It's not what you do for your children, but what you have taught them to do for themselves, that will make them successful human beings. - Ann Landers

Martin and Jeannie have been blessed with three remarkable children. They were asked to share what they like about living on the farm.

Konstantijn is nine going on eighteen. She is serious and thoughtful and one with whom you can have an engaging conversation.

Konstantijn: My favourite thing about living on a farm is getting to see all the animals, especially the cows. I also like picking raspberries in the morning when it's cool. We just got a puppy named Harriett and I have fun playing with her and the cat Rosette.

Mathijs and Marseilles are six.

Precise Mathijs is a man of detail. He can look at a problem and logically come to a sensible solution.

Mathijs: My favourite thing to do is pick strawberries, weeding, and helping build the brick oven.

Marseilles is like her name – fun and free spirited. But, don't be fooled. She's able to read at a grade 9 level and can hold her own in conversations at the dinner table.

Marseilles: I like collecting eggs.

You may have met these young entrepreneurs this summer selling lemonade at the front door of the store. And few could resist their charm.

Jonathan, our media man, has another adventure in the works. He has joined Peter Fiorino, Mavick Media, to form Media Goes, a documentary film company.

From September 21 to October 15, Media Goes will be documenting the adventures encountered traveling the West Coast from Vancouver, British Columbia to San Diego, California, across to Las Vegas, Nevada.

The documentary will highlight extreme sports, including rock climbing, mountain biking, and parkour, as well as amazing tourist spots and nightlife of the cities along the way.

Media Goes will build an online following and create an eight-part web series. Thus far, they have major sponsorships from Subaru, which is providing a wrapped vehicle, the WFPF (World Freerunning and Parkour Federation) who have 80,000+ Facebook likes and YouTube subscribers, and of course, Harvest Haven.

You may be interested in this novel opportunity. Learn more about their enterprise and how you can participate by going to MediaGoes.com.

Visit us at the Downtown Farmers' Market located in Festival Square, 3rd Avenue and 6th Street South Wednesdays from 10:00 A.M. to 3:00 P.M.
Only one market left after this one! Then, you'll have to shop at our inconvenient, local, on-farm store again, a whole eight minutes from the edge of town.

Get your garden-fresh pickle and relish ingredients – tomatoes, cucumbers, zucchinis, onions, and garlic. Herbs and spices, too.

We'll have more of those sweet locally-grown organic red watermelons this week.

The last Downtown Farmers' Market is September 6. After that, the store will be open again on Wednesdays.

Here comes the fresh lamb!

We'll have cuts available in the store Friday afternoon, September 1 and September 8.

If you would like a whole lamb or special cuts, let us know as soon as possible. Call 403-329-9157 or email: solutions@harvesthaven.com.

Fresh whole chicken will be available September 13 – 15 and fresh chicken parts the afternoon of September 15.

This is when you stock your freezer for the winter.

Let us know how many whole birds and what parts you would like. Call 403-329-9157 or email: solutions@harvesthaven.com.

Back to School Specials...

Sirloin Tip Roast- Sale $11.49/lb Reg. $13.49/lb (See Recipe Box)

Bresaola, 4 oz- Sale $5.79 Reg. $6.29

Beef Salami, 4 oz - Sale $4.29 Reg $4.79

Turkey Salami, 4 oz - Sale $5.29 Reg. $5.79

Harvest Haven Apples- Sale $6/bag Regular $7/bag (See Recipe Box)

Nuts to You Organic Crunchy Peanut Butter, 500 g Sale $9.49 Reg. $9.99 (See Recipe Box)

Crofter's Strawberry and Raspberry Jam, 385 mL-Sale $5.49 Reg. $6.49 (See Recipe Box)

Lakeview Organic Bread, all varieties- Sale 15% off (See Recipe Box)

Kiju Organic Juice Boxes, 4 pack- Sale $4.29 Regular $4.69

Please note, all ingredients in our recipes are organic.

Grilled Peanut Butter and Jam Sandwich

A Sad Sheep Story with a Harriett Ending

The phone rings. It's Martin.

"I have good news and bad news."

I brace myself for the bad news.

Martin proceeds. "James came to work this morning and found the sheep next to the corrals. He thought that was strange because they were supposed to be grazing the cut oats in the far field.

"I couldn't tell for sure if we were missing any, so I went out to where they were seen the night before. What I found was distressing. There were only bones of a lamb left, totally stripped clean…nothing left to be able to identify which one it was. Coyotes!

"With it being so dry this summer, they are getting bolder. That's it! We need a guardian dog."

The good news Martin shared was overwhelmed by the feelings of sadness at the loss of the lamb. It always seems that way – no matter how good the news, losses always make a greater impact.

"See what's available for a good dog, Martin. Ask for recommendations."

As Martin scrolled through the internet, "Here's a Great Pyrenees and Maremma cross. And it's close by. Don't see anything else that looks appropriate."

After dinner that evening, Martin took a drive to see the puppy. In his introduction to the owner, Martin said he was from Harvest Haven.

"Well, how about that! My niece works there," said the farmer.

Another phone call from Martin.

"Check your email. I sent you a picture."

Sure enough, there was a picture of the cutest puppy. She looked adorable.

"What's her name?"

"We don't know," replied Martin and Jeannie.

Victor grabbed his baby names book, "How about this, 'Estate or home ruler'?"

"And the name is?"

"Harriet!"

We heard Jeannie exclaim excitedly in the background, "That's the name I was thinking!"

"Really, Jeannie? You're kidding."

"No, really. It's the name of a cat in one of the kids' farm games – Harriett, the Herder, who looks after sheep."

"Well, that's it. Harriett!"

There was a brief discussion about whether is should be one "t" at the end of her name or two, so we settled for two…suits her.

There you have it – a sad sheep story that has a Harriett ending.

A word of caution to those driving onto the farm – Drive Slowly. We have kids, cats, and Harriett making their way through the parking lot.