MYSTIC, Ct. — While pumpkin patches remain popular for families seeking country retreats, unique culinary events are growing in popularity. “Buying local and being connected to food and the farm are very trendy right now,” said Sarah van Heeswijk, a board member with the North American Farmers’ Direct Marketing Association. That includes long table or […] Read more
Farm Living
Bring them in with tours or taste testing, mazes or contests
Add peppery heat to comfort food
On a cold winter day it is natural to select hot foods to warm our bodies. Adding a touch of fresh-ground black pepper will increase the heat, flavour and the comforting effect. Pepper aids digestion and will naturally warm the body. Pepper was once used as currency and a sacred offering. It is now the […] Read more
Son’s friendship with neighbour
Q: I love the way our seven-year-old son gets up in the mornings on school holidays and other vacations and glues himself to ‘Uncle Fred.’ He lives nearby and we call him Uncle Fred because he seems to care so much for our boy and loves having him around. They plant his garden, drink ice […] Read more
Winderberry Farm diversifies as children bring in new skills
WINDERMERE, B.C. — The tiny begonias emerging under grow lights could pass for almost any of the bedding plants started at the Winderberry Farm. Glenda Wah, her husband, Jack Steedman, and their daughter, Anna Steedman, plant these seeds before Christmas in a basement on their farm in B.C.’s East Kootenays before transferring them to a […] Read more
The whole truth about whole grains
Ivan Buhr looked happy and seemed excited as he walked into Sleepy Owl Bread. As a 1970s power ballad, All By Myself, played on the speakers at the Winnipeg bakery, Buhr looked carefully over the bread and pastries on display one afternoon in January. Buhr made his selections in about a minute and then moved […] Read more
Cattle breeders seek quality over quantity
(Editor’s Note: This story has been modified from the original) CRAIK, Sask. — It started as a farm wife’s dry sense of humour and has become a landmark along Saskatchewan’s Highway 11. The Riskan Hope Farm sign on the hip roof barn reminds travellers of the precarious nature of agriculture. Myrna Luther painted the letters […] Read more
Plan an extravagant dinner with Valentine’s Day fondue
Fondues, popular in the 1970s, are making a comeback. They are suitable for a casual party or a romantic dinner for two so offer a unique meal choice for Valentine’s Day. There are four kinds of fondues, including cheese, chocolate, hot oil and hot broth, and a variety of pot choices. Both a cheese and […] Read more
Earls sorry for beef fiasco
Phil Gallagher got right to the point at the Manitoba Beef Producers meeting in Brandon. Less than 30 seconds into his speech, the executive chef for Earls apologized for the restaurant’s decision last year to buy its beef from an American supplier and sell steaks as “certified humane.” “We hurt a lot of people. We […] Read more
Helping those in final days
Q: My grandmother is 87 years old. She is not well and was admitted into a long-term care facility two weeks ago because our family was no longer able to give her the support she needed when she was alone in her own home. We want the home to be as good as it can […] Read more
Ug99 stem rust remains a threat despite slow migration
Ug99 is spreading slower than scientists anticipated but it is only a matter of time before it wipes out crops in some of the world’s most important wheat-growing regions. Ug99 is a race of stem rust first discovered in Uganda in 1999. Its discovery jarred wheat breeders around the world because it is virulent to […] Read more
