Many stores now carry a variety of gluten-free products, and lots of recipes are available on places such as Facebook
One of my granddaughters, who is in her teens, found out this spring that she cannot tolerate gluten. Changing her diet has been hard because she comes from a farm family that is used to eating lots of pasta and fresh, homemade bread. I read up everything the health facility provided her and joined a […] Read moreStories by Joan Airey
Early planning eases harvest meal preparation
Whether its rhubarb crisp, round steak with dumplings or cranberry chicken, harvest meals don’t have to be boring
While making a rhubarb dessert for the spraying and reseeding crew, I decided if I froze rhubarb when it was picked, it would be available to make a rhubarb-apple-strawberry crisp for the harvest crew. I made the following recipe several times this spring but not always using the same fruit. The one today has blueberries […] Read more
Homemade bread always a popular option
Making your own bread reduces the amount of additives in the diet; plus, nothing beats the smell of a fresh-baked loaf
One bushel of wheat can be made into enough flour to make 42 loaves of bread. A farmer gets maybe $7 for that bushel of wheat, putting income into numerous people’s pocket before it reaches the consumer in a loaf of bread. Making homemade bread and buns for your family lessens the amount of additives […] Read more
Cheating pork and beans is a crowd pleaser
Whether prepared with pineapple, in bundles or as a cold salad, there are lots of delicious ways to serve this staple food
I recently helped feed a crowd of people and had requests for the recipes we used for the pork and beans we served. Joyce Stewart shared this recipe with me years ago when she first own Harbourlights B & B in Vernon, B.C. Since then she has retired and has helped me put together three […] Read more
Muffins can be made for a variety of occasions
Muffins can be used for breakfast, desserts or a snack. I created this recipe to please one of my grandchildren’s tastes. Carrot muffins 4 cups flour 960 mL 2 ½ cups sugar 600 mL 4 tsp. baking soda 20 mL 4 tsp. cinnamon 20 mL 1 tsp. salt 5 mL 4 cups grated carrot 960 […] Read more
Grow salad ingredients year round
Investing in commercial grow lights makes it possible to enjoy fresh radishes, lettuce and onions for almost the entire year
As long as I can remember, I wanted to grow things year round. Three years ago, I finally invested in commercial grow lights and my family and I now enjoy fresh radishes, lettuce and onions almost all year. At first, I grew the lettuce in long planters. This year, I’m growing it in individual pots […] Read more
Hearty vegetable soup perfect winter remedy
It’s hard to go wrong with a pot of homemade soup on a cold winter day, and vegetable is one of the author’s favourites
Waking up to -28 C in the morning seems to be par for the course this year. Chilly days always seem like a great time to serve a pot of homemade soup for lunch. Hearty vegetable soup is one of my favourites. I cut this recipe in half when making it for just my family […] Read more
Prairie-grown fruit the tops for cheesecake
Cherry pie filling is available in grocery stores, but the fresh fruit is readily available and can be easily made at home
Prairie grown cherries, strawberries and saskatoons make delicious toppings for a no-bake cheesecake. I used to buy cherry pie filling, but since it’s been easy to grow them in my backyard, I now make my own pie filling. It all started when I thickened strawberries to top a cheesecake, and now my family prefers homemade […] Read more
Cooking with kids creates memories and fun
Learning how to bake increases children’s confidence and prepares them for full-time cooking when they are older
Kids love to bake and most of them quickly learn the right way if you take time to explain it. They are not allowed to take baking out of the oven until they are older but they can easily make pastry for butter tarts under supervision or measure everything for a batch of cookies or […] Read moreMeal planning can save money and time
It can be hard for busy farm parents to find the time in their schedules to plan ahead, but it is well worth the extra effort
It’s really hard to plan meals, hold down a job or run a business, get children to their sports and lessons and make the meals. Many farm women, like my daughter-in-law, run machinery, care for a family, write advertisements for their purebred operation and keep the cattle records and farm books up to date. They […] Read more
