 This past week was a busy one with all CSA pickups starting plus we were vendors at the Local Food Fest in Guelph on Sunday. We had a great day and enjoyed eating local, seasonal food. A favourite of everyone's, especially on a hot day, was Mapleton's Organic ice cream!
While we have a brief thunderstorm last night, this summer has been very dry so far. Even with starting our irrigation bright and early every morning and running it until evening, we are seeing some lack-of-water stress on plants. Primarily, I'm noticing a few things aren't growing as quickly or the bottom leaves are browning. Last year we consistently had an all-day rain on nearly every harvest day but this year I think I've only worn my rain gear once or twice for a few hours. That said, it's always easier to add water when we aren't getting any rather than take it away when we get too much. But if you feel like doing a little rain dance for us it would be appreciated! Yes, you have peas in your shares this week! Since this is the first picking of the season it is a little light but by next week we should have even more peas for everyone. I bet the lucky person who picks up the share will have these peas gobbled up before they even get home! For a second week, you will be receiving garlic scapes in your shares. Garlic scapes are the flower stalk of the garlic plant and we pull them off to encourage the plant to put its energy into growing a big bulb rather than growing a big flower. A happy benefit of this pruning is that garlic scapes are yummy in their own right. With a mild garlic flavour, scapes are perfect to use anywhere you would normally use garlic or green onions. They also store very well; in a sealed bag or container in the fridge they will last for 2 - 3 weeks. I often toss them into stir-frys, soups, salads, and more. They also make a delicious pesto perfect for topping pasta, pizza, roasted veggies, chicken or fish. For more ideas, check out the recipes at the link below: 7 Things to Do With Garlic Scapes  The first week of our 2016 CSA season is here! This marks our fourth season growing vegetables for our share members and we are especially appreciative of the many share members who have been supporting us since the very beginning. We would also like to welcome many new share members to our farm community. We look forward to meeting each one of you at our first drop-off. Each CSA drop-off is more than just a quick trip to grab some groceries. Watching share member families grow, exchanging news, and passing on favourite recipes are all part of the experience! After an unusually mild winter with little snow, spring progressed slowly around our farm. But now we are seeing many warm days and the fields are full of vegetables that are growing quickly. Our garlic is just starting to grow scapes (the curly flower stalk) and we should have some ready for the first share. The turnips, radishes, lettuce, and green onions are also looking great. The peas have just started flowering so we can expect some delicious, sweet snap peas in about 2 weeks time. This year, we started our cucumbers and summer squash from transplants rather than seeds and are hoping this means earlier crops of these summer favourites. So far, we haven't had any major losses or pest problems but our first beds of carrots and beets became infested with Canada Thistle. We salvaged one bed and decided to start over with a new planting rather than spend days (and days and days) weeding thistle that requires full body armour to remove. Our beehives had a spectacular winter and have been strong and active all spring. In fact, some hives are already heavy with honey and we have captured at least 3 swarms from our hives. A hive swarms when there are too many bees and not enough space. We started the spring with 20 hives and aim to have 40 - 50 active hives by fall. Later in the season I intend to write a blog post all about bees and their fascinating behaviours. Stay tuned! This year I have been assisted in the field by our intern, Thomas. As always, the help of our interns is invaluable and allows us to do what we do. You will have the opportunity to meet him at some of our pickups and he will be contributing to this blog later in the season. For now, here's a picture of Thomas planting winter squash...  Now, on to the nitty gritty of the first share pickup. We have three share pickups this year: Tuesdays 4 - 6pm, Priory Park Baptist Church, 8 Torch Lane, Guelph Wednesdays 4 - 6:30pm, St James Anglican Church, 86 Glasgow St. N., Guelph Thursdays 6 - 7pm, in front of Lawn Bowling Centre, King St., Mount Forest At all three pickups, share members must bring their own bags, boxes, or other vegetable carrying device :). At the two Guelph locations, produce will be displayed "farmer's market style", with signage indicating quantity to take. In some cases, share members will have to weigh certain items (for example, 100g of spinach). We provide digital scales and are always happy to help share members learn the ropes. At the Mount Forest location, shares will be pre-packed but need to be transferred to each share member's own bags or boxes. New this year (at the Guelph locations), we will have a separate table with additional items for purchase. These items may include eggs, additional produce, frozen chicken and duck, beeswax candles, products from other farms, and, when the time is right, honey. These items will be available to both share members and the general public. For our Mount Forest members, please email me to pre-order any of these items and I will bring them with your shares. To start the season, we will have LOTS of eggs, frozen chicken (whole and pieced), extra produce, candles. Eggs are $6/dozen and chicken is $5/lb. All our chickens are fed 100% organic feed and given access to pasture. Here are a few tips and guidelines for making your 2016 share season enjoyable:
 These are some of my favourite cookbooks for recipe ideas that use seasonal vegetables in plentiful quantities. This week, you will be receiving spring turnips as part of your share. We have two varieties of turnips: Hakurei Turnips and Hinona Kabu Turnips. The Hakurei turnips are white, round and mildly sweet and crisp. The Hinona Kabu turnips are elongated with purple tops and a spicy bite. Both are delicious raw or lightly braised. A little cooking goes a long way with turnips. And these are definitely not the turnips to boil! Turnip roots are high in Vitamin C, potassium, and calcium. And the turnip greens are the most nutritious green you can eat! For optimum freshness, store the greens separately from the roots.
Try these delicious recipes using turnips (and other spring vegetables): Braised Spring Vegetables Braised Chicken Legs with Turnips and Radishes Roasted Hakurei Turnips with Israeli Couscous Salad |
Archives
February 2020
|
RSS Feed