"I wonder if the snow loves the trees and fields that it kisses them so gently? And then it covers them up snug, you know, with a white quilt; and perhaps it says, "Go to sleep, darlings, thill the summer comes again." – Lewis Carroll | Who let the cows out? A while back it was a common occurrence to see the cows outside their corrals and to ask, "Who let the cows out?" Thankfully, that's changed. At least until the other day. One morning we were chatting on the phone with Martin when we heard Jeannie in the background exclaim, "The cows are out…and they're heading for our house!" Martin sighs, "The whole farm is out there trying to chase the cows. I guess I better see what's going on." A little later we hear who let the cows out. It was James. He was half asleep first thing in the morning and didn't shut the beef cow corral properly. Cows may have a nice dry bed of straw, a feeder full of fresh green hay, and a waterer brimming with clean warm water, but that's not good enough. They are always looking for adventure and won't miss an open gate. They took full advantage of James's slip-up. When Martin came on the scene, the cows knew they were misbehaving and immediately turned back to their pen. They aren't stupid, they just like to live on the wild side. And James went back to his snow removal feeling sheepish. He's quite attentive to the work when using his big toys. But, using heavy equipment is second nature for him, and he enjoys it. | Because it was so cold and snowy, Marseilles had to put Sunny and Shadow, her ducks into the small hatchery building, which is heated. She told us something instructive about duck behavior. "If they are pecking at your shoes and you walk away, they believe they have dominance over you and can give you grief if you want them to do something. Instead of walking away, you need to gently, but firmly, hold them down for a minute or so. This says you are the boss." Life on the farm is always interesting. | Honey has been used throughout the world for thousands of years, not only for the pleasure of eating but also for its health benefits. Raw honey is more than a sweet treat. It is rich in antioxidants and contains a variety of vitamins, minerals, and amino acids. Some studies have shown that raw honey may help with reducing the effects of seasonal allergies, healing wounds and burns, preventing acid reflux, fighting infections, relieving cold and cough symptoms, improving heart health, and managing and improving blood sugar levels. However, it must be RAW honey, not pasteurized. Raw honey contains specific components that offer health benefits. Pasteurization and other processes remove or reduce some of these elements. Some regular honey you find may contain sugars and other additives. Although it is illegal, it still happens. Raw honey does not contain any ingredients other than the honey from the beehive. And not all organic honey is raw honey. Organic honey may still have undergone some processing and pasteurization. Harvest Haven Honey is not only RAW, but it has absolutely no chemicals, not even those approved by organic certification. Our bees forage on our chemical-free fields and are not exposed to formic acid and oxalic acid, which organic certification allows to treat varroa mites. | Most people think the greatest threat to the honey bees is the chemicals used in agriculture, when in reality the greatest threat to the bees is modern beekeeping. No other agricultural profession suffers such tremendous losses without anyone even hearing about it. Fifty percent of Alberta honeybee colonies perished in the winter of 2020-2021. And so far, we haven't heard of anyone rethinking modern beekeeping practices. The devastating losses are continually blamed on bacteria, viruses, and parasites. Apparently, nothing can be done, except use more chemicals. Noticeable amounts of these contaminants can be found in the honey from all treated hives. We've been determined to solve this problem and recently designed new hives that allow the bees to keep the hive exactly at their preferred temperature and humidity. So far, it's been successful. The conditions the bees engineer, when given the resources, are far too warm and humid for mites to proliferate. Therefore, we don't need to treat the hive with any miticides, which also harm the bees. Our bees are far healthier and more productive without using any chemicals at all. Harvest Haven Honey is hands down the real deal. | Splendor Garden was started in 2012 after Colleen Haussecker had been through a life-changing battle with breast cancer. She realized her passion – to provide food that is healthy, nutritious and that tastes good. She started her business in small town Saskatchewan with organic spices and herbs to add antioxidants and extra nutrition to meals. Only the finest, organic products and highest quality ingredients are used to create Splendor Garden organic herbs and spices. The natural flavors, aromas, and colors come together to create special taste creations that are incredibly pungent and aromatic. You can use less to achieve great flavor in all your food preparations. Now, save even more by buying your favorite herbs and spices in one-pound bulk bags. | Harvest Haven Pastured Lamb Stew Meat – Our pasture-raised lamb is tender and flavorful and makes a delicious stew for a comforting meal on a crisp winter day. Harvest Haven Pastured Lamb Bone Broth – A tasty broth made from roasted lamb bones and organic vegetables. A nutritious drink that protects the joints, helps reduce inflammation, heals the gut, and helps you sleep better. Harvest Haven Beets – Besides being delicious, beets are super nutritious and work wonders for your health, like lowering your blood pressure, improving oxygen use, and benefiting digestive health. This earthy root vegetable is great as a side dish, in a salad or soup. Roasting fresh beets brings out their sweet flavor. Harvest Haven Honey, 300g or 650g – Harvest Haven Honey is not only RAW, but it has absolutely no chemicals, not even those approved by organic certification. Our bees forage on our chemical-free fields and are not exposed to formic acid and oxalic acid, which organic certification allows to treat varroa mites. The honey from this summer's extraction is the best we've ever had! The bees like their super-insulated hives and rewarded us with a copious amount of their work. Frozen Wild Saskatoon Berries – These wild saskatoons are hand-picked at the peak of ripeness. The sweet, nutty almond-flavored berries are high in fiber, protein, and antioxidants. Sprinkle on your hot or cold cereal, bake in muffins, or make a special dessert. Truly a taste of the prairies. Organic Lemons – Lots of love for lemons! Lemons with their distinct, pleasant taste and smell are used in many foods and drinks to enhance the flavor of that dish or drink. Besides being an important ingredient in many recipes, lemons also provide several health benefits, like most real foods. | Please note, all ingredients in our recipes are organic. | Lamb Stew with Rosemary Dumplings 3 lb. Harvest Haven Lamb Stew meat
2 tbsp flour
Salt and pepper to taste
Dash of cayenne pepper
2 tbsp olive oil
2 Harvest Haven cooking onions, chopped
3 Harvest Haven shallots, chopped
2 tbsp tomato paste
Pinch of sugar
1/2 cup water
2 cups dry red wine or Harvest Haven Lamb bone broth
3 large Harvest Haven carrots, cut into 1"pieces
1/2 cup frozen peas Dumplings 1 1/2 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
cracked pepper to taste
1/2 tsp dried rosemary, minced well
3 tbsp butter
3/4 cup water, approx. Mix flour with salt, pepper, and cayenne, toss with lamb, and pat off excess. In a large pot, heat olive oil over high heat, then toss in cubes of meat, turning them every so often so that they are well browned. Make sure not to crowd the pot. You'll likely have to sear the cubes in a couple of batches. Once all the meat is browned, return all meat to pot, reduce heat to medium and add chopped onions and shallots, and let sweat with the meat for several minutes. Add tomato paste and sugar, and stir in the water, scraping off the browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Cook for 5 minutes, then add wine or bone broth, stir, and bring to a boil. Taste for seasoning, adding more salt, pepper and sugar if needed. Reduce heat to a low simmer, cover the pot and let stew cook for 2 hours, stirring about every 20 minutes. After 2 hours, toss in carrots and frozen peas, and cook for 10 minutes. If the stew gets a little dry at any point, add a bit more water. Meanwhile, make the dumplings. In a bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, salt, pepper and rosemary. Add the shortening, mixing it in with a fork so it breaks down and the mixture looks grainy. Slowly add the water until dough is light but solid and can be easily dropped from a soup spoon. Remove the pot lid and stir. Wet a soup spoon and scoop up mounds of dumpling dough, and drop into stew. Space dumplings out around the perimeter first, then working your way in. Do not stir! Cover pot allow dumplings to cook for 20 minutes. Serve immediately. | Honey Roasted Beets with Pistachios 1 lb Harvest Haven beets, peeled and sliced
2 tbsp Harvest Haven honey
1 tbsp butter, melted
1 tbsp olive oil
1/4 cup pistachios, chopped
salt and pepper Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line a baking sheet with foil or parchment paper. Wash, peel, and slice beets 1/4-inch thick. Place the sliced beets in a bowl. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Add the honey and melted butter. Mix to combine. Put the sliced beets on the prepared baking sheet in a single layer. Bake uncovered for 10 minutes. Test doneness with a fork. Bake an additional 5 minutes if needed. Remove the beets and add them to a serving bowl. Sprinkle with chopped pistachios and serve. | Saskatoon Scones 3 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 tsp salt
4 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp lemon zest (about half a lemon)
1/2 cup cold butter, cut into cubes
1 cup Saskatoon berries
1 1/4 – 1 1/2 cups
1/4 cup milk for brushing Pre-heat your oven to 375F and line your baking sheet with parchment paper. In a bowl combine flour, sugar, salt and baking powder and stir with a whisk or fork to combine. Then, stir in the lemon zest. Cut the butter into cubes, add to the flour mixture and then using your fingers combine the butter into the flour mixture until you get small pieces of butter left. Add in the berries to the flour mixture and stir gently. Stir in 1 1/4 cup of milk until the dough just comes together. If you notice the dough is still a bit dry / there is flour remaining, add in an extra ¼ cup of milk. Take the dough out of the bowl onto a floured surface and knead gently, turning over about 2-3 times and then shape the dough into a rectangular disc. Cut the dough into 8 triangles and put each scone onto the parchment-lined baking sheet. Brush the tops of each scone with a little bit of milk and then bake in the oven for 22-25 minutes until golden on top. | Bone Density Scans at BioStrong In the last Harvest Haven Happenings newsletter, there was a short video update on the progress Martin has made with the release of his tongue-tie and expansion of his palate. This time we have an update on our son, Jonathan's BioStrong business. Jonathan started BioStrong because he saw how valuable it would be to everyone, from elite athletes who wanted improved performances to grandmas with osteoporosis. It has proven to be better than he expected. With an aging and predominantly sedentary population, there are many health problems – diabetes, obesity, and low bone density, which lead to osteoporosis. If you're not putting enough force on your bones, muscles, and tendons, they atrophy. And "enough force" means activities like gymnastics. Few, if any of us, can do that in our younger years, let alone in older age. This is where BioStrong comes in. The biodensity machines are designed to put optimum pressure on the four main areas of the body to increase bone density and muscle strength without harm to the user. The client is in total control of how much force to use. And, it takes less than 15 minutes a week. Besides increasing bone density, which can reverse osteoporosis, and improve muscle strength, using the biodensity machines regularly improves metabolism. This means lower blood sugar, better blood sugar control, and decreased risk of organ damage from high blood sugar. Both Victor and I have experienced remarkable results from using the biodensity machine less than every two or three weeks. With all the snow shoveling Victor had to do this past week, he didn't have the usual stiffness from doing an uncommon activity. And according to my results on the machine, my strength has doubled since starting two years ago. I do have more energy and don't tire as easily. When Martin had a bone density scan a couple of years ago, he was in a scary place. He had the bone density of a 70-year-old woman with osteoporosis! He was starving to death. He wasn't eating enough because he couldn't swallow properly. Since then, he's had his tongue-tie released and has forced himself to eat more, gaining about 50 pounds. He has also been going to BioStrong once a month. It'll be interesting to see what his next bone scan shows. Which brings us to the new addition Jonathan has. BioStrong offers a bone density test using modern technology created by EchoLight called EchoS. The EchoS provides a bone density exam utilizing proprietary R.E.M.S. (Radiofrequency Echographic Multi Spectrometry) technology which provides a non-invasive and radiation-free approach to determining bone density. The EchoS bone densitometry exam gives a precise bone density measurement to inform you if you have healthy bone density, low bone density (osteopenia), or osteoporosis. This scan also gives you information on how fragile your bones are and determines your risk for fracture. While bone density has a direct correlation with the risk of fracture, fragility scores can be high or low regardless of bone density. Information about your fragility cannot be gathered through a DEXA scan. EchoS offers: Significantly increased levels of accuracy, Sensitivity to bone mass changes, Diagnostic reproducibility over DXA systems. In this video, Jonathan briefly describes what the EchoS offers. | | |
