This week's been a busy one on the farm. All sorts of ongoing projects we had hoped to have finished before the CSA season are inching towards completion.
We're battling cucumber beetles in our cucumber greenhouse and cutworms near our peppers, dodging periods of high UV for the sake of our transplants, and keeping our eyes on the weather for storms and gusty conditions.
Our cucumbers and snow peas are stepping up their production and we expect to include them in shares in the next week or two.
Very Heavy Rain
This past Sunday we received some very heavy rain. Our weather station recorded a total of 2.64 inches that fell over the course of 7 hours (4am - 11am).
What's perhaps most surprising (and perhaps concerning) is that we received 1.5 of those inches in 1 hour!
There were large pools and ponds forming in the fields and on the lawn, and the gentle stream that runs under our lane way was moving so much water it nearly overflowed the culvert.
Our raised beds and the layout of the garden meant that even with this downpour our crops stayed safe. As we wander into a future that promises more unpredictable and unprecedented weather, we're taking seriously our need and plans to adapt to these circumstances. Resiliency and the ability to gracefully degrade (rather than collapse) are norms we hope to embody.
Lettuce know what you think!
This week we'd like to ask you for feedback about your lettuce preferences.
Shares will contain two heads of lettuce and a bowl of cut lettuce. The lettuce plants are the same variety but in the case of the bowl, we harvested the lettuce, washed it in cold water, spin dried it, and then packaged it into a compostable salad bowl.
The washing and drying take time and the compostable bowls now cost about 80 cents each (as prices across the board have gone up). On the other hand, bowled lettuce doesn't have dirt, bugs, and is generally of a higher quality since we've had the opportunity to pick away bad leaves.
Do you have a strong preference for one over the other? Do you appreciate the bowl but wash it anyways? Do you not care either way?
Follow the link below to share your feedback with us!
Kale Recipe
Kale haters, stick with me on this one.
It's no secret that kale is a divisive plant. Some people love it. Some people hate it. Some people really hate it. Critics most often cite the texture (toughness) of kale as the thing they dislike. No amount of dressing or magic can seem to make it palatable.
A few nights ago we tried a new recipe with Kale and think we found a real winner. It's a Dutch recipe and it's basically mashed potatoes with kale as an accent. It adds a nice crunchy texture to the otherwise soft potatoes and if you salt and butter your potatoes, the whole medley works out nicely with the kale flavour being subtle.
Check out the link below and try it for yourself!
This Week's CSA Share
Salad Mix
Head Lettuce
Green Onion
Kale
Garlic Scapes or Chives
Spinach
Radish
Food Bank Donations
So far this season we've donated over 150 pounds of fresh produce to our local food banks. Most of our donated produce goes to Kawartha Lakes Food Source, a fantastic charitable organization that distributes to many food banks within Kawartha Lakes.
We also make direct donations to the Fenelon Falls Salvation Army, Bobcaygeon Food Bank, and the Kinmount Salvation Army Food Bank.
Thanks to all of our CSA customers who support our operation and make this possible.