Table of contents for Summer 2024 in Harrowsmith

A traditional Maritime lobster supper typically consists of a freshly caught Atlantic lobster, boiled to perfection and served with melted butter for dipping. Classic side dishes include potato salad, coleslaw, steamed mussels, rolls or biscuits, and sometimes corn on the cob. They’re a cherished culinary celebration in the Maritime provinces, particularly popular during the summer months when lobster is in season.…

Rustico Resort Golf rusticoresort.com You’ll come for the golf, but you’ll stay for the food. With their 18-hole course with water views from every hole, grass tennis courts and unique, waterfront glamping domes, Rustico Resort has been a summer vacation destination for families from around the world for more than 40 years. When new owners David Saunders and Maridel Ancheta took over in 2022, they seized the opportunity to make Dhalia one of the leading restaurants on the Island. (Ancheta is also the chef.) With a locally sourced menu that changes every month, the meals are memorable, but, please note, reservations are required to support their pledge to limit food waste. Open: May 10 The Watermark Theatre watermarktheatre.com When it first opened its doors in 2008, critics and audiences alike…

June Since the summer solstice is June 20, this month will see the latest evening twilights and shortest nights. Also, bug season is upon us, making the limited dark skies less inviting. Regardless, the Milky Way rises in the east as evening twilight ends. If your urban sky is not dark enough to see it, you can imagine it running between the stars Altair (which is low in the east) and Deneb (up to its left). The third and brightest star of the Summer Triangle (Vega) is up to the right of Deneb. The Full Strawberry Moon is on June 21 The sixth full Moon of the year is known as the “Strawberry Moon,” according to the teachings of the 13 Grandmother Moons and the Ontario Native Literacy Coalition, where…

Perhaps some of you have heard of the app called Farmville. In this game, players start their own animal farm from the ground up. As you build your farm, you decide what livestock to raise, what crops to grow, how many farmhands you need, etc., and you earn “points” to scale your business and deal with any obstacles and natural disasters that come your way. Little did Cynthia and Mike Beretta know they would be playing a real-life version of Farmville when they decided to start their organic cattle farming business nearly 31 years ago. “Neither one of us comes from a family farming background,” Cynthia says during our video call in late March. Her broad smile and kind eyes speak almost before she does, and I immediately sense her…

One thing about an active, rural life is that it often comes with a lot of outdoor stuff that needs protection from the elements. A tractor, wood splitter, snow-removal equipment, fishing boat, perhaps a hay mower and baler—the list can be long. This is why covered storage space is often at a premium for country people. But how best to get the shelter you need? I’ve weighed the options and found that something generically called a “fabric structure” makes a lot of sense. Let me show you why, how I went about choosing a supplier, designing a structure and preparing a foundation for the 42-foot-by-80-foot unit I’ll be putting up this season. Fabric Structures 101 A steel frame covered in a tough synthetic tarp—this is what fabric structures are all…

Questions of livestock management and economics aside, there has always been lots to be learned between farmers and gardeners. With the current trend toward “regenerative agriculture” taking hold, we cannot afford to ignore what applies in the garden. “Regenerative agriculture” is used to describe a set of practices that promote ecosystem health, soil vitality and biodiversity, many of which apply to the garden. As a purveyor of certified organic beans (www.cullensfoods.com), Ben would be remiss not to point out some of the distinctions from what we know as “organic” farming. For starters, “regenerative” does not have a legal definition by CFIA standards, unlike organic farming, which must abide by the Canadian Organic Standard to make organic claims. These practices are validated by third-party audits so that organic producers can maintain…

Farro and Fennel Salad with Arugula Serves 4-6 1 cup cooked farro2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice1 teaspoon Whole Grain Dijon mustard1 teaspoon honey¼ cup extra virgin olive oil1 medium bulb of fennel, cored and sliced into thin pieces3 cups arugula handful fresh herbs, torn into small pieces, like basil, tarragon, or parsley½ cup pecan halves, toasted and coarsely chopped½ cup dried figs, coarsely chopped¾ cup crumbled goat cheese, optional For the dressing: In a large salad bowl, whisk together the lemon juice, mustard and honey (or maple syrup) until blended. Gradually add the oil, whisking constantly, until the vinaigrette emulsifies. Season to taste with salt and fresh ground black pepper. For the salad: Add the fennel, cooked and drained farro, arugula, herbs, nuts and the figs. Toss well. Crumble goat…

II started reading Harrowsmith in 1978 when I bought my little farm here in Simcoe County beside the Niagara Escarpment, and started restoring the old homestead as a weekender. A few years later, while working as the public affairs director for Canada Life, I was called on by two of the magazine’s employees, Paula Saunders and Al Zikovitz, to place ads in both Harrowsmith and the new glossy publication Equinox, which was a beautiful publication but had a short lifespan. Al eventually left and started Cottage Life, but not before introducing me to the editor of City & Country Home, who asked me to write a column for him. I found it quite charming, the way Canadian magazine people handed each other around to new opportunities. With the success of…

Rooting for the Future National Tree Day may not be until September 25 (always the Wednesday during National Tree Week, which is September 22 to 28 this year), but that doesn’t mean our friends at Forests Ontario are taking the summer off. Along with local partners, they have planted millions of trees in communities across the province, providing important wildlife habitats, boosting biodiversity, improving soil quality and helping to clean the air we breathe and water we drink. To learn more or to get involved, visit forestsontario.ca. Five Fun Facts about GOATS! 1 Goats have rectangular pupils, which give them a wide field of vision (320 to 340 degrees, compared with humans, who have 160 to 210) and allow them to see predators approaching from behind without having to turn…

My neighbour Dave and I both love gardening. We have large garden plots just over the escarpment from Toronto in the Halton Hills area. Come spring, summer and fall, it’s time to clean and rototill the garden. We love our rototiller almost as much as the garlic we plant each fall. Next year’s crop of cloves can still go in the soil, as long as the ground is workable. Late October to early November usually works. In the early 1980s, I rented a rototiller from Mike, the owner of the local hardware store. Prior to this I would have the local farmer come over with his plow and a load of manure for a little garden tune-up. He’d go up and down a few times and voila! My plot was…

“We have two other siblings, a brother and another sister. We all ended up in some form or another working in agriculture. So that says something about how growing up on our parents’ dairy farm affected us.” – Sophie Sharp Sharp Brook Flower Farm Who they are: Sisters Sophie Sharp (left) and Ellen Folkins What they do: Co-owners of Sharp Brook Flower Farm When they started: 2021 Where they farm: Lower Millstream, NB Why they do it: “We grew up in agriculture. Our parents have a dairy farm. Our mother had a vegetable garden, so gardening and farming was a big part of growing up for us. She suggested growing some extra flowers to see if we could sell them at the bottom of the driveway. We started with some…

A STORY STEEPED IN TRADITION When you ask Margaret Hudson, President and CEO of Burnbrae Farms, the secret to their family’s success, her answers come quickly and knowingly: “It was our father’s vision, a lot of hard work and everyone’s dedication to our family’s values instilled by our father and the strong women who influenced him from the very beginning.” Of course, the Hudsons’ journey to becoming a leader in Canadian agribusiness was not a simple one (think World Wars, a depression, a pandemic, etc.); however, tradition acted as an adhesive. “One thing each generation carries from one to the next is a closeness as a family,” says Sue Hudson, Burnbrae’s Communications and Digital Marketing Director. “The reason why our generation is able to lead the company as a group…

No-Cook Tomato Sauce 6 cups chopped ripe fresh tomatoes2 garlic cloves½ cup fresh whole basil leaves½ cup fresh whole parley¾ cup olive oil1 tsp sea salt1 tsp freshly ground pepper Combine all ingredients into a blender. Blend until fully mixed and herbs are completely chopped. Pour over your favourite pasta and top with freshly grated Parmesan cheese. I also love to remove our Beretta sausage from the casings, brown the meat and serve on top like bacon bits—but sausage bits! NOTE FROM CYNTHIA “This is one of my favourite summer recipes! (You will need a blender for this one.)” Summertime Chimichurri Sauce 1 bunch fresh Italian parsley, finely chopped1 bunch fresh cilantro, finely chopped3 tbsp fresh oregano, finely chopped3 garlic cloves, finely chopped1 shallot, finely chopped1½ tsp brown sugar2 limes,…