pancake mix

New for the market tomorrow will be GFG's Organic Pancake Mix! Made from our time tested recipe, this mix is made with a perfect blend of freshly milled Rye and Hard Red Spring Wheat. The ingredients are all Organic so all you have to do is add one egg, a cup and a half of milk and some oil.

These pancakes are our family favorite. You will be amazed with the flavour and aroma of fresh milled pancakes. Nobody in our house ever commented on the smell of pancakes until we started making these!

I only had time to mix up a small batch today so there will be limited quantities for the market tomorrow. If they sell well and we get good feedback we'll consider adding them to the products that we offer at all markets and outlets.

this little pig went to market...

I am off to market! A happy time for sure. I really enjoy visiting with people and trying to make a go of our little farm. Each time I sell a package of flour I feel thankful and proud that I created something that somebody is now going to take home to nourish themselves and their family. It is a great feeling for sure.

Tonight is the Alberta Avenue Market from 5-8 pm on 118th Ave and 93rd St.

Saturday is City Market at City Hall downtown Edmonton. This week the market is in the parkade Level 1. Next week and until May 14th it will be back in the main hall.

I hope to see you sometime over the next couple days!

$6M snowplow...we can rebuild him...better...stronger

Now for something completely different. I am attempting to rebuild the snowplow after the masacre of the 2010/2011 winter. The plow was totalled, but I figured I could rebuild it and save some dough. I don't want to spend money on snow removal equipment for next year. I have enough things to spend money on trying to get this farm finished. Part 3 will follow later today I hope.

eat alberta

Slow Food Edmonton is hosting what appears to be a marvelous opportunity for folks to be able to resource local food more effectively. On April 30, 2011 there will be an event called Eat Alberta: A Celebration of Our Local Food Heroes.

Now you have the link, you can go ahead and give it a look. It will be a wonderful way for people to get to know where to source local food of all types including Yvan Chartrand of Treestone Bakery! Treestone Bakery has been a customer of Gold Forest Grains for three years now. We are very proud to supply Yvan's bakery with our local Hard Red Spring Wheat (Park variety).

you don't need no stinkin car.

I see so many new friends at the markets we now attend coming in with their re-usable shopping bags and leaving burdened down with groceries. I always wonder how they make it home without their arms falling off (assuming they didn't drive to the market).

I couldn't help but post this video! And there are many other videos just like this one that show the extreme resourcefulness of people and the flexibility of bikes. I thought that this invention was amazing for folks who live in the city. Of course, we still have so much work to do in North America when it comes to bikes vs. cars vs. pedestrians. But, we'll get there one day...probably through necessity more than advocacy. Enjoy!

what is "Kamut"?

I hear about Kamut all the time. I am asked almost weekly if I grow Kamut. The answer to that question is always "no" and that is because I am not allowed to grow Kamut. Kamut is a registered name of an ancient variety of wheat called Khorasan Wheat. I can grow Khorasan...not Kamut. That is unless I purchase the Kamut seed from Kamut International (if they allowed me). Anyways, I thought I would write a piece as there is a bit of misinformation about this grain. The nutritional qualities and the historical context of Kamut (Khorasan Wheat) is correct and what you read about it is all true. It is a wonderfully nutritious heritage variety of grain...it is truly ancient and there are many legends about it's modern origin including one that tells of how this wheat was found viable in the tombs of Egyptian Pharoahs. 


The problem with this particular wheat variety lies in its name. You see the term "Kamut" is a registered name that was patented by Bob Quinn who is the founder of Kamut International. The term Kamut has been used for this variety of wheat for decades, but it is only a common name for the wheat that should properly be known by its varietal name Khorasan or Triticum turanicum (also known as T. turgidum subsp.turanicum). 

On the Wikipedia page it states "Kamut International uses the KAMUT trademark to protect and preserve the ancient grain variety khorasan. The grain differs from modern day varieties because it has not been modified through modern breeding practices or genetic modification. Any khorasan that is sold using “KAMUT” (i.e. as KAMUT brand wheat) must meet specific qualifications to ensure purity, variety preservation and quality.^[6]"

^{This appears to be a direct quote from the company's website.}

Well woosh! Am I ever glad that Bob came along to preserve and protect this variety of ancient wheat. Of course, their extensive efforts in registering the common name had nothing to do whatsoever with licencing fees from farmers who wish to grow and sell Kamut. Well, perhaps their efforts to control Kamut production are benevolent. I can't pretend to know what their intentions are but there are other organizations that protect and promote the production of other heritage varieties of grains and livestock without patenting the name and deriving money from their propagation and marketing. I suspect that is because none of those other varieties are as popular as Kamut. On the other hand, it is just as likely that Khorasan wheat would not have become as popular without the marketing efforts of Kamut International. I like what this company is doing, I just don't necessarily agree with attempts to register and control the propagation of seed...if that is what is being attempted.

The reasons given for the trademark of the name Kamut on the company website are legitimate and it is unmistakable that the registration of the name was granted because of the company's apparent dedication to specific grain quality and purity.

Wheats were at one time commonly cross bred through design and accident; and subsequent varieties were selected by farmers right out of the field for various qualities. I still do this on a regular basis. If I happen to see a few particular heads of grain out in a field that grow heavier, or shorter, or quicker or redder or whatever, I will pick them and save them for future propagation. One day, these heads may very well grow into a new variety that works best on my farm and climate conditions or for specific baking qualities. Every modern variety of grain has been cross bred from ancient varieties at some point in their development.

"Only by the use of a trademark can customers be guaranteed that products produced with KAMUT Khorasan contain the pure ancient variety...". (quote from Kamut International)

It may be correct for the company to assure consumers that it is a pure strain from when it was obtained by Bob from a farmer in Fort Benton MT. That farmer supposedly received the seed from his airman son in 1949 when the son was stationed in Egypt. It was grown from 1949 until Bob "remembered" it in 1977. From 1949 till the mid 60's it was grown locally and was apparently sold in a 1964 county fair as "King Tut's Wheat". At that point it was supposedly forgotten. 

Unless the Ft. Benton farmer was completely meticulous about his harvesting, propagation, storage records and procedures and that Bob actually obtained this seed directly from the original farmer (which Kamut's website doesn't say) I doubt that it is pure. I am sure that it is true that it does contain the ancient variety's genes, but by 1977 there is some degree of probability that several other, more modern, varieties had been introduced also. 

So, it is an interesting grain variety...probably the most interesting! From it's ancient origins to it's modern conundrum of large corporations and copyright laws. If you choose to purchase Kamut from Kamut International or Khorasan from your local, organic farmer the choice is yours and it is a good one either way. 

2011 market special

For the entire market season this year we will be offering a special price for each and every market event that we attend. Here's the deal...if you purchase One 500g(1 lb.) bag of Organic Golden Flax plus any two other 1.7kg flour or grain products you will only pay $20. So, that's three bags of Gold Forest Grains products for $20. It could be a combination of any three products that include at least one package of Golden Flax.

1- Flax (normally $5) + 1 Whole Wheat Flour ($8) + 1 Pasta/Pastry Flour ($9) = $20 ($22 value)
1 Flax + 2 Whole Wheat Flour = $20 ($21 value)
1 Flax + 2 Whole Grain Rye Flour ($10) = $20 ($25 value)

You get the idea.

We also offer a convenient way for you to purchase your Gold Forest Grain products early in the day before we run out and then continue your shopping for as long as you like without having to lug your purchases around. Just come and buy your Market Special  early and we will give you a receipt for your purchases while your selections are stored waiting for your return at the end of the day.

city market - spring session!

If you can, I would love to see all of you at the City Market Spring Season! It starts this Saturday, March 12 at City Hall (Edmonton). I believe that the hours are 11-3.

It sounds as though there will be over 60 vendors at this market. I think I also heard that the parking is free? Please don't be mad at me if it isn't, but that is what I heard. The City Market is one of Edmonton's busiest markets with an average of around 18,000 people per day. That is an amazing number if it is accurate. Hopefully at least some of those customers will visit this Saturday and every following Saturday until the middle of May when the regular summer market starts on 104th St.

I know that we are excited about attending this market as a vendor. With the success we've had at Alberta Ave. Market, we are looking forward to doing more business with the City Market.

trip to Calgary

I will be delivering wheat to Prairie Mill Bread Co. tomorrow, March 9th. I should be there around midday. Sorry about the short notice, but if anyone wants flour or wheat delivered to Calgary...tomorrow is the day. Please let me know sometime today. I think I am bringing down one bag of wheat at least for Gail...anyone else?

spruce park ranch

I don't normally do posts on specific businesses, but I thought I would perhaps focus every now and then on businesses that support our little farm. Spruce Park Ranch now carries Gold Forest Grain's products including flour and whole, Golden Flax!

Here is a gem of a surprise out in the middle of the country. Spruce Park Ranch is located only a couple minutes straight south of Spruce Grove on range road 273. Even though they are only minutes from the city, it feels like you are miles away to a distant country memory that almost all of us share in some form or another. 

Les and Marilyn Trautman have built themselves a wonderful little store that you just have to see for yourselves. It reminds me a an old-fashioned country store from a long time ago...and, I suppose that is exactly what it is! The website doesn't do justice to the feeling of their cozy little store. The smells and feel are very comforting and they have selected local and healthful food products to make the trip out there more than worthwhile. 

They also have a very nice selection of country-inspired home decor for sale.  

So, gather up your friends and family and take a trip out to visit Spruce Park Ranch for some local food and flair! 

bread night

I noticed that we were low on bread yesterday so I decided to bake a loaf. I must tell you that this recipe and methodology is the simplest way to bake bread I have ever come across. I mean when somebody says that they baked bread the image comes to mind of an exhaustive day of kneading, rising and baking. I decided to bake a loaf at around 6:30 and it was out of the oven by 8:30. Most of this two hour time in preparing the bread was spent sitting on the couch watching The Nature of Things on boxee.

Now granted, this is not the artisan bread that we are accustomed to eating from places like Bon Ton Bakery, Dauphine Bakery & Bistro or even Avenue Homesteader's latest creation, but it is a nice tasting and healthful loaf of bread that is great for sandwiches and toast. It is easy to make because if I can do it...it is easy. 

1.5 cups of milk in a sauce pan heated to around 100 degrees. Add 2 tsp of yeast and 2 Tblsp of honey once it gets to temperature. Stir in the yeast and honey till well mixed and set it aside while you prepare the other ingredients. It will begin to bubble and foam within 10-15 minutes.
In our Kitchen Aid mixer I place 4 cups of flour.
Get ready:
2 tsp of salt (don't add the salt to the flour just yet.)
1/4 cup of oil. We use organic olive oil but melted butter works too or whatever.

Now that the yeast mixture is working away there should be a layer of foam on top. Turn on the mixer with the bread hook attachment and add the milk/yeast/honey to the flour. Then add the oil. Once it has mixed a bit you can slowly add the salt.

I let the mixer knead the dough for around 10 minutes or so. While it is working I grease/flour a bread pan.
Once the dough is kneaded it will be very elastic feeling and slightly moist to the touch. Shape it to the bread pan and place the pan in a warm spot with a light kitchen towel over top. I flour the top of the loaf so it doesn't stick to the towel. We place the pan on the floor in front of the wood stove where it is nice a cozy. Last night I let it raise like that for about an hour. You can let it go as long as you like I suppose. Pop it in a 375 degree oven for 45 mins and the picture is what you should end up with.

new tarp for the grain truck

Last Fall, the old roll-top tarp for the grain truck finally bit the dust. The springs had broken and the cables were slack. The tarp was ripped and the steel supporting rails inside the box were bent and misshapen.

 I was deliberating what to do and pricing out a replacement roll-tarp seemed to indicate that that wasn't going to happen any time soon. So, in the interest of trying to become profitable in 2011 I simply bought an old-fashioned truck tarp. The kind my grandfather used his entire life without complaint. All told I spent around $100 for the tarp and a few rubber tarp straps. I removed the steel rails and bent them back into shape by wedging them under the propane tank in the yard and lifting until the needed bend was put back in. 

So, now I have a new truck tarp. It is nowhere as convenient as the old roll type, but it keeps the rain and snow out of the box and will prevent precious grain from blowing away as I travel the highways. Bottom line is that it works and I will simply have to climb up onto the box to get it out of the way for loading grain. Perhaps I will have some time this summer to figure out some sort of system to more easily get it out of the way during loading? 

castle downs farmers market...a bust?

We attended the Castle Downs Farmers Market last night. I found it extremely interesting to see the differences in markets, both in the mix of vendors and the clientele. In fairness to the market, it was only their third week running and there is still no internet presence that would pop up on any search but it was not a good night for more than a few vendors. Situated in the Moose Lodge on 146th Ave. and Griesbach Road, it is a wonderful location for a farmers market. A lovely feel to the old building.

Even though there was about the same amount of customers come through the door last night as attend Alberta Avenue Market I could tell right away that I was in trouble. Almost nobody who came to the market was carrying their own grocery bags. Very quickly in my rookie season of farmers marketing, I was able to determine who my customers were by those tell-tale recycled nylon grocery bags. People sauntering in with their hands in their pockets are unlikely to purchase many groceries. 

From a customer's standpoint though, the Castle Downs Farmers Market is a boon! There was more than one of almost everything. A few bakers, a couple of vendors with extensive selections of jams and preserves, vegetables and produce, hemp, flour, meats, eggs. Pretty much everything you'd need for a weeks worth of groceries! Still, very few people who attended the market were there to purchase groceries. If you are a farmers market supporter, you will definitely want to check out the Castle Downs market. With such a diverse selection of premium food stuffs and very little competition from other customers, there was no fear of things running out!

It was a different customer base last night also. I was definitely out of my comfort zone with too many people who listen to 630 CHED too often. I missed my CBC Radio or CKUA friends! I actually had a couple walk past and as hubby was pulling her towards my table, she said "oh no, that stuff is organic". I got a little bit of a dirty look as they quickly detoured away. Those of you who live in Edmonton will understand my references to the radio stations. Let's just say that, as a generalization, there are people who are afraid to stray from the norm of the chemical age and those who embrace change and see the benefits of zero chemical inputs and healthful local food. 

Of course I understand that not everybody buys flour each week. I had a few lovely conversations with folks who just didn't need flax or flour yet. Will they purchase next week at this market?

I sure don't want to seem ungrateful for the couple of customers who did purchase our products. There were glimmers of hope from folks who "get it" and i will stick with this market for at least a couple more weeks. There is plenty of potential there. For local foodies, you do not want to miss all the selections offered in this compact market! 

Tonight though is the Alberta Avenue Farmers Market where customers purchase food...and I certainly appreciate seeing all those re-cycled shopping bags! We thank everyone who chooses to support our little farm. See you at the market tonight!

work on the house continues

We are indeed still working on the house. Little by little we are getting things done. Cindy took some time over the past couple of weeks to work out the paint colours that she thought would work and for the past couple days we have begun our interior painting.

Now, for the duration of this blog, I have always told everyone that we would share with them the good and the bad. This picture should confirm, without a doubt, the integrity of me and my blog. Yes, this is how I look at home on a Saturday afternoon, in the dead of winter, with a paint roller in my hand.

I tried to photoshop this picture. You know...thinner, without the plaid shorts and black socks. But, then I had a change of heart and decided that perhaps some humility would trigger an outpouring of sympathy for my wife and kids. I am indeed the poster boy for nerdy Dads everywhere. I realize now that there is nothing I can do to change that...for now.

Still haven't figured out quite what to do with where the stucco wall meets up with the drywall interior walls. Any suggestions?

At some point in time this spring, when I am out in the field busy seeding or doing spring cultivation I will stage some manly sort of picture. Me posing beside the might and strength of a large diesel powered tractor with the sunset in the background and a steady breeze tussling my hair. In the meantime, this is what we all have to put up with.

Still haven't figured out quite what to do with where the stucco wall meets up with the drywall interior walls. Any suggestions?

Have a great holiday weekend everyone.

bread recipe and comment

I received the nicest email the other day from Sherri, one of our new customers. She is working on some self-sustainable projects for her family including baking and here is what she has to say about our wheat and how she uses it. Enjoy!

John,

I have emailed this to you so that you can put it on your blog wherever you think it should go.  



I have now mastered baking amazing bread with your organic hard red wheat and I have to say that your wheat produces the best bread I have ever tasted!  I have been milling wheat and baking bread for about 3 years and nothing I have made in that time compares to what what I have made with Gold Forest Grains organic red wheat.  The texture, flavour, and "tooth"  of the bread are excellent.  The fragrance of the organic red wheat during milling is unparalleled and the rise is superb.  A gorgeous product in every way.  Thank you!

For those interested, here is the recipe that I use (from a mother of 14!) that is fast and easy, involving only one rise.  It makes 4 large loaves.

5 cups very warm water (120 degrees)
2/3 cup oil (I use canola)
2/3 cup honey or sugar
1 1/2 Tbsp salt
2 large eggs
8 cups freshly milled organic hard red wheat from Gold Forest Grains (+ an additional 4-6 cups to add after initial mixing)
1/4 c yeast



Put ingredients into mixer in order listed including only 8 cups of the flour at first.  Mix until blended well, then slowly add enough of the remaining flour to have the dough begin to pull away from the sides of your mixer bowl.  It should look a bit sticky.  Knead for 14 minutes in mixer.  Immediately shape dough and place into greased pans.  Allow loaves to rise in a barely warm oven.  I use the oven light to just take the chill off the oven.  When loaves have doubled, turn oven on to 320 degrees.  Leave loaves in oven while oven is coming up to temp.  Set timer for approximately 40-45 minutes as soon as you turn your oven on and bake until tops are golden brown and loaves sound hollow when tapped. Remove loaves from pans and allow to cool on cooling racks.  

Thanks once again, John for producing such a fabulous product.  I love Gold Forest Grains Organic Red Wheat and will never go back to what I was using before.

Sherri



Sherri's recipe is interesting from the standpoint that there are eggs included. It is basically the same recipe that we use along with the methodology minus the eggs. I think I'll try hers though just to see. We always seem to have a lot of eggs in our fridge...good chickens. 

new grind on the pastry flour

I spent some time yesterday fiddling with milling the Pastry Pasta Flour which is made from Soft White Wheat. I have received at least one comment that the milling of this flour may be better if it were a little finer in texture. Adjusting our Meadows Mill is very easy so I just got it as fine as I could without destroying the stones. It seems to have worked quite well. The new Pastry Pasta flour grind is very fine indeed. I hope that this will help with folk's baking and cooking needs. 

Of course, you can meet with us and purchase our flour products tonight at the Alberta Avenue Farmers Market! 

jersey latte

As I mentioned earlier this afternoon we paid a visit to some local Jersey milkers on a small farm nearby. They gave us a parting gift of some fresh Jersey whole milk. 

We had the preconceived notion that the milk would taste different or smell different and not necessarily in a good way. In the past Cindy and I have both experienced whole raw milk that was less than pleasant in both taste and smell. So, with some hesitation, we skimmed off the thick layer of cream and shook up the milk that remained and poured a small glass for each of us. It was amazing. The brilliant white colour and the sweet smell of pure milk...not cow...just milk. Not grass or barn or anything else, just milk. The taste matched the other sensations, pure joy of milk.

Right from the time I laid hands on this jar of milk this afternoon I knew I wanted to make a latte with it. We make latte's on a regular basis. We have a really good latte machine that we have had for several years. It works without problem day after day. It is the Starbucks Barista model. For the life of me I cannot figure out why a coffee company like Starbucks would decide to start selling machines that make it so people do not have to continue being Starbucks customers??? Since we bought the machine, I have not had a store purchased latte. 

So here, in all their local glory is our after supper latte. Local Jersey whole milk, local honey, not so local espresso beans. 

great sunday!

I had what I would call a 'great day' today. The sun is shining and our little straw bale house is, as usual, at a nice and comfortable 22 degrees. That in itself is not a big deal other than the fact that we have not had a source of heat in the house for four days now other than burning one stove-load of scrap door-trim cuttings last night. It was a little chilly when we got home from visiting with friends and there was some scrap lumber trimmings laying just outside the front door. So I grabbed them and lit a fire and it burned for a little while and was just enough to take the chill out of the house for the night. The stove was cold this morning as it was only a partial load and it was small pieces of 1" wood. We woke this morning and it was comfortable enough that I didn't light a fire...we just did some cooking for breakfast and the room temperature was perfect. Throughout the day today the passive solar design did its job and right now as I type, I could not be more comfortable. 

We took a little drive earlier this afternoon to visit with some people who milk Jerseys. We have always loved the breed and wanted to see their little operation and visit with some like-minded people. We took home a gift of 1/2 litre of whole milk to try. It brought back some strong memories of Uncle Pete and Aunty Dianne's farm to see that thick layer of off-white cream floating on the surface of pristine white milk ice cold in the jar. I cannot wait for a nice jersey milk latte this evening after supper.

Which brings me to the last part of a great day...I made pasta! I borrowed Kevin Kossowan's pasta ummm press? machine? It's a thing that rolls out pasta dough and then you can also use it to cut pasta...whatever that is called. It was a wonderful little machine with a hand crank that worked magnificently. I played around with a simple pasta recipe of 1lb flour and 6 eggs. Using my Pasta and Pastry Flour I took my time kneading and got the dough to a perceived perfect state for pasta. First off though, I did sift the flour to remove most of the bran and germ. There is still enough in the flour to make it obvious, but feedback from experts and my own intuition told me to sift it. The dough rolled out through the machine looking like store-bought, but smelling so fresh and 'grainy'. It boiled up quickly to perfection and tastes well, like pasta I suppose. That is a triumph in my family when something works out to taste or look like it should. The only difference being that it is fresh and homemade and organic. It was very satisfying as I kneaded the dough to think about handling kernals of wheat last spring in the seed drill and now in February I was making pasta with the wheat from those seeds! 

I boiled up the fresh pasta 'al dente' and mixed in some tomato pasta sauce. Then I put it in a large casserole dish and I will cover it with a shredded blend of cheeses including what I choose to spare of my small block of Smoky Valley Goat Cheese's "pyraneese (ripened)" cheese. This cheese is my new favorite cheese in the world. I haven't tasted better...ever.

Anyway, this was part of my day today...a wonderful day filled with wonderful foods, wonderful weather, family and friends. I feel lucky.

alberta avenue farmers market Feb 10

we'll be spending some time tonight getting ready for market tomorrow. I am bringing 50lbs bulk flour with me for Tim who called our farm last week. If anyone else wants flour in bulk, let us know ahead and we'll mill it up for you just prior to market day and bring it with us along with our regular packaged flour. Give us a shout with any questions.

the future

I was just thinking about the blog today and spent a little time going over past posts back to 2006 when I first started blogging. It seems so long ago to be talking about bees and pigs and pastured chickens. I miss all that. Cindy and I are still knee deep in finances and trying to get the house presentable along with the the basic issues of daily family life but we are still thinking about future plans for our little farm and furthering our self-sustainable lifestyle. 

We are a couple big steps closer to our goals of sustainability. We have a cozy little house that is ultra-efficient. We have a larger base of land that we own. And we have our little herd of Galloways. The thing we miss the most right now are our laying hens. Currently they are hanging out at Cindy's sister's place. They are producing a good amount of eggs apparently because Cindy came home with 7 or 8 dozen eggs the other day! One of the first things we will do this spring is to build our chicken coop and yard. I am playing around with some ideas in my head. I haven't quite decided what type of house to build them. I am thinking cordwood or perhaps another straw bale structure. The other alternative is to provide them with a moveable house and yard, but with so many unruly neighbour dogs about, that is a disaster waiting to happen. I wouldn't hesitate to shoot a dog harassing livestock, but would prefer to avoid that scenario at all costs. No matter the situation, a farmer shooting a neighbor's dog always becomes the farmer's problem. Keeping the hens safely in our yard, close to the house, is probably the direction we will go. Somewhere near the garden.

I love the creativity of these folk's chicken coop!

There are, of course, quite a few other things on our radar for the farm. We have to get pigs back in our lives. I miss them. For that project I am also considering a permanent yard situation as opposed to portable. Perhaps though we can combine two types of accommodations for the pigs. Maybe they can farrow in the yard and then get moved out to pig tractors when they are older?

The garden and orchards are ready to go for 2011. We seeded the garden with fall rye last autumn and it will be ready to till and plant when things dry up. 

Other projects include a root cellar of some type and a smoke house. I really want to try building a stone smoke house. The land around us is quite stony and so I won't have many problems finding suitable building materials once I till the land in the spring. 

Of course there are other farm buildings to build too. A shop. A proper milling building with hopper bottom grain bins. Landscaping. Fish pond...good grief, what have I done? Anybody looking to sell their downtown high-rise condo?  

feb 5 blizzard

And yet another blizzard to contend with. Outside the wind is wailing. Through the window I see the snow speeding across the fields. The cows are miserable. The roads are miserable. I am miserable.

Actually, I am not entirely. The house is indeed toasty warm with a gentle fire rolling in the stove. A little glass of rum and ice is a luxury beside me on the desk as I type. Things could be worse.

I did have to experience the wind and blowing snow first hand while watering the cows and repairing fence earlier tonight. That whole process, on a night like tonight, simply reinforces my ideas about the price of food...it isn't high enough!

Thankfully, I receive little opposition to my pricing of our farm products. I try my best to keep things fair and so far my customers are extremely educated on the subject...they get it. They get that it is a tremendous amount of work to do things right, the hard way. The small-scale way, without chemicals and poisons, and unsustainable borrowing practices. I suspect that they appreciate that work and devotion and I appreciate them.

So, with ears and nose stinging with cold, I continue to do what it takes. To haul the grain, water the cows and mill the flour in order to make our little farm work and provide good quality, locally grown, organic food to as many people as I can.

Dreaming of spring.

alberta ave. farmers market report and straw bale house

We finished up a very successful night at the farmers market last night. I thought that it was a very good experience overall and I am still impressed by this little market. The customers that came to speak with me were very much there to buy food and were delightful to visit with. I just enjoyed visiting with everybody so much. It was also great to meet some friends like Kevin Kossowan and some new friends like Amy who is a new customer to our little farm!

I get a lot of satisfaction meeting the people who are buying our food. It makes the countless lonely hours spent in the cab of a combine, dusty and tired, all worthwhile. We are really looking forward to welcoming our new friends to our farm when we can get it presentable!

I did have a few people asking to see pictures of the house and farm. I hope that you can all understand that it is like an artist who doesn't want anyone to see their work before it's finished! Our home is still an absolute mess inside and out. Closets shelves are ongoing along with door trimming and installation. In the meantime, boxes and household items sit on every horizontal surface available!

The kitchen is pretty much complete although a couple cabinet doors are missing that will be replaced next week. I tell you what...I will take pictures of the house piece by piece as we complete things, ok? I will start with the kitchen tonight and post house updates as we go.

On the topic of the house...we are very pleased with the overall performance and efficiency. With the mild daytime temperatures above freezing and some sunny afternoons, the furnace has not come on in four days and we have not had the woodstove going at all. At night, the house drops to around 19 degrees Celsius and with the morning breakfast cooking, it gets back up to room temperature fairly quick. The passive solar design is nothing short of amazing and around supper it is too hot and we open the kitchen window a crack. The straw bale house is everything we had hoped it would be.

market day!

This morning we will start getting ready for the Alberta Ave. Market. The market opens at 5 so that gives us plenty of time to mill grain this morning and package it up this afternoon. Maybe shouldn't have left it to the last minute, but last night we were having a fun family night playing cards and looking up obscure 80's music videos on Youtube. The kids especially had a laugh when Cindy and I began demonstrating how we used to dance to these very same songs. There has got to be something extremely amusing about 40something people dancing around the kitchen to In A Big Country and Tarzan Boy because there was a lot of laughing going on.

The snow plow finally arrived mid afternoon yesterday. Our driveway is beautiful now...nice and wide. We called the water truck so they will likely be here sometime this morning. We are looking forward to getting our rain water harvest system up and running along with the pond being dug. I don't like relying on people to bring me water...that is not a comfortable feeling. Like our food, we will be doing a lot of work around the farm in the coming years to get as self-sufficient as we possibly can.

snow low

In my recent posts I have been purposefully ignoring the problems that we are facing this winter with the sheer enormousness of snow that we have received so far. This winter's snow accumulation is nothing short of frustrating for me. The snow is stacked up so high in the fields that the fence which was once 4 feet high is now simply a step-over for the cows. I have had to raise the fence in spots with bamboo stakes to stop the cows from their regular raiding of the hay stack. Tonight, I think I finally have it figured out. The solar electric fencer is back operating at full power (now that I've dug it out of the snow bank) and I've parked the tractor in front of the favorite escape route. 

Our driveway has become a cow path of its own and I am now no longer able to keep it cleared wide enough with the tractor to allow the water delivery truck access. We had to call the county to come in with the grader so now I am at their mercy and timeliness to get our cistern filled. We are now on water saving mode more than usual. I hope that the grader can come tomorrow early enough to allow us to call the water delivery guy. 

On Sunday the wind was blowing so hard that there was a blizzard with clear sunny skies. The snow had completely enveloped the driveway. My neighbor saw me struggling in a futile effort to get out and he graciously started digging our driveway with his tractor from the road while I started from the house. Two tractors and 3 hours later and we have a driveway path cleared barely big enough to allow our vehicles through. 

A fun day of snow fort building!

On the positive of all this snow the kids are having fun....and we'll have lots of water around next summer to make up for our years of drought. I just wish that things could settle down into more normal patterns. It seems to me lately that there is far more extremes than ever before. More drought. More wind. More snowfall. More thunderstorms. More hail. Enough already!

THE best donut recipe ever!

Came across this recipe while looking to make a treat on a windy wintery day and wow! I used our whole grain, regular flour made with hard red spring wheat. While the recipe called for all-purpose refined flour, the donuts turned out excellent with our flour. I ran out of milk so I used water and mixed in some yogurt to make "milk" substitute.

My digital camera is currently m.i.a. so you'll just have to take my word for it that these baked donuts made from whole grain, whole wheat, unsifted flour turned out light and fluffy and taste amazing. The pile that I made this afternoon is quickly disappearing as I type. Here is the recipe...I made sure to heed the warning about overcooking.