CSA 13

Saturday Aug 29

Never did i think that writing this blog would be so difficult but lately parking my butt in front of a computer seems to be last on my list of priorities.   My apologies for the lack of a newsletter last week.  Things are moving along as they should.   Nights are getting cold and tomatoes are starting to let go which is fine, I am ready to concentrate on other things.

In your basket this week:

Chez Nous Salad Mix
Tomatoes
Zucchini/  sweet pepper
Ground Cherries ( in the little husk)
3 Garlic
Beets

X-greens..Bok Choy and an extra Salad Mix

A few pictures...

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Damascus Steel ..very neat looking!

Bosque Plum plants are loaded 

Maylor Roth Brandywine....doesn't seem prone to cracking like so many others.

10 rows of carrots seeded for winter

 My flowers, I have started experimenting with cut flowers.
Zinnias of all colors are going crazy here.

The best part has been seeing all the creatures they attract!

Till next week
Shirley

CSA 11

Sunday Aug 16

Hello everyone

So glad the warmer weather is back, I'm not ready to bid farewell  to summer...not yet.  Friday night's heavy rain allowed us to see our new drainage at work.  It was a beautiful sight...watching the overload of water making it's way from all parts of the farm to the chicken pasture.  Knowing, that the days, to sometimes weeks, of endless rain and flooding our gardens are behind us!  Sure the beds stay wet due to our clay soil but the dry up time is reasonable.

In your baskets this week:

Tomatoes
cucumber
zucchini/ summer squash
Garlic...one Siberian...and one Bogatyr
Beans
Hot Peppers...Jalapeno's, Chimayo, Aji Cristal, Hot Wax or Maules Red hot.

Extra Greens: Salad Mix and some beets with tops

A favourite this year is not new to me but a real standout this year! Anna Russian you are beautiful and taste incredible!!!!

Hauling from the field regularly now

These creepy snakes hanging from the ceiling...Thai Long beans

Installed the drainage pipe this week...just on time!

While the swales help channel water away from the gardens the drainage pipe take over when the water flow is very heavy.

We had all our ditched turned into swales, instead of ditches. It's easier for us to get around with wheelbarrows and equipement.  These still need to be seeded with White Clover.

Charlie the farm dog...such a popular guy at the plant sale...is always watching!

CSA 10

Friday Aug 7th

"In my years as at this job, I have yet to hear a farmer say he was having a good year." words by our organic inspector this week. He was speaking in regards to our thoughts on how negatively the wet spring affected us. We laughed when he said this because we knew how true it is ..every year there is something!   I guess it's just the expectations and high hopes we have every season.... the vision of perfection.  A good little reminder that we need to stay positive, always.  

It was nice to hear our inspector comment on the colour we have going at this point...it was the most he has seen.  We did get the hot crops in right on time this year.  Tomatoes have been such a hit.  This weekend i am working on my first batch of Paprika and i have more peppers at this point then i had end of season last year.  Very cool.

In your baskets this week:

Chez Nous Salad Mix
1 head of Crisp Mint Lettuce
Tomatoes
Sweet Peppers
Celtuce ...peel, and cook a little so it is still crunchy...add salt.
Cucumber

Greens upgrade: alos got Kale, Sunflower Sprouts and Dill

Celtuce ...a very strange veggie.  If your a fan of Water Chestnuts you should enjoy it's crunchy texture.

This year's tomatoes are insanely gorgeous! 

Pink Siberian Tiger

Pink Siberian Tiger ...further along 

A ripe Pink Siberian Tiger Tomato

Paprika peppers

Thanks everyone

Have a wonderful week!

CSA #9

Monday Aug 3rd

I hope you're all enjoying your holiday long weekend!

Fridays are proving to be a difficult time for me to write my usual newsletter.  As soon as baskets are ready and loaded into the store, we start getting the farmers market crops ready and it's long and tiring.

This weeks baskets:

Chez Nous Salad Mix
Dragon Beans
Garlic
Summer Savory
Tomatoes
Zucchini, eggplant and cucumber

Greens upgrade: kale or Swiss Chard, Basil and Pea Shoots

A few pics from this week

Lots of planting

Potatoes just starting to flower

Earliest year yet for my outdoor peppers and eggplant

Have a great week!

CSA #8

Sunday July 26

Good morning everyone ( which is now Good evening...)

Sorry i'm a little late.  Baskets were pretty simple this week.   It was nice to have salad mix back in there for you.  Tomatoes are really starting to pick up and the ground cherries look out of this world! Also, the bees have arrived! I was getting worried as the zucchini field always seemed quiet and pollination was poor. This year was the first time i did not include borage in my squash plantings and it really seemed to make a difference...bees love borage! However, they are here now and every morning the field is humming.


In your basket this week:

2 tomato portions
Dragon Tongue beans
Chez Nous Salad Mix
Shallots
Zucchini

Extra greens: extra salad mix and 2 cucumbers

A few of the new varieties i am trying this year. The yellow is Rugosa Friulana, Zucchini Gray and White Marrow at back

The patty pans 

At the moment, we have lots and lots of planting going on...Fall crops.  Flower sprouts are all planted, single rows this year...last year we did double and found that the plants shaded each other out.  It should be a good year for flower sprouts.  We had a new roll of netting arrive from Quebec this week, so expensive, for a pantyhose type material which is essential for planting any members from the cabbage family.  It's our protection from all the little pest that are relentless when it comes to these crops. It's a pain to put on and remove every time you need to get in but it's the best guarantee.

Lots of scraping and digging. 

We've also been working on drainage again this summer.  We started last summer but this spring proved it just wasn't enough.  Lots of rain meant beds stayed wet and we couldn't get to them and lots of crops were lost to the weeds that took advantage of the situation.  We are hoping that this finally fixes this problem.  Plus we were able to build 2 extra market gardens in a lower spot with our extra soil that needed a place to go.

Some outdoor cucumbers also covered in nets to protect them from cucumber beetles, the cover will have to come off soon   for pollination.

We now have 12 gardens that are 12 rows x 50 feet.  There is also the greenhouse and the moveable greenhouse (in background) which contains 3 plots, an herb garden, some random strips here and there and a mini greenhouse attached to the garage out front.   We often have people ask us if we would like to go bigger, honestly, my goal is to reach the day we can manage what we have as well as we'd like.

Some more scraping and digging so that all the gardens drain.

This here is one of those extra areas...planted to lettuce. I am  on my way to pick tomatoes.

We have realized that this moveable greenhouse needs roll up sides for summer ... just too hot.  In spite of it all we have an abundance of tomatoes.

Blue Beauty

The plants are over my head...you have no idea how hot it is in here!!!

This little guy is coming in with me! Bali tomato