Saskatchewan in October
Once upon a time, “back in the days” (last year, in October) when the Greyhound bus still existed, a garter snake slithered out of the
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Farm & Ranch
Locally grown, raised, harvested, crafted …
The long-running Fireweed community farmers market has grown over the years into a destination event each week, as a multitude of local farmers, vendors and crafters gather to share their products.
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Harvest at the Yukon Grain Farm
The giant green machine inches its way along a row of potato plants with the fall coloured mountains as the backdrop. From far away it
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Honey Bees and Yukoners: A love story
Etienne Tardif, gloved and clothed in white, his face behind a dark mesh veil, slowly lifts a tray from one of his stacked beehives. He’s
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Two Million Honey Bees Find Home in Watson Lake
Courtney and Joel Wilkinson, co-owners of Bee Whyld Yukon, are proud to show off their bee yard located just outside the town of Watson Lake,
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The Problem with ‘Right’ and ‘Wrong’
The film Hell or High Water is a modern western written by Taylor Sheridan and directed by David Mackenzie. This hour and forty two minute
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Cooking Up a Career
Teresa Kozakewick grew up in Alberta. Raised by a father who had a passion for food, she had always been drawn to cooking. She enjoyed
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Home Is Where the Heart Is
In August of 2008, we had ground cleared so we could build a new house. It wouldn’t be very big or fancy, but it would
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No Farmer Left Behind (Iceland Age part 2)
A square, two-storey guest house with bare, small rooms and a simple kitchen is snugged in between the trailer-cum-farmhouse and the sheep barn. The collection
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Whitehorse: The Edible City
At the downtown community garden in Whitehorse, a beekeeper tends to the newly built beehive in the fading evening light. Nearby, a gardener waters his
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Be Amazed at What We Can Grow Up Here
Whether you have a green thumb or not, you’re invited to the Horticultural Exhibition in Dawson City on Aug. 13. Tarie Castellarin and Helen Dewell
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Here’s Your New Home, Bees
We saw the queen recently. She wasn’t wearing a crown. She was sporting a big blue dot on her thorax though. The Cheshire Beekeepers’ Association,
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Winter: A Season for Change
“The more things change the more they stay the same” and “The only constant in life is change” are both very cliche and very true.
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Chicken and Egg
Smooth and brown, the eggs slip through the machine where they are held up one at a time to the light. The light shines through
Winter is Coming
Over the past few years the gardens have been producing more and more vegetables. So, come fall we start to look for places to store
Fava Beans
One of the biggest animal raising expenses in the Yukon is feed. So I am always on the look out for crops we can grow
Perennials
In spring, while we wait for the snow to melt, we check on the chives to see if there will be enough for a taste.
One Potato, Two Potato, Three Potato, Four…
It’s planting time and one of the last things we plant are potatoes. We put in all of our cold crops first because if there
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A Celebration of Spring
Spring… there is nothing quite like it. Living here in the North, we generally have a long winter followed by a long spring. It seems
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The Real Dirt
A few years ago, a neighbour told me my garden needed to be amended with some dirt. He was referring to the stereotypical black soil
A Frozen Pipe Dream
I went to Vancouver a few weeks ago. I wasn’t looking forward to trading sunny skies for rainy ones — although the temperatures were going
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Now’s a Good Time to Help Farmers Feed Us
Now that spring has officially sprung, local farmers are waiting for the ground to warm up enough to put seeds and seedlings into the earth.
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Food Talks Explore Complex Relationships
Recently, there’s been more focus on our food — what is in it, and where it comes from. Living in the North, securing a steady
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Homemade Seed Tapes
Winter can be frustrating for gardeners. There are days when it feels like spring won’t get here soon enough. Combine this with the knowledge that
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A Quiet Yukon Christmas
Twas the week before Christmas and all through the farm. Not a chicken was stirring, they’re all in the barn. All summer they roam, but
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A Chicken and Egg Story
Last year our chickens stopped laying eggs. For the first time in a decade we had to buy eggs instead of selling them. The egg
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Winter Gardening
Years ago I was asked by a Japanese helper what kinds of plants grew here in the winter. I laughed and said nothing grows, it
Yukon Harvest Time
I can’t believe it’s almost over. This summer was one of the best on record as far as gardening goes. We always had lots of
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No Future for Food, If There is No Future in Food-
From farm to plate, our food travels many miles and touches many hands. My generation saw the traditional farm gobbled up by corporate agri-business and
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Barnyard Politics: Establishing a pecking order
Recently we noticed some of the turkeys had bloody wings and were being picked on by the others. Often if turkeys don’t have enough feed
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Christmas for Farmers
I love Christmas … the lights that light up Main Street, the smells of Christmas baking, the excitement of wrapping up secrets and putting them
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Eat Your (Northern) Broccoli!
This past September, I was privileged to attend the seventh annual Circumpolar Agricultural Conference in Alta, Norway. Alta lies just below the 70°N latitude, which
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Ode to Beets
Most vegetables have their share of pests and problems. If it’s too wet, mildew will attack peas or tomatoes. An early fall frost can kill
Schwartz on the Job
One of my pet peeves is dogs (no pun intended). More specifically, other people’s dogs that come onto the farm. One reason dogs were domesticated
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Christmas on the Farm
Dashing through the snow, in a one-horse open sleigh, o’er the fields we go, laughing all the way, ha, ha ha. Bells on bobtail ring
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Are You ready for Winter? Winterizing Yukon Style
Are you ready for winter? It’s a common phrase heard every fall all over the place. What does it take to be ready? Vehicles and
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