"Theory is a lovely furrow with nothing but poppy plants; practice is a furrow with a few poppy plants hidden among lots of weeds."
- Sophie Scholl

The list of everything going on around the farm is so long! If I described everything, you would be reading pages of Harvest Haven Happenings. Thankfully, we've been able to recruit family members to help on their days off. Their help is really appreciated.

Martin called the other morning while he was on the tractor driving to the strawberry patch. He didn't think he would have another opportunity to talk because he would be too busy. "Walk with me," or "Ride with me," as the case would be here.

The new strawberry field is being weeded – only annual weeds are present, which are easily dealt with. No dandelions or thistles.

With all the rain and now the sunshine, the grass is growing, so mowing has to be done regularly.

Jeannie is getting her greens garden planted and Martin is mentally preparing for planting a field of carrots, beets, and parsnips, as well as a patch of squash and corn. Yum!

Baby turkeys come in on Tuesday, so the guys have been preparing a cozy home for these little guys. Because turkeys can be, well, turkeys, Martin has been incubating a batch of layer chicks to hatch at the same time as the turkeys arrive. Chicks help turkey poults learn to eat and drink and stay alive.

Queen bees are supposed to arrive next week, too. It'll be interesting to see how the hollowed out logs work for bee hives. Martin still has to prepare these for the new bees.

Happening next week, too, the broilers will be processed. With over 900 birds, the logistics of getting it done efficiently is taking some mental gymnastics. Next round will be easier after having done it once.

The beef cows, sheep, laying hens, and broiler chickens are all out on pasture again after our blast of winter. You'll read about that in the Down on the Farm segment.

If we seem a bit, or a lot, distracted these days, don't take it personally. There's lots happening and having to be done, and the days are busy and long.

Poultry Particulars

Chickens are not at all simple creatures. They are quite fascinating birds with intelligence. Consider these facts.

• Some research suggests that chickens are just as clever as human toddlers.
• Chickens have a great memory for faces!
• They are actually omnivores, not herbivores.
• Hens can show empathy, especially when their chicks are even mildly distressed.
• Hens can choose which rooster fathers their chicks.
• Chickens can speak to each other. Thirty different vocalisations have been identified.
• Hens' eggs are different colours, depending on the breed.
• Chickens can dream.
• Chickens can be hypnotised.

For more details, check out Poultry Particulars.

Henny Penny Goes Camping

As you know, Harvest Haven Certified requires standards higher than "certified organic." For example, certified organic requires "access" to the outdoors for poultry but doesn't mandate that birds actually go outside. Whereas, our poultry (layers, broilers, and turkeys) enjoy fresh air, sunshine, and green pastures.

Martin visited an organic layer operation where they were having a problem with their hens prolapsing when they laid their eggs. An expert told them their hens were acutely deficient in vitamin A and D. The birds simply weren't getting enough sunshine. Their solution was to supplement the water supply with "organic approved" vitamins. Replacing sunshine with synthetic vitamins is anti-organic.

Another seldom considered aspect of organic agriculture is the farm's water supply. Absolutely all aspects of our operation, livestock, fields, and gardens have Grander Living water for better growth and optimum health. Don't underestimate the impact that clean living water has on your eating experience, and it's not just limited to veggies. Egg quality is hugely affected by the hen's access to cool, clean, vibrant water.

Which brings us to Harvest Haven hens and camping.

The chicken camper is finally finished and what a unit it is!

Martin reconstructed a frame from one of his trailers to build the camper on. He then scrounged through his various collections of used building materials for lumber, metal, opaque plastic sheets, wire, and even old honey bee boxes.
Like all well-designed campers, there's a place for everything and everything fits nicely in its place. It's comfortable for chickens and easy for farmers to gather eggs and clean up. Martin used designs from a Joel Salatin book and reconfigured them to accommodate our colder drier climate.

On hot days, wooden flaps are opened for cross-ventilation. If it's cool and rainy, these are closed to keep the interior cozy. The roof is insulated to keep it cooler on hot days and warmer when it's cool.

Large feed bins are located in the centre of the structure for the chickens' convenience. The floor is made of slats precisely spaced so the droppings fall through to the pasture, the hens can use them to roost on at night, and predators can't reach through to torment them.

The hens have solid wooden bee boxes that have been refurbished for laying boxes stuffed with soft straw.

The best part for the chickens is the freedom to roam and scratch in the great outdoors. In the heat of the day, they can rest in the shade under the vehicle used to pull the camper.

And the best part for the farmer is that he doesn't have to clean up chicken manure. The camper is moved everyday, leaving fertilizer on the field for the grasses.

It's a lovely unit for Henny Penny to use for camping.

Please, please, please bring your cooler when you pick up your order! We can't provide boxes and bags for the orders.

Fresh whole chicken will be ready Friday, June 11th, chicken parts Sunday, June 13th.

Order yours today.

The super food we love!

Organic green cabbage and Maison Orphee French grey sea salt fermented in ceramic crocks make a probiotic-rich kraut. Great for your gut.

There are three varieties to enjoy: basic green cabbage, green cabbage with grated carrot, and red cabbage for a bright addition.

Do you have a favorite?

Harvest Haven Pastured Eggs – The hens have been enjoying the fresh outdoors, scratching in the dirt, and poking through the grass for bugs. Enjoy free range eggs from hens that get to be hens.

Harvest Haven Raw Sauerkraut, 500 ml or 1 L – Gut-healthy raw sauerkraut made from only organic green cabbage and Maison Orphee French grey sea salt, fermented in ceramic crocks. Other varieties include organic red cabbage, and organic green cabbage with grated Harvest Haven carrots added.

Organic Fair Trade Bananas – Bananas are delicious at all stages of ripeness. Such a convenient snack in its own wrapper. Whirled in a smoothie, fresh or frozen, baked in a chocolate chip banana muffin or a moist loaf with walnuts.

Greek God's Organic Plain Yogurt, 500 g – Traditional Greek-style yogurt that is thick and creamy. Perfect with fresh fruit, added to your smoothies, or in your favorite dip or sauce recipes.

Harvest Haven Rhubarb – You know it's spring when you start seeing rhubarb. Throughout history, it has been used for both culinary and medicinal purposes. Rhubarb became popular for desserts in the 18th and 19th centuries after sugar became widely available. Pair with strawberries or saskatoons for amazingly fresh-flavored desserts.

Baker's Supply Organic Baking Powder, 210 g – Because we do a lot of baking for the "sweet tooths" in our families, quality baking powder is a must. This organic aluminum-free product works very well.

Please note, all ingredients in our recipes are organic.

Shorts and Flip-Flops to Parkas and Snowboots and Back Again

Southern Alberta's weather is anything but boring and everything in between.
Monday was a fine day…sunny, warm, almost 30°C, and no wind. A good day to get lots done.

The cows with their new calves were on pasture. The ewes and lambs had a lush green field of fall rye to enjoy. The broilers were finally in their pens on pasture after some cooler weather. All was looking beautiful.

Other jobs were getting done in preparation for more gardening. The chicken camper just needed a couple of finishing touches, so the laying hens could get out on greens, too.

Tuesday blew in like a hurricane with 100 kilometer winds packing dust and dirt into everything. The gardens that had been planted needed water to keep them from being desiccated and blowen off to Saskatchewan. It was hard to stand upright let alone try to get work done.

James came to Martin Tuesday evening. "Have you seen the forecast for the next few days?" he asked with concern. James is our resident meteorologist and has an eye on the weather all the time.

"What is it?"

"Snow! Thursday."

"You're kidding!"

"Nope. And it looks like it's going to be around for a few days with below freezing temperatures," James affirmed.

Wednesday morning dawned with sunshine, calm, and a pleasant mid-teen Celsius temperature, and people scrambling everywhere to bring in all the critters to warm lodgings. That was not going to be an easy feat.

The barn where the broilers had been raised was completely cleaned up in preparation for turkeys in a couple of weeks. Not to mention, they had grown and wouldn't all fit in there anymore. The extension was occupied by the new batch of laying hens, so they would have to be scrunched together to make room for the broilers.

That part of the barn was where the ewes and lambs were kept. Now, there had to be other arrangements made for them. Electric fence was quickly strung from the sheep corral to the hay shelter to give them access to a covered shelter.

Trying to move cows and calves into the beef corral that has a covered shelter didn't happen. There were 18 head of beef animals standing at the gate, longingly waiting to get out to pasture.

"Just build a shelter out of some straw bales for the cows and calves. We're not going to get them through those guys at the gate," Martin hurriedly instructed James.

After a hectic day of arranging and rearranging barns and pens, and gathering in all the livestock, everything and everyone was ready for another blast of winter.

And there it was. Thursday morning…wet white stuff coating everything and -3°C. Back to parkas and snowboots.

The snow lasted for a couple of days. Then it warmed up to just above 0°C and rained for a few more days. We needed the moisture as there hadn't been any for a few weeks.

In the middle of that week, it warmed up and the guys were able to move everything out to pasture again, including the layers in their chicken camper.

Now, a week later, we're expecting temperatures in the thirties Celsius for a few days. This is peak and valley country near the Rockies. Lots of variety.