Food and medicine are not two different things: they are the front and back of one body. Chemically grown vegetables may be eaten for food, but they cannot be used as medicine. Masanobu Fukuoka

This is the nice time of year when work slows down enough for the farmers to catch their breaths and consider other projects.

The strawberry and garlic fields have been strawed to help hold moisture in the soil and to prevent the plants from starting to grow when chinooks blow through and warm them up too much. Not to mention the marvelous symbiosis that occurs between the straw and the berries that endows the fruit with a wonderful flavor and nutrient.

Even though this has been an unusually warm and pleasant fall, the cattle, sheep, and chickens are off the pastures and in comfortable digs.

Speaking of comfortable…Mathijs and Marseilles have a more pleasant way to wash the eggs. Because Martin had some time to skim through the internet, he was able to find a marvellously simple little unit for washing eggs, a job which the twins have been doing for awhile, now. It's much faster, more efficient, and gets the eggs cleaner. It's one of those "home inventions" that works because a farmer needed a better way.

Egg washing is more fun for the kids, and it's another mechanical object for Mathijs to figure out how it works. That's really the fun part.

Meal preparation is made easier with foods that you just heat up or even serve cold, but that doesn't mean you need to compromise on flavor or nutrition.

We have a tasty assortment of prepared meats – sausages and deli slices from our quality pasture-raised beef, lamb, chicken, and turkey. And a recent addition to our selection is beef wieners – large, juicy, and flavorful. Made from Harvest Haven pasture-raised beef with no fillers at all. These are a quick nutritious meal when in a hurry.

Serve in a Harvest Haven white hot dog bun that is made with simple organic ingredients (unbleached white flour, eggs, oil, cane sugar, and sea salt) and baked in the wood-fired oven.

What's more convenient than opening a jar of Harvest Haven sauerkraut? That's convenience and nutrition both in one. Serve at room temperature or heat gently to preserve all the beneficial enzymes.

Add a side of Harvest Haven French Fries or Hash Browns. Fresh russet potatoes are cut into fries or cubes, blanched in hot beef tallow, drained, and flash frozen. Heat and serve.

Enjoy the convenience of Harvest Haven prepared products without having to compromise on flavor or nutrition.

Camino is a Canadian brand of fair trade and organic food products, owned by La Siembra Co-operative, based in the Ottawa-Gatineau region.

Established in 1999, La Siembra Co-operative became the first registered importers of Fairtrade Certified cocoa and sugar in North America and today works with 25 producer co-ops, supporting more than 47,500 family farmers in 14 countries.

Unparalleled in taste and quality, their organic ingredients come from environmentally responsible family farmers and through fair trade practices.
Camino's limited edition seasonal chocolate bars are now in! Three delicious varieties: White Cocoa Crunch, Crispy Gingerbread Spice, and Cranberry Orange Ginger Zing.

White Cocoa Crunch – Rediscover the comforting taste of "Cookies & Cream." Its cocoa crisps and chocolate chips covered with smooth white chocolate make this treat irresistible.

Crispy Gingerbread Spice – Bring back the taste of your childhood with this milk chocolate bar that is both creamy and crunchy with the comforting taste of warm spices.

Cranberry, Orange, Ginger Zing – This dark chocolate bar is ideal to enjoy with a hot cup of tea or at the end of a good meal! Let it melt in your mouth to slowly release its invigorating cranberry, its subtle orange, and its touch of ginger.

They are delectable!

Harvest Haven Wieners – A recent addition to our selection of prepared meats – large, juicy, and flavorful all-beef wieners. Made from Harvest Haven pasture-raised beef with no fillers at all. Gently seasoned for a delicious repast.

Harvest Haven Hot Dog Buns – Light and fluffy homemade buns made with simple organic ingredients (unbleached white flour, eggs, oil, cane sugar, and sea salt) and baked in the wood-fired oven. Unique to Harvest Haven.

Harvest Haven Sauerkraut – 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.

Harvest Haven Oven Fries – Fresh russet potatoes are cut into fries, blanched in hot tallow, drained, and flash frozen. Heat and serve. These are definitely a favorite!

Organic Valencia Oranges – Oranges are back! Sweet and juicy, liquid sunshine in a tasty package. Enjoy these benefits: activates the immune system, protects bones and teeth, rejuvenate and prevents degenerative diseases, satiates and regulates intestinal transit, and lowers bad cholesterol and stops inflammations. Enjoy them more!

Wholesome Organic Icing Sugar – Wholesome Organic Fair Trade Powdered Confectioners' Sugar is an excellent one-for-one replacement for conventional powdered sugar. Perfect for frostings, fillings, dusting and baking, this truly wholesome powdered sugar captures a tiny bit of natural molasses in the extra-fine powder, making for a confectioners' sugar that's deliciously sweet and flavorful.

Made from organic sugarcane hand-harvested in South America, this Organic Fair Trade Powdered Confectioners' Sugar is sustainably grown and processed.

Please note, all ingredients in our recipes are organic.

We have beef – lots of beef!

As we were enjoying lunch and conversation at the farm, the buzzer went to let us know someone was driving in.

Glancing out the window, we were stunned to see a semi-truck with two long trailers loaded with large round bales, followed by another truck and trailer loaded with more bales.

"Wow! That's a lot of hay, Martin!" exclaimed Victor. "Do we need that much?"
Martin looked at Victor and confidently replied, "Ha! What do you think! Would I have ordered that much hay if I didn't think we needed it? We have a lot of cattle."

Sure enough, when we went to the corrals after the bales had been stacked around them, we saw what to us is a lot of cattle. We ran out of beef last spring and are hoping not to have that happen again.

Our customers appreciate our pasture-raised beef, and we want to have enough for everyone. No more, "Where's the beef?" A ditty only former generations can still recall.

In this video, you'll see why not all pasture-raised beef is the same. At Harvest Haven we've applied numerous procedures in raising our animals that produce quality meat and enhance the environment. The resultant pasture-raised meat is tender, tasty, and healthy for the consumer. This method of raising livestock improves the grasses and forbs on the pastures, provides habitat for wildlife and flowers for the bees, and sequesters a huge load of carbon dioxide.

It's Heaven on earth!