Harrowsmith

JENNIFER BIRCH is a freelance writer with a penchant for such topics as lifestyle, food and sustainability. In fact, she’s a big advocate for sustainable travelling and encourages everyone to see what the world has to offer while making sure to make

It’s sometimes difficult to write these editor’s letters several months in advance of our publication date. I mean, it’s May 7 and the warblers and hummingbirds have yet to return to the Bruce Peninsula, Ontario, where I live. By the time this issue

Editor-in-Chief Jules Torti jules@moongate.ca Editor, Summer and Winter Editions Catalina Margulis catalina@moongate.ca Astronomy Editor Robert Dick Meteorology Editor Mark Sirois Home and Farm Editor Steve Maxwell Food Editor Signe Langford Gardeni

Dear Ms. Torti, My name is Edna Juffermans and I am writing to you in regards to the Yukon Gold story (“No Small Potatoes,” Spring 2020). Mr. York von Sivers needs to hear a few more details about the Yukon Gold story. Yes, it did land Dr. Johnston i

In Garry Leeson’s memoir, The Dome Chronicles (Nevermore Press, 2019), readers are introduced to a budget-savvy, DIY septic tank solution favoured by Maritimers in the past. Leeson learns of the alternative from a local pumper truck operator who expl

It was late 2017 when I first heard about Suzanne Crocker’s ambitious 100-mile diet, northof-60 style. She had started the 1-year challenge that summer, with her family in nervous tow. My selfish thought was, “What, no bananas? No avocados? For a yea

Save the juice (or syrup) from canned fruit. From lychee to peaches and every fruit in between, the juice or syrup it’s canned with is tasty stuff and shouldn’t go down the drain. Here are some delicious ways to use it up. • In drinks: Add a splash

Since its birth, Harrowsmith has told entertaining, empowering and informative stories of Canadians living well and sustainably. Now our flagship podcast, Harrowsmith Radio, puts those powerful tales right between your ears. In each episode, host W

Serves 4 to 6 This recipe is easy to prepare and guaranteed to please with even crispier skin thanks to the brilliant cherry and port combo. Wow your guests with the subtle sweetness of port and the tang of dried cherries. 1 King Cole whole duck, ab

The skinny on duck fat: Duck fat is healthier for the heart than butter or lard: 33 percent saturated fat in duck versus 62 percent in clarified butter. (Yikes!) Duck fat is also higher in cholesterol-fighting monounsaturated fats: 49 percent versus

Canada’s reliable staples may be potatoes and wheat flour, but a recent report on CBC showcased how rice has been making a slow and steady progress these past few years. This rise has been partially attributed to the changing cultural makeup of Canad

The conversation with Lieutenant Colonel Deforest is long and sprawling. It must be a slow day for illegal wildlife trafficking, or perhaps no one else had ever taken such an interest in his work. He has bright blue eyes, short bangs, and a goatee-mu

Rinse, cut in half, and scoop out tiny hairs and seeds. Place in single layer on tray. Dry in oven on lowest setting for a few hours, or use a food dehydrator. Store dried hips in glass jar in a cool, dark place. Rinse, then remove tiny hairs and see

Harrowsmith: Tell us about your farm. What do you grow or raise? CaberNeigh Farm: CaberNeigh Farm is a 50-acre farm-slash-vanity-project in Uxbridge, Ontario. We have horses, dogs, cats, pet goats, laying chickens, a pot-bellied pig and bees. The tr

Harrowsmith: Tell us about your farm. What do you grow or raise? The Jungle Farm: We grow 6.5 quarters of traditional grain and have a market garden with about 20 acres of berries and 15 acres of vegetables. We grow fun stuff like strawberries, rasp

COVID-19. It has changed our world. By the time you read this, we will have likely experienced several waves of infection globally. For this particular essay, I’d like to take us back to the introduction of the virus to Europe in early winter 2020. T

The first half of the winter should be milder than normal due to a persistent southerly airflow. Winter may start out dry but then will become stormier during the middle and late part of the season. The snowiest/stormiest period will be late January

A snowy winter is anticipated across a large portion of the province. These storms will mix with rain and ice in the first half of the season, one of which could produce significant icing resulting in power outages in January. It is likely that the l

A winter that’s colder and drier than normal is likely in store for northwestern Ontario. The central and eastern parts of the province look rather stormy, especially during the first half of the season. Overall, for central and eastern Ontario, the

Similar to last winter, the eastern Prairies should see a persistent cold Arctic flow though most of the season while areas farther to the west should be closer to seasonable, aided by a number of chinook events. Frequent early storms through Alberta

A rather mild winter is expected. The southern half of the province should be drier than normal, with more sunshine than usual. Only the northern third of the province should see an active storm track bringing some rainy and snowy events through the

The polar jet stream will be running straight through this area, so expect much colder than normal conditions with a barrage of polar vortex air masses. As a result of the colder flow, we should see a drier pattern, with the lack of an active storm t

Expect colder-than-normal temperatures in Yukon throughout the season. Everywhere else, we expect seasonable temperatures most of the time, despite several Arctic outbreaks crossing through the area. Precipitation will be above normal over northweste

On October 13, 2020, at 7:20 p.m. EDT to be exact, we will be passing one of our celestial neighbours. It will serve no purpose to say “Hi!” because sound doesn’t travel through space. And there is no one there to hear us, as far as we know, so it is

One of the best ways to brace the end or corner of a fence is with an earth anchor. Screw the anchor into the earth and it will resist a tremendous amount of pulling force for the long haul. I use a crowbar in the eye of the earth anchor to tighten i

Many permanent fences are electrified, and the power behind any electric fence is different from the electricity that comes out of a wall socket or battery. Creating this unique form of power is the job of a fencer. Also called a “charger” or “energi

In 2017, singer-songwriter Jann Arden’s soul-nourishing memoir Feeding My Mother: Comfort and Laughter in the Kitchen as My Mom Lives With Memory Loss was published. Arden’s steadfast advocacy for dissolving the stigma surrounding dementia came in ma

In 1933, my grandfather Andy Perry bought a building on the corner of Spring Street and First Street in Summerside, Prince Edward Island. Already an avid racehorse breeder, Andy created a speakeasy/café in his new building and named it after one of h

Satin’s coming home! I’m at the end of our long, tree-lined lane, making daisy chains and waiting. I know they have a distance to travel from the city, but 2 hours late? Every cloud of dust has me hoping it’s the truck and trailer. Oh boy, here they

We all walked to school in those days. Me, my little sister and pain-in-the-butt kid brother came up Kehl Road and turned right on Highway 71 for the final half-mile to school. Quite a few kids came down Hammond Road and we seldom reached the pavemen

The weather was great for the first 3 weeks that October—an extended Indian summer— and although I was busy-busy, my weekends were free. Bobby Green had a nice 1958 Meteor, but the motor was a bit lazy. It needed a valve job. Money was tight, so we d

Big Day Though it sounds like an “I do” and chicken dance might be involved, a Big Day is actually a birding event where an individual or team of birders attempt to see as many birds as possible in one calendar day. A Big Year is similar in that a bi

My first encounter with a porcupine was roadside, somewhere between Belleville and Kingston, Ontario. My best friend and I had spent a week dog-sitting two huskies in nearby Napanee and were heading to the Via Rail station to catch the train home to

photographer John Kenney was there and took the iconic photo of a masked Mohawk Warrior standing atop a rolled-over police vehicle with his rifle raised. They had won the battle that day, on July 11, 1990, in a standoff that would drag on for 78 days

These are the most widespread species of swallow in the world. They commonly reside it the rafters co' barns. They make cup-shaped nests of mud and grass. which they attach to a wall or ledge. With a nice flying swoop they feed on flying insects. B

Family dinners had become a rarity over the past few years, but the national emergency brought them back with a rush. There were lots of questions and very few answers to offer at that point, but my wife said very firmly that the most important thing

Waterloo Gasoline Traction Company built this tractor in 1914. John Deere bought out Waterloo in 1918 and used this popular two-cylinder format for many years. In 1945 Henry Ford's 28-year-old grandson, Henry ll. took over the cunt any, which was l