Harest Hastings producers have a lot to be proud about as their products are featured at the Vancouver Olympics. It shows just how lucky we are in Hastings County to have such creative and skilled local food producers.

This is a lighthearted article about the dreamer’s disease Barnheart: yearning to be a farmer. It starts by browsing the internet for articles about homesteading and grows from there. The only cure according to author Jenna Woginrich is stepping outside and getting some fresh air.

How about picking up some seed catalogues instead. Karen Wright of The Village Green in Foxboro has huge collection of Terra Edible heritage seeds.

Jay Shafer has been living in houses smaller than some people’s closets since 1997. “My decision to inhabit just 89 square feet arose from some concerns I had about the impact a larger house would have on the environment, and because I do not want to maintain a lot of unused or unusable space. My houses have met all of my domestic needs without demanding much in return. The simple, slower lifestyle my homes have afforded is a luxury for which I am continually grateful”, said Shafer. His company is called Tumbleweed Company.

He is running a Tiny House workshop in Toronto is July.

Winter is a time to stock up with candles. In Hastings County we have a number of producers who make beeswax candles.

It has been a good season for potatoes and there are many varieties to chose from. You can find out more about potatoes and check out recipes at the Ontario Potato Board. To find out where to buy local potatoes search for potatoes growers in Hastings County.

At this time of year there are a great variety of apples to chose from in Ontario.

How about buying a beef animal for Christmas and sharing it with family and friends. You can buy a whole animal, a half or a quarter directly from the farmer.

One of the issues people talk about is how does one get locally grown produce through the winter months. Peak of the Market is a 67 year old Manitoba organization selling 120 varieties of Manitoba grown vegetables through out the year across Canada and internationally.

On October 20 over 125 people from all over Hastings County celebrated Creative Hastings at a Harvest Hastings Supper. The idea behind Creative Hastings was to showcase some of the people and organizations that are driving the growth of Hastings County’s creative rural economy. But we wanted to go beyond Richard Florida and the creative class. We wanted to make sure that we recognized the creative and innovative things that people were doing on the many farms across the county. That is how the Harvest Hastings Supper and Creative Hastings came together. It was a perfect opportunity to talk about the creative rural economy, highlight the creativity of Hastings County’s farmers, and taste some of the food that is grown right in our backyards.

A study by UK Met Office scientists released last month warns of “catastrophic global warming in our lifetimes”. This finding challenged “the assumption that severe warming will only be a threat to future generations” and suggests that without strong action on emissions the “catastrophic rise in temperature could happen by 2060”. While the findings of the study are frightening, there are opportunities for rural regions like Hastings County to be leaders in Canada’s efforts to address climate change and shift towards a sustainable energy system.