Excerpt from the Introduction
Welcome to my world. Krause Berry Farms and Estate Winery—located in the southwestern corner of British Columbia within the Fraser Valley—was born in 1974, when a young man named Alf Krause planted 1 acre of strawberries. If someone had told him back then that one day he and his future wife would farm over 200 acres and be known throughout British Columbia and beyond not only for their top-quality berries and vegetables but also for their unwavering commitment to ethical and sustainable farming prac­tices, he would have grinned. And if someone had told him that one day, he and his wife would host then prime minister Stephen Harper and his wife, Laureen Harper, on their farm, I’m sure he would have politely but firmly assured them that that was unlikely, to say the least. As for me, I love to bake, cook, serve, share, and see smiles. I’m blessed to be able to experience those loves every day on our farm and to add some sunshine to other people’s lives at the same time . . .

The farm, the winery, my home, and my kitchen on wheels are my world. They enable me to combine my business sense, creativity, and passion for food and fun. That being said, none of it would be possible if I didn’t have the quality fruit and vegetables that my husband, Alf, grows . . .

Cooking is about so much more than just following a recipe (although that helps, of course). Please don’t treat this cookbook as a textbook that you have to memorize or follow to the letter. Use what you have on hand, be brave with your ingredients and techniques, and honour your own tastes and style. And have fun! If you have your grandma’s old aprons, wear them and celebrate all the meals those aprons have seen in their lifetimes. Wear a souvenir apron from your favourite place and recapture the joy of your travels. Turn the music up a notch or ten. Bake and cook with your kids and your grandkids. Love is the most important ingredient in any recipe. There is not a holiday dinner that goes by without one of my children reminding us of the year my daughter Holly, who was 11 at the time, was helping me prepare the dinner and noticed me taking the turkey’s temperature. She asked me if it was sick. They all release the same chorus of laughter year after year. On my weekly babysitting days when three of my grandchildren at the time were young, I would bake with them, teaching them how to measure, crack eggs, mould, roll, and bake. My granddaughter Emme and I would don our strawberry aprons and she would really get into it, head and all! After she licked the spoon and the beaters, she went for the bowl! She learned how to wash the dishes with more bubbles than Mommy would have allowed, and after the cookies came out of the oven, we had not only clean dishes, but also a sparkling floor to boot. The smile on her face as her older brother, Kale, and her parents walked through the doors ready to devour her cookies is etched in my memory forever.

My purpose with this cookbook—and in life!—is to inspire people to be their creative selves. I hope you make my recipes your own. Write notes on the pages about substitutions or serving suggestions. Scribble down dates when you made a recipe for a special occasion, even if that occasion was one of mourning rather than celebrating. Put sticky notes on the pages to remind you about who expressed a particular liking for a dish or who suggested a possible substitution for an ingredient. Eventually you’ll have your whole family history on the pages of your book. Try baking an 8-inch square cake in mini loaf pans or as muffins, or try baking regular muffins as mini muffins, adjusting all timings accordingly. Make mini cookies to use as checkers, like my granddaughters and I do. It makes for a very fun game and sweet time together!

About the Recipes
Just as Alf began with one strawberry, I began with one family recipe for pie passed down by my grandmother Sarah Greene. It was clearly a good recipe, as today we annually produce well over 100,000 pies based on it.

Choosing which recipes to include in this book was an exercise in itself. I was limited by space to include about 100 recipes, so I chose an assortment of farm and family favourites that I thought most of you would enjoy making. Some are very simple, perfect for the novice baker and cook, while others are a little more challenging and time-consuming, ideal for those with more experience—but all the finished products are worth the time and energy you’ll invest in making them! I’ve even included a couple of recipes for our four-legged friends and a family-favourite recipe for baby teething cookies.

And remember, experienced bakers and cooks all started as novices, so even if you don’t have much experience in the kitchen, don’t be afraid to try all the recipes in this book!