12 October 2025 TOP: ADAPTICE - ADOBE STOCK | DAR - ADOBE STOCK | TRENDY IMAGE TWO - ADOVE STOCK | SLOWBUZZSTUDIO - ADOBE STOK| MIKA_48 - ADOBE STOCK | FARZAN - ADOBE STOCK | TATIANA MEASCOVSCAIA - ISTOCK/GETTY IMAGES PLUS PHOTO | IRINA FOTINA - ISTOCK/GETTY IMAGES PLUS PHOTO BOTTOM LEFT: JULIE HARLOW | TOP RIGHT: BRIGGS & LITTLE WOOLEN MILLS LTD. | BOTTOM RIGHT: DUMFRIES MAPLES TOP: COVERED BRIDGE POTATO CHIPS | MIDDLE: JULIE HARLOW | BOTTOM RIGHT: YKOKAMOTO - ADOBE STOCK SPEERVILLE FLOUR MILL Their humble beginnings can be traced back to a bitterly cold day in January, 1982 when Stu Fleischhaker and George Berthault left Grand Falls, NB with a half-ton truck of milling wheat bound for Speerville. Snow and vehicle troubles would not phase them and the mill’s first load of flour was ground and transported to Fredericton within 72 hours. Two years later, after struggling to market product as a fledgling flour mill, they signed on with Dolphin-Village Distributors of Moncton. Years later, they’re still a major distributor of Speerville Flour Mill products across Atlantic Canada. Since then, through many triumphs, pitfalls and even a change in ownership, their guiding principles have remained the same. A commitment to creating and promoting local food that is nutritious, sustainable and helps build strong rural communities. A BRIDGE IN THE HEART OF POTATO COUNTRY Covered Bridge Potato Chips is a fourth-generation family business located in Hartland, New Brunswick. Hartland is also the home to the famous Longest Covered Bridge in the World. In the surrounding Saint John River Valley, known as Canada’s potato county, are the farms where dark russet potatoes that give Covered Bridge’s potato chips their trademark golden-brown colour are grown. All Covered Bridge products are gluten free without preservatives, artificial flavouring or colouring with every batch carefully cooked for delicious natural taste and a satisfying crunch. They feature flavours like Atlantic lobster, jalapeño and “Storm Chips.” Storm Chips are an Atlantic staple to prep for snowy winter days with Creamy Dill, Homestyle Ketchup, Smokin’ BBQ and Salt & Vinegar all in one bag. CANADA’S OLDEST WOOLEN MILL In 1857 a man named George Lister started a wool mill in Harvey, New Brunswick called York Woolen Mills. The business changed hands several times in the ensuing decades before it was bought by Roy Little in the 1890s when it was renamed Little’s Woolen Mills. After an illness, Roy Little sold the business to Matthew Briggs and Howard Little in 1916, giving the business the name that has stayed to this day – Briggs & Little Woolen Mills Ltd. The business has withstood several fires, floods, shifts in the wool market and the wider economy but is still standing tall today as Canada’s oldest woollen mill. 13 www.SmallFarmCanada.ca FABULOUS NB FIDDLEHEADS! The name “fiddlehead” was inspired by the likeness of the unfurled fiddle head fern leaves to a fiddle’s scroll. Only a handful of fern species are eaten globally, but the ostrich fern holds the greatest significance. It is the only Canadian fern that holds potential as a vegetable. The Maliseet people from the Saint John River Valley in New Brunswick have traditionally harvested fiddleheads as a spring tonic and have also sold them locally. The ostrich fern, or fiddlehead fern, is recognized for its large, ostrich feather-like leaves. It is quite common across Canada, with high densities found in New Brunswick, southern Québec, and Ontario. It is typically found on flood plains in the vicinity of rivers and streams. The fiddlehead fern can grow up to one meter, or even two meters at times and forms clumps over one meter in width. Its leaves vary, with some being large and heavily divided, while others are smaller and narrower, each carrying tiny spore cases. Fiddleheads stay coiled for about two weeks (usually during late April/early May in eastern Canada) before unfurling. Harvested fiddleheads measure about five centimeters in length and two and a half centimeters in width. Once the leaved unfurl to seven and a half centimeters or more, fiddleheads are considered too bitter for consumption. Their flavor is described as a blend of asparagus, green beans, and okra. They are rich in vitamins A and C, niacin, and riboflavin. The ostrich fern has been deemed non-toxic, but it is a good idea to boil fresh fiddleheads for 15 minutes or steam for 20 minutes before eating, due to the odd occurrence of bacteria. ONE PRODUCTIVE PROVINCE! Potatoes are the king of crops in New Brunswick and its chief agricultural export. There are 49,000 acres in production with 56 per cent going to processing, 25 per cent to market and 19 per cent to seed. When it comes to fruit production, New Brunswick grows 800 acres of cranberries with yields of 30,000 pounds per acre. There are 500 acres of apples grown throughout the Southeast and Central regions as well as 100 acres of grapes. New Brunswick protein farmers produce 35 million kilos of poultry, 200,000 hogs and 10 million dozen eggs. 42 per cent of total livestock production is in the dairy sector with nine per cent in beef. With 83 per cent of the province under forest cover, it is no wonder that this story takes a sweet turn. Ten thousand honeybee colonies and 450 beekeepers call New Brunswick home, producing 125,000 kg of honey annually. Maple syrup is another sweet story in New Brunswick with the province now being the second largest maple syrup producer in Canada and third in the world. A LITE LOOK AT NEW BRUNSWICK ARTICLE BY JULIE HARLOW NB SWEET MAPLE SYRUP FACTS: • Exports to 35 countries • 250+ producers, maintain over 3,500,000 taps • Supports 2,500 jobs • 3,000,000+ liters of maple syrup produced annually DUMFRIES MAPLES Every spring, maple lovers from New Brunswick and the world, can enjoy a sweet adventure to the Dumfries Maples sugarbush. Dumfries Maples is located along the spectacular Saint John River Valley, about 35 minutes outside Fredericton and 45 minutes from Woodstock. The sugaring-off season typically runs from MidMarch to Mid-April with a variety of activities to experience. • Maple taffy on the snow • Pancake breakfasts in the Cedar Log Cook- house • Demos on how pure maple syrup is made • Walks & snowshoeing through the sugarbush • Bird and wildlife watching • Spectacular views of the Saint John River Valley
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MTQyMDk=