It’s funny. Although it has been a mild winter compared to last year, this year seemed rougher. February in particular was a dark and dank month. The weather was unpleasant, people were isolated, and it just. Dragged. On. But hey, the sun is coming back, the grass is green, and the weather was even tolerably nice enough to walk around without a light coat last week!
While my garden is probably not going to get a good start this year, I’ve decided I’ll make the most of it by filling my planter with herbs and edible flowers only this year. Change is as good as rest, and last year I wasn’t able to fit most of my favourites in. So this year it’s time to get those back.
I’m so excited; my son’s dairy desensitization is going well. On May 4, we’re going to go back to the allergist for another trial to see if we can begin feeding him boiled milk. While mixing it with flavoured gelatin sounds like something less than a culinary delight, if all goes well it means we’ll be well on our way towards the eventual raw milk challenge, able to give him dairy products in casseroles.
In the meantime, because everything is going so well, we’ve relaxed our attitude towards reintroducing dairy to our own lives. In particular, it’s been wonderful to bring butter back into my life, something that I was previously avoiding because of the way it can spread inadvertantly. Margarine is cool, but there’s nothing like the rich explosion of flavour butter can bring.
Hey it’s most chefs’ favourite condiment for a reason.
Thanks to working with Gay Lea, I’ve had lots of butter back in my life for baking, my risottos, and even my morning bagel. It’s felt good to know I’m supporting Ontario farms again by using more dairy products …even though I have to admit that the Gay Lea real coconut whipped cream is super good.
Kid and I have been squirting it right into our mouths. No shame. Coconut whipped cream is awesome.
It’s going to be a nostalgic sort of year, I think. I was already kind of down about my birthday. Last year, my husband’s relative’s family farm was severed into two parcels and the farmland sold off. This year, my husband’s aunts are moving out of the old cabin that’s left. There will be no more petting horses, having a horde of cats stare down at us from the old barn’s loft, or chasing of ducks down at the old farm.
We’ll have to find some new rustic places to get nostalgic over this year, now that my son is old enough to appreciate farm excursions and supporting local business.
But enough about that. You’re here cause I’ve got stuff to give away! #yolo. Gay Lea is giving away a Kitchenaid Stand Mixer (approximate retail value: $450) via the Rafflecopter giveaway attached below, but I’ve also got 1 year of free Gay Lea product (12 coupons for free Gay Lea product) to give away to one of my readers, too!
So to enter for the stand mixer, please use the Rafflecopter giveaway here. If you’d like to enter separately for the year of free product, I want you to tell me in the comments: what’s the best memory of a farm you have? And I’ll draw by random roll.
Can’t wait to read your stories!
Contest details:
- The giveaways will be open until April 30, 2016.
- Readers may enter across many blogs for the year of free product, but they may only win on a single blog.
- Entrants must be a resident of Canada, however those in Quebec are unfortunately unable to enter the giveaway.
- Winner(s) can expect their prize in approximately 4-6 weeks!
Disclosure: I am part of the Gay Lea Ambassador Campaign and I receive special perks as part of my affiliation with this group. The opinions on this blog are my own.
Jenn Annis says
I think my best memory of a farm is from when I was in high school and we went to Britain and France on a band trip. We did homestays for the first few days up in a farming village – and it was lambing season. Watching the tiny lambs come into the world *almost* made me want to become a vegetarian but that didn’t last long. They are absolutely adorable for the first week or so of life – wobbly little legs and adorable faces. I was smitten.
elaine says
by best memory of the farm is taking my son for the first time. I thought he would nap yet he was so intrigued with the live animals. His expression was priceless!!
Monique L.S. says
My best memory of a farm was taking my daughter there for the first time. It was wonderful to see how much she enjoyed seeing all the animals and running around. She even got to milk a pretend cow. A lot of fun.
Cheryl says
My favourite memory of a farm was going with my son on a field trip and visiting a farm and seeing him so happy and interested in all the animals
Angela Mitchell says
I grew up in the Fraser Valley in BC which has an abundance of farms. I lived in an area that was full of all kinds of farms too. I could ride my bike to a HUGE berry farm just down the road from my house and pick my own strawberries — yumm! But my favourite memory is visiting my friend Heather for sleep overs. We would play outside and visit animals and it was thrilling for me coming from a family that didn’t know a thing about farming.
angela marriott says
My best memory is having our family reunions at my aunts farm every year. We use to play baseball and other games. All the kids would be playing on the big bales of haying jumping from each one.
Debbie S. says
My best memory of a farm was when I was a little girl and there was all these puppies and I picked one and got to take one home!
Jonnie says
My best memory of a farm was going on a field trip to a farm with school when I was in first grade. it was incredible to see how it all worked (and we even got an unexpected lesson on the birds and the bees from some goats!)
Tara Betterley says
My Best memory was going on a trip with my sparks. They learnt about how farmers feed us and how they plant their seeds and grown our food. They took us on a wagon ride too.
Cassie Fancy says
I think my best memory of a farm was when I was about 16 my family and I where looking at all the horses petting them and feeding them . i turned away to talk to my mom and the one horse nibbled at me . It didn’t hurt just to get my attention back . To this day I still remember it very well and my family still teases me about it lol
Sunshine H says
My favourite memory is last Christmas season when a local farm was set up with different stations, and it included riding a pony. It was DD’s first time riding, and she was SO excited. The fact that the pony pooped while she was on it only heightened her joy somehow.
Judy Cowan says
Best memory of a farm is when I went with my friend to visit a family friends farm and while we were checking out the cows one goosed me with its head, it was so funny!
dufresne donna says
my favorite memory on a farm was when my 2 brothers and I was with my mom and dad we would go back than to the local farmer dad knew and get fresh milk anydhw one day when we were there we thought the calf but back than it was big to us was sucking on my baby brothers arm lol looking back now it was funny but back then my older brother and I thought that the calf was going to eat my baby brother
Suzie M says
I grew upon the farm with lots of great memories . I think one of my favourites is going outside in early evening & playing hide & seek until dark
Jeannie Lam says
The best memory of a farm I have was when my parents too me to a local farm out in Langley, BC and I had the chance to feed the horses, cows, pigs and even had the opportunity to go fruit picking. It was so amazing to see where our food comes from.
Jana Liu says
My best memory was of my climbing and exploring my grandpa’s orange orchard when I was 5 years old. It was such an amazing time, I had a blast
joy says
I grew up on a farm – so my whole entire childhood is farm memories — calves, cleaning the milk tank, unloading hay, driving the tractor to rake the hay… a lot of work but so worth it!
Maritess says
The best memory of a farm is when we raised turkeys and us siblings would annoy the turkeys until they would chase us and we would run like crazy.
Josh S says
As a child I remember visiting a farm. They had a few chickens and the farmer let me go and collect the eggs. It was a lot of fun!
Joy D says
My best memory of a farm is growing up next to a neighbour with a hobby farm and seeing the young chicks in the spring, help collect eggs and try my hand at milking a cow, but that didn’t always work for me.
Marie s says
I remember going to a maple syrup farm for a class trip, touring the animals, trees, syrup making process. Then going for a sleigh ride and eating syrup on snow
Glogirl says
I grew up on a farm and one of my memories is raising chickens with my sister each summer to earn some money. My brothers got to raise turkeys and I never thought that was fair as the turkeys grew much bigger and thus they could earn more money when it came time to sell them!
Carol M says
My best memory of being on a farm was when we went on a field in elementary school.
I saw some cows up close and personal. One even licked my face. Who knew they had such rough tongues LOL
But I was also mesmerized by their big brown eyes.
Thanks for the chance.
????????????????????????
Karla Sceviour says
my best memory of a farm is visiting the local farm with the school when I was a kid,. We would go every year,and that was the highlight of my year
heidi c. says
My best memory of a farm was when I was in high school and dating my now-husband then-boyfriend whose family owned a farm. My boyfriend introduced me to all the cute animals including the new baby chicks. Imagine the look on my face when I realized that the chicken that we had for supper later that night originated from the backyard barn :)! My hubby still teases me about it.
ivy pluchinsky says
I grew up on a farm, I remember taking care of the chickens, the rabbits, going for pony rides, and horse rides. Going for sleigh rides in the winter. I remember helping my parents in the barn, it was awesome growing up on a farm.
missbobloblaw says
My best memory of a farm was going on class field trips to the local Hutterite Colonies and learning how to do things the ”old fashioned way’. While it was novel for us ‘city kids’ to try things like carding wool & making butter by hand it taught me to respect and appreciate the hard word that goes into the simple things that we sometimes take for granted!
sabina Edwards says
I grew up in a small town and often got to visit farms because thats what a majority of what my classmates were!!
Joni W says
Every day is a good memory of the farm for me. I live on one and couldn’t live anywhere else.