Perhaps one of the most offensive agricultural odors wafting across the countryside is the foul stench of industrial chicken barns. Tens of thousands of birds per operation are callously robbed of hygiene, health, and happiness. These hideous farms represent the peak of modern food production’s ignorance, arrogance, and stupidity.
]]>Perhaps one of the most offensive agricultural odors wafting across the countryside is the foul stench of industrial chicken barns. Tens of thousands of birds per operation are callously robbed of hygiene, health, and happiness. These hideous farms represent the peak of modern food production’s ignorance, arrogance, and stupidity.
Proponents of these gross stewardship failures justify stinking up the countryside with their moralistic “gotta feed the world” claims. Meanwhile, consumers of these abused, anemic, fecal-contaminated birds plug their noses and complain when the wind blows their way. They make no connection to the chemically saturated McNuggets they’ve made a weekly habit of consuming.
The hideous production system starts, continues, and ends with death. Dying farmers, dying birds, and dying people in a dying landscape. It’s no wonder sales of organic poultry have sky-rocketed in the past decade.
So, is organic chicken at Costco any better than conventional? Yes, but not by much.
In order to accommodate mass operations, compromised organic poultry standards are not nearly high enough. These organic birds are subjected to an environment similar to that of conventional birds. Only their feed is certified organic. The farms still stink. Visitors still need to wear Tyvek suits and masks.
These certified organic birds never get to scratch a certifiably organic piece of dirt. It’s all concrete floors and sterile wood shavings. No bugs, no worms, no grasshoppers, no grass, no sunshine, no breeze, no room. And no surprise that the meat has no colour, no moisture, and no flavour. Granted, these birds are pesticide and herbicide free, but so is most cardboard. That’s not much of a standard.
Here is where I need to share the most important thing you need to know about poultry and the associated food poisoning risks. The reason industrial (organic or otherwise) poultry is considered such a high-risk protein with a dangerously short shelf life is because of the air quality in these filthy, stinky barns. The high ammonia levels in these factory barns burn raw lesions into the birds’ lungs. These bloody pathogen portholes allow the E. coli and Salmonella contaminated manure dust of these sickly birds to gain easy access to their bloodstream.
Folks, if the smell is burning your nose, it’s burning those tender lungs. The soft mucous membranes on those chicken lungs stand guard between you and your risk of food poisoning.
Since the CFIA has banned me from telling you that our meat won’t give you food poisoning (which by the way, hasn’t happened in 24 years), I’ll have to leave it up to you to decide which meat is safer to eat.
Now, for the Harvest Haven Certified standard. Our chicks are started in a clean barn on a fresh layer of our best earthy smelling compost. Rather than wasting natural gas to heat the whole barn, we built “wooden hens.” These boxes, with only two light bulbs per 200-300 chicks, replicate the warmth of a mother hen, and the chicks can come and go as they please. Not only is this system energy efficient, the opportunity for the chicks to escape the warmth to exercise and eat in cooler temperatures strengthens their immune system.
We raise the chicks in the barn for about 3 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 starting at one end of a pasture that’s been recently grazed by sheep. The shorter, trampled grass 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 when the dew comes off, we move each cage 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 clean Grander Living Water.)
This system also moves the birds away from their manure which means they are never exposed to any pathogen load. Think about it like changing a diaper. It keeps everything and everybody healthy and clean. Our birds have full access to sunshine and fresh pasture breezes that are 100% free of ammonia. Our 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, and produces meat that is beautiful and clean.
Remember, you can never be healthier than the plants or animals you eat. If you’re eating animals that need antibiotics to just stay upright, I assure you that you will be taking antibiotics soon enough. If you’re eating birds from barns that require you to wear special suits and masks, you’ll be in a room that requires people to wear suits and masks soon enough. They’re called intensive care units. Just think, industrial birds are so close to death’s door that they have to live their whole lives in the ICU.
It’s not rocket science. If you want health and vigor for you and your family, start by making sure your food has that same health and vigor. The adage, “You are what you eat” is certainly true.
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With so many rumors going around about bread and how evil it is, it was tragic to us to see the Staff of Life regarded as the End of Life. Bread has been framed! So, we set out to clear its name.
]]>With so many rumors going around about bread and how evil it is, it was tragic to us to see the Staff of Life regarded as the End of Life. Bread has been framed! So, we set out to clear its name.
Most of the imposter "bread" you can buy today is:
▪ | not fermented with the right microbes, |
▪ | not fermented with enough moisture, |
▪ | not fermented nearly long enough, |
▪ | not baked properly, |
▪ | made from an ingredient list shockingly like that of cake (sugar, oil, dairy eggs, etc.), |
▪ | made from grains that are saturated in agricultural chemicals before and after harvest, |
▪ | made from flour that is stripped of nourishment and then "fortified" with strange proteins and synthetic vitamins, |
▪ | made with terrible, industrial waste salt, and worse water. |
It's no surprise that eating a barely fermented, chemically saturated cake day after day will make you gain weight and lose health.
We set out to do things simply, properly, naturally, decently, nutritionally, and healthily.
At the Harvest Haven Hearth, Heaven meats Earth. We make an honest and humble loaf that is amazingly good and nourishes the body. We use a few simple earthy ingredients and good old-fashioned wood fire to make a heavenly loaf of bread.
Our Country Loaves are made with only quality Granderized water, organic flour, and natural salt.
Our water is pure and revitalized.
Our flour is always 100% organic.
Our salt is always fresh sea salt hand-harvested from the cleanest waters available.
There are no sugars, oils, eggs, dairy products, thickeners, fortifiers, preservatives, or agricultural/industrial chemicals in our bread.
We leaven our bread with an old-fashioned sourdough culture that we've been nurturing for nearly a decade.
The dough is very wet and ferments for 18 hours before baking, which facilitates a very industrious and robust microbiological community.
We bake the bread in a traditional brick, wood-fired oven. Using a hot mass of brick to bake the bread instead of hot air (like most ovens) creates an unmistakably excellent loaf. We'd be glad to explain the biophysics, but you'll know it if you try it!
Our customers are very happy. The bread is incredibly good and lots of folks who thought they were gluten intolerant have found out they were just "lousy bread" intolerant, and you know we don't tolerate lousy bread either!
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I don’t want to sound like a whiner myself but dealing with some individuals can almost put me over the edge. Does summer bring out the worst in people or just the worst people?
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I don’t want to sound like a whiner myself but dealing with some individuals can almost put me over the edge. Does summer bring out the worst in people or just the worst people?
“Three dollars for that!? That’s way too expensive. Six dollars a pound!? Are you kidding!?”
And to say this loudly in front of us for what? To shame us? Why? Are we supposed to be blind to the fancy cars they drive and the expensive clothes they’re wearing? Dyeing your hair isn’t cheap either.
It’s amazing. On one hand we have unappreciative people griping about the $6/lb price of our strawberries at our farm store, straight to our face and in front of other customers, and on the other, we have folks calling us gushing with gratitude after buying our berries for $10/lb from a grocery store in Calgary. They are leaving messages on our answering machine after hours just to thank us for making such an amazing product available. Sometimes the contrast between customers can be breathtaking.
If you can’t afford something, don’t buy it. Who drops by the Rolls Royce dealership just to complain about the prices? They’ve put in endless hours, engineering, and investment to create a luxurious product and they don’t apologize about the price. We’ve spent 25 years developing our soil and our methods of growing the best strawberry around. We are unapologetically confident that we deserve to be paid well for our investment and expertise.
I used to respond to these complaints by trying to explain the costs of growing a strawberry, but I know better now. Your friends aren’t asking for an explanation and your detractors have their fingers in their ears. I’ve got better things to do than pencil out cost structures for people who aren’t worthy of our efforts or product.
Perhaps there are some people reading this who wonder why we continue to talk in these terms, that maybe we’re defensive or negative. Those of you who know what we do and why and how we do it, will appreciate our defense of it.
We grow clean food for a price that’s fair for everybody involved. Anyone who doesn’t agree is going to have to find somewhere else to shop.
As of today, we’re officially refusing to serve anybody who complains about our prices. We will no longer be attempting to explain ourselves.
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A couple weeks have passed, and Martin's not over his hatred of bureaucracy yet. He's got a story for you to reinforce his point that’s brought to you by the Government of Canada by the authority of the Canadian Food Inspection Agency.
]]>Bureaucracy destroys initiative. There is little that bureaucrats hate more than innovation, especially innovation that produces better results than the old routines. Improvements always make those at the top of the heap look inept. -Frank Herbert
A couple weeks have passed, and I guess I’m not over my hatred of bureaucracy yet. I’ve got a story for you to reinforce my point that’s brought to you by the Government of Canada by the authority of the Canadian Food Inspection Agency.
I was just minding my own business, farming away, when “CFIA” shows up on my call display. It’s always a good time when the CFIA gets involved so I asked the fellow what was up. He told me that there were some serious concerns about the claims I had made in one of my YouTube videos about grass-fed beef. He said that making the claim that grass-fed beef doesn’t carry the same foodborne illness risks that grain-fed beef does is barely legal. He went on to tell me that when I got really specific and said that Harvest Haven beef won’t give you food poisoning, I was breaking the law.
Evidently, it’s categorically illegal to publicly declare that you have a safe, simple, and healthy alternative to the criminally dangerous farming and processing methods that have become the norm. Just think about that.
If you have a solution to a problem, shouldn’t you be allowed to tell people? And let’s look at the hypocrisy.
The industry can tell you that their toxic fecal-saturated, pathogen-contaminated beef, which is only an ammonia application away from deadly, is safe to consume so long as they don’t promise that you won’t get sick.
But if we go out of our way to produce and process clean and wholesome beef, we’re forbidden from telling you that you won’t get sick if you eat our beef.
If somebody came to your house and ate dinner and asked if they were going to get food poisoning, what would you tell them? Would you really say, “Well, it’s not very likely, but I guess it’s always possible?” Give me a break!
If the animals are healthy and the processing is clean, people don’t get sick. But the industry needs to pretend like those mean old germs come from nowhere and kill at random, so they don’t have to take personal responsibility for all the people they’ve killed. It is so evil.
What happened to the good old days when it was up to each individual to decide if they could trust somebody? Now, we have Government censorship and folks who have it in for our business accusing us to the authorities for “false advertising.” Is this how you want your tax dollars used? It’s downright shameful and even morally reprehensible, but oh, so legal.
Let me give you another example of your tax dollars working hard to defend liberty and justice. I’ve pulled an excerpt straight from the CFIA website.
"Fresh" Claims - The Canadian Food Inspection Agency's (CFIA) position is that all eggs are fresh. Therefore, the claim "fresh" is permitted only if it appears as part of a statement such as, "all eggs are fresh" or "like all eggs, these eggs are fresh."
Let me ask you: Is it your position that all eggs are fresh? Can you believe they are seriously suggesting that every egg on planet earth is fresh? It’s just SO stupid. You see, our well-meaning government wants to make sure that the industrial egg suppliers aren’t adding misleading claims to their products. In the meantime, local producers like us are legally forbidden from letting you know that our eggs are fresh.
Go ahead and reread the excerpt. Really soak it in. It’s a running joke on our farm when the kids grab us some eggs straight from the coop for breakfast. We look at each other and say, “Like all eggs, these eggs are fresh,” because after all, anything more than that would be false advertising.
There are pages and pages of this bureaucratic garbage written up in sterile boardrooms by ignorant, stuffy, and boring people. They hate reason and factual deduction. They hate solutions, and they hate LIFE. They certainly cannot imagine a solution that creates life. What’s worse, they’ve forced themselves to believe they’re saving civilization from destruction. It’s a bleak occupation so I tried to be nice to the poor government lackey who’d been assigned to calling me.
I reassured the fellow before he even told me what I did wrong that I had no intention of fighting with him or resisting. He was relieved and hopefully proceeded to suggest that I would just take the whole video down. But I pressed him to let me know precisely which sentences were breaking the law. He narrowed it down to a few seconds of the film, so I promised him I would deal with it promptly.
I also let him know that since it was inevitable that I would accidentally break the law again, that he needn’t hesitate to call me and would find me cooperative.
I’m guessing he was hoping for a more subtle edit to the film, but I thought my solution was practical, efficient, and maybe just a little provocative. Judge for yourself.
I’m loving this. Time to set the record straight for all reasonable creatures, great and small, sensible and incensed.
]]>"The fact is, there is no difference between a producer irresponsibly cutting corners to save a buck while killing a child, and a parent ignorantly cutting corners at the grocery store looking to save a buck and killing their child."
]]>Perhaps, I’ve been too busy lately to do any complaining. Although, I don’t suppose it’s complaining so much as letting people know what we must deal with, so that we can all get on with eliminating the problems and the even peskier counterproductive solutions.
I don’t think I’ll ever be quiet about this until we have our freedom to farm and heal unencumbered by the self-righteous bureaucrats and their public cheerleaders.
As business owners, which many of our customers are, the number of government regulations, taxations, and frustrations are reaching an intolerable critical mass. Every time a child becomes ill eating the toxic rubbish people call food, there’s the common cry for justice, “The government should do something!”
What they don’t realize is that all a group of people sitting around a boardroom table can do to prevent a future problem is dream up their best idea and enforce it with law on everybody regardless of applicability. What’s worse is that their best idea is requiring a never-ending paper/rabbit trail – perhaps the most suffocating application.
Folks, you all need to understand that EVERY time you legislate “safety,” it comes at the expense of somebody’s and inevitably, everybody’s freedom. This is an inexorable law. I’m not saying there’s never a place for sacrificing freedom to achieve safety. We tell our children not to cross the road alone. But to pump out an endless stream of safety regulations without taking full responsibility for the cost of freedom is ignorant, short-sighted, and irresponsible.
There ought to be some basic rules about rulemaking.
Before coming up with a solution, the problem needs to be properly identified. For example, when eggs give people salmonella poisoning, don’t blame it on the chicken poop that’s on the shell and then create an unnecessary, arduous egg cleaning program. Instead, blame the farmer who keeps his birds in such a filthy stinking hole that all his birds have subclinical salmonella poisoning.
When a problem is specific to a person or group, the law ought to apply only to that offender. For example, if your chicken barn can be smelled from the road, it should be shut down. If you have open air barns with deep bedding that never stink, you can sell your eggs whenever and wherever you please.
A simple surprise visit to the barn by inspectors twice a year for a sniff test would eliminate all egg-related salmonella risks. For crying out loud, my kids could be inspectors. They have noses and know a lot more about chickens and healthy eggs than any CFIA inspector I’ve ever met. Like the Bible says, “the Law is for the lawless!”
Rules shouldn’t favour the guilty parties and penalize the innocent. I asked a fellow who was defending government food safety inspections some poignant questions a couple months ago. He was a tradesperson who was working for us and had already enjoyed a few meals that we had provided. I asked him if he felt unsafe while eating those meals. He said no. I asked him if he ate Maple Leaf pork and he said yes. I asked him if he would still eat Maple Leaf pork if he knew there were never any government inspectors checking on them. He looked at me with disgust and replied, “No way!”
My point was clear. He already knew who and who not to trust. The government inspectors were helping Maple Leaf seem credible and were imposing regulations and protocols to make sure their pork doesn’t kill anyone (not that they’re always successful).
The regulations and inspections are very beneficial for these gross facilities because the public wouldn’t trust them otherwise. But we, on the other hand, have a transparent and obviously clean farm and kitchen. I don’t think anyone would care if we were inspected or not. This fellow certainly didn’t.
So, I repeat, rules shouldn’t profit the rulebreakers and impede the conscientious.
Laws shouldn’t be imposed to keep people safe from their bad choices – be it consumers or producers. Laws should outline the penalty for an offense.
If the Excel beef plant in Brooks kills somebody with negligent and unsanitary practices, the person responsible ought to pay a satisfactory penalty. Anyone who behaves irresponsibly for the sake of greed at the cost of someone’s life ought to pay and pay dearly.
But here’s the radical idea! WE SHOULD NOT be requiring with legislation that people do things differently. Good laws are not for telling people how to do things; they’re for penalizing bad outcomes. NO INSPECTORS. No taxpayer dollars dreaming up ineffectual solutions to problems misunderstood or denied.
Just think how hard it would be to regain credibility after causing a tragic event without a bunch of government nobodies milling around with clipboards pretending like they identified the problem that they amazingly didn’t notice in the first place.
What if the news on Channel 1 was, “Excel Beef kills another person. Let’s hope they get their act together before they go out of business,” with a video of the owners being hauled off to prison?
Let these criminals pay for their own media campaign. Let them admit wrongdoing and prove to the public they’ve turned over a new leaf.
Until then, I think people will buy a lot more of our beef and I don’t think they’ll complain as much about the price of decent farming and sanitary processing.
How on earth is anybody supposed to learn how to find the Truth in their lifetime when their consequence compass is constantly being buried by self-righteous do-gooders claiming to care much more than we do about children dying of food poisoning? I hate the idea of poisoned children so much that I’d like to burn down every CAFO (concentrated animal feeding operation) and mega-processor in North America.
Maybe if consumers weren’t running around from one sale to the next looking for the cheapest pound of ground beef on the market, our food system wouldn’t be engaged in a race to the bottom.
The fact is, there is no difference between a producer irresponsibly cutting corners to save a buck while killing a child, and a parent ignorantly cutting corners at the grocery store looking to save a buck and killing their child. This is the truth everyone cringes at, but honestly, what kind of food do people expect at those prices?
The only way you get ground beef so cheap is if you take the trimmings that are otherwise high risk for contamination and treat them with toxic ammonia to kill the pathogens. Why doesn’t the adage, “You get what you pay for,” occur to people when they’re buying groceries? It’s sad.
Now, those are five suggestions and perhaps they all overlap. The basic concept is this: Laws are supposed to enforce and not impose; they’re to promote justice, and not take it away. Laws that make things worse are tyrannical.
Oh, and if you ever get a chance to eliminate bureaucracy and its ghastly trail of paperwork, don’t waste the opportunity. Just get a match. I’ve got lots of decent, honest, hard work lined up for all the jobless bureaucrats.
“Bureaucrats write memoranda both because they appear to be busy when they are writing and because the memos, once written, immediately become proof they were busy.” -Charles Peters
]]>In this short instructive video, Martin Van Popta explains how to use Grander Living Water Energy Boards and Penergizers. These are the most popular Grander products because they easily demonstrate the effectiveness of this technology without having installation costs.
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We all know chemical pesticides and herbicides are dangerous for our health and the environment. But, how much consideration is given to fertilizers, either artificial or natural? In this video, Martin briefly describes the effects of fertilizers on the soil and the plants grown in it. He explains the importance of maintaining healthy soil microbiology and growing food “the old-fashioned way.”
]]>We all know chemical pesticides and herbicides are dangerous for our health and the environment. But, how much consideration is given to fertilizers, either artificial or natural? In this video, Martin briefly describes the effects of fertilizers on the soil and the plants grown in it. He explains the importance of maintaining healthy soil microbiology and growing food “the old-fashioned way.”
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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.
]]>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, this is not actually 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. 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 address 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 that 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 Democratic 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 Democratic 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 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.
1. Nazism desires to enforce state regulated production of goods (e.g. egg quotas, dairy quotas, broiler quotas, etc. All of which we are now subject to in Canada).
2. Nazism believes in redistribution of wealth by force. In other words, they used taxes to steal from (on the whole) successful hardworking people and gave that money to those who were (on the whole) less hardworking and successful.
3. Nazism, despite its socialist, virtue signalling, wealth distribution ideals, concentrated wealth in the hands of the political elite who were not answerable for their expenditures.
4. Nazism fully supported killing imperfect children. Abortion clinics and our publicly funded healthcare system support identifying handicapped children before they are born and killing them. Do remember that Planned Parenthood is a barbaric organization whose founding purpose was to “purify” the human race. What’s worse, it does not limit itself to the handicapped today.
5. Nazism enforced Darwinian “Survival of the Fittest” doctrine as the new religion.
6. Nazism believed in segregation, slavery, or annihilation of other races, particularly the Jews.
7. Nazism enforced total social conformity, primarily through control of the educational curriculum and the media.
8. Nazism (remember the Night of the Broken Glass – “Kristallnacht”) desires to disarm their citizens so they can’t defend themselves from ideologies they don’t agree with.
9. Nazism enforced censorship by any means necessary to silence dissension.
10. Nazism believed that terrorism, gangsterism, threats, and violence were all justifiable means to an end when it came to establishing their ideologies.
Now, let’s see. 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 Lethbridge.
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 clearly 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 with censorship and violence. Whether it was Hitler’s youth, or 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 when we had 200 people threatening to put us out of business, spreading rumours 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 in the shop windows of any business owners that 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.
P.S. For all of you who read this and are outraged, please understand that having your worldview shaken is very traumatic and can cause irrational outbursts. I mean this in all seriousness; I’m not trying to patronize. I’ve experienced it myself.
Please read and reread what I’ve written before thinking this a hateful diatribe or a self-righteous soapbox. This is important stuff. Don’t say or do something you’ll regret.
Martin has a few things to say about taking responsibility for our own food and why the government shouldn’t be involved.
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The average person is still under the aberrant delusion that food should be somebody else's responsibility until I'm ready to eat it. ― Joel Salatin, Folks, This Ain't Normal: A Farmer's Advice for Happier Hens, Healthier People, and a Better World
Martin's Ruminations |
Martin has a few things to say about taking responsibility for our own food and why the government shouldn’t be involved, which you’ll see in the following news clip. The new Canada’s Food Guide has stirred some controversy, especially among ranchers, because it’s recommending a more plant-based diet. The Bridge City News called us for comment asking how the changes to the Guide would affect us. Martin answered confidently, “Doesn’t affect me at all! Our customers are wise enough to know about the food they eat, how, and how much.” After a brief discussion on the phone with the journalist, the journalist concluded the call with, “We were looking for a rancher that was upset with the new Food Guide’ changes. You don’t really fit what we were looking for.” Reflecting on the call, Martin had more to say. Calling the journalist back, Martin said, “I have something to say to you. You shouldn’t be calling me looking for a canned answer. You're just looking for somebody to recite your whiny rancher script. Ranchers have been complaining about every market shift that affects their salebarn prices for over a hundred years. That’s just boring. Boring! If you’re a journalist, you’ll look for the real story, instead.” The journalist waited for Martin to finish and then told him that his supervisor had heard about the first phone call and had already instructed him to call Martin back and try to arrange the interview. The supervisor had told him, "That's the story you want!" Here’s Martin’s interview on the Bridge City News. |
Closed Mondays for Farming and Construction |
Brett has done some beautiful woodwork and cabinet building in the office area of the store using live-edge planks and restored barnwood. Martin continues to frame windows, install wainscoting, and apply clay plaster in the open common area. The employee break room is complete with the walls plastered and the flooring installed. We even have a large oak table, antique Thonet chairs, leather sofa, and love seat for those times when we can take a minute to relax and have lunch. |
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Over the past two decades, we've had many people ask us if we're "certified organic." We've also had many tell us that we should get "certified." We've even had people look at us skeptically when we tell them our food isn't technically "certified organic" but our standards are much higher than is required to be certified.
]]>He who marvels at the beauty of the world in summer will find equal cause for wonder and admiration in winter. John Burroughs
Over the past two decades, we've had many people ask us if we're "certified organic." We've also had many tell us that we should get "certified." We've even had people look at us skeptically when we tell them our food isn't technically "certified organic" but our standards are much higher than is required to be certified.
We have absolutely ZERO interest in paying an organization with lower standards than ours, to put their stamp of approval on our product. Particularly when that same stamp is put on products that are grossly inferior to ours. If our customers don't trust us, they should be shopping elsewhere.
What does Harvest Haven Certified mean?
Harvest Haven Certified means that when you walk into our store, you can pick up any product and know it's safe to eat or use. We've done the research into the products we bring in and will not carry anything that has GMOs or strange chemical concoctions, nor do we carry "organic" products owned by companies that support GMOs or chemical-based agriculture. We don't want to support any of these operations that are just doing organic for the bottom dollar and are okay poisoning consumers with chemical-laden foods.
You can be assured that Harvest Haven Certified requires standards higher than "certified organic." For example, certified organic requires "access" to the outdoors for poultry but doesn't mandate that birds actually go outside. Whereas, our poultry (layers, broilers, turkeys) enjoy fresh air and sunshine even when they are small chicks and spend most of their lives on pasture eating bugs and fresh greens. Even in the winter months the hens are scratching in wood mulch and dirt OUTSIDE and converting all the spoiled and surplus food on our farm into beautiful food.
I once visited an organic layer operation where they were having a problem with their hens prolapsing when they laid their eggs. They contacted an expert who told them their hens were acutely deficient in vitamin A and D. The birds simply weren't getting enough sunshine. Their solution was to supplement the water supply with "organic approved" vitamins. Don't get me wrong, I'd still rather eat such eggs over those from a conventional egg operation, but I can tell you right now that replacing sunshine with synthetic vitamins is anti-Organic.
Another seldom considered aspect of organic growth is the farm's water supply. Absolutely all aspects of our operation, livestock, fields, and gardens have Grander Living water for better growth and optimum health. Don't underestimate the impact that clean living water has on your eating experience, and it's not just limited to veggies. Egg quality, for example is hugely affected by the hen's access to cool, clean, vibrant water. With that said, did you know that it's not against organic standards to water your animals with chemically treated city water?
I didn't write this up to foster any kind of cynicism towards organic agriculture. My goal, instead, is to renew in people's minds a vision of what organic should be. Organic agriculture is "back to basics." It is solemn recognition of the glory, splendour, and perfect design of creation.
If you can comprehend and honour the subtle particularities of a laying hen and go out of your way to provide for her unique needs, then she will cluck with joy and bless you with her treasure. But if you just treat her like an egg machine, organic or otherwise, sickness and death will follow shortly after. Think about it. Do you really think a hen who is on the brink of dying from malnourishment, is at all capable of nourishing you?
Organic isn't a label, it's a way of life!
You can come talk to us, as many of you have, and ask us what goes into producing a "garden carrot," or how to raise a tender, grass-fed steak, or why the eggs taste so good. We're more than willing to share with you our experiences from twenty some years of farming according to our rigorous standards.
Harvest Haven Certified means we back what gets our approval with our lives. By God's grace, we live what we preach without compromise. May it always be so, for all our sakes.
Martin Van Popta
Now that we have a show of winter, farming has slowed a bit to keeping the livestock fed, warm, and dry, giving the guys time to focus more intently on construction and equipment servicing.
Martin is putting in long hours applying the clay plaster to the walls in the new store. It's looking sharp.
When the doors finally open, hopefully in May, people may be too busy looking at the features of the building to think about groceries. That'll be okay. There's lots to see and lots of little interesting details.
Martin and Jeannie will deny it, but they are "coffee snobs." They want coffee that tastes "really good."
When they tried Oso Negro, they loved it.
Oso Negro is located in Nelson, BC where they roast organic and ethically sourced green coffee beans from around the world. Virtually everything is done by hand maintaining the freshness of the coffee and the highest quality.
When they receive our order, the coffee is roasted that day and shipped the next. We order in small batches, so the coffee is always at peak freshness.
There's nothing like the aroma of fresh coffee wafting through the house.
Ground Beef- Sale $6.99/lb for 3 or more lbs Reg. $7.49/lb
Chicken Drumsticks- Sale $5.79/lb Reg. $6.99/lb (See Recipe Box)
Turkey Wings- Sale $3.99/lb Reg. $4.79/lb
Leeks- Sale $3.99/lb Reg. $3.49/lb (See Recipe Box)
Brown Basmati Rice, 700 g -Sale $7.49 Reg. $7.99 (See Recipe Box)
Organic Fair Orange Soda Syrup, 250 mL- Sale $9.99 each Reg. $10.99 each (See Recipe Box)
Farmhouse Organic Kraut Krisps, 142 g- Sale $6.49 each Reg. $6.99 each
During the summer, Konstantijn heard about the 4-H program for young people interested in raising and showing sheep. One aspect of the program, which peaked her interest was learning to do public speaking.
When fall came, Konstantijn attended the first two meetings, expecting to learn about sheep and how to give a public presentation. She was sorely disappointed when most of the time was spent playing games and popping balloons. (She's a lot like her dad, Martin – serious and inquisitive about matters of importance.)
Martin told her that instead of going to 4-H, he would spend a few hours each week instructing her on sheep and she could take over the responsibility of feeding them morning and evening. Konstantijn was happy about this development, but still wanted to pursue public speaking.
Her mom Jeannie suggested K write up what she wanted to talk about and give a presentation when we had company over the holidays, which she did. And she did well for her first foray into public speaking.
We don't have a video of her presentation, but here's her written work.
My favorite animals are sheep, and here is why I think there should be more of them in the world.
For starters, they can be easily integrated into cattle grazing operations without any need for extra land. In fact, you can normally add two to three sheep for every one cow on the pasture without increasing your need for acreage. The reason this is possible is because sheep prefer weeds, forbs, and brush while cows are very partial to grasses and legumes. This isn't just a thrifty use of pasture resources, it also serves to make sure the grasses and weeds have equal grazing pressure, which eliminates the need for herbicides on pasture land.
As a natural parasite preventative measure, cows won't feed anywhere near their dung or on any grasses tainted by their hooves. But since parasites are species specific, the sheep don't mind a bit to cleanup around the cow pies and make sure perfectly good forage doesn't go to waste.
In other words, two or three sheep can live off the leftovers of your average cow with the added bonus of a healthier pasture.
Another big advantage of sheep is their size. Because sheep are much smaller than cattle, they can easily fit into backyards, and don't require large or heavy-duty shelters and fences. Their small size also means that children can look after them safely and handle them when necessary.
One of the best things about lamb is that it tastes great, but not only is it tasty, it's been found that lamb is healthier than beef. For example, a grass-fed lamb has a significant amount of omega-3 fats, a nutrient that reduces the risk of heart disease. It also contains more conjugated linoleic acid than any other clean meat.
Linoleic acid is a nutrient with health benefits that have been puzzling researchers for years. The average North American adult consumes too many omega-6 fatty acids in comparison to omega-3 fatty acids. It's also a general rule to consume as little trans-fats as possible, yet, CLA is made of these two fats and has been found to have health benefits, such as reduced inflammation and body fat. CLA is also particularly good for women.
And finally, my personal favorite things about sheep:
One, they can be friendlier than other livestock if you shepherd them.
Two, their young are cuter and more playful.
And three, sheep all have very individual personalities. (Not all of their personalities are that great!)
I hope you found this information useful!
Konstantijn
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A farm regulated to production of raw commodities is not a farm at all. It is a temporary blip until the land is used up, the water polluted, the neighbors nauseated, and the air unbreathable. The farmhouse, the concrete, the machinery, and outbuildings become relics of a bygone vibrancy when another family farm moves to the city financial centers for relief.
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A farm regulated to production of raw commodities is not a farm at all. It is a temporary blip until the land is used up, the water polluted, the neighbors nauseated, and the air unbreathable. The farmhouse, the concrete, the machinery, and outbuildings become relics of a bygone vibrancy when another family farm moves to the city financial centers for relief. The family farm is about more than just producing raw commodities “to feed the world.” It is a synergy of many parts working for the health and benefit of the whole - the farm, the community, and the world. Martin's Ruminations |
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This is an essay we published in a previous Harvest Haven Happenings, but the message is still relevant today and serves as a good reminder to all of us. Feeding the World I’ve gotten into a lot of discussions and arguments about the sustainability and legitimacy of organic farming, as I’m sure many of you have. Many have insisted that conventional farming with its seemingly great yield per acre is the only way to feed the world, as though chemicals are the only possible means of eradicating starvation and hunger. It’s such a preposterous lie that it makes me angry, not that I can hold it against everyone who’s been deceived by the chemical gospel. It is an evil history strewn with lies, murder, greed and plenty more than a few dead bodies. Let me share a few points that come to mind. First, organic farming has been tested side-by-side with chemical farming for the last 50 years and it’s been more than adequately demonstrated that there is no advantage in using chemicals. In fact, in dry or wet years, organic crops outperform chemical crops. And that’s only comparing yield. The nutrient density of the organic crop outperforms the chemical crop every year. There is a reason for the “conventional farming yields more” myth. You see, organic soil can fix its own nitrogen out of the air (the air we breathe is 78% nitrogen) with the aid of solar power and microbiology. If you add chemical fertilizer to a healthy organic crop, you’ll likely see incredible yields in the first couple years because you have your chemical input and your microbiology working together. Great yields can be very tempting. The trouble is that the chemicals eventually annihilate the microbiological community at which point you’re back to your original organic yields but it’s not free anymore. The only way to achieve that same super crop is to increase the amount of chemical, and as your soil diminishes the chemical needs continue to increase. At that point your chemical company officially has you and your soil hooked on drugs. The only way out of that addiction is a miserable period of withdrawal that many farmers are not willing to face. Understandably so. It’s hard enough for most farmers to get by. The prospect of losing money until your soil slowly comes back to life is too big a burden for most family farms to bear. There are whole divisions of these evil companies responsible for forcing and deceiving new nations and cultures, enslaving their farmers after hooking them on chemicals. Thousands of farmers in India alone have taken their own lives in desperation because chemical companies took what little ability they had left to feed their families away from them. It is cruel tyranny. We have choices to make. These chemical companies would be bankrupt tomorrow if everybody boycotted them. Second, just because we can get outrageous yields for multiple years in a row, does not mean we can presume it will continue. Just because we can get somewhere faster by over-revving our motor, does not mean it comes without a cost to the motor. If you withdraw more from your soil than you return, you are guilty of stealing from your children and God Himself. Third, over 40% of North America’s food is wasted. People have a gross disrespect for food. If we’re so concerned about feeding the world, why not stop burying nearly half of our harvest in landfills. At the very least, a good portion could be fed back to livestock. Fourth, if you could hear the cries of starving third world farmers whose crops are now worthless because “charitable” first world nations flooded their economies with cheap food, you would think twice about how much so-called “good” we’re doing by trying to feed the world. First world governments are intentionally crashing foreign markets with surpluses of cheap grain to bankrupt local agriculture and create dependency. We are bankrupting our own soil and creating a harmful over-abundance, just so we can take advantage of people who are already suffering. Everybody is losing. Finally, do you know how much money, natural resources, research, political activity and straight up hard labor get wasted on war every year? Did you know that the same chemical companies that produced chemical weapons, nerve gas, and explosives for Hitler during the war now produce pesticide and fertilizer for your average farmer? Did you know that those same companies are waiting in hospital boardrooms when their dirty agriculture gives you cancer, so they can finish you off with a derivative of mustard gas they call Chemotherapy? Can you even imagine anything so evil?!!?? There is enough land and resource on this planet to feed billions more people. There’s no need to believe and repeat the lies that murderers have fed to us, just so we can suffer for their gain. Chemical companies have taken advantage of well-meaning farmers by convincing them they’re helping feed the hungry, just so they can attempt to satisfy their own insatiable greed. Every last person on Earth could live like kings if everyone would hear, believe, and exercise Truth! |
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Closed Mondays for Farming and Construction |
The weather is still pleasant, so James continues to dig ditches and lay irrigation pipe. We’re very thankful to get this done now, instead of having to wait for the ground to thaw in the spring to do it. Brett continues with the woodwork details. It’s the “little” things he does that make the big picture impressive. Martin is busily applying clay to the walls in the new store. Looking good! |
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Seasonal Favorites |
You don’t need a season to enjoy these favorites – all certified organic, of course. Hors d’oeuvre ingredients - Cream Cheese; Gourmet Olives (dark-style ripe, green, pitted, and unpitted); Luke’s Crackers; Tortilla Chips in a variety of flavors. Delightfully fresh – Satsumas for a quick treat; Brussels Sprouts served beside the Yams; a splash of bright red Cranberries in salad or as sauce. Nibblers - Raw and roasted shelled nuts (Walnuts, Peanuts, Almonds, Cashews, Macadamia, Pecans). Sweet treats and ingredients to make your own – Truffles; Prana Mixes (Kilimanjaro, Machu Pichu, Maple Nuts, Chocolate Bark); Dates; Dried Cranberries; Shredded Coconut; Melting Chocolate and Cocoa. Ingredients for those delicious winter beverages - Cinnamon Sticks, Whole Nutmeg, Cloves, Star Anise. |
On Sale... |
Boneless Lamb Leg Roast- Sale $14.99/lb Reg. $16.89/lb Sirloin Tip Roast- Sale $11.49/lb Reg. $13.49/lb Whole Chicken- Sale $4.89/lb Reg. $5.39/lb (See Recipe Box) Potatoes, all varieties, 5 lb bag- Sale $5.99 Reg. $7.99 Yams- Sale $3.99/lb Reg. $4.49/lb (See Recipe Box) Carrots -Sale $1.99/lb Reg. $2.49/lb Fresh Cranberries, 8 oz pkg- Sale $3.49 each Reg. $3.99 each (See Recipe Box) Camino Organic Shredded Coconut, 200g- Sale $5.49 each Reg. $5.99 each (See Recipe Box) Edward and Sons Organic Brown Rice Snaps, 100g- Sale $6.49 each Reg. $6.99 each (See Recipe Box) |
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Please note, all ingredients in our recipes are organic. |
Garlic and Herb Cream Cheese Dip1 – 8 oz container cream cheese, softened Mix milk and cream cheese together in a medium bowl with an electric mixer or in the bowl of a stand mixer using the paddle attachment until creamy. Add remaining ingredients and mix well, scraping sides of bowl constantly. Place in an airtight container and refrigerate for at least one hour to allow the flavors to blend. Use as dip for Brown Rice Snaps! |
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Orange Cranberry Roast Chicken1 – 3 lb. Harvest Haven whole chicken Rosemary Balsamic Butter: Preheat the oven to 420 degrees. Dry the skin of the chicken with paper towels. Place the cranberries and rosemary in a small roasting pan. Mix the Rosemary Balsamic Butter ingredients together in a small bowl. Spread the butter under the skin of the chicken, being careful not to break the skin. Lay the chicken on the cranberries. Cut the orange into quarters and squeeze the juice over the chicken then nestle the quarters around the chicken. Roast the chicken for 45 mins then reduce the heat to 350 and continue roasting for another 45 mins. Remove the chicken from the pan and serve with the cranberries spooned over the top. |
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Cinnamon Roasted Yams and Cranberries6 cups chopped yams Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a large bowl combine sweet potatoes, cranberries, coconut oil and maple syrup. Stir mixture until potatoes and berries are evenly coated. Then sprinkle on cinnamon and 1/2 teaspoon of salt and stir to coat evenly. Pour onto a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Roast for 40 – 50 minutes for until a fork easily pierces through the sweet potatoes. Remove from oven and sprinkle with remaining 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Add roasted pecans if using. Enjoy! |
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Coconut Date Balls1 cup dates Soak dates in hot water for 30 minutes. Discard water and put dates into a food processor. Add all the other ingredients. Mix until well combined. Roll into balls and coat balls with more shredded coconut if desired. Store in an airtight container in the fridge. Or freeze for about 30 minutes to make them firm quicker before transferring balls to the fridge. |
Down on the FarmFarming’s NOT for Wussies
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After dinner, Martin was doing a little woodworking in the shop and slipped over to the lumber pile beside the dairy cow corral. As he was returning to the workshop, he heard a short, strange moo from Cherry, our milk cow. “Hmmm…that’s an odd sound from her. Do I check on Cherry or just keep working? I need to see what she wants,” realizing he wouldn’t have any peace if he didn’t. When Martin gets into the barn, Cherry’s there “telling him something.” He looks at her and realizes she’s going to calve shortly. Calling James for help, the two of them prepare a nice spot with fresh straw for her. Within 15 minutes, she had her calf to everyone’s surprise. Obviously, there had been no time to waste. Reflecting on the event, Martin knows Cherry called him with her strange moo. It was different from all the other bawling she makes for hay or just attention. Add to this, she was in the barn “communicating” with him that he needed to do something to prepare a place for her to calve. And she had her calf within minutes. Quite amazing! “Dumb” beasts aren’t so dumb? Then, there was the next morning. It was back to normal cow behaviour for Cherry. Martin was bringing her into the milking stall to see if her teats were being successfully sucked on by her new calf. As he was opening the gate to let her in, Harriett poked her head in the door to check on things. Boom! Martin became invisible to hormonal Cherry as she saw a threat to her new baby. In her full-on charge at Harriett, Cherry, with head down, stepped on Martin’s foot while at the same time flinging him like a match stick six-feet across the barn into the wall. Martin saw what was coming and knew the only thing he could do to lessen the inevitable injuries was to relax. (I don’t know how anyone could think that fast, in the face of the imminent danger from 1500 pounds of brute force coming straight at you, and RELAX on top of it.) When Martin “came to,” although he wasn’t technically knocked out, just knocked through the air, he realized he was on his back looking up at the roof of the barn with his legs crumpled against the wall. His boot was loose enough to come out from under Cherry’s foot and allow him some “air time.” Cherry had returned to her calf. Harriett had retreated from the barn. And Martin limped home for some much-needed solace. Now, you would think that was enough excitement for our courageous farmer for a few days. But exciting times just keep happening. The next day, Martin was checking on the beef cows in another corral and considered that Night, Cherry’s heifer calf from three years ago, could be ready to calve, too. Looking around for her, he spotted a new calf in the middle of the corral with Night tenderly licking it. Gathering this newborn in his arms, Martin limped into the barn with Mother Night close behind. Depositing his bundle in the fresh straw, he made sure Harriett couldn’t get in anywhere. No repeats. He grabbed a pail to drain a little milk from Night’s udder to make it easier for her calf to suck. Seeing the milk pail on the move, the barn cats got excited expecting a treat of fresh milk and started to gather around. As Martin settled down to milk Night, one of the kittens got too close to her calf and she charged it, kicking the pail out of Martin’s hand, destroying it and sending Martin slamming into another barn wall. Cows and calves are all doing nicely; Harriett and the barn cats are fine; and Martin is mending. Farming is NOT for wussies. Marseilles' depictions of what happened to Martin.
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I’ve been reflecting on how much government involvement is too much. Here’s an excerpt from Everything I Want to Do Is Illegal: War Stories from the Local Food Front by Joel Salatin.
]]>In seed time learn, in harvest teach, in winter enjoy. -William Blake
Martin’s Ruminations |
I’ve been reflecting on how much government involvement is too much. Here’s an excerpt from Everything I Want to Do Is Illegal: War Stories from the Local Food Front by Joel Salatin. With the homeschooling movement, many teens are finishing school at 16 or before and are ready to move forward with their lives. Some of them apply for an apprenticeship here at our farm because they want to be full-time environmentally friendly farmers. How devastating it is for us to have to tell them we can’t legally take them. These young people are emotionally and physically mature enough for a driver’s license but can’t push our lawnmower. The problem with invoking government force to correct every little thing that a culture has determined to be wrong is that once the bureaucracy is in place, the correction always becomes overcorrection. To justify their existence, the government agents cannot be content to solve the initial problem. They continue to push and push beyond the point of reason until the original agenda becomes mired in absurdity. IF a 16-year-old wants to come here and work, willingly, and we are happy to have him, who is being harmed by his apprenticeship? Why must he wait and spin his wheels for two years? If he comes here and gets the learning experience earlier, he can start down his entrepreneurial way earlier. And don’t give me this “we must protect him from himself” business. IF that were really the duty of government, we could justify putting everyone in straightjackets to protect us from ourselves. I might jab myself in the eye with my toothbrush in the morning. I think we should legislate tooth brushing license before someone can use one. I might burn myself on the coffeemaker in the morning. Better issue a coffeemaker license while we’re at it. And don’t even get me started on drinking. Now let’s assume that we hire a legal apprentice, aged 18. How do we figure out a legal way to pay him? According to minimum wage laws, he must be paid per hour, plus overtime. But this is an educational experience. At least, that’s what we think. But unless it’s a bona fide credentialed educational institution of sorts, it’s just an exploitive working situation as far as the government is concerned. The government views what we do as exploitive of labour. But if the labour happily agrees to these conditions, how can it be exploitive? Oh, that’s right. How silly of me. The worker is too stupid to know he’s being exploited. Workers happily walk to their own gallows. That’s another principle of government agents. They assume that everyone but them is a dolt. An ignorant, non-thinker. Dupe. Does it ever occur to these bureaucrats – not to mention the rest of society that feels compelled to rescue labourers from themselves—that maybe some people enjoy doing what they do? Even if what they do wouldn’t make me happy? We are quick to inject our own standards of happiness and satisfaction onto others when we often don’t have a clue what’s going on in their heads? END Do we really need a government to unionize every single workplace until employers don’t want to and can’t afford to hire anymore? It’s time for personal accountability and the freedom that walks with it hand in hand. Wishing the government would solve your problems isn’t just a gutless abdication of personal responsibility, it’s a direct assault on your neighbor. You’re asking the government to take away someone’s freedom so that you don’t have to labour to create goodness and be responsible for yourself. |
With the warm fall weather, Martin and James were able to get trenching done to lay pipe for more irrigation lines. This is one less job to do in the spring when things get a little crazy.
Martin has started applying clay to the walls in the new store. And flooring for some of the side rooms is ready to be installed. Brett continues with the woodworking and it’s looking awesome.
Lots of work has been done this past year, but there’s still lots more to do before the planned spring opening. We’re feeling excited about how it’s all coming together.
“I love my Berkey! I just wish I’d gotten a bigger one.”
“It’s the cheapest way to get good clean water.”
“Had issues with my reverse osmosis unit, so I got a Berkey. It doesn’t take out the minerals and the water tastes great.”
“When I must drink water elsewhere, I can’t wait to get home for a drink of good water. What a difference!”
Why do you love YOUR Berkey?
If you don’t have one yet, take a look at Why Buy A Berkey Gravity Water Filter.
Bone-In Chicken Breast- Sale $9.99/lb Reg. $10.49/lb (See Recipe Box)
Lamb Sausage, all varities- Sale $10.99/lb Reg. $12.49/lb
Large Eggs- Sale 3 dozen for $16.00 Reg. $6.00/dozen
Beets- Sale $1.99/lb Reg. $2.49/lb (See Recipe Box)
Organic Slivered Almonds, 150 g- Sale $6.99 each Reg. $7.49 each (See Recipe Box)
L'Ancetre Organic Salted Grassfed Butter, 250 g -Sale $8.49 each Reg. $8.99 each (See Recipe Box)
Ancient Harvest Organic Quinoa Spaghetti, 227 g- Sale $4.99 each Reg. $5.99 each
Please note, all ingredients in our recipes are organic. |
Old-Fashioned Chicken Noodle Soup1 ½ lb bone-in Harvest Havenchicken breasts Pat chicken dry with paper towels and sprinkle with ¼ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Heat oil in Dutch oven over medium-high heat until shimmering. Cook chicken until well browned all over, 8 to 10 minutes. Add broth, onion, carrot, celery, thyme sprigs, bay leaf, and ¼ teaspoon salt, scraping up any browned bits. Bring to boil, cover, and reduce heat to low. Simmer until breasts register 160 degrees and/or thighs register at least 175 degrees, 14 to 17 minutes. Remove pot from heat; discard thyme sprigs and bay leaf. Transfer chicken to plate and let cool slightly. Using 2 forks, shred chicken into bite-size pieces; discard skin and bones. Return soup to boil over medium-high heat and add pasta. Cook, uncovered, until pasta is tender, 9 to 11 minutes, stirring often. Add chicken and parsley and cook until chicken is warmed through, about 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve. TO MAKE AHEAD: Soup can be made through step 3, covered, and refrigerated for up to 2 days. |
30 mL sugar or Harvest Havenhoney
10 mL cornstarch
125 mL orange juice
5 mL grated orange rind
15 mL butter
500 mL sliced or diced cooked Harvest Haven beets
Salt and pepper to taste
In a saucepan combine sugar or honey and cornstarch.
Stir in orange juice and rind.
Add butter and cook, stirring constantly, until thickened.
Remove from heat; add beets, salt and pepper.
Cover and leave for 30 minutes to allow flavors to blend.
To serve, heat gently, stirring occasionally.
Garnish with orange segments or slices.
Serves 4.
1 cup salted grassfed butter
2 cups flour
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup slivered almonds
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup powdered sugar
Beat butter and powdered sugar together. Then add vanilla, salt, flour, and nuts. Mix until combined.
Take heaping tablespoons of dough and roll into balls the size of large marbles.
Bake at 325 F for about 12-15 minutes until lightly browned.
Let the cookies cool for 5 minutes.
Roll the cookies in powdered sugar and enjoy!
Dead Skunk in the Middle of the Road
You’ve been hearing about the kids and the kittens, but not much about what’s been happening with Harriett, our guardian dog. Harriett is doing very well and has become quite a pleasant pet. However, she is much more than a pet, as she keeps our place safe from pesky predators and unwanted intruders. Besides barking at coyotes and keeping them at a distance, one of Harriett’s biggest concerns is the skunks that wander into the barnyard looking for eggs that our “layed-off” layers leave in the straw. She is adept at dispatching these guys without receiving too much “fragrance” if any at all. We have no idea how many of these pests she’s eliminated but have found the odd carcass in the back forty. In fact, Martin and James came across a dead skunk the other day and were about to dispose of it when Harriett snatched it out of their way and was guarding it from them. We’re not sure if she was guarding it from them or them from it. After all, she is a guardian dog and protecting her livestock and owners is her innate responsibility. Jeannie had an interesting experience with Harriett that left her puzzled. James makes dinner for everyone on Sunday, so Jeannie was in the store until 6:00 P.M. Stepping out after closing, she asked Harriett where the kids were. Harriett promptly gets up, jogs over to James’ house, and waits quietly for Jeannie to get there, even though the coyotes were raising a ruckus in the distance. As soon as Jeannie got close enough to see the kids inside the house, Harriett dashes off, barking loudly in the direction of the coyotes. Here’s a funny video that’ll give you an ear worm for sure and you won’t think the same about dead skunks in the middle of the road.
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I’m sure many of you have heard my strawberry speech before, so I’ll make this short...
]]>Strawing Strawberries
I’m sure many of you have heard my strawberry speech before, so I’ll make this short.
Conventional
Don’t buy conventional strawberries. They’re horrid. They taste like soured cardboard and are saturated in an unprecedented and unregulated concoction of harmful chemicals. They’re a lab experiment gone really bad.
Certified Organic
Don’t buy conventionally-grown certified organic strawberries, either. They’re grown in fields of plastic weed barriers that suffocate the soil and heat up the roots for maximum production and minimal flavour. They’re picked under-ripe. Fruit that’s picked under-ripe has never reached peak sugar content. Fruit that doesn’t reach maximum sugar content is seldom targeted by fungus or pests. Plants that don’t have to respond to stress don’t create polyphenols (i.e. antioxidants) to defend themselves.
In other words, the organic strawberries you thought were loaded with antioxidants are just the empty shell of what they should be. They’re not just void of flavour, they’re void of nourishment potential, as well. The organic strawberry might not be toxic, but you’re definitely not getting what you’re paying for.
Harvest Haven Certified
Harvest Haven certified strawberries are the real thing. Grown in an actual field of straw. They’re picked when ripe. The roots of the plants are cool and well oxygenated while remaining consistently moist. This maximizes both the flavour and the nutrient density of the fruit. Our frozen berries are amazing and carry the healing goodness of the summer sun into the winter when you need it most.
In short, my sales pitch is simple, and call it elitist or egotistical if you must, but my recommendation is to eat only Harvest Haven strawberries. And eat as many as you can! As soon as possible, or better still, even sooner!
Farming and construction continue.
This week, the guys have been covering the strawberries with straw to protect the plants from the cold and snow. It was nice to be able to work in the sunshine instead of a snow storm, which has been our experience in the past.
Brett, owner of Purewood Design, installed shelving in the storage room of the new store. Something as simple as shelving has Brett’s masterful touch; the edges of each shelf are finished perfectly and the whole structure is strong enough for a 200-pound man to swing from it if he was so inclined.
Wild Oil of Oregano belongs in every medicine chest. It has antifungal, antibiotic, antiviral, and anti-inflammatory properties that have been proven in laboratory studies, making it a natural, versatile, and effective option for so much of what ails you.
And here’s another good reason to have Wild Oil of Oregano on hand: drug resistant super-bugs cannot develop resistance to it, unlike how they do to the patented antibiotics on the market. Good news, indeed.
Hedd Wynn Wild Oil of Oregano is an excellent product:
- Made with wild, Mediterranean Oregano, free of chemical fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides, and fungicides;
- Diluted in Organic Cold Pressed Olive Oil;
- Boosts the immune system to help prevent colds and flus when taken at the onset of symptoms;
- Relieves pain and speeds healing of bruises, sore or torn muscles, or other injuries.
- Effective against fungus, parasites, and viruses with no negative side effects.
- Potent remedy for a wide range of afflictions.
On sale now…10% off all sizes.
Lamb Shoulder Steaks- Sale $9.29/lb Reg. $10.89/lb
Beef Garlic Sausage- Sale $9.49/lb Reg. $10.99/lb (See Recipe Box)
Turkey Drumsticks- Sale $4.29/lb Reg. $5.49/lb
Large Eggs- Sale 3 dozen for $16.00 Reg. $6.00/dozen
Squash- Sale $1.50/lb Reg. $1.75/lb (See Recipe Box)
Frozen Strawberries -Sale $6.99/lb for 3 or more 1 lb bags Reg. $8.49/lb (See Recipe Box)
Bee's Bread Wrap- Sale $13.00/pkg Reg. $15.00/pkg
Hedd Wynn Wild Oil of Oregano -Sale 10% off all sizes
Please note, all ingredients in our recipes are organic.
Whisk together 1 1/2 cups buttermilk, 1/2 milk, 1 1/3 cup mashed Harvest Haven squash, egg, 2 tbsp sunflower oil, and 1 1/2 tsp vanilla.
In a large bowl combine 2 cups of flour, 1/2 cup brown sugar, 2 tsp baking powder, 1 1/2 tsp baking soda, 2 1/2 tsp Harvest Haven pumpkin pie spice and 1/2 tsp salt.
Stir dry ingredients into the pumpkin mixture until just combined.
Heat a lightly oiled frying pan over medium heat.
Scoop 1/4 cup of batter into frying pan.
Cook for 1 to 2 minutes.
Carefully flip pancake and cook until browned on the underside.
Serve with maple syrup.
1 lb Harvest Haven Garlic Sausage
1/2 Harvest Haven onion, thinly sliced
3 Harvest Haven garlic cloves, minced
1 (8 oz) can tomato sauce
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
Salt and fresh cracked black pepper
1 can diced tomatoes
1/2 cup cream cheese
1 cup Harvest Haven chicken bone broth
1 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
Fresh chopped parsley, for garnish
Heat frying pan and add olive oil and onions, and cook until slightly soft.
Add sausage meat, break up with a spatula, and cook until it’s no longer pink, stirring frequently.
Transfer to large pot. Add the tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, garlic, salt, pepper, Italian seasoning, cream cheese, and chicken bone broth. Give a quick stir to mix everything together.
Cook for 30 minutes.
Stir in heavy cream and Parmesan cheese. Divide the sausage parmesan cream cheese soup into bowls, garnish with fresh chopped parsley and more parmesan; then serve immediately. Enjoy!
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
2 cups granulated sugar
3 large Harvest Haven eggs
3 tablespoons lemon juice, divided
Zest of 1 lemon
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, divided
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
8 ounces plain or vanilla, Greek yogurt
1 lb Harvest Haven strawberries
1 cup powdered sugar
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Grease and flour a 10 inch Bundt pan (10-15 cup pan.) In a large bowl, sift together 2 1/4 cups of flour, baking soda, and salt. Mix in the lemon zest and set aside.
In a separate bowl, use an electric mixer to cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, 3-5 minutes. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then stir in 1 tablespoon lemon juice. Alternate beating in the flour mixture and the yogurt, mixing just until incorporated.
Toss the strawberries with the remaining ¼ cup of flour. Gently mix them into the batter.
Pour the batter into the Bundt pan. Place in the oven and reduce the temperature to 325 degrees F. Bake for 60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.
Allow to cool at least 20 minutes in the pan, then turn out onto a wire rack and cool completely.
Once cooled whisk together the remaining 2 tablespoons of lemon juice and the powdered sugar. Drizzle over the top of the cake.
Grampa Max
Dinnertime at the Van Poptas is usually quite entertaining with lively discussions and amusing stories. The children take turns playing their piano pieces before and after dinner, giving us a pleasant concert. And everyone likes to give us the details of their exploits from a day down on the farm.
Recently, Konstantijn was apprising us of her new chores. Because she loves the sheep so much, her dad thought it would be good for her to have the responsibility of feeding them morning and night. She’s familiar with each woolly, has them all named, knows which ones like to be scratched and petted and which ones prefer to be left alone. And it appears that most of the sheep like K, too. They eagerly come running up to her for a little lovin’.
The conversation turned to the kittens, as they are in the barn next to the sheep and apparently, some of these girls find the kittens interesting.
“Freckles likes to sniff the kittens, but I don’t know why. She just does,” Konstantijn tells us, shrugging her shoulders.
Konstantijn has been doing a fine job of kitten “kare.” The little guys are growing well and venturing out and about the farm.
“They’re not afraid of Harriett [our guardian dog], either. They just hiss at her when she tries to play with them.”
Most of the cats scurry out of Harriett’s way, but not these tiny fur balls. No fear here.
Continuing with her cat capers, Konstantijn tells us about Grampa Max, a big black and white tom who is the oldest cat on the farm.
“I don’t know how Max does it, but he somehow gets all the kittens to sleep on him, providing a nice furry blanket,” she quizzically declares.
A conversation about Max’s age ensues. No one knows how old Max is. Some say he was with Noah on the ark. At this point, Marseilles leaves the table, returning shortly with her depiction of Max on the ark and his journey through history.
Marseilles has a special talent for putting into humorous cartoons the conversations she hears. You can see her skill in these pictures.
Life on the farm is sharing our individual gifts and abilities with others and enjoying the results.
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