Hey Folks: 

The new menu and harvest schedule is up for 2013.

If you have received a Flyer in the past couple of days, thank-you for taking the time to check our site.  You can learn more about us, our produce, and the advantages of purchasing a subscription for a full season's worth of great eating!

If you are considering signing up for the first time (or returning for another year), feel free to contact me - I will be glad to answer any further questions.

Bob


Leaves, leaves, and more leaves - we are expanding our selection of greens to ensure that you are getting every variation in flavour, color, and texture.  See below for more details.

Also, check out the Curious food page for some interesting information about the relationship between leaves and antioxidants.

Lettuce

A mainstay through the season. Full shares receive two heads per week (or three small), half shares one (or two small). When heat stress in midsummer causes lettuce to go to seed early, we harvest them at a younger age - thus the “small“ heads. We provide an array of Red, Green, Romaine, and some miniature lettuces. Our Winter Lettuce – Brune d’Hiver – is a small Romaine that tolerates cold well. It’s outer leaves dry out and (I presume) contribute to the plant’s longevity in cold conditions.

Expected frequency – every week, though it is possible that very hot conditions may interfere with production.

Kale, Chard, Spinach

These three crops are our workhorses. In the field, they are reliable, tolerant to many weather conditions, easy to harvest, and are great space and time savers on the farm. On the plate, they are also very versatile. Available mid June through October.

Expected frequency – once every 3 to 4 weeks, though Spinach germination in hot weather can be erratic, so another heat tolerant crop may replace it during mid-summer.

Kale: Substitutes well for cabbage - may be steamed or cooked into omelets and stews. Toscano variety may be grated fine and added to slaws. I have heard that larger leaves can be used for cabbage rolls. Extremely cold tolerant – can be harvested from under snow.

Chard: Cooks similar to Spinach or Beet greens. Our favourite method is in Omelets and Frittata’s – a quick and easy to prepare work lunch that I have taken to calling “Chardge!” Some folks have requested baby leaf only. I have tried this and found that it is too time consuming to separate the baby leaf effectively.

Spinach: Similar to Chard, but also very good raw. I have found our Spinach to be very mild. Very cold tolerant.

Mini Broccoli

A new endeavour for Whitsend. Requests, the need for heat tolerant crops, and a desire to find a Broccoli that works on this farm are all reasons that I am trying these two crops this year.

Te You: Also known as Chinese broccoli. Thick stems and crispy, flavorful leaves with a mini-broccoli floret. Heat tolerant. Available early to mid summer.

Hon Tsai Tai: Similar to broccoli raab in use, with a sweeter flavor and delicate texture. Young flowering shoots add a sweet, mild mustard flavor to fresh salads, lightly steamed, in stir-fries, or in cream-based pasta dishes. Available mid to late summer – grows best as the days shorten.

Asian Greens

These are all in the Cabbage family, so placing them in the rotation schedule is tricky for two reasons. First, most vegetables suffer when grown in soil that previously grew cabbage family crops. Second, Flea Beetles love these crops, and will nibble the leaves, so the crops should be planted away from other Cabbage family plants (such as Broccoli, Kale, Arugula, Turnips, and Radishes). Considering the popularity of these crops and the size of my field, including these crops into the production plan is proving to be very challenging.

Expected Frequency: Once every 3 to 5 weeks, depending on time of season.

Tatsoi: Spoon shaped leaves are dark green and glossy with thin white stems - for salad and braising mixes. Available spring and fall.

Yakuna Savoy: Similar to Tatsoi, tolerates heat. Available midsummer.

Pak Choi: Great for braising or stir-fries. Available spring and possibly early fall.

Vivid Choy: Mild Asian Green with colored stems and serrated leaves. This versatile variety can add color to a mild baby mix, or as rainbow stems for braising or stir-fry. Somewhat heat tolerant. Available late spring.

Komatsuma: Heat tolerant greens with dark-green, glossy leaves and white, juicy midribs. Use in salads, as braising greens, boiled or pickled. Flavor grows stronger as plants mature. Available mid to late summer.

Cold Tolerant Crops

These crops are very intolerant to heat, and may only be available in early June or mid to late fall if there is a cool spell in mid august (See Coriander below for the reason why).

Cress: Very dark green, glossy leaves are deeply divided. Rich in Vitamin C, calcium, iron, and especially Vitamin A.

Mache: Delicate salad leaf with incredible cold tolerance, one of the few leaf crops that may be harvested from under snow. Mild flavour. I had some difficulty growing this one in the field, but I may have it figured out for next year…

Chicory: Leaf that works well in salads. Prefers cool temperatures, available in spring and possibly early fall.

Arugula: Cabbage family plant with good cold tolerance and some tolerance to heat. For those of you who find its flavour too strong, I find it moderates well in a blend of salad, adding a nice accent to lettuce. I also discovered that it complements Tomatoes very well in a burger or sandwich – no need for condiments!

Green Wave Mustard: Another cabbage family plant with good cold tolerance and some tolerance to heat. Bright green color most commonly used in salad mixes to add contrast. Flavour similar to mustard or pepper.

Heat Tolerant Crops

These crops are dependable at a time when interruptions can be expected with the crops that prefer cooler weather.

Expected frequency – once every 3 to 4 weeks from mid July to late August – more if other crops suffer from the heat.

Orach: Specialty green for salads or cooking greens. Purple orach has a deep purple upper leaf. When cooked like spinach, orach has a mild, nutty flavor.

Golden Purslane: Golden purslane has golden stems and large, succulent, light green leaves that are packed with Omega 3. Individual leaves are oval to round and thick, about the size of a teaspoon. Tangy flavor.

Callaloo: Cooks like spinach for soups, stews, or vegetable filling for patties or somosa. Apparently, smaller leaves can be eaten raw, though I tried this and was not impressed – too tough. Incredible tolerance to heat, this one did not flinch during the drought of 2012. Also provides Oppopeo-like flower stalks when going to seed. Related to Amaranth.

Coriander and Parsley

I have placed these two together for a couple of reasons. First, few customers seemed to show much interest in these. This is a complete contrast to my work in the specialty produce shop, where they seem to be in high demand. They are Carrot family crops, and easy to place in a rotation schedule. However, they have some twists to their growing conditions.

Coriander: Tolerates heat, though requires cool temperatures to germinate. As such, I can only guarantee it in the spring, until I find out how to get a more reliable germination in the summer. Available in spring to early summer, possibly available early fall. Indispensable with curry, this crop adds a savoury flavour to soups, stews, vegetable stuffing and patties. I am not as familiar with it as Parsley, but I have seen that fresh Coriander drives customers wild at Byward Fruit Co. By the way, if you prefer the Italian or French name for this crop, say Cilantro. It is the same thing.  If that is not confusing enough, some also call it Chinese Parsley...

Parsley: Tolerates dry heat – wet leaves and heat will cause the plant to suffer from a fungal disease. A very cold tolerant leaf vegetable.

Most folks seem to consider this crop as dispensable. Parsley is an outstanding addition to soups, stews, and salads. It’s distinct (yet mild) flavour blends well with boiled or mashed potatoes, risotto or pilaf rice dishes, on fish, chicken, lamb or goose, steaks, meat or vegetable stews. It is a primary ingredient in carrot salads, and many middle eastern dishes such as Tabouleh. Persillade is a mixture of chopped garlic and chopped parsley in French cuisine. Gremolata is a traditional accompaniment to the Italian veal stew, ossobuco alla milanese, a mixture of parsley, garlic, and lemon zest. Considering its versatility, I am amazed that there are so few requests for it…I often munch on it while working in the field, and it usually winds up in my lunch salad at the farm.

Hey All:


Another season has ended, and overall it has been good.

The number of customers has doubled, the output of produce has almost tripled, and many new varieties and crops tried.

Beyond the field, the barn has had some major improvements, and the infrastructure continues to develop, allowing me to work more efficiently and absorb more workload.

In the next week or so, check out the “2012 In Review’ page for more details on the individual crops that succeeded (and the few that did not).

In the meantime, we are looking for new customers as the farm continues to expand. If you are looking for farm fresh, certified organic food from June through November, take some time to peruse the site and give us a call.

Hey All:

The field of food is shrinking quickly – all of the carrots, leeks, Brussels sprouts, and lettuce are either gone or bagged and ready to head for your table. Still some Kale, Chard, Green Onions, and Spinach under straw and row covers.

Work is now commencing on weatherizing the barn for next spring’s nursery. Last year, the barn was full of insulating bales of hay, but with less hay, the nursery is a little less protected. As Bulb Onions and Leeks start in late January or early February, some extra insulation is needed. I will be collecting bags of leaves from the woods to create my own “insulation bats” to line the exterior of the nursery. This should keep the warmth – generated by a small space heater, heat mats, and the grow lights - in the nursery. The real test will be if the power goes out…

New customers are welcome! If you are considering some fresh, certified organic local food, feel free to give me a call.

In the meantime, I’ll be getting a little more work done in the barn. I hope that I will have some extra time to write a few more posts and maybe finish that “curious food” essay that has been on the back burner since August. It is entitled “maintaining my cool”. I guess at this point I should re-write it with a more seasonal bent – how to keep myself and the produce warm in the shoulder season.

See you on Friday!!!


PS – The Farmgate store has ONE LAST DELIVERY for the season. Thanks for your support. If you liked what I had to offer, please consider the advantages of having a supply of fresh food from June to the end of October next year. No seasonal price changes, consistent supply, interesting variety of crops, and an opportunity to experience the exceptional flavours of real food from a real farm!


Bob

The recipe below is from Deborah Madison’s Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone. Save time by replacing the basil and garlic with a few spoonfuls of pesto.



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Serves 2 generously
Salt and pepper
1 lb zucchini, coarsely grated
1 egg, beaten
½ bunch of green onions, thinly sliced
½ c dried bread crumbs
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
¼ c chopped parsley
1 ½ tsp chopped marjoram or basil
½ tsp chopped mint
Olive oil as needed

Lightly salt the zucchini and set it aside in a colander to drain for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, mix the remaining ingredients together except the oil and the pepper. When the 30 minutes are up, quickly rinse the squash, squeeze out the excess water, then stir it into the batter. Taste for salt and season with pepper.

Film a frying pan with olive oil. When hot, drop the batter – ¼ c makes a fritter about 3 ½ inches across – and cook over medium heat until golden on the bottom. Turn and cook on the second side. Serve hot.


Deborah Madison suggests eating zucchini fritters with yogurt sauce, flavoured mayonnaise or salsa.


How we made it: we replaced the bread crumbs with ground almonds and used pesto instead of basil, mint and garlic. We also added an extra egg for a thinner texture.

QUICK 'MASSAGED' KALE SALAD

Hands-on time: 10 minutes
Time to table: 10 minutes
Amounts given are for one serving - adjust as needed


PER SERVING:
A handful of fresh kale
1 teaspoon olive oil - use good olive oil
Salt - use good salt (sea salt)
Pepper - I used lemon pepper
Splash of vinegar - good vinegar, if you can


Possible Additions:
Goat cheese or blue cheese crumbles
1/2 a blood orange, skin sliced off, halved vertically then sliced
cross-wise into half moons, the texture/taste contrast is quite
wonderful, a plain orange would offer the same benefit
1/2 a hard-boiled egg, sliced
Toasted nuts


Wash the kale well, remove the heavy stems and discard. Rub the leaves with the olive oil; the idea is to massage it into the leaves, breaking down and softening the leaves, making it easier to eat. Take some time here; it takes two or three minutes to work it in.


Then stack two, three, or more layers of leaves and roll like a cigar. With a sharp knife, cut cross-wise into ribbons. Season well with the vinegar, salt and pepper. Arrange the leaves on a plate, then top with other salad items (I am happy to stop at the goat cheese).


SWISS CHARD TUNA SALAD (the best tuna salad ever!)
About 3 large Swiss chard leaves, to yield about 1 cup chopped & tightly packed leaves
About 1 rib from a Swiss chard leaf
Fresh cilantro or Italian parsley, about 1/4 cup chopped & loosely packed
5 small green onions, about 1/2 cup chopped, white & green parts
1/4 cup chopped kalamata olives
2 tins light tuna


DRESSING
1/2 cup mayonnaise (I blend 1/4 cup mayo & 1/4 cup plain yogurt)
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard 1 teaspoon Balsamic vinegar
Salt & pepper to taste


Wash the chard leaves and cilantro well, shake (or run through a salad spinner or dry on paper towels). Chop the greens; the best way to cut the chard is to remove the main rib and little "branches” from the chard leaves. Save one rib and chop very small for the salad, discard the others. Cut the leaves into narrow strips, the easiest way is to stack the leaves, then roll into 'cigars', and cut cross-wise.


Whisk together the dressing ingredients. Add the olives, tuna and green onion. Gently fold in the greens. Season with salt and pepper.


Serve on a bed of greens or great in a sandwich.

Update as of Oct 31:

Thanks to those of you who have made the early commitment for next year's harvest, and have taken advantage of the 15% discount.  This will allow me to pre-order much of the seed at a discount. 

The 2013 production plan is slowly coming into focus, a lot of tweaking will continue for the next month or three.

I have a rough draft of what the season menue will look like, and a peak at the basket contents for full and half shares.

Most of our customer base appears to be concentrating in two areas of the city - Glebe/Old Ottawa South; and Kanata/Stittsville.

I'm looking forward to next year's planting, harvesting, and eating.  In the meantime, I remain focused on getting as much field preparation finished for next year.

Looking forward to seeing everyone on the next full harvest day, November 9th!

Bob

Update as of Oct 13th - The Garlic is in the ground for next year!!!  We planted several varieties.  Last year, the Prussian White and Fish Lake did well, so we reserved some for seed.  I was surprised by the performance of the Korean Purple and French Rocambole (Eastern Ontario is better suited to Porcelain varieties than Rocamboles), so we reserved some of those as well, and supplemented them with additional seed cloves from our Garlic seed source.

New varieties are being tried this year as well.  These include Gourmet Red, German Red, and Ukrainian.  Persian Star is another new one for this year, looks stunning and has a mild, oily flavour! 


Hey Folks:

How quickly things change. Two weeks ago, the beds were full of produce, the flowers were in full bloom, the paths were mowed...now the fruit plants are dying back, beds are emptying out, and hoses are being drained, coiled, and hauled in for storage.

Two frosts later, there is still plenty of activity out in the field, in the barn, and out in the community.

New flyers are going out as I prospect new customers for next year. If you are interested, do not delay! I will offer a 15% discount for the first two customers to sign (or re-sign) for next year. Full payment required by Nov 1st. This allows me to pre-order next year’s seed at a discount – a saving that I am passing on to you.

Extra produce still available through our farm gate store. New prices and items available. An opportunity to sample what we have to offer for next year.  I will consider some bulk purchases on a case by case basis, if you are interested in larger quantities than advertised in our store.  We have a variety of Potato and a variety of Carrot that are good for long term storage.

Word of mouth is one of the most powerful tools a small business can have for getting the word out, so please go forth and communicate.

The field is rapidly expanding. The wet weather of the past couple of weeks has softened the ground considerably, and new beds are being built. This entails aerating the soil, removing many rocks, and raking dead grass and pulled up roots from the surface.

In the meantime, old residues are pulled out and sent to build new compost windrows.

A few crops still coming in, such as the last of the Kidney beans and potatoes.

Most exciting are the late fall, cold tolerant crops.

During my internship at Elmtree Farm, I noticed that most of the farms that we visited had some area of specialization, in addition to the standard market garden fare. As I sketched out various brainstorms in my cabin at Elmtree, I wondered what my farm’s area of specialization might be. If there were Oak trees and a pond, I might grow Shitake mushrooms. If there was a poorly drained, wet area, I might try Raspberries. If the farm came with a green house, I might try micro greens…I concluded at the time that it was impossible to know. The farm site would play the major role in determining the farm’s area of specialization.

As I started building the Whitsend site last year, I returned to this question. The field was a flat square of uniform sandy loam soil. A blank slate. No obvious suggestions.

I had located and retained the farm late in the season, and did not start my first deliveries until July. This limited my growing season, and so I began to develop some plans for season extension to get me through the first season. As the season progressed into fall, I realized that my farm had indeed chosen my area of specialization – season extension.

I did some additional research over the past winter, and learned about season extension techniques past and present that allowed farmers and gardeners to produce food well into the winter (even in our Ottawa climate).

I tried a bit of very early growing this year (early peas and greens in mid May), and learned several valuable lessons for next year.

As this summer progressed, crops for late fall were planted and the dates recorded. Timing is so important and very site specific! Too early, and the crops would be harvest ready before late fall; too late, and they would not be mature before being covered in snow or frozen into the ground.

One of the variables I had to take into account included the “solar climate”. At a certain point in the year (early September seems to be the cut-off point at Whitsend’s line of latitude), the leaf growth starts to slow down due to the shorter days. With that in mind, I now know that leaf plants such as Lettuce have to be nearing full size by early September. After they have reached this stage, it is simply a matter of moderating their microclimate until their scheduled weekly harvest.

Many crops are still in the ground, protected by row covers, poly tunnels, and straw. Still plenty to eat over the next 5 weeks…Spinach, Lettuce, Potatoes, Chard, Kale, Green Onions, Carrots, Leeks, Parsley, Brussels Sprouts, Beets…

See you Friday

Bob

P.S. – please pass on the word about the farm gate store! Still plenty of food to eat for those who have not yet arrived at Whitsend…

Update Saturday the 22nd:  Welcome to fall!  New items added to farmgate store; some prices lowered.  Check it out...

Update Wednesday the 19th:

Whitsend Market Garden on 93.1 CKCU FM (www.ckcufm.com) between 1:30 and 3:30 this afternoon!  Here us there...
Thanks again,

Bob

Hey Folks:


A few notes about how the fall season is shaping up. Fall and storage crops are coming to fruition.

I harvested the first round of Kidney Beans this past week.  Some were dry enough to start shucking, and the rest are hanging in the barn.  Meanwhile, the beds the kidney beans are being harvested from are being prepared for the planting of next summer's Garlic.  Seed Garlic just arrived in the mail yesterday.

Red Storage onions are almost ready to harvest, and the Leeks, though small, look like they will yield some tasty stalks. More Green Onions are out there, though I expect they will not grow as large as the ones we had earlier this summer. A few of the large ones are still left for the full shares.

There are two more successions of carrots still in the ground, both smaller Napoli carrots and larger storage carrots for cooking, as well as some heirlooms and White Carrots. More than enough to feed all shares to the end of October and beyond. These should taste great after our first frosts, when the cold weather converts the starches in the roots to sugars.

Chioggia beets are also approaching their harvests, though I expect they will be a bit smaller than the ones that were growing when the days were getting longer. This is another crop that stores well.


The Brussels sprouts are coming along, though the quantity might be very limited. It seems that the Flea Beetles are not being knocked back quickly enough by the arrival of slightly cooler, rainy weather (more compost required!).

As well, the Kale is taking quite a while to rebound, a few customers have had the opportunity to have some over the past few weeks, but the flea beetles are still eating the leaves (more compost!)


The only Radishes that I was able to grow (under a spare row cover) are doing fine. As for the rest of the Radishes, the Beetles ate their leaves, as well as the turnip leaves and while they were at it, they savaged the Rutabaga and the last of my Arugula as well (The Rutabaga and Arugula were also under covers but it seems that the beetles were already in or on the soil at the time of planting.


Damage to this degree is most unusual for this particular insect. I realize that sandy soil combined with hot dry weather is delightful to these bugs, but the bottom line for next year is MORE COMPOST!


The first orangetti squash is dying back, though the younger ones are still going strong. More squash to be distributed in the coming weeks, these can be stored for several months if cured (some are curing now as we speak). The first Pumpkin (way ahead of schedule) was harvested last week and is now curing on our fridge.


The Taxi tomatoes are starting to lose their vigor. They are an early variety that yields most its fruit in the first flush (all shares received them each week at one point). Now that these are ending, the early Moskvich plants are entering their second flush, and the insurance Tomatoes (a round of Moskvich planted late) are just starting. So expect some of these savoury fruits for a while yet. By the way, Moskvich is a cold tolerant tomato, so we can expect to see these even as the nights get cooler. I have also noticed that the Moskvich tomatoes are a bit bigger than they were at the start of the summer. I am not sure why this is.


There should be a couple more weeks of Matina’s, but I expect these will end soon.


The Great Whites have not had a good year; they started out too early and are only producing a small amount of fruit. They have suffered a lot from cracking, which points to either a calcium deficiency or uneven watering. Since correcting the watering regimen for the Moskvich, I noticed a big difference. I have started the same technique with the Great Whites.


The Spinach and Chard are doing great. My only question is how much yield there is. At a certain point this fall, growth will slow down to the point where the cut-and-come-again crops will not be able to keep up with the harvest.

One thing I am certain of is the amount of Potatoes in the ground. I estimate enough for another 8 weeks for all shares at the present rate. Better yet, most of these are excellent for storage, so you will be able to save some for the Christmas-New Year’s eating season.

Once we are finished the current crop of Red Chieftain, the second round of Fianna potato will arrive (these were in the harvests about four weeks ago). After that, there are yellow-fleshed Agria potatoes, which are a Frost tolerant variety – I can leave them in the ground for several weeks yet. In addition, they keep well in storage, so you can continue to enjoy them over the winter. A small quantity of Dakota Pearl potatoes are on the way – these are similar to Yukon Gold, but are better adapted to Eastern Ontario.


Do you recall the short period of relatively cool nights a couple of weeks ago? During that time, I planted some snap Peas. I only had room for one bed, so most of these will cover the full shares only. However, I am pleased to have been able to start fall peas – not a dependable crop in these parts, as our summers are usually too hot. Another one of those little victories that make the potato beetles a mere nuisance in the overall scheme of things.


See you next Friday!

Bob

Zucchini herb fritters

The recipe below is from Deborah Madison’s Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone. Save time by replacing the basil and garlic with a few spoonfuls of pesto.

Miso-curry delicata squash

We ate this one-dish meal twice in one week, it’s so good.

Fennel salad

Our usual way with fennel.  We learned this one from Isaac.

Hey Folks:


First of all, the Farm Gate Store has worked out well. It is what I came up with when I combined a harvest surplus with a bit of brainstorming. Spread the word among your fellow eaters! The additional income stream will allow me to purchase some lumber for a cedar trellis and cold frames.


Expect the Farm Gate to remain open for the time being. The availability of surplus produce will determine how long this “store” will remain open. Please remember to place orders in early (before Thursday at 6 pm).

* * *

I started yesterday by doing a bit of calculating, and found that the finish line for the basket value is in sight, with room to spare. This is in contrast to last year, when I had to go down to the final delivery to match the share value. What a big load off my chest, now I could relax and turn more attention to preparations for next year.

As the day’s harvest was almost finished, Erica and I went to work on fixing up a bed of Potatoes that was getting crowded by rampant Pumpkin vines and a few stray weeds that were missed when this bed was last worked on, about three weeks ago. Off came the row cover, to reveal dozens of Colorado Potato Beetles larvae happily munching on the leaves. So much for time to relax and build new beds…


Problem insects such as Potato Beetles can be controlled with organic compounds such as Pyrethins (a product derived from Chrysanthemums). For many “organic” growers, this is a completely acceptable method.


I consider using sprays – even organic ones - as a palliative, a last resort to bring a bad infestation under temporary control. I would need to first source the product, check its contents and it would probably be a good idea to clear it with my organic agency. Then ordering (purchasing inputs!), waiting for the delivery, and then preparing it for application. Then waiting for the ideal weather conditions. And then presuming the bug “colony” is in a vulnerable period of its life cycle, so the spray can be most effective.

Instead, I see the insect growth as a message – the plant is under stress. The best way to improve plant health is to improve the farm’s soil. After a round of squashing beetles, it was off to get a shovel and start building an additional compost heap for next year.

Someone once said to me that growing potatoes is easy. My response is “taking care of them requires an effort”.

In fact, I would suggest that the “difficult” part of the work is all in the preparation. Forking the bed to aerate the soil is one of the most important things one can do to promote soil health. With the stones in the field, years of feet, hooves, and tractors compacting the soil, and the lack of moisture, pushing the fork into the ground becomes difficult. After that, the soil is amended with applications of greensand and bucket-full’s of compost (building and turning the compost the previous year is a layer of chores in itself). Depending on the state of the soil tilth, the tiller may need to be run over the bed.

Then there is the cultivating out the weeds that begin growing within a week of the bed being built – these need to be controlled early to allow the intended crop to get is water and sunlight without competing with other plants.

Ideally, I prefer to cultivate the first two flushes of weeds before the planting, with a third flush cleared as the crop begins to emerge. If the soil surface is not disturbed, this should eliminate most of the weeds for the rest of the year. Weed seeds more than a couple of centimetres below the soil will not receive enough sunlight to germinate, and those that do will be stunted by the lack of sunlight due to the growing crops’ leaf cover.

So growing the Potatoes may be very easy. All of the work, on the other hand, is not.

I could go into more detail about the growing of seed potatoes. A seed potato represents the culmination of a couple of generations of cloning to produce a plant that will yield potatoes of useful size. But that is another story altogether.

* * *

A big thanks to Erica for the hard work yesterday, she did a lot of mundane weeding and placed straw under all of the sqaushes, giving me time to finish the harvest and beat back the beetles.

See you next week, either on Friday night delivery or at the open house on Sunday (or both!)

Bob

Potato mushroom pie

The definition of comfort food: a layer of sauteed mushrooms enclosed in cheesy mashed potatoes.

Basil butter

This butter is delicious in mashed potatoes, with corn on the cob, or just tossed with hot cooked vegetables.

Tomato-basil pesto

An easy pesto from Deborah Madison’s Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone.

Creamy fennel soup

Marilyn (aka Mom) sends us this recipe for Creamy Fennel Soup:

Here is the recipe for fennel soup that I found today while browsing some cookbooks. It is from Live the Smart Way/Kathy Smart who is an Ottawa nutritionist and holistic chef. This recipe is great for dairy intolerant, creaminess comes from the starch of the potato.

A few things to say about the situation(s) on the farm.


We have had some interesting (and exasperating) challenges, but somehow we seem to be pulling off an equal number of big successes.

So much of farming is about timing. A couple of weeks ago, there was a short period of cool temperatures (15-24 degrees) in the forecast. The moment I was waiting for. I cleaned up a bed reserved for leaf crops, and as the cooler weather arrived, I planted a 100-row foot of Spinach. The planting coincided with 1/16th inches of rain, which helped. Previous sowings of Spinach had poor germination, and I had held off seeding the next succession, hoping to get a break.

The cold bed (referred to in previous post) had some success germinating Spinach, with the rows closest to the irrigation trunk hose having the best germination rate. I suspect the basic concept of the cold bed is sound, now I just have to figure out how best to insulate it without shutting out the sunlight.

Another cool weather crop, Brussels sprouts, have done ok so far. Keeping this long-season crop healthy has required careful watering and some shade from row covers. The row covers have also excluded the Flea Beetles, allowing the plant respite from other stressful conditions – this crop grows best with long, cool springs, and long, cool autumns – not exactly suited to eastern Ontario’s short springs and hot summers.

Most crops in the Cabbage family (such as B-Sprouts), have had a challenging time. The heat and lack of rain have not been kind, and irrigation can only hold the line as far as their growth is concerned. Under stress, they suffer from pests that otherwise are quickly overcome. Flea Beetles and cabbage moths have done some damage, in some cases nearly destroying entire leaf clusters. The mature Kale plants were particularly ravaged, and I thought they were a write off. We started some new Kales in the nursery to grow before fall, but to my astonishment, the brief spell of cool weather has allowed the plants in the field to bounce back. Of the two varieties, the Red Russian Kale appears to have done the best.

Radish, Arugula, Turnip, and Rutabaga were barely able to sprout before flea beetles ate their leaves. With only so much protective row cover to go around, much of the crop was damaged or lost. This bad situation has also turned around, and more Radishes are on the way. The main casualty was the Rutabaga – it requires several months to grow, and so I cannot replace the ones that did not survive.

The Broccoli suffered the same fate to some extent, and the timing of the second Broccoli crop was off – the transplants succumbed to the heat after a few days in the field. We have a few more in the nursery now, though it is getting late in the year, and the we have almost run out of broccoli seeds.

Bad year for leaves, good year for fruits. The Winter Squashes have surpassed my expectations, and after a slow start, the summer Squash, Cucumbers, and Tomatoes are rebounding.

Despite Cucumber Beatles and lack of rain, I have managed to get the Winter Squashes through the seedling stage, and now they are galloping across the beds at an alarming rate (many of these plants are new for me; I had limited space available for them, so they were squeezed into some awkward areas). The Pumpkins, Delicata, and Orangetti are starting to size up – expect the Orangetti to arrive on your doorstep in about 4-5 weeks. At the rate its vines are growing, it may be at your place before I can cut them!

The Corn has started to brown off at the Tassels, a sign that the plant is near maturity. We husked one last Sunday and found that the Kernels were not yet filled out. This sign indicates either that the cob needs a couple more days, or did not receive enough moisture.

The bulb onions have been saved from the European Leek Moth. The rescue effort required removing infected leaves, which will probably slow the growth of the bulb somewhat. The Bulbs themselves seem fine and I am looking forward to trying some of these out. The Yellow onions should be ready for September, with the Red ones to follow in October.

The Kidney beans have started to fill out, and it is just a matter of time before the pods begin to dry. The next round of Green beans is coming along, and the first round of beans looks like it may provide us with a second flush, as it has started to flower again.

My biggest concern is the mice. They have taken a couple of pounds of Potatoes, and are now including Radishes in their menu. My next worry is they will go after the beets (these are a favourite of their larger cousins).

I use straw for moisture retention, weed suppression, and control insects. It fills many of the same roles that row cover does, but is more aesthetically pleasing, biodegradable, and cheaper. However, it is providing a place for the mice to live, and this has caused me to reconsider its use for next year. In the meantime, I have to reserve some memory space for locating the mouse traps.

Overall, this has been a good year. Not an easy season for a sophomore effort, but I am certain that as I continue to evaluate the results, new ideas for improvements will start to flesh out.

In the meantime, let’s hope for a reasonable amount of rain, cool temperatures, and lots of sunlight.

Talk to you soon,

Bob

Favourite chard and onion frittata

Whenever we have chard in the fridge and we don’t know what to do with it, we make a chard frittata/omelet. It took us a few tries to get the cooking temperatures sorted out – keep the burner fairly low so the bottom doesn’t scorch. (Note the alternative cooking method at the end.) Leftovers are good reheated (and/or tucked into a sandwich). This recipe is from Deborah Madison’s ever-inspiring Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone.

Chard shchav

A refreshing, lightweight summer soup.  Red chard stems give the soup a delicate pink colour.  Another winning recipe from Greene on Greens by Bert Greene.

Hey Folks:

There is quite a bit of work going on at the farm.   Most of which involves keeping the crops intact - Watering, providing shade with row covers, laying (and emptying) mousetraps, and picking cucumber beetles are taking a lot of time.

When it comes to pests, I try to spend some time observing them to learn as much as I can about them.   I learned quite a bit bout earwigs the first year I did container gardening, spending late evenings out in the garden with a flashlight.

This year, the mice in particular are proving to be a challenge.  My bait of peanut butter was ineffective, even as they burrowed into the potato beds.  I was beginning to suspect voles, a root loving rodent.  I finally caught one, after switching baits and getting better at finding their runways.  I have considered going out very early in the morning to do some "mousing", but with the work schedule being what it is, commuting time, and having a fairly delicate sleep/wake cycle at the best of times, that has prove impossible.

However, the mice seem to be obliging me with opportunities to observe them.  They seem to be so desperate for water that they will leave their shelters and scurry into the open areas to reach the irrigation system - I saw one the other day licking condensation off of a hose, and another scurried past me while I sloshed watering cans about.  The plants aren't the only things that are thirsty.

A very positive development is the arrival of two red tailed hawks in the area.  They are welcome welcome welcome! 

Another positive development in the "has legs not leaves" category are frogs.  The first March I was out at the farm, the field was full of hopping amphibians.  This spring, I found that their numbers were way down, I presume due to the tractor and tiller tearing up the field.  Their numbers have begun to rebound, and I have noticed quite a few in the past couple of days.  I catch as many as I can and place them in the most sheltered areas in the field - near the cistern, or with the Brussels sprouts or in the cold bed (the two beds with the most moisture and shade cover).  Nature being what it is, the frogs and toad population will continue to grow, and a new population will begin to move in - snakes!  These in turn will become interested in baby mice, and eventually, the whole meal. 

This is where organic gardening proves that in the long run, less is more.  If I were dumping pesticides  and poison into the field, this chain reaction of pests/little predators/big predators would not occur, as the poison would concentrate on its way up the food chain and eliminate the top predators.  Predators, such as snakes, are much better adapted to hunting mice.  They have the forked tongue to can sense mice much better than I can, and their ability to crawl into burrows enable them to follow my pests into the ground.

By letting nature do its thing, I will require less time for hunting mice, and more time to tend to your food. 

Talk to you soon,

Bob

Roast potatoes with sauce gribiche

This is how we prepared the summer's first Red Norland potatoes.  This intriguingly named recipe - “gribiche?” - is from Super natural every day  by Heidi Swanson. It’s a kind of roast potato salad with lots of eggs and extra vegetables. The original recipe (more or less) is below, followed our slightly different version.

Hey Folks:


Once again, sorry for the extended silence. I’ve had my hands full for the past while.

I can’t recall the context, but Tom at Elmtree once said that there would be days in which you’re being hit from several different directions at once. Days for sure, but how about an entire week?

The Potato Beetles are almost gone, the Tomato Hornworms are down to a dull roar, the weeds are withering in the heat, and the well is holding out. The problems in the nursery (damping off, earwigs, and sun scorch are apparently managed – more on that another time). The Tomatoes have recovered from their slow start and seem to be producing a decent yield. Last year, my Peppers produced a fine crop of leaves, but I am starting to see some nice fruit forming. Not so bad, eh?

The new challenges are Mice and Flea Beetles. Usually, Flea Beetles are only a nuisance, nibbling small holes in crops such as Arugula and Kale. Once these crops are past the seedling stage, the beetles leave them alone or do little to no damage. However, the Beetles seem to be thriving and have ruined the Kale, Arugula, and Nasturtiums. I managed to intervene in time to get them off the Basil and Turnips, and the Brussels sprouts seem to be doing Ok.

Of the mice, I am all too aware of the potential damage. So I will likely have my hands full for the next while. If anyone out there has a pack of bored Jack Russell Terriers, I’ll gladly put them up for a while.

All that said there are a number of positive things happening in the field. The Tomatoes are bouncing back from a slow start. The yield seems to be down a bit from last year (as well as a bit late), but much higher than I anticipated a couple of weeks ago. The Belle Island variety of Cress looks interesting and seems to be doing better than the Persian Broadleaf some of you have had thus far. I’m getting a few more Spinach plants to germinate in the heat. The sweet Kestral Beets are coming along, and I intend on planting a second round of them soon. The Callalloo is a heavy drinker, but I seem to be getting enough water to it. The Corn is just getting taller, the Kidney beans are in flower, and the Delicata squash plants have shrugged off the Cucumber Beetles and are slowly starting to march across the length of the bed.

The Tree Swallows have left the nest house (and the farm it seems), but a Humming bird and a flock of Goldfinches have arrived. I saw two Red Tailed Hawks overhead the other day as well. A large frog has taken up residence near the cistern, and a much smaller one is hanging about the cold bed. A new ground hog is in the area, but seems to prefer Dick’s hay field; besides, the drought has helped keep the grass down around the electric fence and so it is conducting quite nicely.

A note about the Garlic: I check all of the cloves I send out for external blemishes or bulb softness. However, I can’t know for sure how the cloves are inside. It would be helpful if you notice any marks in the flesh, as the quality of the various types will help me decide which varieties I will focus on for next year’s planting. If you find a bulb with yellowing or brown marks on the cloves after you peel it, please let me know. I can replace them for you with your next basket. Your comments on the different types are also appreciated.

And one last note – thanks to those of you who came out to the open house. Special thanks to Erica for the extra help preparing for the event. It was an enjoyable day and we can do it all again next fall (probably mid September). It will most likely be on a Sunday. If I have to do it on a Saturday, then the harvest might get pushed back to Thursday – two big events in two days was just too much!!!

I’ll have more to write soon, I am sure.

See you on Friday evening,

Bob

Quick thoughts

So much accomplished in the past couple of weeks.  Another four new beds built and brought under production.  Germinating corn.  Windblown weather station.  Territorial Red Wing Black Birds.  Tomato plants coming back to life.  The arrival of the Colorado Potato Beetle.  The arrival of  Assassin Beetles.  The onions beginning to set their bulbs.  The days getting shorter...

I have enjoyed the feedback that I have received thus far. Feel free to provide critiques as well – I was interested to hear that some of the Red Leaf Lettuce fom the June 22nd harvest did not last long. This particular variety "New Red Fire" is new for the farm this year. I thought it tasted great, but had some trouble producing it. I’ll try it again in the fall to see if the cool weather makes a difference.

There are hundreds of varities of lettuce and all have very different characteristics - tolerate heat, tolerate cold, short shelf life, exceptional flavour, brittle leaves... 

The Red Leaf this week is a variety I grew last year - "Red Sails".  You will notice it has brittle ribs, which render it commercially unappealing for shipping purposes.  This variety is often grown  for the local restaurant market for it's exceptional lettuce flavour, the cripsness of the leaf, and its fine color.

The Greens have not been easy to produce this year, partly due (I suspect) to the wide fluctuations in temperature over the past three months (remember early May?). I had hoped to offer more choices on a weekly basis. The most recent setback was a 25’ long bed – three rows of spinach and 1 row of four different radish varieties. It produced two very fine bunches of spinach and a couple of radishes.

For the Culinarily adventurous, I have some Chrysanthemum Flowers (Shinginku) for the next harvest or two. Let me know if you want some. These are somewhat bitter, and so would be best with a main dish or a peppery salad.

Thyme and Dill are available. Let me know what quantities you want and I will include it in your basket. Sage is on the way, I expect to harvest a small quantity by mid to late July. The Basil is growing slowly. Not sure when it will be ready. So much to look forward to…so much to do in the meantime.

I am still a bit concerned about getting the quantities right. PLEASE – let me know if I am providing too much or too little. I can alter the quantities either way a bit to accommodate your needs. This feedback will also help my planning for next year.

A new "Curious Food" post is on the way.  Check it out in the next week or so.

Bob

Beets with yogurt

The yogurt nicely balances the sweetness of the beets in this salad.  The last time we made it, we replaced the garlic clove with scapes and the lemon juice with lime juice.  This recipe is adapted from New Persian Cooking: A Fresh Approach to the Classic Cuisine of Iran by Jila Dana-Haeri and Shahrzad Ghorashian.

Danish kale soup

Bob says: an instant hit!


We found this savoury one-bowl meal in Greene on Greens by Bert Greene. You could use this week’s garlic scapes instead of the garlic clove.  Start with a pinch of cinnamon - the flavour is subtle.

Moroccan Grated Carrot Salad

Whitsend’s first carrots of the season are coming soon! This recipe, from Claudia Roden's The Book of Jewish Food, looks especially nice when you combine carrots of different colours.

Pasta with lentils and kale

Recipe from 2011

What to do with this week's kale?  This recipe is a good starting point.  To make life easier, cook the lentils the day before, or use canned lentils or some other kind of canned beans instead (drained and rinsed). This recipe is derived from Moosewood Restaurant Cooking for Health.

“Farmer! There’s a worm in my squash, a fly in my peas, and a weed in my salad!”


New life on an old line. It happens. At Elmtree, the other interns and I giggled that this was the customer’s assurance that the food was pesticide and herbicide free. However, that kind of response to a complaint would not be very customer friendly.

Shortly after harvest, all produce is either swished or submerged into ice-cold well water. The main reasons are to knock off any additional soil; and to take the “ground heat” out of the produce - allowing it to last longer during transit and storage in your fridge. It is at this stage that we can separate clover leaves, etc. from the cut and come again greens. However, some will get through. I found a very fine example of well-fed, carefully watered, wholesome sprig of ragweed masquerading as Shinginku. Fortunately, I found this before it made it into my salad.

Bugs in the food are treated somewhat differently. We put a couple drops of organic vinegar into the water before submerging the produce – a trick I learned during my internship. This causes bugs to fall off or let go of the leaf they are riding on, and they usually fall to the bottom of the tank or float off. So finding six (or more) legged creatures in your greens should not be too commonplace. Let me know if you find otherwise.

So please remember that we do our part to keep your food free of little annoyances, and bear in mind that there is far worse than finding a “fly in your soup”.

Talk to you later,

Bob

Petits pois à la française

Peas cooked with butter and lettuce is apparently a classic recipe, but it is a new one for us. Some versions call for whole lettuce leaves. This one, from Nigella Lawson’s Feast: Food that Celebrates Life, has chopped lettuce instead. Excellent with this week’s snow peas, green onions and Flashy Trout Back lettuce!

Pork chops with fancy parsley

Or “Pork chops piquante,” as Craig Claiborne calls it in The New York Times Cookbook. Since pork fat is the new healthy fat, we bought some chops recently for the first time in years. And this is how we cooked them. The fancy parsley topping adds some greenery and extra flavour to the dish.

Toscano kale salad

Recipe from 2011


We’ve seen several recipes around for Toscano kale salad. So here is a fast, easy salad we invented to use up kale and other stray vegetables. The ingredients given below reflect what we had on hand - you can use pretty much anything. Use only Toscano kale (dark, pebbly leaves with white stems), since Russian kale (red or purple stems) has to be cooked.

Favourite Caesar Salad with Tofu or Chicken

Recipe from 2011

Bob says: This recipe is an important fuel source on the farm. It powers the tiller, whipper snipper, hoe, trowel, shovel, broadfork, buckets, and my boots. I’d probably starve without it. A tasty timesaver. Off season, I use whichever organic leaves are freshest at Byward Fruit Market Co. In season, I use whichever leaves are ready for harvest – just to make sure that whatever I am harvesting is good enough to deliver. I call this Field Salad with tofu or eggs.

Vegetables in the kitchen

See the new Veg Notes page for some handy hints on preparing and storing different vegetables (especially leafy greens).

Hey Folks:


What a lot of work has been accomplished over the past five days.

Compost piles have been turned. Growing plants have been fed their share of the pile. New crops seeded. New beds made, older ones cultivated. In addition, many weeds fed back into the compost to be turned into food for next year’s crops.

A week ago, I was beginning to feel like this year was a lost cause. As I stepped into the field this morning, I looked around and wondered at the difference these past few days had made.

The next couple of harvests will be somewhat smaller than I had planned for, but many of the crops are coming along. The Carrots appear to be about three weeks away from their first harvest. The Beets and Turnips likewise. Not long after that, we should start seeing our first potatoes.

Most exciting is the appearance of our first Garlic Scapes – expect some of these in forthcoming harvests. I am also thrilled to see the Fennel starting to take shape.

If there is still a dark note in the field, I think that the Tomato plants have not done well at all. I really should not have been so optimistic about getting them started early. As well, the Switch Grass continues its relentless march on every bed, and I have no doubt that I will be pulling more of it by week’s end.

I have started planting Calaloo. This is a leaf vegetable from the Amaranth family. It is common in soups and stews in Caribbean cuisine. You may also find it as a baby leaf “green” (actually, the plant is a reddish color) in gourmet salad mixes. I chose it as an option for mid-summer produce as it is very heat tolerant, which Mache, Spinach, Cress, etc are not. I have no idea what it tastes like. Partly as I cannot afford the gourmet salad mixes. We will have to make our own and find out!

Speaking of heat tolerant, the Cress went to seed just as I was thinking it was time for its first harvest. Too much heat already. To better prepare for the next round, I have begun opening up what I refer to as the “cold bed”. Originally, I had planned to get this bed into production for July, but the weather seems to be unseasonably warm already. On Monday, I started pulling the straw mulch off it and pulling out whatever weeds had managed to get started.

This bed was designed for keeping produce cool. It is located between my raised early spring beds to the north, and the tomato beds to the south. Its lower elevation (in relation to the raised beds) and the shade from the Tomatoes should allow it to stay out of direct sun for much of the day. As well, the trunk hose (which leads from the well to the cistern) has been placed right down the middle of it. As it is often full of ice-cold well water, the hose should act as an additional source of cooling in the bed. In theory, this bed seems like an ingenious solution to getting cool weather crops to thrive in midsummer. As with everything I have experienced, the big question is “Will it actually work?”

I am picking July 7 as our open house. I intend to run two tours, each about an hour long. One starting at 10 am, the other commencing at 1 pm. It is open to all customers, family, and friends. If you know of anyone who is interested in purchasing a share, or just wants to learn more about small scale organic growing, pass the news along. I will have more details in the next couple of weeks.

Once again, check the “This week’s Harvest” page for a peek at what to expect for this Friday. All shares will be delivered.

Talk to you soon,

Bob

Hey Folks:

A lot of food is growing in the ground!  Fennel, brussels sprouts, potatoes and beans are putting up small sprouts.  Transplants like tomatoes, peppers, and celery are taking root.  As well, we’ve planted the next round of spinach, coriander, and planted our first round (ever) of corn.

The potential for a lot of food is there.  Will it grow as expected?  Is the celery going to go to seed early due to the cold it experienced earlier this year?  Did the precision seeder plant the spinach too deep to germinate?  Is it too hot for the coriander to germinate?  Were the tomatoes too stressed by the transplanting to set a good flush of fruit?  Did I plant enough snow peas for everyone?

During my internship at Elm Tree Farm, I learned that two factors determine the success of a small farm.  Finding and using small efficiencies in time management and land use is one of these factors.  The other is the ability to keep a cool head while making tough decisions under pressure.

I started the new beds for corn production earlier this month.  For the past couple of weeks, they have been a low priority.  As the corn planting deadline approached, it became clear that the beds were going to take an extraordinary effort to build and prepare for the planting.   By the time I got to them, the beds had a healthy turf of switch grass and the soil was so dry that forking was going to be very slow going.  What to do?

My rent includes a few hours of custom tractor work from Dick, so I decided that some of these hours would be wisely spent getting the beds into shape.

Dick was busy, and as it turned out, Friday morning (harvest day) was the only day that he was available.  He rolled into the farm about the same time as Erica, while I was getting the harvest cleaning area prepared.  I soon found myself in three places at once – trotting from the prep station or leaf beds (instructing Erica and overseeing the produce cleaning), to the other end of the field, where Dick was dragging the grass off of the soil surface with the cultivator.   In between, I was picking spinach as fast as I could.  It would have been much easier to curl up between the rows of garlic and hide.  That was Friday.

Saturday marked the weekend for the corn planting.   I walked out to my new beds and looked at them with dismay.  The switch grass was mostly pulled up, but there was still a lot of residue in the ground to clean off.  Julia and I got to work – picking up the loose clumps of grass, shaking the soil out of them, and tossing the grass into the cart.  We progressed over 40 feet of bed (out of the 300) in just less than half an hour.  Then we tried different methods.  Finally, we found that raking the residue seemed to accomplish 80 per cent of the work.  I kept telling myself that it would have to do.  After we finished raking, I turned on the tiller, Julia got the buckets, and we worked in tandem – me driving the tiller through the beds, and Julia collecting the rocks kicked out by the tines.  After half a day’s work, the beds were as good as they were going to get.  We turned our attention to other priorities, and I kept telling myself I still had twenty-four hours to hit my deadline.

On Sunday I faced the corn beds again.  There was noticeable improvement, but still a lot of partially broken down organic matter – which corn does not like to germinate in.  It was going to take too much time to clean it out.  I returned to the barn and filled a bucket full of seedling mix.  This soil is very clean (and expensive), but I decided that it was a worthwhile investment given the situation. 

I marked out the beds in a grid and dibbled a small hole into each seed site.  I put a small scoop of mix into each hole, then the seed, then a second scoop of mix.  With the corn now sandwiched in between two layers of clean soil and watered in, I was able to take a breath and head on to the myriad other tasks requiring attention.

All these decisions required consideration.  Having chosen my course, all I can do now is not worry too much if I have taken the right one.  There is not enough time to worry and no room for second thoughts.

So the corn is in.  “Fisher’s Earliest” is an heirloom variety known for having a true corn flavor. Many modern hybrids focus on the sweet quality of corn, but I believe there is more to corn’s taste than just sugar.  One of my textbooks suggests that modern sweet hybrids are not as nutritious as the heirloom varieties.  I am looking forward to trying some Whitsend corn on the cob in about 70 days – presuming of course, that I made all the right decisions on the weekend!

Talk to you soon,

Bob

PS:  One other bit of news.  We have new tenants at the farm.  A pair of Tree Swallows have moved into the birdhouse.   These birds have an interesting song and a brilliant flash to their plumage.  However, what I most appreciate is their extreme agility  in flight.  This species feeds "on the wing".  In other words, they eat bugs while flying.  I have no doubt they will find plenty of deer flies, horse flies, mosquitos, gnats...

Beans stewed with arugula

We found this tasty, unusual recipe in The Greek Vegetarian by Diane Kochilas.  Arugula becomes milder when you cook it.  When we made this dish, we added radish greens and used a mixture of canned chickpeas and black-eyed peas instead of dried navy beans.  The recipe below is our adaptation of the original. 

Recipes page revision

We'll post recipes here on the main page now.  Go to the Recipes page for a clickable archive of recipe posts!  There's a lot of recipes we want to try this year - we'll let you know how the renaissance spinach cookies turn out ....

Indian-style radishes and peas

This is a scaled-down version of a recipe from Yamuna Devi’s The Vegetarian Table: India.  If you don’t like the pungent flavour of fennel seeds, just leave them out.

1 tsp. ghee or oil

½ tsp. fennel seeds

½ tsp. grated fresh ginger

A bit of bad, a bit of good, and a lot of average

Hello Folks:

Added Note May 14 2012:

I checked the plants yesterday and found that some Arugula, Radish, Spinach, and Shinginku are ready for harvest this Friday.  Not quite enough for everyone, so I will split the harvest up over two weeks.  I will deliver these on Friday.  Customers west of Westboro will receive their harvest on Friday May 18th ; customers east of Westboro on Friday May 25th. 

Please note that this is the May harvest, and so you will be billed directly.  I will tally the numbers and contact you by Thursday evening at the latest.

Please keep an eye on this site for additional information - I have updated the Recipes page.

Talk to you very soon,

Bob

Now back to the post…

First of all – a big welcome to the final two customers who signed on for the year’s harvest.  I look forward to a year of growing and eating good food together.

My apologies for the extended radio silence.   A lot has been happening at the farm – preparing beds, planting and transplanting, barn improvements, planting, and more planting.  There have been some good events, some disappointments, and much of what one would expect.

I will start with the bad.  Recall the post a month ago, that referred to the hope for cool weather?  Well, we had enough of it to get the Cress up and running, but some plants (Carrots and Mache) have been very slow to germinate.  The Snow Peas and Green Onions are coming along, though these seem to be a little slow to grow as well.  

On the other hand, the Arugula, Spinach and Radish are going quite well – I expect these will be the first to harvest.  The Garlic is growing very well, though still some time away from harvest.

The first round of Celery may have been exposed to a bit too cool weather.  They were mulched and covered during the frosty nights but I am not counting on them.  Celery tends to go to seed quickly if it is exposed to cool weather shortly after transplanting.  I have planted some more as insurance, so worst case scenario is a bit of a wait.  Who knows, maybe they will all do just fine? 

The Shingiku is coming along, a very interesting looking leaf it is.  I sampled a small bite and found that it does not taste quite like anything else I have experienced.  I’ll set my opinions aside for now and ask for your impressions when the time comes.

As for the nursery, the Basil, Rosemary, Peppers, and Chard are doing well, though the Tomato plants are getting very impatient and trying to crawl outside to better sunlight.

This weekend will see a lot of planting, including the flowers, leeks, and more potatoes. 

Speaking of Potatoes, I was at the Ellenberger Farm in Coe Hill last week to pick up my order.  Henry is a wealth of knowledge and I have the impression that my knowledge of these tubers doubled in the hour or so we were there.  An extraordinary amount of growing takes place before a generation of seeds offers up a tuber large enough to call a seed potatoe.

Have you ever seen Draft Horses up close?  What powerful beasts they are, they just seem to radiate strength while standing still. 

If you are ever driving up that way (somewhere south-west of Bancroft), try the scenic Old Hastings Road.  We found a canopy forest that was a marvelous place for a picnic.  Watch out for the potholes…

While building up workspace around the barn, Dick and I uncovered the remains of my nemesis from last year...the Groundhog.  I guess I never will get those beans back.  That made me realize - not for the first time - how far I have come since I first broke ground on this acreage last year.  I have not yet lost anything – produce or sleep – to our four-legged friends.  I expect at least once this year something will evade my defenses and get in, but thus far, I feel fortunate to have that much less to worry about.  As for the “little devil”, well, it does not have much to worry about either.

Keep an eye on this site over the two weeks.  I will probably decide very soon, when the harvesting will start.  My notes from last year have an important reminder.  “Not this week, but next…”  When next week came around, I had way too much growing to manage.  This harvest will be limited to Radish, Spinach and Arugula.  I expect the Snow Peas will follow shortly thereafter.

One final note – Thanks to Erica  for taking a few snapshots of the progress this spring.  Expect to see a few more pix from her on the site over the next few weeks.

Talk to you all soon,

Bob

Into the field!

Whitsend Market Garden still has room for a couple more customers.  If you are interested in finding out more about the farm or our CSA, feel free to peruse the site.  You may find our contact information below if you have further questions or would like to purchase a share of the 2012 harvest.

Hey Folks:

Work at the farm has now started to move out into the fields.  Beds built last fall are getting a cleanup, removing some of the switch grass that has moved in and taking out a few missed Dandelions (it is unfortunate that they are too small and tough for harvest as leaf greens!).

Seeding started for cool weather crops earlier in the week, and now the first sprouts are starting to appear.  I was a bit concernend that the “heat wave” we were experiencing was going to be too hard on some of these early crops, such as the Mache.  My gut feeling suggested that cooler weather was on the way, and that has since borne out.  Get your salad bowls ready…

The garlic that was planted last fall has germinated with over 90% success rate.  All varieties seem to have done equally well.  Now we wait to see which ones thrive enough to size up.  I’ll write more about this intriguing crop on another post.

Whitsend welcomes another contributor to the farm.  Erica is taking on an “intern role” for the summer to learn more about organic agriculture and field work.

With spring on the way, another season is soon upon us.

Last year, I found I had no time to peruse the local garage sale market for items that I can put to good use on the farm.  If you are the garage sale type, feel free to keep an eye out for some of the following.  I will gladly reimburse you.

Most of these items are for use in the barn, so if they are a little rough around the edges that is fine.

-Marker board or chalk board or cork board

-Tent pegs (I can use both plastic or the J-shaped metal ones)

-Tool box or carrying kit (If it says “First Aid Kit” on the side, all the better)

-Fold-up table suitable for produce preparation (e.g. 6’ by 4’ or larger)

-Filing cabinet large enough to contain a couple of binders

-Window screen with aluminum frame

-Large picnic coolers

-Galvanized tub, 10-20 Litres capacity or greater.  Ideally (though not essential) with a drain at one end or the bottom.  A small laundery type sink could also work.

-Chair and small writing desk

-Clipboard

Talk to you soon, and hope for some cool weather!

Bob

four season farming, part 1

Whitsend Market Garden still has room for a couple more customers.  If you are interested in finding out more about the farm or our CSA, feel free to peruse the site.  You may find our contact information below if you have further questions or would like to purchase a share of the 2012 harvest.

The Whitsend Post – March 14, 2012

Hello Folks:

I’ve been out to the farm twice this week.  On Sunday, a couple of the raised beds were starting to peek through the snow pack; the laneway was clear in some spots with direct sun.   On Wednesday, all of the raised beds were clear of snow, and large portions of the field were either clear or had two inches or less cover.

I knew from the start that a May harvest was possible.  My biggest concern last fall was the amount of snow in the farm’s laneway, the barn being inaccessible due to drifts or ice dams blocking the door, and/or a prolonged period of snow cover.  As these issues are now resolved, I am starting the May crop planting in the nursery, and hardening off the first rounds of Green Onions, over the next few weeks.

I will continue to assess the amount of water on the field and how quickly the raised beds are drying out.  In the meantime, I will continue to progress under the assumption that I can start planting in early April.  I  think a mid-May harvest is most realistic, and with luck, sooner.

Check the harvest shares for the list of possible crops available.

Note that since it is not included in the season share price, there is a surcharge on the May Crop - $60.00 for the full shares, and $35.00 for the half shares.

***

A couple of people have expressed disbelief that farming is a year-round endeavor.  In fact, cold weather farming has a very long history.  The market gardeners of central France elevated the small-scale, mixed vegetable farm to a high art in the mid 1800’s.  They used techniques that allowed them to extend their shoulder seasons well into the cold months.  In anticipation of the May crop, I will focus this post on early-spring farming.

Three main factors count in year-round gardening – sunlight, temperature and the cold-tolerance of certain crops.

Sunlight:  As the winter ends, the amount of sunlight available for plants increases.  A farm’s seasonal sunlight change varies with the location’s latitude.  Whitsend sits at about 45 degrees north.  In comparison, Paris, France, is located over 48 degrees north.

Farmers can increase sun exposure through their choice of farm site.  If the farm sits on a slope with a south facing aspect, instead of being perfectly level, the sunlight hits the soil more directly (Whitsend’s field is tilted about a degree south).  The crops on a south facing field get a boost from having more sunlight and higher soil temperatures, allowing us to start planting a bit earlier with less danger of spring frost.

In addition, one can “move” the farm further south with bed-shaping techniques.  By building a raised bed with slightly sloped surface (higher on the north side, lower on the south side), I can increase the bed's sunlight exposure.  A bed built like this gets sunlight equivalent to that of a flat surface several degrees latitude south.  One can increase the total slope to a maximum of five or six degrees.  Too much slope and the rainwater will wash soil away.

As Eliot Coleman says in The New Organic Grower (2nd ed.), “…Land in the Northern Hemisphere at 43 degrees latitude (the border of northern California) that slopes five degrees to the south is actually at the same solar climate as level land three hundred miles to the south.”

I’ll point out that Hamilton, Ontario is at 43 degrees and Point Pelee National Park at 42 degrees.

Temperature:  No one needs convincing that Ottawa is a bit cooler than Europe.  Plants are susceptible to cold damage in two ways – wind and the rate of temperature change.

Wind causes damage by drying out the foliage and desiccating the plants.  Therefore, providing a windbreak greatly reduces the losses caused by wind.  It also reduces the wind-chill.  Traditionally, evergreen boughs were used to shelter plants.  The dark green foliage of the evergreens also absorbs warmth, which in turn moderates the temperature rate of change.

I do not have access to evergreen boughs at the farm, but I do have some of the modern equivalents – floating row covers and growing frames.  These provide the windbreak and an added layer of warmth.

The temperature itself is not the greatest threat to the plants; it is the rate of temperature change.  By growing the plants under a layer of row cover (plus a layer of plastic frames) we can moderate this temperature change.  By adding thermal mass inside the frames, such as by placing rocks within the frame, one can further moderate the temperature change.

Type of crops:  Not all plants can accept lower temperatures, even with protection, so I have chosen an array of winter hardy crops for my shoulder seasons.  Some of these are modern hybrids (Such as Evergreen Hardy Green Onions), others are heirloom varieties developed when row covers or plastic frames were not available (Such as Brune D’hiver Lettuce).  Some crops have a natural tolerance to low temperatures (Leeks, Carrots, Parsnips - these may have been bred by farmers in ancient times).  Some plants, such as Mache or Red Russian Kale, are so cold-tolerant they can be harvested frozen from under the snow.

Another surprising note: one would think that young plants are more susceptible to cold.  I have read, however, that sprouts are better able to withstand the cold than more mature plants (Eliot Coleman, The Winter Gardeners Handbook).   I presume this is because plants have evolved to start sprouting in the spring, when temperatures are low.

So, fresh local vegetables need not be only a midsummer treat.  Our winter selection is limited, but an array of greens; essential cooking vegetables such as green onions and leeks; and root crops such as carrots and parsnips can provide us with the taste and nutrition that only fresh vegetables can.

All this talk is making me hungry, but for now, I will have to go harvest something from the fridge.

Talk to you soon,

Bob

PS – Farming in the late fall and early winter shares some aspects with early spring farming.  Some different techniques are involved, such as getting the seeds to think it is spring.  I will return to the topic of winter gardening in midsummer, when I start to plan for the winter crop…

2012 is shaping up to be a great season...

Hey Folks:

Welcome to those of you who are signing on for your first season with Whitsend Market Garden.  I am looking forward to a great season of growing and eating!

2012 is shaping up to be an exciting year, with plenty of crops to introduce, new parts of the field to bring into production, and expanding the nursery.

We are starting so far ahead of where we were last year.  Last March, I was just starting work on the fields.  No beds, no compost piles, not much of an electric fence, and then a long delay as the rain kept the tractor out of the field for its initial turning over.

This year, I start with almost 2000 feet of beds already tilled, a permanent electric fence, a barn with a new door ready to move into, and even garlic slowly growing in one of the beds (expect garlic in your CSA basket this fall!).

I am especially excited about the many new crops we are growing.  My search for alternative salad greens was rewarded when I found a great seed house in Vermont (High Mowing Organic Seeds) that has an excellent variety of organic seed stock.  With Whitsend's great soil and small-scale maintenance, we should produce some remarkable salad greens like Cress and Mache this year.

Work now is confined to the nursery, but purchases for this year’s production are starting to add to the workload.  Trips to Kemptville for electric fence line and other supplies, Coe Hill (pick up my order of seed potatoes), and Berwick (pick up my order of cover crop seeds) are in the works.

I still have a couple of spots open for new customers.  If you know of anyone in your neighbourhood who might be interested in locally grown, certified organic, edible fun, share the blog site with him or her and invite them to call. 

Feel free to forward any questions you have about your food, and we will gladly answer them.

One final note about the blog site.  I am trying to figure out how to get links from one part of the page to another (save you some effort with all that page scrolling).  I should be able to work on that over the next couple of weeks.

Talk to you soon,

B