A healthy gut is vital to your overall wellness, playing a role in everything from immune function to nutrient absorption. But what is the best way to optimize your microbiome? The key lies in emulating the daily habits of those who have mastered it. They eat a diverse diet Imagine your gut as a vibrant city where each type of bacteria is a unique inhabitant. Just as a city thrives on the diversity of its people, your gut flourishes on a variety of diverse foods. You can invite a rich community of microbes into your gut by eating a rainbow of fruits, veggies, grains, and legumes. They stay hy ..read more

These richly flavored tacos balance the earthiness of shiitake mushrooms and green lentils with the sweetness of cabbage, the sourness of green tomatoes, and the distinctive flavor of an aromatic treat from our herb garden. Green coriander seeds are the tender immature seeds of the cilantro plant. Before they dry, their flavors are intensely sweet and fresh. Their brief season is preserved in this distinctive jam. Green tomatoes are a regular part of our farm too—not every tomato ripens in our Canadian climate ..read more

Vitamin D is vital for sturdy bones, clear thinking, and an ironclad immune system. Although it comes from sunshine (and a few other sources—more on that later), 76.6 percent of people globally have low vitamin D intake. These are a few other surprising facts about the sunshine vitamin and the health benefits you’ll enjoy by getting more of it. Mushrooms contain vitamin D Swapping meat for mushrooms doesn’t only result in delicious plant-based meals for less money. It could also give you more vitamin D. When mushrooms are exposed to ultraviolet (UV) light (such as sunlight), they become rich ..read more

We grow many things well on our farm, but sweet potatoes are not one of them—our growing season is too short. So instead, we rely on farmers in much warmer climates to do it for us. Nonetheless they are a nutritional powerhouse, and one of my favorite vegetables. Baking is my preferred way to cook them. We do grow lots of fragrant cilantro, and through life-cycle harvesting we enjoy its aromatic leaves, green coriander seeds, and lacy white flowers. The pesto brings together lots of citrusy cilantro leaves and bright balancing flavors in a tasty condiment ready to complete a deliciously baked ..read more

Gnocchi are easily made deliciously chewy dumplings that are part mashed potato, part pasta.  They’re particularly tasty simply browned and crisped in butter. Tender spinach is puréed into a bright green sauce scented with fragrant nutmeg. Orach is an ancient vegetable with a savory mineral flavor like spinach and chard. Its microgreens and tender leaves pair beautifully with earthy potatoes ..read more

Simple techniques elevate broccoli and cauliflower in this delicious side dish. Smooth white cauliflower purée and chickpea flour make gluten-and dairy-free yet memorably crisp fritters. Briefly cooked broccoli is smoothly puréed into a bright green sauce with lots of mellowed garlic ..read more

Your lymphatic system is your personal superhero—kicking out toxins and fighting for harmony and balance in your universe. It acts as your body’s natural defense and waste removal system, warding off infections, filtering out harmful substances, and supporting immune function. Here are some easy ways to give it the care it deserves! Move yourself Any form of exercise—walking, cycling, gardening, dancing—helps get your lymph system going. When you move, your muscles contract, acting as pumps circulating lymph fluid throughout your body. This encourages the removal of toxins and waste products ..read more

Spring dawns and with it an awakening of our mood and senses. Shoots and leaves are emerging, and we’re greeted by a host of fresh vegetables rearing their heads after a long winter. It’s always a joy to see the first rhubarb, delicate peas, spring leeks, and asparagus. It’s also a time to savour spring treasures that are in more fleeting supply—such as fiddleheads, ramps, (delicate, yet spicy) salad turnips, and nettles. It’s like greeting old friends you haven’t seen in a while, a chance to savour their abundance and the health benefits they provide. Spring is a symbolic new beginning, which ..read more

In spring, a different kind of turnip is available: a small, round, golf ball-shaped Hakurei turnip, often referred to as a salad turnip. These are lovely and crisp when eaten raw but can also be lightly sautéed and infused with flavour. In this dish, the turnips are first stir-fried and then coated in a dressing of miso, ginger, garlic, and honey before tossing with some spring salad leaves. Choose leaves that will stand up to the warmth of the salad, like a young mustard green mix including leaves such as tatsoi and mizuna. Keep the greens Turnip greens, especially the tender ones from sprin ..read more

Leek and potato soup is a spring classic and really shines with new-season leeks. This soup takes the classic recipe a step further in a celebration of spring alliums by adding charred spring onions and garlic scapes, the immature flowering part of the garlic plant. Unlike the garlic bulb, scapes impart a gentler, fresher garlic flavour. Garlic—two for one Hardneck varieties of garlic, such as Russian Red, develop a flowering stock called a scape, which extends from the plant in a green coil. Growing your own garlic will give you two crops—a crop of bulbs in late July and, prior to that, in la ..read more