The real test of friendship is can you literally do nothing with the other person? Can you enjoy those moments of life that are utterly simple? ~ Eugene Kennedy

Aw Spring – Love it

It's so busy around the farm that I'm saving some of the activities until the next issue of the Harvest Haven Happenings. Otherwise, there'd be too much to read. However, keep in mind that the farmers can't put off what they're doing. Everything has to be done now.

It's a hive of activity for sure. Talking about hives, the bees are out looking for the first nectar of the year. They're going to have to wait a little longer, as the flowers and maple catkins are just starting to grow in the warmth of the longer days.

Jeannie's seedlings are growing quickly. Soon, they'll be transplanted in the garden area that Igor has been spading.

On Mondays, the store is closed, so Jeannie took the opportunity to enjoy the outdoors. She and Jennifer were busy cleaning up lawns and flower beds, anxiously anticipating the first blooms.

The broiler chicks arrived last week and are doing very well in their comfortable digs. In the previous newsletter, I mentioned that the lambing barn was being prepared for them. I was mistaken. They have their own cozy building with the heat perfectly regulated and the floor under the wooden hens sufficiently insulated to keep them toasty.

The layer chicks are growing nicely, too, in their pleasant pen with perfect temperatures.

Keeping young critters at the optimum temperature is making a huge difference in their health and survival. The lambs and chicks are robust and losses have been minimal.

Every spring some of the cows need to have their hooves trimmed because they don't walk around on enough hard ground to keep them filed down. Most of the cows don't like the procedure but are willing to submit to it.

This year Bob, the bull needed his hooves done. It'll be the last time he goes through that though! He had to be tricked into entering the chute by going along with some of the girls. Then, he was almost too big for the hydraulic lift. Being squeezed and lifted off the ground for the trimmer to work on his feet was too much. He got a nice pedicure but was quick to leave the lift when done and will not return.

Pruning the fruit trees and unstrawing the garlic and strawberries are other yearly spring tasks. Those were finished recently and the plants are growing nicely.

A new job that Martin and James had to undertake was trellising Igor's grapevines. As the grape plants grow, they need to be supported. Using materials from around the farm, the guys got that job done. It may not be beautiful, but it will work.

The days ahead are only going to get busier. But, everyone is thankful for what is getting done and what they have to do to make it happen.

Stock up for barbecuing! This box of our premium pasture-raised beef has a nice selection of steaks plus ground beef. Perfect for the warm days ahead.

2x Top Sirloin Steaks (4 steaks)

2x Kansas Strip Steaks (4 steaks)

1x T-Bone Steaks (2 steaks)

6x Ground Beef (6 lb)

Average Cost: $220

Humble Potato Chips has introduced the Canadian snack food industry's first certified organic potato chips packaged in certified plastic-free, compostable bags.

Humble Potato Chips are crafted from Canadian-farmed, certified organic potatoes. Light and crispy, they're traditionally cooked (not kettle cooked) in organic sunflower oil, with skins on to enhance taste and reduce waste. The final product is lightly dusted with organic seasonings and then packaged in certified plastic-free bags made from renewable plant-based materials.

Committed to preserving taste and satisfaction, the brand's organic potato chip line-up – designed by a Certified Humble Chip Chef – includes family favorites like honey mustard, smokey BBQ, and creamy dill. All seasonings are made using natural and organic ingredients, resulting in a flavorful chip that has less sodium and sugars than competitors, and fewer preservatives/chemicals than factory-produced brands. Their "Original" chip has only three ingredients – organic potatoes, organic sunflower oil, and sea salt.

Now, Humble Chips introduces a Canadian chip icon with a wholesome twist – Organic Ketchup Chips. Yum!

These fresh days of spring are energizing and invigorating for cleaning around the home.

To get the job done easily and naturally, use ECO-PIONEER washing products, which are 100% pure and non-hazardous to the environment.

As the early Pioneers knew, cleaning does not need to be complicated. These products are designed to be simple, effective, and environmentally sustainable.

Besides being all-natural and readily biodegradable, the washing powders leave a small ecological footprint. They are sourced from local suppliers and are minimally packaged in 100% recycled paper fiber boxes, and printed with non-toxic, vegetable inks.

The products we have in the store are:

Pure Baking Soda, 2 kg

Pure Washing Soda, 2 kg

Pure Soap Flakes, 1.25 kg

Pure Borax, 2 kg

Pure Citric Acid, 1 kg

Harvest Haven Pastured T-Bone Steaks – Let's barbecue! This special cut is tender and tasty requiring just a simple preparation to be spectacular.

Happy Planet Organic Orange Juice, 1.75 L – Sun-ripened Valencia oranges produce a refreshing, full, and sunshine sweet juice. No sugar added. Made in Canada.

Organic Basmati Rice, 700 g – A wonderfully fragrant, nutty-tasting long-grain rice traditionally grown in India, Pakistan, and Nepal. It cooks up fluffy and not very sticky, making it a versatile dish.

Bioitalia Organic Strained Tomatoes, 700mL – Made from carefully hand-picked tomatoes for long-lasting intense flavor. Bioitalia Italian organic tomatoes are guaranteed by a system that follows the product from the fields to the table: the certified chain. An excellent product for all your tomato sauce needs.

Organic Ambrosia Apples – Originating in Similkameen Valley, BC, this apple is not the result of a lengthy scientific breeding program, but the finding of a chance seedling in an orchard. It was growing in an orchard of Jonagold trees, therefore its parentage is unknown. It seems likely that it is a cross between Jonagold and Golden Delicious.

Ambrosia apples are known for tasting as sweet as honey. They're mildly aromatic but overall have a straightforward flavor. In a perfectly ripe Ambrosia apple, you'll taste floral notes similar to wildflower honey. These apples are very low in acid. They won't taste tart or tangy, just mellow and sweet.

Ambrosia apples benefit from being kept chilled and eaten from the fridge because the crispness fades fairly quickly once it is left in the fruit bowl.

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.

Please note, all ingredients in our recipes are organic.

Our customers are our friends

We truly appreciate our customers and look forward to visiting with them when they drop by. As friends, we cover many topics…some personal and others more controversial, but mostly interesting.

The following article was written by Martin in February 2019 after a major controversy in the summer of 2018, which resulted in us being expelled from the Downtown Farmers Market. Not because we did anything contrary to the rules, but because of threats from those who violently disagreed with the social stance we took.

Here's Martin's ruminations.

I'll start with a trigger warning.

Some of you have expressed to us, "We just want groceries, not your political rants!" If that's the case, stop reading now and continue to buy our groceries.

You should all know that we are first and foremost, lovers of Truth. Our clean, honest, trustworthy farming practices are an extension of that fact.

Also, keep in mind, that this is not a political rant, as we do not profess solidarity with any political party. That being said, our lives are affected every day by the political system that governs us, so to tie my hands up and tell me, "I don't want to hear about your politics," while injustice spreads like a plague, is totally unacceptable. No evil totalitarian rule has ever subjugated a nation without plenty of warning from a few almost universally condemned spokespeople.

Now, on to the story.

I was visiting with one of our customers a few days ago and he had an interesting story to tell. While he was picking up a few things in town, he mentioned in passing to a store clerk that he was a big fan of our grass-fed beef. He had tried other organic beef and it just wasn't the same. (This detail is kind of unrelated to the story, but it's good advertising so I'm including it.)

A woman in that store overheard his positive review of our business and couldn't bear it. She pulled him aside and told him, "I would never shop at Harvest Haven. I don't like those people." Our customer is a pretty cool cucumber, so he says, "I haven't had any problems and their meat is great. Why don't you like them?"

Her response is the subject of what I want to express today.

"I would never shop with them. They are violent!"

Our customer's response was great. He said, "Wow, that's a pretty heavy-handed accusation. Do you have any evidence to substantiate it?"

She stormed off indignantly, obviously short of evidence.

Violent! The people of Harvest Haven are violent. Likely this woman was part of the mob that called us xenophobic, misogynous, racist Nazis earlier last year (2018). It takes my breath away. But now that my breath has returned, I would like to use it to express some historical truths that weigh heavier on my mind with every passing day. I'll start with two quotes, before addressing these very heavy-handed accusations.

The philosopher Santayana wrote once that, "Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it," and someone else, forever known as Anonymous, added that "every time history repeats itself the price goes up."

Now, of all the chapters of history that aren't pleasant to discuss but I sure don't want to see repeated, I think the Nazi regime ranks pretty high. I've chosen Nazis as a point of discussion for three reasons. One, they personify violence. Two, we've been accused of being like Nazis. And three, because our leftist accusers are so perfectly in sync with Nazi ideology, the hypocrisy of their accusations can't go unnoticed and should not go unaddressed.

And let's clear something up: "Nazi" is short for National Socialism. Yes, the Nazis were 100% socialist.

NOTE: Hitler didn't hate the communists for their ideology, he hated them for taking their orders from a country (Russia) other than Germany. Although Germany permitted "private" property and industry under Nazi rule, the government regulated what you could do with your "private" property and industry with a totalitarian fist. Essentially, National Socialism is Communism dressed up to not offend Western Capitalists.

Also, note that Hitler was fascinated by the American Democrat Party and borrowed his socialistic and racist ideologies straight from their handbook. Even his eugenics (killing all "non-perfect" people) program was borrowed directly from American Progressive Democrats, like Margaret Sanger who founded "Planned Parenthood." Hitler said that her books were his bible.

Also, keep in mind that the Democrat Party in the U.S. was founded for the sole purpose of defending plantation slavery in the South. The Leftist political system in the U.S. is responsible for every pro-racism law ever passed. The KKK was the militant hand of the Leftists, directly akin to Mussolini's "Brownshirts."

The Right-wing political establishment in the U.S., however, is responsible for every bill that moved for the extermination of racism. Any left-wing media source that insinuates or declares otherwise is lying.

So, let's talk about some quintessential trademarks of the Italian and German National Socialism that I think we can all agree are establishable. Then we'll see how well those ideas line up with ours at Harvest Haven.

I think Harvest Haven has publicly opposed points 1 to 6 and stands in total opposition to the left-wing ideologies that are currently governing our culture. This, much to the outrage and dismay of Leftists.

So, it's clear to see that our ideologies are anti-Nazi in every single way, and our leftist opposition is completely Nazi in every way. Don't be fooled by the Left's fixation on "anti-racism." Their constant fixation on race is a concentrated effort to make sure the racial differences remain distinct and identifiable.

Have you ever met an outspoken leftist that isn't anti-Semitic? I haven't. (There are even leftist Jews that are anti-Semitic; self-haters; go figure.)

Now, let's see if we, at Harvest Haven, have anything in common with the Nazi methods of enforcing ideologies as laid out in points 7 to 10. We don't believe in public education, particularly not with such a leftist slant. Nor do we have any interest in bowing to the politically correct laws of social conformity that the Left imposes. We also support the right to bear arms. We strongly oppose censorship of any kind. And last, we have never condoned the use of terrorism or violence in any form to enforce an ideology.

Have you ever seen the Right (Conservatives or the Republicans down south) rioting and smashing windows when they lose an election? Folks, Leftist rioting is no more than a colossal bratty fit of entitlement! "You do as we say and we'll do as we please." I could spend days detailing the ideological self-contradictions of the Left.

The Left has always enforced censorship and violence. Whether it was Hitler's youth, Mussolini's Brownshirts, or the recreationally outraged mob that forms on social media today whenever a dissident to their Leftist ideology speaks out.

Remember, last year (2018) when we had 200 people threatening to put us out of business, spreading rumors about us using human manure on our vegetables, insulting us, and mocking our faith? Those people are the modern-day equivalent of Hitler's youth smashing the shop windows of any business owners who opposed their ideologies. And didn't they get us banned from the Farmer's Market simply for speaking our convictions? Isn't that censorship?

And yet they call us "violent" when their ideologies and methods of enforcing their doctrines are identical in every way to the most quintessentially violent ideology that's ever been. These people epitomize violent Nazism while calling us Fascists and Nazis.

Don't be fooled by their self-righteous rhetoric. They hate freedom; they hate fairness; and they despise the weak. That's why they engage in violence and set up ideologies and economies that betray the good and eliminate the vulnerable.

Don't get me wrong, this is not a political pro-capitalism propaganda effort. Nor is this a condemnation of socialism, which, when exercised with wisdom and love, is not objectionable. However, capitalism's stability depends on man's predictable desire to get ahead. The success of socialism depends on man's desire to be good. I think the former is about as likely as the sun rising and setting daily, and the latter as likely as sitting down for coffee with a herd of unicorns this afternoon.

Folks, we are up against dangerous ideas in dangerous times. Let's not be naïve.