Yes, now I am that flutterby, no more to crawl or squirm,
But it's His work, I can't deny, for I was but a worm…
Victor Hafichuk – The Flutterby* *It is thought that "flutterby" is the original word for butterfly, and isn't it appropriate because these beautiful insects do flutter by. | Work around the farm has slowed down a bit, which is a good thing because it continues to be HOT. Moving livestock has become routine for them and the farmers. The turkeys are growing nicely. The new broiler chicks arrived healthy and are growing well under their wooden "hens." Martin has a few bee hives that are thriving. Hopefully, we'll have lots of fresh honey this fall. Fresh honey to go with fresh bread. Mmm… Jeannie has been diligently slicing our fresh Harvest Haven Hearth bread for months. Then, she asked Martin to do it. The next thing you know, we have a real bread slicing machine. Interesting story. Martin was going to get blades from a bread slicing machine and make his own slicer, but wasn't getting to it. Finally, he threw up his hands and said, "Look for a used machine. I'm not getting to make my own." Within two days, we found a used slicer. AND it was at the Calgary bakery from which we've been buying bread for the store for years. The owner was replacing it just because he wanted to update his equipment. This slicer was old, which means it's one of the old well-built kind. Martin replaced the blades, and it works wonderfully. Asking Martin to do something often results in a better way. The long rows of carrots and onions needed to be wheel-hoed. Martin set to it. But, it was hot and hard work. Idea! "Let's hook up the hoe to the ATV and use it like a horse." It worked! As the ATV slowly went down the rows, Martin had only to guide the hoe and not struggle pushing it through the soil. Beautiful! After a hot day in the field, the pond has been pure pleasure for adults and kids alike. It's become a place to relax and "pond"er. | Garlic Scapes "What are garlic scapes!?" you ask. They are the long curly flower bud of the garlic plant that grows out of the bulb. ? Each bulb has only one scape, which is removed to allow the bulb of garlic to grow larger and fuller.
? Scapes have a nearly identical flavor to garlic, just slightly less spicy.
? They can be eaten raw, grilled, fried, or used in salad, as well as added to soups and stews.
? Scapes are available for only a few weeks each summer.
? They contain a rich supply of vital nutrients and minerals, as well as antioxidants.
? The best health benefits of garlic scapes include protecting against heart diseases, improving digestive health, and aiding vision.
? Other health benefits are anticancer potential, detoxifying the body, improving circulation, increasing bone health, and reducing the risk of chronic diseases.
| ? | Each bulb has only one scape, which is removed to allow the bulb of garlic to grow larger and fuller. | | ? | Scapes have a nearly identical flavor to garlic, just slightly less spicy. | | ? | They can be eaten raw, grilled, fried, or used in salad, as well as added to soups and stews. | | ? | Scapes are available for only a few weeks each summer. | | ? | They contain a rich supply of vital nutrients and minerals, as well as antioxidants. | | ? | The best health benefits of garlic scapes include protecting against heart diseases, improving digestive health, and aiding vision. | | ? | Other health benefits are anticancer potential, detoxifying the body, improving circulation, increasing bone health, and reducing the risk of chronic diseases. | You'll find more details at 6 Amazing Benefits of Garlic Scapes. | Use it Up, Wear It Out, Make it Do, or Do Without! This great slogan was coined by the War Advertising Council during World War II to promote the dual need to conserve scarce resources and to help keep prices down by not generating excess demand. This applies today as we don't waste what we have by reducing, reusing, and recycling. Which brings us to glass canning jars. We sell a number of products in canning jars. It would really help us if you could return the jars. We'll refund you $0.75 for these jars WITH the lids. The products you may have bought packaged in glass canning jars are Sauerkraut, Honey, Cilantro Pesto, Dandelion Root Powder, Jam, and Tallow. If you have canning jars similar to these, ask us about them and we'll see if they are useful to us. | Harvest Haven Sourdough Pizza Crusts - The crusts are partially baked in the wood-fired oven, so all you do is oil a pan, place the crust on the pan, cover with your favorite toppings, bake at 375° F for 15 minutes, and broil a bit to brown the cheese. Or you can bake your pizza on the barbecue to keep your kitchen cool. Harvest Haven Garlic Scapes - Those strange curly green things, available only at this time of year, have a mild garlic flavor and a slight sweetness. Garlic scapes can be used in salads, any dish calling for garlic, sautéed for a nice stir-fry side dish, or made into pesto. Mans Organic Beefsteak Tomatoes – Greenhouse tomatoes grown in soil for taste and goodness. Enjoy these beauties sliced in a sandwich, chopped into a salad, or grilled with olive oil and fresh basil. Harvest Haven Basil – Our basil is loving this hot weather. Add that finishing touch to every tomato dish, pizzas, chicken, and fish dishes. So aromatic! Organic BC Blueberries – Here comes summer with all the beautiful fresh fruit! Blueberries are a must for fresh eating, incorporating into muffins, sprinkling on pancakes, blending into a smoothie, or stirring into yogurt. Organic Baker's Supply House Cornstarch – This baking essential is certified organic and non-GMO. Besides thickening sauces, cornstarch is great for making crispy fried coatings, tender shortbreads, crispy waffles, and fluffy omelets. | Please note, all ingredients in our recipes are organic. | Beef Pepperoni and Garlic Scape Pizza Start with a Harvest Haven Sourdough Pizza Crust and add a layer of Eden Organic Pizza Pasta Sauce. Then add a layer of Harvest Haven Beef Pepperoni. Top with cheese (a mixture of cheddar and mozzarella is nice.) Then place whole Harvest Haven garlic scapes on top. Bake in a preheated oven (375 F) for 10-15 minutes and then broil for a few minutes. | Tomato Basil Salad 5 large beefsteak tomatoes, chopped into 1 inch cubes
1/2 red onion, chopped
10 fresh Harvest Haven basil leaves, chopped
3 tbsp olive oil
3 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 clove Harvest Haven garlic, minced
salt and fresh ground black pepper (to taste) Add the tomatoes, onion, and fresh basil to a large salad bowl. Gently mix to combine. In a separate bowl whisk together the olive oil, balsamic vinegar, garlic, salt, and pepper. Combine the tomatoes with the vinaigrette. Allow salad to rest for 5-10 minutes at room temperature to allow flavors to marinate together. Enjoy! | Blueberry Buttermilk Pie 1 frozen pie pastry
¾ cup granulated sugar, plus 1 teaspoon
2 tablespoons cornstarch
½ teaspoon salt
2 large Harvest Haven eggs plus 5 Harvest Haven egg yolks
1 ½ cups buttermilk
½ cup heavy cream
4 tablespoons butter, melted
2 teaspoons white vinegar
1 ½ teaspoons vanilla
¾ cup fresh blueberries Preheat the oven to 375°F. Place a baking sheet in the oven to preheat. Remove the pie crust from the freezer and line with parchment paper and pie weights or dried beans. Bake the crust on the baking sheet for about 20 minutes. Remove the parchment paper and pie weights or beans and set aside. Return the crust to the oven and bake another 5 minutes or until it starts to brown lightly. Remove the crust from the oven and brush the hot pastry with the beaten egg white. (You may not need all of the egg white.) Return to the oven and bake 3 minutes more. Remove from the oven and reduce the oven temperature to 300°F. Prepare the filling while the pie crust bakes: In a large mixing bowl, whisk together ¾ cup granulated sugar, cornstarch and salt. Add the eggs and egg yolks to the sugar mixture and whisk until combined. Pour in the buttermilk, cream, melted butter, vinegar and vanilla, and whisk just until incorporated. Gently fold in ¾ cup of the blueberries. Carefully pour the filling into the hot pre-baked crust. Bake on the preheated baking sheet for 15 minutes. Open the oven and carefully sprinkle the remaining 1 teaspoon granulated sugar over the top of the pie. Continue to bake until the center juggles slightly when the pie is shaken, 30-35 additional minutes. Remove the pie from the oven and increase the oven temperature to 450°F. Once pre-heated, return the pie to the oven on an upper rack and bake until the top is golden brown, about 7-10 minutes. Total baking time 55-60 minutes. Cool the pie for 30 minutes on a wire rack then refrigerate for 3 hours before serving. | Ivan, the Terrible Ivan is our Gotland ram that we bought in the winter. And he is definitely not terrible. Actually, he's the sweetest sheep you'll ever meet with the softest wool. He's become one of our favorite pets. He reminded us of our friend, Igor, because both of them have beautiful black curly hair. But, we thought it would be too confusing to have two Igors on the farm and chose Ivan for his name instead. A word about Gotland sheep. Ivan is typical to this breed with lovely curly locks of wool that are so soft you want to run your hands through them when petting him. This breed is adaptable, curious, personable, and quickly bonds to people. That's Ivan. They love to forage and eat what other sheep may consider inedible. Well, that's true for him, too, as you'll read about here. When Ivan arrived at the farm, he joined the ewes where he was quite happy to have company. But, after the ewes had their lambs and were moved out to pasture, Ivan and Gigantor, Konstantijn's humungous ram, were put together in the same corral. Gigantor was the obvious boss and gave little Ivan no peace, so they were separated. Ivan was content to be in a pen with a cow and calf for company. Then, that pair was moved to pasture with the beef herd, and he was by himself. He didn't seem to mind that, but shortly afterwards, he was found outside the corral munching on weeds and grass (our other sheep would have turned up their noses at this kind of greenery and would be baa-ing at us for only the best grasses). The guys put him back in the pen and the next day, there he was roaming around outside again, quite content to munch dry grass and tough weeds, lay in the shade of the empty hay shelter, and let passers-by scratch his head. Martin set up a waterer for him and now, Ivan's free to wander where he will. Ivan's biggest issue was arguing with Harriett over who got to sleep in the cool dirt dug up in the shade of a shed. Harriett, being the sweet dog she is and loving her sheep, let Ivan have his way. | |
