It seems that the Christmas season starts right after Halloween. All around this week we see Christmas decorations and trees going up.  Choirs are practicing carols (with singing masks firmly in place) and groups are rehearsing their Christmas programs in new and innovative ways.  Santa is showing up in strange and wonderful places, sometimes just […]

It’s supposed to be Autumn this month. This weekend, however, we’re having our first blast of Old Man Winter. We may be losing hope for more warm fall temperatures ahead, but not to worry.  With “Summer in a Bottle” in hand, you can take the summer with you into any season.   Our fall crops of […]

The signs of fall are somewhat different at a fruit winery. All around us, our grain-farming neighbours are bringing in the harvest in big ways, with big machines and lots of dust.  Canadian vineyards are picking and pressing fresh grapes.  Vegetable farmers are frantically digging root vegetables.  Berry harvest, however, is in wind-down mode. Saskatoon […]

The great thing about August is that the weather is usually wonderful. There may be only a month left in the official 2020 summer, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t lots of warm weather to yet be enjoyed!  So instead of bemoaning the date, perhaps we should be putting some effort into celebrating it.  It’s […]

Have you looked?  It’s already July! At the risk of dating myself, I’m remembering the 1969 TV Special, “It Was a Short Summer, Charlie Brown.” There’s a memorable scene where the boys are sitting around the campfire, bemoaning their sad summer.  It has not gone how they expected it to. Perhaps this is a good […]

As our forefathers used to say, “A calm June puts the farmer in tune.”  They may well have been referring to the weather, but if they were referring to activity, then my, how things have changed!  Here at our farm, June is anything but calm.  In fact, it’s closer to crazy.  But the craziness has […]

I have to admit that May is my favourite Newsletter.  Regardless of the weather, I always feel like the merry, merry month of May is the beginning of summer.  The beginning of the growing season.  The beginning of the summer farmers markets.  The beginning of the patio season.  These are normally exciting days for we winter-weary prairie people. Obviously, this […]

  You may remember the quote from your high school English days: “Beware the Ides of March.”  Rather depressing, it always seemed to me. In my mind, the Ides of March should rather be well-celebrated in this country because it means that the First Day of Spring is just around the corner!  Yesiree Bob.  Soon […]

  Nobody does February like we Canadians. In a month so often blanketed by heavy snow, frigid temperatures, treacherous roads, ice storms, school closings, cancelled flights, freezing rain, and frozen pipes, life can certainly be difficult at times.  We all need diversions some days. So what’s there to celebrate?  Well, St. Valentine’s Day for one!  […]

I don’t know about you, but once January hits, I like to hibernate. After the hustle and bustle of the holidays, with all its preparations, fancy foods and accompanying hype, I like to think simple. Simple preparation, simple food, simple drinks. Apparently this is a common practice among Canadians in January. It’s the time we return to our “comfort […]