Spread out the work over the day to make assembly a quick job. Makes four rounds or two large rectangles.

How to share food with people outside of your household

First We Eat: Dropping off a meal is still one of the best ways to show you care

Worrying about food is part of the times, especially for those of us who feel responsible for others — our elderly friends and relatives, new moms with a babe in arms, immune-compromised cousins, kids at university or on a tight budget. Drop- ping off a meal is still one of the best ways to administer […] Read more

Froese: St. Nick’s easy ways to kick-start succession success

Froese: St. Nick’s easy ways to kick-start succession success

How about some practical gifts that show you are serious about transition?

As Christmas approaches I wonder what special gifts would make your life easier. Most farm folks want better communication and harmony on their farm. What if you gave gifts this Christmas that shout loud and clear that you are ready to talk seriously about transition? Share gifts that create harmony through intentionally blocking time to […] Read more


Anything for dessert — as long as it’s chocolate

Anything for dessert — as long as it’s chocolate

First We Eat: If you love chocolate try this sourdough cake recipe

My family recently marked the first anniversary of my dad’s death. I miss him. He and Mom lived fairly close by, and Dave and I visited them weekly for movie night with our dog Jake, sometimes with dessert in hand. Like a good chocolate, Dad had a soft heart within a crusty exterior. Chocolate was […] Read more

As a farmer who might be mourning the inability to go to Arizona this winter, what are your options for creating deeper rest at home or in Victoria?

Froese: Trading overwhelm for mental rest

When you can’t go south for the winter, what are your options for creating deeper rest?

Harvest on our farm finished October 7 which is a whole lot better than December 18 of 2019 for last year’s harvest. I can only imagine what you might be feeling as you read this, sitting down for a break wondering when the mental chatter in your brain is going to calm down. I’m a […] Read more


Often the fear and apprehension that arrive from seeing a big scary thing on an imaging report actually cause more tension and alarm in our systems, in turn, exacerbating symptoms.

Imaging and ‘big scary things’

Fit to Farm: The things most often seen through imaging of the spine are not always the cause of symptoms

Regardless of how back pain started, many sufferers go on to be referred for medical imaging such as X-rays, MRIs, and CT scans. As a practising rehabilitation specialist I see imaging as both a blessing and curse, in the majority of cases I see. Research has shown that the big scary things we so often […] Read more

Classic cheese fondue

Classic cheese fondue

First We Eat: Now is the perfect time to enjoy a leisurely fondue
as we continue to stay closer to home

Life in a pandemic takes its toll in many ways. One of the noticeable changes is how we spend our leisure time. No trips this year — not that I was actively planning, and not that I go often, but I’d love to see Europe again. I want to see Asia, too, and Australia, Africa, […] Read more


Count your blessings, and take the first steps to stop worrying about the pain of not knowing.

Froese: How to give thanks for getting unstuck

Imagine how good it will feel when you start to take positive action

October for farmers is a “get ’er done” kind of season where fall work is pressing and late-season crops are harvested, cattle are moved, and the list goes on. Last March when the Great Pause hit us, we were advised “not to waste a good crisis.” So on top of the routine things that we […] Read more

Heirloom Melon de Montreal was cultivated until 1905 in Notre-Dame-de-Grâce, on the foothills of Mount Royal.

Ted nominates this melon from the garden as his favourite of 2020

Plus, info on some insect pests and a recipe for bannock

Lots to talk about so I shall keep my intro to the point. Subject matter includes my successful venture with planting and growing Melon de Montreal. There’s a gardener near Rapid City that found little white worms in her raspberries and I, Ted, suspect that other gardeners may have also been challenged with the same […] Read more


Some things to know about stretching

Some things to know about stretching

Fit to Farm: Newer research suggests this may not have as much benefit as once thought

Static stretching — or long holds of a position — is a thing of the past when it comes to correcting tight muscles. Over the last number of years research has suggested that static stretching doesn’t actually have as much long-term benefit as once thought. This doesn’t mean it’s bad, or harmful, but it is […] Read more

M.F.K. Fisher and me

M.F.K. Fisher and me

First We Eat: This food-writing author was an early influencer

I’ve been thinking rather a lot about M.F.K Fisher. That is unsurprising — she’s been one of my food-writing, writing candles in the night for decades, ever since I read her small and elegant book, A Cordiall Water. I went on to acquire everything Fisher wrote, including her wartime response to food rationing, How to […] Read more