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 […]

Here we come a-wassailing among the leaves so green” is the line that is rotating in my head this morning as I’m humming through Christmas carols.  Many of you are probably familiar with The Wassail Song… but possibly not so familiar with the traditions of early England.  Apparently in the cider-producing counties of west England, “wassailing” involved […]

  Judging by the winemaking going on in the winery this month, it must be November! Can we start by saying thank you to everyone who is responsible for our wine stocks depleting?  Activity includes a recently-rolled-out batch of Saskatoon Dessert Wine as well as a new batch of Bumbleberry Fruit Wine getting ready for […]

  I’ve been singing “Shine On, Harvest Moon” for most of the day.  Not sure why… the berries, for the most part, were on early this year, so we’ve been finished for some time already.  I guess the seasons are ingrained in a farmer’s soul, even in years when seasonal rituals are not so evident.  […]

“With what a glory comes and goes the year!” opens TO AUTUMN, a famous poem by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. It may be true that each season has its own glory, but Autumn is by far my favourite. I’ll even admit that I’m happy to leave the heavy work of summer behind as fall approaches, and look forward to […]

Ah, the dog days of summer. I always thought this term came from the idea that dogs, lazy in the summer heat, take it easy. Not so, apparently. The term has its roots in Roman mythology, where it was believed that the Dog Star, Sirius, caused the hot, sultry weather of summer. It was considered […]

Summertime, and the livin’ is easy.  So goes the most famous line of George Gershwin’s opera, Porgy and Bess.  Personally, I think Gershwin was on to something. Summertime livin’ can be easy, at least in the dining department.  What is more enjoyable than simple summer meals, served on the patio?  In my opinion, a simple […]