Do you have a hard time finding time to make dinner? What about grocery shopping? If you have a busy lifestyle, simple tasks like grocery shopping may seem daunting. Even more so, if you are looking for fresh, local products.
Thankfully, we would like to introduce Mrs. Grocery.
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Congratulations! You did it. You planted a vegetable garden. Now, you are on your way to grow fresh produce in your very own backyard. However, don’t be fooled. Your work is far from finished. So, what’s next? Not only do you have to plant your garden, but you must maintain it as well. Thankfully, we have all the information you need for a successful haul. It’s time to start staking, mulching, trimming, and more. Moreover, you will have to learn how to keep pesky animals away from your plants. Are you ready?
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Are you new to vegetable gardening? Don’t worry; it is easier than it looks. Garden planning from start to finish will ensure a successful haul at the end of the season. If you’re not sure where to begin, this blog is perfect for you. This month, we will give you a free beginners guide on how to start a vegetable garden.
Well, Easter weekend will soon be upon us. For many, it is time to open our homes to our family, and friends. Here at Hilltop Acres, Easter weekend is full of food and family filled times. As a result, we thought we would share some of our favorite tips & tricks. You can host the perfect Easter weekend celebration, too.
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Farm fresh eggs are one of nature’s most perfect foods. As a matter of fact, both the white and the yolk of an egg are highly nutritious. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner – the egg can stand as a star! In this blog, we will talk all about the egg – from nutritional value, types and delicious ways to add farm fresh eggs to your diet. Continue reading
Take a stroll through your local grocery store and you will see sections devoted to organic foods. That is to say, you will find products ranging from fresh produce and meat to household items. In the past, organic food was limited to being available in only health food stores. These specialty items are now a regular feature at most supermarkets. So, what’s the buzz about? Continue reading
Have you ever wondered why buying local has become a mainstream trend? More and more people have begun to seek out options for locally sourced produce, meats, and other foods. But what does “buying local” really mean? In this blog, we will help you discover the importance of buying local foods, the endless health benefits of eating locally grown produce and livestock and why making this choice leads to a more sustainable environment. Continue reading
Canadians are eating more poultry than ever and with sound reasoning. Poultry contains less fat, saturated fat and cholesterol than other meat choices such as pork or beef. Consequently, Canadians are looking for healthy cooking with poultry methods to add to their diets to help better their lifestyles. The bird is the word! Continue reading
Are you wondering how to cook a turkey? In this blog we will discuss several ways that you can cook a turkey. We will also share some tips and tricks on how to have that perfect bird presented on the table.
The most basic way how to cook a turkey is to roast it in the oven. Most of our mothers, aunts, and grandmas may have taught us this technique, but there are so many other ways how to cook a turkey. Let’s discover some of them and give them a try! Continue reading 
Whether you want to learn how to cook a whole chicken for the first time, or you have cooked many. This blog discusses proper cooking times for various types of chicken. We’ll also include some helpful tips, and some tried and true recipes for the most amazing tasting chicken. Continue reading 
The art of preserving freshness for our food, whether pickling, canning, making jams and jellies or curing, has definitely made a comeback. Preserving food is as old as the first time that anyone had leftovers. Fruits and vegetables are the most common to preserve, but you can also can some meats. Continue reading 
Cooking with fresh Ontario produce in your home kitchen is very rewarding and healthy! In this article we will go over the process of planting, harvesting, cooking with, and freezing zucchini – one of the easiest vegetables to grow in this area. There are many varieties of zucchini to choose from: Continue reading 
Are you wanting to engage your mind, your body, your spirit and willing to get your hands dirty? Read on to see how garden therapy or nature therapy may be something you can add to your daily routine.
Gardening can reduce stress and manage depression. It can also help you cope with your emotions, provide an outlet for unused energy, and produces healthy eating. All off these positive effects while getting exercise for your mind, body and spirit. Continue reading 
According to a recent report, Canadians waste a lot of food. The statistics for food waste are very surprising. Looking at the numbers much more closely, we’re one of the biggest contributors to food waste on the planet. This is due to our consumer lifestyles, and a constant feeling of abundance when it comes to food availability. Continue reading 
Every person on the planet absolutely relies on food to survive and thrive. Farms exist in many communities around the world, producing food for millions of people in turn. Here in Southern Ontario, our neck of the woods, there’s a very rich agricultural and farming landscape. This means that there are lots of local farms offering extremely fresh produce and serving their respective communities with high quality foods. We’ve written about some benefits of local food in the past, but we’ll go into some more detail in this post. Continue reading 
Have you ever considered having an indoor garden? As the weather continues to transition away from the cold winter chills to spring, it’s time to restart gardening and indoor planting season. While you prune, clean and perform basic maintenance on your garden and indoors, you can start looking forward to planting some tasty vegetables that you and your family can enjoy from the comfort of your own home. In this article, we’re going to suggest some of the easiest vegetables that can be grown without too much hassle. Considering the fact that many grown foods require certain ingredients to thrive, i.e. water and fertilizers, growing your own can be easy, even for first timers. The list of vegetables and herbs which you can grow at home is a lot. We’ve narrowed it down to a few of our favorites. Happy growing! Continue reading 
Ah, it’s winter season again. That time of year when the leaves have already changed color with most of them almost completely fallen away while the colder temperatures are becoming more constant. With the arrival of winter, some people have the impression that produce growing season has now come to a complete halt. We don’t agree with the notion of a halt, but do however think that the fall and winter season has some of the best tasting produce. The big question is which ones are the most delicious and most healthy? Luckily, we’ve curated a list of awesome fruits and vegetables that we know you’ll love, along with their health benefits.
In case you missed it, we’ve also written this lovely post on the impact of the seasons on what we eat. Feel free to give that one a read as well!
It’s that time of year when we celebrate one of our most treasured holidays, Thanksgiving. Last year, we shared some tips on simple ways to improve your Thanksgiving meals. This time around, we’ll be sharing a mix of meal ideas that could help you have a stress free and healthy Thanksgiving holiday overall.
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The presence of annual and perennial weeds is the least favourite part of gardening. Imagine taking the time to make your garden or backyard look beautiful only to have pesky weeds destroy the beauty and affect the quality of your plants. Simply put, weeds are unwanted and have very harmful effects on any natural environment if they aren’t properly controlled. Major weed invasions have been known to threaten the survival of plants and animals because they compete directly (and at times indirectly) for the same resources, nutrients and sunlight. In this post, we’ll take a look at some of the most common garden weeds along with tips on how you can fight them too. Continue reading 
Farming is one of the most productive and impactful professions in the world, and as such, there are a lot of
misconceptions surrounding the industry and the people who work in it, farmers. Many consumer misconceptions arise as a result of mistrust and a general lack of information. There are many misunderstandings and
confusions surrounding the industry and while some of them are hard to debunk, we’ll do our best to bring more clarity and challenge some of these common misconceptions as well as provide an explanation for why they don’t hold that much weight. Happy reading! Continue reading 
It’s safe to say it’s officially summer for us here in Canada. We know that summer’s the perfect time to head outdoors and get some fun in the sun, but did you know it’s also the perfect time to switch up your diet? Because we’re outdoors more often in the summer, there’s more risk of health issues like dehydration, skin irritations, and vitamin deficiencies. This is where healthy summer food choices come in and it also certainly doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy tasty summer barbecues and desserts. With this post, we’ll share some great food essentials that’ll keep you looking and feeling healthy throughout the summer. If you haven’t already, read our previous post on the impact of seasons on what we eat. Continue reading 
We’re finally beginning to see signs of spring with the return of rain and increased sunlight. As we transition to much warmer weather, there are a variety of interesting activities to look forward to like spending more time outdoors, saying hello to longer days and enjoying the fresh produce that’s available this season. As the seasons change, so do the foods that are available. Continue reading 
Farming is still highly regarded as one of the world’s most important practices and industries, but in recent times,with the growth of technology, the industry has gone through a host of drastic changes. Change isn’t necessarily a bad thing but like everything related to technology, no one speaks too much about its negative impacts when it comes to farming. We’ve become so focused on getting quick yields regardless of possible negative consequences. People have also become very accustomed to convenience that they only look at the surface and not think deeply about the processes behind the production of the foods we eat. We’ll examine a few categories to determine whether technology has become a help or a hindrance to farming. Continue reading 
Ah…It’s that time of the year when the air is filled with joy and excitement! Many of us certainly don’t want to spoil the excitement with the stress of making complicated Christmas dishes. Sometimes, we try too hard to make things perfect but end up putting immense pressure on ourselves by making complicated dishes that end up ruining the moment. You can still impress your guests with simple delights and take the stress out of Christmas while savoring the moments with friends and family. Continue reading 
