Laziness may appear attractive, but work gives satisfaction. – Anne Frank | This lovely spring weather means FARMING! Martin's retired his hard hat for his farmer's one for now. Contractors will be continuing with some outside projects on the new store in the meantime. James has worked the land, so it's ready for seeding. Potatoes have been planted, with onions and leeks up next. The seedlings are growing fast in the greenhouse. They'll be planted in a few weeks when risk of frost has passed. It's time to smell the dirt, smell like dirt, and like the smell of dirt! | We're doing only one batch of chickens this year. There will NOT be a second batch in September as we've had in the past. You'll need to order what you want now or just take whatever we have in the freezer until next year. Fresh whole chickens will be ready Thursday, June 7 to Sunday, June 10. Fresh parts will be in the store Monday afternoon, June 11.
Reply to this newsletter or call 403-329-9157 to order yours today! | As you know, you can buy most Harvest Haven products in bulk. But, some of you may not be aware that you can buy almost everything we carry in the store in bulk – 10 to 20 kg bags of all-purpose flour, 10 kg bags of grains and beans, nuts and dried fruits in bulk boxes, cases of canned and dry goods, almost anything – fresh, organic, reasonably priced, and not from China, if we can help it, and we usually can. Remember, Harvest Haven Certified requires livestock to be grass-fed on prime pasture, given Grander Living water, fed organic grains, and to be free of vaccinations, antibiotics, and growth hormones. Our fields have been chemical-free since 1995, with no GMOs anywhere on the farm. We require the same rigorous standards of the products we purchase from other suppliers, so you can have confidence that you're getting quality. | Lamb Chops- Sale 10 lbs for $149 Reg. $16.89/lb Boneless Chicken Breast- Sale 10 lbs for $140 Reg. $15.99/lb (See Recipe Box) Chicken Drumsticks- Sale $10 lbs for $53 Reg. $6.99/lb Ground Beef- Sale 50 lbs for $340 Reg. $7.49/lb (See Recipe Box) Eggs, all sizes- Sale $14.49 Reg. $15.49 (See Recipe Box) Harvest Haven Raw Sauerkraut, 1 L- Sale 15% off for 6 dozen or more Frozen Strawberries- Sale 6 lbs or more for $6.00/lb Reg. $8.49/lb (See Recipe Box) Prana Maple Nuts, 150 g- Sale $6.99 Reg. $7.99 | Please note, all ingredients in our recipes are organic. | Overnight Eggs Benedict Casserole For the Casserole
6 English muffins
1 package Harvest Haven beef bacon
10 large Harvest Haven eggs
1 cup milk
salt and pepper
chives to garnish if desired For the Sauce
6 Harvest Haven egg yolks
1 1/2 TBSP lemon juice
1 1/2 sticks (3/4 cup) unsalted butter, melted
salt
squeeze of hot sauce, if desired or pinch of cayenne DIRECTIONS:
FOR THE CASSEROLE Butter a 9X13" baking dish. Split the english muffins in half and cube and distribute them evenly into the bottom of the prepared baking dish. Cook and dice bacon and sprinkle half of it over top of the bread. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs and milk and season very liberally with salt and black pepper (about 1 tsp salt and 3/4 tsp black pepper but I just eyeball it). Pour the egg mixture evenly over the bread and top with the rest of the bacon. Press down on the bread to make sure that it is all submerged in the egg mixture. Cover and refrigerate overnight. About an hour and a half before serving, pull the casserole out of the refrigerator and let it sit at room temp while the oven preheats to 350 F. Cook the casserole at 350F for 50 minutes to 1 hour until the egg custard has set. You may place a loose piece of tinfoil over the casserole during the last 20 minutes of baking to avoid over-browning. Remove from the oven and keep covered before ready to serve and slice. Top with hollandaise sauce and minced chives if desired. FOR THE SAUCE
While the casserole is baking, about 30 minutes before serving, set up a double boiler (a saucepan with barely simmering water that a glass or stainless steel bowl will fit over without touching the water). Put your egg yolks and lemon juice in your glass or stainless steel bowl and whisk vigorously until it begins to thicken and double in size. This will take some time. Be patient! Place the bowl over the double boiler and continue whisking constantly, paying attention that the bowl does not get too hot. You can take the bowl on and off the double boiler if needed. Drizzle in the melted butter, a little bit at a time, while continuing to whisk. Once all the butter is added, remove from the heat and taste and season as desired. Add salt, a bit more lemon juice, and a little hot sauce or cayenne if desired. If serving almost immediately, just place it in a warm spot covered until ready to use. Otherwise, place the sauce in a thermos to hold for up to an hour. | Crispy Chicken Bites 2 Harvest Haven eggs
1/2 cup dried bread crumbs
1/4 cup cornmeal
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp garlic salt
1/4 tsp paprika
1 lb boneless, skinless Harvest Haven chicken breast, cut into 1 inch cubes
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup salsa
1 tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped Directions
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C). Place a wire cooling rack on top of a rimmed baking sheet and coat with oil. Place eggs in a small shallow bowl and beat with fork. Combine bread crumbs, cornmeal, salt, pepper, garlic salt, and paprika in a separate shallow bowl. Dip chicken in egg, coat with bread crumb mixture, and place on the prepared wire rack. Oil chicken pieces with olive or sunflower oil. Bake for 15 minutes or until the coating is crispy and the chicken is cooked through. To make the sauce: in a small bowl, mix together mayonnaise and salsa until thoroughly combined. Stir in cilantro. | Aunt Marilyn's Hamburger Patties 1 lb Harvest Haven ground beef
1/4 c dry bread crumbs
1 Harvest Haven egg
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 to 1/2 tsp ground cumin
1 clove garlic, minced
Dash Worcestershire sauce
Small handful of chopped (frozen) cilantro Mix all together (don't over mix because it makes the hamburgers tough). Shape into patties. Barbecue on hot grill 4 – 5 minutes or until moisture comes to the surface of the patty on the first side. Flip and barbecue 4 minutes or until desired doneness on second side. You can spread barbecue sauce and/or place cheese slices on them just before serving. Let rest in hot barbecue a couple of minutes to melt the cheese. Enjoy! | Strawberry Rhubarb Crumb Bars 1/2 c. butter, melted, plus room temperature butter for pan
3/4 cup light brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 pound rhubarb (cut into 1/2" pieces)
1/2 pound Harvest Haven strawberries, thawed
2 tablespoons light brown sugar
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (divided)
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup butter (at room temperature)
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar (plus more for dusting finished bars)
3 large Harvest Haven eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract Preheat oven to 350° F. Butter a 9" square baking pan and line with parchment paper, leaving a 2" overhang on 2 sides. Butter and flour parchment paper and pan, tapping out the excess flour. Set aside. FOR THE STREUSEL:
Whisk together the butter, brown sugar, and salt. Add flour and cut with a rigid pastry cutter or fork until large crumbs form. Refrigerate until ready to use. FOR THE BARS:
In a medium bowl, combine rhubarb, strawberries, brown sugar, and 1/4 cup of the flour. In another medium bowl, whisk the remaining 1-1/4 cup of flour, baking powder, and salt. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat butter and powdered sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs, one at a time. With mixer on low, beat in vanilla, then flour mixture. Spread batter in prepared pan. Top with rhubarb and strawberry mixture, then top with prepared streusel. Bake until golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with just a bit of moist crumbs attached, about 50 to 55 minutes. Let cool completely in pan. Run a knife around the edge of the pan and, using the parchment paper overhang, lift cake from pan. Cut into bars and dust with powdered sugar. Serve as is, or with some freshly whipped and sweetened cream…so lovely! | Kids on Call
In a previous newsletter, I commented on how enthusiastic Martin and Jeannie's kids were about helping in the store, especially when we get orders from our suppliers. Well, last week I got to see them in action. And action it was! While the adults were having lunch in the back of the store, a call came in. It was an enthusiastic youngster wondering when they could come and start working on the order that had arrived that morning. Half an hour later, one of the "eager beavers" came to the store to see if we were finished eating yet. Then, half an hour after that, Konstantijn was standing at the counter. I called her to the back and asked what she wanted. "I'm just waiting for you to be finished here so we can start on the order," she patiently replied. Imagine that. How times have changed. It used to be that adults would have to get after children that way. What's this world coming to? "Oh, okay. Let's get things going, then." Having finished lunch already, I alerted the men, "Guys, you need to continue your visit in the next room. We have kids anxious to do their job." As soon as the men walked out of the room, there was a whirlwind of activity. Waxed boxes of produce flying out of the cooler; empty totes being filled from those; multiple small boxes of cheeses and yogurts piled on the table ready for pricing and stocking; a big bag of parsnip being put into smaller bags and weighed; quality checks on the citrus. These kids were moving! And so was Jeannie. She had to keep up to these dynamos with prices, totes, instructions on what to put where. It was amazing to see their efficiency and enthusiasm. "Mom, where are the prices for…?" Konstantijn asks while she's adjusting the numbers in the price gun. "Check the invoice," Jeannie confidently replies, knowing K will be able to figure out the product and the price Jeannie has calculated. Mathijs seems to always finish his jobs quickly and precisely and is insistently asking for another one. Marseilles, on the other hand, does her jobs well, but likes to drift off into her imaginary storyland if she's not given something to keep her hands busy. "Marseilles, grab the tape, a marker, and scissors and label those totes. That one is parsnips," Jeannie instructs her. I noticed Marseilles gathered what she needed and didn't even stop to ask how to spell any of the items she was labeling. I glanced over and noticed she had them all nicely printed and spelled correctly. I marvelled because she's only seven! Mathijs amazed me, too. He was stocking yogurt and could just barely reach the top shelf with his finger tips. I asked if I could help him, but he just gently kept on doing his job describing to me how you line up the containers and push on the front one to keep the others moving to the back. He did the job quite nicely without my help. In an hour everything was done, all the empty boxes were removed, the totes were back in the cooler, and everything was spotless. And poof! The kids were gone, and all was quiet again. I mentioned to Martin how much I appreciated his children and how well they did their jobs. Martin's reply, "It's easier to clone yourself than to hire someone." Sooo true! |  Basket of Mangoes | | |
