A bee is an exquisite chymist [chemist]. - Royal Beekeeper to Charles II | Busy, Busy as a Bee The weather seemed to move from winter right into summer, skipping spring. It was snowing one week and the next it was 25° C, sunny and calm. The one thing reminding us that it was spring was that the trees didn't have leaves on them yet. If you stand under the maple and poplar trees, you'll hear the delightful buzzing of bees gathering pollen to start their hives. These first signs of spring are especially sweet this year because winter seemed to last forever. We have our hives set up with queens and their helpers, hoping for a heap of honey. It's such a sweet treat. It's been so warm Jeannie has potted her flowers already. Now, we're waiting for the soil in the fields to warm up and the irrigation to be turned on to start planting gardens. | Mable, our Jersey heifer had her first calf the other morning. He was so big she needed a helping hand to deliver him. Meet Karl. Remember, this year the letter for livestock is K? One of the other bull calves is called Kerosene and Cherry's heifer is Kate. | In the last newsletter, I told you about the cat that liked to hang around with one of the flocks of free range chickens. When we saw him on a recent walk around the farm, two lambs on the lam were checking him out. Life is interesting around here. | It's that time of year again! Think fresh chicken. We raise the chicks in the barn for about 5 weeks until they've grown enough feathers to survive cooler nights. At this point they're ready for pasture. The birds are split up into 10-foot by 10-foot cages on shorter, trampled grass, which provides more suitable bedding and renders the bugs easier to catch. And the tender pasture regrowth is much easier for the birds to digest than mature grasses. Every morning after the dew comes off, each cage is moved ahead by a full ten feet, providing the birds with a fresh salad and a side of bugs, which they take full advantage of before resorting to their grain feeders. It should go without saying that we provide exclusively organic grain and revitalizing Grander Living Water. This system also moves the birds away from their manure, which means they are never exposed to any pathogen load. It keeps everything and everybody healthy and clean. Our birds have full access to sunshine and fresh pasture breezes that are free of ammonia. The healthy pasture grasses make immediate use of the nitrogen in the manure to prevent any odors or runoff. The whole system is beautiful and clean, naturally providing meat that is flavorful and nutritious. Fresh WHOLE broiler chicken will be ready Friday, June 9th and Sunday, June 11th. Fresh chicken PARTS will be ready Sunday, June 11th. PLACE YOUR ORDERS NOW. | The Harvest Haven kitchen is always a busy place. And we have another new organic product! Our customers have been telling us that they've given up on trying to find good quality tortillas and are too busy to make their own. Often we've been too busy to make a batch of tortillas for dinner and will opt for chips instead. So, let's mass produce them and have some for us and everyone else. We were able to purchase a special press and dough divider to make the process easier and quicker. Now, we can make a few hundred at a time. One problem, they are so good, they sell out quickly. Harvest Haven Flour Tortillas are made from our fresh-milled whole grain flour, Granderized water, Harvest Haven beef tallow, and a touch of salt. They are thin, pliable, and tasty, making great wraps, burritos, enchiladas, and quesadillas. So versatile! | Harvest Haven Pulled Turkey – A favorite Harvest Haven product made from slow-cooked smoked Harvest Haven pastured turkey drumsticks. Tender and tasty. The meat is removed from the bones and packaged into 1-pound bags, perfect for your favorite recipes. Use for fajitas, enchiladas, pulled turkey BBQ sandwiches, turkey pot pie, soups, and casseroles. Delicious! Harvest Haven Flour Tortillas, 6 pack – Another new Harvest Haven product. These tortillas are made from our fresh-milled whole grain flour, Granderized water, Harvest Haven beef tallow, a touch of salt, and a pinch of brown sugar. They are thin, pliable, and tasty, making great wraps, burritos, enchiladas, and quesadillas. So versatile! Organic Pinto Beans, 454 g – These locally grown organic dried beans are excellent, fresh, and flavorful. Most organic beans are sourced from China, but we have reservations about Chinese organic standards. We know the farmer who grows these beans, and we appreciate his products. L' Ancetre Organic Medium Cheddar Cheese, 325 g – A classic Canadian cheese! Made from organic unpasteurized milk, it is cream-colored and has a firm, smooth texture. Its delicately salty flavor and nutty, buttery finish, make this cheese perfect to enjoy on its own or in all sorts of recipes. Native Forest Organic Pineapple Chunks, 398 mL – Ripe organic pineapples are hand selected and packed in their own juice at the peak of freshness. These bite size chunks of organic pineapple are sweet, tender, and delicious. No sugar added. Orchid Organic Vanilla Extract, 100 mL – This vanilla extract is made from the world's finest ingredients right here in Canada. Orchid Vanilla Extract is produce through a careful extraction and aging process, using only the best fair trade, organic bourbon vanilla beans from Madagascar and India. Ingredients are filtered water, organic alcohol, and organic vanilla bean extractives. | Please note, all ingredients in our recipes are organic. | Pulled Turkey Quesadillas 4 Harvest Haven flour tortillas
1 tablespoon olive oil plus extra as needed
1 small bell pepper
1/3 cup Harvest Haven onion, diced
1 1/2 cups Harvest Haven Pulled Turkey
2 tablespoons taco seasoning
2 cups cheddar cheese, shredded Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium-high heat. Cook onions 2-3 minutes or until softened. Add bell peppers and cook an additional 2-3 minutes. Stir in turkey, seasoning and 1/4 cup water. Simmer 3-4 minutes or until most of the liquid has evaporated. Lay out the tortillas and sprinkle with 1/2 cup cheese on one half of the tortilla. Add 1/4 of the turkey mixture. Fold half of the tortilla over the filling. Brush the outside of each tortilla with olive oil. Heat a pan over medium-low heat (or a griddle). Lightly brown each quesadillas 3-4 minutes per side or until golden and cheese is melted. Cool 2-3 minutes and cut each tortilla into 3 pieces. | Refried Beans To Soak The Beans
1 1/2 cups dried pinto beans
4 cups water or enough to cover the beans To Prepare Refried Beans
4 cups cooked beans you may have more, that's OK
3 Tbs. butter
1 cup Harvest Haven onion, chopped
5 cloves Harvest Haven garlic, minced
3 tsp. ground cumin
2 tsp. paprika
2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. chili powder more or less, depending on how spicy you want your beans
1/2 tsp. black pepper
milk optional if you want to thin the beans
1/2 cup cheddar cheese, shredded To Soak The Dried Beans
In a large bowl, cover dried beans with cold water and let soak overnight. The next day, drain and rinse beans. Place soaked beans in a large stockpot, cover with water, and simmer for several hours, or until tender (you may also do this in a slow cooker for 6 hours on high.) To Prepare Refried Beans
In a large saucepan, saute onions in butter until they are soft. Add minced garlic and saute for 2 minutes longer. Add the beans and a little bean broth or milk. Stir in cumin, paprika, salt, chili powder, and pepper. Cover pot and simmer on low heat for 20 minutes, stirring occationally. Mash the beans with a potato masher or immersion blender until smooth. Add a bit of milk or broth if you want a thinner consistancy. Top with shredded cheese. Serve as a side dish to your favorite Mexican food, or freeze for later! | Mexican Wedding Cake For the Cake
2 cups all purpose flour
2 cups sugar
2 large Harvest Haven eggs
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 can Native Forest pineapple chunks + the juice, blended with an immersion blender For the Frosting
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla For the Cake
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9" x 13" pan with butter and set aside. In a large bowl, add the flour, sugar, eggs, baking soda, vanilla, and pineapple & juice and mix by hand with a wooden spoon until well combined. Pour into the prepared pan and bake for 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool on a wire rack before frosting. For the Frosting
Add the softened cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla to a large bowl and beat well until fully combined. Frost cake once cooled. | Harvest Haven Pasture Raised Chicken Martin explains the benefits of raising broiler chickens on pasture and why he has chosen the portable cages you'll see in this video. The birds are healthy because they get fresh air, sunshine, vibrant grasses, and real bugs, and they are not exposed to hazardous ammonia buildup in a confined barn. Portable cages on pasture provide a low stress environment resulting in a mortality rate that is nearly zero. The meat from pasture raised chickens is a richer color, tastier, and obviously healthier with no risk of salmonella or bacterial contamination. The portable cages have a number of advantages for the birds and the farmers who tend the operation. The system is very simple to build and operate, and it's not noisy or invasive in the environment. Another major advantage to portable cages is the spreading of the chicken manure evenly over the pasture without the use of machinery. The fields explode in greenery after the chickens have done the job for the farmer. Pasture raised chicken is the clean, moral, ethical, pleasurable, and right way of raising a bird. Fresh broiler chicken will be ready June 9th and 11th. You can place your orders now. | | |
