Harrowsmith

As I write this, the leaves are changing colour. It’s a cool, wet day—perfect for cozying up with a good book, mug of hot cocoa or bowl of soothing soup. Truth be told, as much as I love the outgoing days of summer, I’m already looking forward to sta

At Harrowsmith, we’re always looking for Canadian stories to tell. Our country is rich with mindful, hard-working people doing fascinating things. Peter Burt and Robin Crane are one such couple. They’re making a living in Bonavista, Newfoundland, by

On April 4, 2018, filmmaker and ultramarathoner Caroline Côté headed off on a 2,000 km (1,243 mile) solo expedition across Quebec, skiing, biking, canoeing and walking her way to the finish line, in Montreal. Along the way, Côté—who is no stranger to

We have met many Canadian gardeners who think that the “winter garden” is a waste of time. We say, “Not so.” A long, cold Canadian winter can be made considerably warmer and more interesting when you plan your garden with winter interest in mind. Man

White paper birch (Betula papyrifera) A deciduous tree that grows up to 30 metres (98 feet) tall. Valued for its decorative bark, which is coppery brown when young, turning white with age. Hardy to Zone 2. Pin oak (Quercus palustris) Great fall colo

Spring-flowering bulbs are the ultimate testament to this ethos of thinking ahead—we only see their bright colours to herald spring if we think to plant them in the fall. It is probably too late to plant daffodils and narcissus, as they require about

For 96 years, the country has come to the city of Toronto. Aside from a six-year period around the Second World War, The Royal Agricultural Winter Fair has been a fixture in Toronto’s event scene and an important patch in Canada’s cultural quilt. Af

I live on Salt Spring Island, British Columbia, one of the mildest climatic zones in Canada, where I grow figs, cherries, plums, walnuts, kiwi and copious other fruit and nuts on my three-acre farm. Japanese fibre bananas and pomegranates survive the

It all starts with some very enthusiastic lads and gentlemen. The rather smelly, grumpy older men of the operation know when it is time. They start wrinkling their noses into tighter layers, lifting their upper lips and bullying the younger lads, who

The clock glows 7 a.m., but the cold darkness makes it feel more like 4 a.m. It’s the middle of winter in southern Ontario, and although we have it better than most across the country, it still often dips to –20°C (–4°F) with the wind chill. Right no

“Christmas in a lighthouse! How romantic!” “Not always,” I say to myself, thinking how unlikely it is that early lightkeepers working in drafty, leaking buildings ever felt like they were living a life of romance. I think of those early keepers and t

Heating a home is one of the most important considerations for those living in Canada. And while plenty of advances have been made in technology, there are still many of us using the old-fashioned method of using a wood stove to stay warm all season

Where I live in rural Ontario, there are plenty of old-timers who grew up in old, cold farmhouses. They’ll all tell you that, as a kid, it was no big deal to wake up on a winter morning, go downstairs to the kitchen and find an inch of ice on the wat

Unless you’ve been hiding under a woolly blanket—which would be very hygge of you—we’re sure you’ve heard of this before. The word (pronounced hoog-uh) is Danish, and it’s the sort of word, like umami or terroir, that doesn’t translate neatly into on

When the warmer weather hits, there’s nothing like hitting the open water for some fresh catch. But even in winter, fishing enthusiasts can delight in the thrill of the hunt through ice fishing. Not only is it a fun way to experience the great outdoo

My wife, Grayce, and I were in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, enjoying the swim-up pool, sun and margarita after margarita. While there, we visited the resort’s authentic Mexican fine-dining restaurant on a recommendation from a friend, who raved about the

The phrase “salt of the earth” denotes a very good, honest person, and speaking to Peter Burt of Newfoundland Salt Company in Bonavista, Newfoundland, we realize the term couldn’t be more fitting. Burt and his partner, Robin Crane, make salt in Bona

It’s 11 p.m., bitterly cold outside, and the snow has stopped after three or four hours of accumulation. A sensible person would be heading to bed at this point, but I am not a sensible person. I put on my coat and boots, grab my shovel, and head out

Thanks to its long, cold winters, Canada has plenty of excellent ice-fishing spots coast to coast. Here are just a few popular destinations, and some of the local tour guides and outfitters who can help you during your first time out. Located on the