Sustainable Agriculture does not deplete soils or people. – Wendell Berry | Snow, Snow, and More Snow All of a sudden, work on the farm went from 85 mph to 10 because the weather went from beautifully warm sunny fall days of plus 20° C to minus 20° C and heavy wet snow literally overnight. The sheep and beef cattle were happy to be back in the corrals where it was warm in their shelters, and they had full feed bins. James cheerfully started up his big toys to clear the snow on the roads around the farm. He used the versatile skid steer to move snow into piles, which were scooped up by his powerful pay loader and dumped in the little dugout. No more huge piles of snow around the yard this year. For everyone else, it was pure muscle-building shovelling by hand. It was snowing so much that you'd grab a shovel at the store to clear a path to the workshop. Getting what you needed there, you had to shovel your way back to the store. Every shop and house had a shovel for clearing entrances and paths just to be able to get around. | It was a good time to spend indoors. Mathijs was able to build some more of his barnwood evergreen trees, and Marseilles worked on scrunchies and bookmarks. All of which you'll find adding to the variety of what we have for sale in the store. Some of us had time to catch up on videos, like the one you'll find in Down On The Farm. | Harvest Haven Oven Fries are back in the freezer now that the potatoes have been harvested. Fresh russet potatoes are cut into fries, blanched in hot beef tallow, drained, and flash frozen. Simply spread frozen fries on a lightly oiled baking sheet and roast in 425° F oven for 15 to 20 minutes or until done the way you like them. Easy peasy! You have the convenience of a prepared Harvest Haven potato without having to compromise on quality and flavor. | We need your help. It won't be hard to do. Boneless chicken breasts are very popular because they taste so good and are super easy to prepare in a variety of ways. But, chickens have more than breasts. They have legs, too. After cutting up the birds, there are always lots of drumsticks. That's the part we need help with. They are delicious, plump and tender. And we really enjoy them, but there are only so many times a week that we can eat drumsticks. You see, we have to eat whatever doesn't sell. To make it easy to help us, we've put a sale on the drumsticks. If you buy a 20 lb box, which is 12 bags of 4 drumsticks each (48 total), the sale price is $5.99/lb. That's a great deal because the regular price is $7.69/lb. Tender, tasty, and delicious drumsticks from our pasture-raised broiler chickens make for fabulous meals. SALE PRICE: 12 pkgs of 4 drumsticks each (48 total) for $5.99/lb Regular Price: $7.69/lb Help a friend. :) | Harvest Haven Pastured Chicken Drumsticks – Enjoy tender, tasty, and delicious drumsticks from our pasture-raised broiler chickens. Simply Organic Smoked Paprika, 77 g – Nothing but pure, organic, ground Spanish paprika (Capsicum annuum) that's oak-wood smoked. Not irradiated. Deep, rich color, enticing aroma, and award-winning smoky-sweet flavor with a touch of heat. Pairs well with egg, bean, and potato dishes, as well as roasted and grilled meats. Harvest Haven Delicata Squash – An heirloom variety from 1894, it is one of the tastiest. The creamy flesh is smooth and sweet, baked or steamed, with thin skin that is also edible. Its smaller size is great for single servings. L'Ancetre Organic Grated Parmesan Cheese, 125 g – This Italian cheese, made from organic unpasteurized milk, is aged for a minimum of 12 months. Its intense flavor with the delicately fruity hint of salted butter will spice up all of your recipes. Organic Medjool Dates, 180 g – These super sweet bites from the desert are the best. Medjools are large and soft, making them ideal for your favorite recipe or as a snack. Organic Brown Sugar, 454 g – This soft, moist, and fine-grained sugar is perfect for all your baking needs, and is especially good in cakes, cookies, pies, and candies. Great on hot cereal. Wholesome Sweeteners has a strong commitment to sustainable agriculture. In adherence with strict organic standards, the sugar cane fields are green cut and are not burned or treated with herbicides or synthetic fertilizers. This is better for the environment, which ultimately is better for everyone. This also creates the highest quality, most delicious-tasting, unrefined brown sugar you can find. No chemicals, bone char, or animal by-products are used to make or de-colorize this sugar. | Please note, all ingredients in our recipes are organic. | Easy Baked Chicken Drumsticks 8 Harvest Haven pastured chicken drumsticks
1 tablespoon smoked paprika
1 tablespoon mixed herbs
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
˝ teaspoon cayenne pepper, optional
2 tsp salt, or to taste
black pepper Preheat the oven to 400F then line a baking tray with a parchment baking paper. Pat chicken dry with a kitchen paper towel (this is an important step you shouldn't skip for crispy skin.) In a small mixing bowl, add smoked paprika, onion powder, garlic powder, mixed herbs, cayenne pepper, salt, and black pepper and mix to combine. Add the chicken drumsticks to a large bowl or large Ziploc bag, pour in the dry rub then rub the spices into the chicken drumsticks ensuring you coat it well. Arrange the chicken drumsticks in a single layer on a lined baking sheet. Bake in the preheated oven for 1 1/2 hours or until golden brown and cooked through. The best way to check the doneness of chicken is by using an instant meat thermometer. The internal temperature of cooked chicken should register 165F/74C. Let the chicken rest for 5 minutes before serving. | Parmesan Herb Roasted Delicata Squash 1 Harvest Haven delicata squash
2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon extra virign olive oil
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cut squash in half lengthwise, then crosswise and scoop out the seeds and insides. Discard. Cut squash into 1/2 inch slices. Combine olive oil, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper together in a bowl. Brush mixture over both sides of the squash. Roast squash in preheated oven for 15 minutes, turn and roast for another 15 or until browned and tender. Remove from oven and immediately sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. | Sticky Toffee Pudding For the cake:
1 cup chopped Medjool dates
3/4 cup milk
1 teaspoon baking soda
6 tablespoons butter
3/4 cup dark brown sugar
2 Harvest Haven eggs, room temperature
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
sea salt flakes For the salty caramel sauce:
1/2 cup butter
11/2 cups brown sugar
3/4 cup cream
1/2 teaspoon salt To serve:
whipped cream Preheat oven to 350°F with the rack in the middle position. Lightly butter an 11 x 8-inch glass or oven-safe casserole dish. Prepare dates: Place dates in a small bowl and sprinkle with baking soda. Scald milk in a small saucepan on moderate-high heat. Pour milk onto dates. Stir then set aside to cool, about 15 minutes. Prepare cake: Place flour, baking powder and salt into a small bowl and stir together. Beat eggs together in a separate bowl. Place beaten eggs, brown sugar, butter and vanilla extract into the canister of a food processor fitted with a blade attachment. Run on low speed to combine. Add dry ingredients, one tablespoon at a time through the feed tube with the machine running on a low speed. Remove the lid and add the soaked dates and liquid. Return lid to processor and run on a slightly faster speed to chop the dates and create a smooth batter. Pour batter into prepared dish and smooth it out evenly. Transfer to oven and bake for 30 minutes or until centre is set and edges are slightly golden. Prepare Salty Caramel Sauce while cake bakes: Melt butter in a small saucepan over moderate-high heat. Stir in the sugar and salt. Continue to stir while the sugar melts and dissolves into the butter. Add the cream and stir to combine. Continue to stir until the sauce begins bubbling, then reduce to simmer. Cook about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until reduced to a thickened consistency. Keep sauce on a low heat until use. Remove cake from oven. Poke holes in cake with brochette or fork, then slowly pour about 1/3 of the quantity of Salty Caramel Sauce onto the cake trying to cover its surface. Leave pudding to settle and soak for 15 minutes. To serve: Sprinkle the cake with sea salt flakes. Cut the cake into 12 portions or simply spoon out portions into bowls or onto dessert plates. Drizzle each portion with more of the Salty Caramel Sauce. Add a dollop of whipped cream. Serve warm. | Insecticides – How chemical companies destroy ecosystems | Unable to work outside because it was so snowy, we had time to watch this compelling documentary about the devastating effects of insecticides. This introduction to the documentary says a lot. "Today's industrial agriculture relies on insecticides. These chemicals cause massive damage to the environment. Worldwide, the most common insecticides are neonicotinoids. Deployed to destroy pests, they also harm human health. "Thirty years ago, in the summertime, anybody driving a long distance would have to stop every two hours or so to clear their windshield of insects. Today, a driver can cross the whole of Europe without using the windshield wiper even once. That's because the total biomass of flying insects has declined by about 75% since the 1990s. The culprit? The massive use of neonicotinoids, so-called 'systemic' insecticides that spread throughout plant cells. They look like colorful candy and seem harmless, but they have a highly toxic effect. "As more and more scientific studies warn of the catastrophic consequences of the use of these neurotoxins, multinational chemical companies are doing everything they can to cover up the causal link between their products and mass insect death. They fund dubious studies, put pressure on scientists and research institutions, lobby regulatory authorities intensively, and work hard to prevent or circumvent restrictions and bans. "Meanwhile, insect death is progressing at an unprecedented rate. And because insects play a central role in food chains, both as pollinators and as food for larger animals, their decimation is affecting entire ecosystems. Fish and birds are running out of food, which increases their own mortality rates. What's more, recent studies show that the chemicals also impact human health." Here's Martin's comment after viewing the documentary: Only a culture that has treated creation so carelessly and contemptuously, feels the need to proclaim their "green virtue" from every mountaintop and molehill. We've become a nation of people who worship nature while living in abject fear of her at the same time. We proclaim chemical warfare on every organism that seems to be causing our hardships and there's a different scapegoat every season. Fungicide, bactericide, insecticide, rodenticide, herbicide…..kill, kill, kill. And then we wonder why our ecosystems and microbiomes are failing. But don't worry, if you start feeling badly about the trail of destruction that leads to your dinner table, just make sure your single use cutlery is made from "biodegradable" neonic and glyphosate saturated GMO corn plastics so you can pat yourselves on the back for how environmentally savvy you are. I think when it gets down to it, the entire human race needs a good humbling. We so easily treat what we deem to be "lesser" organisms with disregard and contempt without any consciousness of the consequence. I think it's worth remembering that the Lord created the birds, the bees, and even the microbes in your sneeze. Note: When Jeannie was attaching the video, Insecticides – How chemical companies destroy ecosystems, a black screen appeared saying, "Video unavailable." It was the only video in the whole list on that documentaries page that was unavailable. And it had just been released on October 15, 2022.
Watch the following video before it "disappears." There may be dots to connect? | |
