkle it will bring to Cochrane children’s eyes is priceless, Genung said.
Before the eggs are delivered to the Easter Bunny Genung has been personally inspecting each treat. He quickly learned what makes a great Easter egg.
“The Easter Bunny, as I understand it, does not partner with Towns easily and I am completely honoured. Anything he has asked me to do I have just done, no questions asked,” he said. "He has been so great in providing feedback and guidance on ensuring we create the best Easter eggs possible."
Genung will be participating in the final harvest on Thursday (April 1) and cannot wait to see the fruits of the Town's labours come to life.
“I’m just so happy that he allowed Cochrane to be a part of this special day,” Genung said.
Growing Easter egg plants has been a treasured family secret that has been passed down for generations, said Anything Grows head of marketing Andrea Heembrock.
The garden centre has been a long-standing supporter of the Easter Bunny and each year they help harvest Easter egg plants for the holidays.
“We’re pretty tight with the Easter Bunny, it’s been a project that we’ve been working on for several years,” Heembrock said.
Easter egg plants are known for their versatility, she said, but they do especially well in places like Cochrane that offer both warm and cold environments— Sometimes in the space of a day.
The Easter eggs in Cochrane are especially unique, she explained, because of the distinctive gold markings that appear each year. The markings are a reflection of the kindness and joy the Easter eggs experience in the Cochrane community.
“The amount of love and attention that is put into growing you’re Easter egg plant impacts the colours and metallics that come out in it,” Heembrock said. “It’s especially true for community gardens. When you have several people get together to pour that love and attention into one plant, or one group of plants, then there’s a concentration there.”
In preparation for the big day, someone will be with the eggs every hour of every day and this makes community gardens the perfect location for an Easter egg plant.
The egg's favourite forms of sustenance are nursery rhymes or lullabies, which make checking on the plants a great activity for families. Heembrock recommends those who help check on the plants engage in vocal exercises to ensure they are ready to sing to the eggs during their shift.
One of the best-kept secrets to growing an Easter egg plant is a treasured family formula developed at Anything Grows.
Each evening as a special treat for the plants, staff will ground Cadbury Mini Eggs and gently sprinkle them on the soil.
“Mini Eggs have all the nutrients an Easter plant needs, and the candy helps increase the vibrant colours of the Easter eggs,” Heembrock said. “It’s a really great way to help them thrive.”
Heembrock checks on the eggs at Anything Grows daily. She can tell an Easter egg may need additional attention if it is showing more pastel colours. This is easily rectified with some more singing— She has seen firsthand the colours instantly become more vibrant when the treat receives love and care.
“Singing, talking to the plants, even a little bit of petting the plants really helps those colours come out,” Heembrock said. “When they’re bright and metallic you know they are ready to be harvested.”
She noted one of the critical and often underrated aspects of harvesting Easter egg plants is ensuring all eggs are picked by noon on Thursday (April 1). Any eggs left untouched turn into rocks.
It is a short window of time, she said, but harvesting the eggs in the morning is the optimal time and will ensure they maintain their rich colour and brightness.
"We're getting ready for the big harvest. I can't wait for the community to see this year's collection of Easter eggs," Heembrock said. "It's always such an honour being part of the big Easter celebrations."
We hope you enjoyed our Cochrane, Easter egg, Easter Bunny tale for April Fools' Day. On behalf of the staff of the Cochrane Eagle, we wish you a very happy Easter.
