Experience teaches only the teachable. – Aldous Huxley | Blessings in Disguise We always have lots to be thankful for at the farm. But, sometimes blessings come in disguise. In the last couple of weeks we've experienced a few hidden blessings. The carrot harvest was one of those. The crop was wonderful – lots of large, uniform-sized carrots with rich, sweet flavor. There were lots of greens, too. Instead of leaving them on the field to be worked into the soil, Igor, the computer programmer guy, decided that the beef cows and calves might enjoy them. He dumped a "ton" of the carrot greens to the beef cattle. The cows ate some, but had enough sense not to eat too much. Not so the calves. Two of them ate more than their systems could handle and died from an overdose of natural occurring nitrates, which was sad for everyone. Who knew cattle shouldn't eat carrot tops? Checking on our abundant onion harvest, Martin found that the cooking onions and Walla Wallas, looking similar, had been mixed together in bags and taken to storage. This was Igor's mistake, too. "Did the onions look dry enough?" asks Martin. "We thought so," was the reply. "Well, they need to look perfectly dry and then, you wait two more weeks. You didn't wait long enough. AND you mixed two different kinds. The Walla Wallas will start to spoil by the New Year and damage the others, which should keep till next fall. Dump all the bags and sort them properly," an exasperated Martin insisted. Meanwhile, James was preparing the air compressor to rent to a friend for blowing out sprinkler systems. It coughed, sputtered, and blew the pressure relief valves. "What's going on?! It was working fine when we rented it to the other people. What's happening?" James and Martin both exclaim anxiously. After an hour and a half of examining the unit, they found the problem. The previous users had tampered with the pressure gauge, which they had no business doing. Everything was returned to normal, and the unit was ready to go, but it was a frustrating situation. And there's more. "What's going on?! Whose dogs are those? They're chasing our hens and roosters!" Two big brown dogs were running after the free range chickens in the yard and almost killed one of our colorful roosters. He escaped. But, the dogs didn't escape Martin's indignation. After a number of phone calls to various neighbors, the owners were finally found and told in no uncertain terms that they needed to keep their dogs from running around the countryside. It could be very costly for them if the dogs were to rampage through our farm in the summer. We have vulnerable lambs, broilers, turkeys, and laying hens out on pasture. While Martin was explaining some of this to us on the phone, he quickly exclaimed he needed to go and tend to another situation. Getting back to us, sounding frustrated, he said James had started seeding fall rye in an area where the garlic was going to be planted. You don't want to have to weed fall rye from the garlic next spring. On top of all this, after having beautifully calm fall days, a crazy wild Chinook wind blew in and was disturbing everyone, especially Martin who had a severe migraine from it. It's hard to think clearly when one of those winds blows through, and thinking was needed to deal with these various issues. Keep in mind that all these situations didn't happen on the same day, just within a few days to get everyone's attention and to ask what's going on. It's one thing to be happy about all the visible blessings, but what are the ones in disguise doing for us? There's a purpose for those, as well. They are the blessings that change us for the better if we receive them with thanksgiving. | Carrots, the new old superfood… It's been proven that eating raw carrots is very beneficial for our health, none of which has anything to do with vitamin A. Carrots can help lower estrogen, combat bacterial growth, reduce inflammation, promote weight loss, and help excrete bacterial poisons called endotoxins. Other benefits are improved digestion, better skin, and less oxidative stress. This is a health food in a tasty form. Stock up now. We have bulk pricing on 40 lb bags for $90. | There's only one date left if you're ordering a whole or half lamb. Whole lamb, cut and wrapped, is about $600 depending on the size. Half a lamb will be approximately $300. There is a $10 fee if we must freeze your lamb for longer than one week. Further charges apply the longer the lamb is in our freezer. Lamb will be available on the following dates: Friday, October 28 Order here. | Fresh WHOLE turkeys will be ready for pick-up October 23rd and 25th (we're closed Monday, October 24th). This is the last opportunity to get a whole Harvest Haven turkey until the fall of 2023. The cost of our whole turkeys is $6.49/lb. We require a down payment of $50/bird to reserve your order. You'll pay the balance on pick-up. REMEMBER TO BRING SOMETHING TO TRANSPORT YOUR TURKEY IN. Turkey parts, including mixed turkey roasts, will be available Wednesday, October 26th. If you want a roast, please order now. They seem to be popular this year and we make only a few. Order here. | Harvest Haven Pastured Beef Blade Roast – The classic roast for making a tender and juicy pot roast or pulled beef. Harvest Haven Linzer Potatoes, 5 lb or 10 lb – Thin, smooth-skinned potatoes with a slightly nutty flavor that are perfect for roasting, boiling, frying, and slicing into soups, stews, and casseroles. The best potato for salad because it doesn't fall apart when cooked. An absolute favorite! Harvest Haven Carrots – This year's carrot crop turned out very nice…large (not huge) and sweet. Serve raw, steamed, in casseroles, soups, and cake. They juice up wonderfully, too! Harvest Haven Shallots – Shallots are a variety of onion, and like garlic, they are formed in clusters of multiple cloves. They have a milder flavor than the common onion. There's a slight sweetness to the flesh and a mild bite that make shallots ideal for chopping finely and sautéing with butter, slicing into a stew, roasting with an herbed chicken, or deep frying for a crunchy garnish or side dish. Slice up raw shallots into a salad or whisk finely minced with extra virgin olive oil and lemon for a simple salad dressing. Here's an interesting tidbit: The name "shallot" comes from Ashkelon, an ancient Canaanite city in Israel, where it is believed shallots originated. Organic BC Coronation Grapes – One of the most popular grapes in Canada, and for a cool reason: they were developed in Summerland, BC. They are juicy, refreshing, sweet-and-sour, AND seedless. The season is short, so get them now. Organic Cane Sugar, 800 g – Organic cane sugar is unrefined sugar minus the cancer-causing and environmentally damaging pesticides present in conventionally-grown sugarcane. Compared to white sugar, organic cane sugar has the full-bodied taste of sugarcane and is much less processed, retaining a lot of the nutrients present in cane juice. It is the best substitute for conventional white sugar in any recipe. | Please note, all ingredients in our recipes are organic. | Classic Pot Roast 3 lb Harvest Haven boneless Blade roast
2-3 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 large Harvest Haven onion, cut into large wedges
3-4 medium Harvest Haven carrots cut on the diagonal into large chunks
2 lb Harvest Haven Linzer potatoes, cut into halves or quarters depending on size
3 cups Harvest Haven beef bone broth
1 sprig rosemary
parsley for garnish Preheat oven to 300°F. Heat oil over medium in a large stock pot or Dutch oven Combine flour, salt, and pepper. Coat roast on all sides with the flour mixture. Brown all sides of the roast in the heated oil on the stovetop. Remove from the pot. Add a bit more oil if needed and add carrots and onions to the pot. Stir and cook for 3-4 minutes or until onions have softened and vegetables begin to form a little browning around the edges. Remove from heat. Use a spatula to scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot and stir into the vegetables. Add potatoes to the pot and place the browned roast over the top of the vegetables. Add broth and rosemary to the pot. Cover with a lid and transfer the whole thing to the oven. Cook for about 3 hours or until the meat falls apart when pulled at gently with a fork. | Roasted Carrots with Yogurt Sauce Roasted Carrots and Shallots
12 medium Harvest Haven Carrots
8 medium Harvest Haven Shallots
2 Harvest Haven garlic clove, finely diced
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp black pepper
6 tbsp extra virgin olive oil Thyme Yogurt sauce
2 cups Greek yogurt
2 Harvest Haven garlic cloves, finely diced
1/4 tsp salt
1 tbsp dill leaves, finely chopped
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 tsp thyme Roasted Carrots and Shallots
Preheat the oven to 400°F. Cut the shallots into halves in a chopping board, remove the external peel and cut the root, so once cooked it will remain in that beautiful shape. Place the shallots in an oven proof tray covered with some parchment paper and set aside. Wash the carrots. Peel the carrots and place them on the tray with the rest of the shallots, drizzle with some olive oil, add garlic, salt and pepper and mix until well combined. Place the tray in the oven and let it cook for 1 hour. Checking to make sure nothing burns. Thyme Yogurt sauce
Place the yogurt, garlic, salt, thyme, olive oil, and the chopped dill in a medium bowl and combine. Remove the tray from the oven once the vegetables are golden. Spread the yogurt in a serving plate. Place the carrots and the shallots on top of it, add some dill leaves and a drizzle of olive oil. | Italian Grape Cake 500 g of Coronation grapes
90 g butter, at room temperature
100 g cane sugar + 2 Tbsp for the grapes
2 large Harvest Haven eggs, at room temperature
60 ml milk, at room temperature
1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
250 g all-purpose flour + 1 tablespoon to toss the grapes
1 tbsp baking powder
pinch of salt Wash the grapes very gently, separate each grape without breaking them, and place on a clean cloth to dry. Sift the flour with the baking powder and a pinch of salt in a bowl. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, add the butter at room temperature with the sugar. Beat at low to medium for about 5 minutes or until the mixture is light and fluffy. At this point, while still beating, add one egg at a time, and the vanilla, until all are incorporated. Add some of the milk, alternating with some of the flour mixture, then the rest of the milk, and finishing with the rest of the flour. Mix everything until incorporated. Butter an 8-inch springform pan and place a circle of parchment paper of the same size on the bottom. In a bowl, toss the grapes with 1 scant tablespoon of flour. Pour half of the mixture into the pan and level it with the back of a wet spoon (the batter is dense and sticky). Arrange half of the floured grapes on top of the mixture. Sprinkle with 1 tablespoon of cane sugar. Then, cover the grapes with the remaining batter leveling it well with a clean wet spoon. The batter is pretty dense, try to spread it as much as you can and if some grapes move and get incorporated in the batter, that is totally fine. Place the remaining grapes on the surface without pressing them, and sprinkle the last tablespoon of cane sugar on top. Bake the cake in a preheated oven at 350°F for 55-60 minutes, checking for doneness after the first 35-40 minutes, with a cake tester. The cake tester must come out dry, if not, prolong the baking time 5 minutes at a time. The cake will be ready when the cake tester comes out completely dry. If the top browns quickly, cover it with foil. Once done, remove the cake from the oven, and let it cool on a rack for 5-10 minutes. After that, you can take it out of the springform and let it cool completely. Once the cake is cold, place it on a serving dish. Enjoy! | Martin Van Popta brings us up to date with the changes that have happened in his mouth since having his tongue-tie release and a removable spring-type appliance inserted behind his upper teeth to pressure them to expand. If you look at the first video in this series, you'll see how much change has taken place in Martin's upper palate. It's been painful at times, especially right after the dentist has expanded the appliance, but the benefits have been well worth the discomfort. He's breathing better, sleeping more soundly, and has many fewer migraines. Mathijs has a different issue. His jaw was sitting too far back, which caused a number of problems. The devices used in his mouth are designed to work with eating, swallowing, and talking to enhance the movement of the jaw into the proper position. These dental processes have been life changing for Martin and Mathijs. | |
