We would worry less if we praised more. Thanksgiving is the enemy of discontent and dissatisfaction. - H.A. Ironside | We're thankful for all, big and small We're thankful for everything that's happening on the farm. However, I did get into trouble with some of the farm folk for saying winter break is almost over. They don't want to face the busyness of spring, yet. Except James, who has a new toy and wants to play in the sandbox. And what a sandbox we'll need for James's new rock truck. It's big! James needs a big truck for hauling dirt from the trout pond when that project starts again in the summer. For now, he just gets to tinker with it in the back of the shop. | We have our first new babies, the layer chicks, and they are so cute! The eggs Martin has been incubating have hatched into a colorful array of cheeping fluff balls. | There'll be another colorful collection of cuties soon when lambing starts in a few weeks. All the sheep got "hair cuts" or wool sheared last week in preparation for the new arrivals. The lambing barn is being prepped for one of the busiest times on the farm. Lambing is an all hands on deck, pay close attention around the clock intense time of activity. Thankfully, it's usually over in a month…a long month for some. | Another sign that spring is close…onion seeds have been planted into trays and placed into their own special greenhouse. It's a shelving unit with grow lights over each shelf, a heater with a thermostat, and a plastic cover to keep the new sprouts warm and moist. Another one of Martin's innovations. | We have another special Harvest Haven product for you…pasture-raised beef tallow. Tallow is beef fat that is slowly melted and clarified. It's in a solid form when kept below room temperature. Beef tallow is often used for cooking and has been considered a healthy substitute for vegetable and seed oils. Besides being a good quality cooking fat, tallow is also very healthy for you. It is rich in linoleic acid, niacin, selenium, and riboflavin, and contains B Vitamins, vitamins A, D, K2, and E. These essential nutrients are vital for keeping your body in shape and helping your bone, heart, and cognitive health. Here are just some of the benefits derived from beef tallow rich in these nutrients: Boosts immunity Prevents muscular degeneration Prevents various types of inflammations Strengthens your teeth preventing decay Maintains fertility in both men and women Protects against certain types of cancers Moisturizes and repairs skin, and improves it's flexibility Helps heal wounds Enjoy the flavor of food cooked with Harvest Haven Pasture-raised Beef Tallow and experience the benefits of this natural source of many nutrients. | As you've been reading the Harvest Haven Happenings, you'll have noticed that everything on our farm uses Grander water – the livestock, the fields, the ponds, the bread-baking, the whole operation. And many of you have experienced the wonderful benefits of using Grander Water Revitalization products. For those of you who don't know, Grander Water Revitalization is a natural technology from Austria which brings water back to life by restoring its original vitality and energy. It makes water more pleasurable for drinking and bathing, more effective for cleaning, improving anything that uses water. Revitalized water has a profound influence on all living things, but even mechanical and nonliving systems using water (boilers, cooling units, humidifiers) benefit from its enhanced properties. We have a full line of Grander products that are applicable to any situation, be it a Penegizer that you carry with you, petite rods for water containers such as Berkey Gravity filtration units, huge rods for wells and dugouts, and whatever is in between. Here's a video about the remarkable results a high school student achieved in an experiment using tap water, Berkey filtered water, Grander treated water, and a combination of the two. We knew Grander worked, we just didn't know how well it worked. (Please note that this video was done in 2018 when we were still in the old store and Martin was still really skinny. However, the information is as relevant today as then.) | Harvest Haven Sandwich Loaf – This white fluffy bread has become extremely popular with our customers and us, too. Made with ALL organic ingredients, it is moist and rich-flavored, making it perfect for sandwiches or just spread with butter and honey. Harvest Haven Bresaola – You'll find this specialty meat in the deli section of our freezer. Made from the top round of our pasture-raised beef, the paper-thin slices are very lean and tender, with a deep ruby red shading. This lean, cured meat is especially good when drizzled with extra-virgin olive oil and fresh lemon. Serve sliced bresaola as part of an antipasto platter with Italian cheeses, olives, and nuts. It pairs wonderfully with a fresh arugula salad and salty cheese like Parmesan. Or make a no-cook meal of bresaola, Harvest Haven bread, and salad. Organic Green Cabbage – The humble cabbage is an exceptionally healthy food and should be included in more meals. Besides being rich in vitamins and minerals, it contains powerful antioxidants and is especially high in vitamin C, a potent antioxidant. Cabbage makes a tasty and inexpensive addition to many recipes. Harvest Haven Pasture-raised Chicken Bone Broth – Bone broth has so many health benefits, especially for your joints and digestive system. Besides being a refreshing warm beverage, its use in recipes is limitless. Savor Organic Saltine Crackers – There are so many uses for this classic favourite: crack into soup, spread with peanut butter and jelly, top with your favourite cheese, or crumble into baking recipes. Made with simple certified organic ingredients. Organic Blood Oranges – It's the season for these red beauties. Blood oranges have been popular for centuries throughout Spain and Italy. Their deep red color and delicious flavor add pizzazz to salads, salsas, and savory dishes. | Please note, all ingredients in our recipes are organic. | Deluxe Beef Sandwich 1 tablespoon mayonnaise
2 slices Harvest Haven sandwich bread
1 romaine lettuce leaf
3 ounces thinly sliced Harvest Haven beef bresaola
2 slices tomato
1 slice Harvest Haven red onion, separated into rings Spread mayonnaise mixture on one bread slice. Top with lettuce leaf, beef bresaola, tomato slices, onion, and remaining bread slice. | Cream of Cabbage Soup 10 cups coarsely cut cabbage
1/2 cup chopped celery
1/2 cup chopped Harvest Haven onion
3 cups Harvest Haven chicken bone broth
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/3 cup butter
1/3 cup flour
4 cups milk Combine cabbage, celery, onion, chicken stock, salt, and pepper in large covered saucepan. Heat to boiling point; reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes. In another large saucepan, melt butter, blend in flour. Gradually stir in milk. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens and reaches boiling point. Add to cabbage mixture. Heat to serving temperature, stirring occasionally. Season, as desired, with salt. Makes about 2 quarts. | Blood Orange Bars For the Crust:
1/2 cup soft butter
1/4 cup sugar
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/8 tsp. salt For the Filling:
3 Harvest Haven eggs at room temperature
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup blood orange juice, freshly squeezed
2 Tbsp. lemon juice, freshly squeezed
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
Icing sugar, for dusting Preheat the oven to 350F and line a 9"x9" baking pan with parchment paper. For the crust, use a hand mixer to cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add in the flour and salt, and mix in with the mixer on low to avoid a flour explosion. Continue mixing until it begins to come together into a ball. Press the dough into the line baking dish and bake for 15 minutes. Remove it when the edges are just beginning to turn light golden brown. Remove and let it cool for about 20 minutes. For the filling, whisk the eggs and sugar together until it is smooth. Add in the juice, then slowly add the flour, mixing it in after every few tablespoons to avoid lumps. Pour the filling over the crust and return it to the oven for another 20-25 minutes. Keep an eye on it to avoid over-baking, as that will make the bars tough and chewy. Remove them when the filling is set but still has a slight wobble. Allow them to cool completely, then cut them into squares and dust with powdered sugar. | Road Trip to the City This time Victor and I took a road trip, just a short one to Calgary. James, the usual wanderer, is staying home to tinker with his new equipment while he waits to "play" with it in the summer. The other day, I asked him where his sandbox is. He laughed and replied, "It's the whole farm." Which it really is. James has a piece of equipment for every project here.
Igor, James's regular travelling companion, is working only part time at his super boring complicated computer tech job. So, he's learning more about farming and feeding livestock. That's not so boring. Victor and I hadn't seen our son, Jonathan for awhile, even though he lives only 2 hours away in Calgary. But, he's a busy guy. Because Jonathan hasn't been able to travel around the world the last couple of years, he's put his energies into businessing. The guy has never been one to sit around. That's boring. After graduating from high school in 2009, he sold Cutco for a couple of years, which was an excellent training ground for running his own business. Wanting to do something good for society and having police officers for friends, he took Criminal Justice at the Lethbridge College. Wanting to get some life experience before signing on to a career in law enforcement, he started his own videography, multi-media business. Lethbridge was too small for this budding entrepreneur, so off he went to Calgary, a city of over a million people. Jonathan's business grew, resulting in it being listed as one of the top three videography businesses there. And no more thoughts of being a cop (phew – not that there are problems with the officers, it's what they have to deal with). During this time, Jonathan frequently travelled around the world as part of his work and part for his pleasure. He enjoyed the adventures. Another venture Jonathan took on was becoming a landlord, buying and renting condominiums. That was a steep learning curve because he's not a handyman and had to call Martin not a few times to help with issues. After a few "learning" experiences, he recognized what was a good purchase and what to avoid. Martin was thankful that Jonathan is a quick learner. Our intrepid entrepreneur still didn't have enough on his plate. Being unable to travel these last two years, he had to keep himself busy. So, he and his lawyer friend started Flagship Business Brokers, which facilitates the selling and purchasing of businesses. That's where things may have gotten busy enough for this high energy guy. One of the businesses they were asked to sell looked so promising that Jonathan bought it himself. The seller came to them with a unique health-related business that was too good to pass up. It has taken several months to get this major undertaking operational, and that's why we haven't seen our son for awhile. Jonathan, along with a couple of partners, have opened a BioStrong clinic on Macleod Trail in Calgary. BioStrong treatments are a proven, safe, and natural way to improve bone density that means better health especially for seniors, but also young people and athletes. Victor and I had to take a road trip to see our busy guy and his new business, and to try out the equipment. Our excursion was enjoyable. We explain our experiences with the BioStrong equipment in this short video. | |
